5
Number: 4429
Name: Helicopter Rescue
Theme: City
Year: 2012
Minifigs: 4
Pieces: 425
Price: 49,99 EURO/USD
Links: Bricklink Brickset
Today I review long awaited hospital set. It's supposed to get released sometime in the summer, but I was lucky to find one in german lego brand shop.
The box:
Box is similar size like last years bank or city corner. Its only half full, but thats quite usual for todays sets, so nothing too bad about that. Its without "limited edition" band, so I guees it will not be store exclusive, like bank. If you look at it carefully, you will notice that ambulance car is somewhat enlarged and helicopter shinked (car is almost bigger then helicopter which is not exactly the case when set is assembled), which corrects one of larger drawbacks of this set.
Back side of box shows usual multiple scenes played with set, together with ever present "hey" guy, this time in paramedic uniform. This set is so far this year only one from "hospital subtheme", so the box shows "great vehicles" as its "family" sets.
Box contents:
There are four bags, one for each vehicle and two for main building. There are also some large plates (like in all recent sets there is no baseplate), three instruction manuals and DSS.
Instructions:
Like said, instruction manuals are three, all thin and different sized (which annoys me very much). There are part callouts on each page and part list at the end of third manual.
At first I was happy to see that "hey" guy is not on the back of the manuals, but then I noticed that he is still on one of small manuals. Largest also shows forest police theme.
Dreaded Sticker Sheet (DSS):
DSS is medium sized and of good quality (better than on ambulance in great vehicles theme).
Bag 1: Ambulance
First bag builds small ambulance car. There are no new parts (at first I thought that red mudguards are new, but then I saw that they were in several other sets). There is also banana, on which the patient slips and causes injury.
Finished vehicle is four stud wide and really small. It can hold driver and stretcher with patient which amazing considering its size. Strecther's handles have to go under drivers hands, and infusion bottle have to be be placed correctly hovewer.
In comparison, ambulance from "great vehicles" theme look giant:
Its roughly the same size as small truck from police helicopter set and its clear that lego is currently producing two very different sized vehicle types.
Mifigures:
Bag 1 also holds three minifigures (fourth is helicopter pilot in bag 2). Theye are: generic patient, female paramedic (different then the one in great vehicles set) and doctor, which is new. It has printed legs, which should continue body print, but is totaly different colour. I guess that they will correct this in later batches, but for now it pretty much ruins comlete minifigure.
Bag 2: Helicopter:
Bag two builds helicopter. There are generic parts for front part of helicopter, but not for back side (which would be nice, bacause white helicopter tail does not exist for now).
Finished helicopter is somewhat different than those from previous years. Its shorter (and overall smaller) than others because it has different back end with loading platform.
Back side with platform. It fits stretcher with patient and pilot at the front.
Side view is somewhat strange, because of "chopped" back side of cabin:
Pilot torso is new for me, with paramedic stripe, pockets and (i assume) parachute handles. It also has leg printing! We also get another stretcher:
Comparison with police helicopter. As we can see it shorter and its main rotor is smaller.
Bag 3: Main building - part 1
Bag three builds garage and main building base. There are mainly just larger parts, but most of them are very useful. You get (always wanted) parts for rolling garage doors, doors, window and two panels, five 4x2 DBG tiles and a lot of bricks with groove (whole set uses mostly just bricks with grove and almost no "ordinary" bricks, even for non visible parts, which is nice, because you could swap them and use them for lets say maersk train containers).
Bag three finished and we can see that floor in garage remains green, and that interior is not well equiped. We get two chairs and desk with computer. You can notice long brick with garage roller groove in place of normal brick.
Right side of garage is just large hole:
Back side of base floor:
Bag 4: Main building - part 2
With bag four we complete main building and whole set. Part wise its nothing special. We get three trans blue panels and bunch of "normal" bricks.
Finished set:
Main building looks nice and car is also in scale, only thing that doesnt fit is (too large) helicopter.
Side view:
On back side we can see how poorly equiped is main building:
On top floor there are two beds, control panel and pole with infusion bottle.
Right side shows that helicopter can hardly fit on the platform:
"great vehicles" ambulance can not fit into garage:
Buildin is same size as bank, city corner and building site building, but its not compatible like those are (so you can just change the floor). Red frame and large glass panels connect building between floors, so those can not be easily separated. Otherwise they look good together.
Conclusion:
We have waited long for new hospital and this set deliveres it, but for many people this set is disapointing. Out of scale vehicles, bad printing and empty interior are indeed bad, but I still think this set is ok for its money. It looks nice and its great basis for modding.
Design & Build 6 nice main building and interesting build, but on the other side poor interior and out of scale vehicles
Parts 7 Some nice parts although nothing new
Figures 6 Doctor is nice but it has very bad printing
Playability 8 With solid construction, garage doors, helicopter and ambulance, this set very playable.
Value 8 For 50 euro we get ambulance (which would cost at least 10 euro on its own), helicopter (whih again is at least 20 euro) and not so small main building.
Overall, this gives us 7 out of 10 points, which I think is realistic. Set has its drawbacks, but most of those could be easily modded and after all its still hospital, which is missing in many layouts (mine also)
A hospital theme is very welcomed, and although that's what the set is about, it doesn't have any other special appeal. I see it mainly as a 'parts-pack' for MOD- or MOC-ing your own hospital. The set definitely has a potential for that, but one needs to put in some effort. 
. It's grass on the first floor and the car is just a waste of parts which could have been added to the hospital it self.
Come on LEGO...really? Maybe they have something against hospitals, that's why they make them so lackluster... I do like the outside of the building. I don't care for and wonder why they don't fill in those open side walls. Its not a big issue because it'll probably be buddy, buddy with another building. But still. The figs are definitely the star of the show(even with the two tone lab coat). Bah, this should be in the 2012 topic, so onto the review. 
. Hopefully we can forgive them if the car park is good. Great review anyway well done. 
If only it would be like it was meant to.
I'm very saddened by the fact that the greatest designers seem to be only doing licenced themes now ..
