YU ModeL A300 - Nearly Ready / First Releases

The gestation of the new YU ModeL A300 mould has taken a little while, but it is important to remember that YU are a much smaller company than any of the major players. Their ability to produce a new mould at all is a testament to them, as the majority of brands are happy to just use existing moulds from other manufacturers. YU have reached out to me to say that the first three models are nearing completion and will be hopefully available for preorder this month or early in January.

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YU sent me photos of the A300 mould sample back in April 2024 and I published those here at the site. Obviously being a modern mould it will have detailed tyre hubs, a seamless fuselage and aerials. To read more see my article here:

YU ModeL A300 Mould Sample

As there are scheduled to be releases for both the A300B2/B4 and the series 600, one open question is whether the two versions will have different rear fuselages for total accuracy. The difference is quite minor but noticeable (and I'm not sure it is something any other 400 scale A300 has modelled in):

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YU MODEL IN 2024 SO FAR

Since then YU have been steadily releasing new models using moulds from the catalogues of Aeroclassics and JC Wings. They have now released 27 models in the scale. For a complete list of their releases see:

YU ModeL Release List

In recent months I have picked up a pair of Curtis C-46 Commandos, a Shorts 360 and a CRJ-700. There is also a CAAC B707-320 and Trident 2E available. Below are a selection of 2024 YU releases I have picked up:

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FIRST THREE RELEASES

YU's A300 Hints

Back in April YU provided hints for their first batch of A300s and they have now revealed the identity of the first 3 releases:

AEROCLASSICS RERELEASES

Until last month the Air Niugini had only been released in 2007, but Aeroclassics produced a repeat release of it in November 2024 (along with other re-releases such as Alitalia). Clearly, Aeroclassics are concerned about competition from the YU mould and I would expect the upcoming December Aeroclassics to feature several further A300 re-releases. Considering Aeroclassic's usual dislike of re-releasing models they have made I think it is clear why they are all of a sudden doing so now!

DISTRIBUTION ISSUES

While it is clear that the new YU A300 has a lot of potential, and should be superior to the seamed Aeroclassics mould, one problem YU have so far not overcome is international distribution. At this point, as far as I understand it, these models will only be available on Taobao in China. YU has had some dealings with Bedfordshire Diecast in the UK but at present hasn't got any international retailers onboard. Hopefully that will change.

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SUMMARY

Hopefully, these three A300s will be out soon and as soon as I can acquire one I'll review it at the site here. I look forward to seeing how they compare to other 400 scale A300s, but there is plenty of potential for a modern A300 mould, both in terms of re-releases and new A300s. The question in the meantime is whether the new Aeroclassics releases are still worth picking up?