Boeing 777-300 Moulds in 1:400 Scale
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Updated: April 2025
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The 777-300 started out as merely a stretched version of the 777-200 trading extra capacity for range. It was aimed primarily at high-density regional routes within Asia and sold to airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International. In the end only 60 of this version sold with the last delivered in 2006. It was the 777-300ER that insured the 777 line continued into the 2010s. It features raked extended wingtips, a strengthened fuselage and wings plus new engines. These features enabled a much higher MTOW and fuel load giving it back the range advantage lost with the original 300. First delivered in April 2004, to Air France, the 300ER has been by far the highest selling 777 variant with over 800 aircraft delivered.
Boeing 777-300 in 1:400 Scale
The longer variant of the Boeing 777 started out with broadly the same moulds available for it as the series 200, just lengthened. That changed as the 777-200 began to fall out of usage with age. The 777-300ER is now in that same place, but production on the series 300 moulds have continued strongly into 2025. While Aviation400, only has a mould for the series 300ER, NG Models went to the trouble to produce all variants of the Triple Seven.
As you can see from production totals the most important moulds have been the Phoenix and 2016 JC Wings moulds, but the NG Models and Aviation400 moulds are catching up.
As you can see from production totals the most important moulds have been the Phoenix and 2016 JC Wings moulds, but the NG Models and Aviation400 moulds are catching up.
Boeing 777-300 Variants
Outwardly identifying a 777-300 from a 777-300ER can only be done (ignoring the engines) by looking at the wingtips, with the 300ER (popularly known as the 77W) having extended raked wingtip extensions, or the maingear (the 300 has a missing hydraulic actuator attached to the forward part of the bogey). The 777-300 was delivered with either the Pratt & Whitney 4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent engine whereas the 777-300ER uses the GE90-115B.
Here's a Cathay Pacific 777-300 with Rolls-Royce Trent engines. Note the wingtips:
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Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)
Japan Airlines and All Nippon 777-300ERs with the bigger GE engines and the raked wingtips:
Arpingstone / Public domain
Lasse Fuss / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Here's a neat comparison of 777 engines and pylons:
Moulds (in date order)
Dragon Wings Mould (2000-2014)
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Dragon's widebody moulds for older types like the 747, Tristar and DC-10 tend to be well thought of whereas their newer widebody types like the A330 are much weaker. Their 777 also fits into this later category but isn't a complete loss. Add modified undercarriage to it and it would perform ok. As always with Dragon the mould is seamless with great slot in wings. The overall shape is ok but the nose isn't perfect. It is the usual failings that decrease the mould's value - simplistic undercarriage, loosely fitted tails and, if they bother you, plastic control surfaces. Some of the earliest releases have simple stalk maingear (see right) but later releases like the JAL and Korean below are actually quite nice.
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Gemini Jets 1a (2000-2014)
Gemini's 777 is one of those classic rock solid moulds that used to typify Gemini - in a good way back in the early 2000s. For the time it had an excellent body shape, superior to the Dragon Wings at both the nose and tail. It also has much better undercarriage, although obviously given its age it is not rolling gear compatible. The gear is also perhaps a tad on the short side something which is especially obvious with the longer 777-300. In comparison with modern 400 scale the seam, engine pylon to wing join, rudder to fuselage join and tailcone all denote its age. Nowadays there is plenty of competition for 777-300s that means you should rarely have to settle for this older mould. Gemini subsequently modified the landing gear and added aerials to produce an updated mould (see the 1b version below).
This mould was used by Phoenix in 2005/2006 when they shared factories with Gemini Jets and prior to the introduction of their own casting. Additionally for reasons that make little sense to me JC Wings actually switched to this cradle mount mould from their slot in wings version in 2014, but only released a few models prior to the mould's upgrade.
This mould was used by Phoenix in 2005/2006 when they shared factories with Gemini Jets and prior to the introduction of their own casting. Additionally for reasons that make little sense to me JC Wings actually switched to this cradle mount mould from their slot in wings version in 2014, but only released a few models prior to the mould's upgrade.
Herpa / Hogan (2004-2015)
Herpa followed up their lacklustre 777-200 with a similarly dreadful 777-300 5 years later. Take off the undercarriage and perhaps it wouldn't look so incredibly clumsy. Although it is seamless the total package is not impressive and anyway since it is used by Herpa and Hogan it rarely gets a run out anyway. In fact it hasn't been seen since 2010. I just ignore Herpa and Hogan 777s and you should too!
Phoenix (2007-present)
Without a shadow of a doubt the most important 400 scale mould ever made by Phoenix are their 777s and they have dined out on the excellence of these for years now. The series 300 version came four years after the 200 but shares all the same major characters. It easily eclipsed all the rivals available back in 2007 and continued to do so for over a decade, however even updated with aerials and domes the mould is now showing its age. For a while Phoenix also forgot how to print the cockpit windows properly, so watch out for that! It is no longer the best 777 available in 400 scale (in fact it is nowadays the 4th best) but still can hold its head high as a very nice casting.
