JC Wings is an odd company. At times its products can be brilliant and at times they can be appalling. Sometimes they are just perplexing. I've recently seen photos of the Continental 737-200 XX40640, which was announced in February 2025 but, in a surprisingly timely fashion for JC Wings *sarcasm off*, has only taken a year to finish and been released in February 2026. It is not using the mould you may expect it to be. Read on to learn more...

JC Wings is one of the biggest manufacturers of diecast airliners in 200 and 400 scale but is a frustrating company. At times they make some of the best models and produce some of the best moulds, but the counterpoint to that is a litany of frustrating and poor results that can't help but impact the brand's reputation. These include:

• Announcing future releases for pre-order and then often taking 2 years plus to finish the models (even completed models usually don't appear for at least 3 months after announcement)
• Slipping models out onto market when they eventually are completed with zero marketing or announcement
• Failing to release models on mould samples they have publicly shown years earlier - A310, Tu-204 etc etc etc
• Continuing to release models on a variety of weak and sub-standard moulds that are far inferior to the competition (especially 737-800s, A320s and A350s)
• Making two versions of the same model then sitting on one, sometimes for years, before releasing it so that the second version is obsolete (or even forgetting about the second version altogether)
• Failing to use their vast mould catalogue of interesting types and instead releasing inferior versions of the same stuff everyone else is making better
• Immediately producing many spoiler sales-killer models for types that they have ignored for years, usually on weak moulds, the second a new brand appears with a new mould (see A380s, 747SPs, 747-100s etc)

You could probably make a similar list of criticisms for most brands but at JC it really does appear that they simply have no proper leadership, planning or even sometimes idea what they are doing or why.

JC's mould catalogue includes a range of moulds they have acquired from other brands, such as Witty Wings (in late 2014) and Jet-X / Blue Box (from 2008 onwards). Add to that their access to the majority, if not entirety, of the original Gemini Jets mould catalogue, plus their own mould production and they have easily the largest set of possible aircraft types available in 400 scale. 

This big catalogue can no doubt be difficult to manage and mean they sometimes have multiple available moulds for the same aircraft type. For example they should have at least 4 Tristars - Blue Box, Witty Wings, Gemini Jets and their own modified JC Wings version not too dissimilar to the Witty.

Given they usually announce models without it being made first this can make it difficult for the collector to know what they are going to get. The last time they released a 737-200 was a pair of Dragonair examples (in 2022 and 2024 although obviously made at the same time). These models used the 'classic' but rather obsolescent original Gemini Jets 737-200 albeit updated with aerials.

As you can see above this mould is seamed, has a rather questionable nose region and detailed but misshapen engines. That mould had been used by Gemini Jets itself in 2014 (Aloha and British Airways), 2016 (Pan Am), 2017 (Pan Am) and 2024 (Aviacsa). Given these have been the only 737-200s made by JC Wings or Gemini Jets in 14 years you might have then expected that the 2025 announcement of the Continental 737-200 N10248 would also use that mould.

You would of course be wrong! The images I have seen of the actual model show that it is not using the Gemini mould. These aren't official JC photos of course because why bother marketing your own releases? The photo below is borrowed from Squatchy's Diecast Hangar:

Clearly this Continental 737-200 has a seamless mould, with what looks like a better nose region and engines (plus aerials). But it isn't a new mould it is actually the Jet-X mould - last seen in 2012 for 4 JC Wings releases. Prior to that it was used only 5 times by Jet-X in 2010 and 2011. I own one of the Jet-X versions in Braniff colours:

The height of the nosegear leg, fit of the pylons to the engines and lack of a wing seam are a dead giveaway. Why did JC Wings use this mould now? Who knows? I doubt they even know themselves. Why if they had it did they use the Gemini mould for the Dragonairs? Once again I doubt they even know.

The irony here is that this is clearly an upgrade on the obsolete Gemini 737-200 so it is a good thing that it has reappeared, however the complete lack of communication from JC about it is frustrating. The lack of marketing of products made is fairly common in 400 scale, but this along with the other things I've called out above does suggest a company that simply doesn't really care that much or even know what it ought to be doing to be more successful.

