"Airplane Model" To a lot of people the term “airplane model” likely evokes a large replica of an aircraft - certainly larger than the small toy airplanes that are found in toy stores, airport gift stores, and the toy section of supermarkets - probably made out of wood, plastic, or resin, displayed on a desk using a stand or hanging from the ceiling, and usually found in travel agencies (if there are any left), the lobbies of airline office buildings and such. People might also think of those plastic model kits that are ubiquitous in hobby and toy stores worldwide and have to be assembled, painted, and decaled at home. Below are examples of what I believe most people picture in their heads when they hear the term "airplane model": And below are toy airplanes, generally much smaller than traditional airplane models. Left to right: A Matchbox set from 1996 with a Cessna 210 on floats, an Air France Concorde, and an Iberia Airbus A300. Then, a present-day Tailwinds Boeing 787 Dreamliner of a fictional airline. And lastly, two present-day Tailwinds aircraft, a Messerschmitt Me 262 and a Consolidated B-24 Liberator: A little-known hobby But, unbeknownst to many people, there is another type of airplane replica out there that lies in between toy airplanes and desktop models/plastic kits: diecast aircraft models, sometimes referred to as precision aircraft models due to their particularly high level of precise detail. Part of the reason I believe diecast aircraft models largely go under the radar to those outside the hobby is because due to their small size, they can initially be indistinguishable from airplane toys to the untrained eye. And in fact, they can be considered the adult version of toy airplanes. A bit of history I got my first few toy airplanes when I was very young, and one of the things I quickly realized was that they were not proportionally sized. Small airplanes, big airplanes, helicopters, cars, and airport service equipment were all roughly the same size, whereas in real life that was obviously not the case. See in the photo below how the buses in these Daron airport playsets are as big as the airplanes, and the cones and signs are as tall as the trucks and much bigger than the airplane engines: See below how the Cessna 210 is as big as Concorde, and the Iberia A300: The closest thing to current-day diecast aircraft are the models (toys?) made by the German brands Schabak and Herpa in the 1980s and 1990s. These models were scaled, Schabaks were 1:600, while Herpas were 1:500. The reference scales took care of the proportion problems found in toys that I described in the photos above. Herpa also made cars and airport accessories in 1:500 scale, tiny stuff, but again, cars are meant to be minuscule next to an airliner. See below two correctly proportioned 1:500 scale models by Herpa: A latest-generation Martinair Boeing 767 and an older Cessna 172. Both of these aircraft are, in real life, respectively similar in size to the Matchbox Airbus A300 and Cessna 210 shown in the picture above. See below 1:500 scale airport service equipment in relation to two first-generation Herpa 1:500 scale DC-10s: While early Schabak and Herpa models were considerably more accurately shaped and detailed than toys, they did retain some traces of the latter. For example, their landing gears - though more refined than those found in toys - were still a bit chunky, apparently because those brands felt that wheels needed to roll, like in toys. Eventually, the rolling capability of landing gears disappeared in favor of size and accuracy, though in recent years technological advancements have brought back this capability in some models, without sacrificing accuracy. See below two early diecast models from the 1980s and 1990s made by Schabak and Herpa respectively. Very toy-like and they could still withstand some rough landings on the kitchen countertop with those chunky rolling landing gears ;) Another Schabak example. Same model, different packaging: Below you can see a British Airways diecast Concorde by Herpa in 1:400 scale from 2007 next to a British Airways Concorde toy by Matchbox from the mid-1990s. If the Herpa model had been subjected to the stresses that caused those paint chips on its Matchbox counterpart, for sure it would have lost its landing gear and likely its tail also. Although Matchbox did not conform to any specific scale, its Concorde toys were close to 1:400: Most early diecast aircraft models also did not come with a stand hole in the belly, likely because they were still seen as an evolution of toys, which were meant to be rolled on surfaces, and not desktop models, which were meant to be displayed using a stand. This is probably the reason why, inversely, desktop models did not usually come with landing gears in those years. In the mid 1990s a new scale of diecast aircraft models appeared, 1:400, which is the most popular scale today. The first 1:400 models seem to have been produced by a brand from Hong Kong called Dragon Wings. Many of the early models made by Dragon Wings were produced for the Japanese company Hasegawa, which is a well-known plastic kit brand that at the time seemed to have been venturing into the pre-built diecast airplane model market. In the late 1990s, a number of brands from the U.S. entered the 1:400 scene and the hobby started to grow exponentially. Today, most manufacturers are either U.S. or China-based, with Herpa still based in Germany. Most models are now manufactured in China regardless of where the brand is headquartered. Popular scales and model brands of today Today the most common scales of diecast aircraft models in order of popularity are 1:400, 1:200 and 1:500. The boundaries between small toy airplanes and large desktop models have blurred further as not only nearly all diecast models today come with a stand hole, regardless of how small they are, but also many larger scale desktop models (usually the plastic snap-fit variety) now come with landing gears. Below you can see a variety of models including traditional snap-fit plastic desktop models with no landing gear, as well as the more modern variety that does come with it. There are also small 1:400 diecast models displayed on stands, à la desktop model, and relatively large 1:200 diecast models sitting on their landing gears. Herpa continues to be the main brand in the now small 1:500 scale market. In 1:400 scale we have GeminiJets, NG Models, Aeroclassics, Phoenix Models, JC Wings as well as other smaller China-based brands. InFlight200 is a brand that specializes in 1:200 scale, though all other brands I mentioned also produce, or have produced, 1:200 scale models. Below you can see a variety of model boxes showing some of the most popular brands of today. From the top left corner going clockwise: Aeroclassics Viasa DC-8-50 in 1:200 scale, InFlight200 Avensa DC-10-30 in 1:200 scale, Herpa Martinair 767-300 in 1:500 scale, GeminiJets United Airlines 767-400 in 1:400 scale, NG Models American Airlines 777-200 in 1:400 scale, and Phoenix Models Cubana de Aviación Il-96-300 in 1:400 scale: How is the hobby enjoyed? The level of detail and accuracy of diecast aircraft models is what really sets them apart. Large models have traditionally been used as a promotional tool for airlines, aerospace companies, etc, and a lot of intricate details are not necessary for that purpose. On the contrary, diecast models - as previously stated - seemed to have been born out of the need and desire to produce more accurate versions of small toy airplanes. The first step was to refine the proportions and settle on reference scales, but progress has continued and the level of detail we see today is breathtaking, and it is the basis for many of the ways in which collectors enjoy these tiny but highly detailed aircraft replicas. See below, a diecast model of a Delta Air Lines L1011-1 by NG Models in 1:400 scale. One of the most accurately replicated aircraft that I have seen in 1:400 scale. The most basic way to enjoy the hobby is by simply purchasing a model and admiring its level of detail, or simply enjoying having a tiny replica of a model of your favorite aircraft, or favorite airline. Many collectors also display these models in cabinets and shelves. While the aircraft themselves are generally not large enough to be appreciated from a distance like desktop models are (1:200 diecast models being the most obvious exception), large collections do look impressive as a whole. Also, most collectors tend to display only models of the same scale together, which offers a unique opportunity to see the relative size of some of the larger aircraft types compared to some of the smallest, something that is not always so easy to appreciate at airports. Below you can see the collection of Stephen Koulouthros located in Panama City, Panama. This collection has received a lot of attention lately due to the recently delivered giant 1:3 scale Embraer E-195 that serves as the centerpiece. This collection combines a variety of models and scales including 1:400 and 1:200 diecast models, as well as several larger 1:25 resin models, the unique 1:3 E-195, and more. For more information about this collection visit the SKS Flight Collection website. Taking photos of models and sharing them on social media or online forums so that they can be discussed among other collectors is also a very common practice. For more information on this topic see this article. Because of the small size of these models, and the availability of airport equipment in the same scales, they are perfect for use in dioramas to create some outstanding scenes. Below are some of my favorite dioramas that incorporate diecast aircraft models: First, a 1:400 scale replica of the complete terminal (and a portion of the runway) of Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport as it looked in the late 1980s built by Hu Chow. 3D and foil printing tools were used in its creation. See this article for more information about this diorama. Next is Brian Keene's hand-made 1:400 scale replica of the full terminal complex (plus some extra sections) of New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport as it looked in the 1970s. For more information about this diorama watch this wonderful video. You can see Brian's Pan Am terminal exhibited at the Pan Am Museum Foundation in Garden City, New York. The TWA terminal is now on display at the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport. Then we have some of Akira Hiraco's well-known creations. Akira doesn't just own a diorama, he owns several setups and also has been gifted with limitless creativity. See some of Akira's work below. 