The passenger plane is pretty close to perfection. The first thing you'll probably notice is the sheer size of it. I always remembered it being big, but as I was rebuilding the plane it really dawned on me just how BIG this thing is. The exterior is mostly made up of large specialised parts. They're not parts that you could reuse for many non-airline MOCs, but I don't think it could have been done any other way without a major sacrifice in looks. The interior features an impressive 11 seats for passengers, with a few that swivel in the front section for the "first class" experience.

An obvious complaint someone might have for this set, considering its size and seat count, is the lacking number of minifigures. The only ones included are a pilot, a marshaller, and 2 passengers. But it's almost a blessing in disguise to have so many empty seats. As soon as I finished the set, I went to find some of my favorite figures from my collection to fill the flight to capacity. Having more minifigs included is always nice, but I don't think it needed another handful of random townsfolk using recycled parts when you could fill the space with pretty much anybody that fits inside. That said, it could have benefited from a couple of extra airline workers. The cockpit feels incomplete without the co-pilot, and the beverage cart needs a flight attendant to push it (although the marshaller might be meant to double as a flight attendant, based on the shirt under his vest).

The main issue I take with the build is that the wing piece creates barriers inside the aircraft, and they almost completely box in the middle section. Obviously with it being a toy that has a removable roof, it doesn't really matter if the characters have to do some imaginary jumping to get from one end to the other. But it would have been really cool if there were a clear path all the way through, especially for the aforementioned beverage cart. The only other small problem is that the doors are tricky to open and shut. It's a very tight fit, although that's not necessarily a bad thing.

This is a fantastic set that is yet to be matched in both size and quality! If you have enough room for it, I would say it's an essential part of any LEGO city.

This set is one of my personal favourite LEGO sets of all time. I have had so many memories with it when I was younger, and I still do.

Box/Instructions

The instructions are straight forward and so simple, but there is lots of content packed into a single booklet, and I think that there could be two, rather than just one.

Parts

There are lots of big parts that can take away from the building experience, but they don't always, depending on who you are.

Minifigures

You get a nice range of minifigures, but I would have liked to see a lady stewardess or something included.

The build

The build is a pleasant experience and is actually very quick and easy for the size of set. It took me inbetween 30 minutes to an hour, and it was quite simple.

The completed model

The completed model is HUGE! and I really like how much playability and the amount of realistic features that have been incorportated in ths set. The attention to detail is very impressive and something LEGO doesn't always do is try to focus on this too much.

Overall opinion

This set is just a must-have for any LEGO collector, and it is arguable the best City plane by LEGO.

...especially after first seeing it when it came out. My initial impression was that the line between Duplo and Lego had finally been blurred into oblivion. There were too many big pieces to make this any fun at all. What was Lego thinking? I liked the scale, but the nose, tail, and wings were certainly an about-face to everything I had ever come to expect from the company. Sometimes, in life, the first impression is not always the right one, and the more I would look at this set, the more I wanted to have it; and, now that it is a part of mine and my son's collection, I regard it as one of my favorites. Why the change of heart? Simple. Lego really only made some very large specialty pieces for the set; everything else about it was distinctly Lego, especially the attention to detail and the clever assembly.

Pros

• Aesthetics/Scale. The very parts I hated about this plane have become the main reason why I love this set so much. The sculpted nose, tail and wings lend to a very sleek, fast look, that actually makes the plane look realistic, and that will always be a plus in my book. I always wanted bigger airplanes from Lego as a kid, and they never really delivered until my son was of age to begin building himself. The fact that this set exists proves that some wishes are fulfilled, even if they come about 15 years too late. Finally, Lego made a plane that could fit two pilots side-by-side, and had two rows of passengers WITH an aisle between them.
• Painted nose/tail assemblies. Lego did the right thing with this set and had the logos and striping that overran onto the nose and tail sections painted, rather than have you apply them as stickers. This really gives the plane's color-scheme a more legitimate look, rather than one that is forced on by stickers that may or may not line up properly. Unfortunately, they didn't have the sense to stick with it, as every airplane since has decals that blend the color schemes onto these parts.
• Interior. Although it may not be as polished as it could be (room for a lavatory?), the interior has many nice features, including a detailed cockpit, first class and economy class seating, and a flight-attendant/baggage area to the rear with beverage cart. Again, given that previous aircraft made by Lego were only wide enough to seat one person and had no aisle, this new scale is a definite bonus for playability and realism.

Cons

• Where are all the passengers? Apparently, Lego minifigures must be made of gold or elephant tusks, as the company has certainly sold us short on bodies in this set. This is a plane begging to be filled with all kinds of characters - and you get two and just one pilot. What commercial plane doesn't have a co-pilot, at least, and would it really kill Lego to have a flight attendant and one or two more passengers? Even if it bucked up the original price $15, adding about 4 more characters would have done nothing to hurt the sales of this set, but I'm assuming Lego figured we already had enough eager passengers at home from our other sets, or would be willing to shell out the dough for more (I think they're right about that, but I'd like to believe I have a good argument).
• Landing gear. Yes, I fawned over the aesthetics of this airplane already, but I will say that the landing gear is rather atrocious, especially the main gear below the wings. Lego provided us with functionality, but threw out any appeal in the process. The gear is sparse, just enough to serve its purpose, and it just hangs there, unable to tuck up, and is really just down-right ugly from all angles.

Apparently I am not the only person who really likes airplanes and happens to like Legos, as this set is very hard to find, and the ones you do come across are quite pricey. If you are in the market for one, get ready for a bid war that may take you over $100 for a used set, or shell out $200 for a new one (I should have bought 20 of these 5 years ago as an investment). But I firmly believe that this set is worth the extra you may need to pay to get your hands on it, especially if you like the airport subgroup as this airplane is like the Lego flagship for that.

I like this set. The plane is absolutely huge and is very sturdy. It has some nice features like the boarding stairs and the beverage cart. It needs at least two or three more minifigures as there is seating for 12 but only two passengers. Some people are bothered by the one-piece wings but I don't really care. The plane has 4 engines and looks a lot nicer than the plane in the airport set released the same year.

Pros

• Very large
• Seats 12
• Serving cart
• Sturdy
• Nice doors
• Attractive

Cons

• A few stickers
• Not a lot of assembly required and it can be repetitive
• Needs more minifigures

This set is a great addition to any city, or to replace the less attractive plane found in the airport set. The price per piece count might seem high, but it contains very large pieces that make it easier for young builders and much more sturdier. It has a few shortcomings that can easily be added from your own collection.

I don´t actually have this set but a friend has it and he is selling it to me, I build it and played with it for all the day I was at his home and all I can say is that it is an excellent set.

Pros:

*Very large

*Can fit like 16 passengers

*Has first and turist class

*Beverage cart

*Two doors

*Stairway to enter the plane

Cons:

*No one to pull the beverage cart

*Only one pilot(It fits two)

*The wings block the way in the middle of the seats

I would give this set a 5 out of 5.