Frontier Horizon | Boeing 727-23 | N1973 | Aeroclassics

If there is one thing 2024 has taught us so far it is that most 400 scale brands are not willing to take chances with their releases or look at more unusual aircraft/airliner combos, partly through sales concerns and I feel also partly just through ignorance. Basically, if you want something out of the ordinary you need to look at a brand that is in it as much for their love of avhistory as to make money - and the only brand like that is Aeroclassics. They have been going through a significant shift in production and missed a month of releases this year but the end of May brought 14 models and a strong batch of modern Airbuses and Classics. Of the 4 I bought, the star was this Frontier Horizon 727.

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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 727-100 is the sort of airliner that just doesn't seem to have a place in 400 scale anymore. It was an incredibly good seller for Boeing but with none left in service and its heyday being the 1960-1980s it just falls outside of the interest zone of most 400 scale brands. Even if, say NG Models or JC Wings, made a new mould for it, it'd be hard to see it getting the attention it deserves.

Due to this lack of interest there are no 727-100 moulds that date from after 2010 and only the Aeroclassics mould has ever been used in any numbers. Indeed, of the four other 727-100 moulds in the scale production amounts to only just over 50 models in total whereas Aeroclassics has made near 200 itself. 

The most recent competition comes from the 2009 Gemini Jets mould, criticised for its horizontal stabilisers, and that was last seen in 2013! The Aeroclassics mould itself had been feared lost and went out of circulation in 2014 only to finally reappear in 2020. Since then there have been a good selection of releases made, although admittedly not always of the highest quality.

This Aeroclassics mould dates originally from 2003 so you can't compare it with the latest seamless moulds from other brands, however given its age it is a decent representation of the type.

The nose of the Aeroclassics mould is good and the profile of the cockpit region also quite accurate. This is a cradle mount mould so without slot in wings there is a seam join between the fuselage and wings. Unlike on the 727-200 mould, by the same manufacturer, it is a square cut seam that wraps under the wings. This means the fairing line isn’t well defined but I know that some find the larger seam on the 727-200 mould to be worse, even though it follows the real fairing line.

Something that has been apparent on some of the recent 727-100 releases is the seam line and join has been very poor at the front. Sometimes there has been a sizeable gap. Whether you see that as a quality control issue or due to the mould deteriorating it is not a major problem on this model. The seam here is about as tight as it can be, although yes if you hold it up to the light you can still see through it, just. 

​The maingear of the Aeroclassics 727 is excellent. The gear doors are a good size, well positioned and angle upwards correctly. The nosegear is fine as well although the nosegear doors are a little short widthwise.

At the rear the engines are well shaped with good detailing, plus the number 2 engine intake is correctly oval, not circular. The stabilisers all fit well and broadly have good shapes. The leading edge of the tail doesn't change its angle at the tailtop enough and the horizontal stabilisers are one piece, so there is a seam, but it all works well enough given the mould's age. The shape of the no 2 engine exhaust could do with some tweaking but at least it isn't oversized as on the series 200 version of the mould.

While obviously not the ultimate 727 mould some would like this is a solid classic mould that I'm glad to see is still in circulation. Some of the competing series 100 moulds (Dragon Wings and Aviation400 examples now long lost) are seamless but have other issues at the tail that still make them inferior to this one. There is obviously plenty of room for improvement here but very little appetite among 400 scale manufacturers to attempt to compete in this space and with that void this mould remains a very viable option.

SCORE - 7

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PAINT & LIVERY

Frontier Horizon was a controversial and short-lived attempt to protect Frontier Airlines from low-cost competition at its Denver Hub. All its 727s were series 23s acquired from American Airlines so somewhat unsurprisingly it's livery kept the natural metal of the AA scheme and overlaid something of the Frontier Saul Bass era scheme on top of it.

The result is a really attractive scheme that suits the 727-100 well. The threetone orange and red cheatline colours match photos well and the form of the cheatline, ending in a wedge ahead of the engines, looks good.

The Frontier F on the tail is fine and small fuselage titles show no significant errors, until you get into magnification territory when the font used isn't quite right. Overall the result is a good rendition of the aircraft.

SCORE - 9

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PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL

Aeroclassics have had some distinct quality issues in recent times but the latest batch all looked pretty decent and I'm hoping that the month gap in releases was partly a way to address some of these issues, especially overpolishing of noses, which had led to some odd looking releases. That is not a problem on this model.

The print is not overly flashy but the base template is good, especially in the places where it needs to be, such as the cockpit. One nice aspect of print is the disposition of the matt grey non-metal elements on the aircraft, which are represented well in places like the nosecone, no 2 engine inlet, tailtop and fuselage fairing.

Build quality is good. The only issue really is a little roughness around the engine intakes. The fan blades inside the engines are also unpainted but given the small size of them it is not very noticeable.

SCORE - 9

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SUMMARY

Like all brands Aeroclassics has its issues. I have certainly had my fair share of run-ins with the owner when I've discussed them, however, in general, I remain a firm supporter of the brand. They may not necessarily produce the most outstanding models in the scale anymore but they do produce a lot of decent releases and of subjects that will never ever get made by anyone else. This is something that should be applauded, when there is so much being made in the scale that is so formulaic and boring. You're simply never going to see another Frontier Horizon model in 400 scale and this one is a charming rendition of another interesting, if obscure, airline.

FINAL SCORE - 25/30