 The Airbus A340 looks like it is becoming hot property again in 400 scale after years of being rather ignored. HX models (and sisterbrand YY Wings) has debuted new A340-600s while NG Models belated A340-200/300 moulds should be getting used in the next 6 months. NG have also said they have 500 and 600s coming too. It has been Aviation400 though that has been announcing by far the most A340-300s this year, although a lot are not ready yet. One that you're unlikely to see from other brands, due to licensing issues, is Emirates, however AV400 don't seem concerned about that as this is their 5th EK release this year. 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  Aviation400 have had an A340-300 mould since 2017, when they first reappeared as a brand, so this is 100% not a new casting, although it had not been used since 2021 (they had only used it 9 times by then). This 2025 version has updated landing gear and in 2025 AV400 have announced 23 A340-300s (13 of which are Air China, China Eastern or China Southwest examples). I do believe that Aviation400 are looking at updating this mould further, or even replacing it, but for now the current A340s are using it.  Competition comes from a variety of sources, but it is Phoenix who have been making the most A340-300s recently. They have announced 5 in 2025 and made 10 in 2024, 4 in 2023 and 8 in 2022. The Phoenix A340 was reviewed last at the website here in April 2024 using an Egyptair example.  Other moulds exist. Aeroclassics have made 62, but only 3 since 2018. I reviewed a rather poor Lan Chile A340-300 of theirs in March 2023. JC Wings has made 24 series 300s itself and announced 5 in 2025. Gemini use the JC Wings mould, but have done so only 3 times, between 2017 and 2021. Their earlier seamed A340-300 is now retired.  None of the 4 A340-300 moulds currently in use are excellent, but none are dreadful either. The Panda Models version, not seen since 2020, was the best until now, but the much delayed NG mould (see here for the September 2022 sample review of the NG samples) looks like it will take that mantle if they ever get it into production!   https://www.planespotters.net/photo/683325/a6-erm-emirates-airbus-a340-313 Returning to the Aviation400 A340-300 it is the change to the undercarriage that stands out and not in a good way. The new gear leg is too short with the forward facing prongs (steering actuators) too high on the leg as well. I'm also not sold by the silver hubcaps on this A340 either.  Comparison with an older AV400 Cathay A340 with landing gear I much prefer I have an older Aviation400 Cathay Pacific A340 and it has a much better taller nosegear - nicer in general. Plus I think the nosegear position on the AV400 A340 isn't correct either. It is a little too far back on the model - something shared with the AV400 A330s.  Along with the nosegear I'm not convinced by the shape of the nose section either. The nosecone of AV400 A330/340s often seems a little blunt and the shape around the cockpit could do with a little refining as well.  It's a shame that the front of the mould isn't great because the rest of the casting is actually rather good. I don't have any concerns about the rest of the fuselage barrel and the wing fit to the fuselage is tight and accurate.  The wings are decent, as are the engine pylons and CFM engines. One point of criticism is the shape of the flap track fairings, which are way too pointy and not squared off enough.  The model comes with the expected AV400 red jewel navigation beacons atop and beneath the fuselage. It also has four aerials / drain masts and the two rooftop ADF antenna bumps moulded in.  In my opinion this is the weakest of the existing A340 moulds and needs some work at the front-end and longer landing gear. Even so, that doesn't make it a disaster, but given the competition AV400 could really do with the updated A330/A340 they have suggested they are working on. SCORE - 6 PAINT & LIVERY  Emirates didn't pick up its A340-300s new, in fact they were acquired from Boeing not Airbus (stay tuned for an avhistory blogpost on that subject tomorrow). That meant they were introduced after EK's 777s and after the introduction of the billboard livery in 1999. They arrived in 2004 the year before the addition of the belly branding.  The Emirates liveries have always been simple, but stylish and elegant too. The golden billboard titles use the correct font and are positioned correctly in relation to the windowline. Arguably, the black outline around the titles is a little heavy.  The colours and position of the flag on the tail are generally good, aside from the lower edge of the black portion, which is not thick enough towards the tail's rudder. The Arabic calligraphy logo is nicely printed and positioned on both the engine nacelles and inside / outside of the winglets. SCORE - 8  PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL  There's plenty of solid detail printwork on the model with the underside looking particularly good. AV400 linework does tend to be slightly thicker than brands like NG, which can sometimes be a benefit and sometimes less so.  There is some nice detail printing, such as the swirl on the fan spinners in the centre of the engines. The engine fans themselves however are a little silvery.  My biggest issue with the print is that the entire windowline, and therefore also the livery elements that go with it such as the titles and AIRBUS A340-300 script on the nose, is printed too high. It doesn't stand out dramatically, however when looking at photos the top of the main titles lettering is too close to the roofline, even baggage compartments are too high and parts like the AIRBUS A340-300 script on the nose curve downwards.  Build quality is good. The model comes in a generic box without any Emirates or AV400 branding, as with previous Emirates releases. The model comes with the standard Aviation400 plastic stand. SCORE - 7  CONCLUSION  This is by no means a bad model, but sometimes Aviation400's tinkering with their moulds weakens them and doesn't make them stronger. This model would look much better if it were fitted with the earlier style landing gear, which had better detailing, form and height. Misprinting of windowlines on Airbuses has been a fairly common issue in recent times too, that has impacted many brands from NG Models to Aeroclassics. However, in this case it feels eminently avoidable. Those two issues do undermine the scoring of what remains a perfectly serviceable model and one that is unlikely to get made by anyone else unless Gemini decide to produce it. FINAL SCORE - 21/30 
1 Comment
Gaz
13/10/2025 05:35:44 pm
Umm,,,, are AV400 slippng in standards? Like NG are it seems of late? 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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