News from China: Latest Announcements from HYJLwings, Panda and Yu ModeL

It can be a challenge to keep up with some of the more obscure under the radar releases that often barely get outside of China, so I want to thank some of my friends for alerting me to a selection of new releases that have recently been announced. They include a selection of Chinese airlines from HYJLwings and Panda but also something for Canadian fans and a classic from Yu ModeL. Read on for the details...

2023 1st Half Juneyao Trio

It was last October that I most recently wrote about HYJLwings - a brand which uses NG Models moulds for a selection of almost exclusively Chinese and Canadian models. Since then they have made a few announcements but have become a challenge to keep a track of as their models seem to be selling out on pre-order and sometimes I never see images of the actual models.

Three Juneyao Airlines A321s were announced earlier in the year and all were seemingly sold out pretty much before they arrived. I haven't seen images of the two special schemes, which is a shame as they both look like models I'd have wanted to buy.

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HYJLwings August Announcements - China & Canada

Now HYJL has just made the announcement of a fairly varied set of 9 more models using the A321, A350, 737-800 and, for the first time, 737 MAX-8 moulds. Seven of the models are Chinese but only five are mainland Chinese. The models are:

Oddly there have only been a pair of China Eastern new colours 737-800s previously in the scale - both from Panda Models. One of this new pair has the titles of the China Eastern Yunnan division.

​Two of the Zhejiang Loong Air A321s wear the special colours celebrating the 19th Asian Games - to be held at Hangzhou in September 2023 after being postponed from 2022. Loong Air is itself based in Hangzhou. It is a really nice scheme. The other Loong Air A321 wears standard colours and that aircraft / livery combo was made recently by Panda Models.

The other two aircraft from 'China' are actually Taiwanese and China Airlines. Neither registration has been made before and the A350 represents the first CI A350 using the NG models mould.

The last two models announced represent unique Canadian 737 MAX-8s in the colours of Swoop and Lynx:

What is interesting about this HYJLwings set are the production numbers as HYJL are one of the few brands that publish them. Historically they've made quite small runs but the runs for these are surprisingly large. There are 150 units of the China Airlines and Lynx MAX but 299 of each of the China Eastern and Swoop 737s and apparently 399 of each of the Hangzhou A321s!

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It's not just HYJLwings though making local specials. A pair of Panda 737-800s have also been announced with the brand 'Panda x Binary Star' associated with them. One is a China Eastern Yunnan 'Peacock' 737-800 (possibly the same as the recently announced NG 'Orange' 737. The other looks like a fantasy China Southern 'Oneworld alliance' colours series 800. As far as I'm aware CZ hasn't joined Oneworld yet and this aircraft doesn't therefore wear this scheme. As for Binary Star I don't know who they are.

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Lastly, Yu ModeL have been quite of recent and it seems neither of the announced JC Wings sourced models (CAAC MD-80 and China Eastern Hercules) from last October have made an appearance. Presumably they're caught up in the usual JC Wings backlog?

However, another model has appeared and this one is obviously sourced from Aeroclassics. It is a China Airlines SE-210 Caravelle. Information is limited and it isn't possible to even find the listing on taobao. Nonetheless, the box gives it away as a Yu release. Aeroclassics last made one of these in 2002.