Aeroclassics December 2023 releases

Nice releases…looks like I’ll be adding 4 from this set. It’s actually 20 years since the original El Al 747 6-pack dropped from AC way back in December 2003! I have 5 of those 6 so will gladly add a couple of these to that set…x2 4X-AXH’s in original o/c (one has a 40th anniversary logo on it, from 1987, while the other has a different logo dating it to 1989 from reference photos I’ve seen). The Thai 742 fleet-builds on the 2004 release, and that Eastern A300 is also hard to resist.
 
Those A300s! Hopefully the other EA and AA versions soon as well. That'll be great and much required - as the previous ones are no longer accessible.
Not within my criteria - but those DC-4s look great. Especially the white Panagra and PSA
 
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Happy with the 747s - especially El Al:love:
Have ordered both companies - lets see if I can get my hands on them 😝
 
I have the entire original AC EL AL 742 six pack so it will be interesting to see the difference, will review them once they arrive
 
Wonder what caused the sudden influx of 747 classics….

I'm just a mortal collector, but from what I have been able to gather this is how it goes:

JC, who owns the BigBird mold that Aeroclassics has always used for their 747s, has recognized for some time now that long-sold-out classics can be cash cows. GJ, who has gotten JC grabbed by the balls, is not a huge fan of re-releasing rare models to keep them rare and valuable. Apparently, the GJ boys actually get a hard-on when they see their old models go for hundreds of dollars on eBay.

In the meantime, Phoenix showed no qualms and shamelessly started to pump out those very contemporary classics that GJ didn't let JC release. Including, but not limited to, many 747s. Phoenix knows that those hot liveries will sell even on their mold... Then, NG also responded by showing the intent to release 747 classic molds.

Refusing to sit with his hands crossed JC said: well screw you GJ, if you don't want to do it, and don't want to let me do it, I have no option but to call AC and provide them with some BigBird blank 742 molds to curb Phoenix's money grab and to steal the NG's thunder.

This is not the first time in recent times that JC has sold blank 747s to AC. Of Course way back when those molds were actually located in the same factory where Aerocclassics were produced and that's when all those 747s that you see on eBay going for 100$$$ were made, or something like that.
 
Second part to my post above:

So, no, the world actually does not revolve around NG. The reason NG is trying to develop a 747-200 mold is the same reason Phoenix and Aeroclassics are releasing them: They sell.

It is funny, nobody seems to get the damm thing right. Phoenix has the printing quality but not the mold. Aeroclassics has got the mold, but their printing is precarious. And NG, who had the potential to bring everything together, screwed up their samples remarkably.

The curse of the classic 747 in 1:400 scale.
 
If I remember well, AC still had blanks stored and now want to release them before NG comes up with theirs.
Ah I see Jorge has the explanation covered well on his own!

The only thing I'll add is that this isn't the original Big Bird but one of the several copies of it as the wingtip aerials are a lot chunkier.

Judging by the fact retailers like Squatchy's got only 1 of each of these EL AL 747s the production runs on these must be tiny. The UA small titles were only 77 units and I'd guess these EL ALs are even less. At this point Andrew is almost making the models for himself sometimes!
 
On the rest of the releases I love the DC-4s and will get the 3 classic ones. I'd have preferred a Kar Air A300 rather than Finnair but may look at that one. I've already got all 3 EA A300 releases.
 
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