Richard Paules’ new 150,000 LEGO-brick replica of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was unveiled last week by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
This is on display in the ticketing level (pre-security) by the American Airlines counter.
Paules also made a replica of Washington Dulles International Airport that was placed on display at the start of 2024.
Paules’ creations are not the only models on display inside the airports though. Washington National Airport has a 1939 model of the original terminal inside the historic lobby. For interested travelers or Washingtonians, this is between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 pre-security.
Inside the tunnel to the Dulles International Airport Metrorail Station, there is a model depicting Metro’s Silver Line expansion to the airport, which started revenue service in 2022.
About the photos
Although these were not taken with a dedicated macro lens, that was the intended effect. To make the objects — in this case the LEGO characters and objects inside or around the terminal buildings — appear larger size. This really emphasizes the finer details of Paules’ creations. Most were taken at 1/60th or 1/80th of a second shutter speed and f/4-5.6 aperture, depending on lighting. The ISO (light sensitivity) was higher for the Dulles images since it was after sunset and the terminal lacked ambient lighting on the ticketing level.
Safe travels during this Fourth of July holiday week!
