Classic vs. New Lego airplanes

[Legoboy22]

Hello Everyone

I would like to discuss a point that many adult Lego plane enthusiasts probably think about. What is better the old classic smaller planes of the past, or the new large and more realistic planes of today. I am going to try to give an unbiased opinion because I have had many smaller planes as a child. In my Opinion the older classic planes are better for airports in city layouts because they are smaller and allow for realistic size airports and runways. They are also great because they use few specialized parts. On the other hand the new larger planes are much more realistic and allow for more play inside with over 15 seats in most of them. They are also better for layouts purely dedicated to the airport. It allows for massive and impressive airports.They are also more fun for smaller children who think bigger is always better. This is only my opinion. Share yours below and provide an opinion.

Thank you in advance.

[sebitsena]

The best plane for me is this one :

Large, brick built, old style ... Perfect with modulars style ;)

I would like Creator Expert planes, like they did with trains !

[Nemo57]

And there is no difference if the planes are really good though collected in a large, albeit in a small amount. In compliance with the real dimensions of this aircraft is more suitable style city. The problem of the construction of large airstrips rests not in fact have better planes - old or new, and that you have enough Lego bricks builder or place for building. but that's another problem? We built 4 large aircraft and we have five collectible airplanes city, and now we have to build the appropriate dimensions and airport runways. But, at the same time, and small aircraft will build three dozen small planes.

One does not interfere. Never.

[Ragnos]

The best plane for me is this one :

Large, brick built, old style ... Perfect with modulars style ;)

I would like Creator Expert planes, like they did with trains !

Although that is one beautiful plane, I personally prefer the newer ones as the specialised pieces like the wings and the cockpit are really good. I especially like the 7734 Cargo Plane.

[Dan-147]

I am personally very fond of the older, smaller planes. It's just unfortunate that they all had flip-up roofs instead of proper doors. The fact that the newer planes have such large, specialized parts is a major turn-off for me. I would have been thrilled if LEGO had achieved the same shape with smaller pieces that could be more easily reused in different ways.

That being said, I feel that the smaller size of the older planes is a better match for small regional airports that are easier to integrate in the “average” layout. The newer ones are great for a major airport.

Dan-147

[Venunder]

I agree that the larger modern planes are better for City airports.

The older brick built planes are better for the early 20th century and regional aerodromes.

I would love to build a proper Airport with modern planes when I eventually build my City.

[Comrade Commander]

I personally find the older style aircraft more appealing and play friendly. As a huge aviation fan, I started out trying to collect all the aircraft but these newer aircraft are turning me off.

While the newer aircraft are fun at first, after a while they become a pile of specialized parts that are not easily integrated into other creations. The older aircraft however are easier to modify (IMO, though the above are impressive), can be broken down and used in other creations easier, and also allow for fun by building airports using the existing road bases.

[Brick City]

The best plane for me is this one :

Large, brick built, old style ... Perfect with modulars style ;)

I would like Creator Expert planes, like they did with trains !

I second on that!

They would have to be minifig scale though. A 737 or small Airbus would be great. The same theme could also have airport structures. A nice scale-ish sided control tower would be great!

And to stay on topic, my all-time favorite plane is the 3181. It reminds me of the small commuter planes that fly through PDX and Santa Anna regional airport.

[mapimi]

As a AFOL lego airplane enthusiast, I am not that happy with the way lego has been treating lego planes.

As far as the system goes, the older planes fit better, yes they had some specialised parts but they did a better job of fitting in the system. Planes could be taken apart and become all sorts of thing. Its kind of a shame because many of these older parts are very useful for my lego airplane MOCs, and to no longer have them produced is a shame. These also took up less space meaning you could grow a fleet of planes and build a somewhat realistic airport with road plates.

Whereas I own 3 7893s and they just take up space for nothing gathering dust because their size prevents me from stocking them properly.

The new 8 wide planes have many parts that can only be used on planes: cockpit, wing,... which to be quite honest I don't like at all. These parts limit the opportunities for MOC and they aren't at all realistic looking, whereas the older planes at least had some sense of realistic traits. Its kind of a shame lego didn't use the opportunity to build realistic looking parts when it made its new plane cockpit parts back in 2005. And as far as the wing goes, it takes up useful cabin space. The door system would have been more realistic if lego had made it double sided, very frustrating for MOCs.

