YESTERDAY'S AIRLINES
  • Home
    • About
    • Links
  • My Models
    • The Hangar
    • My Collection >
      • US Trunk Fleets >
        • My American Airlines Fleet
        • My Braniff Intnl Fleet
        • My Continental Fleet
        • My Delta Air Lines Fleet
        • My Eastern Air Lines Fleet
        • My National Airlines Fleet
        • My Northeast / Capital Fleet
        • My Northwest Airlines Fleet
        • My Pan Am Fleet
        • My TWA Fleet
        • My United Airlines Fleet
        • My Western Airlines Fleet
      • US Local Service Fleets >
        • My Frontier Airlines Fleet
        • My Hughes Airwest Fleet
        • My Ozark Airlines Fleet
        • My Republic Airlines Fleet
        • My Texas Int Fleet
      • US Other Fleets >
        • My Alaska Airlines Fleet
        • My Hawaiian / Aloha Fleet
        • My PSA Fleet
        • My Flying Tigers Fleet
        • My World Airways Fleet
      • UK Fleets >
        • My British Airways Fleet
      • Canadian Fleets
      • China Fleets >
        • My Cathay Pacific Fleet
      • Russian Fleet >
        • Russian Fleet Video
      • Fleet Videos >
        • US Trunk Airlines
    • Model Airports >
      • Dowse National Airport >
        • Gallery 1: Chicago c.1966
        • Gallery 2: Miami c.1970
      • Wright Field Municipal >
        • Wright Field Video Tour
      • Xin Long International
      • Imogenia Intnl 1/600 Scale
  • AV History
    • Airline History Blog
    • Airline Development >
      • CANADA >
        • Canadian Mainline
        • Canadian Charters & LCCs
        • Canadian Regionals
      • CHINA >
        • Part 1: China's Airlines Industry Blossoms 1984-2002
        • Part 2: The Big Six in the 1990s
        • The Big Three
        • Hainan Airlines Group
        • Other Chinese Airlines
      • MEXICO >
        • 1988-2005: Competition arrives
        • 2005-2014: Low cost in Mexico
        • Mexican Airline Genealogy
        • Mexicana Livery Tails
      • RUSSIA >
        • Aeroflot Group
        • S7 Airlines & AiRUnion
        • Other Russian Airlines
      • SOUTH AFRICA
      • UNITED KINGDOM >
        • BA Genealogy Pt1
        • BA Genealogy Pt2
        • BA Genealogy Pt3
        • BUIA & BUAF Genealogies
        • UK Charter Airlines Pt1
        • UK Charter Airlines Pt2
        • BEA Liveries 1946-1974
        • BOAC Liveries 1939-1974
      • UNITED STATES >
        • Trunk & Local Service Airlines >
          • American / TWA Genealogy
          • Delta / Northwest Genealogy
          • United / Continental Genealogy
          • Braniff / Eastern / US Airways Genealogy
        • Territorial Airlines
        • Intra-State Airlines
        • Supplemental Airlines
        • Deregulation Startups 1
        • Deregulation Startups 2
        • Trunk Airline Livery Changes 1959-1980
    • Liveries >
      • American Airlines Liveries
      • British Airways Liveries
      • Continental Airlines Liveries
      • Delta Air Lines Liveries
      • Eastern Air Lines Liveries
      • Landor Liveries
      • National Airlines Liveries
      • Northeast Airlines Liveries
      • Northwest Airlines Liveries
      • Pan Am Liveries
      • Trans World Airlines Liveries
      • United Airlines Liveries
      • Western Airlines Liveries
    • Real Airport Histories >
      • Albany International
      • Dallas Love Field
      • Rochester International Pt1
      • Rochester International Pt2
      • San Francisco - 1927-1959
      • San Francisco - 1959-1978
      • San Francisco - 1978-2015
      • San Jose International
      • San Jose International Pt2
    • Aviation Stickers >
      • ATR Stickers
      • A300 Stickers
      • DC-9 Stickers
      • DC-10 Stickers
  • 1:400 SCALE
    • Collecting 1:400 Scale >
      • Who Is The Best?
      • Who Has The Best Mould?
    • The History of 1:400 Scale >
      • 1:400 History 1996-2000
      • 1:400 History 2001-2008
    • 1:400 Brands >
      • Aeroclassics >
