Comparing Pan Am Aeroclassics DC-8s

It's not often you get to compare the same release from the same manufacturer using the same base mould with a twenty year gap between the two models, but Aeroclassics just released the Pan Am DC-8-62 N1803 and had made the same model previously in 2004 so I can do just that. This isn't a standard review, more a quick compare to illustrate the differences. As such I'm not going to score anything like I usually do.

Below: The 2004 Pan Am Models Co (i.e. Aeroclassics) DC-8-62 PAAMC005

Below: The 2025 Aeroclassics DC-8-62 PAMC4803

For more on the real life history of this aircraft see my avhistory blogpost:

Golden Light: Pan Am’s Interchange DC-8-62

There are very few photos of this aircraft in Pan Am service. This photo of N1803 from JetPhotos is about the best for comparison. There have also been other model releases of the aircraft, such as this Inflight 1:200 scale version:

Inflight 200 scale model

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MOULD

​From a mould perspective there are no changes in the fuselage, wings or stabilisers. The big difference is the undercarriage. The original release had static gear and the new one has rolling gear. This is a mixed blessing, as although the original has oversized nosegear doors and tyres it has better tyrehubs. The current rolling gear tends to just be the tyres on a metal rod with no hubs, but the gearleg and geardoor are better.

The old gear holds the entire aircraft quite high, certainly much higher than the new version. I tend to think the new version looks better, but I'd prefer the original style of tyrehubs, even if that meant the gear didn't roll.

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LIVERY

This is an area where the 2025 version shows significant improvement. The new version correctly has small BRANIFF titles on the port side and a black tipped radome, both missing from the original model. It also positions the wingtop PAN AM titles better within the coroguard.

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PRINTING

Unlike the livery changes the printing doesn't show the same improvement, in fact it is arguably worse than the 2004 version. The window rims are less noticeable on the new model than the old one, but it is the engines that show the disparity the most.

The overall finish on them is sloppier on the 2025 version. The finish is a monotone silver and they have odd black rims. The newer edition does have better pylon printing though.

Something else that stands out is the belly finish. The original had a bright silver finish, whereas the new one has a rather scratched finish to it. The engine inners remain way too silvery.

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SUMMARY

This new release is welcome and good enough for me to replace the original, but at the same time it clearly isn't superior across the board. Personally, I prefer the undercarriage change and the livery application is definitely better too. However, the printing and finish is not as good as the 2004 edition, which should be a surprise, but isn't really. Overall this quick comparison shows that while Aeroclassics are still making nice models they have not noticeably improved in over 20 years and if you didn't know better you'd probably struggle to say which of these is the older version.