Perhaps this is only my opinion but I have long taken the route of MOCing airplanes rather than use the ones provided by lego. Over the years mine have been getting better and better and these do not use any of the new parts but lots of the great parts Lego had produced in the 80s when it invented the airplane are still useful in my MOCs.That is why I find the older planes better.

[MGCJerry]

I only have build the old classic 80s, & 90s planes. The new ones look cool but I have zero experience with them or their parts. Completely missed them in my dark age.

Right now I do have 5 large and one small brick-built aircraft and they do take up a lot of space and I have almost nowhere to put them which in my opinion makes them useless for any kind of layout. I would need a ton of bricks to build a suitable sized airport.

[Legoboy22]

As a AFOL lego airplane enthusiast, I am not that happy with the way lego has been treating lego planes.

As far as the system goes, the older planes fit better, yes they had some specialised parts but they did a better job of fitting in the system. Planes could be taken apart and become all sorts of thing. Its kind of a shame because many of these older parts are very useful for my lego airplane MOCs, and to no longer have them produced is a shame. These also took up less space meaning you could grow a fleet of planes and build a somewhat realistic airport with road plates.

Whereas I own 3 7893s and they just take up space for nothing gathering dust because their size prevents me from stocking them properly.

The new 8 wide planes have many parts that can only be used on planes: cockpit, wing,... which to be quite honest I don't like at all. These parts limit the opportunities for MOC and they aren't at all realistic looking, whereas the older planes at least had some sense of realistic traits. Its kind of a shame lego didn't use the opportunity to build realistic looking parts when it made its new plane cockpit parts back in 2005. And as far as the wing goes, it takes up useful cabin space. The door system would have been more realistic if lego had made it double sided, very frustrating for MOCs.

Perhaps this is only my opinion but I have long taken the route of MOCing airplanes rather than use the ones provided by lego. Over the years mine have been getting better and better and these do not use any of the new parts but lots of the great parts Lego had produced in the 80s when it invented the airplane are still useful in my MOCs.That is why I find the older planes better.

I will have to agree with you on the fact that there are far to many specialized parts in the new planes but for children age 5-10 they are ok. I also agree that the old planes are great for somewhat realistically sized airports where the planes do not dwarf the buildings.

[dr_spock]

I like the older planes for their small size and nostalgia value. They fit better in a small apartment. I don't mind the molded pieces in the larger planes. They are a fun challenge to find a creative use in other MOCs.

If you have the time, money and space, then go for a proper minifig scale like these guys.

Untitled by Derek, on Flickr

[LAKAbricks]

I guess the newer, bigger planes are more appealing to most children - and they definately have some great playfeatures, such as doors that can be opened and galleys. But as many other posters here, I agree that the big, specialized parts are not very versatile. As you might have guessed already I, too, prefer the old, four-wide aircraft which I think could have been developed further, as we e.g. saw it with the Transcon 2 which was longer and with bigger wings than other aircraft. Maybe new wings and engines could have been designed - not least a new propeller with six blades to reflect the development of modern turboprops.

[Brick City]

I like the older planes for their small size and nostalgia value. They fit better in a small apartment. I don't mind the molded pieces in the larger planes. They are a fun challenge to find a creative use in other MOCs.

If you have the time, money and space, then go for a proper minifig scale like these guys.

Untitled by Derek, on Flickr

My life has a new set of goals!!!!

Costly, but amazing!

I'll look into that more...

[Nemo57]

Compare different aircraft and a handful of different parts remaining from them for other models - it's a little different. Off-topic questions.

Then we have to change the question topics, to find out what aircraft not better or worse, and the details of what is advantageous to use.

But that's why then compare themselves airplanes?

[Severus A]

I've grown up with the classic old planes and I prefer them. The new ones are interesting and have a lot of space inside but they are too big for my taste.

[*thomas*]

For a city theme, I prefer the old, 4 stud wide planes. But, what I like even more about that era, is that an airport wasn't just a small building and a big plane. It was a full-size building, with lots a playability. The baseplates they included to simalute a small airstrip, were also a big bonus.

Generaly speaking, the Indiana Jones plane as mentioned above has the most apeal.

[Breakdown]

Food for thought:

I have something in the neighbourhood of 12-15 of the 4-brick-wide planes.

I am considering getting into the new planes, I admire them for the way that you can customize the interior. The big Friends jet even is tempting!! Love the aero-look on the noses.

