Supersonic airliner CONCORDE G-BBDG COBI 1689 - Historical Collection 1:100

MODEL CONCORDE G-BBDG | COBI 1689

The latest model of the Concorde supersonic airliner in British Airways colors features an improved delta wing shape that respects all the main lines of the real aircraft. The plane has a precisely placed landing gear and angular Rolls-Royce engine intakes, just like the aircraft preserved at the Brooklands Museum. The red parts of the exhaust nozzles are a beautiful detail.

Did you know:

The development of the aircraft began in the 1960s and was only possible through the collaboration of the greatest minds among French and British aerospace engineers. To this day, aircraft designers draw on the knowledge and discoveries gained during the development and construction of the Concordes. Comfortable flying seems like a given to us today, but the technological progress that Concorde brought to humanity was a massive leap, akin to going from a flint tool to a 3D printer.

When flying at twice the speed of sound (Mach 2), aerodynamic heating caused the aircraft's fuselage to expand by 30 cm. To reduce air resistance, instead of controlling pitch with control surfaces, fuel was most commonly pumped between tanks to shift the center of gravity. Air intake was controlled by a computer, which, even today—more than 20 years after the last flight—remains a state secret and has been removed from all surviving machines.

It covered the distance between New York and London in 2 hours and 53 minutes. The aircraft was exceptionally demanding to maintain and had high fuel consumption, which was reflected in the ticket price. In today's money, a ticket for the NY-London route would cost about 320,000 CZK. Despite the high ticket price, Concorde never lacked passengers. All luggage was stored exclusively in the cargo hold. In the cabin, fitted with luxury leather seats, meals were served on porcelain tableware. Piloting a Concorde was a matter of great prestige and the pinnacle of a pilot's career.

The United States also attempted to develop civil supersonic aircraft under the SST project, which was intended to confirm US air supremacy. The project ended in a complete fiasco and was canceled at a stage when only detailed plans and fuselage mock-ups existed. Among Boeing employees, the aircraft was nicknamed "The airplane that ate Seattle". Due to subsequent financial difficulties, Boeing had to lay off more than 60,000 people. The only functional rival was the Russian Tu-144, which, however, suffered from many flaws and was therefore only used at the end of its service life to transport mail to the Far East. From historical sources, we know that Russian pilots argued over piloting the Tu-144. Nobody wanted to fly it, so a superior or the drawing of short straws always had to decide.

A total of only 20 Concorde aircraft were built.

The price of a single machine in today's money would be about 122 million pounds, which is more than 3.6 billion CZK.

Technical specifications:

• dimensions: wingspan 25.6 m, length 61.66 m, height 12.2 m
• empty weight 78,700 kg
• maximum takeoff weight 185,070 kg
• maximum speed 2,179 km/h
• rate of climb 50.5 m/s
• range 7,222 km
• maximum flight altitude 18,300 m
• powerplant 4x Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 turbojet engines, each with a thrust of 169 kN
• total fuel tank capacity 95,600 kg in 17 tanks
• fuel consumption: taxiing (gate to takeoff) 2,000 kg, acceleration 32.5 liters/s, supersonic flight 18,000 liters/h
• capacity 92-120 seats
• crew: pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer
• special equipment - Dunlop ABS composite brake discs heat-resistant up to 500°C

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher:

"Concorde is a symbol of British engineering genius and pioneering spirit. It is an aircraft that shows what we can achieve when we unite and focus on accomplishing great things."

About the COBI building block set:

• the COBI 1689 set is made of 518 high-quality ABS pieces
• number of figures: 0
• Historical Collection 1:100
• pad printed - no stickers
• faithful reproduction
• made in the EU
• compatible with Lego and other building block brands