I got a brand new Lego Technic set. Here is the LEGO Technic set I got (available here on Amazon.com).
The exact set: LEGO Technic Ultralight Helicopter (42057)
This is a Two in One set.
The additional build is called The Experimental Aircraft.
Age Range: 8-14
Noteworthy Pieces: an engine, two pistons, propellers, eight gears, steering system, two building maps, two small wheels, and one big wheel.
How easy it is to build on a 1-10 scale? 4
How long does it take to build the Ultra Helicopter: 15 to 25 min.
How long does it take to build the Experimental Aircraft:10 to 20 min
Facts about the Ultra Helicopter (42057)
This helicopter has several cool features. It has a gear on the bottom so when you turn it the propellers twirl.
These are the 8 gears that I really like building with.
It also has two small engines that when put together it looks like one big engine. The steering system is on the front right side of the helicopter so when you push it back and forth it moves the back wing.
These are the collapsible engine and pistons.
The stick is on the outside of the helicopter, but it’s not very realistic compared to a real helicopter.
The pre-made steering wheel is very nice.
(Note: it’s not really a steering wheel, it’s more like a steering system in a plane)
This set comes with a pre-made seat so you can make a spot for a LEGO man. I can put a LEGO man in the cockpit and the steering wheel holds him by one of his arms. They both don’t fit.
A top view of completed helicopter.
Facts about the Experimental Aircraft (42057)
The cool thing about this set is that it comes with the second map right in the box. In most of the sets that I have gotten in the past the second map is on the LEGO website.
The Experimental Aircraft looks a lot like a car that has a fan in back.
Though this one doesn’t have a gear on the bottom the engine is connected to the propeller. It does roll on the ground a little bit better than the helicopter.
I prefer the Helicopter though because it is a lot easier to play with.
The Experimental Aircraft is very cool and I want to modify it so that when you push it forward it turns the propeller at the same time..
This is the steering system pieces.
Basic Information
This helicopter set has good instructions and strong pieces. As a matter of fact the instructions list 86 very specific and easy to follow steps in order to build it.
The gears allow you to build a lot of other neat stuff later on like submarines, helicopters and fan propelled tricycles.
It also has a lot of pieces so after you finish building the helicopter you could take it apart and build a lot of other cool things.
If this is one of your first LEGO Technic sets to build it might take you a little bit longer.
On the whole, LEGO Technic sets are a lot different then LEGO City and other LEGO sets.
One thing that is cool is that when you’re building it you don’t know what part you’re building until you’re done. It’s like you’re building something and every thing you do doesn’t make sense until it’s all built.
One of my favorite parts is learning how they designed the set and learning from it so I can use the same techniques in all kinds of funky ways. My favorite part of this set is that it comes with gears.
This is the gear on the bottom of the helicopter.
It is important to note this is a 2 in 1 set.
This means while you can build both the Ultra Helicopter and the Experimental Aircraft you can only do one at a time. You have to take apart the first one you build if you want to build the second one. In other words, there are only pieces to build one at a time.
I did not find that to be a problem.
I love building with my LEGO’s and take stuff apart and rebuild on a daily basis.