[REVIEW] 60437 Jungle Explorer Helicopter - more than just gorillas?

[Clone OPatra]

Thanks to LEGO for sending Eurobricks this set for review, which I requested for one simple reason: the gorillas. Let's see if there's more to it.

SET INFORMATION
Number: 60437
Name: Jungle Explorer Helicopter at Base Camp
Theme: City
Released: 2024
Part Count: 881
Minifigures: 5 + 3 gorillas!!
Set Price (RRP): 99.99 EUR / 89.99 GBP / 169.99 AUD / 99.99 USD / 129.99 CAD
Links: Brickset Bricklink Flickr album

BUILD
If you'd like to see pictures of the parts poured out of the seven bags and what's built with each, see the Flickr album. There's nothing especially noteworthy about it, though building the helicopter felt as much like building a big ship out of Star Wars as much as anything else for a while. Let's get right to the goods.

GORILLAS!
LEGO has been on quite the animal spree in the past few years, but several of the new larger ones have left something to be desired in the posability department. Thankfully that isn't the case with our new gorilla friend, comprised of three new components.

Somehow the City range with animals eschews the stinginess found across many other themes (although the other new jungle sets aren't quite as good with this), and this set blesses us with two of the brand new adult gorilla plus one delightful baby.

I'm sure the element designers went through lots of iterations and possibilities when it comes to the pose for the gorilla, but I think they nailed it. The overall form works for standing or walking, and looks suitably LEGO-y with enough detail but not too much, and of course studs on the back, which we'll get to shortly.

It's immensely fun to play around with these, without even needing a baseplate due to the stability of the front arm and back legs.

Add in a base though, and even more possibilities open up...

They also scale well with minifigures, and yes, accept riders... though I think the sitting pose looks perilous since the studs on the gorilla's back are just a little bit far back.

  

Obviously the gorillas get a definite recommend from me, but this is a $100 US set after all. Let's see about the rest of it now.

MINIFIGURES

Surprisingly, this set includes all five of the explorers who have returned from the Arctic subtheme (some of their colleagues from that mission decided against joining them for this one). I'm still used to the old days where the largest set in a wave would often include an exclusive minifigure of some sort, but I'm not mad about it.

These designs have less team unity than they did in the arctic, though that fits the setting and the overall colour scheme has shared DNA, while remaining unique for each character. Some of the torsos feel a drop under-detailed, especially the woman in the centre here:

The back of that one also is the simplest of the bunch by far, while the others have a decent level of detail. Of course the motorbike rider's jacket stands out.

The set contains plenty of accessories for a variety of functions, including its exclusive piece of the four-part map spread across the wave, and a recolour of the new peach piece that debuted in Monkie Kid.

HABITAT
Following the order of the build process, I'll first take a look at the habitat and side builds before getting to da choppa. The near universal sentiment I saw when pictures of these jungle sets came out was disappointment at the size of the actual jungle builds and lack of ruins to explore in contrast with the 2017 jungle wave.

Even on its own terms, this build seriously underwhelms in size. It's got detail, but really not enough space to it in comparison with the size of the gorillas, or to feel like the lush and dense forests where gorillas actually live.

The segments do split apart so that they can be rearranged and combined with the jungle builds in the other sets. There's not much more to see around the back, besides a flower.

SIDE BUILDS
Have you noticed that LEGO sets have been getting more and more SEO-friendly names lately? On the box this set is called just Jungle Explorer Helicopter (a fine name), but on the website it's called Jungle Explorer Helicopter at Base Camp. Well, here's the base camp...

I like this little build a lot, though it feels more arid Africa than it does jungle to me. In any case, the designer has packed heaps of detail in, which is great.

We also get a couple of side vehicles, with a rugged motorcycle kitted out with saddlebags, and the smallest of swamp boats to chart the river in your imagination.

Put together, these side builds would actually make a decent set. Their sizes work well together, even if they habitat build remains lackluster.

HELICOPTER - without stickers
Good news sticker-phobes: the helicopter looks perfectly good without stickers applied! Of course the explorers' logo is lacking, but otherwise all the colour-blocking is achieved with building. You can see one more side-on shot without stickers here.

Looking at the box photos, I actually didn't even notice that there were going to be more than just the three stickers to add the logos. There are in fact a whole bunch more to add industrial and weathering detail.

