American Airlines 747-100 Disappointment

[YesterAirlines]

I know that this has probably been discussed but I only just opened the Aeroclassics American Airlines 747-100 and considering it was made for me I'm rather disappointed. It is probably a bit silly for me to be buying these 747s at all but I have been getting some of them (and will probably still get the BOAC and Pan Am from this month). Sometimes I've thought about replacing older Dragon versions but in this case the comparison isn't flattering at all. The mould is inferior, aside from the undercarriage and the fit of the vertical stab, but I knew that already. More unfortunate is the finishing.

The cockpit windows are obviously too low but the polished finish comes with a lot of buffing scratches and the AA tail logo isn't straight either. Then when it comes to QC the wing box isn't glued on properly and the whole thing wiggles. Then there's the often mentioned wing leading edge mess. Overall the printing is inferior to the Dragon Wings version, which was released in 2000!!!

I also notice that the Aeroclassics version has no titles below the cheatline. I can't find a single photo without them having 'Astroliner' or '747 Luxury Liner' titles so presumably this is a mistake. I'll have to file this one under a purchase I regret.

 

[LeoMuse747]

Just shows how solid some Dragon models are after all those years, and how crappy some Aeroclassics models can be!

 

[DTcustoms]

The cockpit printing on the AC looks exactly like on Magic models 747-100/200 to me

 

[Irish]

I know that this has probably been discussed but I only just opened the Aeroclassics American Airlines 747-100 and considering it was made for me I'm rather disappointed. It is probably a bit silly for me to be buying these 747s at all but I have been getting some of them (and will probably still get the BOAC and Pan Am from this month). Sometimes I've thought about replacing older Dragon versions but in this case the comparison isn't flattering at all. The mould is inferior, aside from the undercarriage and the fit of the vertical stab, but I knew that already. More unfortunate is the finishing.

The cockpit windows are obviously too low but the polished finish comes with a lot of buffing scratches and the AA tail logo isn't straight either. Then when it comes to QC the wing box isn't glued on properly and the whole thing wiggles. Then there's the often mentioned wing leading edge mess. Overall the printing is inferior to the Dragon Wings version, which was released in 2000!!!

I also notice that the Aeroclassics version has no titles below the cheatline. I can't find a single photo without them having 'Astroliner' or '747 Luxury Liner' titles so presumably this is a mistake. I'll have to file this one under a purchase I regret.

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Jeez, I’ve learned a few things with AC, always buy 2 copies of the model for redundancy. If they both are perfect then there’s no problem reselling the extra cause of how hot the sell (depending on the model). Obviously this is pretty tedious but at this point I have no other choice if I’m trying to collect all Delta.

 

[planes_on_a_shelf]

These recent AC 747s are crappy in any case. Meant to cash in on the moment.
The release photos themselves speak volumes. Plus more photos on other websites and collector accounts. The fact that they cost as much as an NG 748 is amusing if it weren't absurd.

 

[JJ Skippy]

Quite disappointing for a model that I’m sure has been long awaited. Regardless of the issues, I’m just glad somebody is doing 747 classics again. I’m guessing AC rushed some of these into production to beat NG before theirs comes out (though it could still be some time yet), and with that rushing, flaws like these have slipped through their quality control. Hopefully when NG begins to roll those out, we’ll have high-quality 747 classics in no time.

 

[Phantom]

Quite disappointing for a model that I’m sure has been long awaited. Regardless of the issues, I’m just glad somebody is doing 747 classics again. I’m guessing AC rushed some of these into production to beat NG before theirs comes out (though it could still be some time yet), and with that rushing, flaws like these have slipped through their quality control. Hopefully when NG begins to roll those out, we’ll have high-quality 747 classics in no time.

They've been rushing these for three years now. I don't see how this could be blamed on quality control, it's more like saving a few bucks here and there - if you look at how they are done today vs. 20 years ago. But in the end of the day they sell out, so they can't be bad, can they?

 

[Irish]

Quite disappointing for a model that I’m sure has been long awaited. Regardless of the issues, I’m just glad somebody is doing 747 classics again. I’m guessing AC rushed some of these into production to beat NG before theirs comes out (though it could still be some time yet), and with that rushing, flaws like these have slipped through their quality control. Hopefully when NG begins to roll those out, we’ll have high-quality 747 classics in no time.

What do you mean quality control with AC, there is well, N O N E

 

[JJ Skippy]

What do you mean quality control with AC, there is well, N O N E

At minimum their models don't come broken (at least in my experience). Only two AC models I've got came broken and both were bought secondhand so I can only assume the damage was either there before or shipping did something bad to it.

 

[JJ Skippy]

They've been rushing these for three years now. I don't see how this could be blamed on quality control, it's more like saving a few bucks here and there - if you look at how they are done today vs. 20 years ago. But in the end of the day they sell out, so they can't be bad, can they?

