The diversity in NG Models release sets has been rather lacking of recent, both in terms of airlines and aircraft types. That is set to change from mid-year but given they have such large release sets there are still multiple models of interest each month, for me at least. This model reminds me of the NG of old, since it is using their first mould and the subject matter is more unusual. AeroGal has only had a single release prior to this (from Herpa) and is exactly the sort of exotic carrier I like. Although it is arguably a little too modern for my collection it has still found a place in it.
FORMAT
Each review is to split into three key areas:
MOULD
NG has made a lot of Boeing 757s - 188 under its own brand, and there are quite a lot more made for HYJLwings and Dream Air. Having said that, 757 output has been a hell of a lot lower than it used to be and in 2023 there were only 11. This is understandable since NG nowadays has a lot more moulds to use, but given there are still a lot of excellent 757s to be made (see here for a wishlist published in 2020 but still largely untouched) it is a shame.
Even though it was NG's first 400 scale mould the 757-200 remains one of its, and 400 scale's, finest castings. NG have announced the upcoming 757-300 and presumably it'll be largely based off of this series 200, which is near perfect.
The fuselage shape of the NG Models mould is excellent across the board, particularly the attractive nose shape and wingroot area. The latter is a really nicely contoured design with a very tight fit for the wings. The biggest weakpoint of the old Gemini 757s has been the landing gear and although this has been updated, to compete more evenly against the NG mould, it is still inferior to the delicate and finely detailed nosegear leg of the NG. It’s not just the leg either – the tyre is lovely and the gear doors accurately sized.
This attention to detail transfers over to the maingear legs and doors also. The control surfaces on the NG mould are full metal but still crafted to a fine degree. The wings and stabilisers fit tightly to the fuselage and flaps and ailerons are beautifully etched.
As you can tell by the -236 customer number this aircraft was originally destined for either British Airways, although it never served with them. being instead delivered to the charter subsidiary Caledonian Airways in 1992. That means it is equipped with the RB211-535E engines, which were fitted to all Rolls-Royce equipped 757s in the 1990s. There have been some minor gripes about the shape of the underside of the engine but it is a minor detail hardly worth mentioning.
As a mould the NG Models 757 is, to my mind, effectively faultless and easily beats all previous versions of one of the most attractive airliners ever built, be they Dragon Wings, Gemini Jets or Phoenix examples.
SCORE – 10
PAINT & LIVERY
As the name suggests AeroGal was originally setup to serve the Galapagos Islands from Ecuador, and so although this aircraft was mainly used to serve Miami, from Quito and Guayaquil, the airline's livery still has that island flavour.
This is most obvious with the endemic Galapagos Marine Iguanas, but also the characteristic shape of the Frigatebirds too. The scheme has recently been seen again on a retro Avianca Ecuador A320, which incidentally has also been produced by NG.
The livery, while quite simple, uses the birds in flight stylishly. I can't fault the dark blue or the position of the many birds. The only bird that seems very slightly out of position is the one nearest the registration - it should be a tiny fraction higher. The main titles and associated small red Iguana are also superb
The reg prefix is correctly on the nosegear doors and the flowing flag under the cockpit is fine as well. If I had to criticise anything it'd be the colour of the larger orange Iguana on the tail. I think it is probably a little too dark.
SCORE - 9
PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL
What more can I say about NG's print quality than I have already. It is excellent, incredibly fine with a lot of detailing. As I understand it NG share factories with other brands and yet it is rare to see the level of fineness shown here with them, which is curious.
Paint application is also topnotch. The engine rims and fanblades are a great example of this. The paint lines are clean and the fans nicely dark, yet each blade is still visible.
If I have to nitpick to find a fault I'd say that NG 757s can have a tendency for the nosegear leg to be slightly angled backwards and this model has that issue, although it is slight.
SCORE - 9
SUMMARY
This model is nothing special. It has the same level of quality as the majority of NG releases. The brand has been getting a lot of heat recently, including for some QC issues, but when you compare what you get the majority of the time with NG to other brands, NG is more than holding its own. This is also the sort of subject matter I want to see more of from NG Models. Although, this isn't a classic model by any means it hints to the more varied release sets of old. As 2024 progresses I am told NG will be expanding into its 'Let Classic Be Classic' phase so hopefully this sort of model becomes the norm once again.
FINAL SCORE - 28/30 
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AuthorI'm Richard Stretton an aviation enthusiast and major collector of 400 scale models. On this page I take a detailed look at new releases. This site is free. Please donate to keep it going.
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