 The JC Wings mould is now over four years old but despite its quality I haven't bought that many, as the subject matter of the releases hasn't really hit my collecting sweet spot. In fact, I only own four others and it is perhaps a little symptomatic of the issue that JC Wings didn't consider this model as one they thought would sell well enough to be made. Enter Sam Leung, who has partnered with WestCoast Diecast for this lovely classic model. As an exclusive this model can be purchased from the following retailers: Each review is to split into three key areas:
MOULD  While NG continue to have prolonged issues getting their 747 moulds fit for market this mould from JC Wings (and now ised by Gemini as well) is the leader in the market. I undertook a detailed comparison of it with the other important 747-400 moulds back in early 2021. For that review see:  In that review it snuck into the lead, but only just. Ths issue that really stuck out for me, and has since, is the length of the nosegear, which can give the aircraft a rather tailhigh stance. This was quite noticeable in the United Airlines example I reviewed in mid-2023. Fortunately it does seem that JC Wings have lengthened the gear leg and on this Air Canada example the small change has made quite a big difference.  At present this is the only truly modern 747-400 available, which means it has characteristics like slot-in wings, rolling gear and of course, aerials. The wing to fuselage join is particularly impressive, getting the squared off attachment to the fuselage spot on. It is a quantom leap in quality over the woeful Phoenix effort, which is the next most modern mould (but also the worst).  Of course, one of the areas NG has been struggling with is the noseshape of their 747s but it is hard to fault this mould in that area. In fact, the entire fuselage is excellent and the extra detailing at the tailcone exhaust nozzle superb.  In my old detailed review I had criticised the wing height but that was a flaps down model and I must admit that when you compare this one side to side with that, the normal flaps-up wing is different and looks good.  The vertical stabiliser is the only one of the present 747-400s that features a modern and accurate join to the fuselage, with the rudder not connected to it.  Lastly, the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines on this model look very nice and once again have a modern style engine pylon to wing join, which is very good.  This mould appears to have matured well and is better than it was when first released. It is a really impressive 747-400 that is more than capable of giving any future moulds a strong run for their money. SCORE - 10 PAINT & LIVERY  This twin-stripe Air Canada scheme is, in my opinion, one of their best schemes (competing for top spot with the current livery perhaps). It is a shame that it was so short-lived. Introduced, I think, in 1989 for the delivery of the A320 it was also worn by the first 747-400s. C-GAGM was delivered in July 1991 but had been repainted into the new eurowhite scheme by mid 1994.  The thick cheatlines really suit the 747-400 and are well placed on the model. Could the lower deeper red stripe be slightly darker? Perhaps it could. It certainly looks quite dark in photos but I'm not sure if that is a relic of the images. I think it probably could be.  The rest of the livery looks good although I admit I'm not 100% convinced by the font of the Air Canada titles. They aren't bad but in close detail letters like the A, small a and r are not perfect renditions. Small details like the fleet number on tailtop and nosegear door are present. SCORE - 9 PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL  Another area that 400 scale struggles with somewhat is the size of the cockpit windows on 747s. They are probably a little too large here but the impact for me is slight. The rest of the print detail is impressive especially in two areas - the side cargo door and on the underside.  C-GAGM was one of two 747-433s delivered as Combis (or 433Ms) so had a large side cargo door (SCD). The detailing of this on the model is excellent. On the underside there is some very impressive panel lining in the area between the wings.  The model is in general very well built. The only build flaw is that the inside left engine is not fitted quite straight. The model also comes with a delightful fliptop box, complete with aircraft information for an extra touch of class. SCORE - 9  SUMMARY  This is exactly the sort of 747-400 I would like to see more often from JC Wings, and it comes with a great package but without the extra price increasing aviation tags that some of the more interesting JC 747 releases have had. It illustrates that JC easily has the capability to produce top class moulds and top class printing to make a top class product. Given, the continuing travails of NG in this space there is a lot of potential for this mould if it used correctly (for me that means less modern cargo airlines and more original operators). A British Airways series for example would be amazing. 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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