NG Models & a New 757-200 in 1:400

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?

The following is what I have been able to discern from what they've said on the forum and a few brief e-mail conversations with themselves. They say they are NG Models, a factory based in Guangdong province in China that are developing their own moulds in both 1:200 and 1:400 scale. They are responsible for the CRJ-100/200 1:200 scale mould that has been used by HYJL wings and now also by themselves under their own name (I'll be blogging about that more soon).

NG Models Boeing 757-200 1:400 Scale Prototype

HYJL wings is merely a customer of theirs they say and they own the moulds. I know that HYJL wings has used the Panda Models A320 and A330 moulds in the past and now has an A321. I don't know who the A321 comes from? So the big question is are NG Models just Panda Models in disguise?

Despite what the owner of Aeroclassics, Andrew Klein, is saying I have had no effective communication with Panda models. I did get their e-mail but they appear to not speak any English so attempts at further communication have been fruitless. Indeed aside from JC Wings all the 1:400 manufacturers are useless communicators. None of them seem to know how to market or sell their products.

NG Models categorically have stated to me that they are NOT Panda Models.

NG Models Boeing 757-200 1:400 Scale Prototype

NG Models Boeing 757-200 1:400 Scale Prototype

NG Models have so far announced two 757s using this mould - both are Boeing house colours aircraft - one with Pratts and one with Rolls-Royce engines.

N757A with Pratt & Whitney engines

I have already pointed out to them that the prototype 757 with RR engines would not have had the RB211-535E4 as their image shows but would have had the earlier RB211-535C (see my 757 mould review for more details on this).

N505EA with Rollers

This new mould looks very good from the photos and 1:400 scale has been crying out for a new 757-200 mould for years, but is it crying out for one from NG Models? Maybe, maybe not. If the release pattern of HYJL wings is anything to go by I expect they will make small production runs (60-120), sell the models at high prices and struggle to distribute them effectively.

The nosegear is a big improvement over the JC Wings mould. Gear doors are apparently plastic

Nowadays the 757 is effectively a classic aircraft so it also pains me that most of the, small number of, people on wings900 have responded with suggestions for modern 757s. I don't think I'm that unusual in liking classics and Aeroclassics shows they do sell. I strongly suspect however that NG Models will mainly produce Asian and modern since they are new to selling into Western markets.

I really hope I am wrong on all these counts as I'm kind of sick of having to search out models in obscure places and suffer loads of extra charges in the process. The last thing I want is for this NG Models mould to have a BlueBox Tristar effect i.e. make it unprofitable for Aeroclassics to make 757s and saturate the market with a small number of releases of the highest sellers.

For me the primary market for 757s ought to be those airlines that operated the type throughout its heyday of the 1980s/90s and 2000s. Although lots of US aircraft have already been made the UK, Canadian and Russian markets have largely been ignored.

MG Models also say they have a 787 mould coming soon which is more in line with where most newer manufacturers are going. So along with Aviation400, the addition of NG Models means there are now 7 brands of 1:400 manufacturers (8 if you include BigBird). It'll sure be interesting to see how 2018 develops for all these players.