Edelweiss Air | Airbus A350-941 | HB-IHC | Aviation400

Aviation400 have gradually been updating all their moulds with magnetic gear, however it has been taking them a while to achieve this. In fact, they announced a whole batch of A350s way back in late 2023 with them and only now have they been released. I have heard that AV400 have just made over 20,000 A350s to produce the outstanding models and here I take a closer look at one, one that has also been made recently by Phoenix and Gemini Jets.

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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

The last time I reviewed an Aviation400 A350 was back in mid-2023 with an ITA Airways example. Aviation400 have had some issues with overpolishing and wing attachment, but I have always been a fan of their A350 mould. Even so, there has been a lot of new competition in the past few years in A350s, with the NG Models and Panda Models moulds both being excellent.

Of the 31 A350s I now own, 18 are Aviation400 examples, but until now I haven't acquired any new examples since the ITA review. Instead it has been NG and Panda examples I've been acquiring, but then again there hasn't been a lot of AV400 A350s on the market due to the delays with the fitting of the magnetic gear.

I updated my Airbus A350 detailed mould comparison last September, so that covers the differences between the moulds in real detail, but of course it uses the older version of this mould. For that review:

Airbus A350-900 Detailed Mould Comparison v4

The majority of the mould remains the same as the earlier version. As far as I can tell the fuselage barrel and wings remain effectively the same. This is no bad thing as they were strongpoints of the mould anyway, however at the wingtips this does become more of an issue. 

Since mid-2018 A350s have been fitted with taller winglets as part of the performance improvement package (PIP). This update has made it onto the JC Wings and NG Models A350s (and came standard to the newer Panda version), but has not made it onto this updated AV400 version. This mould and the Phoenix remain the only two with the old style winglets.

One major area of change with the mould is inside the engines. I had previously criticised the number and thickness of the blades, which meant there was too much clear space between them. The number of fanblades has been increased from 18 to 22, which is the correct number. They certainly look a lot better than they did, but the blades themselves are still a little bit thin and not quite as good as on the NG and Panda moulds. They are however miles better than the JC Wings and Phoenix versions, which have far too few blades.

The engine pylons have also been modified so that the underwing portion of the pylon is better shaped. It is again a significant improvement to the look of the engines and pylons.

I have also noticed that the vertical stabiliser shape and fit looks cleaner and sharper than before.

Of course, the biggest change to the mould is the fitting of the magnetic gear, which has been accomplished well. The gear itself remains the same and with it down you can't tell the difference between this version and the prior fixed gear one.

The magnetic gear attaches and detaches faultlessly and looks really good. Unlike some newer 400 scale features, such as spinning fans, the magnetic gear adds a good feature without detracting anything from the model. It is great to see it on the A350.

I am pleased with the updates to the mould. The changes to the engine fans, pylons and vertical stab would give the mould at least a 3 point boost in the detailed mould scoring I linked to above, elevating it much closer towards the NG and Panda moulds and further above the JC Wings and Phoenix versions. Unfortunately, the lack of the updated winglets means it still isn't quite on the same page as the best A350s in the scale, but of course the AV400 specific add-ons (beacons and mag gear) are additional drivers, which may positively sway your purchasing decision.

SCORE - 9

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PAINT & LIVERY

Even though Edelweiss has now received its first A350-900 the type is yet to enter service, with the first flight now due on April 1st. Tenerife will be the first destination, as a training route, and will be followed by long-haul routes to Las Vegas and Vancouver. HB-IHC has however been painted for a while now even though she remains in storage in Spain.

The Edelweiss scheme is a beauty, appropriately using the eponymous flower on the tail and bright red fuselage areas. Depending on the photo being used the red here is a little dark (see here for a light version) or light (see her for a dark version). For me, it is fine, but it is probably a little too dark (certainly darker than the Gemini version).

Below: note the incorrect red on the inside of the wingtips on the Gemini version. It should not cover the entire winglet.

The rest of the livery application looks good, and something AV400 have gotten correct that Gemini didn't (even though they probably had access to the source material), is the pattern of red paint on the inside of the winglets.

SCORE - 9

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PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL

The print detailing on Aviation400 models is plentiful, but not quite as fine as on some brands. AV400 tend to use black lines for things like the maingear doors as opposed to finer grey lines, that say NG might use.

Considering the novelty and detail of the magnetic gear feature I have yet to receive a single AV400 fitted with the mag gear that has had any QC issues associated with it. That is quite an achievement.

I am pleased to say that these new AV400 A350s do not have issues with overpolishing or incorrect wing fits. In fact, there are no QC Issues, aside from a tiny chunk out of one of the tyres on the maingear.

SCORE - 9

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SUMMARY

At this point there are a lot of collectors who love AV400 and some who like them a lot less. They are something of a marmite brand and adding magnetic gear to another of their moulds is unlikely to change the minds of people who have already made their decisions. I stand by my contention, that I really appreciate what AV400 are trying to do by offering something different with extra features that nobody else is providing. Not only that, but like NG they are showing a willingness to improve their moulds incrementally. As an A350 this is a good model, but if you are a fan of the gear up look then these A350s are excellent additions to any collection.

FINAL SCORE - 27/30