Boeing 747-100 1:400 Scale New Mould Sample
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Modified: May 2024
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Back in September last year I exclusively reviewed the NG Models 747-200 sample and of all the moulds they sent me at that time it was far and away the one that required the most rework. Fast forward 8 or 9 months and the refined mould has appeared, with new engines as a 747-100. NG has worked to fix some of the issues but unfortunately they haven't managed to fix them all - yet! Read on to see what I mean.
For the original 747-200 sample review see here:
The Competition
As a reminder here is some of the competition. Aside from the Phoenix these are all good moulds somewhat handicapped by their age in terms of details around the undercarriage, engines and pylons, vertical stabilisers, seams and some other spots.
Below: Aeroclassics / Big Bird
Below: Aviation400 / Witty Wings
Below: Dragon Wings
Below: Phoenix
747-100 Mould Sample
Aero Icarus, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Early 747-100/200s had a SATCOM fairing just aft of the hump as can be seen here on the above Pan Am and below on the BOAC. I've seen it said this was on all 747s made up to 1974 but that might not be accurate. These were mostly removed in the mid-70s but some aircraft kept the fairing until being scrapped in the late 90s. As far as I'm aware no 400 scale mould has ever featured this detail but I have seen it printed on. This sample doesn't have it. It remains to be seen whether it is just printed, moulded or added as an attachment on models that require it.
Eduard Marmet, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons
Forward Fuselage, Hump & Nosegear
There has been no change in relation to the nosecone and cockpit region from the original sample, other than windows are now printed on it. The nose form of this 747 effectively matches that of the other NG 747 classic samples and so although it looks good it is not 100% accurate. The angle leading up from the nosegear to the nosecone is not sharp enough and the nosecone point ends up being too low. As with the SP it is most likely to be noticeable with schemes like this Air New Zealand one where the cheatline crosses the radome. The cheatline tends to sit slightly too high up the nosecone.
Below you can see the resemblance to the 747SP. While admitting that this noseform isn't as accurate as on the BigBird, AV400 or Dragon 747s it has never really bothered me on the SP.
Wingroot
The 747-100/200/300 has a very different wingroot to the 747-400, which gained an aerodynamically refined curved wingroot. This was retrofitted to a small number of very late build series 200s and 300s but the vast majority of 100/200/300s didn't have it. This was one of the major issues with the original sample, which had the incorrect 747-400 wingroot. I am pleased to say that this mistake has been FIXED on the sample here.
Phantom's image below showing a pair of Hasegawa plastic kits also shows the difference between a 747-100/200/300 (left) and the later 747-400 (right) illustrating the difference between the variants.
Engines & Pylons
This 747-100 is fitted with the JT9D engines. NG already has the later Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines and the Rolls-Royce RB211 engines courtesy of their existing 747SP mould. What they haven't had is a separate JT9D mould for the earliest variant with the secondary air inlet doors, as seen below on a KLM example. This sample doesn't have them either and I suspect it'll end up being a print job rather than a separate engine mould for that variant.
In relation to these JT9Ds I have heard some call them too large. The nacelles are possibly a little too big but they appear to be the same as on the SP and I haven't heard complaints about them on that mould.
In terms of engine pylons NG has on this sample correctly modified the pylon to represent the form worn by series 100s, early 200s and the SP prototype (A type in the photo below). I believe this may be the first time anyone in 400 scale has correctly differentiated between the two types of pylon. NG already had the B type configuration on their 747SP mould.
Wings
This is unfortunately where NG have dropped the ball once again. The series 200 sample had a fantasy wing on it in that the model had the wingspan of a 747-400, not the shorter wingspan of a 747-100/200/300. Despite the fact that I covered this in the original review they seem to have forgotten to fix it and the wing remains incorrect in its form beyond the outboard engines.
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The wingtip extension on the series 400 added 5.2m to the wingspan and allowed the fitting of a 6th leading edge slat towards the tip. What we have on this sample is a wing with too greater span and 6 leading edge slats. That is wrong. I have informed NG Models of this continuing issue and they have promised that they will fix it for the first release!
Below: A comparison with the AV400 747-200 illustrates the issue. The wing is wider and there is an extra leading edge slat on the NG sample
Stabilisers
There were no issues at the tailend and now with some print and detailing added it looks even better.
NG Models Boeing 747-100 Sample
Summary
NG Models continue to show a willingness to fix issues on their samples, however I can't but help feeling they aren't quite paying as much attention as they once were, since the wingspan error was noted in my original review. They have promised to fix it so it shouldn't be an issue moving forward, but the samples that have been sent out to CRP programme customers will have this incorrect wing on them.
On the plus side NG have fixed the following issues:
FIXED:
On the negative side one major issue remains:
NOT FIXED YET
FIXED:
- New accurate wingroot join and wing leading edge for a standard 747-100/200/300
- New early style JT9D engine pylons
On the negative side one major issue remains:
NOT FIXED YET
- Correcting the wingspan so it is that of a 747-100/200 with 5 leading edge slats, not a 747-400 with HF aerials rather than winglets
OUTSTANDING:
- The other issue with the mould is the shape of the nose, which although matching their excellent 747SP has been shown to be inaccurate. The 747-8 noseform does appear better. I get the feeling this is unlikely to be resolved.
- It remains to be seen how the SATCOM fairing aft of the hump is handled.