HELICOPTER - with stickers
Here it is at last, all deco'ed up. It's an imposing big beast, especially in person, and looks heavy duty and powerful. I applaud the use of a built-up cockpit area rather than a pre-fab one, even if the transition from the dark blue undercarriage part to the rounded nose isn't the most elegant.

They've packed a decent amount of small detail onto the outside of the helicopter, like small lights, the chests attached sidewise to act as storage containers (a technique also seen in the explorer truck set) - and I especially like the build next to the cargo area for some sort of release lever, even if it's not actually functional.

I love any ship that can seat a lot of figures, and so was super happy to see that the cockpit is built to seat four, and it's easy enough to add another one behind as I have done here.

Two identical consoles and two sticks do the job as the controls, with there even being space for accessories like the map.

On the other side of the helicopter, there's a medical kit in place of the release handle, and also a simple crane. The interior does have continuous passageways between the sections, but apart from the cockpit, there isn't much detail and these spaces aren't very easy to access (at least with my adult hands).

 

What you're really intended to do is put the other stuff in the helicopter. The "base camp" fits in the main hanger with room to spare, and no deconstruction or folding up necessary.

The motorcycle and swamp boat fit easily in the back hold, which is otherwise just an empty place. I would've perhaps liked to see a little something in here, like a an actual spot to park the bike at the very least, though there's a reason for it not to have one, which we'll see in a bit.

Now, the centrepiece function I haven't yet mentioned is the spinning rotors, which work a treat. The gearing makes it easy to get them going - even my 2.5-year-old (who has had a lot of fun playing with this "airplane") can do it! Plus with bigger hands (like mine), you can spin the knob with one hand and swoosh the helicopter with the other.

On the subject of playability, the helicopter in general has a very sturdy build. He's obviously below the listed age range and definitely couldn't build it himself, but my 2.5-year-old can give the helicopter a good play session without much breaking off. Even the top of the cockpit pulls off easily and stays together. Really the one thing that comes off the most is the toppers to the propeller blades.

WHOLE SET
It struck me looking at the set pictures, and then building the set, that the size disparity between different parts might make it feel non-cohesive. Now experiencing the set for a bit, I think that's definitely the case. I don't love the habitat build anyway, but it seems especially weak when overpowered by the massive helicopter. The helicopter seems just so big, and the habitat so small, that there's a mismatch. A nature build with more height, even with very little depth, would be more fitting.

WHERE'S JOHNNY?
I said earlier that the set contains all five explorers who have returned from the arctic, but there's someone else joining them on their expedition - the illustrious Johnny Thunder! I am surprised that LEGO didn't choose to lock Johnny behind the biggest set of the wave, though it's a great thing for Johnny fans.

While new Johnny comes in two sets of the wave, the smallest, 60424 Jungle Explorer ATV, actually makes the perfect companion to this set, and I'll show you why.

First of all, it adds to the map, but admittedly you'd need all four sets to complete that.

The little habitat build from the ATV perfectly complements the builds in this set, being the right size to complete a circle and create a sort of entrance-way for the "cave" on the back.

But best of all, the ATV actually fits in the back of the helicopter! The motorcycle can easily be stowed in the main hanger with the base camp too, though the swamp boat can't be.

All in all, these two sets certainly feel like they were meant to go together, giving you all six figures from the wave with no duplicates and an extra land vehicle and piece of nature that complement what's included in this set.

CONCLUSION & RATINGS
All in all, I'm a bit mixed on this set. For kids the helicopter packs a punch, being very big and sturdy, with a lot of opportunities for play integrated with the minifigures, vehicles and other stuff. It's much larger and more open than most other helicopters LEGO has done recently, plus not reliant on prefab pieces for its look. I also think the colour scheme works decently. Really my only knock against it is the slight lack of interior detail, and slight inaccessibility of some sections, though that's so you can easily throw vehicles into it.

The minifigures don't feel too special but are good for what they are, and the gorillas are absolutely excellent. The side builds for the explorers also work well and integrate nicely with the helicopter.

Overall though, my issue is one that runs through all these sets: it skews so heavily to the vehicle, and so little to the jungle. The box art shows beautiful lush settings, but you get none of that feel with the actual plastic present. My kids (4.5 and 2.5) loved playing with the gorillas and the helicopter, and not the actual nature build. I'm glad this helicopter exists, but I wish LEGO had also done another set where the nature was the star.

