Why the Concorde is an engineering marvel

In the past we have already used some of the following with LEGO® Icons most impressive technical feats in the world celebrated, so we thought it was high time to also put the world's most famous passenger plane in the spotlight.

With the LEGO® Icons Concorde soon to take to the skies, we asked senior designer Milan Madge what makes this aircraft so unique.

“There are many reasons why the Concorde is a special aircraft,” said Milan. Even if you're not aware of the technology behind it, you're undoubtedly familiar with the sleek, streamlined silhouette that immediately stands out. It is a real design icon."

Despite its unique look, the Concorde's original design was not about form but about performance. And for the engineers that meant only one thing: speed.

"The four enormous Olympus engines under the wings ensure this," Milan continues. "All the different air inlets and outlets are also present in the LEGO set."

To reach supersonic speeds, you need an incredibly sleek aircraft. And to be able to land with such a streamlined aircraft, the hanging nose was invented.

Reconstructing an icon

Milan explains that even the droopy toe was a functional decision.

"If the landing is initiated with a straight nose, the pilots cannot see the runway due to the length of the nose and the sharp approach angle. Therefore, the nose is tiltable."

And when you think of the Concorde, you immediately think of its iconic wings.

This shape is called a delta wing, after the Greek letter delta (Δ).

“We spent a lot of time on the wing,” says Milan. "The entire center section of the plane is built sideways, so the studs on the bricks are not in their usual orientation. This gave us the opportunity to create a very solid wing and give the LEGO model a smooth underside."

"The experience I gained designing the Space Shuttle helped a lot. For Concorde, we wanted a mechanism that could both lower and retract the landing gear."

For this, Milan and his team had to design a structure that is almost as long as the set (approx. 105 cm) and that can lower the three landing gears at different speeds. All this had to fit in the very narrow hull, without hindering the interior.

When we asked Milan how they succeeded, he had to laugh.

"With a lot of trial and error!"

We won't reveal any more, because you have to build this model to believe it. The dimensions of this set (approx. 105 cm long and approx. 43 cm wide) alone say enough. In fact, the LEGO Icons Concorde is so technical that we added it to our list of most challenging sets for adults.

The fastest in your LEGO® collection