Charter
Well-known member
Hi everyone, this thread is for models comparison and models review. The 1:500 scale isn't comparable to the 1:400 scale in terms of its proximity to perfection, and this isn't expected of Herpa, Aether Models or future brand manufacturers. This is because the surface area to work with is very small, especially for narrowbodies and regionals, and some details simply can't be reproduced. Widebodies are certainly easier to create well-made models. The smaller scale, however, doesn't rule out the possibility of being able to, and above all, having to, create almost perfect models, because we collectors want and demand it, and because the now astronomical prices also demand it.
In the past, Herpa has accustomed 1:500 scale collectors to living with truly gross errors: missing fuselage windows, incomplete aircraft registrations, incorrect or backwards printed airline names, even a B747-400ERF with a B747-300F fuselage (Cargolux B747F "50th Anniversary retro livery), incorrect engines, and completely incorrect cockpit windows in terms of position and size.
The most common errors are the wrong livery colors, the wrong geometric shapes of special liveries (but also normal liveries) etc.
Then there are the molds for the various models: for decades, Herpa has marketed models with the wrong nose section and continues to do so with some models, such as the A350, even though much has been improved. It's true that modifying a mold is expensive and time-consuming, and every modification must necessarily have a financial return.
Previous brands like Netmodels, Aero500, Big Bird, Sky500, Starjets, and Inflight500 have accustomed us to better-made models with fewer errors and molds that are much more similar to the original aircraft, such as the legendary MD-11 from Starjets or the DC-10s from Inflight500.
For all these reasons, reviews and comparisons of 1:500 models cannot be like the reviews conducted by Richard Stretton (YesterAirlines) with a perfect architecture for 1:400 models and really wonderful (even if since i joined this beautiful website and met new 1:400 collectors i started to better understand like 1:400 scale is not the Holy Grail and even with bigger scale the flaws and errors, even shameful, are common. But, as many times already said, in 1:400 scale there are so many brand and manufacturers that everyone can have pleasure collecting good, decent and almost perfect models). Richard shares a real love and abnegation for 1:400 world and this Is reflected on his reviews. Really beautiful! At 1:500 scale, we still need to be sure that all the essential details are present to call a model "acceptable," then we move on to deciding whether it's decent, fair, well-made, or wonderful.
Collecting in both 1:500 and 1:400 scales can be summarized in three main parts:
1) collecting to own a model, whether beautiful or ugly;
2) collecting with an eye for the type of model and how it's made (the majority of collectors);
3) collecting with aspirations for perfection. In this last area, those who collect only perfect or nearly perfect models don't manage to buy more than twenty models a year!
Thanks for the appreciation, stay tuned.
In the past, Herpa has accustomed 1:500 scale collectors to living with truly gross errors: missing fuselage windows, incomplete aircraft registrations, incorrect or backwards printed airline names, even a B747-400ERF with a B747-300F fuselage (Cargolux B747F "50th Anniversary retro livery), incorrect engines, and completely incorrect cockpit windows in terms of position and size.
The most common errors are the wrong livery colors, the wrong geometric shapes of special liveries (but also normal liveries) etc.
Then there are the molds for the various models: for decades, Herpa has marketed models with the wrong nose section and continues to do so with some models, such as the A350, even though much has been improved. It's true that modifying a mold is expensive and time-consuming, and every modification must necessarily have a financial return.
Previous brands like Netmodels, Aero500, Big Bird, Sky500, Starjets, and Inflight500 have accustomed us to better-made models with fewer errors and molds that are much more similar to the original aircraft, such as the legendary MD-11 from Starjets or the DC-10s from Inflight500.
For all these reasons, reviews and comparisons of 1:500 models cannot be like the reviews conducted by Richard Stretton (YesterAirlines) with a perfect architecture for 1:400 models and really wonderful (even if since i joined this beautiful website and met new 1:400 collectors i started to better understand like 1:400 scale is not the Holy Grail and even with bigger scale the flaws and errors, even shameful, are common. But, as many times already said, in 1:400 scale there are so many brand and manufacturers that everyone can have pleasure collecting good, decent and almost perfect models). Richard shares a real love and abnegation for 1:400 world and this Is reflected on his reviews. Really beautiful! At 1:500 scale, we still need to be sure that all the essential details are present to call a model "acceptable," then we move on to deciding whether it's decent, fair, well-made, or wonderful.
Collecting in both 1:500 and 1:400 scales can be summarized in three main parts:
1) collecting to own a model, whether beautiful or ugly;
2) collecting with an eye for the type of model and how it's made (the majority of collectors);
3) collecting with aspirations for perfection. In this last area, those who collect only perfect or nearly perfect models don't manage to buy more than twenty models a year!
Thanks for the appreciation, stay tuned.
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