 Kylin Models is a new brand, representing a factory with plenty of experience making 400 scale models for others, that entered the market last year with A320 family aircraft and is now branching out into A330s and A340s. They have several other types under development, including 757s, and look like they will be an increasingly important brand and manufacturer, both under their own name and for others, like Geministar. They are also focused on accuracy and modifying their moulds regularly to improve them, so although this is their first A330, and is very good, I know they are working on improvements to the mould already. Kylin Models has featured at the website before, in December, when I reviewed an A320. For that review see: Each review is to split into three key areas:
This review is sponsored by Northeast Diecast. Check out their store for an excellent range of hard to find 200 and 400 scale collection sale models and get 15% off!  MOULD  There are of course plenty of Airbus A330-200s in 400 scale already, with active versions existing from Aeroclassics, Aviation400, JC Wings / Gemini Jets, NG Models, Phoenix and now Kylin also. C Models also have A330s in the works.  Of the existing moulds I think it is fair to say that the AV400 and JC Wings are currently the weakest (although AV400 are updating theirs). The Phoenix has been solid and reliable but is showing its age and could certainly do with new undercarriage. The Aeroclassics, NG and Kylin all share some ancestry, although I'd stop short of saying they are copies.  Each has its differences, however they also all look very much like an A330 and so, as they ought, look very similar. So similar in fact that unless you look closely you probably can't tell the difference (except Aeroclassics obviously refuse to add aerials).  It is these small differences that show the Kylin is a new mould and not a copy, as they tend to be small bugs that Kylin is working on rectifying at the moment. None stop this from being a very good A330.  At the front the mould bears a strong resemblance to the NG and Aeroclassics A330s, but the curve of the nose down from cockpit to nosecone is not quite sharp enough. This is an area that Kylin are working on but not one that detracts particularly from the overall product. There are minor differences in the position of the rear torque link on the nosegear with the NG, but nothing to write home about. In my view this is a very competitive front end.  Moving to the wings and engines I'll compare with the NG again since that is generally considered the best A330 available. The differences are minor but the Kylin is slightly less refined in terms of the shape of the wingjoin to the fuselage and engine pylons. The former is barely noticeable but the pylons hang the engines ever so slightly lower (probably only a mm or so), which does impact engine ground clearance, but not by a huge amount.  The engines themselves are fine and come with solid core fans rather than the hollow core versions of the NG. The maingear units are excellent and unlike the NG come with pivoting gear trucks.   The rest of the mould is excellent and to my eye largely indistinguishable from the NG, which makes it better than most of the other competition. One point of difference, which has introduced a minor error, is that on the underside the 3 air intakes are moulded in (not printed as on the NG), but the starboard of the pair parallel to each other is not offset to the port side enough. It is a minor point that again Kylin are looking to modify.  You can see that the leftside triangular intake should be more towards the right  The points of criticism that I have raised in this section are all minor and the sort of thing I suspect the majority of collectors wouldn't notice. Kylin is working to revise the nose, wingroot and underside intakes, which is highly commendable when you consider JC Wings has not modified the short maingear height on their inferior A330 after more than 6 years!  This mould, as it is now, is a strong contender for your A330 purchases, being only marginally inferior to the NG Models version. I would certainly select it over the other available moulds in their current forms. SCORE - 9 PAINT & LIVERY  This model represents the famous 'Azores Glider' from flight 236 on August 24, 2001. Somewhat surprisingly this aircraft has only been made once before in this scheme and that was by HYJLwings with an incredibly expensive and hard to find special set under the HYJLwings Legends sub-brand.  Air Transat had adopted a new star themed livery in late 1998, just prior to the arrival of their first A330s in 1999. This would only last until the end of 2004 when a simplified and less attractive star scheme replaced it. On the scheme worn here Kylin have accurately replicated the clouds within the star on the tail and the complex billboard titles.  The thin red pinstripe with web titles on the forward fuselage also looks good and air transat titles are present on the outside of the winglets. The only points of criticism are the missing fleet number (102) on the top of the vertical stabiliser and that the dark blue being used is a little too dark compared to photos, such as here and here. SCORE - 9  PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL  As I mentioned earlier despite its appearance as a new brand Kylin's factory has historically made 400 scale models for some of the best brands in the scale and so it isn't surprising that their print ability matches those. The printing subtlety and detail matches that of NG, with some linework, such as the radome ring, so fine they are hard to see with the naked eye.  Less good is the cockpit print, which in keeping with other A330s from NG and Aeroclassics is a little small.  Quality control on the model is superb. There are no issues and it comes with an attractive box and credit card style collector's card to add that little bit of a premium feel. SCORE - 9  CONCLUSION  What I have seen from Kylin Models so far is a company with a set of moulds that have leapfrogged the majority of the existing 400 scale competition for those types, and has an ethos of continuous improvement, which stands them in good stead for the future. These early A330 releases are already some of the best made in the scale and yet Kylin is actively working on improvements not only for this mould, but also their A320s too. They are definitely a brand to watch, especially if they produce more Western oriented material and acquire more of a foothold in international markets. FINAL SCORE - 27/30 
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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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