1) Passengers boarding a 1:400 scale Iberia DC-9-30 via a homemade ventral stair. 2) Royal Brunei 737-200 in 1:200 scale in a tropical setup. 3) A 1:200 TAP DC-3 in flight over a boat: And lastly, a small hand-made 1:400 scale diorama of Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, Venezuela that I used to have, replicating a portion of the international terminal as it looked in the early 1990s: Due to the high level of detail of these models, another common way to enjoy the hobby is by comparing them with the real aircraft they represent to see how accurate they really are. Our model review section here at YV400 is an example of this. Researching the history behind the aircraft the model represents is also popular among collectors. The latter is generally done with models of classic airliners. The Airline History Blog at Yesterday's Airlines is a great example of the latter. Where can they be purchased? Traditionally, diecast aircraft models could be found at hobby stores that also carried other miniature collector items such as trains and plastic model kits. They could also be found at pilot supplies and aviation stores. There are also some specialized stores that only sell diecast aircraft models, usually found in the major metropolitan areas of the world. While models can still be found today at some of those places, it is becoming harder and harder to find them in physical stores and most models are sold via online stores in many countries. The average cost of a 1:400 scale model is approximately $50, while 1:200 models command an average price of about $130. I seldom take photos of model stores as I'm usually too busy trying to decide what to get among the typically overwhelming selection. Coincidentally, many of the few photos of model stores that I have in my files have been taken in Japan: The photo below was taken in 2012 at Top Gun, one of the several model stores located at Akihabara in Tokyo. Most model stores look the same anywhere in the world, just piles and piles of model boxes, and maybe some models on display: Because these models are released in limited edition runs and there are no guarantees that they will be re-released, though many are, there is a large secondhand market in which sold-out models are resold, auctioned, and traded. eBay is one of the most popular sources of secondhand models and some of the more sought-after ones can sell for many times their original price via auctions. Below is a relatively rare Iran Air twin pack made by Aeroclasscs being auctioned on eBay. At the time the screenshot was taken it was going for about 5 times its original price, and the auction wasn't over yet. While not an unheard-of scenario, it is also not necessarily the norm, so please don't get into this hobby only in hopes of making a small fortune trying to re-sell sold-out models. You will likely end up disappointed and frustrate a bunch of fellow collectors along the way. There are also aviation collectibles shows where collectors gather up to sell, trade, and buy any type of aviation memorabilia. These shows are an excellent place to find all kinds of airplane models, old and new, big and small, cheap and expensive. Customization Some collectors customize models because a particular model they want is so unpopular that it is unlikely to be mass-produced by a manufacturer, or the model is sold out and too hard to find, etc. Customization consists of removing the livery of a given model and then reapplying the livery of a different airline to it using techniques similar to those used in the building of plastic model kits. Some brands sell blank diecast models which make the customization process easier. When a collector shows photos of a custom project online, some people outside the hobby might think that the collector is building a larger plastic kit, or that somehow all diecast models are home-built in the same way that plastic kits are (ask me how I know…), but neither is the case. With the advent of 3D printing, we are starting to see small-scale (1:400 and similar) models built from scratch at home, as well as ground service equipment and other airport items. Below you can see a 1:400 3D printed airstairs truck from West Coast Diecast before and after painting: Wrapping up There is much more to the hobby of diecast aircraft model collecting than what I have exposed here, but hopefully after reading this article the next time you see grown-ups posting pictures of little airplanes on the internet, you will know what it is all about. Though comparable in size to toy airplanes, these little models wouldn’t last more than a few minutes (or seconds) unharmed in the hands of a kid. Much like any other group of aficionados/geeks, aviation enthusiasts are fascinated by their common interest, in this case: aircraft. Collecting miniature replicas of these awesome flying machines that we love so much is one of the most rewarding aviation-related hobbies that we aircraft lovers can engage in. Jorge A. Zajia

Most people probably have never seen this aircraft anywhere, but some may have watched the 'Passenger 57' movie from 1992, because that's where this aircraft was used. NG announced this model in July 2023 as a Buchannan release and in this review I will take a close look at how well they replicated it. There are 6 parts that will be given between 1 and 10 points, 1 being the lowest and 10 being perfect. In the end the average of these scores will be the final score. Accuracy of colors The livery features a red color on top, bare metal belly, (very) dark blue cheatline and white in the middle. The tail is white with the same dark blue stripe going up. Please note that on the picture above there is a bare metal part around the cockpit, which was not present on the final livery. The colors look very good. One minor issue is that the cockpitwindow edges are silver on the model, when they should be white. Score: 10 / 10 Livery On the model the top of the cockpit windows is pretty much aligned with the underside of the red color. On the real thing there is a noticable offset. It seems like NG tried to correct this by making the red color go down a little, but I think they had to lower the red color entirely instead. The darkblue cheatline is placed correctly relative to the doors. The red color goes up underneath the tail engine, probably a QC issue as it isn't there on the box artwork, but it's very minor so it doesn't bother me. The darkblue line on the tail is positioned well, no issues here. Score: 9,5 / 10 Logos, titles and stickers The 'Atlantic' part is slightly too wide relative to the windows underneath. The 'Interational' part is also not 100% right, but again the difference is barely noticable. The 'AIA' letters on the tail are spot on. There were no other titles or flags added for the movie, making this section of the review shorter than usual. Score: 9,5 / 10 Other details The registrations are good, again not 100% perfect, but it's not enough to affect the score. The two (cargo) doors underneath are nicely done and so is this half circle thing on the left. NG puts loads of details on the Tristar's belly and it all seems to be fine, not going to mention them one by one. There is not much going on around the engines, everything seems replicated nicely. The only issue I could find is that the antenna on top of the fuselage should be red, not white. Score: 9,5 / 10 Paint and printing QC Unfortunately my piece came with a paint chip above the horizontal stabilizer and there is some clear overprinting in the red area above. There is a lighter tint of red directly under the white tail. The nosewheel isn't finished so well. On one side the tirehub looks fine, but on the other side there is too much paint, making it flat with the tire. Score: 8 / 10 Mould QC The wings, stabilizers, engines and gears are all assembled well. The tail engine is also finished very nice and round. On one of the main landing gears they forgot to remove some material, which makes me think of the old Tucano B747 gears. Unfortunately the antennas have some issues. The plastic cradle that NG now uses for their Tristars don't have clearance for the antenna on the bottom rear, meaning there is constant pressure. Well, they made some space, but it's positioned completely wrong. The antenna is now flat and should be replaced entirely. The antenna on top is also loose, but I should be able to glue it back in the correct position. One final mention, which I think applies to all of NG's L-1011's, is that the geardoors are too wide. Not sure if this is QC or intentional, which is why I won't use it for the scoring, but it's definitely not right. Score: 7 / 10 Conclusion The overall model looks great and NG did a good job with the livery. The issues with the antennas are the reason why I don't mind if a model has them or not, because whenever I buy a new model that has antennas, they are quite often missing, broken or incorrectly placed. I will ask for a replacement and hope that one comes without issues. The total score is 53,5 / 6 = 8,9. Shoutout to scalemodelstore.com for their customer service, they will send me a new piece for free! - Mark Retrohangar Diecast on Instagram Mark22 on MAF, 400SH, DAC and DIMA Want to collaborate or let me review your product? Send me a message via the channels mentioned above! All pictures are mine (unless stated otherwise) and may not be used without my permission!