Below: These releases date from 2014-2017:
Phoenix continues to use this mould into 2025, but how long can they continue to do so when up against the newer moulds is anyone's guess. I last reviewed a Phoenix 777-300ER at the site in November 2022:
JC Wings 1 (2009-2012)
Back before JC Wings tookover production of Gemini Jets and gained access to their moulds they created their own 777s. It is pretty decent although it never really got a lot of use and struggled against the much loved Phoenix version with which it usually competed. The shape overall is good, however JC seemed to sometimes struggle to print the cockpit well and I'm not sure if this is a mould or just a print issue. It does have nice rolling gear and a slot in wings seamless mid-section, but the maingear seems to sit too low and the engines are close to the ground thanks to the pylons. For some reason JC Wings stopped using this and switched over to the inferior Gemini Jets mould. The decision doesn't really make a lot of sense to me.
Witty Wings / Apollo (2012-2014)
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Towards the end of their existence Witty Wings were beginning to show signs of good innovation as I've discussed in the Witty Wings brand history. The 777-300ER mould was one of their last new moulds and was a very decent effort. It was one of the first moulds to pioneer hollowcore / see through engines - something rarely if ever seen before in 1:400 at the time. The mould is seamless and has rolling gears. It was a good mould that saw far too little usage before Witty and their sub-brand Apollo folded.
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Gemini Jets 1b (2014-2024)
The old Gemini Jets mould had static landing gear. Following the move of Gemini production over to JC Wings several of their older moulds have been updated and in 2014 it was the turn of the 777. Unfortunately they merely replaced the landing gear and added antennae leaving the rest of the mould alone. The new gear rolls but to my eye appears to make the aircraft too tall. This isn't the end of the world, but buying a modern widebody mould with such a major seam on it in 2015 seemed wrong let alone in 2025, especially when the competition has had a seamless mould since 2007. That isn't the only obsolete feature - check out the engine pylon join to wing, rudder join to fuselage and tailcone. JC Wings also switched over to this mould and it took a few years for them to create a new 777-300 mould to replace it. The mould isn't a disaster but it is just outdated even with the updated landing gear and aerials.
Although Gemini has had access to the newer JC Wings 777 for some time it has taken them years to fully transition over to the newer mould so that there have even been releases on this long obsolete mould in 2024. Presumably this is old warehouse stock that they hadn't got around to releasing? It does seem now in 2025 that this mould has finally ceased to be used.
Below: The old seamed Gemini mould was still getting new rleases in May 2024. This French version (GJAFR2248) was hopefully the last.
JC Wings (2017 - Present)
JC Wings announced the releases that would use their new 777-300ER mould in 2016 but as is standard the mould didn't actually appear until near the end of 2017. Considering one of these won my model of the year in 2017 you can tell I had a high opinion of it. That has continued and I am a big fan of this mould. At the time it arrived it was easily the best Triple 7 mould in the scale, but in recent years has come up against stronger competition. Even in 2025 it still remains highly competitive and as good as the other moulds available.
It also has the bonus, as all new widebody JC moulds do, of coming in both flaps-up and flaps-down versions. I have reviewed the casting a few times:
Below: Flaps Down releases of JC Wings 777-300ERs
Flaps Down on the JC Wings 777-300ER
Aviation400 (2019 - Present)
Aviation400 had begun to make an impact in 1:400 scale with their Airbus A350s but in mid-2019 they announced a 777-300ER to go with it, however it wasn't until near the end of the year the first release came out. The casting shares many similarities with the newer JC Wings mould, but has significant differences at the nosegear, engines, nose and maingear and tailcone. Some of these are improvements and some are not so the two moulds make an interesting comparison. It also of course features the jewel light beacons AV400 are well known for. I have heard complaints that the AV400 777 fuselage is too thin, but frankly it has never been noticeable to me when it is displayed side by side with other 400 scale 777s. The below Air China B-7973 is an early 2020 release:
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In early 2021 AV400 announced they were updating the tailcone of their 777s. Click the image to the left for that post.
It is a mould that has always scored well under review and while perhaps not quite as good as the JC Wings or NG Models versions it is one I am happy to acquire. For detailed reviews of releases using this mould see here at the site:
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In 2021 the mould also featured in a video review at the YT channel:
The below Air New Zealand is a 2022 release - note the modified tailcone:
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JetHut (2020 - Present)
In 2020 the Boeing 777-300 was featured in the De Agostini / JAL Collection magazine series using a mould produced by the factory that would become JetHut (now Jet models). As with all their moulds it is aimed at the lower end of the collector market and has distinct pre-2010 vibes. It is undoubtedly one of their better moulds and broadly comparable to the original Gemini Jets mould except it is seamless and has hollow core fanblades. Jet Models made a series of Chinese examples in 2024 and their retail price is substantially lower than standard 400 scale models.
NG Models Mould 1 (2022-2025)
I received and reviewed the samples for the NG 777-300s back in February 2022 and the first release was out by mid-2022. For reviews of those see:
NG subsequently gradually modified the mould to make a version that was very competitive with others and thought of by many as the best in the scale. Despite that there was plenty of discussion over the size of the cockpit windows.
NG Models Mould 2 (2025)
Just recently NG Models has created an entirely new fuselage barrel for their 777-300 mould. The major changes are:
- New nose and cockpit region
- Removal of the standhole
- New more detailed tailcone
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This will now be the mould used for all 777-300s moving forward. NG has also been tinkering with the cockpit window printing. I reveiwed one of the first releases recently here at the site:
I broadly like the changes, but there has been discussion around the form of the new cockpit region and whether it is now too wide. I was ok with the cockpit printing on the Love China version pictured above, but subsequent versions cockpit doesn't seem as good:
