Notes:
I was fortunate enough to collect this China Northern A300 from JetCollector as part of last month's new release spread from Aeroclassics. According to one source, this is an extremely rare model with only 28 known pieces. China Northern is certainly a smaller, less known airline that only existed from 1990-2004. Their fleet, 52 aircraft strong was made up of MD-80s, MD-90s, A321s, and eight A300-600s. Each of these types have been acknowledged in 1/400 scale, and the A300 has been made three times, once by Yu Models in 2023 apparently on the Phoenix mould, and twice by Aeroclassics once in 2007, and now again in 2026. After twenty years, it's probably a good time for a rerelease, but on a dinosaur of a mould, I'm not entirely happy with this model. There are some typical production errors that will certainly impact resale value, and I think there's something truly wrong with the A300 casting. All that being said. It's nice to expand my China Northern fleet, and it's not all bad. 

Notes:
​I acquired this model from Waffle Collectables via eBay. I'm sure I spoiled the day of some fellow collectors as this was listed as the final copy in stock, and it appeared the several shoppers had this model in their carts, ready to purchase it soon. The Air Jamaica A340 by Phoenix Models is apparently in short supply as it is quite hard to come by just one year after it was released. I'm overall, really impressed with the paint quality, and printing detail, but the model itself has a few short comings. It is still however, the most detailed version of an Air Jamaica A340 to date and I'm really happy to have it join the collection. My Air Jamaica fleet has doubled in size this year, you can check out the rest of the fleet, here. 

P2-ANA was first flown in 1985, in July in fact. The aircraft serial numbered 378 is especially unique in that it was the A310-300 testbed. The aircraft was the first A310 to be retrofitted with extra fuel tanks and wingtip fences. After several years of operation by Airbus Industries, the aircraft was sold to Air Niugini. The airplane stayed with the company until 2002. Soon after, it was retrofitted once more as a freighter for Fedex. It was parked for good in 2018 at Victorville. 

Notes:
​The model is a nice example from Aeroclassics. Their A310 casting first came online in 2016. It's certainly the most active, and arguably, the best mould that is currently on the market. There have been some recent issues with A310s, and other Aeroclassics models having 'wavy wings' or malformed wing inserts. I do see that there is some slight wing bending here, but it's not nearly the worst I've seen. The painting is pretty good, with a few minor imperfections on the finishing. On the upper layers of printing, you can see that, especially on the tail, the layers of color aren't applied well enough, and there are some translucent issues. The bird of paradise logo is elegant, and the airline titles as well as the national flag are really good.

Notes:
It's been about eight years since I last picked up a model for my Singapore Airlines fleet. It's not a carrier that gets a lot of focus in my collection, but the Aero Polaris brand is a newer one that I was curious about, and the casting, which bears a striking resemblance to the NG mould, is really good. There are perhaps a few printing issues, the flight deck windows aren't perfectly level, so that gives the model a bit of a 'bootleg' sort of feel. This is the same issue I had with another Aero Polaris model from the same wave, a Greater Bay Airlines 737-800. The issue on this model isn't as pronounced, which is appreciated. All that is to say, this model is still keeper. It has great detailing, good assembly, and the packaging is premium in nature. Hopefully we have many more Aero Polaris models to look forward to in the future. 

LN-RMU spent the large majority of her career with SAS. Beginning service in 1992, the twin engined medium body airframe served with the company until 2010. She was leased to City Airline of Sweden in 2010, but came back to SAS by 2012. She apparently didn't see much work upon her return however as there is limited to no information that I was able to find on her activity after that. She was broken up at Kingman (KIGM) in 2022 still wearing the City Airline base colors. 

Notes:
I have no qualms with this little mad dog. There are many collectors these days that seem unafraid to openly complain about the subject choice in 1/400 scale now that such a wonderful casting of the old workhorse is available. While I personally can't wait to see more MD-87s on the mould, I'm more than pleased with my sole copy of this SAS representative. For many years a model from this airline, made to this quality would have been unthinkable. Yet here she is, sitting pretty as ever on my desk.

The 743rd 787 was delivered to Etihad in September of 2018. The long series-ten was completed at the Boeing completion facility in Charleston on October 30th and was then ferried to Dubai on Halloween. The airplane was delivered wearing this 2014  'Facets of Abu Dhabi' livery but it has also most recently worn a special livery highlighting a partnership with Warner Brothers that fetuses several DC Comics super heroes. The aircraft is frequently used on high occupancy routes to Europe. 

Notes:
The model shown above was distributed under Gemini Jets label in 2019. The model was produced on the 787-10 JC Wings template that also features deployed flaps. A standard version with flaps retracted was also released at the same time, both back in 2019. The JC Wings 787 castings are top notch, and can compete with the best in 1/400 scale. The paint and print work on the model as well as the construction are both virtually flawless. The model also features rolling gears, aerials, see-through engines and other realistic features. 

