HYJLwings: Phase 2 |
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When HYJLwings failed to release a single model in 2019 it appeared that the brand was dead, but it was actually only sleeping. It would reappear in April 2020 and continue releasing models into late 2023, using a wider portfolio of moulds from the NG catalogue, as well as its own A321. Nonetheless, even though the brand came with an all new logo it was seemingly not as independent as it had been previously and was a lot more dependent on NG. This dependence seems to be a central reason behind its eventual demise, but its assets have seemingly been distilled into the new brand AeroPolaris - so in a small way HYJL lives on.
PHASE TWO
HYJL reappeared with a new runway inspired logo:
HYJL RETURNS
The HYJLwings A321 mould had seemingly passed to NG Models in 2020, which began to use the mould in January that year and made 18 A321s across the year. However, in April HYJLwings reappeared and announced a trio of new A321s itself. What was slightly curious about the trio in hindsight was that one was the Cathay Pacific NEO B-HPB, a model that would itself be released by NG a year later. This mirroring of releases would increasingly be something that would be seen between NG and HYJL over the coming years. I covered the return of HYJL here at the site:
Above: This Cathay Dragon A321NEO was a really nice new release only mirrored by a much inferior JC Wings version.
The part numbering of the A321s continued on from where it had left off, aside from a few missing seemingly unused part numbers, but would in time be reformatted from HYJL810XX to HY2100XX. Even so, the end number component of the part would continue, with the last being HY210092. In total there would be a further 26 A321s made, mostly NEOs.
Release coverage continued to focus largely on Chinese airlines. The only releases not for Chinese mainland airlines were examples for Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Starlux, Australia Post and Air Canada, plus a house colours XLR.
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737NGs
Along with the brand return and A321s, HYJL also announced a series of 737-800s using the NG Models mould. Over time 9 models would be announced, all for major Chinese airlines. The first 3 were Xiamen examples from 2020, with the remainder being Air Chinas in 2022 and China Eastern in 2023. Alongside the Next Gens a pair of MAXs would be created, in 2023, for the Canadian market as some of the last releases under the HYJL brand.
During this period I continued to cover HYJL here at the site as you can see from this article:
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WIDEBODIES
HYJL also took the opportunity to use the newer NG A330 and A350 moulds, but only four models were released (1 Air Canada A330 and 3 Chinese A350s), all in 2022 and 2023. By this time the HYJL releases were really indistinguishable from NG Models standard releases. The packaging had long ago reverted to the usual style of cardboard box and plastic insert and most of the extras (glove and taxiway section) had disappeared. The limited edition collectors card did remain.
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COMPETITION FROM NG & THE END OF HYJL
As I mentioned a lot of what differentiated HYJL from NG Models had gone away by 2021. NG Models themselves were a lot bigger and more successful and somewhat oddly appeared to be effectively competing against HYJLwings themselves, even though they made the models for HYJL. To a degree this was explainable by the fact that the HYJL releases were basically only available in China, whereas NGs are available worldwide. Of course the issue is that NG are also available in China too! When you look at the HYJL releases in this second phase there is an uncomfortable amount of release mirroring going on.
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Both NG Models and HYJLwings made Xiamen Airlines, China Southern standard clrs, China Southern (International Consumer Products Expo), Cathay Pacific, Juneyao Airlines, 2 Loong Air (Asian Games) and Airbus House F-WXLR A321s within a year of each other. They also both made Xiamen Skyteam, Swoop and Lynx 737s. A lot of this duplication can be seen in the last 2023 sets announced:
Below: This A321 from HYJL was so difficult to get that I was glad when NG re-released it under their own brand
I admit, that as a Westerner this duplication has sometimes been helpful, as I found these later HYJLwings releases harder to acquire, even on Taobao, but it must have impacted sales for HYJL and somewhat damaged the trust between the two brands. From what I've heard it was a major factor in the decrease in HYJL production and I get the feeling that NG themselves no longer felt they needed HYJL since they had grown so much themselves.
The last HYJL releases were announced in August 2023 and indeed the pair of Canadian 737 MAXs actually arrived on the scene after the NG versions had been released.
THE LAST HURRAH
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One of the very last HYJL releases created was a very special type of model. Indeed I don't think there has ever been anything like this made in 400 scale before. I'm of course talking about the Air Transat C-GITS Azores Glider model, which had been announced in late 2022. I covered the release and all its add-on components at the site here, but barely ever saw it for sale. However now I look I can still see it listed on the HYJLwings site and costs RMB 1699 (roughly $235.82). It must be the most expensive and extravagant model ever made in 400 scale.
THE END & A NEW BEGINNING?
HYJLwings didn't announce any models in 2024, but did celebrate the Chinese New Year on their Instagram. It was mid-year when the announcement was made that they would stop producing models, but in October it was announced that a new brand called AeroPolaris would be starting up using the social media assets of HYJL:
'We are proud to announce the birth of a new high-end sub-brand under the HYJLwings brand - AeroPolaris! 🌟
As a member of the HYJLwings family, AeroPolaris will continue our dedication to quality and heritage of craftsmanship, focusing on creating higher-end and more detailed 1:400 scale static aircraft models for aviation enthusiasts and collectors around the world. Each product will present unparalleled exquisite details, allowing you to appreciate the pinnacle beauty of aviation art.
Stay tuned to see how AeroPolaris will open a new legendary chapter based on HYJLwings! ✈️💫'
As a member of the HYJLwings family, AeroPolaris will continue our dedication to quality and heritage of craftsmanship, focusing on creating higher-end and more detailed 1:400 scale static aircraft models for aviation enthusiasts and collectors around the world. Each product will present unparalleled exquisite details, allowing you to appreciate the pinnacle beauty of aviation art.
Stay tuned to see how AeroPolaris will open a new legendary chapter based on HYJLwings! ✈️💫'
As far as I'm aware this new brand is not really related to the former HYJL at all, but is a new company. So far they have promised quite a bit, but only delivered a few 737-800s using a clone of the NG Models mould. I've written about them a few times so it'll be interesting to see what they get up to:
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