In the weekend of 16 & 17 September 2023 the Amsterdam Aviation Collectors Fair was held. Andrew Klein was there selling some new and old Aeroclassics models, of which one was perhaps a little too new. It's the Kingfisher Airbus A320 with registration VT-KFD, which is planned to be among the "Autumn 2023" release. He brought it with him by accident as he mistook it for the Simplifly Deccan A320 from the "Summer 2023" release, which has a nearly identical livery. Normally I would not buy something like this as it doesn't fit in my collection criteria at all, but it was just a little funny and will remind me of this great weekend. Ofcourse I asked if I could share anything about the model before being released and the answer was yes. Perhaps not the most exciting release for some, but at least it's something. This is not a sponsored review, I bought it with my own cash. Background information Kingfisher Airlines was an airline from India, established in 2003 by the United Breweries Holdings Limited (or UB Group) and started operating commerical flights in 2005. The name was taken from the Kingfisher beer brand. Its fleet consisted of A319, A320, A321, A330-200, ATR-42 and ATR-72. They also had A340-500's and A380's on order, of which one A340 was already painted in the Kingfisher livery, but they were never put into service. The airline took over the already loss-making Air Deccan in 2007, which was believed to be a bad decision and made the Kingfisher group go financially downhill. Air Deccan was used as a domestic budget airline, rebranded as Simplifly Deccan and later Kingfisher Red. Eventually the airline group built up more losses, nearly $900 million in early 2012 and in 2013 the flying rights and domestic slots were taken away by the Indian aviation authorities. This Airbus A320, registred VT-KFD, was delivered to the airline in August 2005 and stayed in service until the airline got into financial troubles in 2012. It then moved to Livingston Airlines as EI-EXK, Shaheen Air in 2015 as AP-BMD and currently operates for Lauda Europe as 9H-IHH. Review As usual there are 6 parts that will be given between 1 and 10 points, 1 being the lowest and 10 being perfect. In the end the average of these scores will be the final score. Accuracy of colors The Kingfisher livery has red colors with some subtle gold/copper colored details, placed on a mainly white fuselage. The pictures from my phone are not very consistent in terms of lighting and colors, so everything written in this review is based on what my eyes see and not the pictures of the model. I hope to upgrade my photography with a better camera and lighting later this year. Both the red and gold/copper colors are accurate. It could have easily gone wrong by using a more yellowish gold tint, but instead they applied the correct tint which is more like copper. Score: 10 / 10 Livery The livery is quite simple: a red belly with a white and dark gold cheatline and plain white fuselage. The engines and vertical stabilizer are almost fully red aswell. The red belly and cheatlines are placed at the correct height and the red color on the engines stops at the right position. The red on the vertical stabilizer goes straight down and does not follow the curving part on the front, which is correct too (see picture in the previous section). The KINGFISHER titles are a very prominent part of the livery, but they will be included in the next part of the review. Score: 10 / 10 Logos, titles and stickers There are a couple of stickers and logos around the aircraft, which are definitely not the easiest to replicate. Let's start with the large KINGFISHER titles; they are placed accurately and the font is also very nicely done. I have checked if each letter is placed correctly relative to the windows and they all are pretty much perfect on both sides. One issue is that on the real aircraft, the dark gold contours are like a shadow of the red titles and should be a touch to the right. We are speaking of a quarter of a milimeter and something you only notice at the bottom of the titles, which in my opinion is not enough to affect the score noticably. Next up the bird, which is the Kingfisher bird as you may have guessed. It can be found on the vertical stabilizer and engines. It's very nice and colorful on the tail, although it should be just a touch further to the rear. The logo is recognizable on the engines, but close-up you will see that many details are lost. Keep in mind that on the model it's only two milimeters in size, so you can't ask for too much. Underneath the cockpit you can find the logo of the UB Group with the golden Pegasus figure. The colors are again well done and the contours of the Pegasus are clear too. So are the "UB" letters underneath it. The Indian flag on the rear has the correct width of the two windows underneath and the colors are clearly orange-white-green. Score: 9,5 / 10 Other details For the final part we look at details of which I often don't know the name of, so I hope you can follow along. I really like the Aeroclassics A320 moulding around the cockpit, it looks very accurate and because of it, the cockpit windows look great. The front and rear doors have the dark gold contours and all the details you may expect. The registration VT-KFD has the correct width of the three windows above and the rear of the engines have the silver ring. All other details that Aeroclassics put around the model are placed well too, but the engines could have been much better: - The white markings underneath the Kingfisher bird logo are missing, which I'm sure can be done with AC's printing machines. - The silver ring on the front and rear of the engines should be much more visible from the side. Score: 8,5 / 10 Quality control: Paint and printing This is an area where recent Aeroclassics models often struggle. With the RNLAF DC-10 I reviewed some time ago, there were lots of paint smudges and it had way too much paint on the horizontal stabilizers, which lowered the total score considerably. Luckily this A320 is much better. Everything is printed crisp and the details on the wings and stabilizers are clearly visible. It's not perfect though; the dark grey colors on the right engine pylon is not applied in the same position as on the left, so one side is at least somewhat wrong. There is also a minor paint issue on both engines. Finally, the nosegeardoors are printed noticably off-centre. Please remember that the QC issues I mention are for this model specifically and may not be present on other pieces. Score: 8,5 / 10 Quality control: Mould Aeroclassics' A320 is a great little mould that does not seem to suffer from overpolished noses. The overall shape looks nice and all parts are assembled without gaps or weird angles. The right engine is tilting slightly to the inside, which makes the Kingfisher bird logo sit too low and may be the reason why the engine pylon does not look the same as on the left side. Score: 9,5 / 10 Conclusion I'm sure that many people think about bad quality when they think about new Aeroclassics models, but this one does not belong in that category at all. The livery is very well replicated and the quality control is much better than we've seen with other models. Even though it doesn't fit in my collection, I'm still happy to have it as it clearly shows that Aeroclassics can still produce high quality models. As a collector of retro aircraft it was Aeroclassics that made me stay in this hobby and I hope we will keep seeing classics being released for many years to come. It was also great to meet Andrew in real life and talk about these things. He is not the youngest anymore and many people dislike his behavior on the forums, but he deserves to be praised for giving us great models of vintage airliners in the past two decades. The total score is a well deserved 9,3 out of 10. - Mark Retrohangar Diecast on Instagram Mark22 on MAF, 400SH, DAC and DIMA Want to collaborate or let me review your product? Send me a message via the channels mentioned above! All pictures are mine (unless stated otherwise) and may not be used without my permission!

The 5th edition of the Amsterdam Aviation Collectors Fair took place at the Vanzantenhal venue on September 16 and 17, 2023. As a collector who resides in the United States, the Atlantic Ocean represents a major obstacle when it comes to attending shows in the old world. The cost of transatlantic travel (even when you can travel for "cheap") can detract from any deals that you might find at the event. But there is more than just the models and other collectibles; there is also the experience and the unique opportunity to meet with collectors from other parts of the world. Additionally, since many prominent figures of the hobby tend to attend larger international shows, such as the Amsterdam Fair, these shows are an opportunity to get a glimpse of the ins and outs of this hobby that we are so passionate about. The Trip The organizers of the fair did a great job of promoting the fair, to the point that I went from simply being aware of it to seriously interested in attending. Work and family responsibilities needed to be sorted out, but everything came together, and on September 14 I found myself at IAH holding a ZED ticket for UAL20 (airline industry perks, I would not have pulled the trip off without them). I arrived early at IAH and while leisurely strolling around I came across a large Concorde model in the British Airways Landor livery displayed in the lobby of the HAS Executive Lounge at terminal D. I have walked countless times in front of that lounge but had never seen this model there. Talk about setting the tone for a trip to an aviation collectibles fair! My ride to Amsterdam: I got a seat (no window, unfortunately, but beggars can't be choosers...), and after a two-hour delay caused by some earlier thunderstorms, we were on our way. The Show I was amazed at how many die-cast models were available, and generally for good prices too. Also, there was an impressive selection of 1:500 models, although many were repeated. Enjoy the photos: Wrap-up The transatlantic trek was well worth it. While I did bring home some nice models, it was the social aspect of the show that made the experience exhilarating. I got to catch up with fellow collectors as well as meet in person many of the European collectors that I knew from the internet. It was also nice to see the massive NG Models mold unveiling firsthand. Dedicated aviation collectors are a rare breed, so it is always exciting to interact with like-minded aviation enthusiasts in person. While touring the worldwide collectibles show circuit might not be viable to most of us, I would like to encourage collectors to try to visit one of the major international shows at least once (once every few years is even better). Just remember to bring cash and a big hard-case suitcase. My ride back to IAH: Jorge A. Zajia

If there is one mould that in my opinion doesn't get the attention it deserves, it's the 1/400 Retro Models TU-104. For those who don't know or forgot: Retro Models is run by Kamran, who is also a member on the DAC forum. He releases 1/200 models every now and then via the Inflight200 factory and also owns a very unique 400 scale mould: the Tupolev TU-104. It took quite some time to get it on the market, but after a lot of effort and dedication, the first model was released in the CSA Czech Airlines scheme. Later we also saw the Aeroflot delivery scheme and the Alitalia/CSA hybrid, of which the latter will be reviewed later in this article. The mould is excellent and I highly recommend everyone to get at least one of the releases, plenty are still available for retailprice. The Inflight factory didn't want to make less than 700 pieces, which nowadays is a lot for a 400 scale model and explains why there are still many offered on eBay. More releases are planned, but it can take quite some time before we see those being made. Kamran is looking for another factory that allows smaller batches, meaning that future releases will sell out much faster than the existing releases. Background information This aircraft, registred OK-NDF entered service in 1963 and retired from passenger service in 1974. Afterwards it was used in a movie from 1975, named "Cirkus v cirkuse". One half was painted into the Alitalia livery in an attempt to mimic a DC-8, which was too expensive to rent. As this was a Czech/Soviet movie, a TU-104A from CSA Czech Airlines was used. This aircraft is currently in static display in a museum near Pilsen, Czech Republic, wearing the blue CSA scheme. Possible future releases Here are some liveries that can be done with the TU-104 mould for future releases: 1) Aeroflot in the late 80's / early 90's livery. 2) Aeroflot 1950's scheme with lightblue / silver colors 3) CSA Czech Airlines with thin red line going through the windows 4) Another CSA scheme, but with blue colors instead of red. 5) This orange experimental Aeroflot scheme СССР-42382. The registration CCCP-42362 of the model kit most likely never wore the livery. The real aircraft was repainted to the standard Aeroflot scheme around 1966. Review Now let's continue with the review. There are 6 parts that will be given between 1 and 10 points, 1 being the lowest and 10 being perfect. In the end the average of these scores will be the final score. Accuracy of colors Because there are no pictures of the real aircraft with good lighting conditions and it was meant to replicate a DC-8, I will use the above picture to judge the Alitalia colors. The dark green and red color seems accurate. The belly, wings and horizontal stabilizers are silver, but the belly is a more clean silver. On some pictures of TU-104's there seem to be a slight difference aswell, so I guess this was done on purpose. The CSA livery looks very good. The red colors, silver tail, Czech flags and black antiglare panel all look like they should. In pictures of a regular CSA TU-104 the wingtips look more red than orange, but in pictures of the Alitalia hybrid it's clearly orange. Score: 10 / 10 Livery The Alitalia livery looks very good. Even the tiny amount of white between the silver belly and dark green at the front is present. The only minor flaw I could find is that the dark green on the vertical stabilizer is too close to the edge. The CSA livery is also executed well. The red cheatline is at the correct height and the very thin white cheatline underneath the red one is also clearly visible. The other red elements at the front of the aircraft are also very nicely done, no comments there. On the real aircraft there is more space between the wingjoint and the red cheatline, but I'm quite sure this is because of the mould and thus I won't count it as a flaw in the livery. At the rear the red cheatline appears to go up just a little too soon, meaning it touches the horizontal stabilizer on the underside, which on the real aircraft it doesn't by a noticable margin. Score: 9,5 / 10 Logos, titles and stickers Starting again with the Alitalia side, the titles are placed correctly and the font is nearly perfect. I couldn't find a picture that clearly shows the registration and 'DC-8-62' text, so I will assume it's done correctly. The CSA titles are pretty much spot on and are positioned almost perfectly. If I had to be super precise, they should move about a milimeter to the right, but it's really not enough to affect the score. The Czech flag on the tail is also placed well, but the registration is just a little too low. It has the red TU-104 titles underneath the cockpit windows, a great detail. Score: 9,5 / 10 Other details The model has 16 windows on the Alitalia side and 21 on the CSA side. Also three on top above the Alitalia titles. The rear two windows on the Alitalia side should be slightly lower but all others, including the emergency exit markings, are well placed. Impressive considering how unusual the windows were positioned on the TU-104A. The cockpit windows are also good. The diagonal lines (raingutters) above the emergency exits are missing though, they can be seen here: https://www.airhistory.net/photos/0220126.jpg I think the nosecone should be stretched towards the cockpit just a little bit, but we are again speaking of differences of a milimeter. Apart from that it's well done. First I thought the wheels were incorrect and that the rims should be grey, but on many pictures of the aircraft in service they actually look black. On static display they are clearly grey though, so I'm not entirely sure which one is correct for it's time wearing the Alitalia scheme. Score: 9 / 10 Paint and printing QC I found one issue with the paint, which is in the dark green color of Alitalia. It was not printed in one smooth movement as there is a small overlapping area which is darker. But apart from that there is nothing noticable. The printing is also very good, even the very tiny TU-104A titles underneath the cockpit windows are recognizable. Score: 9,5 / 10 Mould QC There are two minor issues: the nosegear points a little to the left and both main landing gear are not aligned so well with the geardoors. Apart from that there is nothing to comment on. Score: 9 / 10 Conclusion The quality of this model should be the standard of all 1/400 models. The accuracy of the livery and other details are far above my expectations and gets a well deserved score of 9,4 out of 10. Kamran and his team clearly spent a lot of time to get everything as accurate as possible and it really paid off. I hope other manufacturers are taking notes as too often there are issues that shouldn't be on a 50-60€/$ model. If someday we see another Aeroflot livery, I will make a review on it to see if they managed to keep up the quality. - Mark Retrohangar Diecast on Instagram Mark22 on MAF, 400SH, DAC and DIMA Want to collaborate or let me review your product? Send me a message via the channels mentioned above! All pictures are mine (unless stated otherwise) and may not be copied without my permission! Image sources: 1) Fredy Hader - http://www.airlines-airliners.de/airliners/tu104/tu104.htm 2) Lars Söderström - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4460525 3) Unknown photographer - https://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Arts/Art57373.htm#en 4) Peter Keating - https://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Arts/Art57373.htm#en 5) https://www.modellversium.de/galerie/18-flugzeuge-zivil/12643-tupolev-tu-104a.html 6) Unknown photographer - https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/65794844549677245/ 7) Petr Popelar - https://www.airliners.net/photo/Alitalia-CSA-Ceskoslovenske-Aerolinie/Tupolev-Tu-104A/956485

JCwings and a modern KLM release? Yes, it's possible! For this model JCwings collaborated with Aviationtag and gave us the Boeing 747-400 PH-BFG wearing the 2003 livery with '100 years' sticker on the fuselage. There is a flaps-up and flaps-down version, in this review I take a look at the flaps-up variant. The tag it comes with has a nice JCwings stamp on it, making it a little more special than others. As usual there are 6 parts that will be given between 1 and 10 points, 1 being the lowest and 10 being perfect. In the end the average of these scores will be the final score. Accuracy of colors First the main colors of the livery. In the past years we have seen quite a few KLM releases by Phoenix, GeminiJets and Aeroclassics, but often they each use a different tone of blue. This makes sense when the color is never exactly the same on pictures due to different lighting conditions, but for this model it should be easy for JCwings, because with each model comes a piece of the actual aircraft. Did they get it right? Well, take a look yourself: The color on the model is just slightly too light, but it's not nearly as far off like we have seen with GeminiJets and Phoenix a few times. The dark blue cheatline and white colors are good. Score: 9,5 / 10 Livery The KLM livery is very simple. It has a light blue top and white belly, seperated by a dark blue cheatline. The dark blue cheatline is below the windows and just a touch below the middle of the nose. The cheatline sits a little too low, as there is a little too much space between the windows and the cheatline. Apart from that there is nothing to comment on. Score: 9,5 / 10 Logos, titles and stickers Let's start with the KLM logos. The one on the front of the fuselage is done pretty much perfectly. On both sides it aligns with the windows above and below and the font is spot on. The big light blue logo on the tail is also at the perfect height, relative to the upper and lower rudder. There are logos on all four engines and the wingtips, and again I can't see anything wrong with them. The '100 years' sticker, which the real aircraft wore while being scrapped, aligns perfectly with the windows around it, as can be seen here. The 'The Flying Dutchman' titles underneath the KLM logo at the front is also placed correctly relative to the KLM logo and windows. KLM named their 747-400's to longhaul destinations, where the final letter of the registration corresponds with the first letter of the city (except a few, I guess there was no city that started with the corresponding letter). This aircraft is registred PH-BFG, thus the titles for 'City of Guayaquil' / 'Guayaquil'. And finally there is a mistake! While the Dutch side of 'Guayaquil' is placed correctly, the English title is placed one window too far forwards. Oh well, it can't be 100% perfect right? The Skyteam logos are nicely done. The AF-KLM logo is missing a space between 'Air' and 'France', but it's only really noticable on close-up pictures. Score: 9 / 10 Other details Here we look at other details all around the model. Starting with the cockpit windows. This is often a weakness of JCwings models, but luckily there isn't anything horribly wrong with this one. I think it's a little too tall and that the bottom should be raised slightly. It's important to get this right because even a tiny error can make the entire model look off, and thus I will weigh this quite heavily in my scoring. The cargo doors, both at the front and rear, have plenty of details and are correctly sized. The doors, raingutters, registration, Dutch and EU flags are all placed correctly. Same goes for the nosecone and various other details. Score: 9 / 10 Paint and printing QC So far the model scored almost perfect, but does the quality control keep up the scoring? The printing is crisp and issues can only be found with a magnifying glass. The paint on each of the engines is not amazing, but not terrible. Score: 9,5 / 10 Mould QC and assembly The final part is about the QC of the mould. Let's start with the gears because this is a another weakness for many JCwings models. This KLM 747 is no exception unfortunately. The nosegear is pointing forward a little and looks messed up inbetween the geardoors. The main landing gears are not assembled so well either. Yes they all roll, but the wheels are too far apart. Sometimes you can push them together, but after a few attempts I did not see any improvement. Both middle gears are crooked and the geardoors for the two outer gears are not symmetrical. One has some paint nearly falling off aswell. There is also some weird thing at the bottom of the vertical stabilizer. I have been trying to remove it, but it seems pretty stuck. Finally there is too much space between engine #2 and #3 and their pylons. I don't know if this is a thing for all JCwings 747-400's or for this specific model alone, but the engine definitely sits too low too the ground. At least the wings and stabilizers are fitted well, which you may expect for a new mould as this 747-400. Score: 7 / 10 Conclusion This model looks beautiful and clearly they paid a lot of attention to detail. Unfortunately it suffers from the typical JC issues: the cockpit windows are a little off and it has very poor gears and geardoors. I will take this opportunity to rant a little about JCwings. The issues mentioned above happen so often that I never buy new models from them, except if it's something really high on my wishlist. The recent KLM ATR-42 could have been on my display right now, but thanks to the geardoors and cockpit windows it's not. The KLM ATR-72 they showed on Instagram is even worse, did someone even look up pictures of the real thing? Such a shame that JC doesn't seem to care about fixing these issues, because their releases often have some nice surprises. The total score is 53,5 / 6 = 8,9, which is a great score, but it easily could have been higher. - Mark Retrohangar Diecast on Instagram Mark22 on MAF, 400SH, DAC and DIMA Want to collaborate or let me review your product? Send me a message via the channels mentioned above! All pictures are mine (unless stated otherwise) and may not be used without my permission!

