I bought the deluxe helicopter over the basic "runaway cow" version as it included the figures and since my 3 yr old has only just discovered Postman Pat we didnt have any. HOWEVER, what it doesnt tell you in the product description is that they are fixed in which limits play somewhat as Postman Pat cant get out and deliver his parcels! It also means that if you do go on to buy the van etc you will need more Pat and Jess's which seems a bit daft.
My son does enjoy pushing it along the floor and watching the propeller go round/light come on and winding the winch. However, I suspect he would get just as much fun with the basic version, especially as it comes with the cow and sling. He also asked me why the doors dont open to allow you to store parcels in the back, which again seems like a missed opportunity as it wouldnt have been hard to make it that way.