To be fair JC Wings does have form on dropping random models into their production, which don't appear to exist for any logical reason or suggest that there will be more of the type coming as any sensible brand would do. For example in December 2023 they produced the Mercado Libre DC-9-30 XA-UG (XX4902). This also used an updated Jet-X DC-9-30 mould. This mould had never been used by JC's own brand and had last been seen on some Jet-X models made in 2009-2011 and a Flightline400 TAA release from 2009. 

Similarly, after having used the MD-80 mould they share with Gemini Jets for 8 MD-80s from 2022 onwards last year they suddenly reverted to the superior Jet-X MD-80 (last seen in 2011) for N980DC, the prototype UDF variant! 

I guess ultimately the story here is that the new Continental 737-200 from JC Wings is using the superior Jet-X mould and not the Gemini one that was expected. The other takeaway however is that JC Wings are seemingly a mess and don't often seem to know what they are doing or why (a sentiment I might add shared by some others close to them I have spoken to).

JC Wings has advertised a large volume of new 400 scale moulds, but often takes a long time to get them to market and even when it does often fails to advertise them. The most recent JC Wings release announcement is a good example of this as the original announcement didn't even include a pair of 737s that, now being available for preorder, suggests that they have a new set of 737NGs on the way.

There have been rumours of new Airbus A320 and Boeing 737NG moulds coming from JC Wings for sometime and if they wish to remain competitive they certainly need them. The existing 737NG they use, which dates from 2014, is hopelessly outdated in comparison to the moulds available from Aero Polaris, NG Models and Panda Models.

Issues with the existing mould, also used by Gemini Jets, include the shape of the cockpit and nosecone, size of the nosegear, shape of the nosegear door, engines and depth of the fans within them, angle and size of winglets and fit and height of the wings. The current offering is a mould I do my best to avoid.

JC Wings exhibited at the Beijing Hobby Expo in April 2025 and debuted a wide range of new moulds across 4 scales. Twelve of these moulds were in 400 scale, although as of yet none of them have seen an actual release or announced model. There was however no 737NGs among any of the scales aside from a huge series 800 in 1:100 scale.

In August last year JC Wings showed off some images of new 737NG samples in 200 scale taken at one of the Chinese aviation fairs. This nicely framed set illustrated both components and complete samples of the 737-600/700/800/800BCF and 900.

They also included wing sets with and without blended winglets, and with split scimitars. Lastly there were also flaps down versions for all 3 types of wing.

It is this flaps down aspect, which now gives me confidence that JC Wings has just announced a new 400 scale 737-800, almost certainly downscaled from these 200 versions. Not included in the original flyer but part of the models listed at retailers is the Japan Transocean Air 737-800 JA07RK wearing the 'Yui Jinbei Jet' livery.

Since this release is advertised in both flaps up and down variants it clearly signals a new casting. Of course the question is when will this new 737-800 be available? Given JC Wings track record it could be a year or two away still, however the advertising of the model suggests to me it is closer given none of the other types we've seen samples for have a model announced yet.

Indeed, given the lack of fanfare around this model's announcement and past history I suspect that the first release using this new casting will not be from JC Wings, but instead from their production partner Gemini Jets. I also suspect that the other variants shown in 200 scale will also get downscaled versions as well.

Only time will tell, but it appears clear to me a new set of 737NGs are coming from JC and Gemini, maybe within 2026.

Creating an entirely new mould with limited resources and a factory new to 400 scale models is a big ask and the gestation of the YU ModeL Airbus A300 has been incredibly lengthy (although still shorter than the JC Wings A310!). It certainly has tested the owner of YU and he has now made a decision that should see the production of the A300s speed up and be of a much higher quality.

I have written about the YU A300 here at yesterdaysairlines.com several times so for the back story please see my previous posts - here from April 2024:

and here from December 2024:

When viewing this project it is important to understand that YU ModeL is a small business, newish to the scale and with limited resources. ​Since my 2024 posts some shots or early production samples have appeared, however the printing quality and finish of the models has been rather suspect in places.

It seems the factory, new to 400 scale, was having substantial issues with the end product. In fact, their delivery had been painfully slow with only tiny numbers of finished components being produced and these were being assembled not by the factory but by the owner of YU himself!