        • Generation One History
        • Gen 1 Photo Galleries >
          • BAC One-Eleven
          • Douglas DC-6
          • Douglas DC-9
          • Fairchild FH-227
          • Lockheed L-1049 Super Connie
          • Lockheed L-188 Electra
          • Vickers VC10
          • Vickers Vanguard
          • Vickers Viscount
      • AURORA Models
      • Big Bird 400 Your Craftsman
      • Black Box Models
      • Dragon Wings
      • Gemini Jets
      • Jet-X >
        • Jet-X: Part 1 2000-2006
      • MP4 & Airshop Diecast
      • Seattle Models Co (SMA)
      • Skyjets400
      • Sovereign Models
      • TucanoLine
    • Zinc Rot
  • 1:400 Moulds
    • Airbus >
      • Airbus A300
      • Airbus A310
      • Airbus A320
      • Airbus A330-200/300
      • Airbus A330-200F
      • Airbus A330 Beluga XL
      • Airbus A350-900/1000
    • Boeing >
      • Boeing B-377 Stratocruiser
      • Boeing 707-120/138/720
      • Boeing 707-320/420
      • Boeing 727-100
      • Boeing 727-200
      • Boeing 737-100/200
      • Boeing 737-300/400/500
      • Boeing 737NG >
        • P-8 Poseidon Mould Review
      • Boeing 747-100/200
      • Boeing 747SP
      • Boeing 757-200
      • Boeing 767-200
      • Boeing 767-300
      • Boeing 777-200
      • Boeing 777-300
    • British >
      • BAC One-Eleven 200-500
      • BAE-146 / Avro RJ-85-100
      • De Havilland DH-106 Comet
      • Hawker Siddeley Trident
      • Shorts 360
      • Vickers VC10
      • Vickers Viscount
    • Douglas >
      • Douglas DC-3 / C-47
      • Douglas DC-6
      • Douglas DC-7
      • Douglas DC-7C
      • Douglas DC-8-10-50
      • Douglas DC-8-60s/70s
      • Douglas DC-9-10
      • Douglas DC-9-30
      • Douglas DC-9-41/51
      • McDonnell Douglas DC-10
      • McDonnell Douglas MD-11
      • McDonnell Douglas MD-80
      • McDonnell Douglas MD-90
    • Lockheed >
      • Lockheed Constellation
      • Lockheed Super Connie
      • Lockheed L-1649 Starliner
      • Lockheed L-188 Electra
      • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 1 / Tristar 200
      • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 500
    • Other >
      • Convair CV-240-580
      • Convair CV-880/990
      • Curtiss C-46
      • Fairchild F-27 / Fokker F27
      • Fairchild-Hiller FH-227
      • Fokker F28/F70/F100
      • SE 210 Caravelle
    • Chinese >
      • Comac ARJ21
      • Xi'an Y-20
    • Russian >
      • Ilyushin IL-62
      • Ilyushin IL-86/IL-96
      • Tupolev TU-154B-2/M
  • 1:400 News
    • Model Blog
    • New Mould Samples >
      • JC Wings Boeing 747-400
      • NG Models >
        • A330-200/300
        • Airbus A330 Beluga XL
        • A350-900
        • Boeing 737-600/700/900
        • Boeing 737-800
        • Boeing B747SP
        • Comac ARJ21 - 1:200
        • Falcon 7X - 1:200
        • Gulfstream G550 - 1:200
        • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar
        • Lockeed Tristar 500
  • 1:400 Reviews
    • Detailed Mould Comparison >
      • Airbus A320neo
      • Airbus A330 Beluga XL
      • Airbus A330-900neo
      • Airbus A350-900
      • Boeing 777-300ER
    • 1:400 Model Reviews
    • Model Airliner.com Reviews
  • 1:600 SCALE
    • Schabak >
      • Schabak History 1982-2006
      • Schabak Airline Numbers
      • Schabak Wheel Variants
      • Schabak Window Variants
      • Schabak Decal Cracking
    • Schabak Moulds >
      • Airbus A300
      • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar
      • McDonnell Douglas DC-10
    • Schabak Non-airline Models
    • Silver Wings
  • Dioramas
    • As Real As It Gets 1:200
    • As Real As It Gets 1:400 >
      • Real As It Gets - Africa
      • Real As It Gets - Asia
      • Real As It Gets - China
      • Real As It Gets - Europe
      • Real As It Gets - Middle East
      • Real As It Gets - N America
      • Real As It Gets - Oceania
      • Real As It Gets - Russia
      • Real As It Gets - S America