8 MINIFIGURES
There's nothing to complain about with this selection, besides a slight retro lack of detail on some of them.

9 PIECES
Gorillas! Recoloured fruit, big parts, small parts. I wouldn't say it's a "parts pack" but what's here feels good.

7 BUILD/DESIGN
There are definite flaws running through some parts of the design of the set as a whole, especially the nature section and just the general imbalance.

9 Playability
Anything in the City line puts play front and centre, and this certainly does, with lots of scenarios and fun to be had. There aren't many true "play functions" or mechanisms besides the rotors and simple winch, but those are great and seamlessly fitting the side builds in the helicopter is a play feature itself.

10 Price
This varies by region of course, but the US price of $100 is pretty fair for a huge completely brick-built playable helicopter, plus side builds and new exclusive gorillas. For some reason in Australia there's a scale of what USD $100 becomes, and this is on the higher end, but we have the benefit here of constant discounts and sales tax incorporated, so the price comes down.

8.6 OVERALL
Ultimately, if you like a nice helicopter AND want gorillas, or want a good toy for someone who enjoys playing with helicopters, you can't go wrong with this set. The price is right too. If you don't care for the concept though, there's nothing about it to win you over in my opinion. And if all you want is the gorillas, hopefully they arrive on PaB while this set is still available, so you can weigh up the costs.

For me, these gorillas will make a fine addition to my primate collection.

[MKJoshA]

Great review. I'm planning to get this set for my 6yr old for Christmas. (shhh! don't tell him!) And I think he will love the helicopter. He won't care about the jungle part anyway. Which I imagine is how most little boys will feel about those parts of this jungle line. My girls on the other hand would complain if they didn't have a place to display the animals. My guess is the tiny jungle bit is the designers trying to include something for everyone. Though it certainly looks lack-luster as you've pointed out.

[Lyichir]

Nice review! The ATV from the smaller set fitting in the back of the helicopter is an unexpected surprise!

I really like the brick-built color blocking on these sets, made possible in part by the new-ish wedge tiles.

[Autumn]

1 hour ago, MKJoshA said:

My guess is the tiny jungle bit is the designers trying to include something for everyone. Though it certainly looks lack-luster as you've pointed out.

I wish Lego would do more and bigger environments and put the same effort into them as they do with vehicles and buildings. I get that that's what children usually like more but they always feel like an after thought and very small and bare.

[Jack Sassy]

A lovely review! 

It seems nature aspect is quite lacking in this wave. Not sure if it can even be called ''Jungle''.  Either way, that helicopter is the perfect toy vehicle: enough space for minifgures and play, can fit other vehicles besides the given ones in the set, looks imposing too! What this new wave now needs is a jungle cutter. 

[Clone OPatra]

8 hours ago, MKJoshA said:

Great review. I'm planning to get this set for my 6yr old for Christmas. (shhh! don't tell him!) And I think he will love the helicopter. He won't care about the jungle part anyway. ... My guess is the tiny jungle bit is the designers trying to include something for everyone. 

Thanks! I can't imagine a 6-year-old NOT loving this helicopter. That's an interesting perspective on the jungle bit, and yeah they definitely had to include something, but for kids who actually want to play with the animals in their environment, it doesn't provide much.

Part of the issue in this wave is that jungles are kind of hard to convey with limited parts. The Africa wave's habitat builds didn't use so many more parts, but they did a much better job conveying the landscape perhaps because that terrain is easier to convey.

7 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Nice review! The ATV from the smaller set fitting in the back of the helicopter is an unexpected surprise!

I really like the brick-built color blocking on these sets, made possible in part by the new-ish wedge tiles.

Thanks! They surely must have planned it to fit the ATV since the fit is just right. And I think we can thank the designer Chris Stamp (recently of Speed Champions) for the elevated brick built designs across the 2024 City range.

1 hour ago, Jack Sassy said:

A lovely review! 

It seems nature aspect is quite lacking in this wave. Not sure if it can even be called ''Jungle''. 

Thanks! It indeed doesn't feel very jungle-y.

[Shiva]

Cheers for the review :)

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

The helicopter seems too big and not so nice IMO ...Thanks for the review! 

[The Reader]

Thanks a lot for your review and the great photos!

I have sets 60424, 60425 and 60426 as well as the polybag. But I won't buy set 60437 - IMHO the helicopter is too big and not so nice. But that's my personal view.