Many long-range wide-body jetliners have been part of American Airlines' fleet over the decades, including some iconic aircraft such as the 747 and DC-10, but it is safe to say that out of all of the ones that got to wear the classic bare metal -chrome- livery with the red, white & blue cheatline, the 777-223ER is the Flagship. American 772s were ubiquitous across the airline's long-haul route network during the 2000s and the livery was a highly recognizable classic. In the world of 1:400 scale model aircraft, these silver giants have received quite a bit of attention over the years, with close to twenty different models released since 2000 by many brands. Most of them are, however, cast in dated (some are very dated) molds. One notable exception is a 2018 release by JC Wings on their superb 772 mold, but it does not wear the standard version of the livery. Due to their popularity and appeal, AA 772s in the chrome livery hold their value and/or appreciate well, despite being plenty of them in existence. If you can find one for cheap, there is usually a reason for it. Luckily, NG Models once again injects some new life into the hobby, by releasing an updated version of a popular model, allowing many collectors to obtain a brand-new copy from a regular retailer. Review Let's take a look at the 1:400 NG Model American Airlines 777-223ER N795AN, July 2023 release. There are 6 parts that will be given between 1 and 10 points, 1 being the lowest and 10 being perfect. In the end the average of these scores will be the final score. Accuracy of colors The colors are simply spot on, but I should point out that the excellent mirror properties of this bare metal livery can be tricky. For example, the model initially looked too light to me,but after some research, I determined that it was due to the reflection of the white walls of my office. Score: 10/10 Livery The livery pretty much consists of a metallic fuselage, a tri-color cheatline, and the company logos. All elements are present and correctly placed. Score: 10 / 10 Logos, titles and stickers While all elements of the livery are present and properly placed, the font of the American titles on the fuselage is not quite correct. The titles on the real aircraft look bolder and thus make some letter elements align differently with the doors. Score: 9 / 10 Other details Typical of NG, there is a high level of detail accurately represented in the model. There is a small issue with the passenger and emergency doors on the main deck, they seem slightly oversized, or too high as they protrude a bit much above the cheatline. VHF and WiFi antennas and dome are correct, though the antenna on the lower aft fuselage is missing on my model; those pesky things... Score: 9 / 10 Paint and printing QC Most of the printing seems solid and smooth. One notable exception is the nose region. In the photo below you can see signs of poorly refined over-printing, slight misalignments, and failure of the cheatline to neatly conform to the shape of the nose Below you can see a comparison with a very old GeminiJets model from 2001. While undoubtedly the new NG release is superior to the very old and primitive GJ example, the latter does have an edge in terms of cheatline neatness in the nose area. The cheatline should have no waviness whatsoever. Score: 7 / 10 Mould QC As with most NG molds, this 772 casting is very young and it is holding up nicely, though the shape of the nose could be more accurate. One thing that I noticed, is some sort of wavy pattern all over the model that is evidenced by the chrome bare metal finish of the model. In the picture below you can see this "texture" if you pay attention to the upper fuselage. Score: 8 / 10 Conclusion With very few exceptions, most models produced these days are spectacular, even though the majority are not 100% perfect. I think this is a fine model that will make any collector happy, and certainly a better alternative to any worthy previous release that you can find on the second-hand market, given the price people are asking for them. Having said that, this model shows room for improvement at a glance (that nose area...) and I personally think it is just not quite up there with the so-called "NG standard" that we have become accustomed to expect from them. It is all good though, but it goes to prove the point that NG is just one more manufacturer from the bunch. The total score is 53 / 6 = 8.8 Jorge A. Zajia

In this new series we take a look at airliners that don't get much attention. Some have seen service and some never got into production. These articles give a summary of the purpose, development and operational history. As a collector of scalemodel aircraft, I will also look at potential liveries that can be made. We start with two of the most succesful Soviet aircraft ever built: The Ilyushin IL-12 and IL-14. IL-12 The IL-12 was developed in 1943 as transport aircraft to replace the Lisunov Li-2, which was a Soviet license-produced version of the American Douglas DC-3 (which will be discussed in a seperate article). It featured a tricycle gear setup, which made it more comfortable for boarding and loading than the tailwheel configuration of the Li-2. Also it was more safe in case of overrotation on take-off or a tail-down landing. Originally it was planned to have a pressurized cabin, capacity of 29 seats and four M-88V engines, the same as on the IL-4 bomber. However, the design was changed considerably in 1944; the engines were changed to two Ach-31 V12 diesel engines, the presurized cabin was left out due to difficulty to get enough air from the diesel engines and the capacity was reduced to 27 seats. All of this resulted in a lower capacity, range and cruising speed. Finally the first flight was made in August 1945, but it didn't take long before more adjustments were made to the design; the engines were replaced with 14-cylinder aircooled engines as the diesel engines could not be brought up to the required standard for mass production in time. This change further reduced the range, but improved reliability. The aircraft took flight again in January 1946. The IL-12 measures 21.3 meters in length with a wingspan of 31.7m. Testing and operational service Testing did not go without trouble as the pilots experienced a lot of vibration and the aircraft could tip over when cargo was being loaded due to it's poor centre of gravity. Despite these issues, it was said that the IL-12 performed and handled better than the Li-2, which paid a major role in the decision to launch the production of the aircraft. The aircraft was superior to the Li-2 as its cruising speed was 100km/h faster and had a higher payload, resulting in a significantly lower cost per tonne/kilometer. The IL-12 was revealed on the 1st of May 1947 during a flyby over the Red Square. After some final testing, Aeroflot was the first airline to take the aircraft in service in June 1947. They modified some of their IL-12's in order to land and take-off on icy runways during Antarctic expeditions. More orders followed by LOT Polish Airlines, who ordered the improved IL-12B in 1948, CSA Czech Airlines between 1949 and 1951, TAROM in 1949 and the Chinese CAAC. There were 663 produced in total, of which 56 crashed. Some are currently in static display, most of them being in China. Some of the versions are: IL-12-32: short haul airliner with a seating arrangement for 32 passengers and one toilet. IL-12-16: instead of seats, there were 16 sleeper berths and two toilets. IL-12 VIP: as the name suggest, these were fitted with a luxurious interior. IL-12T: transport / cargo version with additional double door in the fuselage. IL-12D: improved IL-12T with wider door, making it capable of paradropping troops in two rows. IL-12B: improved IL-12 with new hot-air anti-icing system, dorsal fin and rudder with spring tab. This was the main export version. Angry husband In August 1953, flight mechanic and former Li-2 pilot Vladimir Polyakov stole an IL-12, registred CCCP-L1339, which was parked at Severny Airport. In the dark he attempted to fly the aircraft in the apartment of his wife after issues in their marriage, but couldn't exactly figure out which apartment it was and ended up circling above the city Novosibirsk for hours. Two fighter aircraft were sent out to force the IL-12 to land at Tolmachovo Airport. Vladimir declined, but after more than 3 hours in the air he landed safely at the same airport he took off from. At first he was sentenced to death, but a petition from Sergey Ilyushin himself reduced the punishment to only 3 years of prison, as Vladimir proved the aircraft's reliability in these conditions. IL-14 The Ilyushin IL-14 was developed from the IL-12 with the intention for both militairy and civil service. With the IL-12, pilots experienced severe problems with engine-out behavior and it only had a capacity of 18 passengers instead of the intended 32. To fix these issues, the IL-14 got new Shvetsov ASh-82T-7 radial piston engines, wings and a broader tailfin. The first flight was in October 1950, 3 years after the IL-12 went into service. Thanks to these improvements, a lot more IL-14's were build compared to the Il-12: 1348 in total, of which 80 in East Germany and 203 in Czechoslovakia. Those built in East Germany were assigned as VEB 14 and those built in Czechoslovakia as Avia 14. The factory where most IL-14's were build is still producing Ilyushin aircraft; the IL-76. Many variants existed, to name a few: the IL-14G was for cargo, IL-14P for passenger service, the IL-14M was a stretched version of the IL-14P, mainly to increase luggage capacity (one meter extra length) and IL-14T was for militairy transport. The IL-14M measures 22.3 meters in length and had a wingspan of 31,7 meters. The first operator that took the IL-14 in service was Aeroflot in 1954. Many other airlines and airforces followed, most for states within the Soviet Union, but also southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Cuba. It can be considered one of the most succesfull Soviet built aircraft as it has seen a long operational history. The last one retired in Russia in 2005, which is 51 years after it started service with Aeroflot. Plenty can still be found at museums around the world. The easiest way to know if something is an IL-12 or IL-14 is by looking at the vertical stabilizer. The IL-14 has a flat part on top while the one on the IL-12 curves