Comac ARJ21-700 Xianfeng in 1:400 Scale

Modified: November 2020
Picture
The ARJ21 has had an extended development life-cycle and until recently it looked like it would be seen as largely a failure. You can never underestimate the perseverance of the Chinese system though, and with new orders appearing at the end of 2019 and production gearing up it looks like it might eventually be a mild success. I wrote about the Xianfeng (Flying Phoenix) way back in mid-2017 at a time when it's future appeared very much in the balance. For discussion of its development see my previous article:
Fledgling Phoenix: The COMAC ARJ21
The aircraft itself is clearly not technologically comparable to other types in its class such as the MRJ, CRJ-700, E-Jet series or even probably the Sukhoi SuperJet, and is regularly derided by Western aviation fans - especially model collectors. However to do so is to miss the point. The ARJ is an important stepping stone to more successful projects and considering its rocky development it is impressive that production continues and even ramps up. 
Picture
Even if the sizeable orders placed by the big three state owned Chinese airlines are motivated by the Chinese government's command the aircraft will provide much experience in providing full manufacturing and in-service support. Meanwhile since the type is used only within China competition is relatively light so the aircraft is not such a disadvantage as if it were used internationally.


Even though many of the original 'orders' were placed a long time ago and will never be fulfilled the order backlog stands at a passable 167 units and with a second production line now open two thirds of the 30 aircraft built have been made in the past two years. Of course even with its stuttering history the type is a source of pride for China and it is not surprising that it has seen the attention of the new Chinese manufacturers in 1:400 scale.

Comac ARJ21 Production in 1:400

Panda (2017-2018)

As with the Y-20 and C919 the first appearance of the new ARJ21 mould was via Panda Models, although the first releases were actually made for the large Chinese model store Skywings under their own name. As I understand it they did not themselves build any of these moulds but were granted the right to use them. The mould was used by Panda Models five times in 2017 and once in 2018.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture


At the time the ARJ21 was still in effect a prototype although in mid-2017 the first officially entered airline service. This itself was more an extended trial. That left relatively small room for production. The five models consisted of one in AVIC colours, one in COMAC colours, a pair for the launch customer Chengdu Airlines, and the last was Panda's 2018 Chinese New Year model in a fantasy 'Year of the Dog' scheme.
Picture
Picture
There was also a blank releases, although how widespread this was I'm not sure. 2018 was the year when something happenned at Panda Models and one of the consequences of this was that they lost access to all three of the Chinese indigenous aircraft moulds, including the ARJ21.

NG Models (2019-Present)

It was well into 2019 before the mould reappeared in the usage of NG Models who had acquired access to the ARJ21, Y-20 and C919 moulds Panda had been using. This was just in time for the increase in production and customers and NG has been using the mould every few months as new customers appear, as well as making the odd fantasy release (as they have also done with the C919). The mould is unchanged from its first iteration.
Picture
Picture
The fantasy release is the China Eastern example. So far China Eastern has decided to place its aircraft with a new subsidiary known as OTT Airlines and registered as B-123A (a play on words as the OTT stands for One Two Three Airlines). 


