 As the old saying goes 'you wait ages for a bus and then two come along at once'. That saying could certainly be applied to the MD-11, which having arguably not had a proper new mould since 2003 has gained two in the past two years. Unfortunately, the impact of these new castings has been rather limited by their usage mainly for Chinese or Taiwanese examples. That shouldn't however undermine analysis of their quality, after all most of the innovaion in the scale is focused presently on China-focused brands. This model represents the first interactive MD-11 I've seen and the first 400 scale mould with interactive magnetism. 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  HX Models has been making a big name for itself recently with high-quality, but affordable, models featuring stands and collectors cards as default, and offering interactive and flaps down versions. They are the first manufacturer to market with an interactive MD-11, which Panda doesn't have with its new MD-11 mould.  The MD-11 had been largely ignored in the past decade in 400 scale, until the end of 2024. There had been 3 major moulds (from Dragon, Gemini Jets and Tucano / Phoenix), two of which have received updates with new rolling gear and aerials added. None of these are bad MD-11s, but they all demonstrate older design features and capabilities even when they have been upgraded. See the MD-11 mould review for more on these older versions:  In 2026 it is only the two new examples, from Panda and HX Models, that deserve your attention. Note that both moulds are used by a variety of other brands, such as C Models and Undefined Collectibles, for the former, and YY Wings, for the latter. I reviewed a Panda example in Feb 2025 and was very happy with it. See:  In keeping with an increasing trend in 400 scale, whereby the moulds are so realistic to the real aircraft that it can be hard to tell them apart, both the new MD-11s are excellent and bear a strong resemblance to each other.  The fuselage barrels, wings and stabilisers are near identical and very good. Differences in these areas tend to be small, such as slightly smaller and refined aerials on the Panda. The three triangular NACA intakes near the nose are moulded in on the HX and just printed on the Panda.  The HX mould has much more obvious and deeper etched control surfaces so that the ailerons and flaps are much more visible. Whether you prefer this or the finer etching of the Panda is really personal preference I'd argue.  The winglets are well-shaped and the lower winglets correctly angle outwards on both also, although the angle is stronger on the Panda version and probably more realistic. Also more realistic on the Panda version is the angle of the horizontal stabilisers, which don't angle up enough on the HX.  It is at the engine exhausts where the keenest difference between the two newer moulds is seen and where the HX version is definitely superior. This is mostly apparent on the tail mounted engine. On the HX the fin that attaches above the engine exhaust is one piece with the vertical stabiliser, and curves gracefully to meet the hot section. On the Panda there is a seam and the curvature is not present.  Another difference is with the engine fans. The Panda mould has solidcore engine fans with great detailing. The HX has a form of hollowcore fan, but one that is quite subtle and doesn't impede the number of blades. It looks good on the wing engines, but less so at the tail where the fan section doesn't seem to fit the space for it perfectly and there is a gap at the top above the fans.  This variant of the HX mould is an interactive version and so comes with removeable cargo doors to illustrate open or closed configuration. It is, to my knowledge, the first mould in 400 scale to utilise magnets to secure the closed door components. This means that not only do they attach firmly, but that no hole is required for the removal tool to attach into to get them out.   The removal tool has been simplified, with the removal of the hook part, and now has a wedge that simply slots into a small gap to allow removal of the closed doors. The open door elements still use the familiar tab mechanism to stay in, but there is some nice detailing of the door hinges present on these elements.     From a mould perspective there is very little to complain about with this HX mould. There are improvements over the Panda at the no 2 engine exhaust and moulding of the NACA intakes. The Panda has better angled horizontal stabs and winglets. Elsewhere differences with the engine fans and control surface etching are more related to design philosophies. Both moulds look and feel like a very believable MD-11, but this HX version wins on points with me. MOULD - 9 PAINT & LIVERY  One of the reasons I hadn't got around to reviewing this mould was because of the lack of imagination in terms of release options to date. That means the review covers a very familiar airline in China Eastern, but at least it is their pre-2014 livery.  B-2170 was delivered to China Eastern in 1991 and transferred to China Cargo in 2004, but as the sole MD-11 delivered new to them as an MD-11F she had been in China Eastern Cargo colours, shown here, for a long time.  This is a livery Chinese manufacturers can reproduce in their sleep. The model looks great with even small details such as the striping on the lower winglets present. The model wears the MD-11F titles under the SCD. Later in her career (after all the MD-11s were converted to freight) these were changed to be normal MD-11 titles.  Arguably, the radome dot could be slightly larger, but I'm not detracting points for that. SCORE - 10 PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL  I have a Panda made China Cargo MD-11F wearing basically the same livery as this HX one, and so they can be easily compared from a print perspective. As with some elements of the mould two design philosophies are apparent. Panda tend to have finer printing detail, but less of it, whereas HX have more and more obvious print detailing. Neither approach is bad, but I'll call out a couple of the times they matter here.  Firstly, Panda tend to leave off panel line printwork on the engine nacelles, whereas HX have it printed on. In this case I think the HX is the clear winner as the lines and two tone hot section are apparent in photos.   Both brands print the plugged windows that are on the aircraft, however they stand out a lot more on the HX version. On the Panda they are barely visible, even though they are present. In photos the windows are almost invisible, even up close, and here I think the Panda skill and approach is superior.  Quality control is excellent and the model comes with HX's trademark metal pentagonal base stand, plus a collector's card.  The one area that isn't perfect are the fit of the open door components. While the magnetic closed door versions fit perfectly, two of the three open door ones struggle to fit all the way into the gaps for them. This is especially noticeable with the rear belly hold door, which just doesn't fit fully, even with some force applied. SCORE - 8  CONCLUSION  HX Models continue to produce some excellent new moulds and add innovative features such as, in this case, magnetic cargo door elements. This is a fabulous MD-11, however it is also one that hasn't been used particularly well to date. Of 53 HX and YY releases (a figure maxed up by interactive and flaps down versions) they've really only made 5 different liveries (LH nc, LH oc, Shanghai, China Eastern and China Airlines)! We haven't seen a lot of Panda versions either but the diversity has certainly been better. If HX can use this mould for a wider variety of MD-11s (FedEx and UPS are obvious) and produce more passenger variants then it's fame will no doubt increase. Hopefully they do so in 2026. FINAL SCORE - 27/30 
1 Comment
Gaz
25/1/2026 10:11:11 am
Bit concerned we are seeing ,'over kill' begin between the brands! Leave a Reply. |
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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