I have purchased this kit in 2006 of its release primarily because I was drawn to the motor. It would be the first time I would have gotten a lego motor. I know now that the power functions are the newer motors that replaced the older one in this set. Even still, I was drawn to the look and functions. The set from the creator theme has booklets that provided ideas from which to construct your own creations, also adding two other models from which to build with instructions. Unlike today, where you have to go on-line to build the secondary models. I really like this set and what it has offered to me in terms of parts. A lot of red plates and technic axles and gears are supplied in this fantastic kit to help jump start any new person into the world of lego. I know it that it has greatly helped me as a resource and serves as a mile marker for where I have grown to build larger more complex models. The main model shoots rockets at the bottom from an intricate gear set up inside the chopper where when you reverse the direction of the motor it switches the gear alignment and thus triggers a firing lever to shoot the missiles. This was awesome to watch and shoot. The one disappointment I have is the battery box which can block some holding position on the back of chopper. The battery box almost touches the ground except that the landing skids prevent that a little. Both rotors spin and the gears that connect the drive system are really sweet to look at. If you buy this set it has a lot to offer for functionality and parts. All the gears and motor make it an interesting creator model. This set serves as a good inspiration to build your own models with a motor and allows you to enjoy the kit and what it entails. To conclude, this set is an older model with a nice variety of pieces that will aid any lego builder to make his or her own models. 

I got this set from my aunt for Christmas, and think it is a really nice, large set, the first large set I ever received.

Pros

• -The gearbox works a real charmer.
  
• -The color scheme is really nice and classic.
  
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Cons

• -A minifigure would have been nice; I added my Aang minifig since he's familiar with air.
  
• -The gearbox just stops working after a while, a bit of a disappointment.
  
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This is one of the best sets I've ever gotten, and still have it displayed, even though the gearbox is ruined.

The helicopter is nice looking and generally sturdy. There are a few detail pieces that don't stick too well.

My favorite detail is the cleverly built gearbox - when the motor is in forward, the rotors spin. In reverse, the gears automatically shift to keep the rotor moving in the right direction, and it also engages a mechanism for firing the rockets!

The auto-reverse car is a neat idea, but the bumpers aren't designed strongly enough. They fall apart because the car is moving too fast when it hits a wall.