Airbus A319/320 CEO 1:400 Scale Mould Sample Review

Airbus A319 & A320 CEO 1:400 Scale New Mould Samples

Modified: May 2022

With the increasing dominance of Airbus and the only real competition being Boeing the A320 family continues to take an ever increasing chunk of the global airline fleet. With that in mind it isn't too surprising that the A320 is a key battleground in 400 scale, in fact it is perhaps a little surprising how ignored the A319 and A320 have been in recent years. The last new A320 was the ill-feted JC Wings edition produced in 2016. Ignoring that there is only the bang average 2013 Phoenix mould used regularly, as the superior Aeroclassics A320 isn't heavily used (and lacks modern features) while the best mould (that of Panda Models) is even less utilised.

The lack of an A320 in the lineup of two of the more impressive new brands was surprising. Now both NG Models and Aviation400 have both announced A320 family moulds, however surely it will be the NG editions that are more keenly sought after due to NG's greater market share, more regular release schedule, broader release range and excellent reputation.

In this review I will look at the Airbus A319 and A320 current (or classic) engine options leaving the NEOs and the A321 family for later.

The Real Thing

The A319ceo and A320ceo were available with either CFM56 (series 11X or 21X) or IAE V252 (series 13X or 23X) engines. The two variants are essentially identical aside from the A319 being shortened by 3.73m over the A320-200. Both the A319-100 and A320-200 feature wingtip fences whereas these were lacking from the original A320-100, which does not currently form part of the NG Models A320 product line.

Below: An A319-112 with CFM56-5B6s:

MarcelX42, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Below: An A320-232 with IAE V2530-A5s

Lukas von Daeniken from Schweiz, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Competing A319/320 Moulds in 400 Scale

I reviewed the existing A320 moulds way back in August 2017, which I guess illustrates that not a lot new has been going on for the type for a long time aside from adding new engines to make a NEO. The review needs an update but essentially it is correct:

A320ceo Mould Review

In 2022 there are four main contenders as follows (note the Panda mould is an obvious copy of the Aeroclassics with aerials added):

Phoenix Models Airbus A320

Gemini Jets Airbus A320 using the 2016 JC Wings / Gemini

Aeroclassics Airbus A320

Panda Models Airbus A320

I will take a detailed look at how the new NG Models A320 compares to these in a later article.

A320 Release Options

Despite it seeming like there have been millions of A320s (there have been 872 of all variants) and A319s (only 259 of all variants) made in 400 scale the sheer production runs and longevity of the type ensure that there are still plenty left to make.

The most fertile area (and probably least lucrative) are classic A320s from the types first decade, which I explored in the wishlist to the right here:

There are also plenty from developing and fast growing markets like India, Russia and Iran. Even China has not been heavily covered outside the big 3 airlines.

Then of course there are lots of relatively mediocre Asian and US A320s that have been made on old moulds that would be worth replacing (mainly Dragon, Gemini and Phoenix releases).

So what I'm saying is even ignoring the NEOs and just focusing on the CEOs there are still literally hundreds of liveries that have never been made or have only been made using obsolescent moulds. It may pain me slightly as a classics collector but there is a huge market for a superior A319/320 mould.

Classic A320 Wishlist

The New NG Models Mould Sample for A319/320ceo

NOSE, COCKPIT & NOSEGEAR

The nose definitely looks like an A320 with the curve down to the cockpit from the fuselage roof spot on. The nose is nicely rounded but possibly slightly too long. It is hard to say as the cockpit windows are well shaped but not quite tall enough. I think their lower margin should be lower down. In fact, the L1 door here could be longer too and the entire windowline lower by a smidgen.

I am liking what I see of the nosegear especially that the gear leg is not vertical and angles towards the nose as it should. This feature is missed on all the other active 400 scale A320s. The gear leg detailing is about as fine as it can be in this scale and avoids the overly chunky leg of the JC Wings mould.

WINGROOT & MAINGEAR

The wingroot and join are very nice. The fit of the wing is tight with no seamline and there is a clear and well shaped bulge for the fairing it joins to. The A320 maingear is rather simple with the inner gearleg obscured by the geardoor. The shape of the NG unit appears fine. From the front (see below image) the detail of the inside gear legs and cross braces looks accurate.

A nice element of added detail on the underside of the maingear doors are the two semi-circular ridges. These are features not seen on other moulds. Note also that unlike NG's 737 series the A320 family comes with a stand-hole.

WINGS

The angle of the wings gives good ground clearance for the engines whether they are CFMs or IAEs.

A320 with CFM engines

A320-232 with IAE Engines

NG A319 with IAE engines

I am also happy with the shape of the asymmetric wingtip fences and the flap track fairings:

TAIL & REAR FUSELAGE

The tailcone and vertical stabiliser shape look accurate and the complicated rudder and panel lining are reproduced faithfully. The A320 tail is a lot more complicated than that of the 737 and it is good to see the panel lines, however in close up they do appear to be a little deep. It isn't particularly noticeable at normal magnification and I'm not sure the lines could be a lot finer and keep the detail anyway. Once again I'd argue that the windowline and door are printed a little too high.

ENGINE STRAKES

Thanks to DAC users Phantom II and Michael Magdaleno I have been informed of a minor difference between the engines of the A319 and A320. On the A319 the small fins on the side of the engines that push air up over the wing and are called 'strakes' feature on both sides of the engine whereas on the A320 they are only on the inside of the engine.

On the A320 samples they are currently on both sides of the engines (for both CFMs and IAEs), which is inaccurate.

CFM56 on an A319

CFM56 on an A320

CFM56 ENGINES & PYLONS

From the side the CFM engines look broadly good. I would reserve criticism for the angle of the pylon joining the nacelle top forward of the wing and the angle and height of the strake on the nacelle side. Both are minor points. As with the 777s NG has opted for solid core engines to preserve as much accurate fan detailing as possible.

IAE V2500 ENGINES & PYLON

Unlike the CFM56 the IAE V2500 engine has a distinctive shape caused by the mixed nozzle arrangement for the exhaust as opposed to the CFM's hot and cold nozzle. As with the CFMs the strake should only be on the outside for the A319 and not A320.

A319 IAE with outside strakes

A320 IAE without outside strakes

Airbus A319-111/115 with CFM56 Engines

Airbus A319-131/133 with IAE V2520 Engines

Airbus A320-212/216 with CFM56 Engines

Airbus A320-231/233 with IAE V2520 Engines

Roundup

I'm liking these A319/320s a lot. They compare well to the real thing and next to competing moulds. There are no major issues I can see but just one or two smaller points that NG could perhaps investigate, but equally could probably be left as they are too.

These are:

Slight shortening of the radome
Finer stabiliser line detailing
Remove outside engine strake on both CFM and IAE A320 engines only
Engine strake angle on the CFMs
Cockpit window size printing
Height of doors and windowline printing

None of these things would stop me from acquiring the moulds right now and with the moulds at this level of completion I wouldn't expect to see much change anyway. As it is they are at least as good as the best competing A319/320 on the market and probably slightly better.