down immediately. Another difference is that the nosegeardoors on the IL-12 are noticably longer than on the IL-14. stabilizer of Il-12 stabilizer of Il-14 Potential for scalemodels Now let's look at what the possibilities are for scalemodels. The IL-12 and IL-14 (non-stretched variant) can have the same mould for the fuselage, gears and propellors, but the engines, nosegeardoors and vertical stablizer need seperate mouldings. The IL-14 has been made in 1/200 by Phoenix and Western Models, although there hasn't been a release since 2013. The IL-12 mostly saw militairy service, not so much by civil airliners. Some possibilities are: Aeroflot (at least two different liveries) CSA Czech Airlines LOT Polish Airlines The Il-14 has a lot more options, here are some examples: Aeroflot (at least two different liveries) Malev Hungarian Airlines (at least two different liveries) Air Koryo Tarom Romanian Airlines Balkan / Bulgarian Air Transport (at least 3 different liveries) Interflug (at least 3 different liveries) CSA Czech Airlines (at least 3 different liveries) Are there enough options that would sell well? I'm afraid not. The production numbers don't mean much when most of the aircraft were not used for civil services. The Convair 240 series have a lot more liveries and those are not particularly sought after in 400 scale. Many can be found for low prices years after being released. You may think that it should be possible when NG has a TU-204/214 mould, of which only 89 are build so far, but the major difference is that the TU-204 is still in service (and production) and thus attracts both modern and retro collectors. Summary The Ilyushin IL-12 and IL-14 were very succesful and versatile aircraft that saw service in many places all over the world for many decades. There were about as many of them build as the IL-18, IL-62, IL-76 and IL-86 combined. During development of the IL-12, Ilyushin was also looking at an aircraft with 4 engines, named the IL-18, but not the one you are thinking about right now. Stay tuned for part 2 of the Forgotten Airliner series as I will discuss it there! - Mark Retrohangar Diecast on Instagram Mark22 on MAF, 400SH, DAC and DIMA Want to collaborate or let me review your product? Send me a message via the channels mentioned above! Last edit: 03-09-2023; information about the tricycle gear configuration changed. Sources: OKB ILYUSHIN by Yefim Gordon, Dmitriy Komissarov, & Sergey Kommissarov, Midland Publishing, 2004. Wikipedia: Ilyushin Il-12, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-12 Wikipedia: Ilyushin Il-14, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-14 Airhistory.net: https://www.airhistory.net/files/st/ilyushin.pdf Aircraft on thumbnail: Frank de Koster, https://oud16hoven.nl/gebeurtenissen/il-14s-op-rotterdam Unfortunately I was unable to contact the publisher about permission to use pictures from the book. This article may be updated with more images in the future.

Collecting diecast aircraft models (or anything else for that matter) is full of bursts of joy. Nothing beats the excitement triggered by receiving a new model, but a close second is getting pleasantly surprised by the announcement of a new release that you genuinely want. I never thought of Phoenix Models as a manufacturer particularly known for thrilling release sets. On the contrary, they were largely considered a boring brand for collectors with an interest in subjects from the Western World as they heavily focused on Asian airlines. Also, in recent years their less-than-stellar molds have earned them a bit of a stigma. At times they did hint at some hidden potential with some stunning releases. But those releases were sporadic and not exactly the norm for Phoenix. Recently though, their release sets have started to become much more varied and include more and more crowd-pleasing subjects. These included the timely releases of models of aircraft that have been at the center of important events, such as the Aerolíneas Argentinas A330-200 in the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup livery, as well as the last 747 ever produced, an Atlas Air 747-8F that rolled out of the Boeing Everett Factory in January 2023. Additionally, Phoenix has consistently been releasing contemporary classics for over a year now. These include slightly different versions – and sometimes straight-up re-releases – of models that are often associated with high prices on the second-hand markets such as 767-300s and A340s wearing the liveries of flag carriers from the 1990s and 2000s, as well as never-released subjects such as a recent TU-154 in the 1990s Cubana livery, just to name a few. But by far the most head-turning subjects (not always for a good reason) they have been releasing are many (many!) 747-100/200s and -400s. The current wave of Phoenix 747s started to slowly appear around 2020, but the production has now accelerated to an expeditious rate. The 747 (-100/200/300/400) is a hot topic in 1:400 scale. Most of them are older releases for which there is still plenty of demand, which means that collectors have no choice but to pay exorbitant prices for an outdated model or have no model at all. In spite of this, Phoenix’s wave of 747s was not received exactly with applauses. Their 741/2/3/4 series of molds is just not all that great. To say that collectors who put mold precision and accuracy above all were less than thrilled is an understatement. But still though, for many collectors who had been looking for a 747 wearing a certain livery, and not for an ultra-precise replica of a 747 wearing a certain livery, these Phoenixes jumbos fit the bill nicely. It is understood that other manufacturers with the tools to produce potentially better versions of the same crowd-pleasing classics that now have effectively become the norm for Phoenix, don’t want to do so in order to keep scale aircraft models being perceived as highly collectible items that are bound to become rare with time. Unfortunately, this primarily benefits collectors who see the hobby as an investment or simply enjoy sitting on something of value. Also, those manufacturers take things to a bit of an extreme. For example, the gradual replacement of many sought-after 747s is long overdue, and I don’t think the rarity of those models is doing any favors to the majority of the collecting community. So, while some collectors might see Phoenix’s over-production of rare 747s on an underwhelming mold as irresponsible and annoying, other collectors can rightfully say the same about other brands who turn their heads the other way. The exception is NG models, which similarly to Phoenix have become an excellent alternative to obtain highly sought-after previously released contemporary classics such as L-1011s, 777-200s, and 757s, usually of superior quality by the way. But their struggle to finally reveal their perpetually delayed 747-8s, combined with their recent shift of focus away from popular classics, gives little hope. It is worth mentioning that Phoenix does have some nicer molds. For example, depending on a collector’s particular priorities, their 777s, A330s/340s, and MD-11s can be considered perfectly serviceable. Their 767-300 is actually very nice, as well as their IL-96. Speaking of their 767-300, just a few days before writing this article they announced the release of one in the American Airlines chrome livery without winglets. This is a perfect example of the truly great things Phoenix is doing. Historically, AA 767s in that livery made by other manufacturers (one of which was done using the Phoenix mold!) are hard to find, and the last non-winglet version of it was released in 2008 using an old-generation mold. All of those factors make this kind of release very welcomed. So, there you have it. I actually believe Phoenix is not straight up taking the rare and exclusive factors away from diecast aircraft models, but instead, they are listening to a market that has been overly disregarded by other manufacturers. Phoenix likely knows that they could be selling more models if they were to invest in improving some of their tooling, especially their 747s, but have also likely determined that they can do just fine catering to the less-critical/more tolerant collectors working with what they have available (this is actually good, as I could not afford all of those 747s if they were cast using a better mold!). With persistence and consistency, they have established themselves as an unlikely crowd-pleaser and we have become conditioned to expect a nice offering of contemporary classics from them. So far in 2023 they have not disappointed. In fact, most of the new releases that I have purchased this year come from them. Enjoy them: Jorge A. Zajia

1/400 is probably the most popular scale in diecast aircraft. Some people find them too small and collect 1/200 instead. But what if that still isn't enough? Well, then perhaps this model is for you! In this article I will talk about the 1/72 Schuco KLM Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation with registration PH-LKE. In case you're wondering, it's 48cm long and 51cm wide. In the picture below you see it next to a 1/200 747-400. Background information First let's take a look at the history of the aircraft. The Constellation series started in 1943 with the L-049, which was further developed into newer, larger variants, the last one being the L-1649 Starliner from 1957. The L-1049 Super Constellation was developed by Lockheed in response to the succesful Douglas DC-6. This model is a L-1049G, which was the first of the Super Constellation series to have optional tiptanks (fueltanks on the wingtips) and weather radar. The latter is recognizable by an extended nose. The PH-LKE was delivered in 1955 with only tiptanks, as displayed on this model, the weather radar was installed later. Aeroclassics made the exact same livery on the L-1049G with both tiptanks and weather radar, which can be seen below. The PH-LKE ended service after only seven years in 1962, as KLM added the brandnew DC-8-32 to their fleet to start the jet age. Main features of this model Now let's talk about what this model has to offer. The fuselage, wings, gears and centre vertical stabilizer are made from metal, the horizontal and two outer vertical stabilizers are plastic. This is probably done for weight balance, as it tips over quite easily. The fuselage is hollow and