Just depends on if the collector wants it now or wait for a better option. Most from what I've seen have chosen the latter, can't blame them...

 

[Irish]

At minimum their models don't come broken (at least in my experience). Only two AC models I've got came broken and both were bought secondhand so I can only assume the damage was either there before or shipping did something bad to it.

Jeez you got lucky, i’ve only had 5 out of what, like 15 I’ve had over the years come fine. Obviously what I say doesn’t speak for everyone I kinda was throwing a joke out there.

 

[Jazajia]

It is probably a bit silly for me to be buying these 747s at all but I have been getting some of them (and will probably still get the BOAC and Pan Am from this month). Sometimes I've thought about replacing older Dragon versions but in this case the comparison isn't flattering at all. The mould is inferior, aside from the undercarriage and the fit of the vertical stab, but I knew that already. More unfortunate is the finishing.

I'm not sure if you are saying this because of the FYRS code, or because it is indeed silly to buy current Aeroclassics 747s in hopes of replacing just about any previously released 747 (though the recent Alitalias could be considered some sort of upgrade compared to my Herpa example).

DW has a bit of a reputation because of their use of plastic, crude landing gear, and lack of detail by today's standards, but the shape of their 747s is a sight to behold. I think they are even better than the original BigBirds in many aspects, let alone current efforts...

As crappy as the current AC 747s are, they still beat any alternative, even if one was to go through the hassle of repainting the wings at home and fixing the flight deck with decals.

I'm also looking forward the recent Pan Am one. Just today pre-ordered the BigBird 707 too.

 

[YesterAirlines]

I'm not sure if you are saying this because of the FYRS code, or because it is indeed silly to buy current Aeroclassics 747s in hopes of replacing just about any previously released 747 (though the recent Alitalias could be considered some sort of upgrade compared to my Herpa example).

A bit of both, although the code doesn't bother me. The other reason of course is that there is vague hope NG might be producing new 747-100/200s soon. I agree on the Dragon mould. I didn't get the Air Canada version because I could see my Dragon was superior. I mainly got this one because my Dragon AA 747 didn't have the chrome finish.

The new BOAC and Pan Am examples do look a lot better

 

[planes_on_a_shelf]

Looks like I'm late to the party
But what's with the code and Richard saying they're made for him (in jest?! I suppose?)

 

[YesterAirlines]

Looks like I'm late to the party
But what's with the code and Richard saying they're made for him (in jest?! I suppose?)

The code for 4 of the recent 747s has been FYRS. The joke is they are either 'For You Richard Stretton' or the F says something less nice

 

[Barison82]

The other reason of course is that there is vague hope NG might be producing new 747-100/200s soon.

If I could just expand on that point - waiting for their new tooling to appear is one thing (after the tweaking it needs to be a true -100/200) but the other is what they’ll actually release on it. It’s not a given that they’ll cover all the ground that AC/BB400/DW/GJ etc. has covered in the past 20+ years.

NG have already used classic artwork for Pan Am, Cathay Pacific, Saudia, BOAC, Air Canada, British Airways, Eastern, Delta, American, TWA, China Airlines, Korean Air, SAL, Qantas etc. so these are excellent starting points for those key releases, and at the very least would expect to see some of these, but there are so many others, and we’re seeing precious little happening on their L-1011 & SP toolings in that regard.

We’ll just have to wait and see, and any classic that might eventually come from them will be gladly taken as a bonus.

 

[YesterAirlines]

If I could just expand on that point - waiting for their new tooling to appear is one thing (after the tweaking it needs to be a true -100/200) but the other is what they’ll actually release on it. It’s not a given that they’ll cover all the ground that AC/BB400/DW/GJ etc. has covered in the past 20+ years.

NG have already used classic artwork for Pan Am, Cathay Pacific, Saudia, BOAC, Air Canada, British Airways, Eastern, Delta, American, TWA, China Airlines, Korean Air, SAL, Qantas etc. so these are excellent starting points for those key releases, and at the very least would expect to see some of these, but there are so many others, and we’re seeing precious little happening on their L-1011 & SP toolings in that regard.

We’ll just have to wait and see, and any classic that might eventually come from them will be gladly taken as a bonus.

I indeed share your pessimism but the combination of these new AC versions being inferior to old Dragons and the potential for NG versions gives me a lot of pause. I've still been getting some but increasingly I'm thinking they aren't worth it.

 

[Barison82]

I indeed share your pessimism but the combination of these new AC versions being inferior to old Dragons and the potential for NG versions gives me a lot of pause. I've still been getting some but increasingly I'm thinking they aren't worth it.

That’s fair enough. These things are not getting any cheaper either, and it all adds up, plus these Jumbos need a lot of space to display/store. I’m happy to have a few of these myself - and will continue to keep an eye on what NG is doing, and gladly take any juicy classic that might wing it’s way out of their factory. Time will tell!