1/400 Model and Airport Blog

Asian Exclusives - Thailand / Philippines / Japan

19/6/2021

Increasingly, and a little annoyingly, it seems 400 scale releases are being made for specific retailers in specific localities. Don't get me wrong it's great that people can get models made but it's a pain when they aren't well publicised and/or almost impossible to get hold of. Here's a quick roundup of some models you may have missed from this year made exclusively for markets in Asia.

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Malaysia's MyHobbyHouse Exclusives

18/6/2021

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In recent times Asia has been a hotbed of exclusive releases for retailers and one of the most prolific has been the well known Malaysian store MyHobbyHouse, which continues to produce an interesting range of models from JC Wings, Panda and Phoenix for the Malaysian market. In this post I'll take a look at the latest and what they have coming up.

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Panda Models Chinese New Year Releases

14/6/2021

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Fantasy releases are not usually my cup of tea but I just acquired one from a short series of them which are quite interesting. There aren't that many models made by brands, which partly illustrate the brand itself (the Schuco Concorde comes to mind) however for 4 years Panda Models produced an annual release celebrating themselves and Chinese New Year.

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French Flair: A SE-210 Caravelle III/VI-N/VI-R Wishlist

13/6/2021

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The Caravelle is back in 400 scale with Aeroclassics dusting off their mould for a new run of French built twinjets. The first month brought Iberia, Catair and Swissair but there's plenty more to be done even if just looking at the marks that the Aeroclassics mould can be used for. Here's a fairly comprehensive listing taking you from Europe to SE Asia, South America and beyond!

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It's Just Like Watching Peru

28/5/2021

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Latin classics always appear in high demand and until recently it has only been Aeroclassics that made them at all regularly. Now El Aviador is on the scene in 400 scale we can look forward to hopefully a lot more. Just recently there have been a selection of Peruvian releases and they have all sold like hot cakes. In fact, while people have zeroed in on that Gemini Delta CRJ I'd say it has been a lot harder to find a Faucett DC-8!

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Shades of Battleship Grey

14/5/2021

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Getting the colours correct on model aircraft can be a major challenge, especially when the livery in question is historic. The United Battleship Grey scheme is perhaps the most problematic scheme to make. With NG Models recently joining the fray with their United 747SP I wanted to take a look at some of the different greys that have been used.

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Check Your Gemini Qantas 747SPs

10/5/2021

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I own over 2,200 400 scale models and 252 of those are Gemini releases. On the whole they are decent models, however there is a worrying trend for a small number of Gemini's from relatively recently to show degradation over time. I was checking out my Qantas 747SP recently, as with the new NG Models versions upcoming I was considering selling it, and sadly I came across just this problem.

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Panda Models May 2021 Announcements - 737-400s and Tu-134s

6/5/2021

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Panda Models are something of an enigma and they make at least as many models for others as they do under their own brand name. You're never sure when they'll announce new models or what they'll be but they have several excellent new moulds for narrowbodies that are crying out for usage and this month the four models announced are awesome.

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The Big 400 Scale Survey Pt2: You & Your Collecting

1/5/2021

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Onto Part 2 of the Big 400 Scale Survey.This part is all about YOU: your collection, what you care about and what you'd like to see.

If we can get a similar 500+ response as part 1 got then I think the results could prove useful to the manufacturers and maybe help guide some of their decision making in the future.

Have your say, and just maybe make a difference in 400 scale, using the link below:

Survey Pt2: You & Your Collecting

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The Big 400 Scale Survey Pt1: Manufacturers & Brands

28/4/2021

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I am keen to get a better understanding of collector's opinions and collecting habits. I will be happy to share the data that I gather, which I hope to be a true reflection of what collector's think.

To that end this week I will be launching 3 surveys, which should take 2-3 minutes each to fill out each. It is open to anyone and everyone to have their opinion.

Part 1 focuses on 10 quick questions about Manufacturers and Brands. Please click the link to take the survey:

Survey Pt1: Manufacturers & Brands

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Jet Hut: The De Agostini Connection?

22/4/2021

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Since I published about the new brand Jet Hut yesterday it has become evident that they are the same, or connected to the same, people who are making the magazine / model series published by De Agostini in Japan, covering the history of Japan Air Lines. This opens up some exciting and potentially massive possibilities so before I look at the model they sent let's investigate a bit further.

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Jet Hut: A New 400 Brand Making Aviation Easy

21/4/2021

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Recently I was asked by NG Models whether I was interested in taking a look at a new 787 mould by a new manufacturer and brand in 400 scale they were assisting. I obviously said yes, but before I get into that NG made it very clear that they had nothing to do with the manufacture of the model and it was NOT going to be like any other 400 scale model being made in 2021. Let me explain.

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Auckland Hobbies Fair Comes Good

16/4/2021

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In my experience New Zealanders on the whole are not big aviation fans, certainly their love for cars and trains eclipses aircraft. There are fairly regular hobby fairs in my home city of Auckland but historically there hasn't been much of anything in 400 scale present and what there has is usually horrifically overpriced. This last fair however proved an exception.

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Short 757ski: A Tu-204-300 Wishlist

6/4/2021

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It isn't often I get to do a wishlist for an aircraft that had only ten units built - perhaps there's hope for a Dassault Mercure yet! Anyway the short version of the Tu-204 the Tu-204-300 (or Tu-234) has only worn a few liveries and here's a comprehensive look at all of them - I think.

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Lost Potential: A TU-204-100 Wishlist

2/4/2021

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The Tupolev Tu-204 was robbed of a Tu-154 style production run by the collapse of the Soviet Union, which is a real shame as it appears to be a decent aircraft broadly in line with Western contemporaries at the dawn of the 90s. In the end although the aircraft has had a 30-year production run only around 90 aircraft were made. Even so, the type has appeared in a surprising number of liveries which we'll hopefully be seeing on NG Models releases soon.

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<<Previous

Asian Exclusives - Thailand / Philippines / Japan

Malaysia's MyHobbyHouse Exclusives

Panda Models Chinese New Year Releases

French Flair: A SE-210 Caravelle III/VI-N/VI-R Wishlist

It's Just Like Watching Peru

Shades of Battleship Grey

Check Your Gemini Qantas 747SPs

Panda Models May 2021 Announcements - 737-400s and Tu-134s

The Big 400 Scale Survey Pt2: You & Your Collecting

The Big 400 Scale Survey Pt1: Manufacturers & Brands

Jet Hut: The De Agostini Connection?

Jet Hut: A New 400 Brand Making Aviation Easy

Auckland Hobbies Fair Comes Good

Short 757ski: A Tu-204-300 Wishlist

Lost Potential: A TU-204-100 Wishlist

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This site is free. Please donate to keep it going.