The Best Moulds in 1/400 Scale Pt4: Russia & the Round Up

In the last part of this series I look at the moulds made for the Soviet types (Russian Ilyushins & Tupolevs and Ukrainian Antonovs) plus the sole Asian airliner.

Then I move onto a conclusion to see which of the manufacturers really does make the most best moulds in the business.

Who will it be?

Don't forget this is just a summary. I have a lot more detailed mould reviews for specific types in the Mould Reviews section, which cover off in more detail which moulds to buy and which to avoid. There are lots of great moulds which nonetheless have been surpassed by someone elses and just because they don't appear on mys lists isn't a reason not to get them. Hell you buy what you like, but be warned some moulds are really crap!

The Soviets

Russia hadn't really made an airliner that doesn't owe its ancestry to the Soviet Union until the Sukhoi Superjet turned up and that hasn't been made in 1/400 yet. So there's no harm in combining the Antonovs with the others in a Soviet section. Despite the boom in airlines and wealth of historically important types the Russian airlines relative obscurity, the manufacturers primary concern with modern models and a limited home market mean the Russians have been rather mistreated in 1/400. That's a damn shame as the moulds that have been made are generally good. Shame JC Wings and Gemini don't want to use them!

Anyway the moulds are all excellent that win the categories. Herpa excels at obscure types and its seamless AN-124 muders the heavily seamed Gemini clunker. Otherwise only the TU-154 has any competition and really its all the same mould with various modifications. Phoenix's regeared newer examples are very nice. Technically the IL-76 has a competing Witty mould but as I understand it it is a copycat effort.

The moulds for the TU-144 (again thank you Herpa), IL-18, IL-62, IL-76, IL-86 and IL-96 are all excellent but sadly don't get used much.

Asia

Standing on its own until moulds arrive for the ARJ-21 (seemingly in the pipeline by Panda) and the MRJ is Asia's first native airliner (I guess technically the Indonesians have built CN-235s) the NAMC YS-11. Gemini showed recently the mould is still active so one might ask where the Piedmont delivery colours is?? It's a good old mould nonetheless.

Who's the Best?

So that leads us to a conclusion. You may disagree with some of my picks but overall I think I've played it safe and share the thoughts of most collectors who know what they are on about. Moulds where there are good reasons for argument include:

• Boeing 727-200
• Boeing 737NGs
• Boeing 767s
• Boeing 787s
• Airbus A330s
• BAC One-Eleven 200s
• Bristol Britannias

So with that in mind giving some statistical wiggle room shall we see who has the most wins and, perhaps most importantly, who has the most wins where there is competition between manufacturers (since its easy to win when you are the only player)? In total there are 124 types up for grabs.

This shouldn't really come as a surprise but I get the feeling it will to many, especially those in the US but Aeroclassics is the clear 'winner'. They get not far off half the wins and an even higher percentage where there is competition.

Gemini Jets do ok when you combine the moulds they share with JC Wings but in reality most of these were originally JC moulds anyway. Quite a lot of the Gemini wins come where there is no competition or very old competition. Gemini make good models but let's face it they don't match most of the other manufacturers in terms of mould quality across the board.

Phoenix come out looking better now they have split their association with Gemini and its older moulds. They do well with widebodies especially though Gemini and JC have recently upped their game with the 747-8 and A350. Hopefully that will continue.

Of the smaller manufacturers they all have their moments but Herpa stand out. They have some awful moulds but have also produced some gems - usually in niche areas like Concorde and the TU-144. But Herpa just don't want to exploit their great moulds and trickle out 1/400 releases at an embarrassing rate.

The disappearance of the Witty moulds is a shame but at least Panda has appeared and seems interested in doing more than just stealing Aeroclassics IP. Sadly for most they are keen only in their home market so will no doubt continue to sell only in small numbers.

Thanks for reading everyone and at least now I have some ammunition next time I have to rebut someone asking me who makes the best models and answering with Gemini :) !

P.S: That's not to say GJ make bad models. They make up 18% of my collection (that's 230 models) and if I collected modern US aircraft no doubt there'd be more.