There is a lot of new mould production going on in 400 scale and also a lot of new brands appearing as well. As I wrote about a month ago, one of them is YY Wings which has a newish 747-8 mould that appears to originate from the Hogan factory. Given the price on taobao is so reasonable I thought I'd pick one up and take a closer look, but despite how nice the overall product is the box and model are unbranded so it is still not entirely certain that it is made by YY Wings. Either way it is a 4th 747-8I on the market and definitely competitive.
​Each review is to split into three key areas:
MOULD
This mould appears to be a recent production and the quartet of YY Wings editions the first usage of it. I had thought that it was used earlier by Herpa for an exclusive for Lufthansa in 2019 but looking more closely at that release I think that was using the JC Wings mould.
It is interesting that this mould has debuted around the same time as the new NG Models version and that means there are now 4 747-8I moulds floating about (Gemini Jets / JC Wings, Phoenix, NG Models and YY Wings) if you exclude the random one-shot Korean example Aeroclassics made on some mould that I was told 'fell off the back of a truck'.
Overall I have to say that this YY Wings mould compares very favourably to the NG Models version in most areas. None of the existing 747-8I moulds are dreadful so the competition is strong. In the nose region this mould is excellent. At least as accurate as the NG and Phoenix and superior to the GJ/JC version, which has always had a somewhat weak forehead and cockpit.
The rest of the fuselage is fine too and there is some really nice precision to the tailcone APU exhaust region and the underside NACA intakes. Arguably this is nicer than on the NG version. The join of the horizontal stabilisers is good but a little gappy on the upper front portion.
There are four aerials. Although nicely shaped they're probably a little too large like on the GJ/JC version, but they are better shaped than on the Phoenix.
It is at the wing to fuselage join that this new YY mould loses points, at least in comparison to the NG and GJ/JC versions. The YY has a rounded wing leading edge join rather than the squared off join on the other pair. It looks less accurate as on the real thing there is no rounded join area at that point. It is however, better than on the Phoenix mould, which has a larger rounded join that rather obliterates the fairing shape. The fairing join on this YY version is at least still present but obviously it would be better if it followed the example of the other two moulds.
The wingform itself is excellent and has a lot of nice detailing on it including the fuel dump pipe towards the winglets, which is missing on the NG version. The detailing of the engines and pylons is equally good. The engines are hollow core and even so the fanblades are nicely shaped and spaced.
The undercarriage is nicely detailed. It is slightly chunkier than the gear on the NG version but the maingear units do pivot. Overall there is a lot to like about this mould. If it wasn't for the wing join to fuselage it would be directly comparable to the NG version and definitely superior to the GJ/JC and Phoenix moulds.
Even with it I'd argue it is a better mould as a whole than the latter two and given its uncertain providence it is surprising the high-level of quality on display here. I may well pit it against the other moulds in a detailed mould rating review but for now I'll give it the less detailed score out of ten.
​SCORE - 8
PAINT & LIVERY
Air China must be one of the commonest liveries ever made in 400 scale, helped by the fact their scheme is basically unchanged since formation. Why change it I say? It certainly looks fabulous on the 747.
The blue colour being used here is veering towards the lighter side of acceptable but the red is a nice bright version. On the Gemini version I have the blue is a better darker blue but the red is too dark.
The Phoenix / VIP tail logo looks great and the main titles use a matching font. My criticism of the livery replication is confined to the cheatline itself. It curves down at both the nosecone and under the horizontal stabilisers, with the mid-section being slightly too high. The real aircraft shows no real signs of this curvature of the cheatline.
It looks a little worse on the right side of the model but in photos it appears especially noticeable. The cheatline where it meets the nose is a little too low because of this downward curvature. It's a shame as the rest of the scheme is good.
SCORE - 8
PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL
Whoever is behind this brand hasn't skimped on print detailing and the amount and quality of the print is up to the standards of most brands in 400 scale. It is perhaps not quite as fine as on NG Models but at this scale that makes the detailing a little more visible.
A nice touch is that the underside waste aerial has the striping on it. As far as I know only Aviation400 do that usually.
Cockpit printing is a constant discussin point with 747-8s. NG has gotten a lot of flak for this, which I think is a tad harsh considering. Of the 747-8s I own the cockpits all look about the same size i.e. probably a bit large. That includes this model too.
The quality of the build is superb. Everything fits in its place and shows a strong professionalism. The model also comes with a rather nice rectangular plastic stand. It is vaguely reminiscent of old Dragon stands, but chunkier and with a standard shaped circular hole. It is also decorated with some printing of the airline, aircraft and scale.
SCORE - 9
SUMMARY
It is odd, and a little frustrating, that even in 2024 models of this quality are being produced with almost no fanfare or publicity whatsoever, to the extent it isn't even 100% clear what brand it is being sold as, let alone who made it! Perhaps that demonstrates the health of the hobby, as this is no 'mystery meat' style 747 from the 2000s. It's also worth remembering that this excellent quality model was acquired new from a Chinese taobao store for only rmb 208 (about $29). I know it has been sold on eBay for more normal Western prices, but it shows that high quality doesn't necessarily mean high price. It's a great model and one I'd like to know more about.
FINAL SCORE - 25/30 
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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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