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?
I have previously covered off what NG Lite is at the Youtube channel, so if you haven't seen that check the video out here:
At the time it was a little unclear whether it was just a gimmick to shift the incorrect 747-100s they had made (which featured the wrong wings), but it does appear that it really was a genuine idea and September's announcements included the two Southwest retro MAXes - N871HK and N872CB:
Both of these models were released in Jan/Feb 2023 as the first pair of NG Models MAX releases, so their release as NG Lite models gives an opportunity to look at what the difference between the two is.
PRICING
The first big difference is price. The below prices were taken from prominent US and UK retailers for new 737 MAX releases and show that the NG Lite price is about $10 cheaper in the US and £14 cheaper in the UK. A substantial discount:
Looking at the actual models using NG's own releases the differences between the two releases becomes clearer. Comparing these two a first thing to mention is that NG has definitely modified the colours of N871HK with the new release and the main body tone is definitely a lot better (although the orange isn't). That isn't something that impacts this analysis however.
Here are shots of the new NG Lite versions:
COMPARISON​Here are shots of the models side by side with the earlier NG standard versions (as I said ignore the colour difference on N871HK):
So what are the differences? Here is an annotated diagram illustrating most of them for N871HK:
The differences mainly fall into three categories:
In close up the differences are more obvious with door hinges, radome line, blocked out windows etc missing from the NG Lite version:
Even so, in many areas the printing is still quite detailed (doors, windows, livery details). It almost has an Aeroclassics feel to it (although the print is definitely superior to what AC typically manage) but the model is still significantly cheaper than an Aeroclassics release too.
Summary
Personally, I don't have a strong opinion about this. The NG Lite models look good but lack some aspects that I would want with my purchased models. Then again, the price drop is significant and the Lite model still looks very good. Given the high and increasing cost of 400 scale models an entry level product like this is probably a good idea, even if it isn't aimed at collectors like me.
1 Comment
Garry
9/10/2024 08:20:15 pm
Of late the are all over the place with different labels/brand names!!!!!!
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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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