The result was although the mould itself was ready the factory was unable to deliver the models for sale and the owner of YU was not happy with the end result - although frankly it didn't look worse than most of Aeroclassics output!

The owner of YU has now made the decision to cut ties with the original factory he was using and start again. He has enlisted a new factory to make the models. This factory is well known for producing some of the finest 400 scale models on the market to sensible deadlines (I shouldn't mention the name although I know who it is). The new factory is creating new artwork for the models and the owner of Yu has told me it is 'first time I've feel fast and easy on made models when I co-operate with factory'.

The new plan is full speed ahead with the first models scheduled for November / December. The first 4 models will be:

To date there are 15 models announced in total split between YU ModeL themselves and Z2 Models. With this change in direction to a factory I trust, there is real hope that very soon these models will be released and be of excellent quality.

The number of new brands popping up in 400 scale continues to rise, but the majority are using 3rd parties for the manufacturing process and moulds (either Aeroclassics, HX Model, JC Wings, Panda Models or Jet Hut). Kylin Model looks to be different as it is creating its own moulds from the start and they have just released the first photos of them.

Kylin Model appeared for the first time on June 10th announcing their first releases and putting out this statement:

The first releases included a trio of China Airlines 747s, which judging by the fact they also have flaps down variants will be using the HX Models mould:

The remaining 5 models were 2 EVA Air A330s, a China Eastern Skyteam A330 and 2 China Eastern A320s. Not enormously surprising or exciting, however both of these types are to utilise new moulds made by Kylin.

​Today (July 30th) Kylin have just released the first photos of their new A330-200 and A320-200 moulds on WeChat. Both the moulds look promising. Certainly the A320 appears to already be superior to the JC Wings / Gemini version and the Phoenix versions. Whether it is on par with the NG Models and Panda Models variants I guess we'll see. Interestingly the sample has Sharklets despite both the announced A320s being wingtip fence equipped:

​The A330 mould also looks decent, with my only concern being the apparent shortness of the main undercarriage. It appears to be better than the JC Wings / Gemini, Aviation400 and Phoenix versions, although once again whether it can compete with the NG Models version remains to be seen.

There's definitely an argument that more A320s and A330s aren't really what 400 scale needs and it appears that Kylin will be another brand focusing mainly on the Chinese domestic market, but their appearance does illustrate that within China the 400 scale model market remains highly competitive with not just Kylin, but also C Models, working on an A330 at the moment.

HYJLwings has long been one of my favourite brands. Beginning in 2016 they pioneered the creation of the first great A321 mould in 400 scale. By 2020 the brand was dormant, but that year it reappeared and in their second phase they branched out to produce models using some NG moulds as well as their A321. This came to an end in late 2023 and in mid-2024 they announced the end of the brand and its replacement by Aero Polaris. That isn't the end of the story though as now HYJL is back again, and ready for phase 3!

Check out this swanky new intro video from HYJL:

I've written a lot about HYJL in the past here at the site, including a full two part history of the brand covering the two distinct phases they had been through. For those histories see:

On June 14 HYJL announced via their WeChat channel that they were back. Here's the statement:

The first new announcements by HYJL were made on June 22 and consist of 4 Asian A321s as follows:

The Juneyao A321 is especially welcome as the only version of this made to date is an old Phoenix edition with the wrong colouring.

With HYJL Wings back again and Aero Polaris going strong that is two more quality brands in the China market, but in this case both are using their own moulds and not farming production out to Panda or JC Wings. It's definitely worth keeping an eye on what they are up to and I'll do my best to keep you informed.

The CRJ-100/200 has to be one of the most important civil aircraft of the past 40 years as more than any other type it introduced the regional jet age in the US. Being such a small aircraft it has had limited coverage in 400 scale to date, but with the new 3D Design Deck mould available there's plenty of potential for the BarbieJet yet.

In this wishlist I try to look at a good range of options for the short CRJ variants focusing on models not made before in 400 scale. As of mid-2025 there have been 42 CRJ-100/200s made in the scale - to see what has been made so far go to:

The CRJ has had better coverage in 200 scale and for a complete list of production in the bigger size see here:

Below are 30 options from across the globe for the short CRJ - mostly that haven't been made yet.

