42145 - Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter

[roeltheworld]

The coaxial rotor system isn't licensed anyway. 

As for this H175 I hope the rotor top structure can be lowered by two beams. that would make it look like an H175. Also think that bottom nose window can be brickmade instead of a sticker.

[thekoRngear]

The new pictures of the set is out which can be found in the 2022 Technic discussions topic.

From the first pic, IMHO, the rear wheels seem a bit pressured by the weight of the heli. Never owned a Lego Helicoptre before, I am excited!

[howitzer]

Something I was wondering after handling the 9396 helicopter a bit: I wonder where the center of gravity will be in relation to the main rotor? At least in 9396 it's much too far back so that if you lift the helicopter by it's tilted quite a bit towards the rear.

[nerdsforprez]

Seems like interest in this set is waning.  Pics and updates have been on TLG site for some time now.  

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/airbus-h175-rescue-helicopter-42145

Given what I see (fourth pic down, not gonna bother reposting) it seems indeed, we have a somewhat accurate cyclic control.  Blade pitch varies according to rotation cycle.  Exciting!  

Also, appears there will be some form of fake engine that rotor will be connected to.  I do not believe 9396 or 42052 offered this.  

So, even though the looks are odd, I do think this is a step in the right direction.  If looks/scale accuracy can be improved, I think we may have a real winner of a set here....

 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by nerdsforprez

[allanp]

2 hours ago, nerdsforprez said:

Seems like interest in this set is waning.  Pics and updates have been on TLG site for some time now.  

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/airbus-h175-rescue-helicopter-42145

Given what I see (fourth pic down, not gonna bother reposting) it seems indeed, we have a somewhat accurate cyclic control.  Blade pitch varies according to rotation cycle.  Exciting!  

Also, appears there will be some form of fake engine that rotor will be connected to.  I do not believe 9396 or 42056 offered this.  

So, even though the looks are odd, I do think this is a step in the right direction.  If looks/scale accuracy can be improved, I think we may have a real winner of a set here....

 

 

I wouldn't say interest is waning. I think there's interest but I guess people want to see the functions in action before making their minds up. Also, besides the proportions there isn't much else for us to complain about. It has new functionality achieved with new parts that allow for said functionality to be done more authentically, a variety of different mechanisms, it's bound to be packed with complexity, the build should be interesting from start to end with mechanisms from top to bottom and it's size (price) looks to be fully justified. Sure, it might have looked a bit better and there's multicoloured gears, but I don't feel much like complaining about that given all the previous good points it has.

For me, 8480 is the king of flying Technic vehicles. It does have lights, a additional micromotor, minimal colour coding and some belt drives (which I still miss!) over the Airbus. But the Airbus has more dynamic and exciting functionality (a huge, fast spinning, 5 bladed rotor vs rather slow moving functions of 8480), much more authentic mechanism (although how do you make an authentically working space shuttle in Lego?!), it's landing gear is motorised, and I think the new cyclic/collective parts are more interesting than the new parts in 8480. So for me, if I can ignore the nostalgia of 8480, the Airbus is in with a chance of beating it!

Edited June 29, 2022 by allanp

[valenciaeric]

Planes and helicopters have never been very popular technic sets in terms of sales. It can be seen in the resale value of discontinued sets, which are barely above RRP unless something strange happens like wwit the infamous Osprey.

[howitzer]

27 minutes ago, valenciaeric said:

Planes and helicopters have never been very popular technic sets in terms of sales. It can be seen in the resale value of discontinued sets, which are barely above RRP unless something strange happens like wwit the infamous Osprey.

That's funny, considering that aircraft has been produced throughout Technic history with most years having something and up to 4 different sets with instructions for aircraft in 1996 and in 1997 and helicopters being one of the most common type of vehicle in Technic...

[markaus]

4 hours ago, howitzer said:

That's funny, considering that aircraft has been produced throughout Technic history with most years having something and up to 4 different sets with instructions for aircraft in 1996 and in 1997 and helicopters being one of the most common type of vehicle in Technic...

having to go back 25 years to cherry pick a year doesnt really help your argument though. Going back 2 decades, 18 sets of the 217 contain a plane or heli as the main model, and the majority of those are just promo bag tier junk. No year contained more than 2 sets and has never been a flagship model

[allanp]

I think flying vehicles can be a tricky thing to make interesting as a Technic set because their main function of flight can't really be replicated (at least while not looking like a tethered drone). On the other hand, a digger or a crane can easily made to actually dig and lift things. So with flying vehicles, in some cases you get a large vehicle with a little spinning propeller and some small flaps that move. But some sets like the osprey broke that trend by having larger, more dynamic functions with two fairly large, fast spinning tilting propellers. Sets like 8480 and control centre 2 also broke that trend and I think the Airbus will also. But with the Airbus TLG need to show it in action. Pictures alone won't do it justice.

[howitzer]

4 hours ago, markaus said:

having to go back 25 years to cherry pick a year doesnt really help your argument though. Going back 2 decades, 18 sets of the 217 contain a plane or heli as the main model, and the majority of those are just promo bag tier junk. No year contained more than 2 sets and has never been a flagship model

Is there another type of vehicle which has been released in single year in 4 or more different sets?

Helicopters are very common, that's a fact. Airplanes are less so, but still there are as many of them as there are excavators or tow trucks so they aren't exactly rare either. The first decade of the 2000 indeed saw very few aircraft but those were really bad times for Technic in other ways too. It's true that aircraft has never been a flagship beside 8480, though some of them are still quite large and functional like 42052, 9396 and 42025. The new Airbus could be considered flagship, it being the largest Technic set of this year excluding UCS Ferrari (those are generally considered their own category) and assuming the Liebherr crane is postponed to next year but the designation is of course debatable.

