Best LEGO Police Helicopter Sets: Blades of Justice

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Logan has been fascinated with the infinite potential of Lego bricks since his childhood, constructing towering castles, epic spaceships, and everything in between. Building with Lego taught Logan the art of creation, and he still employs them to craft intricate worlds and narratives to this day.

Introduction

In 1956, policing in America gained a whole new dimension.

Literally. Police Helicopters gave American Police Forces a third dimension to move in, and the first one was used by the LAPD in 1956. It successfully inspired a program to fund more helicopters and pilots for the police, dubbed “Project: Sky Knight.”

Before the program, police had never even dreamed of having air superiority. After the program, the police couldn’t dream of anything else. Police departments all across the country adopted helicopters for use in law enforcement. Not long after, the image of a police helicopter penetrated the cultural zeitgeist.

They could be seen in movies, television, and many LEGO sets.

I had fewer of these than others, but I got some in the sets from my mother, who was a huge fan. It’s also no coincidence that my children got many of these as gifts.

Bottom Line Up Front

Helicopter Surveillance watches over all the other police helicopters from their vantage in the top spot. It’s the Spruce Goose of LEGO police choppers and embodies everything they strive to be. It has more minifigs packaged with it, as well as the most extensive and unique design.

Criteria

So how does a person decide which ones count as the best? For the list of the Best LEGO Police Helicopter Sets I’m gonna use these four criteria:

Value: I hold value to be a pretty high virtue. If a box has more pieces in it or more minifigs, then it’s gonna get rated higher.
Versatility: LEGO pieces don’t tend to stay with the sets that they were initially packaged with. If a set has more parts that can be used for builds that aren’t necessarily police-themed, it will probably get rated higher.
Creativity: LEGO is a product meant to spark the imagination and get a builder’s creative juices flowing. If a set inspires LEGO fans to think, it will be rated higher.
Whimsy: Long story short, the list is mine. Its laws are mine to twist as I wish. If I want to break my rules for nostalgia’s sake or even for something like a beautiful color, I’m gonna do it. (I hold all the power here! *Insert maniacal laughter*)

With that out of the way, let’s take off with…

21. Set 618: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 1977
Pieces Included: 39
Minifigs Included: 0
Approximate Skill Level: Beginner

Just a heads up. You are gonna see the same name a LOT on this list. Like, a Lot. Older LEGO could have been more creative with naming their sets.

It doesn’t get more basic than this system. It’s made of thirty-nine pieces, most of which are standard and can be assembled quickly. One of the most uncommon bricks here is the light blue police emblem.

It is, however, the first LEGO set designed to create a Police Helicopter, so it can be forgiven for some shortcomings. It only gets better from here!

Also read: The Best 70s LEGO Sets: Snapping to the Groove

20. Set 3658: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 2011
Pieces Included: 237
Minifigs Included: 4
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

This version of a helicopter has the opposite problem. It’s made of bricks and pieces unique to this set and bound to this build. Most of the bricks remain brilliant white, aside from some that are pastel blue and a few that are black.

However, this helicopter does look much better than many earlier police helicopter designs. The lack of standard bricks does make for a seamless design, but it also means most of the bricks in this build can’t be used for anything else.

19. Central Precinct H.Q.

Year Released: 1993
Pieces Included: 615
Minifigs Included: 5
Approximate Skill Level: Advanced

This is a set that I actually had growing up!

Four police officers stand guard over their monochrome police headquarters, using their four incredibly high-tech vehicles to catch a criminal and bring him to justice! At least, that’s how it usually played out in my little LEGO world.

The worst part about this set is that the bricks are overwhelmingly a ubiquitous shape and a dull color. The exceptions to this are many pieces that make up the police vehicles in this set. The understated color scheme means that many can be used to make other vehicles with little trouble.

That’s why I loved this one so much. I used the bricks and the vehicles to make many other builds and creations!

18. Set 30226: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 2014
Pieces Included: 48
Minifigs Included: 1
Approximate Skill Level: Beginner

This is what happens when you design something simple and understated in 2014.

The helicopter doesn’t have many excess parts, but it doesn’t need them. Every brick has a purpose, and all of it is to keep the minimalist structure of the LEGO build intact.

Unlike most earlier builds that focused on double-bladed designs, it aims to recreate the single-bladed design of lower-range helicopters. A hinged, transparent cockpit piece closes over the pilot’s seat for quick takeoffs.

17. Set 952101: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 2021
Pieces Included: 31
Minifigs Included: 1
Approximate Skill Level: Beginner

Another single-bladed design, this set is one of the most straightforward sets on this list and one of the simplest designs that LEGO has ever released.

