It is often the ultra long haul, and wide-bodied aircraft that receive the most attention in 400 scale. This is even more true when considering the coverage Middle Eastern airlines typically get in the hobby. So medium range aircraft, like this Saudi A320-214 aren't typically well represented. Saudia operates over 50 A32X airframes, for example, and the 1/400 scale only offers about seven examples of A32X models. Three of the seven are from JC Wings, and one of those three is the only sandy-toned A320 in 1/400 scale.

With a growing demand for passenger air service in the 1950's, a Soviet Council of Ministers' directive was to develop an engine capable of meeting those requirements for both Ilyushin and Antonov. 

There are many unique features of this Cold War era quad-engined monoplane. Several of which are on display with this superb little Aeroclassics casting. For more, checkout the link for today's P.O.T.D.

It wasn't surprising to learn that United Airlines possessed one hundred and twenty six 737-900ERs. But it was surprising to see that the combined average age of their 737-900ERs was 10.9 years. It's amazing how quickly a seemingly modern fleet can age. In terms of diecast, even though this model was made in 2021, it still feels brand new. Part of that no doubt is due to how recently NG Models has published their 737-900ER casting. Read more for today's P.O.T.D...

Ukraine International operated three 737-200s from 1994 until 2005. Two of them, including this one, UR-GAC were received from Chinese airlines. This airplane arrived in the Ukraine in 1994 and remained with the fleet until 2005 making it the fleet senior. I've been working on my Ukrainian section and I was pretty excited to see this model released, but there is one major detractor that's been a recurring issue for Aeroclassics. See more here: AC Ukraine 737

NG Models developed their 737-700 mould in very short order relative to the company's beginning. That stands in stark contrast to how long N618AS has been a part of the Alaska Airlines fleet. The airframe was delivered to AS in April of 2000. That means this workhorse is pushing 23 years of age. NG Models have gone full steam with their 2021 casting creating up 24 models as of January 2023. They've only made two Alaska 737-7s, this one and a cargo variant. 

I acquired this model among five others in October of 2022 (10/14/22). In September of that year NG Models rolled out their brand new A350-1000 mould. The released this model as well as a Airbus 'House Colors' model with 'Qantas' titles. In trying to keep the collection lean, I usually avoid house color liveries. To this day, NG did not return to their A350-1000 mould in 2022.