2 minutes ago, allanp said:

I think flying vehicles can be a tricky thing to make interesting as a Technic set because their main function of flight can't really be replicated (at least while not looking like a tethered drone). On the other hand, a digger or a crane can easily made to actually dig and lift things. So with flying vehicles, in some cases you get a large vehicle with a little spinning propeller and some small flaps that move. But some sets like the osprey broke that trend by having larger, more dynamic functions with two fairly large, fast spinning tilting propellers. Sets like 8480 and control centre 2 also broke that trend and I think the Airbus will also. But with the Airbus TLG need to show it in action. Pictures alone won't do it justice.

You're entirely right here. I would add that aircraft tend to require large dimensions due to wings/propeller blades which forces them to be very big if they are to include more than the most basic functionality and this in turn reduces swooshability, making them more shelf queens and less something to be played with.

[valenciaeric]

I should have been clearer and made reference to the medium sized set aircraft as being unpopular. The little ones at the 10 euro to 50 euro price point have  been more popular and maybe that´s to do with their swooshability and compactness

The bigger sets tend to be shelf warmers - the previous two helicopters, display (and in no way military, cough cough) jet and cargo plane are perfect examples as they could be found months after retirement and have not really appreciated. Whether licenced sets will do better remains to be seen - perhaps one reason is indeed the storage space they take up with the blades or wingspan, in my case these are the first sets I take apart once built.

Lego still make them to add variety to the line, as they do with a number of Star Wars spaceships that are not best sellers either so I guess they are not losing money.

[thekoRngear]

Half of what you Technic/EB veterans talked thru went well over my head. Just tell me it will be functionally rich and will offer great play values in terms of Technic ursine creatures segment? Want to have it as my first such category set while accepting the fact it won't be used for moving (like a car) at all. I really have started to seeing this as something playworthy more like a continuation to 2021's HD Tow truck. 

[howitzer]

8 minutes ago, thekoRngear said:

Half of what you Technic/EB veterans talked thru went well over my head. Just tell me it will be functionally rich and will offer great play values in terms of Technic ursine creatures segment? Want to have it as my first such category set while accepting the fact it won't be used for moving (like a car) at all. I really have started to seeing this as something playworthy more like a continuation to 2021's HD Tow truck. 

By all accounts this appears to be the best thing TLG has ever released in this category. Reviews should be up in a few weeks and then we'll know for sure.

[nerdsforprez]

26 minutes ago, howitzer said:

By all accounts this appears to be the best thing TLG has ever released in this category. Reviews should be up in a few weeks and then we'll know for sure.

Agreed. I also think the bulkiness at the top (not at the rotor) is due to the dumb BB being housed there. If this is the case it could easily be replaced by like buwizz or something and the shape could then be improved.  If this is the case,  this is a day one purchase for me. Also.... wouldn't doubt if we see some great mocs in this vehicle genre from the new swashplate elements. 

[aeh5040]

I'm surprised by how insecure the attachment of the new 5-way liftarm appears to be (given the weight of the rotor). If I'm interpreting it right, the square hole in the centre slides onto the vertical liftarm, and the only thing holding it in place vertically and stopping it from wobbling is the offset connector just below it and the offset axle running vertically through one of the holes. Judging by the other arms, it is a pin hole not an axle hole, but who knows? Perhaps the square hole is a very tight fit, which would help with wobble?

[technicfanatic]

I was hoping they would create a pivot sleeve for the swash plate, like the one the Bell 206 has, for properly constraining the swash plate motion.

 

[msk6003]

Looks like model has 2 winch but I can find only one winch switch. What will for other?

[grum64]

I’m looking forward to this. I built the 9396 and it sat on the shelf for quite some time being sold to free up some space. I kind of miss it sitting there so think the 42145 will fill that void quite nicely.

[Johnny1360]

2 hours ago, msk6003 said:

Looks like model has 2 winch but I can find only one winch switch. What will for other?

Not sure but it could be a two speed winch, as they have done several of those recently.

[1gor]

It looks like one winch (at least a hook) on belly and one on right side of helicopter

...in picture just after video (hyperlink posted by @nerdsforprezhttps://www.lego.com/en-us/product/airbus-h175-rescue-helicopter-42145)

 

(4th in sequence)

[Ngoc Nguyen]

10 hours ago, nerdsforprez said:

I also think the bulkiness at the top (not at the rotor) is due to the dumb BB being housed there.

The battery box is in the bottom and in the rear.

[nerdsforprez]

16 hours ago, Ngoc Nguyen said:

The battery box is in the bottom and in the rear.

Good to know, thanks.  Which kinda makes it all more puzzling why the top is so out of proportion.  The BB would have been a good excuse, but I guess it is not located there. 

 

 

[howitzer]

If the battery box is at the bottom (logical, as it must be opened), perhaps it's the motors (I assume there's two) which are at top, forcing a bulge along with the gearbox.

[1gor]

16 minutes ago, howitzer said:

If the battery box is at the bottom (logical, as it must be opened), perhaps it's the motors (I assume there's two) which are at top, forcing a bulge along with the gearbox.

IMHO it is just one L motor and gearbox for functions selection

[howitzer]

13 minutes ago, 1gor said:

IMHO it is just one L motor and gearbox for functions selection

There's one motor for sure located fairly low and rear, behind the red tapered panel. If that's the only one the bulge on the top is probably there just to hide the base of the rotor (which sits much too high relative to the real helicopter).