Technically, this set wasn’t sold. It was a free gift that was attached to the covers of the official LEGO magazine. The magazine came out four or five times a year and usually came with a little foil bag with a small LEGO set in it. These were typically themed to the magazine’s concept or were licensed to whatever theme LEGO had coming out.

The pieces were standard, but this set’s minifig was unique.

16. Police Helicopter Chase

Year Released: 2016
Pieces Included: 63
Minifigs Included: 2
Approximate Skill Level: Beginner

This simple design was a part of the “Juniors” line. It was aimed at helping kids transition from DUPLO and other larger-scale block-building systems to the LEGO scale.

It includes an atm, a burglar minifig, and a little police officer to chase him down. He won’t do it on foot, of course. Why do that when he has a helicopter to catch the bad guy?

The chopper has some standard bricks in its build but many larger pieces unique to this set. It’s basically meant to be a tutorial set, so the more significant parts of the design come as singular bricks.

15. 60275: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 2021
Pieces Included: 51
Minifigs Included: 2
Approximate Skill Level: Beginner

Sometimes, the bad guys don’t have the good manners to stay on foot. They get vehicles themselves and give the police trouble. Such is the case in this set, where a burglar minifig has taken a little cash and taken off on a jet ski.

Of course, the officer isn’t on foot either, or they wouldn’t be on this list.

This time around, the chopper is made up of more of those larger, special bricks. The kind that can only go to this set and won’t be helpful for any other builds. Still, it’s a pretty design with many options for LEGO builders to play with.

14. Swamp Helicopter

Year Released: 2015
Pieces Included: 51
Minifigs Included: 1
Approximate Skill Level: Beginner

This design is among the most interesting on the list because it takes the familiar design and puts a new spin on it.

It has many standard bricks, though some are used in different ways than expected. For example, the pontoons used here are the same bricks used for air tanks in other builds.

Still, it’s small, and it’s unique. There’s just another build that does the same idea better.

13. Set 7741: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 2008
Pieces Included: 94
Minifigs Included: 1
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

This is a classic design. It came out during that in-between stage when I was too old to ask for LEGO sets and too young to have money to buy my own. If I’d had to pick just one LEGO Police Helicopter set at the time, it definitely would have been this.

It has the angular design I love so much, in a color scheme I don’t hate. I’ve never been a fan of black-and-white police vehicles. They’re dull and boring. The pastel blue is a much more aesthetically-pleasing design.

I just really don’t like the pilot. The silver aviator shades stand out from the rest of the build’s color scheme, and the jaunty smile puts me in mind of the maverick police officers. This guy got dropped straight back in the LEGO tub and never used again after I first saw him.

12. Blue’s Helicopter Pursuit

Year Released: 2018
Pieces Included: 397
Minifigs Included: 3
Approximate Skill Level: Advanced

This is the only licensed design on this list, and frankly, I’m stretching the definition of police to the limit to put it on here.

So why am I doing that? Because I bought this one for my son as one of his first LEGO sets, and I remember the look of joy on his face so fondly. Also, Owen Grady could be considered to be regulating and policing the dinosaurs of his universe.

However, I’m not worried about the Own minifig or his companions. My focus is on the specially-designed raptor minifig, and especially the helicopter.

The helicopter is made of unique bricks, but I absolutely love the dark blue color of them as well as the more generic nature of them. The bricks are too specialized to be used with many other designs, but the whole helicopter is generic enough for almost any attack helicopter you could want.

Still, that’s a few too many “Ifs” to merit a higher place on this list.

11. Helicopter Pursuit

Year Released: 2015
Pieces Included: 253
Minifigs Included: 3
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

Remember when I said the swamp copter was executed better elsewhere? This is what I meant.

This is a much bigger design, but the pilot officer here is the same as in that set. It’s also got the robber from set 60275. I like to think that things went awry for her, and though she got away from that officer, he called in backup. Now she’s gotten a little deeper into the swamp than she wanted, and though she’s still got her loot, she’s got a state trooper, a helicopter, AND an alligator to deal with.

That Alligator is one of my favorite minifigs that’s ever been produced. It has absolutely amazing detail, and the little attribute of the opening and closing jaw is icing on the cake.

The chopper design has many of the same problems that other designs do. Namely, the pieces are too unique to do much else with them, and the bricks will always look like they belong with this set alone.

10. Police Headquarters

Year Released: 1979
Pieces Included: 372
Minifigs Included: 4
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

By the time they released this design, it was clear that LEGO had gained some more faith in their new minifigs.