The old lego planes are the only ones that go with monorail. I think that the new lego planes are the only planes that work with rail, and newer lego sets.

The biggest passenger 4-stud wide plane is just about dwarfed in every dimension other than wing span, but a current firetruck.

For those that hate the current one-piece noses, it's been the same for decades. I remember going to a friend's home and his much older brother had a lego city layout and I remember thinking how incredibly lame it was. It was just all bricks, and square. I had all of those specialized pieces . .. . in the 1980's and he had . . . that. Now I'm the square dude and he had the same commentary at the time. All of the specialized pieces, like the 6392/6396 tails and such didn't allow much imagination, etc.

I'm working on an expansion project for my airports. Old-school runways, and it's taking up too much real-estate with the 4-stud planes, can't imagine 8-stud wide planes, or having that kind of runway room or budget for pieces. Believe it or not I've stalled because of a lack of 1 X 1 round pieces. On order currently. A future project that I've been collecting pieces for is a hangar for one of the smaller planes, I don't want to universally declare this impossible for the newer planes, but excessively difficult would be one way that I would describe it!!

I will state one thing where I think that the old planes have a distinct advantage is just colour schemes. I hate the idea of full one-colour cockpit sections, I love the idea of running every colour through the plane and that's just not to feasible without stickers with some of the new setups

I'm thinking of making my own plane factory as I'm beginning to establish sufficient inventory to make all sorts of old school planes.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Breakdown

[Lego Dino 500]

i may just be a 80s' apologist, but I love that era of Lego. Brick built buildings, a variety of different businesses and houses, and builds made using mostly common parts. I feel this same way about the trains as well. If Lego were to compromise on plane design, and maybe release some 4-6 wide planes built with modern bricks and tiles, that'd be the best of both worlds.

[MGCJerry]

Wow, now those are some serious planes. Impressive in scale and actual size.

[Nemo57]

By the number of parts that can be used in subsequent homemade products, it is the best aircraft any time. That's just unlikely Lego will release these sets.

[Carrera124]

i may just be a 80s' apologist, but I love that era of Lego. Brick built buildings, a variety of different businesses and houses, and builds made using mostly common parts. I feel this same way about the trains as well. If Lego were to compromise on plane design, and maybe release some 4-6 wide planes built with modern bricks and tiles, that'd be the best of both worlds.

Same here. 80's sets have a clear and consistent structure - trains were always 6w, cars were always 4w, trucks were always 5w (considering their bigger wheels). Planes were also 4w + wings.

Today's city sets look nice as long as they stand alone. But putting them together shows great inconsistency: While trains are still 6w, some cars are 4w, other cars are 6w, some are even 8w (e.g. set 60085). Trucks are 6w.

Maybe today's kids don't care about this mismatch, but I cared about that when I was young. I even didn't like 6440 because it was a 6w truck that did not fit to all other trucks I had.

[gotoAndLego]

If you are worried about scale, there is nothing stopping you from modding/building a 6w plane using bricks.

[Carrera124]

If you are worried about scale, there is nothing stopping you from modding/building a 6w plane using bricks.

I'm going fine with 4w.

[Aanchir]

Same here. 80's sets have a clear and consistent structure - trains were always 6w, cars were always 4w, trucks were always 5w (considering their bigger wheels). Planes were also 4w + wings.

Today's city sets look nice as long as they stand alone. But putting them together shows great inconsistency: While trains are still 6w, some cars are 4w, other cars are 6w, some are even 8w (e.g. set 60085). Trucks are 6w.

Maybe today's kids don't care about this mismatch, but I cared about that when I was young. I even didn't like 6440 because it was a 6w truck that did not fit to all other trucks I had.

From my perspective, a "mismatch" is honestly sometimes more realistic. Compact cars like in 3177 and 7939 realistically should not be the same width as a police interceptor like in 60128. Nor should an air show stunt plane like 60019, a private plane like 60102, and a jumbo jet like in 7893 all be the same size. Google "airport fire engine" and you'll see a variety of trucks much like 6440 that can be massive compared to an ordinary municipal fire engine. Complaining about things not being the same doesn't hold water if in reality they're supposed to be different.

Of course, LEGO City and LEGO Town alike are cartoon versions of reality, not a flawless reflection of it, but that kind of abstraction generally means more license to vary the sizes and appearances of things, not less.