Like several other Middle Eastern airlines, Kuwait Airlines has been growing recently. According to the Centre for Aviation, in 2013 Kuwait Airways had one of the oldest fleets in the Middle East with an average age of 20 years. Through a series of deals and investments, ten years later SkyTrax named the airline World's Most Improved. That was accomplished with help from aircraft like this one. Registered as 9K-APA, and completed in May of 2015, the ship would join Kuwait Airways that year. She would stay with the fleet until March of 2024, and is currently being converted into a military spec. A330 for the Canadian military. 

Notes:
This little model, produced in 2021 represents a peak period for NG Models. The company was presenting far more diversity, and still in the process of developing some outstanding castings. The fuselage, wing details, see-through fan blades, and rolling gear are some of the best in the hobby. The combination of a brand new mould, and top notch paint and printing techniques mean that this is a premium 1/400 scale product.

There are one or two tiny errors on the model. The forward most port side door is supposed to run perfectly parallel with the cheatline but ducks below it at a weird angle. I'm also not convinced that NG got the colors exactly right. Paying no mind to these problems, the model is superb. The details around the nose cone, engine cowlings, and landing gear are awesome. Flip the model over and the 'Kuwait' title is beautifully replicated across the belly. The model has it all, go get one. 

Originally delivered to Iberia in 2004, this A320 is line number 2347. The airplane bounced between Iberia and Mexicana before ending up with Maldivian in October 2012. The Maldivian fleet which is around 23 airframes strong only has one A330, and one A320. The airline is primarily focused on providing connectivity to the various islands around the archipelago. But Maldivian also is dedicated to several mainland routes via their A330, and A320. 8Q-IAN has been seen at various ports around the rim of the Indian Ocean.

Notes:
Phoenix Models began producing A320's in 2004. But the company utilized a casting that was apparently owned by the Gemini Jets parent company, ADI. The two brands shared a production facility for several years but sometime in 2012 the Gemini mould was no longer available to Phoenix or, they stopped using the GJ mould and put into production their own. This mould features a more accurate fuselage, rolling landing gear, and antennas. 

This A320 is an early example of the Phoenix mould from 2014. It is item number PH10293, and is likely a limited release numbered between 500, and 1500 units. I picked up my copy from the Wafflecollectables online eBay store for around $40 dollars which I'm really pleased with as this  model can be very tricky to find. The 2014 build quality and paint and printing is very good. This isn't the best A320 on the market, but it can hold its own in several respects. 

The model was distributed by Gemini Jets in April of 2012. For a short time, Gemini utilized this somewhat unusual casting. The mould was used by Gemini between 2012 and 2016 around 20 times, and was used by both brands through that time period. The mould was originally developed by JC Wings around 2010, and they also used the mould about 35-40 times. The tooling seems to have been mothballed after 2016 in favor of a new mould, the current one that both of these companies use to this day.

Notes:
While this isn't a strong A320 casting, it is, in my opinion better than the one Gemini and JC are using now in 2025. The overall shape of the airplane is good, and the design, even with the rolling gears is really good. The paint and print work are very good as well, and while Gemini has gotten some of the colors correct, there are also some elements of the design that aren't replicated as well. The green engine cowlings look good, but on the 1/1, you can clear see a color gradient, that's not evident at all on the 1/64 model. This would have been a difficult detail to get right in 2012, no doubt. It's a shame Air Australia was so short lived. This is a really nice looking airplane, but sadly, is another LCC sent to the scrap heap from a very competitive market. 

It's a bit unusual to find a Boeing aircraft that was built in the early 70's as this one was that only served with one carrier. 7T-VEG was the 361st 737-200 completed at Boeing's Renton facility in 1974. It was promptly delivered to Air Algerie in June of '74, and stayed in the fleet up until it was decommissioned in 2005, and broken up in 2012. While the airline has had 188 airframes in their fleet at one time or another, their representation in 1/400 scale is very small. According to modelaircraftdatabase.com, there have only been five 1/400 scale models made, and this is only 737. Distributed by Aeroclassics in February of 2022, this model is likely at under 150 pieces worldwide.

Notes:
As I've said, the AC 737-200 mould is not modern by any means, but comparative to the other fittings that exist, it's certainly the most accurate. The overall shape of the model, and the slot in wings make this the top dog in the category. This is an example of what Aeroclassics can do when the company does a good job. The earlier Air Algerie livery is replicated beautifully on the model. The construction is almost perfect, and the model is historically important to the overall story of the airline. Air Algerie is an interesting African state-owned flag carrier that is quite under represented in 1/400, so this is a great example to get hold of.