All police vehicles included with this set are to scale with the figs. That means every policeman in this headquarters has their own personal vehicle! That is, except for the air traffic controller. But without him, the helicopter wouldn’t be able to land, so his job is too important for him to leave.

I really like this set because it’s not just black and white bricks over and over again. The vehicles are mostly made of black and white bricks, sure. The building is constructed of greens and yellows in addition to white. It makes for a much more appealing design overall.

The included helicopter is black and white, just like most police vehicles. This set earned a higher place than it should have, with the aircraft being only a part of a greater whole, but we’ll fix that later.

9. High-Speed Chase

Year Released: 2017
Pieces Included: 294
Minifigs Included: 4
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

This isn’t the most realistic that LEGO has gotten with their police helicopter designs, but it’s closer than many others.

It’s also got the color scheme I like and four minifigs, three of which can only be found by buying this set. So, why is it not further down the list?

Because the pieces to the helicopter and some of the details to the cars are way too situational to be helpful with any other builds. Many of the helicopter’s parts, including the nose, blades, feet, and fuselage, are all single pieces designed so you can’t use them with other helicopters.

The pieces in this set are what they are, and it would take a true LEGO master to make them into anything else.

8. Set 645: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 1979
Pieces Included: 57
Minifigs Included: 1
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

This set was released two years after set 618. It’s about the same scale and uses the same color scheme. Its build has been updated to be more complex, bringing it closer to an accurate representation of the helicopter.

However, the most significant difference in its design is that it’s been scaled to accommodate a pilot. A police minifig is ready to take his place in the cockpit and confidently fly the chopper through the LEGO skies.

It’s a beautiful design, a high point of the evolution of the LEGO Police Helicopter, and a worthy heir to set 618.

7. Set 30367: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 2020
Pieces Included: 39
Minifigs Included: 1
Approximate Skill Level: Beginner

Still, good ideas never really fade away.

This is the modern heir to set 618 above. It looks very different after forty-some-odd years (and honestly, most things do,) but it’s still a similar design. It’s still comprised of 39 bricks, and these are far more standard for the time of the build’s release. Aside from the white and blue color scheme, it barely looks like a police vehicle.

It’s much smaller and simpler now.

Actually, simpler isn’t the right word.

It’s different. It’s got more colors to it now, and it’s a lot more rounded to reflect the differences in helicopter designs in the decades between releases.

6. Helicopter Transporter

Year Released: 2014
Pieces Included: 382
Minifigs Included: 4
Approximate Skill Level: Advanced

When criminals are on the run, you can’t always rely on a stationary helipad for your police helicopter. Or, if the aircraft goes down unexpectedly, you need a way to get it somewhere safe. Or maybe Helicopter fuel is more expensive than truck fuel in the LEGO world too!

Whatever the reason, this police helicopter sits on a truck bed en route to some distant destination.

The truck, the trailer, and the helicopter are all in the more modern blue and white police scheme, and they’re proudly emblazoned with police livery. Two Lego Police minifigs ride with it, one of them the truck’s driver and one of them the helicopter pilot. However, all is not right in this part of the world as two criminal minifigs wait nearby with a truck and a motorcycle.

The burglars may have broken free and intend to run while the police LEGOs use their helicopters to chase them down. It’s unclear what their crime is, as the set only includes some cash in their hands (and a nifty LEGO sack that I’ve NEVER seen anywhere else). There’s also some gold in a hinged rock for someone to find.

What is sure, however, is that land or sky, there is no escape from the LEGO police.

5. Police Heliport

Year Released: 1972
Pieces Included: 168
Minifigs Included: 0
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

I lied a little bit earlier. Or, at least, I could have been more accurate.

While Set 618 IS the first Police Helicopter set that LEGO released, it wasn’t the first Police Helicopter that LEGO made. The first one it made was a part of this set. This was also the first police headquarters that LEGO created so that the imaginary police of the LEGO towns would have somewhere to hang their hats. (Remember, this was a good six years before the minifigs we know today, and still several years before the pod people minifigs.)

The station is built with standard bricks and has places for the helicopter and the included car to park. An interesting detail is that although the aircraft is unique to the heliport, the cruiser is the same car that could be built from Set 420.

The helicopter is a simple design made with ubiquitous bricks. The weirdest piece included in its construction is a white brick with the word “POLICE” proudly emblazoned on the side.

4. Set 4991: Police Helicopter

Year Released: 2007
Pieces Included: 31
Minifigs Included: 1
Approximate Skill Level: Beginner

At a mere 31 pieces, this design ties in with Set 952101 for the most straightforward set on this list.