[Clone OPatra]

4 hours ago, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

The helicopter seems too big and not so nice IMO ...Thanks for the review! 

Too big in what sense? As I've outlined I think it's too big for the size of the nature build, but that's kind of the fault of the nature build. So as a whole set it's out of balance, but as a helicopter toy, the size makes it pretty awesome and extremely playable.

4 hours ago, The Reader said:

But I won't buy set 60437 - IMHO the helicopter is too big and not so nice. But that's my personal view.

Curious to know in what context you think it's too big as well, and what isn't nice about it. I have my little nitpicks, but I like to hear other people's as well.

[Shiva]

Helicopter size?  I think it is Ok size.

Only fault I see, is that the rotors should counter rotate. If looking at the box art. But in instructions, they will counter rotate, if I checked them correctly.

Now I am fighting the urge to buy this. 1 of the internet shops has a nice price for this one, right now..

 

Edited August 29 by Shiva

[Clone OPatra]

1 hour ago, Shiva said:

Only fault I see, is that the rotors should counter rotate. If looking at the box art. But in instructions, they will counter rotate, if I checked them correctly.

Yes they counter rotate. Jang also confirmed it in his (glowing) review on YouTube. I don't know much of anything about helicopters myself.

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

19 hours ago, Clone OPatra said:

Too big in what sense? As I've outlined I think it's too big for the size of the nature build, but that's kind of the fault of the nature build. So as a whole set it's out of balance, but as a helicopter toy, the size makes it pretty awesome and extremely playable.

I'll start by saying that when I was a kid, cars, trucks and planes were 4 studs wide and trains were 6 studs wide ...now I'm used to 8 studs wide trains and 6 studs wide trucks so I've broadened my horizons ...but this helicopter looks awkward with a tail that's too wide (the rear hatch is 8 studs, not even if it were the new Galaxy Explorer) and the nose seems a bit haphazardly made, remind me of the space shuttle than a twin prop helicopter.

[The Reader]

19 hours ago, Clone OPatra said:

Curious to know in what context you think it's too big as well, and what isn't nice about it. 

To it's size:

First, the helicopter doesn't fit size wise to the ATV, the plane and the truck of sets 60424, 60425 and 60426. It's far too massive in comparison to the other three verhicles/plane.

Second, I'm a child of the late 1970s/early 1980s and used to 4W. I know that this is antiquated/out-dated but I just prefer vehicles in 6W or 8W. I think that a helicopter in size of that from set 60302 would have been perfect:

Third: I have the impression that the helicopter was only designed to fit the sidebuilds of set 60437 (as you demonstrated in your review). So form followed function. It's a "box" for the sidebuilds but not a helicopter from origin.

 

To it's design flaws:

I just don't like it's overall appearance and especially it's brick build front (normally I'm a huge fan of brick build solutions). Part 11293 makes a much better helicopter (but is obviously too small for this "monster"):

 

But as I wrote earlier - this is just my subjective opinion.

 

 

@LEGO Train 12 Volts   

Edited August 29 by The Reader

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

I totally agree with @The Reader!

[Shiva]

6 wide trains is so 1970's ;) . But there are those that look nice!

Part 11293, that fits perfectly for a light utility helicopter. EC130, MD 500.

60367 I think is in the size of a small business jet.

60437, this set? looks more of a transport helicopter. Nice size, in my opinion :)

Clone OPatra, yeah, counter rotate is as it should be. The box art shows it wrong. Instructions show it right :)

[Roebuck]

On 8/24/2024 at 5:13 PM, Clone OPatra said:

Overall though, my issue is one that runs through all these sets: it skews so heavily to the vehicle, and so little to the jungle. The box art shows beautiful lush settings, but you get none of that feel with the actual plastic present. My kids (4.5 and 2.5) loved playing with the gorillas and the helicopter, and not the actual nature build. I'm glad this helicopter exists, but I wish LEGO had also done another set where the nature was the star

Thanks for a excellent review! I agree these waves usually have a limited set and it should have included a big one focusing on animals and the jungle, but I guess the kids love vehicles
However with a wave that give us two new gorilla moulds (actually 4), a new tiger mould, a new red panda mould (that one may have been Dreamzzz merit?) and if you count the side wave 4 new crocodiles I can not compline to much 

[Lion King]

6 hours ago, Roebuck said:

a new red panda mould (that one may have been Dreamzzz merit?)

