Random part of the day: Helicopter, Function Element, No. 1
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random part is 41327, 'Helicopter, Function Element, No. 1', which is a System part, category Functional Elements.
Our members collectively own a total of 3,305 of them. If you'd like to buy some you should find them for sale at BrickLink.
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21 comments on this article
I'm not sure "Functional Elements" is the right category for this. Disfunctional Elements perhaps...
I’m not sure POOP is the right term for this. Is there an acronym for “damn near half the model out of other parts”?
More like "Helicopter Doesn't Function" as it's a key part to those new ripcord helicopters that really don't work that well.
And these are pricey sets to not work that well. It wasn't hard at all to get the $4.99 US Navy helicopter I had as a kid on the roof--where it ended up a lot.
Remember when people complained about Jack Stone being useless?
Pepperidge Farm remembers... but Lego doesn't, apparently.
I honestly thought at first that this was a Duplo part that had been incorrectly labelled as System. Then I realised it's for these rip cord 'flying' helicopters from City.
How is this Lego? There's no studs anywhere and it is literally a rip off of other toys. I really hate it when Lego tries to 'be' another brand, whether its TikTok or Apple with its technology obsession, or this.
The helicopters don't even fly well. The part itself is also completely and utterly useless as you can't attach it to anything and it is clearly a helicopter.
An incredibly versatile part.... 2nd only to a goat for its plethora of uses.
@Brickchap: I thought it was from 4+ sets until I looked at where it had been used.
@Brickchap said:
"I honestly thought at first that this was a Duplo part that had been incorrectly labelled as System. Then I realised it's for these rip cord 'flying' helicopters from City.
How is this Lego? There's no studs anywhere and it is literally a rip off of other toys. I really hate it when Lego tries to 'be' another brand, whether its TikTok or Apple with its technology obsession, or this.
The helicopters don't even fly well. The part itself is also completely and utterly useless as you can't attach it to anything and it is clearly a helicopter."
Isn’t that a stud on top? I hadn’t picked these up at first because of the price tag; later when I heard they didn’t work, I didn’t even notice when they went on clearance — if they did.
Edit: now I see, that ‘stud’ is to attach a rotor.
its fine
3305 Members own it c0
60244 has such a great truck design but the set was ruined by that "flying" helicopter thing. Lego's desperate need to make expensive gimmicks for City sets nowadays is annoying. Stuntz is the only one that was fairly acceptable.
@cody6268 said:
"More like "Helicopter Doesn't Function" as it's a key part to those new ripcord helicopters that really don't work that well.
And these are pricey sets to not work that well. It wasn't hard at all to get the $4.99 US Navy helicopter I had as a kid on the roof--where it ended up a lot. "
This is one of the few abject failures of LEGO in my household. I bought these for my kids because I had similar toys as a kid and remember how fun they were.
The looks of sheer frustration and disappointment on my children’s faces is one I’ll never forget. Whoever let these monstrosities through is on my permanent naughty list until they properly apologize.
@ao_ka:
I mean, the parachutes probably worked, didn’t they? I’m pretty sure the old Dino Attack parachute that nobody ever knew about did. Well, mine used to. I managed to remove it from the minifig without damaging the parachute itself, so I could use it on a Green Army Man, but I ditched the large plastic marble that appears to have been intended to add balata so the parachute would function properly.
I'm pretty sure these helicopters having zero attachment points is on purpose, because adding parts to it would change the balance and affect how it flies.
But on the other hand, they don't fly that well as is, so...
@Brickchap said:
"
How is this Lego? There's no studs anywhere "
I thought there would at least be two or more studs where the minifigure sits but no, totally smooth!
Even the cockpit screen attachment method looks to be unconventional (and probably prone to wear over time).
There must still be anti studs underneath those skids though? In which case, still some scope for novel part usage in MOCs :)
Oh, wow, I thought that was a normal stud on top and assumed this was tiny, then looked it up and its actually massive. I wonder why they felt they had to do the entire helicopter body for this piece and no just a thing on the roof for the spinner; perhaps the clutch power couldn't hold against the force of the ripcord?
@peterlmorris said:
" @cody6268 said:
"More like "Helicopter Doesn't Function" as it's a key part to those new ripcord helicopters that really don't work that well.
And these are pricey sets to not work that well. It wasn't hard at all to get the $4.99 US Navy helicopter I had as a kid on the roof--where it ended up a lot. "
This is one of the few abject failures of LEGO in my household. I bought these for my kids because I had similar toys as a kid and remember how fun they were.
The looks of sheer frustration and disappointment on my children’s faces is one I’ll never forget. Whoever let these monstrosities through is on my permanent naughty list until they properly apologize.
"
I'm so sorry for your experience, but your writing of the story just makes me laugh. I can just picture your poor kids and your desperate attempt to recapture youth. Priceless. Thanks for sharing.
Have you tried the Ninjago Spinjintzu flyers like 70628? I remember trying one in-store and they were crazy. The staff had to cut the rip cords down because the spinners were end up in all sorts of small crannies in the ceiling!
I'm just curious to try this piece. It may be on BrickLink for one cent, judging by the bad comments.
@TomKazutara said:
[[[[its fine]]
No it's not fine. It's un-reusable, un-rebrickable, and doesn't funktion at all.
]]
Likely referring to https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/this-is-fine
Hope to see these as a seed part for the next Iron Builder.
@cm5878:
The skids probably nest over studs, but almost certainly won’t connect to them.
@Brickalili:
A wall of plates weighs more than a wall of bricks with the same dimensions, because of the additional tops and studs involved. A wall of small plates weighs more than one of larger plates as well, because of the additional sidewalls involved. Bricklink lists a 2x4 brick as weighing 2.32 grams, but 24 1x1 plates (same volume) weighs ~4.8 grams, which is over twice as much. So, imagine how much of a brick you’d be trying to lift into the air if you built a full MOC to use with the same rotor. Well, unless you scaled it down a _lot_.