Tag Archives: Seventies

The golden age of air travel rendered in silver

Nowadays, flying economy class isn’t much fun. In the early seventies though, during the golden age of air travel, things were decidedly more luxurious. Case in point, the American Airlines DC-10 “Luxury Liner” built by BigPlanes.

American Airlines DC-10 Luxury Liner by BigPlanes.

His model, built using roughly 20,000 Lego parts, represents one of the first of the type to enter service, in 1971. Back then, American Airlines aircraft were mostly silver and so is the model, which is pretty amazing given the limited number of LEGO parts in that color. It also has a motorized retractable undercarriage and a full interior in funky seventies colors. It includes an in-flight lounge for the coach class passengers! Such on-board luxury did not last long, though. By the end of the decade airliners started cramming as many seats into their planes as possible and the golden era of air travel was over.

Catch you on the flip-side

If conversations about audio equipment have you fondly remembering terms like “45 rpm”, “B-side”, “mix tape” or “VHF” then you’re probably ancient like me. Or you just rented Guardians of the Galaxy. Either way, this LEGO trifecta of vintage gear is far out, right on, and out of sight… Can you dig it?

First up is this 70s kitchen scene from Swedish retro-fanatic LegoJalex, featuring a portable radio and a color palette that practically defined the home décor of that decade. Looks like something right out of the 1973 IKEA catalog (and strangely, the 2010 catalog). It’s groovy, man.
  
Next, are these super-accurate recreations of turntable / cassette player units from the same era, created by Indonesian builder Yul Burman Karel. I swear, the one on the left looks like the exact one I used as a kid. Ok, time to boogie!