Comac ARJ21-700 Mould

Picture
3GO*CHN-405/mjordan_6 / CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL
The ARJ21 has a rather odd appearance due to its rather odd collection of parts. The fuselage and nose clearly owe a debt to the Trunkliner programme and in these areas it looks like a small McDonnell Douglas MD-95/Boeing 717. The engines don't really suite the fuselage and the Antonov designed wing appears as if it is designed for a smaller, lighter aircraft.
Picture
Essentially the mould is a very good representation of the ARJ and gets the big things all correct. The nose, cockpit region, fuselage and wing all are the correct shape and fit together well. The model has 4 of the 5 aerials, despite it being such a small aircraft. The aerials on the real thing look a little oversized and the model has well sized additions, only lacking the small underbelly aerial aft of the maingear.
Picture
The underside of the mould is delightful including the wheel wells within which the maingear fold and very nice undercarriage.
Picture
N509FZ / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Picture
The mould isn’t however perfect, and has several small issues that can be seen when looking very closely. The winglets are the right height but not quite wide enough, the rear of the engines lacks the definition of the triangular edge of the first stage exhaust, the screwdriver tailcone is not quite square enough and the small bump atop the fuselage roof above the wings is not modeled in. 
Picture
Overall this is a decent little mould, which I'd give a 9/10 too. It might not be the cup of tea of many Western collectors but it seems to sell well in China and has stimulated NG Models to also produce a 1:200 version.
Picture
  • Home
    • About
    • Links
  • My Models
    • The Hangar
    • My Collection >
      • US Trunk Fleets >
        • My American Airlines Fleet
        • My Braniff Intnl Fleet
        • My Continental Fleet
        • My Delta Air Lines Fleet
        • My Eastern Air Lines Fleet
        • My National Airlines Fleet
        • My Northeast / Capital Fleet
        • My Northwest Airlines Fleet
        • My Pan Am Fleet
        • My TWA Fleet
        • My United Airlines Fleet
        • My Western Airlines Fleet
      • US Local Service Fleets >
        • My Frontier Airlines Fleet
        • My Hughes Airwest Fleet
        • My Ozark Airlines Fleet
        • My Republic Airlines Fleet
        • My Texas Int Fleet
      • US Other Fleets >
        • My Alaska Airlines Fleet
        • My Hawaiian / Aloha Fleet
        • My PSA Fleet
        • My Flying Tigers Fleet
        • My World Airways Fleet
      • UK Fleets >
        • My British Airways Fleet
      • Canadian Fleets
      • China Fleets >
        • My Cathay Pacific Fleet
      • Russian Fleet >
        • Russian Fleet Video
      • Fleet Videos >
        • US Trunk Airlines
    • Model Airports >
      • Dowse National Airport >
        • Gallery 1: Chicago c.1966
        • Gallery 2: Miami c.1970
      • Wright Field Municipal >
        • Wright Field Video Tour
      • Xin Long International
      • Imogenia Intnl 1/600 Scale
  • AV History
    • Airline History Blog
    • Airline Development >
      • CANADA >
        • Canadian Mainline
        • Canadian Charters & LCCs
        • Canadian Regionals
      • CHINA >
        • Part 1: China's Airlines Industry Blossoms 1984-2002
        • Part 2: The Big Six in the 1990s
        • The Big Three
        • Hainan Airlines Group
        • Other Chinese Airlines
      • MEXICO >
        • 1988-2005: Competition arrives
        • 2005-2014: Low cost in Mexico
        • Mexican Airline Genealogy
        • Mexicana Livery Tails
      • RUSSIA >
        • Aeroflot Group
        • S7 Airlines & AiRUnion
        • Other Russian Airlines
      • SOUTH AFRICA
      • UNITED KINGDOM >
        • BA Genealogy Pt1
        • BA Genealogy Pt2
        • BA Genealogy Pt3
        • BUIA & BUAF Genealogies
        • UK Charter Airlines Pt1
        • UK Charter Airlines Pt2
        • BEA Liveries 1946-1974
        • BOAC Liveries 1939-1974
      • UNITED STATES >
        • Trunk & Local Service Airlines >
          • American / TWA Genealogy
          • Delta / Northwest Genealogy
          • United / Continental Genealogy
          • Braniff / Eastern / US Airways Genealogy
        • Territorial Airlines
        • Intra-State Airlines
        • Supplemental Airlines
        • Deregulation Startups 1
        • Deregulation Startups 2
        • Trunk Airline Livery Changes 1959-1980
    • Liveries >
      • American Airlines Liveries
      • British Airways Liveries
      • Continental Airlines Liveries
      • Delta Air Lines Liveries
      • Eastern Air Lines Liveries
      • Landor Liveries
      • National Airlines Liveries
