Supersonic Fantasy: A CAAC Concorde

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!

CAAC Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde B-1972 Aviation 400 1:400 Scale Airliner

To be honest I'm not usually a fan of fantasy models at all but I have to admit that the classic CAAC scheme looks rather good on the Concorde. Plus interestingly CAAC actually ordered 2 Concordes (with 2 options) on July 24, 1972. This must have been just as China was reopening to the West following the Nixon visit but it was also the time everyone else was cancelling their Concorde orders so it, and the October 1972 Iran Air, must be seen as optimistic in the extreme by then! The model nicely touches on this with the registration B-1972.

What is especially interesting is whether this is a new Concorde mould or not. It certainly isn't the Gemini Jets / JC Wings and looks miles better than that. In fact it bears a striking resemblance to the seldom used Herpa 1:400 scale Concorde but also has some significant apparent differences.

The Herpa Concorde mould

The most obvious differences appear around the nosegear. The gear leg looks thinner but also less detailed, whilst the nosegear tyre is smaller. The seam around the front wingjoin also looks differently shaped plus this CAAC example has aerials added. Lastly the tailbumper auxiliary wheel is a lot smaller.

If I had to guess I'd say this really is a new mould and by the look of it a really decent one too. Either way it is a very unexpected and interesting release, plus it seems to come with a Witty style stand. The model seems to have hit the market place in August 2017. In the next part we'll look at the rest of Aviation400s output so far.