2020: The 400 Scale Year In Review - Part 2

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.

To read what was discussed in part 1 see:

Year In Review Part 1

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I do feel that JC Wings do not get the level of attention they deserve in 400 scale. Indeed, they often get a fair amount of scorn, mainly for the leisurely release schedule they utilise. This is unfair as they power the production of Gemini Jets and have shown an impressive ability to produce new moulds and new ideas in this scale on par with NG Models.

HIGHS

• Innovation. JC Wings are responsible for some really great new features to 400 scale. Flaps down continues to be excellent and they have surpassed even NG with the open door on their Beluga XLs. Now, the addition of A320 component inserts for the mould looks like a winner. 

• New Moulds. Few manufacturers have been spending the sort of $ on mould production that JC has. In the past few years they've pioneered new A330-900, 777-200/300s, 777-9, 747-400, Beluga XL moulds and updated their A320s and A350s. All the best aspects of Gemini come from JC Wings making the moulds, but of course JC also make them for themselves and at least in the widebody realm the results have been excellent.

• Engagement. JC Wings has taken a leaf out of NG's book and has begun to communicate directly with collectors via Instagram. It is a welcome added level of transparency and engagement.

LOWS

• Release Times. It continues to be an issue and only a fool would pre-order JC releases. It's not just the waits but also the random order of releases. They are announced sometimes more than 12 months before release and then when they are actually released they slip out into the market with no fanfare at all so are easily missed. It makes little sense, but JC have shown no interest in doing anything about it.

• 747-400 Usage. So you take years to produce a new 747-400 and it looks great. What do you do with it? Almost nothing. In fact worse you release two models for third parties that are almost impossible to get (Cathay for Herpa and Thai for a Bangkok retailer), an out of the blue Virgin example and then announce a China Airlines version, which typically takes years to appear. It is a depressingly familiar pattern and shows that JC really don't know who their market is outside of China or how to market to them. Will the mould ever get proper usage? I doubt it.

• Releases Choices. More than anyone else JC releases seem super random. They compete against Phoenix for Asian models but outside of that what they produce is quite odd and piecemeal. Partly this is no doubt because of their relationship with Gemini and I can't help feel that if it weren't for that they might be able to do more than snip around the edges of core areas like Europe and North America. Basically the deal with Gemini holds them back, but I'm sure it is lucrative so I don't see it going anywhere.

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​Everybody loves NG Models (aside from some of the other brands) and in 2020 they have not only continued their growth but continued to keep collectors onside and engaged. This has been helped by producing some very impressive models, albeit at a premium price. They are easily the best 400 scale manufacturer at this juncture.

HIGHS

• The Models. It is simply true that they are producing the best printing and paint application on the best moulds. The models speak for themselves – they are almost universally excellent. They almost never score less than 27/30 in a mould review and that is because they are both subjectively and objectively great.

• The Friendliness. NG care, or at least are good at pretending to care. They have engaged the collectorate in a way nobody else has managed. They have stepped back slightly from direct customer engagement (partly no doubt because of the overwhelming response) but they still listen, engage, inform and try to do the right thing when things go wrong.

• New Moulds. NG seem to have limitless amounts of cash with which to produce new castings. 2020 brought along the Airbus A350 and Boeing 747SP plus the Comac ARJ21 in 200 scale. There is clearly a lot more in the pipeline on its way.

LOWS

• The price. It is high but you get what you pay for.

• The Fibbing. It is good PR but NG say yes to everyone, which leads to every single collector thinking they are being listened to. Yes, NG may say they’ll get around to making you a Spruce Goose but in reality, forever is a long time and just because they say yes don’t expect it to get made this decade. Plus, just because you asked for a model once doesn’t mean they made it for you. There are lots of collectors asking. They obviously do listen to collectors but they can’t make everything and replace everyone and I really hope they are ignoring a decent number of requests, which often make no sense at all.

• The Expectation. Sometimes it seems NG have set the bar too high even for themselves. Some of the expectation I see from collectors for 100% quality all the time and 100% responsiveness is way, way over the top. They are judged more harshly than many other brands who put in a lot less effort. Collectors need to keep their perspective.

• Quality Dips & Delays. There have been a few, although personally I haven’t seen any. I feel they are unusual and so get reported more frequently than those coming from brands with lower expectations on them. There have also been quite a few delays in the past month, which suggests NG are pushing at the limits of their capability to deliver.

• The Range. NG produce an impressive diversity of models but some of them are pretty random and I can’t believe are particularly needed. This obviously shows my bias but their tendency to say yes to everyone could do with a quality filter at times. Plus, they are making a lot more modern aircraft than they used to. I understand they want to compete against other brands for the big bucks but at least in the modern widebody arena there is quite a bit of duplication. Meanwhile more unique deserving, especially classic, releases are being ignored on the alter of sales and popularity.

• Tristar Famine. The NG Tristar is amazing but it hasn’t seen a lot of use this year with on average only something like 1 a month being made. Is it being crowded out by A330s and 787s or is it due to the unspecified issues with natural metal the mould apparently suffers from? I’m not sure but I want to see more L-1011s please.