actually has some interior. With a flashlight you can see chairs behind the (cockpit)windows. The propellors spin, but the wheels do not. You can display this model in gear up and gear down position, just like some models in 1/400 and 1/200 can. It comes with a plastic stand with the Schuco logo on it. Review Now let's review this model. There are 6 parts that will be given between 1 and 10 points, 1 being the lowest and 10 being perfect. In the end the average of these scores will be the final score. Please keep in mind that after reading this review, you may enjoy your model less as you become aware of the flaws. Accuracy of colors With old pictures it's difficult to judge how accurate the colors are. At the Aviodrome Aviation museum there is a KLM L-749 with a different livery, but I assume the dark blue has the same tone. In that case, the dark blue on the model is not dark enough, but it's not so far off that it bothers me much. The light blue lines seem right and the Dutch flags on the vertical stabilizers are also perfectly fine. The rear part of the engines are black, which the model has too. The belly, wings and stabilizers are silver like they should. Score: 9 / 10 Livery The livery is not executed very well unfortunately. On the picture above you can see that the dark blue runs downwards on the nose, on the model it doesn't. Perhaps Schuco used a picture that I can't find, but until then I count it as a mistake. The KLM logo on the nose is too large and placed too high. Behind the cockpit windows the dark blue should curve upwards, but on the model it barely does. Because of this, the ship behind the cockpit sticks out too far. This ship should also be placed more to the right. The top of the white cheatline should run halfway through the little window, as you can see on the picture above, now the distance between the cheatline and the "The Flying Dutchman" titles is too large. When the white cheatline goes up a little, it also aligns better with the bottom of the three windows further back. Now there is a little bit of dark blue inbetween. The dark blue line seems to slightly curve upwards at the rear, while on the real aircraft it curves down. KLM probably used the panel lines as reference, but on the model the dark blue color doesn't follow them. At least the lightblue lines are placed at the correct height. Score: 4 / 10 Logos, titles and stickers The issues with the dark blue color make the "Pegasus" titles look like they're positioned very poorly, but I think they should only be slightly lower. The size and font seems good enough. The large "The Flying Dutchman" titles have the wrong font, but it's not too bothersome. The white KLM letters in the dark blue area should be more bold and the font is again not entirely correct. The registration on the tail should be lower, so that it sits halfway the blue part of the Dutch flag. There are no "KE" letters on the nosegeardoors, which you may expect on a model this large, even the 1/400 version from Aeroclassics has it. The old KLM logo from the 50's is not easy to replicate, but Schuco did a good job. It has 7 feathers on each side and the crown has most detailes captured well. It's not perfect but nicely done. The yellow Super Constellation sticker is placed well (remember that the white cheatline should be higher). On pictures of the real aircraft it looks white instead of yellow, but if you Google this logo, it's most often yellow too so I will let it slide. The KLM logo on the tail is placed too high, just like the registration, but it has all the details you would expect. Score: 7 / 10 Other details Normally I would look at other details that you find all around the aircraft, but there are not enough clear pictures to judge from, so I will skip this part. Score: - / 10 Paint and printing QC There are no issues that would lower the score. Everything is printed crisp and the paint is applied well. Score: 10 / 10 Mould QC If you want to display this model with gears down, you have to place the gears and geardoors yourself. Unlike what we often see in 1/200, where they use magnets, with this model the gears are held by friction. This means that the connection needs to be perfect to get them into the correct position and to prevent them from falling out. The nosegear connection was foo fat, so I had to remove some material, but now it seems fine. The main landing gear however are too loose, so they fell out quite often when I made pictures of the model. I could glue them in place ofcourse, but then I will never be able to change it to a gear up display. In this scale Schuco could easily have used magnets, so it's unfortunate that they chose for this friction method. The propellors are a little loose, but not so much that they point downwards. Apart from that there is nothing that bothers me. Score: 8 / 10 Conclusion Overall it's a beautiful model that I can recommend to anyone. It captures the iconic look of the Super Constellation well and the QC is also very good. It's such a shame that the livery is done so poorly as it could have gotten an entire point extra on the final score, if the dark blue area was done correctly. Aeroclassics did a much better job with the livery and details despite being in a much smaller scale and made 19 years ago. The total score is 38 / 5 = 7,6, which is far above acceptable in my eyes and worth the price of €119,95. Schuco also made this model in the Lufthansa livery, which is still available at retailers. - Mark Retrohangar Diecast on Instagram Mark22 on MAF, 400SH and DAC Want to collaborate or let me review your product? Send me a message via the channels mentioned above! All pictures are mine (unless stated otherwise) and may not be used without my permission! Sources: https://www.airteamimages.com/lockheed-constellation_PH-LKE_klm---royal-dutch-airlines_95286.html https://patmcast.blogspot.com/2012/05/saved-from-dustbin-8.html

Intro The aircraft liveries of the 1990s generally are not considered the most exotic. Gone were the decorative window cheatlines of the 70s and 80s, but the curvy smooth designs of the 2010s were still under the horizon. This left us with formal, business-like designs adorning the eye-catching airliners that were common during those days. For those of us airplane lovers who grew up during that decade, models with those liveries can easily send us down nostalgia lane, in spite of their rigid feel. Such is the case with me and the subject of this overview, a Tupolev TU-154 in the 1990s Cubana livery. It was the mid of the 1990s, my mom and I were at Maiquetía Airport (greater Caracas) changing airplanes as we returned home to Maracaibo from Barcelona (VE). I loved these opportunities to spend time at airports watching airplanes. It was late afternoon and Maiquetía was buzzing. 727-200s from several local carriers, as well as many foreign carriers from the Andean region and the U.S. were coming in constantly as the Euro heavies launched eastward over the Caribbean sea back to the old world. Suddenly, a Cubana tri-jet appeared on short final. The runway was a bit far, but the big, bright, red titles made it easy for me to identify the airline. As far as the aircraft type goes, of course I thought it was just another 727 joining the party. Not quite, I was about to find out. As the aircraft gracefully taxied back to the terminal, it passed in front of where I was, this time much closer. First, the nose, what had happened to that traditional Boeing nose? Then the main landing gear; it had bogies like those found on widebodies. And then that archaic-looking thing sticking out of the top of the tail; reminded me of the toy 707s that I had. What an exotic aircraft, a surreal 727-200. It would take years before I could track down the aircraft type, learn about the existence of Soviet aviation, and learn about the Cuban revolution. It would take even more years before I saw another one of these birds in real life, an event that took place in Budapest, only about six months before writing this article. As far as the model goes, most of the classics on my wish list belong to the second-hand market, so the opportunity to witness this aircraft/livery combo released for the first time in 1:400 scale, and consequently being able to get it at MSRP from my retailer of choice was a genuine treat. Lo and behold, this subject did not come from Aeroclassics (the brand most associated with releasing this kind of stuff), or NG (the innovators who not long ago unveiled a very nice TU-154 series of molds). Instead, it came from Phoenix, the only brand that seems to have no reservations when it comes to exploiting the nostalgia factor of diecast aircraft model collecting. While the personal emotional value of a model goes a long way, if enough quality issues and errors are present, they can effectively ruin a holy grail even in the eyes of the most forgiving collectors. Luckily that is not the case with this model. Nonetheless, let's go and put on our rivet-counter hat and do some scrutinizing, shall we? Note: Even though the following review is scored, it still is the subjective opinion of the author, and it is nothing more than a way to enjoy the model and learn about the real aircraft it represents. Review The model in question is the 1:400 Phoenix Models Cubana de Aviación Tupolev TU-154B-2 CU-T1256, released in May 2023. There are 6 parts that will be given between 1 and 10 points, 1 being the lowest and 10 being perfect. In the end the average of these scores will be the final score. Aircraft background: CU-T1256 was a Tupolev TU-154B-2 delivered to Cubana de Aviación on July 7, 1984. It spent its entire service life with Cubana; it was retired sometime around the turn of the century. It wore two basic Cubana liveries. The model in question represents the aircraft as it looked during its very last years of service. The real aircraft: And the model: 1) Accuracy of colors Phoenix did a nice job on the colors. While the photos with my mirrorless camera can make the red look a tad too bright when compared with available photos of this aircraft online (see photos above), my iPhone camera says that the model actually has the correct crimson tone that the real aircraft seemed to have (see comparison below). Either way, it looks good to me. Score: 10/10 2) Livery The livery is precisely executed corresponding to the aircraft's later years when it wore the Cuban flag on the upper forward