Tandem rotors on the B model, 1,042 pieces
One of our subscribers sent photos of their finished Heavy Lift Helicopter, built as the B model. The build dates from July 2023, one of the earlier ones we received, and it is good to finally get it up on the blog.
The 42052 is a 2016 set and one of the older kits in the library. Back-catalogue does not mean lesser. The main model stacks two contra-rotating rotors on one mast, the first Technic helicopter to do it, and the B model on the back of the box, which our member built, puts a rotor at each end instead. Both use the Power Functions M motor, and the mechanics behind them are genuinely interesting.
The rotors are the main mechanical point of interest. In the main model two three-bladed rotors sit on one mast and turn opposite ways under power from the M motor, so the torque cancels and there is no tail rotor. Our member built the B model, the Chinook-style alternative with a rotor at each end of the fuselage, which uses the motor too. Most Technic helicopters get a single main rotor plus a tail rotor. This one does something different.
On the main model the winch is motorised, worked from the left gear lever, and lowers the hook through the floor doors of the cargo bay; the right lever drops the rear ramp. In the member’s head-on photo the cockpit sides are swung open, so there is something to fiddle with on the model once it is finished.
1,042 pieces puts it in solid mid-tier territory. The build itself runs 3 to 4 hours and is rated advanced, mostly because the gearbox and the two turntables under the rotor mast need some care to get right. Worth it when it clicks into place.
The “HEAVY LIFT SERVICE” markings and the orange and white colouring give it a proper working-helicopter look, and the main model is a close likeness of the Russian Kamov Ka-32. It looks the part on a shelf.
The 42052 came out in 2016 and it is one of the older sets in the Brick Club library. I keep a handful of back-catalogue kits in rotation because the newer flagship sets get all the attention, but some of the older ones have mechanics you do not see any more. The two rotors on one mast are a good example: this was the first Technic helicopter to have them.
This is exactly why I like putting member builds on the blog. The official images tell you what a kit is supposed to look like. Member photos show what it feels like once someone has actually sat down, opened the bags, and worked through it.
If you have just finished the Heavy Lift Helicopter, send over a few photos. It does not need to be a full studio setup. A clean table, a finished build, and a few notes on what stood out are enough.
Rent the kits. Build them. Send them back.
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