China Airlines | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | B-152 | C Models / Panda Models

Much like the 767, the MD-11 is a type in 400 scale that has not seen much attention for a long time, and has a couple of decent existing moulds already. The new Panda Models mould, like their 767s, has started slipping out to market, but to not a lot of fanfare, and also, like the 767, has been used by multiple other brands already. Here I take a look at a C Models example.

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Each review is to split into three key areas:

• The model mould
• The paint and livery reproduction
• Printing and quality control

Each section can get a maximum score of 10 for a maximum combined score of 30

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MOULD

Much like the Boeing 767-300 the MD-11 has had a surprising number of moulds produced for it, but until the announcement of this new Panda mould it had had no all-new standard 400 scale moulds since 2007 (I'm not counting the JetHut mould). In recent times the market for MD-11s has been a straight fight between the Gemini Jets / JC Wings edition (dating originally from 2001, but updated in 2009) and the Phoenix edition (originally dating from 2003, but updated in 2013).

MD-11 Mould Overview

Both of those older moulds are ok, although arguably both are inferior to the 1998 Dragon Wings mould. Certainly, by the 2020s they were both getting long in the tooth. They may both have received new undercarriage, rolling gears and aerials, but there was no getting away from the cradle mount and old fashioned detailing, especially around the engines and pylons.

In recent years it has mainly been Phoenix that has been producing MD-11s and they went so far last year as to shorten the nosegear of their mould. I reviewed a Phoenix MD-11 last in August 2023, so for a closer look at that mould see that review:

Model Review: Delta Air Lines | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | N806DE | Phoenix Models

Of course any new mould using modern build techniques and detailing should be able to comfortably outcompete moulds that fundamentally date from the first years of 400 scale, so this new Panda offering is clearly the best to date. There is a second new MD-11 out there, in the form of the HX Models version (which includes flaps down and interactive variants), but no models have been released yet on it and the mould has not been inspected.

This Panda version is a slot in wings mould, as you'd expect, and the fuselage barrel is very good. The wings connect tightly, the tailcone blade is sharp and the nose characteristically DC-10 like.

The undercarriage is highly detailed and an excellent height. The maingear is especially nicely done with the gear leg not directly attaching to the long gear doors, which angle away from it. Superb.

Wing detailing is good, with particular praise going to the winglets. They are beautifully shaped and the lower winglets correctly angles outwards, something that has never been  represented on any of the earlier moulds.

The engine pylons hang the engines well and are superior to those of the Phoenix mould. The engine nacelles are equally good and have very fine side strakes attached. The engine fans are solid core, but this allows for a lot of fan detailing without compromising the fan numbers and shape.

Moving to the vertical stabiliser and the mould captures the complex form of the type's tail well. The distance between the nacelle and roofline is accurate and the bulge of the no 2 intake well curved. The number 2 engine features the engine fan detailing (missing on the old GJ/JC mould) but does so at the expense of a small seam around the intake of the engine.

Likewise there is a second small seam at the rear of the no 2 engine, this time vertically, where the fin above the exhaust attaches. This is a horizontal seam on the old Gemini mould, but there is no seam on the Phoenix edition here. Its probably one of only two areas where the Phoenix mould still wins. 

The other is that the Phoenix mould has the two small rooftop ADF fairings moulded in, whereas they are printed on the Panda. The model comes with 3 very nicely sized and shaped aerials. It is also worth pointing out that this China Airlines example was fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW4400 engines and the exhausts of the model compare nicely to the real thing.

This is a superb casting that takes a strong base form and attaches all the finely detailed bells and whistles that you'd expect from a new casting in 2025. It is near perfect, aside from the two small engine seams and lack of moulded ADF fairings.

SCORE - 9

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PAINT & LIVERY

China Airlines current plum blossom livery is very attractive and also serves to not antagonise China by displaying the Taiwanese national flag. Prior to its introduction in 1995, CAL had a much more retro looking scheme, which used the national colours of red and blue and featured the flag on the tail. It's funny when you see China Airlines models for sale on Chinese sites as they have to blank out the flag to keep the Communist Party happy!

Like a lot of older schemes that I wasn't a fan of, this livery has grown on me. The base blue and red are good tones. The two thin cheatlines, with white between them, are well positioned along the fuselage at the rear, where they taper, and mid section, but don't curve downwards heavily enough at the cockpit (see here for a photo of sistership B-150).

The main titles use the correct font and I can't see any issues with either the vertical stabiliser or the winglets. There aren't lots of photos of this aircraft in this scheme, but the ones I'm seeing, such as this side shot from AMS, have the small B-152 reg between the cockpit and first doors on both sides, whereas on this model it is only on the starboard side. Could be a mistake, but seems like an odd one to make.

SCORE - 9

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PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL

Panda Models can deliver on printwork alongside the best so I rarely have any issues with that aspect of their models. There's fine printing aplenty on this model, although some of it is rather hidden by the grey belly colour. Also, they have decided to let the mould detailing do the talking on some areas, such as flaps. The detail is there on the mould, but again the grey paint rather hides it from view.

Paint detailing is equally good. Engine inners are nicely darkened. The whole package is crisp and well constructed. There are no major QC issues. The only minor quibble there is, is a small amount of flashing inside the no 2 engine where the seamed part joins the main portion.

This is a C Models release. I don't know much about them, but they've been using the Panda moulds for a few years now, for over 30 models. Unlike some of the other brands using Panda moulds they don't add any extras, like a collectors card, but the models are very competitively priced.

SCORE - 9

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SUMMARY

To date, there have been 8 releases announced on this mould (3 for Panda, 2 Undefined Collectibles, 2 Patriot and 1 C Models). I have 6 of them on order or at the hangar so I'm all in on this new mould, which is fabulous. It is another example of a great new mould coming to the table in 2025 that is as good as anything that has ever been in the scale for the aircraft type. Previously, I have not paid a lot of attention to MD-11s, but I'm now giving the type a whole new look. I'm very pleased with this model and look forward to expanding my trijet fleet.

FINAL SCORE - 27/30