      • Northeast Airlines Liveries
      • Northwest Airlines Liveries
      • Pan Am Liveries
      • Trans World Airlines Liveries
      • United Airlines Liveries
      • Western Airlines Liveries
    • Real Airport Histories >
      • Albany International
      • Dallas Love Field
      • Rochester International Pt1
      • Rochester International Pt2
      • San Francisco - 1927-1959
      • San Francisco - 1959-1978
      • San Francisco - 1978-2015
      • San Jose International
      • San Jose International Pt2
    • Aviation Stickers >
      • ATR Stickers
      • A300 Stickers
      • DC-9 Stickers
      • DC-10 Stickers
  • 1:400 SCALE
    • Collecting 1:400 Scale >
      • Who Is The Best?
      • Who Has The Best Mould?
    • The History of 1:400 Scale >
      • 1:400 History 1996-2000
      • 1:400 History 2001-2008
    • 1:400 Brands >
      • Aeroclassics >
        • Generation One History
        • Gen 1 Photo Galleries >
          • BAC One-Eleven
          • Douglas DC-6
          • Douglas DC-9
          • Fairchild FH-227
          • Lockheed L-1049 Super Connie
          • Lockheed L-188 Electra
          • Vickers VC10
          • Vickers Vanguard
          • Vickers Viscount
      • AURORA Models
      • Big Bird 400 Your Craftsman
      • Black Box Models
      • Dragon Wings
      • Gemini Jets
      • Jet-X >
        • Jet-X: Part 1 2000-2006
      • MP4 & Airshop Diecast
      • Seattle Models Co (SMA)
      • Skyjets400
      • Sovereign Models
      • TucanoLine
    • Zinc Rot
  • 1:400 Moulds
    • Airbus >
      • Airbus A300
      • Airbus A310
      • Airbus A320
      • Airbus A330-200/300
      • Airbus A330-200F
      • Airbus A330 Beluga XL
      • Airbus A350-900/1000
    • Boeing >
      • Boeing B-377 Stratocruiser
      • Boeing 707-120/138/720
      • Boeing 707-320/420
      • Boeing 727-100
      • Boeing 727-200
      • Boeing 737-100/200
      • Boeing 737-300/400/500
      • Boeing 737NG >
        • P-8 Poseidon Mould Review
      • Boeing 747-100/200
      • Boeing 747SP
      • Boeing 757-200
      • Boeing 767-200
      • Boeing 767-300
      • Boeing 777-200
      • Boeing 777-300
    • British >
      • BAC One-Eleven 200-500
      • BAE-146 / Avro RJ-85-100
      • De Havilland DH-106 Comet
      • Hawker Siddeley Trident
      • Shorts 360
      • Vickers VC10
      • Vickers Viscount
    • Douglas >
      • Douglas DC-3 / C-47
      • Douglas DC-6
      • Douglas DC-7
      • Douglas DC-7C
      • Douglas DC-8-10-50
      • Douglas DC-8-60s/70s
      • Douglas DC-9-10
      • Douglas DC-9-30
      • Douglas DC-9-41/51
      • McDonnell Douglas DC-10
      • McDonnell Douglas MD-11
      • McDonnell Douglas MD-80
      • McDonnell Douglas MD-90
    • Lockheed >
      • Lockheed Constellation
      • Lockheed Super Connie
      • Lockheed L-1649 Starliner
      • Lockheed L-188 Electra
      • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 1 / Tristar 200
      • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar 500
    • Other >
      • Convair CV-240-580
      • Convair CV-880/990
      • Curtiss C-46
      • Fairchild F-27 / Fokker F27
      • Fairchild-Hiller FH-227
      • Fokker F28/F70/F100
      • SE 210 Caravelle
    • Chinese >
      • Comac ARJ21
      • Xi'an Y-20
    • Russian >
      • Ilyushin IL-62
      • Ilyushin IL-86/IL-96
      • Tupolev TU-154B-2/M
  • 1:400 News
    • Model Blog
    • New Mould Samples >
      • JC Wings Boeing 747-400
      • NG Models >
        • A330-200/300
        • Airbus A330 Beluga XL
        • A350-900
        • Boeing 737-600/700/900
        • Boeing 737-800
        • Boeing B747SP
        • Comac ARJ21 - 1:200
        • Falcon 7X - 1:200
        • Gulfstream G550 - 1:200
        • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar
        • Lockeed Tristar 500
  • 1:400 Reviews
    • Detailed Mould Comparison >
      • Airbus A320neo
      • Airbus A330 Beluga XL
      • Airbus A330-900neo
      • Airbus A350-900
      • Boeing 777-300ER
    • 1:400 Model Reviews
    • Model Airliner.com Reviews
  • 1:600 SCALE
    • Schabak >
      • Schabak History 1982-2006
      • Schabak Airline Numbers
      • Schabak Wheel Variants
      • Schabak Window Variants
      • Schabak Decal Cracking
    • Schabak Moulds >
      • Airbus A300
      • Lockheed L-1011 Tristar
      • McDonnell Douglas DC-10
    • Schabak Non-airline Models
    • Silver Wings
  • Dioramas
    • As Real As It Gets 1:200
    • As Real As It Gets 1:400 >
      • Real As It Gets - Africa
      • Real As It Gets - Asia
      • Real As It Gets - China
      • Real As It Gets - Europe
      • Real As It Gets - Middle East
      • Real As It Gets - N America
      • Real As It Gets - Oceania
      • Real As It Gets - Russia
      • Real As It Gets - S America