Lots of potential here but if I had to pick my top 5 it'd be:

• ​Midway Airlines
• Comair 'Widget delivery clrs'
• Kendell
• British European
• Shandong Airlines

It's not all ultra-sleek spinning fans and rolling gear in 400 scale. Increasingly there are also brands at the lower end of the market producing models. Some of these budget contenders, like YRD, produce plastic models while some, like Jet Hut, aspire to be low cost and close to a 400 scale model from the 2000s. I've just been alerted to a new brand starting out in that space calling themselves Radscale Models or RM.

First I want to thank my friend Nima for alerting me to this new model. The model in question is a Pan Am 747-100 registered N4704U in the billboard scheme. It is being listed on several eBay pages and advertised as RM / Radscale Models.

Radscale Models has its own website. From the look of it their main business is making cars, trucks, trains and military vehicles. There is no mention of airliners on the website, but clearly the logos and name match this model.

The model itself looks quite low quality. The mould looks like the sort of 747 you'd have got in 2000 but the printing appears heavy handed and poor, especially at the nose and cockpit. Clearly the mould is cradle mount, lacks modern features like aerials, has chunky wings and perhaps no rolling gear either. It does at least come with a stand.

There is definitely a place for these kind of lower quality models in the scale, but only if they have a suitably budget price. This one doesn't appear to - at least when being sold to the West. It is being listed on eBay for $43.90 or £42.60. The GBP price is about the same as a standard 400 scale release. Having said that the purchases do come with free shipping from China.

More realistically the prices on Taobao in China are dramatically lower. It is being sold for rmb129 - about $17.95 or £13.35.

Given the box says '1:400 SCALE DIE-CAST AIR PLANE SERIES' presumably there are more models like this coming. No doubt these aren't aimed at real collectors, but at the more general market. A glance at their car lines suggests they do make higher quality models but this 747 does not fit that description. With a much superior HX Models Pan Am 747 on the way I don't see the need to go near these, but they are another entrant into the busy world of 400 scale.

It was only just over a month ago that Aero Polaris announced 6 737-800s, all of which have since been delivered to market. While the scale model market in the West appears to be stagnating somewhat in China it seems to be going great guns and they have just announced a further 7 737-800s - two of which are not Chinese.

For last month's release announcement see:

I acquired two of last month's 6 from Taobao and they were very nice models:

The Greater Bay is effectively a re-release of one of the first round of 737s, but of the other Chinese examples the Shanghai and Shenzhen's have never been made in 400 scale previously, at least wearing those liveries. Xiamen Airlines is always popular and the last release from Creating Dreams Wings sold out quickly.

For Western collectors I suspect the KLM will be the most interesting, although this scheme has been made previously by NG Models (in December 2019) and Gemini (in April 2015). Jeju Air has never had a 737-800 made on a top quality mould, with all the previous releases being from JC Wings or Phoenix.

Aero Polaris has just announced their third batch of model releases following on from the first set of 6 Boeing 737-800s and the second set of two Airbus A350s. This time around it is another 6 737s and once again they spread them geographically. Here's what they are offering:

If you're not familiar with Aero Polaris yet check out my previous posts on them here at the site:

Also check out the detailed review I have written of the Great Barrier 737-800 from the first release set:

The images below are artificially generated and not of the real models:

In terms of what you get with Aero Polaris models check out the official text from them taken from WeChat:

The news from the USA over the past few months has in general been unpleasant, but yesterday's 'liberation day' nonsense is definitely going to have a massive impact on die-cast. If you're not paying attention Trump just added a 34% extra tariff on top of the 20% added a few weeks back. That's 54% extra on anything coming from China. That's going to hurt. Here are my thoughts on the impact.

This is the news coming overnight UK time. As reported in the Guardian here:

So far the impact of the original 20% tariff has been relatively small. I know that Gemini Jets passed on 5% tariff related costs to retailers last month and I am aware of another manufacturer who has suggested splitting the 20% four ways (5% each manufacturer, distributer, retailer, customer). I have been increasingly involved working with US partners and speaking with them I know the dire impact the 20% tariff was having on some of their business models.

The people I've spoken with are now in shock that the tariff will go up to 54% and it is hard to see how that can be swallowed by the different sides in the way the 20% could be. The result may well lead to some retailers and others going out of business. Surely, at the least, the price of models in the US is going to rise again substantially.