fuselage and the IATA logo on the left side of the nose, as seen in the photo below. In this other photo, we can see that the black dot on the radome that the model had is also correct. One extremely minor issue is the placement of the overwing reg. The same photo as in the previous link shows some lettering on top of the outboard wing fence, whereas on the model no elements of the reg. fall on top of the wing fence. Score: 10/10 3) Logos, titles and stickers As stated in the previous section, the model has the proper livery elements that place the aircraft in the late 1990s. There is an interesting observation though, a small text and an additional logo that can be seen under the left cockpit window in the photo above. With the help of the author of the photo, I was able to find out that the text corresponds to the aircraft name "Ciudad de Habana." The logo under it was unidentified. Phoenix omitted the aircraft name and unidentified logo in their artwork, but I won't hold that against them as it is unclear if those elements had been removed by the time the black dot on the nose was applied. On a different note, I think the Cubana font would have looked better if it was less bold on the port side (oddly enough starboard side looks better, at least on my model) Score: 9/10 4) Other details The model lacks VHF antennas and drain masts. The HF antenna did make it, since its enclosure on top of the tail (à la 707) is part of the aircraft's main structure, albeit it looks a bit blunt (the mold in general is showing its age). Besides that, a good amount of details (access panels, cargo doors, radome edge, beacon/nav/landing lights, pitot tubes, and other sensors) are present and accurate. However, Phoenix incorrectly mirrored some of the nose details from the port side onto the starboard side as there should only be one pitot tube on the right side, but there are two, just like on the left side. The gates right behind the intake lip on the #1 & #3 engines are missing (Phoenix has depicted them on previous models), but they could be considered to be closed. Score: 8/10 5) Paint and printing QC There are a number of small issues in this area. The top of the fuselage feels rough to the touch, resembling the feel of residual clearcoat spray applied to other parts of the model. There is also some roughness on the blue paint on the right side of the tail. A small red stain can be seen under the #2 exhaust. Finally, there is a small white dot (skipped paint) on the C on the port side. Fortunately, none of the issues are readily apparent to the naked eye, and the overall finish is good. I would not have rejected the model due to QC, but definitely not the sharpest job in that department. Score: 8/10 6) Mould QC The mold is more than ten years old and full of seams, but this is not a mold review. In the quality department though, the #2 intake lip is poorly finished, see picture below. Score: 9/10 Conclusion Phoenix did a good job with the tools they have available (i.e. an outdated mold). While the model does have a number of imperfections and minor inaccuracies I still consider it to be well within standard. More importantly, it was the missing link in my Cubana collection, and it is looking remarkably well on my modest Soviet shelf: The total score is 54 / 6 = 9 9/10 Remember that any model that makes you happy can be considered a 10/10 ;) Jorge A. Zajia Sources: -AirHistory.net Photographers: Paul Seymour & Richard Vandervord. Special thanks to Richard Vandervord for his help in finding out what the text under the port cockpit windows was. -Rzjets.net

Hi everyone, in this article I will review the 1:400 NG Models Pan Am L-1011-500 N507PA "Clipper Northern Eagle", May 2023 release. There are 7 parts that will be given between 1 and 10 points, 1 being the lowest and 10 being perfect. In the end, the average of these scores will be the final score. Intro In the late sixties, the wide-body jetliner market was born after Boeing started to develop the ultra-high capacity Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which was more than twice as big as any other passenger aircraft in existence. Quickly the other two prominent U.S. commercial aircraft manufacturers, McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed, responded by starting to develop their own jumbo jets: the DC-10 and the L-1011 TriStar respectively. Development of these wide-body aircraft took place during the early stages of high-by-pass turbofan engines, and long before ETOPs rules were even a thought. As a result, a twin-engine design was not entirely ideal, but four engines, like the 747 had, were unnecessary for the more modest DC-10 and TriStar. The answer was three engines, and this left very few options in terms of engine placement. Thus both aircraft ended up looking very similar with two wing-mounted engines, and another one mounted in the tail area. Both airplanes entered service in the early seventies but in the end, after a number of events and factors, the DC-10 sold better, while the L-1011 was considered a commercial failure after only 250 units were produced. It was the last airliner developed by Lockheed. During the first half of the eighties, Pan Am operated a fleet of 12 of the long-range version of the aircraft, the L-1011-500, which sported a shortened fuselage among other aerodynamic improvements over the standard L-1011-1. Deliveries started in 1980 and by 1986 all aircraft had left the fleet. The aircraft that the model in this article represents, N507PA, was named "Clipper Northern Eagle" and it was delivered new to Pan Am in June of 1980. It was then sold to Delta in January 1985. Delta retired the aircraft in 2001, and it has been broken up since. The exotic L-1011 is a favorite among aviation enthusiasts. Combine it with the livery of an iconic airline and you have a model that will turn heads. Many model manufacturers have produced Pan Am L-1011-500s in 1:400 scale, including NG themselves. It is generally agreed among collectors that the best L-1011-500 mold in 1:400 scale is the NG one, so this second Pan Am TriStar from them is very welcomed. Let's see if it is as stunning as their first one. 1) Accuracy of colors Unfortunately, I can't take the model out to the airport and place it next to a real Pan Am TriStar. That leaves us with having to use photos (digital photos) to judge the accuracy of colors. Since digital images can vary widely, I will use more than one photo so we can get an idea of what the "right" colors are. My photos of the model were taken with light that was coming through a window in manual mode. RAW to PNG, unedited other than auto-sharp, and resizing. The blue of the cheatline and tail logo on the model seem to be ever so slightly darker than what we see in the pictures of real subjects. It is worth noting that the blue in Pan Am models made by NG is slightly darker than on most other Pan Am models in my collection, which come from GeminiJets, Dragon Wings, and BlueBox. Only Aeroclassics' recent releases are darker, and Aeroclassics' older releases are on par with NG. Overall, the model does look good, the slightly darker tone does not jump at me, and it is not evident unless one does a careful analysis. Score: 9.5/ 10 2) Livery Airliners.net has a nice selection of pictures of N507PA from different angles. You can see those photos by clicking here. Go ahead and open some of those photos on another window and go back and forth between them and the pictures of the model I have here. I think NG did a very meticulous job with the artwork. The only issue I see worth mentioning is the boldness of the door opening instructions (red text next to the main cabin doors). Those were very discreet in real life as seen here. Score: 10/10 3) Logos, titles and stickers Again, not much to say here, other than the name of the aircraft is too bold in the model compared to the real thing. Score: 10/10 4) Other details The model also excels in level of detail and the accuracy of those details. An impressive job that clearly took a lot of time to refine. All sensors, intakes, exhausts, pitot tubes, static ports, cargo doors and associated opening mechanisms, landing gear doors, and many access panels are accurately depicted as far as I can tell. It is worth mentioning that NG did a great job at avoiding over-detailing by making those details discreet enough. The only observation is that the model only has comm antennas, but real L-1011s also had two drain masts on the aft lower fuselage. These masts have been accurately replicated in other aircraft in 1:400 scale by other manufacturers so I won't let NG get away with omitting them, especially since they have proved that they have the capability to add them. Score: 9/10 5) Paint and printing QC The printing and paint application is solid for the most part. There is one prominent issue though. Besides the registration, this release was supposed to be different from NG's first Pan Am L-1011 by having a white radome. However, due to the chrome belly extending all the way to the nose tip, the lower half of the radome still looks a bit grey, and it is not supposed to. Additionally, per a discussion at the Diecast Aircraft Forum, some collectors have identified a potential issue with the color of the electroplated bare metal belly. The issue, however, does not seem to negatively affect the look of the model. Score: 9/10 6) Mould QC The NG L-1011-500 mold has been reviewed by Richard Stretton at Yesterday's Airlines. It is a superb 1:400 mold that was unveiled in 2019, and to this day NG continues to put out solid TriStar-500s. However, I noticed that the intake lip of the #2 engine is slightly wider than the intake duct. I looked a pictures of, and checked my other, NG L-1011-500s and they do not have this issue. Score: 9/10 7) Built QC My example came with clear signs that the right wing had become detached and reattached by someone (probably the retailer). I would not normally have included this in a review, but another collector reported an identical issue (the model arrived with a detached right wing) at the Model Airliner Forum, which leads me to think that it could be more than an isolated case. Score 8/10 Conclusion As always there's room for improvement, but by and large, this is a superb model of an iconic aircraft wearing the livery of an even more iconic airline. The total score is 64.5 / 7 = 9.2 9.2 / 10 Jorge A. Zajia