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I don't acquire that many Gemini Jets models anymore, they just don't make a lot that interests me, so I tend to do a detailed review of everyone I get. This wasn't intended to be a detailed review, but there has been some discussion of the United 737 release so I thought I'd put down my thoughts about it and it has kind of turned into one.
This year has marked the twentieth anniversary of 1:400 scale and several manufacturers (notably Gemini Jets and Aeroclassics) have been celebrating their 20th year in business. Meanwhile relative newcomer NG Models has been slowly getting its Tristar production into gear, which gives an opportunity to compare some models from the dawn of the scale with some from recent month's.
Lockheed Tristars are coming thick and fast in 1:400 scale in 2019 with two new and active standard length moulds now in the market since mid-2018 and a third on the way soon. The present pair are made by JC Wings / Gemini Jets and, most recently, Lockness Models (note it isn't Lochness Models - that defeats the purpose of the pun). Considering these two are both active now it pays to compare them to each other and that is what I'll do here.
Few airlines are as synonymous with an aircraft type as American has been with the McDonnell Douglas MD-80, or Super 80, as they preferred to call it for many years. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for any 1:400 scale model manufacturer and the type remains one of the most poorly represented major aircraft types in this scale.
 You'd have to have been asleep for most of the year by now to have avoided the discussion that has been started by NG Models. They have been more proactive and friendly than any other 1:400 scale manufacturer and have firmly backed up their words with deeds. The effect on the 757 in this scale has been impressive. Not only have they created an excellent mould for the type but they have stimulated JC Wings/Gemini Jets to update their old mould and at the same time shared the NG 757 with Aeroclassics.
 In part 1 I began to look at the 4 extant 787-9 moulds and gradually work through the features of each assigning scores. At the halfway point the JC Wings mould was out in front by a small margin. After concentrating on the nose, landing gear and engines in part 1 in this part we turn to the wings, and rest of the fuselage.
 As of November 2018 there have been 142 Boeing 787-9s made in 1:400 scale by 5 manufacturers and given the popularity of the type, the publicity around Dreamliners in general and the selection of popular special schemes being used on the type it is surely one of the most hotly contested aircraft types in this scale. Of course the spur for this post is the arrival of a new 787-9 mould from NG Models. How does that alter the equation?
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I'm Richard Stretton: a fan of 1/400 scale model aircraft and airports. This blog reports work on my model airport dioramas and discussion of the model manufacturers output. Archives
May 2020
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