It’s a black and white ultralight helicopter. It’s clearly designed for a single person to get around as quickly as possible. It’s black and white, which I’m sure you know I absolutely love. It’s also got multicolored transparent bricks to represent the red and blue lights common to police helicopters.

However, this has something unique which brings it way, way up in my estimation: the minifig unique to this set.

This is labeled as a police helicopter, and the livery and the lights also point to that. But a single look at that minifig shows what this helicopter has become: a Spy Helicopter. The minifig is dressed in a little tuxedo and has the suave smile common to spies in the nineties and two-thousands, and he has clearly commandeered this helicopter for “official” spy business.

It may be me reading too much into some minifigs artwork, but it made me smile when I was playing with my younger brother, and it’s my list.

3. Elite Police Lighthouse Capture

Year Released: 2020
Pieces Included: 189
Minifigs Included: 2
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

Most of the time, LEGO makes things to scale. Sometimes, they just make representations of something.

This one’s the latter.

A police officer has come to a villain’s lighthouse hideout and intends to take him off to jail. The Lighthouse is tiny. It’s barely three minifigs high. But that’s not really what made me excited about this build. (Maybe it’s supposed to be far away?)

The build does come with a shark minifig. It’s not new, but it is cool. Still, it’s not what excited me about this build.

The police officer is a woman, so there’s some excellent diversity and inclusion, but that’s also not what excites me.

The helicopter is one of the cleanest designs we’ve seen. It’s relatively small but built to scale with the minifigs, so the police officer can handcuff the bad guy (with working handcuffs) and take him off. It has excellent angles and bricks that can be easily repurposed in a color scheme I love. But that’s still not what makes this one of my favorite sets.

The “bad guy” is what makes me so excited about this. He has a little domino mask, a matching red pirate’s blouse, and a diamond in one hand and a drink in the other. It’s clear that he’s just living his best life out here, and even if he’s about to get hauled away for it, he’s not too bothered by it.

2. Rescue Helicopter

Year Released: 2003
Pieces Included: 88
Minifigs Included: 1
Approximate Skill Level: Moderate

This design is technically just called “Helicopter.” However, it’s from the “World City” theme released in the early two-thousands.

It’s another comparatively small and simple design. It’s three-blades, carrying an ultralight police helicopter above your LEGO city’s skyline.

So what makes it stand head and shoulders above most other sets?

This is from the Police and Rescue subtheme, and its livery is so tiny and generic that it could be used for either. Where most police helicopters are used for observer and pursuit vehicles, this machine is designed so that its primary purpose could be Search and Rescue, which is a noble endeavor. So it gets a boost from that.

But what could top this?

1. Helicopter Surveillance

Year Released: 2014
Pieces Included: 528
Minifigs Included: 5
Approximate Skill Level: Advanced

This set is vast, which makes sense, given that it’s a sting operation.

Two burglars have a literal wheelbarrow full of ill-gotten gains, and they’re ready to take it into their hideout to never be seen again. Until the agent nearby calls in the chopper, it descends, and two officers spring forward, ready to cuff the bad guys.

It’s a relatively simple scene with many ways it could play out, but it’s not the main draw.

Here, it’s all about the helicopter. This is LEGO’s most extensive and unique helicopter build ever made. It’s made up of individual pieces, unfortunately, but almost every aircraft on this list is as well, so I can’t fault it too hard.

More than that, when it’s put together, the helicopter is big enough to fit the two minifigs up front, the two minifigs in the back, and a host of other minifigs in the back with them. This is an absolute unit of a build, clearly intended to function as a mobile command base.

It’s a listening post that can fly anywhere and carry enough troops to put down a situation almost before it rises. When it comes to LEGO police helicopters, it doesn’t get better than that.

Conclusion

LEGO has created enough Police Helicopter sets that the skies over your LEGO land could be filled with nothing but police choppers, and you wouldn’t see the same design twice. They can’t all be winners. Some are better than others.

Still, all of them do their part to ensure that, no matter how bad it gets, justice always has the option to take the high road.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What’s the Best Police Helicopter that is still in production?

Answer: That would be Police Chase at the Bank. It’s a little pricier, but it has almost a thousand bricks and six minifigs for the price!

Question: If it’s so good, why didn’t it make the list?!

Answer: If I’d had one more slot? It would have! I also wanted to highlight some old favorites (frankly, price weighs heavily in my mind). Twenty-One made sense because of Twenty-One Jump Street and just seemed like a lucky number overall.