Boeing 767-200 Moulds in 1:400 Scale
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Updated: August 2019
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The Boeing 767 was one half of Boeing's portfolio of all new aircraft for the 1980s (along with it's sister the 757). A small widebody aimed squarely at the 707/DC-8 replacement market and as a competitor for Airbuses A300/310 family. The original version was the 767-200, with the shorter series 100 not built due to overlap with the 757. Launched in July 1978 the series 200 first flew on September 26, 1981 with deliveries to launch customer United exactly a year later. It was the 767-200ER version that really made the pace though with an increased MTOW and wing centre section fuel tank. This entered service with Ethiopian in May 1984 and the type pioneered (along with the A310-300) ETOPs certification. Only 128 767-200s and 121 767-200ERs were built as the series 200 was rapidly overtaken by its larger brother, the series 300. The majority of aircraft were delivered by 1994 except for a strange order from Continental as late as 1998. Many aircraft have gone on to second lifes as freighters whilst military orders (especially the new KC-46 Pegasus programme) will keep the line open for the foreseeable future.
Dragon Wings 767-200s
Boeing 767-200 in 1:400 Scale
Aeroclassics 767-200s
Until October 2018 the 767-200 hadn't gotten the attention that its rival, the A300, or brother, the 767-300 had in 1/400 scale. In fact there had only been two moulds made, with a total of 69 models. Things weren't looking to bright as only one of those moulds was available for use and it was used very infrequently. Fortunately, in October Aeroclassics announced their first 767s on a new mould (although the first month's releases weren't advertised as Aeroclassics). Since then they have produced an impressive 47 models making this new mould the most heavily used already. More recently both NG Models and Panda Models have worked on a 767-200, but as of yet with little in the way of releases to show for it.
Here is a look at the real 767-200 (in this case with Pratt & Whitney engines):
Christian Volpati (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2 ), via Wikimedia Commons
MOULDS
Dragon Wings (2000-2012)
The Dragon 767 was a very early mould in 1/400 and remains one of Dragon's best efforts. Some of the earliest versions seem to have a slightly pointy nose (see the Ansett below) but generally the shape of the mould is excellent. Dragon were an early adopter of seamless moulds so this 767 still stands up to modern scrutiny as long as you don't mind the usual Dragon weakpoints - undercarriage, plastic wings and tail attachment. Having said that in this mould the undercarriage is actually pretty decent. Jet-X used this mould a few times too (mainly for Piedmont/US Air hybrids) and the airline coverage was passable, at least to begin with.
Six of the releases have been military (5 of them JASDF AWACs or tankers) so you can see there is still plenty of room for extra models but with Dragon's exit from 1/400 (aside from made for Airbus models), and Jet-X's departure from the scale altogether, this mould is unlikely to ever be used again. Still most of the models made are really nice and can often be picked up for peanuts.
Gemini Jets (2005-Present)
Gemini introduced their 767-200 mould just as the type began to drift out of mainline service but that doesn't stop it from being an excellent moulding, albeit one with a seam around the wing/fuselage fairing. The vertical stabiliser is part of the fuselage on this mould so there are no join gaps like with the Dragon however the nosegear leg is simpler than the Dragon and doesn't have the correct shaping.
The nosegear in the pre-rolling wheels versions is also where the biggest issue is. On quite a few models the nosewheels don't touch the ground. You can see it below in the AA, USAir and US Airways examples. This was remedied in 2010 when JC Wings added rolling gears to the mould, however only a handful of models have been produced since then. The last Gemini release was in 2013 but since then JC Wings have made 10 models. Aerials were added to the mould in 2017 after the release of the below UTAir example, which did get the updated rolling gear.
I can recommend the Gemini / JC production run almost entirely. The exception is their attempt at a Piedmont aircraft. The cockpit windows are a disaster and this has to be one of the ugliest models Gemini ever made because of that.
Aeroclassics (2018-Present)
The appearance of an Aeroclassics 767-200 came rather out of the blue, but has proven most welcome, even if there have been a few minor hiccups along the way. Obviously the mould doesn't come with aerials, since Aeroclassics don't believe in them in 1:400 scale, but otherwise the mould is decent, if not spectacular.
One of the early releases with the simple undercarriage
The fuselage shape is excellent especially at the nose and tailcone. The blunt rounded nose of the 767 is re-created well and I can’t fault the tail region either. In fact one of the nicest parts is the vertical stabilizer itself, which has a deep and effective rudder line rendering extra printing unnecessary.
The difference between the early and updated gear
The mould is seamless and so the wings slot into the fuselage. The wings are nicely shaped and have accurate flap track fairings, which protrude the correct distance behind the wing rear edge – again an improvement over the Gemini mould. The only point of issue is that perhaps the wing/fuselage fairing is a little under-represented ahead of the wing.
Under the wing the engine pylons do not reach far enough to the rear but otherwise are well shaped. The engines themselves are decent representations of Pratt & Whitney JT9Ds, although the nacelle is a little long. Unfortunately Aeroclassics has not made different engines for the P&W and the CF6-80C2B2, which at the nacelle should have a longer exhaust without the cone being visible. This is a shame, but not unusual for Aeroclassics either.
The undercarriage has varied throughout the production run, or at least after the first month's releases. The initial tyres were small and simple rings on spigots but these have been replaced by a superior set of wheels with tyrehubs. It is a major improvement, although the nosegear tyre is now a little too large. The maingear is nice but the doors aren’t accurately shaped.
Overall this is a nice mould, but it is not faultless and with the strength of the previous two moulds and the weakness of the engine shape, lack of aerials and tyre size it is not always a necessity that you replace your older 767-200s. For a detailed review of an example see:
De Agostini / Jet Hut (2021)
As with many aircraft types operated in Japan Jet Hut made a mould for DeAgostini's JAL Collection magazine series. As with all their offerings it is not intended to compete against a modern 400 scale model and has a rather old-fashioned pre-2010 feel to it, with simple static gear and features. The mould was used only twice but is surprisingly well-shaped.
NG Models (2024)
NG first announced Boeing 767s in November 2023 and by June 2024 the final mould samples were ready. I was able to review them at this time:
The mould is excellent but as of November 2024 there has only been a single airline release made, and this came with some printing issues. This American Airlines example received a detailed review at the site here:
Panda Models (2025)
Alongside their excellent 767-400s and upcoming 767-300s I know that Panda Models have also got a series 200 in the works, which will debut next year.