You may no longer be able to fly on the Concorde, but thanks to Lego you can build one of your very own.
The Danish toy company has just unveiled a new set based on the famous supersonic jet two decades after it went out of service. And as is becoming increasingly common of the brand’s most detailed kits, the model has features that function just as they did on its full-size counterpart.
The Concorde was built during the 1960s as a joint venture between France-based Aérospatiale and UK-based British Aircraft Corporation. It was the first supersonic passenger jet and could fly from Europe to the east coast of the US in half the time it normally took. Despite this, the tailless aircraft never caught on, partially due to the fact that it was limited to transoceanic flights due because of the sonic booms it produced over land. In 2003, after 27 years of commercial service, the Concorde was retired.
The Lego Concorde model
Lego
Lego’s version of the jet measures nearly three-and-a-half feet in length and has a wingspan of one-and-a-half feet. That means that while tiny compared to the 202-foot aircraft it’s based on, it is one of the brand’s larger current models. The kit consists of 2,083 pieces and faithfully captures the jet’s iconic shape, including its long and skinny fuselage and curved delta wing.
The pint-sized Concorde features several functional mechanisms like some of the recent automobile-based sets released under the Lego Technics banner. The chief of these is the plane’s landing gear, which can be raised or lowered with a twist of the tail cone. The model also features an adjustable droop nose that can be lowered to make takeoff visibility better, just like the actual plane. Finally, you can remove part of the top of the fuselage to get a look at a scale recreation of the Concorde’s infamously cramped interior inside (sadly it’s not big enough for any of the company’s trademark microfigures).
Lego
Do you have room in your personal hangar for a new Lego plane? The Concorde kit is set to go on sale September 7th (or the 4th if you’re one of the brand’s VIP members). It will be available to buy through the company’s website and toy stores for $199.99.