 When Aero Polaris first appeared late last year as a reincarnation of HYJLwings its first mould announced was an Airbus A350. Subsequently, its first actual releases were some 737-800s and in the past few months HYJLwings has also reappeared as a separate brand too. True to their word however Aero Polaris have announced and released their first pair of Airbus A350-900s and here I take a closer look at their first. For my earlier articles on Aero Polaris see here: 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  When I reviewed the Aero Polaris 737-800 in December it was almost indistinguishable from the NG Models version. You might therefore expect this A350 to be similar and it is, but actually it is more similar to the Panda Models casting.  All three of these A350 moulds are exceptional and unless you know what you're looking for very difficult to distinguish from each other. It is hard to say whether this is a measure of their accurate likeness to the real thing or of something more nefarious, but the result is an excellent mould.  At the nose the cone looks a little pointier than the Panda (although this could be just the lack of a nose cheatline). It seems closer to the NG mould here. At the nosegear the NG, Panda and Polaris are basically the same.   Everywhere else the mould more closely resembles the Panda version. That means on the underside of the fuselage the NACA intakes are moulded in (like the Panda and not like the NG). The big difference between the two is actually the lack of a standhole on the Aero Polaris version.  The wings and maingear appear effectively identical to the Panda A350, which includes having the larger updated Sharklets. This allows differentiation from the NG version, which does not have pivoting gear units, lacks the wing fuel dump pipe and has wider, shorter flap track fairings.   The engine fans also bear a closer resemblance to the Panda than NG mould. I can't see any issues (or differences to the Panda actually) anywhere else on the casting.   Looking back at my review of the Panda A350 I actually gave it a 9/10, which is probably a bit harsh. This mould seems to have slightly better engine ground clearance than the Panda I own, but it's hard to tell if that's a mould or QC thing with such a small sample size. Fundamentally all three of these A350 castings are so good it feels harsh to not give them full marks on a 1-10 rating scale. In my detailed A350 review the NG and Panda moulds scored one mark apart (36 to 35 out of 40) and I have no reason not to think this mould would get basically the same score. It might even sneak slightly higher. SCORE - 10 PAINT & LIVERY  The new livery introduced in November 2014 at China Eastern has been almost universally derided by enthusiasts, but I have to say I prefer it to the current JAL scheme. It was designed by Bang Strategic Brand Design, a renowned Chinese firm from Beijing. The design keeps the same colours but reimagines the iconic swallow logo in a more fluid form. The wings of the bird now represent a sky bridge while the tails represent the curvy Huangpu River. The logo is also an artistic transfiguration of the word 'CE', the initials of the company name.  The effective blank canvas at least gives China Eastern the chance to sport lots of special schemes, although this A350, their first, gets only a small logo just ahead of the L2/R2 door.  Given the ultra-simplicity of the livery it is hard to get too wrong, but I would argue that the main titles in both Chinese and English are not thick enough (use this photo for a comparison). SCORE - 9 PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL   Printing quality on this model is topnotch. I'd love to know what production facility they are using. It certainly seems like it is one with existing experience as this up there with the best in the business, which is somewhat surprising for a new brand.  Build quality present no problems either. I can't see anything to worry about.  The model comes in a unique box style with flip-top lid that attaches via a velcro button. Under the lid there is a cut-out to the plastic cradle. Included with the model is a card (not a credit card style collectors card though) and as a callback to the HYJLwings of old a card gate space - albeit one too small for an A350.  Pricing for this model in China is a competitive RMB299 putting it in the mid-range for 400 scale similar to Panda and cheaper than NG. SCORE - 10 CONCLUSION  Aero Polaris is a new brand to watch if you like 737s and A350s as their offerings are as good as anyone elses with moulds that are very similar to competitors, but also the real aircraft. They have just announced their second batch of 737 releases and aside from the lack of a standhole there is nothing to suggest their models are not excellent additions to the scale. It really does seem that in 2025 the entrance of new brands is going to continue and despite the tariff situation 400 scale will be more competitive than ever. FINAL SCORE - 29/30 
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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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