1:400 scale outside of the big 4 is full of shady and enigmatic manufacturers but few have been so mysterious as the reborn BigBird (should we call them BigBird Mk3?). They reappeared out of nowhere in December 2014 with great promise but have failed to deliver very much in the past 3 years. Indeed in 2017 they didn't manage a single release. So who are they and what should they be getting up to?

There has been some big and potentially exciting news going on over at wings900, although since that site is barely alive I imagine few have noticed. There is a 'new' manufacturer who has gone onto the forum and announced they are making a new 757 in 1:400 scale. Even better they've backed up the talk with photos of a finished prototype. So who are they and what is going on?

Comac's new challenger to the supremacy of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, the C919, looks on paper as if it'll be a big success with 716 'orders'. The reality is that it is unlikely the majority of these aircraft will ever be built, however it surely can't be less successful than its Comac stablemate the ARJ-21? Either way its Chinese and new and so it is getting a mould in 1:400 scale and here are the first release photos of the new moulding.

It is unusual for Phoenix to look beyond Asia and a small core of other major operators let alone look at a British leisure airline. So it was quite surprising that their November announcements included a pair of Jet2 737NGs. To say Phoenix 737s have been a disappointment in 2017 is an understatement so what have they made of this pair? The models are out and here quickly I take a look at what they have produced.

With the increasing number of 1:400 scale releases every month by the now 6 major brands in this scale it is small wonder that there have been some new ideas being introduced into the marketplace. Aside from altering the moulds themselves in terms of liveries the two newest trends have been for nosecone special schemes and pre-delivery primer aircraft. Whether you consider this innovative or a cash grab to create more model variants is up to you, but let's take a look at what has been made.

1:400 Scale is getting really crowded. Of course there are the big boys (Gemini Jets, JC Wings, Phoenix and Aeroclassics) but Panda Models is also staking a claim. In addition there are niche players like Skywings, Dream Air and HYJLwings often, but not always, using moulds from Panda and JC Wings. Now we have another player with the return of Aviation400. It's game on!

Nearly a year ago I reported on the return of Inflight400, but then it all went quiet. Now they have finally returned but not as Inflight400. Instead they are Aviation400. The models they had announced were pretty run of the mill so it is a huge surprise that one of their first releases is a CAAC Concorde fantasy model!

I am late to the party I admit it but last week whilst I was on hols a new and  historically important classic mould was announced in 1:400 scale by a new manufacturer. This was the world's first jet airliner in regular sustained commercial service (if you discount the Comet 1 for it's early service withdrawal) - the Tupolev Tu-104 'Camel'.

When in August Aeroclassics announced new modern GSE sets for a pair of Chinese A330s I was excited. I have a large Chinese airport model, plus really like the classic GSE sets Aeroclassics produce so surely these would be awesome additions to my collection? Sadly it is not to be. To say I'm disappointed in these sets is an understatement. Let's take a look at why.

Ground service equipment (GSE) is a must for anybody building an airport diorama of any size. Most of the major manufacturers have also created GSE sets in the past and in May this year Aeroclassics re-entered this space with a series of DC-8s released complete with 15 part GSE sets. In this first part I review these classic GSE sets.

There can't be many airports in the world nowadays that regularly handle mainline jets that don't get an Airbus A320 series aircraft visiting. From Bhutan to Buenos Aires, Calgary to Christchurch and Denver to Dalian you're going to see the aircraft family that made Airbus the force it is today. The aircraft that indeed has forced two competitive responses from Boeing. This of course also means that 1/400 scale is swimming in Airbus A320s, but alas they are not all equal. As I did for the A330, back in March, in this post I aim to look at the current A320 moulds and see which cuts the mustard.

Back in December 2016 I asked the question who are HYJLwings? That has now been answered as I have made contact with their founder. They are a semi-independent brand run by a Chinese student, studying in Canada, that has utilised a mixture of Panda Models', JC-wings' and its own moulds on 13 1/400s and 3 announced 1/200s so far. I also mentioned back in December that an A321 was in the works and it now looks like it is imminent in both current and new engine option variants.

Back in late December I wrote a blog post about a new player in the field of die-cast airliners called HYJLwings. At the time I had limited information about just who they were but since then I have made contact with their owner and can announce that they have an exciting new endeavour in a new scale for them – the first Bombardier CRJ-100/200 ever in the larger 1/200 scale.