This TLCB Writer has only flown American Airlines once. The aircraft looked beautiful, resplendent in brand new chrome paint, and stepping on board – well that was something else!

And by something else, we mean Total Crap. A throwback to sometime circa-1995, it was wearing every one of the millions of miles it had covered.

Which is perhaps something of a metaphor for the nation whose flag was freshly painted on the tail; shiny and spectacular on the outside, just don’t look at what’s going on underneath.

However there was a time when the interiors of American Airlines’ aircraft matched the gorgeous exterior livery, and that time was somewhere around 1971, when the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 debuted with America’s national carrier.

Able to carry 270 passengers for 3,500 miles, around four-hundred of the trijet wide-body transcontinental airliner were built over a two decade production run, with few still in limited cargo service today.

This incredible model of the infamous ’70s airliner – constructed from around 20,000 LEGO pieces – is the work of the aptly-named Big Planes of Flickr, who has recreated the DC-10 in stunning detail, complete with American Airlines’ wonderful period chrome livery.

Unlike the plane this writer flew on though, he’s paid just as much attention to the interior, which is equally detailed, fully lit, and includes some appropriately questionable ’70s decor.

Functional flaps, motorised engines and landing gear, and even a below deck galley show that Big Planes’ attention to detail runs a lot deeper than the shiny livery, and there’s much more of this amazing aircraft to see on Flickr. Book your ticket to proudly fly American (in 1971) via the link above.

*Today’s wonderful title song