Stunt Copter

Set #: 6515

Year Released: 1994

Piece Count: 35

Minifigs: 1

RRP: $3.25 (I think this cost 1.49 or perhaps 1.99GBP of my pocket money).

Continuing to sort through my childhood lego, I bring you another classic 90's set. The 6515 Octan Stunt Copter (Not to be confused with the much larger 6357 Stunt 'Copter and Truck). Impulse sets of this size/piece count seem to be less common these days and more usually reserved for promo polybags. The design of this set also has a clear lineage from the 26 piece 1630 helicopter of 1990, which didn't even come with a minifig!

The Box

Due to storage space at my parents, I don't have the box for this set, it was recycled long ago, however as usual the front print on the instructions matches the front box art, showing the helicopter at a nice angle flying over the sea with the shadow of an oil rig and some cliffs in the background. Perhaps rather than for stunt flying the Octan corporation are actually using it to inspect oil and gas pipelines, though admittedly that's a less exciting prospect for most children.

The Minifig

We get one classic 90's Octan guy (or girl; it's the 90's - without hair I can't tell, and Octan corp is an equal opportunities employer), with large printed logo on his white torso, green legs and a red helmet with trans light blue visor. Standard yellow hands, so (s)he may get cold frostbite in his fingers from the rotor downdraft:

The Parts

A standard mix of Octan colours, predominantly white and including all the standard bits you expect for a 90s helicopter (2x2 tile with pin, 4 bladed rotor hub, 2x2 plate with hole, etc). As a sign of things to come the set also had a small sticker sheet, with the two Octan legends for the 1x8 white tile rotor blades (stickers already applied in this pic):

The Instructions

Standard double sided fold out leaflet with 11 steps in total. The background varies from light blue sky at the top to green grass at the bottom but contrast and colouring is fine for piece identification.

The Build and Model

The fuselage comes first, then the tail boom. Its all very simple part stacking with no snot. The 1x2 plate with 1 stud serves to position the tail boom on the centreline of the copter rather than offset.

Landing gear and rotors next and before you know it it's finished! From the front 1/4 it looks just as smart as on the box art. The levers in the pilot's hands give the sense of simple mechanical controls that you would expect in a basic helicopter and are vastly better than the alternative of a patterned tile.

From the side, it looks compact, but the proportions seem right for the LEGO world, if not reality. The aerospace engineer in me is thinking about the noise and possible control issues the pilot will have with the tail rotor being constantly in the main rotor downwash. The open cockpit and having your head inches from bits travelling at a couple of hundred RPM might seem like issues too, but in reality many early helicopters put the pilot in similar conditions.

From the rear quarter it still feels 'right', though the shortness of the tail boom is still obvious. I suspect if it was lengthened to even 8 studs though she would become a tail-sitter whenever the pilot got out!

This model made enough of an impression on the young me, that during my dark ages, it continued to shine some light through: Whilst I should have been doing homework I was actually modelling this set for use in Microsoft Flight Sim 2002:

The Verdict

Build& Model: Very simple build, but this set does feel complete, unlike the 1630 from which it clearly owes it's design. Something about it the model just seems 'right' to me: 9

Parts: Has all the basic bits needed for any 90's helicopter: 7

Figure: Simple, yes, but good colour combinations, and can't have too may Octan employees can we?: 7

Playability: Everything that should spin, spins, its reasonably robust to 'wub wub wub wub wub' (helicopter 'swoosh') around, and should you wish to crash it, you won't need to break the instructions out to put it back together: 8

Overall: I may be overly fond of this set due to my own nostalgia, but I can't think of a better 30-40 piece pocket money set from the 90's town range. This is what LEGO should be: 9

But what do you think? Am I right/wrong?

Edited December 23, 201410 yr by Rick

Hmm, I had this set as a kid (well, still do, for the most part), and I wasnt too impressed by it, since to me it didnt have much play value on its own. And even back then I was bugged by the absemnce of a real cockpit. Over time, it grew on me because for a long time it was the only representative of Octan in my collection, and of course, for nostalgic reasons. I agree on the playability, but I guess nostalgia is the only reason I would rate this set highly.

I went to check my veteran Octan pilot and hes stil there, complete with dented and fading torso... Seems I played with it rather more than I remember. I guess for a little kid this set is enough on its own. Thanks for digging up this little set.

Yes where can I find this mod for flight simulator 1984-2014

The flightsim 2002 version can be found on simviation.com. I've not tested it in any other versions, but it may well work in 2004 and FSX.