Yes it does sho up in Dreamzzz too

[Clone OPatra]

On 8/30/2024 at 6:00 AM, The Reader said:

To it's size:

First, the helicopter doesn't fit size wise to the ATV, the plane and the truck of sets 60424, 60425 and 60426. It's far too massive in comparison to the other three verhicles/plane.

Second, I'm a child of the late 1970s/early 1980s and used to 4W. I know that this is antiquated/out-dated but I just prefer vehicles in 6W or 8W. I think that a helicopter in size of that from set 60302 would have been perfect:

Third: I have the impression that the helicopter was only designed to fit the sidebuilds of set 60437 (as you demonstrated in your review). So form followed function. It's a "box" for the sidebuilds but not a helicopter from origin.

Interesting takes. To point one, it's perfect for the ATV from 60424, since that ATV literally fits inside of it (like I showed in the review). ATVs can be pretty tiny in real life. And to your third point, I'm sure the helicopter was designed first and the sidebuilds were built to suit it, and not the other way around. There's no way they designed a whole helicopter just to fit a very dinky ploybag-level swamp boat and small base camp that use only a handful or parts each.

And to your second point, for sure it's subjective, but the way I see it LEGO has done a ton of helicopters in the size range of 60302, which all function as helicopters but have kind of limited usable interior space. This set offers something different to the market that LEGO hasn't done as much before, with a huge interior for storing stuff or people. 

This helicopter is basically a Chinook with an unrealistic open side, right? For sure Chinooks are a little bit smaller next to humans than this is next to minifigures, but minifigures aren't proportional and almost every LEGO thing has that problem from vehicles right down to accessories.

On 8/30/2024 at 2:50 PM, Roebuck said:

However with a wave that give us two new gorilla moulds (actually 4), a new tiger mould, a new red panda mould (that one may have been Dreamzzz merit?) and if you count the side wave 4 new crocodiles I can not compline to much 

As AFOL LEGO animal lovers, this wave is pretty great, yeah.

[karrit]

I wanted this set mostly for the gorillas & jungle builds.  The helicopter looks like a huge beast next to the rest of the set.  I was able to get the set at 50% off so I bought it since I expect buying the gorilla parts off PAB will most likely cost $20 or more each.  I haven't built the set yet but may end up doing as a fellow LUG member suggested and try selling off the helicopter if I decide I don't want to keep it. 

[Shiva]

This vs a Chinooks ?

Width, except for the engine gondolas, quite close to minifig scale. Almost 1:1

Height? Due to the thick floor and roof, this set is quite a bit higher than a Chinook.

Length? Actually shorter. Using the 1:42 for minifig scale. About 43,4 studs in length, including the knob to turn the blades. Chinook 16meters would give 47,6studs.

I used http://studs.sariel.pl/ to calculate the length conversion.

For what this is, a tandem-rotor transport aircraft, the scale, in my opinion, is, perfect.

If this helicopter had a winch at the belly, it should have been able to lift and transport 60426's Off-road truck.

[Lemerbrix]

Wow! I didn’t know the cockpit seats 4 minifigs! I might now be tempted to get this!

[The Reader]

@CloneO Patra Let's agree that we disagree!

On 8/31/2024 at 12:33 PM, Clone OPatra said:

And to your third point, I'm sure the helicopter was designed first and the sidebuilds were built to suit it, and not the other way around. There's no way they designed a whole helicopter just to fit a very dinky ploybag-level swamp boat and small base camp that use only a handful or parts each.

Of course you are right. I just used that to point out that IMHO the chopper is a kind of a box for the sidebuilds.

On 8/31/2024 at 12:33 PM, Clone OPatra said:

And to your second point, for sure it's subjective, but the way I see it LEGO has done a ton of helicopters in the size range of 60302, which all function as helicopters but have kind of limited usable interior space. This set offers something different to the market that LEGO hasn't done as much before, with a huge interior for storing stuff or people. 

Have a look at set 60162. Lego did a somehow larger helicopter than in set 60302 but not as massive as in set 60437. 

 

Anyway - I just don't like that helicopter in set 60437. It's too big. That's why I won't by that set. But I have rebricked the swamp glider and the bike.

[Shiva]

IF LEGO had a rounded cockpit window the size of 60162s, then I would have wanted that for 60302. I think both sets are about the same length?