BA World Tail Additions

[YesterAirlines]

Since I've been back in the UK I've extended my collection of BA models until 2000, so it now includes the World Tails, which I'd always really liked as a concept. Bedfordshire Diecast just had a sale of a selection of BA and I picked up 5 additions, including the Australian tail 747-400s from Gemini. It wasn't long ago I wrote about GJ twinsets (see here: https://www.yesterdaysairlines.com/gj-twin-sets.html ). The moulds are obviously dated but they still look very nice.

 

[Ciderman]

My very first 1/400 model was Gemini's 747-400 in BA's Rendezvous colours. The year was 1999 and the rest is history.

 

[Danio1988]

These are 2 of my favourite World Tails that Project Utopia produced. Think there is a 3rd Australia tail but not 100% sure on that.

My 2nd 1/400 model and first World Tail was the Irish one which I think was on Victor Papa (G-CIVP) which later became a One World Jet and then broke the subsonic record for the quickest trip over the Atlantic weeks before she retired and Covid struck

 

[Nyup88]

These are 2 of my favourite World Tails that Project Utopia produced. Think there is a 3rd Australia tail but not 100% sure on that.

My 2nd 1/400 model and first World Tail was the Irish one which I think was on Victor Papa (G-CIVP) which later became a One World Jet and then broke the subsonic record for the quickest trip over the Atlantic weeks before she retired and Covid struck

There was a third one - Water Dreaming, which unlike Wunala Dreaming and Nalanji Dreaming, was an original design and not adapted from the Qantas aircraft.

Loved the concept and was lucky enough to pick up the full set of 747s that were produced by Gemini and BigBird in the early 2000s.

For those interested there's a list on Wikipedia of the different tail designs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_ethnic_liveries

 

[YesterAirlines]

Indeed. I have covered the world tails on my BA livery page as well: https://www.yesterdaysairlines.com/ba-liveries-1974-2015.html



The other World Tail additions were a Gemini 737-400 (Crossing Borders), Aviation400 737-200 (Colum) and 767-300 (Wings). That brings my World Tails fleet up to 20. I've generally tried to stick to the better available moulds. Of the 30 British tails (so excluding the 2 Air Liberte and 3 DeutscheBA) I'm missing 6 that have been made and 4 that haven't as follows:

Made: Golden Khokloma, Ndebele Emmly, Kogutki Lowickie, Water Dreaming, Whale Rider, Pause to Remember.
Unmade: Youm al-Suq, Spring, British Blend, Colour Down the Side

Here's my current World Tails:

 

[British Airways fan]

Very nice additions, I remember picking up that 747 twin set many years ago (2007-2008) from Airspotters, I’m a big fan of the world tails so can definitely relate! Old pic from 2022 have a lot more additions of World Tails/Landor and modern to display eventually! Hoping some more world tails are released but I am doubtful

 

[Jazajia]

I have the Australian tail tein pack as well. Picked it up a few years ago on eBay, very affordable IIRC. I was never a huge fan of the World Tails and subsequent Chatham Dockyard livery, but with the years they are growing on me.

Odd coincidence, the last time I recall seeing a BA aircraft in the Landor livery was leaving IAH on the way back home (before living full-time in Houston). Some weather delays caused us to make an extra stop at Caracas before reaching Maracaibo, and it was upon landing at CCS that I saw my first World Tail ever. It was a 777 and I believe it was G-VIIK sporting the Animals and Trees tail. I was sad to learn that Landor was being replaced...

 

[Transnat]

The World Tails were stunning. It was a brilliant marketing concept trashed by Margaret Thatcher. Large collections of these models always look exceptional.

 

[Nyup88]

I seem to recall that when NG first entered the market, they intended to produce all of the world tail 757s (I could be mistaken). In the end, they (have) only made 4 - Blue Poole, Chelsea Rose, Benyhone Tartan and Grand Union. Around this time, Gemini also released Animals and Trees.

