A new trend among airplane model collectors is to build model airports. While airport models have been around, in a way, since air fields were open to the public, early model airports were basically restricted to public showcases about the airport and its surroundings to the public; these were usually located inside the airport themselves.

It could be said that one of the first model airport toys available to the public was Fisher-Price's Little People's airport set, released in the 1970s.

However, since Herpa Wings's introduction of their airport set series to their line of airline related toys, there has been an increase of airplane modellers who have made mock airports to showcase their private collection of model airplanes. Usually, the collector will model their airport after a real life airport. Many of these collectors have internet sites in which they show their airports to other collectors.

Most of the time, collectors who make model airports use die-cast airline models for their creation. Among the brands of die cast airplane models most commonly used on these airports are Schabak, Herpa Wings, Dragon Wings, Gemini Jets and others.

Model airports could be made to look very realistic, as many real airport features, such as toy terminals, tower of controls, cargo terminals, hangars, passenger bridges and other things have hit the market. Conversely, they could also be very rustic, as many collectors just get a piece of paper, draw a runway on it, place it over a table and add their plane models and call it their model airport.

External link

[[1] (http://www.wings900.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=505&thumb=1)] photos of some model airports on the internet.