The latest set to join the challenging LEGO Icons line is the Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner. This airplane, first commissioned by Pan Am in the mid-1930’s, set the global standard for refinement, luxury, and elegance in the skies.
What Is the LEGO Icons Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner?
The Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner, set #11378, is a 1,903-piece LEGO set that also ships with 4 Minifigures and a display stand. When completed, the model measures over 9.5 in. high, 20 in. long, and 30 in. wide. The set retails for $219.99, and is currently available to purchase at LEGO stores or on the LEGO webstore.
The set comes with 14 bags, and one instruction manual. There are no stickers; instead there are custom screen-printed bricks found throughout the bags.
The instruction manual includes the history and features of the Douglas DC-3 Airliner, as well as some words from the designers of the set prior to the assembly instructions.
LEGO Icons Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner – The Minifigures
As previously mentioned, there are 4 Minifigures in the set. These are the Pilot, the Purser, and both a male and female Flight Attendant.
As with all LEGO sets, the assembly of the Minifigures is spread out throughout the entire build. There is also a display stand for the Minifigures which you assemble during the first bag.
During assembly, you’ll also find out some interesting information about the roles the Minifigures represent.
Assembling the LEGO Icons Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner
Assembly for the DC-3 starts with the body. There are two bags each devoted just to a single wing. Here’s a look at how the plane goes together:
With the final bag of the set, you’ll also put together the display stand for the Airliner:
And here’s the completed plane on its stand, along with the Minifigures:
While the Douglas DC-3 Airliner is intended for display, there are still a couple of features to the model that you can adjust. You can easily remove the top part of the plane to look at the cabin.
At the back of the cabin you can find the lavatory:
Over the course of the build, you will also construct a mechanism to raise and lower the wheel assembly. Here are the wheels down:
And here are the wheels in the flight position:
LEGO Icons Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner – Final Thoughts
Even if you’re not an aviation fan, this is a fantastic model. I especially liked the 1970’s style mustache on the pilot, but there were a ton of other great details throughout the build to admire.
The assembly was overall a joy. The only part that I felt that I had to power through a bit was in the assembly of all the little identical seats in the cabin. But beyond that, it was a really fun build. Even though you build two wings that are the mirror image of each other, you don’t end up assembling the wings back to back. This really cuts down on feelings of repetitiveness in the build.
One of the things I really appreciated about the Douglas DC-3 set was there wasn’t a single sticker in sight during the build. Everything from the Pan Am logos to the display plaque were screen-printed, which really adds to the quality of the display piece. And additionally, it keeps you from having to fuss around with trying to put the stickers onto the bricks straight. If you’ve assembled LEGO sets with stickers, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
This is another fantastic Icons set from LEGO. It’s fun to put together, with just the right amount of challenge for the adult builder. And once assembled, you’re left with a gorgeous display model. The only problem you might have is that with a 30″ wingspan, you may find it challenging to fit the DC-3 Airliner on a shelf. But for a LEGO set this good, you’ll probably just say, “challenge accepted.”
For more information or to purchase the LEGO Icons Douglas DC-3 PAN AM Airliner, head to the LEGO webstore.
LEGO provided this set for evaluation, but had no input into the review.
