There have been a lot of retailer exclusives made in recent times, which is great for getting a greater diversity of models out in the market but can mean it is easy to miss out unless you're paying close attention. There are also some smaller brands, not directly affiliated with retailers, but effectively using the same model whereby Panda is the OEM (original equipment manufacturer). Altitude Models is one of these and has made a trio of JetBlue A320s with an Air Canada version upcoming. They can be bought at WestCoast diecast, who were kind enough to send me one along with a recent order I had made. It has been a few years since I looked closely at a Panda A320 so this gives me a good opportunity to do so again. This review is sponsored by: FORMAT Each review is to split into three key areas:
MOULD The relatively recent additions of the NG Models and Aviation400 moulds for the 1:400 A320 has radically altered the 320 landscape in the scale. Finally, there is proper competition for the relatively weak JC Wings / Gemini and Phoenix A320s and the stronger Aeroclassics and Panda Models versions. That spells bad news for three of those four moulds, but isn't much of a problem for the Panda version, which remains a strong competitor. A320s are super common in 400 scale. Aeroclassics has made 279, JC Wings / Gemini 221 and Phoenix 217. Panda Models is some way behind with 117 examples and NG has only made 36. That means there is a lot of very ordinary 320s on the market. For many years the Aeroclassics mould was the gold-standard and it remains fine but that companies decline in recent years has decreased the quality of its 320 products as well. For a detailed comparison of A320s on the market see the following review (although this was written prior to the advent of the AV400 mould): There is little doubt that the Panda Models A320 is a copy of the Aeroclassics mould, but they have updated it so that it eclipses the Aeroclassics original (whose updates have been less successful) and in other categories such as print Panda is ahead too. The fuselage is basically the same as on the Aeroclassics version, which means it is excellent. The base components of that mould have always been near perfect and remain a match for the NG version, which means so does the Panda version too. The wings are excellent and slot into the fuselage very well with no discernible gap and no wing angle issues. The wing/fuselage fairing is very nicely shaped, unlike the competing Phoenix version. Panda has upgraded the base A320 it started with, adding well-sized and shaped aerials, four of them, and updating the landing gear. The gear updates have replaced the old Aeroclassics style nosegear tyres with better sized wheels complete with gearhubs. Aeroclassics has also updated their nosegear on the A320s but it is not as well done as Panda have managed. This model also features a massive Wi-Fi dome on the roofline, which is a lot larger than the original Wi-Fi dome it was fitted with in the past (the change seems to have happened in 2015). It is well shaped and a must-have considering its size. I haven't got any complaints about this mould. It takes the already good Aeroclassics version and makes it as good as the more recent NG Models version. SCORE - 10 PAINT & LIVERY This aircraft was delivered new to JetBlue in 2004 and has worn three variants of the scheme. Initially in 'Plaid' until November 2011, then Barcode until January 2019, since then it has worn the Highrise scheme, which is what this model wears too. This aircraft, N599JB, also for a period from at least October 2022 until April 2023 had a mismatching nosecone, which is the scheme variant worn by the model. Altitude made both this version and a smaller run of 50 units with the standard nosecone. Both are still available at WestCoast Diecast. The aircraft is named 'If The Blue Fits...' and the Highrise scheme, designed to look like windows in a highrise building, is one of the more attractive of the old tail sets JetBlue used. The livery is well recreated on the model and my complaints are very minor. In terms of colour the blues look good but the green windows could be a bit lighter. The rest of the scheme shows great detailing, especially at the L1 door with the Fly-Fi titles just behind it. Readable at macro magnification. The only other complaint I have is that at magnification the tail title spacing isn't perfect. The jetBlue is a little thick and the characters very slightly too close to each other. You won't notice aside from at magnification. SCORE - 9 PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL There is the usual high level of well detailed and fine printwork on the model, which stands out really nicely against the blue belly. The paint application is good also but the belly does have a couple of small imperfections. There is some paintbleed on the starboard belly line into the white. On the otherside at the nose the blue curve is slightly untidy as well. Once again these issues are very minor and barely noticeable at anything but magnification. There are also a couple of minor paint imperfections on the portside IAE engine. From a build perspective once again you really have to get close to find anything wrong. The leftside nosegear tyre is a little untidy and arguably the fit of the roofline Wi-Fi dome at the rear could be tighter. In this category I have found four things but all of them require magnification and macro photography to be noticed so I don't think they warrant anymore than a single point being dropped. SCORE - 9 SUMMARY I've got a lot of Panda products in my collection (I own 146 of their own branded models and 205 models using their moulds). From that sample size I can say they are producing very high quality models, up there with the best in 400 scale in terms of mould quality, print and QC. If you haven't checked them out before I recommend you do, especially as they have new 767-400s and upcoming A350s and MD-11s on the way. This is a lovely little model and one I'm surprised is still available considering it was released towards the end of 2023 and I assume JetBlue is a highly collectible airline.
FINAL SCORE - 28/30
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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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