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​The ructions over at Panda have continued into 2020 and even been name checked by themselves. I’m not sure what the situation is but clearly, they have been impacted ever since 2018 by issues. I have heard rumours of ownership changes but can’t verify this. Anyway, they have managed to release between 30 and 40 models this year, which isn’t dreadful but is a pale imitation of their earlier years. Fortunately the quality of their models remains high.

HIGHS

• Tu-134. A massive surprise and a massive success – at least in terms of the mould quality. The Aeroflot release is many people’s model of the year and it is hard to disagree with them. 

• Return of the 737-600. It’s great to see it back and great to see the list of remaining 737-600s to be made dwindling.

• Availability. Panda Models used to be super hard to source but now they are available through most of the usual retailers.

LOWS

• P-8. The Poseidon debuted a new 737-800 mould, which looks quite good but was itself a poor Poseidon – lacking the necessary details to really compete with Gemini. Check out the detailed review for the details.

• Tu-134 Production and Releases. There have clearly been substantial supply issues with the new Tupolevs and only 3 models have been announced, which isn’t a great return. Considering Panda’s past history on releases I really struggle to see them releasing the range of Tu-134s the market needs. I hope I am proved wrong.

• Choices. Panda have several great and new moulds that demand decent usage (I’m thinking the 737-300, 737-400 and Tu-134 especially). Unfortunately, they appear to be very much a Chinese company only really interested in working with Asian partners. The result is a focus on, what to the Western eye often seem, weird and annoying models, often of contemporary aircraft rather than the classics the moulds demand. The 737-400 is a great example. You have a new mould of a major 1990s type so what do you make? 2 obscure freighters and an Indonesian military jet and not Piedmont, British Midland, Qantas or something far more deserving.

• Cockpit printing. Panda seem to have forgotten how to print the cockpit windows on its Airbus A320s straight!

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Phoenix have always been a rather shadowy company that has never engaged with collectors but has nonetheless shown an impressive staying power, growing from one of the mystery meat brands into a 400 scale powerhouse. This strategy, which has served them so well, seems incredibly old-fashioned in 2020 but they continue to do what they do seemingly immune to praise or criticism - at least for now.

HIGHS

• Retro A330s/777s. You know you're getting on when these types can be considered classics but they are two of Phoenix's better moulds and have been used to make some very nice classic Asian widebodies - especially Thai Airways.

• Better 737 Cockpits. It may be damning with feint praise and the 737-700/800 mould as a whole is still quite poor but at least Phoenix has begun to learn how to print the cockpit windows in a vaguely passable manner.

• Solid Asian Widebodies. Phoenix's bread and butter are Asian airlines and to be fair although not exciting they produce solid reliable models, albeit with nowhere near the level of detail or skill that JC Wings, Aviation400, Panda or NG Models do.

LOWS

• No Innovation / No New Moulds. I'm struggling to think of a single new feature or new mould Phoenix introduced in 2020. Their mould catalogue is old and most of it obsolescent compared to competition. Fortunately for them it seems most collectors really are poorly informed or simply don't care about the quality of the models they buy. Only in 747-8s and A380s can Phoenix be considered top of class.

• Too Many 747s. Phoenix have no shame and keep on pumping out their awful 747-400 despite it being one of the worst 400 scale moulds ever made. Even worse once again people keep buying this drek. Why should Phoenix improve when collectors are clearly happy with rubbish?

• Diversity. It's a dirty word for Phoenix. They produce the same types of models month after month on the same small number of moulds (A320/21, A330, A350, A380, 737-800, 747-400, 777-200/300, 787). There is barely anything else made and when it is it is often shockingly bad (see the recent A300). If it isn't BA, KLM or an Asian airline Phoenix barely make it.

• No Soviets. Phoenix have a good Tupolev Tu-154 and an excellent Ilyushin Il-96 and neither ever get used. It is another example of what amounts to almost sabotage of the scale to leave these so poorly utilised, especially when there are plenty of 154s to be made.

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2021 - The Future

Aeroclassics

When you look at the current crop of manufacturers Aeroclassics clearly stands on its own. It produces models nobody else makes and I get the feeling that 99% of the people buying its models are regular purchasers. The plus side means it has a captive market, the minus side is it is aging and they don't stand much chance of growing sales without changing their strategy. As long as Andrew wants to continue to make models Aeroclassics will continue so I don't see them having much trouble in 2021 as long as that state of affairs remains. Thank Christ - as they remain a breath of fresh air. 

The Rest

It is with the remainder of the brands that the competition is happening and this is driven primarily by the increasing size of NG Models and to a lesser extent Aviation400. NG Models has the ambition, cash and the moulds to compete with anyone. They have already stated that they will be producing a lot more models in 2021 and introducing 10 new moulds!

If I was Phoenix and Gemini than I would be feeling the pressure. Having said that the former appear to have a substantial customer base in Asia and the latter a substantial one in the USA. NG's pivot towards more modern releases does however suggest that it will be taking the fight to both of the older brands in 2021 and Phoenix appear to be in the weaker position, especially as the Aviation400 A350, 777 and soon 787s will also be competing heavily against them.

Aside from NG, AV400 and possibly JC I don't see a lot of new material coming from elsewhere. Hopefully Panda will start to get some usage out of its new moulds and Phoenix appear to have given up the ghost on mould investment altogether. So, 2021 looks like it will feature continuing expansion of the newer brands at the expense of the older ones but I still suspect we will end the year with all 7 major brands about.