Outside the US we can only look on in bewilderment at the lunacy going on within, but it will no doubt impact us as well (ignoring the knock on effects to the wider global economy). Several major 400 scale brand's sales (most noticeably Gemini Jets and NG Models, and to a lesser degree Aeroclassics) are heavily focused on the US market. Ultimately, it could well lead to the bankruptcy of some brands. The alternative is that those brands reorient their releases away from US focused products (presumably US short-haul at least). However, even a good chunk of non-US models are sold in the USA so I'd argue that changing subject matter alone will not necessarily have the desired impact. The only models that I'd expect to avoid being impacted are those made primarily for the Chinese domestic market.

So far the price hikes have largely been focused on products shipped by container or via distributers like ADI. They haven't impacted the smaller shipments coming via air-freight direct to retailers (a pathway used I believe by Panda, Aviation400, NG Models and several others). However, if the 'de minimus' loophole is closed, as it states above it wil be, does that now mean all 400 scale shipments will be caught up in the tariffs?

I have seen at least one of the 400 scale brands (who'll be releasing in the next week) suggest that these tariffs are no different to other countries' practices. The line was:

"Many countries have import duties, VAT, GST, etc. collected on imported goods; the USA will now join those ranks"

I should point out to my American friends that this is not really true. VAT and GST are taxes applied to almost all goods and services in countries like the UK, Australia and New Zealand. They do not attack imports specifically, but where they impact imports they are merely applying the same tax to imported goods that is already applied to domestic ones. No advantage is gained. They are NOT tariffs. For more on the difference between the two from a US perspective see ​The Tariff and Sales Tax Mishmash – Untying the Mess

Assuming that these tariffs are here to stay and not some flip-flopping bargaining attempt I'd suspect:

The Super 70 was a successful programme to re-engine the DC-8-60s and give them a new lease of life in the era of the big turbofan. 110 aircraft were updated and they generally saw long careers with secondary operators after Delta, Flying Tigers and United sold their aircraft on. There's plenty of scope for more DC-8-71/73s in 400 scale and there hasn't been a release since 2012!

There aren't that many Gemini Jets moulds I'm keen to see come back for more but the Super 70 is definitely one. Even better would be for Aeroclassics to put the new engines on their existing and excellent DC-8-63 mould. Production of Super 70s has been low to date, with only 14 models made by Gemini.

For more on Gemini's DC-8-70 production see the type's mould review:

In this wishlist I will focus on only unmade Super 70s. so here are 22 more options for the Stretch 8 Super 70.

It is increasingly hard to keep track of the number of retailer exclusives being made in 400 scale by a variety of brands. Thailand has been a fertile market for them with previous entrants being a Thai DC-9-30 made by Aeroclassics and Bangkok ATRs made by JC Wings. I've recently learnt about another - and this one comes with an Icelandic connection.

Thanks to my friend Tung for bringing this to my attention.

The latest release appears to be for a Thai Store called CNX Model Store. They have a Facebook page but the website address takes you to a Shopee site that requires you to have a login. Presumably this is something like Taobao and they have a store on it? They posted in November on Facebook showing the artwork from Panda Models for the release, which features the Thai VietJet A321 HS-VKM wearing a WOW Air hybrid scheme.

In January an in progress photo was shared and the comment suggested the model would be available in March or April:

It seems it is now complete as I was sent these images of the finished product:

​Boxes are the bane of a big model collection, and owning over 3,400 models means storage is a problem. Fortunately, I got my loft boarded so can store the model boxes up there, but I realised recently that although my boxes were nicely stored, associating them with the models would be a nightmare if I wasn't available to do it.

Before I left for the Amsterdam show it crossed my mind that if the plane crashed I'd be leaving my family with a major issue, in terms of managing what to do with the collection. The collection is organised geographically, but that is no way to organise the boxes because they are so often different sizes, which makes storing them like that a major challenge.

​To get around that issue I've always stored the boxes by brand and aircraft type, at least where possible. The boxes, the boxes are stored in, are an assembly of different plastic cases. Plastic boxes are useful, but often not very cuboid, which can make fitting rectangular model boxes in them problematic. Of course they need to be stackable too.

