 JC Wings has always been the manufacturer that has focused on regional props and jet moulds (and by extension enabled its production partner Gemini to use them too). They are the only diecast manufacturer that has made an ATR-42/72, Shorts 360, DHC-8, Saab 340, EMB-145, CRJ-200/700/900, E-170, E-190. As of late last year they have now added a CRJ-1000 to that collection and it gives them options and possibilities not available to anyone else. 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  The CRJ1000 was not a success, with only 65 aircraft built. As a variant it was a version of the CRJ900 stretched by 3 metres and with a wingspan increased by 1.3 metres. This fuselage stretch makes the aircraft look incredibly long and thin. As with other long thin types (Dornier 17, Boeing 757-300, Douglas DC-8-61) it garnered the nickname 'The flying pencil'.  I have never been a fan of the CRJ100/200 mould, but the longer CRJ variant moulds share no ancestry with it and are much superior. It is also important to understand the small size of this mould. While the mould is nearly 10cm long, and so about the same length as an A320, the fuselage, wings, engines and control surfaces are so much smaller.  Overall the mould is very nice. The general shape of the fuselage barrel is decent. I'm not 100% sold on the shape of the nose, but it doesn't stand out in a bad way. The wing join is also a little unusual. The wings don't actually slot in and it is a cradle mount casting, but the join is subtle, albeit there is an unnatural line to enable the join to the fuselage.  The rear of the fuselage is excellent and the detailing around the ventral fin strakes, vertical stabiliser and engines is really impressive. I particularly like the size and shaping of the engine nacelles and exhausts. There is also good fan detailing. Considering the size of the engines this is great.  Whereas nobody has got the tail of a 727 correct in 400 scale, yet, this CRJ1000 tail form is very accurate and the horizontal stabs slot in so there is no extra seamline.  The wing cradle is very nicely accurate and sharply moulded. They even manage somehow to fit in a standhole, which looks huge on the underside. The model is fitted with three aerials and they are not oversized as they are often with JC Wings models.  The last area to mention is the nosegear. It is noticeably longer than on other CRJs and very fine, especially the rear door component. Under macro-photography the gear leg is a little formless, but considering how tiny the part is it is well executed.  The longer CRJ model moulds are some of the best RJs in 400 scale - better than the larger EJet moulds (aside from the excellent EJet E2s). It's very pleasing to see some of the smaller and less popular aircraft types getting made in 400 scale and it certainly makes a really interesting comparison to other 400 scale moulds in the same size category. SCORE - 9  PAINT & LIVERY  Garuda operated 18 CRJ1000s (6 bought and 12 leased) with PK-GRA being the first to arrive in October 2012. The deal surrounding the CRJs became clouded in controversy about fraudulent behaviour and the CRJs themselves weren't a major success. The type was not a great fit for the Garuda domestic network, partly due to a lack of baggage capacity. The owned aircraft were retired in 2020 and the leased frames sent back by the end of 2021.  This aircraft was uniquely painted among the CRJs into the Skyteam colours (although it was delivered in standard colours). Depending on the light the the scheme can look grey or silvery. This model lands on the more silvery side, which probably isn't totally correct, but looks great.  The Skyteam livery components are all looking excellent and print detail is very good considering the small diameter of the fuselage. The RA is missing from the nosegear door, but that is understandable considering how incredibly small that piece is in 400 scale. SCORE - 9 PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL  The print work here is of a high standard and I'm always impressed with line printing onto silver. I'm particularly drawn to the two tone metal work on the engine exhaust and tailcone. Another momnent of quality are the engine fans. Some brands leave these unpainted on small engines like these, but JC has painted them very nicely in dark grey.  These longer CRJ models have been notorious for the mistake, repeated a few times for Gemini Delta versions, whereby the maingear was attached backwards. Fortunately, that mistake has not been made here and there are no big quality or build issues with this model. Having said that, when I got this model out of the box the left-side horizontal stabiliser came off. I was able to reattach it with glue and you can't now tell.  This model doesn't come with a stand, but it does have a standhole and when you put the model on the stand it looks tiny, even when the stand is small. The counterpoint to that is that the model comes in a surprisingly large box - a box in fact that is almost twice the size of the box used for the Lion Air MD-90 released at the same time. SCORE - 9  CONCLUSION  There aren't a whole lot of livery options for this CRJ1000 mould so it is great that JC Wings have taken the chance on it. That is something they do quite a bit and it shows that Johan is as much an aviation fan as a businessman. I'm always a fan of diversity in the scale and the depth and breadth of 400 scale moulds in 2025 is outstanding. This is a lovely model and I'm looking forward to the Garuda standard colours versions currently in production for Airshop Diecast. FINAL SCORE - 27/30 
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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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