1/400 Model and Airport Blog

A Crusty Crusade: Tu-134 Wishlist

26/2/2021

A Tu-134 had been one of the holy grail missing moulds in 400 scale and now thanks to Panda Models it has arrived. Panda don't seem to know what to do with it though and in about a year have only produced 3 models using it, even though they have both major variants of the mould available. I know some of the partners of Panda are interested in making some 134s and I hope Panda are going to ramp up production too. Here's what they should be making.

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New Arrival: The Only SMA 747

21/2/2021

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I don't usually write blogposts about models I receive, aside from the detailed reviews, but occasionally I get a new model, which has that something special about it. A few days back I managed to pickup a United 747-123 in the Battleship Grey colours and this model is a little unique as it is the only 747 that was ever made by Seattle Model Aircraft Co (SMA).

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Aviation400 Looks to Update its 777 Tailcone

15/2/2021

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Aviation400 have been widely praised for their releases and attention to detail. They have also shown a keen interest in modifying their existing moulds to make them better. Currently they have a very nice Boeing 777-300ER mould, which competes well against the JC Wings and Phoenix versions. One of the few criticisms to be levelled at it is the shape of the distinctive wedge tailcone and that is an area they are looking at modifying.

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Tupolev Trijets: A Tu-154 Wishlist

18/1/2021

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Soviet era types have not been well represented in 400 scale recent years despite appearance of a Tu-104 and now a Tu-134. The re-emergence of the Tu-154 is very welcome, even if it is not a 100% modern mould. The 154 got far and way the most diverse usage of all Russian types and that means there are still plenty of core operators to be made.

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El Aviador 400 - Latin Classics

13/1/2021

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El Aviador is a company which has a standard webstore but also specialises in the production of 200 scale Latin classics airliners. It is based in Texas but its focus is definitely south of the border and since at least 2019 it has been using Inflight200 moulds to make an impressive array of A320s, 727s, 737s, 767s in the larger scale. It has now branched out into 400 scale and has 5 releases out, or in the pipeline.

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2020: The 400 Scale Year In Review - Part 2

7/1/2021

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Despite the complications thrown up by 2020 the world of 400 scale model aircraft continued on its way with barely a gap in releases and all the major brands survived the year. Nonetheless competition is clearly rising and how long can the marketplace sustain the addition of NG Models and Aviation400 along the incumbents? In part 2 I'll look at the year 2020 for the remaining four brands and look forward to what 2021 may hold.

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2020: The 400 Scale Year In Review - Part 1

4/1/2021

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With 2020 behind us I thought I’d take a look back at the year in 400 scale that was and pick out some salient points for discussion. Obviously for most it was a year best forgotten but in 400 scale it was actually a superb year. In general, the scale seems vibrant and healthy with some excellent innovation and models being made. In part 1 I take a look at 3 of the major brands.

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Musings On Some Phoenix Additions

15/12/2020

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For those that follow my work you'll know I often have cause to criticise Phoenix Models but that doesn't mean that they don't make fine models and that I don't buy any, although I admit in recent years the numbers have dwindled. This recent Black Friday did give me an opportunity to pick-up a trio of their older releases using one of their better castings - the Airbus A320. Let's take a look...

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Exclusive: Aviation400's Next New Mould

1/12/2020

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Aviation400 have been making some really high quality models for several years now. Over the past few months I've struck up a relationship with Aviation400 and my contact there has told me that they are nearing completion of their latest new mould in 400 scale. He has given me permission to show a few early photos of the sample mould. In this post I'll look back at AV400 and the what the new mould means for 400 scale.

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In Praise of Dragon Wings DC-10s

19/11/2020

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Dragon Wings get a lot of flak nowadays, especially from younger collectors. Some of this is warranted but a lot of it isn’t. For their time they were excellent models and many of their production remain really nice and more than capable of holding their own in any collection. I admit I have been gradually replacing old Dragon models as replacements become available but Waffle’s last collection sale gave me the opportunity to reassess my opinion of the Dragon DC-10 as there were four, I just couldn’t resist.

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Taobao Arrivals - Dream Air / Panda / NG Models

21/10/2020

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The Chinese market often gets releases well before those of us in the West and looking around Chinese sellers can often turn up new information and releases that you might otherwise miss out on. Checking around the past few days has turned up just such releases and announcements from Panda Models, Dream Air and NG Models.

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Local Service Airlines: Missing Models

14/10/2020

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The local service airlines had their routes in a postwar need for service to smaller communities and feeder routes into the the trunk services of the majors. Initially called simply 'Feeder Airlines' in July 1944 by the CAB they became known as 'Local Service' airlines when the survivors were certificated permanently in 1955. These airlines grew into majors over time and have had a decent representation in 400 scale, however there are significant gaps still to be filled.

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HC-053: 400 Scale Hangar's Latest Club Model

1/10/2020

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400 Scale Hangar (found at www.400scalehangar.net) is one of the original homes of 400 Scale on the web. Now under new ownership it is back producing, in partnership with Aeroclassics, the Hangar Club models that the site is famous for. Thanks to Paresh at 400SH I was recently able to purchase the latest Hangar Club offering – a really nice hybrid 727-22 made in very limited numbers.

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Indonesia Ahoy: Starting A New Collection

18/9/2020

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Given the number of models I own I really ought not to be starting new areas of the collection, but the post-deregulation period in developing nations has always been of real interest to me and Indonesia in particular is super interesting. In recent years there has been a nice selection of relatively obscure releases made, often in partnership with retailers, and even though I know I shouldn't have recently I started an Indonesian fleet too.

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Yu ModeLs & The Return of the Tu-154

12/9/2020

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I was alerted today by my good friend Minh Quân Nguyễn that some new Tupolev 154s had mysteriously appeared on taobao. A quick search revealed there were two new releases using the Aeroclassics mould, but not made by Aeroclassics. Indeed, they are being marketed as Yu ModeLs - a new brand in 1:400 scale. Read on to learn more...

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<<Previous

A Crusty Crusade: Tu-134 Wishlist

New Arrival: The Only SMA 747

Aviation400 Looks to Update its 777 Tailcone

Tupolev Trijets: A Tu-154 Wishlist

El Aviador 400 - Latin Classics

2020: The 400 Scale Year In Review - Part 2

2020: The 400 Scale Year In Review - Part 1

Musings On Some Phoenix Additions

Exclusive: Aviation400's Next New Mould

In Praise of Dragon Wings DC-10s

Taobao Arrivals - Dream Air / Panda / NG Models

Local Service Airlines: Missing Models

HC-053: 400 Scale Hangar's Latest Club Model

Indonesia Ahoy: Starting A New Collection

Yu ModeLs & The Return of the Tu-154

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