2020: The 400 Scale Year In Review - Part 1

​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.

My Collecting

​At the time of writing, I have acquired only 112 new models in 2020 (although December’s Aeroclassics and NG releases are still incoming and will push that number up to 126). I say only because the year before I acquired 137 models and the year before that 165. This decline is down to a few factors but probably the most pressing has been the increased cost involved.

​Not only have model prices increased quite substantially in the last couple of years but also the exchange rate between New Zealand and the USA has not been going in the ‘right’ direction. Anyway, I understand that I am still lucky to be able to carry on buying models at all. Thankfully New Zealand has handled the pandemic exceptionally well and my job has not, as of yet, been impacted.

​In terms of what I bought it is a familiar story. My collecting criteria focuses on classic airliners (i.e., pre-2000) of almost any kind and modern Chinese airlines. Naturally then Aeroclassics and NG Models feature the most in my acquisitions.

That of course doesn’t mean they necessarily make the best models and as always my advice on that topic can be read at this page.

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Brand by Brand Review

It is of course the brands that make the models that make the scale and so when looking at 2020 it is valuable to take a look at each brand and see what they've been up to, what they've done well and what they haven't. I'm going to try and keep this brief and going alphabetically in part 1 I'll cover Aeroclassics, Aviation400 and Gemini Jets.

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​2020 was a truly superb year for Aeroclassics who, presumably thanks to their stable base of collectors, seem to have survived the awkward transition to their own sales site aeroclassicsdirect. The service I have received from the new site has been excellent and nobody produces the range of models that Aeroclassics does. Their mould catalogue usage and airline diversity is unparalleled, plus they produce a healthy 10-12 models per month every month.

HIGHS

• A Spectacular Range. Nobody else is making airlines from Surinam, Nepal, Guatemala, Uruguay, the Bahamas, Zimbabwe etc and still producing a great range of more common nations but still with a rich diversity of airlines.

• Returning Moulds. The return of the Boeing 727-100 and 747-100/200 castings has been most welcome. Yes, they may not be quite 2020 standard moulds but they are more than good enough. While you dream of what NG may make Aeroclassics has delivered.

• Holy-grails. Andrew has a focus on filling the gaps in his collection and that works well for me. He’s been making many a holy grail this year and often creating replacements for old inferior or hard to get early versions from other manufacturers.

• Return of the Hangar Club. It’s good to see this old 400 scale staple reborn.

LOWS

• Quality. The factory still has some work to do to match the ability of yester-year. To often there is poor paint application (over-printing etc) and sloppy research.

• Prop-less. The relative absence of props is concerning. They just don’t seem to sell as well as jets, which is a damn shame. Of my Aeroclassics purchases this year I’ve got most of the prop releases (3 of 4 FH-227s, 3 of 3 DC-6s, 0 of 2 DC-4s and 1 of 1 L-1649s) but I suspect I am unusual. Aeroclassics is the only brand regularly making props and they are a vital part of the scale.

• Lack of Aerials. I know, I know it’s never going to happen

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Aviation400 have continued to make inroads into 400 scale in 2020 and gained a solid reputation that has elevated them close to NG for many. The models are good and they have displayed real innovation. With the upcoming 787 series they clearly have an interest in competing in 2021 but can they manage their releases alongside other priorities for the Inflight factory in which they are made?

HIGHS

• A330MRTTs. The Aviation400 A330 is nothing special, but Aviation400 have shown a real eye for detail and their announcement and releases of a series of A330 tanker transports has been a masterstroke. The fabulous detail and myriad additions elevates these models to the front rank. Although others have emulated what they started, with the Boris Force One, it was AV400 that led the way.

• Incremental Improvements. Like NG AV400 have shown a willingness to modify their moulds incrementally highlighting their keen eye for detail and interest in being the best. Often the changes are subtle and go largely un-noticed (like the colour change for the A350 gears) but it shows a brand trying to excel and is commendable.

• Expanding the Range. Aviation400 is clearly not NG Models and so its expansion has been slower, however the new moulds it has been producing have been improvements over what was around before. The new 777-300ER for example is a great mould and competes well against the top dog 777 (that's the JC Wings by the way).

LOWS

• Wait Times. Sometimes it can take 3-6 months for an AV400 release to appear. They almost always do but the wait is not great. At least you know you'll be getting a quality model when it does show up.

• Limited Range. AV400 would have perhaps made a bigger splash with collectors if it hadn't focused so much on the Chinese home market. This is a reflection of how important that market is nowadays and AV400 has recently begun to expand out and compete more directly with Phoenix and Gemini. I suspect this will be an increasing factor in their 2021 production. Also of course AV400 only has a few moulds - A330s, A340s, A350s and 77Ws.

• Narrowbodies. AV400 has focused entirely on widebody jets, which no doubt sell better than narrowbodies. It is however in the narrowbody sphere where there is a range of lower quality moulds and a new regularly used A320 or 737 could kill off inferior Phoenix and JC / Gemini moulds. I'd rather AV400 worked in this space than NG Models did myself.

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Gemini Jets aren't my choice for most of my models but still produce a reliable set of releases and still have great brand visibility, especially in the USA. They are however still primarily focused on the corporate market, which is less competitive than the collector scene. This lends them a rather conservative style. I'd be interested to understand how they've been impacted by the encroachment of NG Models into their space but overall they seem to have still done fine in 2020.

HIGHS

• Militaria. Gemini are one of few manufacturers producing true military releases and it is an area they excel in. They have decent moulds for types like the C-5, C-17 and now the A400M. Even better the new P-8 Poseidons look excellent and are a massive improvement over the competing Panda Models versions.

• Interactive Series. Whilst Gemini can rarely be accused of being particularly exciting the interactive series of 747s is a space where they have shown genuine innovation.

• Keeping On. What I consider often boring releases a lot of collectors lap up. I am not blinkered enough not to notice this and there is no doubt that Gemini continue to fill a major role if you are looking for modern US jets and aren't too picky about the mould quality. How long this can continue is anyone's guess.

• The Odd Classic. There is still an inkling of the old Gemini in their somewhere and especially near the start of the year there were a few surprising an interesting 'classic' releases slipped out. Nobody was going to guess a Safair Hercules would be made or a Malev Il-62 or a Dan Air HS748. It's good to see the odd classic still gets a release or two.

LOWS

• Old, Old Moulds. Gemini just don't seem to care about using old long obsolete moulds. Sometimes this makes sense (see the recent Concorde) but in areas of high competition (777s, 787s, 747-400s) why do they persist in using their old moulds when far superior JC Wings moulds exist they could use. Oddly when they do need a flaps-down version of a model they do switch to the JC version but only to revert back to their old mould again later on. It is peculiar and smacks of arrogance and disinterest in standards.

• Build Quality. I don't buy enough Geminis to notice but from what I see on social media construction is an issue for Gemini. People are regularly complaining about parts detaching. It's not a good look.

• Diversity. Gemini simply don't make that many models but even so it is super-frustrating to see fabulous moulds like the MD-80, CV-580, One Eleven 500, DHC-8, Shorts 360 etc go unused for so long. They could really make some unique models here and often for slamdunk airlines that would sell no problem. Yet they do not. Why? They just don't seem to care. I haven't got any other explanation for it.

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In part 2 I'll look at the remaining major 400 scale brands: JC Wings, NG Models, Panda Models and Phoenix Models plus take a look at what 2021 may bring.