​A lot of the boxes come from my time in New Zealand and are either open topped 30l Taurus cubes, underbed long clothes storage boxes or flip-top 60l Taurus rectangular underbed boxes.

​Of course the collection has grown a lot since I've been back in the UK and that has meant more storage boxes. I started with Wilko 50L Croc Storage Boxes, but following Wilko's bankruptcy I've moved towards the Wham Crystal Boxes from The Range, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

​Anyway, my original way of box storage makes it a problem to connect a specific model with a specific box, unless you know all about aircraft and airlines already. My partial resolution to this has been to take a leaf out of my friend Raimond's book. He gave me the simple idea of assigning a box code to every storage box and then recording on my master collection Excel list, which box every model box is stored in.

​Unfortunately, that would mean going through all the boxes of boxes one by one! Never one to turn down a tedious administration job that is exactly what I have just done - and it's taken nearly two weeks because there are 69 plastic storage boxes of boxes to go through. 

​It has been a mammoth task, but is one I just completed - aside from a few boxes that I still haven't assigned. Of course owning over 1,500 Aeroclassics models makes box assignment a lot harder as the majority of Aeroclassics releases come in boxes that are not only similar, but often have no association with a specific model.

​Anyway it hasn't been exciting, but it has been worthwhile, I think! It is still going to take an age for someone not familiar with the models to connect the model with the box, but at least there's a starting point now.

The gestation of the new YU ModeL A300 mould has taken a little while, but it is important to remember that YU are a much smaller company than any of the major players. Their ability to produce a new mould at all is a testament to them, as the majority of brands are happy to just use existing moulds from other manufacturers. YU have reached out to me to say that the first three models are nearing completion and will be hopefully available for preorder this month or early in January.

YU sent me photos of the A300 mould sample back in April 2024 and I published those here at the site. Obviously being a modern mould it will have detailed tyre hubs, a seamless fuselage and aerials. To read more see my article here:

As there are scheduled to be releases for both the A300B2/B4 and the series 600, one open question is whether the two versions will have different rear fuselages for total accuracy. The difference is quite minor but noticeable (and I'm not sure it is something any other 400 scale A300 has modelled in):

Since then YU have been steadily releasing new models using moulds from the catalogues of Aeroclassics and JC Wings. They have now released 27 models in the scale. For a complete list of their releases see:

In recent months I have picked up a pair of Curtis C-46 Commandos, a Shorts 360 and a CRJ-700. There is also a CAAC B707-320 and Trident 2E available. Below are a selection of 2024 YU releases I have picked up:

Back in April YU provided hints for their first batch of A300s and they have now revealed the identity of the first 3 releases:

Until last month the Air Niugini had only been released in 2007, but Aeroclassics produced a repeat release of it in November 2024 (along with other re-releases such as Alitalia). Clearly, Aeroclassics are concerned about competition from the YU mould and I would expect the upcoming December Aeroclassics to feature several further A300 re-releases. Considering Aeroclassic's usual dislike of re-releasing models they have made I think it is clear why they are all of a sudden doing so now!

While it is clear that the new YU A300 has a lot of potential, and should be superior to the seamed Aeroclassics mould, one problem YU have so far not overcome is international distribution. At this point, as far as I understand it, these models will only be available on Taobao in China. YU has had some dealings with Bedfordshire Diecast in the UK but at present hasn't got any international retailers onboard. Hopefully that will change.

Hopefully, these three A300s will be out soon and as soon as I can acquire one I'll review it at the site here. I look forward to seeing how they compare to other 400 scale A300s, but there is plenty of potential for a modern A300 mould, both in terms of re-releases and new A300s. The question in the meantime is whether the new Aeroclassics releases are still worth picking up?

Just before I went away I wrote a post introducing the new brand Aero Polaris. At the time they only had rendered imagery to show for the 6 737-800s they had announced so it was difficult to judge them, however while I was away they sent me through the photos of the real models so here they are. 

If you didn't catch the original post see here:

As a reminder these are the 6 737-800s they announced:

Next up are the Tui and Eurowings:

Lastly there is the Singapore and WestJet:

As I understand it all of these models are available now in China and are on their way to ARD in the UK.