The Airport Passenger Terminal is a new City set, from the Airport subtheme, that will be available next June, in this year’s second wave of set releases. More than a new set, this new Airport is a re-release of the 2010 model and for those who expected something completely new, forget it, most of the items seems pretty similar when compared to the previous model.
This new set has almost seven hundred pieces (six hundred and ninety four to be exact) and features a big blue airplane, the building with the control tower, the luggage car , a small refueling tank, the plane ladders and six mini-figures : the commandant, the air hostess, a couple of ground workers, a passenger and the air traffic controller.
Starting by the terminal, I can’t say that I’m disappointed but it’s is clearly smaller than the 3182 airport. With only one floor, it shows a lot of glass in the walls and a big rotating door for the passengers. Inside, unfortunately, I’m afraid that they’ll only have the right to some chairs while their waiting for their flight. Not even a single coffee machine? Let’s hope not!
The newest feature for me the conveyer, at the back, that will send the luggage directly to the trailer that is incredible great in terms of playability! Just by turning the red knob, you’ll see bags move ahead until the cart. On the roof we have the control tower, which is absolutely rather smaller than the previous.
Having a look at the plane, I would say that it’s similar to other city models but there are certainly new details to enjoy. Starting by the color combination that couldn’t be better, I especially enjoy the long orange line all over the airplane, although some parts are represented with stickers.
The long nose shows a big cockpit for the commandant and through the windshield it is possible to see plenty of controls for the pilot. The passengers have windows almost everywhere and inside, despite the lack of pictures, it’s not hard to imagine at least eight chairs for the guys.
Nearby the cockpit, the main door with the usual ladders is the same and opens easily thanks to the usual “handcuffs” stuck to the bar. On top, the roof can be easily detached, giving total access to the interior which surely increases the fun and the playability. The major difference towards the 3182 model are the wings that have ailerons on the edges and the engines that are placed at the back, which in my opinion look awesome. The landing gear is not very visible but I think that it should be similar to the others.
The luggage car is very small but at the same time it has an important role in the set, transporting all the bags from the terminal to the plane. As always it’s built with yellow pieces and features all the main elements namely a driving seat for the worker and lots of orange lights. The trailer has space for a lot of luggage and for its protection it has four black bars preventing them from falling off the car.
Overall, despite the minor detail about the building, I guess that this set is a must, especially if you don’t have any previous model. The airplane looks fantastic and the building shows also plenty of nice features to enjoy. The set should retail around the ninety dollars and will be available next summer.