There is so much to love about the LEGO Icons Pan-Am Douglas DC-3 set I don't even really know where to start with this one. For one thing, the Venn diagram of people who would be interested in a set like this has quite a few intersects. You're an aviation enthusiast? This is for you. Oh, you just love the golden age of American aviation? This is for you. You're one of those people who collects Pan-Am ephemera? This is for you. You like putting together huge LEGO sets with hidden features and a Technic-style gear crank for a motion feature? Well my friends, I have got the perfect set for all of you.
For the record, I'm sitting in all of those subsets. I love aviation, aviation history, giant unweildy LEGO sets, and Pan-American Airlines. I'd say I'm aging myself here by referencing Antiques Roadshow except I've been watching that show since I was in my early 20s, so I'm going to do it. Often times someone will bring in an item that has extra value because it appeals to so many demographics.
Travel posters from the 1930s, for example, appeal to people who collect art from that period, people who love cruise ships, fans of Tahiti, you get the idea. This is the LEGO version of that. I would go so far as to say you don't even need to care about the specifics of this one – if you like fun builds, this should be on your radar.
Which is interesting since the Douglas DC-3 actually predates the widespread civilian adoption of radar by more than a decade.
The DC-3 was really revolutionary when it was first introduced in 1935. It quickly gained a reputation as a reliable workhorse, one that could zip from New York City to Los Angeles in as little as 18 hours with just three stops for refueling. That sounds kind of horrible when compared to today, when the longest available commercial flight is currently Singapore to New York JFK, with zero stops and roughly the same flight time. To cross the entire planet.
It was also safe and comfortable, especially compared to its competitors of the time. Basically, before the DC-3, air travel was primarily the preferred mode of transportation if you had no fear of injury or death. If you were a dashing adventurer, you didn't mind taking a plane because you also didn't mind snakes or falling off mountains. That kind of thing.
Imagine yourself in the late 1930s. The horrors of the second world war haven't kicked off yet. You might still ride a horse to the general store to buy your cigarettes and molasses. And now you have the option to don your finest suit and cap and fly across the entire United States in less than a calendar day. You'd be forgiven for thinking it was a load of malarky, by gar.
It was such a reliable, easy to maintain aircraft that the United States Army Air Corps adopted it and converted it into the C-47. Have you ever seen Band of Brothers? Those first paratroopers flung themselves from the door of a militarized DC-3 and into the history books. All I can say about that is, "hell yeah."
Oh right, I built a LEGO version. Sorry, I tend to get excited about subjects I'm really interested in. I won't even touch on how Pan-Am and the DC-3 wrestled control of South American air travel from the Germans in the lead-up to the United States' official involvement in WW2. I really want to. But I won't. You'll have to look it up yourself.
As far as LEGO builds go, this one ranks up there with my previous favorites, the LEGO Batman the Animated Series Gotham City skyline and the LEGO Icons Transformers: Soundwave. It's closer to Soundwave than to Gotham City, because Gotham City remains my all-time favorite LEGO build.
One of the things I really love about modern LEGO sets for the adult audience are the little touches they add that might not even be visible in the final build. For the DC-3, there's a tiny instrument panel in the cockpit, along with a pilot and co-pilot seat complete with armwrests. Those details are never, ever seen again after you put the whole thing together. But I know they're there, and that makes me happy.
The passenger cabin, on the other hand, can be accessed pretty easily. The top of the fuselage is removable so you can peer down into its luxorious cabin. The seats are all cleverly designed and the color scheme is a deep maroon and blue. The instruction manual states the color scheme is authentic to the Pan-Am cabin colors of the time, with Boeing (who now owns Douglas) giving them access to original illustrations. Turns out, color photos of the interior of an airplane from the early half of the 20th century are hard to come by. Who knew?
The exterior Pan-American livery was adopted in 1958, again according to the manual. Once again, LEGO has peppered its otherwise straightforward building instructions with cool facts and tidbits about the history of the plane, the airline, and the crew. It rules so hard!
The gear on the LEGO Icons DC-3 is retractable via a lovely little LEGO Technic-inspired motion feature. On the original plane, the gear would retract independently of one another, only later being replaced with a system to synchronize them. The gear here also retracts in tandem, and the wheels jut out from the bottom, just like real thing. The rear wheel doesn't retract and never did.
When assembled, I found myself extremely tempted hold it up and make airplane propellor noises while I dashed around my living room. Thankfully I'm a grown man who would never actually do such a thing, at least normally. I allowed myself the indulgence, just as a celebration of all my hard work.
There's a static-display style stand to display the DC-3, along with a Pan-Am logo and wings for the four minifigs. The display is rugged and holds the model up easily, and has a plaque on the front giving a little more info about the actual plane. It's very handsome, indeed.
The LEGO Icons Pan-American Douglas DC-3 might be the most powerful of all LEGO sets in the world of Dads. It is an absolute blast to put together and it looks incredible on display. Granted, you're going to need a fair amount of room to properly show it off on a shelf. My suggestion to hang it from some fishing line from the ceiling of my living room was shot down, but now it sits comfortably on a shelf and looks awesome. If you have any interest in aviation, this is a set you need in your life. Even if you have a passing interest in transportation history (and I know you do because you made it this far), this is absolutely a LEGO set to add to your collection.
Seth Macy is Senior Social Commerce Producer, and just wants to be your friend. You can find him online @SethFromMaine.