NG have just released a lot of the photos for their September announcements, which is in itself a surprise given their recent history. It also gives the first opportunity to look at an NG Models Lite product in comparison with a standard NG Models release, since the two Southwest MAXes announced last month had been released previously. So what are the differences between the two?
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 Indonesia is a hotbed of retailer exclusives thanks to Harry's Diecast and increasingly Airshop Diecast. Kenney at Airshop Diecast has built a great business and strong relationships with both Panda Models and JC Wings. Over the past few weeks no less than 6 exclusives have arrived at his store covering a wide range of Indonesian aviation.
 Given the general improvement in 400 scale models in the past 6 or 7 years new releases can sometimes look a lot better than old ones. If you've been collecting a long time then that will likely pose an increasing issue for you as new releases of models you already own are re-released. The dilemma then becomes should you replace the old version with what you hope is an upgrade or should you stick with what you have?
 Inflation has been a serious issue for the World economy in recent times, even when you don't take into account your Prime Minister trying to tank the economy. This has led to price rises everywhere and, although inflation rates in the US have been relatively sedate compared to the UK, Gemini Jets latest releases, announced yesterday, come with a hefty price tag increase attached to them.
 The Chinese market for 400 scale is showing an impressive level of diversity in 2024 with a variety of sources utilising Panda Models and JC Wings as OEMs to make their own models. Mostly their products can be found on Taobao stores in China but that doesn't mean they are not of the highest quality and for a Chinese collector like myself, quite sought after.
For a long time it seemed Phoenix was content to just churn out the same old Asian models on weak moulds ad infinitum, while more active newer brands stole their marketshare. That is no longer the case. In the past year Phoenix have shown commendable agility, and have pivoted towards a wider diversity, of often classic models. They have also updated several moulds and now they are going to be making a type all new to 400 scale - the Ilyushin Il-96-400.
 It was way back in October 2022 that HYJLwings announced they would be making a model of the Air Transat A330 C-GITS that as Flight 236 ran out of fuel over the Atlantic in August 2001 and glided all the way to the Azores. Now I see some images of the final product I can see why that is the case! If you thought NG's 'Ultimate Collection' packaging was premium wait until you see this!
JC Wings has a huge mould back catalogue thanks to it being formed from the brands Blue Box and Jet-X, plus making a lot of new moulds over the past 16 or so years, plus acquiring the BigBird / Witty Wings / Apollo mould catalogue as well. Some of these old moulds are excellent and some are a lot less so. One that definitely falls into the latter category is the Airbus A300, but that hasn't stopped Gemini Jets from finding the old casting, dusting it off, upgrading it a little and releasing a new Emirates version on it.
 Every now and then some weird 400 scale models appear advertising something not airline related. In 2021 there was the Bruce Lee inspired 'Be water, my friend' 747-400 using the JC Wings mould and now the Hong Kong store Tiny has followed that up with another 747-400 on the JC Wings mould in the colours of the bumbling British character Mr Bean, played by Rowan Atkinson.
 With increasing regularity new brands are appearing in 400 scale in China and it can be a challenge to work out who they are and where their models come from. Just recently another new brand has appeared, calling itself YY Wings and using what looks like a new Boeing 747-8I mould. With the help of some friends I've been able to do a bit of digging on them.
 The number of manufacturers in 400 scale has remained fairly static since 2018 but the number of brands that have appeared has gone up a lot. Mostly these new brands utilise either Panda Models or JC Wings for their production and several have the intention of moving to their own production facilities in time. The latest is a new brand that has been recently active in 200 scale and is now moving into 400 scale too. They are called Patriot Models.
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I'm Richard Stretton, an aviation enthusiast and major collector of 400 scale model aircraft. This blog discusses ongoing events in the world of 400 scale. This site is free. Please donate to keep it going.
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