Coast Guard Search & Rescue Helicopter

Join the rescue with the Coast Guard Search & Rescue Helicopter set, featuring an awesome helicopter with lights that really work!

This helicopter is packed with cool features!

• For night time missions, switch on the working lights! The helicopter has a bright search & landing light in front, a hover light on the bottom, green & red navigation lights on the sides, and a ceiling light in the cabin.
• After take off, you can retract the main landing gear.
• Find the lost boater, then use the hoist & basket to rescue him!
• The helicopter has lots of details, including search/weather radar radome on the nose, detailed main rotor head, and detailed jet engine air intakes and exhausts. Interior details include cockpit with instrument panel, control sticks, engine start levers, and seats for the pilot & co-pilot, and cabin with working ceiling light, storage cabinets, medical kit, seats for two crew members and space for the rescue basket.

Rescue helicopters have been a favorite LEGO subject of mine, ever since I built the LEGO Ambulance Helicopter and Van (#386) set many years ago. For this LEGO Ideas project, my goal was to design a minifigure scale rescue helicopter with working LEGO LED lights. The design of the helicopter uses some elements from one of my earlier LEGO Ideas projects ("Rescue Helicopter").

This helicopter has an 8-stud wide body and 3-stud wide tail section. The design includes the following elements:

• Pressing a brick on the top of the helicopter just behind the cockpit switches on the enclosed LEGO AAA (or Rechargeable) battery box, which turns on the green & red navigation lights. A switch on the left side of the helicopter (connected to a LEGO Technic switch) can then be used to switch on the search/landing, hover and cabin lights. The helicopter has plenty of interior space in which the wires for the lights are hidden.
• The main landing gear are connected together by a shaft and geared to friction pins, so they move together and stay in the correct position (up or down).
• The rescue basket can hold 1 or 2 minifigures, easily connects to the hoist, and fits nicely inside the cabin.

In addition to the helicopter and 4 crew member minifigures, the set includes a boater minifigure, a small boat, and a display stand.

I think that installing the lights adds a fun and unique aspect to the building experience. And the lights add a lot to the play value! If you think this idea would make a great LEGO set, please vote! Happy LEGO building!