The latest release was the NG Chelsea Rose 777-200ER a couple of years ago.

Many years ago I built a spreadsheet of all the BA world tails and which designs had been released. From my count, there were 188 different combinations of designs / aircraft of which only 66 have been released (ignoring variations of the same scheme).

There seems to be a number of "big" omissions from the list of released aircraft (please correct me if I'm mistaken):

747-400:

• Chelsea Rose in standard livery (G-BNLA, BNLL, BYGA, BYGC and BYGF). Gemini and Big Bird released the British Asia Airways titles (G-CIVB) and BA World Cargo (N495MC) only.
• Benyhone Tartan with British Asia Airways titles (G-CIVA)
• Special mention to Delftblue Daybreak. Gemini released G-CIVN but as far as I can tell, the tail design is incorrect (since different aircraft sometimes took different parts of the base artwork). It looks like Gemini copied the design off a 777 (G-RAES) without realising the design on the 747 was different. This scheme was worn by four different aircraft (G-BNLD, CIVC, CIVN and CIVT).

777-200ER:

• Delftblue Daybreak (G-RAES, VIIU)
• Waves and Cranes (G-VIIM) - although this appears there was a Gemini sample which indicates it was planned for release.
• Colum (G-VIIP)

767-300ER:

• Chelsea Rose (G-BNWB, BNWE, BNWR)
• Ndebele Emmly (G-BNWD)
• Colum (G-BNWK, BNWV)
• Blomsterang (G-BNWU)
• Waves and Cranes (G-BZHC)

There are huge gaps in the A320s (only 1 - Wings - was ever released), 737-400 (only the Gemini twinpack of Crossing Borders and Blue Poole was released) and 757-200 (being only the aforementioned NG and Gemini releases).

 

[British Airways fan]

I seem to recall that when NG first entered the market, they intended to produce all of the world tail 757s (I could be mistaken). In the end, they (have) only made 4 - Blue Poole, Chelsea Rose, Benyhone Tartan and Grand Union. Around this time, Gemini also released Animals and Trees.

The latest release was the NG Chelsea Rose 777-200ER a couple of years ago.

Many years ago I built a spreadsheet of all the BA world tails and which designs had been released. From my count, there were 188 different combinations of designs / aircraft of which only 66 have been released (ignoring variations of the same scheme).

There seems to be a number of "big" omissions from the list of released aircraft (please correct me if I'm mistaken):

747-400:

• Chelsea Rose in standard livery (G-BNLA, BNLL, BYGA, BYGC and BYGF). Gemini and Big Bird released the British Asia Airways titles (G-CIVB) and BA World Cargo (N495MC) only.
• Benyhone Tartan with British Asia Airways titles (G-CIVA)
• Special mention to Delftblue Daybreak. Gemini released G-CIVN but as far as I can tell, the tail design is incorrect (since different aircraft sometimes took different parts of the base artwork). It looks like Gemini copied the design off a 777 (G-RAES) without realising the design on the 747 was different. This scheme was worn by four different aircraft (G-BNLD, CIVC, CIVN and CIVT).

777-200ER:

• Delftblue Daybreak (G-RAES, VIIU)
• Waves and Cranes (G-VIIM) - although this appears there was a Gemini sample which indicates it was planned for release.
• Colum (G-VIIP)

767-300ER:

• Chelsea Rose (G-BNWB, BNWE, BNWR)
• Ndebele Emmly (G-BNWD)
• Colum (G-BNWK, BNWV)
• Blomsterang (G-BNWU)
• Waves and Cranes (G-BZHC)

There are huge gaps in the A320s (only 1 - Wings - was ever released), 737-400 (only the Gemini twinpack of Crossing Borders and Blue Poole was released) and 757-200 (being only the aforementioned NG and Gemini releases).

Yes agreed, was hoping NG would do more, I entered the Column 772 and 744 to be voted for