Bombardier CRJ Moulds in 1:400 Scale
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Updated: June 2026
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Despite nowadays seeming to have gained something of a bad name the original 50 seat regional jet revolutionised air travel in the USA in a way few aircraft have ever done. Entering service as early as 1992, with Lufthansa Cityline, by the end of the 90s the type had divided the vast US regional market up between itself and the ERJ-145 and hundreds of CRJ-200s were on order. The boon in the 50 seater market didn't last for long, as larger 70 seat types took over, but the CRJ's place in history was safe and the turboprop had been largely relegated to EAS services in the US. When production ended in 2006 1,021 short CRJs had been delivered and over 400 were still in service by 2020.
CRJ-100/200 in 1:400 Scale
Somewhat surprisingly there have been two moulds developed for the Budgie in 400 scale. In its earlier days JC Wings developed an impressive range of regional types including the 748, which debuted in 2009. The same year Aeroclassics also produced a 748 and unsurpisingly they have used their mould much more regularly, with the last release being made in 2020.
These are some of the smallest moulds available in 400 scale. See more on this at:
CRJ-100/200 in Real Life
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Cory W. Watts from Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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Cory W. Watts from Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
MOULDS
Gemini Jets (2005)
Gemini Jets first produced a CRJ mould in 2005 prior to their manufacturing connection to JC Wings, although subsequently this casting has been used by both Gemini and JC Wings. It doesn't have the quality of many of JC's regional prop offerings and is a little basic. The fuselage barrel is ok, but I'm not convinced by the nose-cockpit angles and the tailcone is not tall enough or sharp enough. The mould is not seamless and shows its age with a small seam underneath, as it’s a cradle mount, and a tail seam where the horizontal stabilisers are fixed. The big issue with the mould is the landing gear. It is basically just stalks with tyres attached. There is no detailing little in the way of gear doors, plus the tyre hubs are poor. The worst part is that the maingear appears too long and the nosegear too short giving the whole model a nose-down attitude that is not evident in the real thing.
The mould has been used 32 times and the most recent JC Wings editions have had aerials fitted to them as well, although Gemini has never bothered with their addition.
I reviewed a United coloured example at Model Airliner.com:
Jet Hut (2021)
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A pair of models were made for De Agostini's JAL Collection magazine / model series in late 2021 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, but that doesn't stop it from looking very competitive with the Gemini Jets offering. The most obvious drawback is the large size of the landing gear (common to a lot of the smaller JAL Collection moulds). Although I have never seen it in person from this image it looks surprisingly decent.
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3D Design Deck (2025)
As the name suggests 3D Design Deck produce 3D printed not die-cast models, but since they have begun they have proven adept at making smaller types in 400 scale. Their UV printing has come a long way and their models are now very comparable to standard 400 scale. The CRJ-100/200 is one of their newest offerings and provides a strong competitor to the old Gemini mould. It's major drawback is the wing seam. I reveiwed a recent example here at the site:
Below is a quick side by side comparison of the 3D Design Deck and Gemini moulds. Neither are perfect, and both a long way from the excellent 200 scale versions, but at such a small size that isn't a big surprise or issue:
Wishlist
There's plenty of opportunity for more CRJs. Click the image for a list of unmade subjects:
