LEGO® City review and MOCs: 60338 Smashing Chimpanzee Stunt Loop

The LEGO® City Stuntz subtheme uses a number of unique elements in its sets' novel play features. Today, I'm taking a look at 60338 Smashing Chimpanzee Stunt Loop from 2022, which offers a nice sampling of the specialized elements featured throughout the Stuntz range.

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® City Stuntz 60338 Smashing Chimpanzee Stunt Loop
US$69.99/ £49.99/ 54.99€/ AU$79.99
226 parts
1 June 2022
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Novel Stuntz elements

• 1 x Vehicle base, Motorcycle chassis with Light Bluish Grey Flywheel in Dark Bluish Grey (6391389 | 69869c01)

The Stuntz subtheme revolves around this motorcycle chassis, of which there are two variations: a chassis with Light Bluish Grey flywheel (6391389 | 69869c01) and a chassis with an Orange flywheel (6391389 | 69869c02). 

TobyMac examined these in his review of 6293 Stunt Park and he went so far as to dismantle the chassis to reveal the secrets within. Luckily for me, there's still a little left to explore with these elements and I'm curious to see what connections can be made with these parts and how they might be integrated into MOCs.

We'll start with the obvious connection points: the open stud above the rear wheel and the clip to attach handlebars above the fork. There is also an anti-stud on the underside which might not be immediately obvious.

The fork usually houses Wheel 15 x 6 City Motorcycle. I found a few elements that just about fit here as well. The fit is snug for these accessories and I'm not sure if it's due to the different material they are made from. They all seem a bit softer than the wheel axle so care is needed when removing them. The trolley wheels seem to be the most useful of these as it affords an extra attachment point in that 3.18 bar.

• 1 x Slope Curved 8 x 8 x 4, Ramp in Orange (6353459 | 75538)

This large element debuted in the first Stuntz sets and until recently was only available in Orange. At the start of this year it made its first appearance outside of the Stuntz theme in LEGO Friends 41751 Skate Park, where it appeared in both Coral (6425511) and Yellow (6421291). You can see them in TobyMac's review of that set. This element feels right at home in a skateboard-themed set but I can also envision this part as a roof or an awning.

I've yet to find an element to match the slope of that curved surface. I'm guessing the physics needed to get our stunt performers airbourne determined the shape of this element, rather than the LEGO System.

• 1 x Slope 8 x 5 x 2/3 in Orange (6338339 | 75539)

Another element for which I can't find a matching slope. This brick has the important function of smoothing the transition from play surface to ramp for our stunt bikes. This may be another case where functionality rather than The System determined the design of this element.

• 2 x Slope Curved 8 x 15 x 6, Ramp in Trans Orange (6392549 | 77822)

Much larger than the Stuntz ramp above, this is yet another element with a unique curved surface. This looks tricky to incorporate into a MOC but it may have potential. I toyed with the idea of putting two of these elements together base to base to make a unique cockpit for a large spaceship as the cavity is plenty large enough for a minifigure, though it proved to be a bit too much of an endeavour for this article (but maybe for SHIPtember!)

This element in Trans Orange currently appears in 60338 and one other set, 60339 Double Loop Stunt Arena, which also includes 2 of these elements in Trans Bright Green.

• 8 x Stunt Ramp Section 30° in Trans Orange (6392548 | 77823) 

The last element for me is the most perplexing. When I decided to take a look at this set, this was one of the parts that inspired me the most. At first glance I thought that this brick might make a great canopy for a LEGO Ice Planet inspired vehicle because I assumed these were square. I didn't notice that these elements are in fact rhombus-shaped to create the offset in the complete vertical loop. The 30 degrees in the name doesn't refer to the angles of the sides but rather to the portion of the circle that this element makes up, so 12 of these are needed to make a complete circle. The angles of the sides are closer to 8 degrees, which is similar to Wedge Plate 6 x 2 Left (78433) or Right (78444) but not an exact match as their angle is approximately 9.5 degrees.

The Stunt Ramp in Trans Orange currently appears in 60338 and one other set, 60339 Double Loop Stunt Arena. It also includes 8 of these bricks in Trans Bright Green.

Other notable elements

• 1 x Fairing, Motorcycle, Airplane in Yellowish Green (6399092 | 1567)

This element in Yellowish Green is exclusive to 60338 but you can also find a Red version (6388073) in 60342 The Shark attack Stunt Challenge.

 

• 1 x Brick Special 8 x 16 with Six Recessed Edges with 1 x 4 Studs and Recessed Centre with 2 x 4 Studs (6398707 | 71772)

This element also appears in Orange in 60339 Double Loop Stunt Arena. We will soon be able to build a rainbow road with these road plates!

• 4 x Slope Curved 4 x 4 x 2/3 Triple Curved with 2 studs in Dark Purple (6287592 | 45677)
• 1 x Slope Curved 4 x 1 Double with Black Eyebrows and Eyes with White Pupils print in Medium Azure (6318693 | 93273pr9992)
• 2 x Gorilla Fist / Hand in Dark Purple (6167898 | 11092)
• Plate Special 1 x 2 Rounded with 2 Open Studs in Medium Azure (6396673 | 35480)

The eponymous Chimpanzee provides us with a few more elements worth talking about. The two Medium Azure elements are 60338 exclusives. The Gorilla Fist hasn't been seen in Dark Purple since 2017 when it appeared in the Nexo Knights set 70350 The Three Brothers. It's always nice to see elements reappear after a hiatus no matter how obscure they might be. Finally The Dark Purple wedge appears in just two other sets.

MOCs by Thomas Jenkins inspired by novel Stuntz elements

Crane Robot

As Stuntz's flagship element, I had to include the Motorcycle Chassis in one of my MOCs. But how to incorporate it into a build? Leaving the rear back wheel screwed in place, it would have to be something on wheels! I imagined some sort of wheeled robot.

I used Yellow armour plates (28220) to partly disguise the chassis and the colour scheme informed the construction them of the build. I used bar holders (11090) and minifigure blasters (95199) as pistons and mechanical details to match the sculpt of my seed element. The trolley wheel (2496) in the bike's fork combination came in handy to attach the robot's legs to the main structure.

Cottage in the Woods 

The large Orange Stuntz ramp inspired my second MOC. The steep curved slope of the elements provide an interesting shape for the roof of this whimsical forest lodge. 

The ramp is a large smooth surface devoid of studs. I added a crooked chimney for an extra bit of whimsy and better blend this large element into the model and make it look a little less like a ramp. It’s attached with a lampholder hidden in the ridge of the roof. 

Sci-Fi Raceway

As I mentioned earlier, I had wanted to use the 30° ramp section as some sort of canopy in a Classic Space inspired MOC, but matching the element's unique geometry and finding a way of fitting that shape into a vehicle eluded me.

I used all 8 of the ramp sections included in 60338 Smashing Chimpanzee Stunt Loop to create a shallow half pipe. I wish I had a few more to create a larger more immersive scene. It looked like it could be a stretch of future highway. If I had some of these elements in Green perhaps I could make a lane for traffic moving in the opposite direction. With some embellishment, I turned my futuristic motorway into a racecourse. I repurposed my microfighter design that featured in my contribution for our Space Tools series of articles as a little racer to sell the scene.

Closing thoughts 

Stuntz sets make great playsets thanks to their variety of novel and specialized parts. On one hand, if you’re a fan of such unique specialized elements, 60338 Smashing Chimpanzee Stunt Loop is a great way to get your hands on almost all the interesting new elements that Stuntz has to offer. But on the other hand, as these pieces are mostly larger than average, this bumps up the price of the set considerably. There are other sets at the same price point containing over three times as many pieces, so you may feel like you aren’t getting good value for your money, but there is enormous play value and longevity in this set thanks to the incredibly fun flywheel motorbikes. And it takes a good amount of practice to hit that vertical loop consistently!

LEGO® City Stuntz 60338 Smashing Chimpanzee Stunt Loop costs US$69.99/ £49.99/ 54.99€/ AU$79.99 from LEGO.com. If you enjoy our work, please consider using our affiliate links, we may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.

Editor: Chris Baginski

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