Charter 1:400 collection.

Charter

Active member
Hi. I am collecting since the year 1996, i have about 5.000 1:400 models (and about 25.000 1:500 models, along with about 1.000 1:200 fighters and bombers).
I started with 1:500 scale when it was glorious (Herpa, Hogan, C&C, JCWings 500, Inflight500, Aeroclassics 500, Aero500, Starjets, Sky500, Netmodels, F-Toys, Big Bird...), then when 1:500 scale was becoming a desert with only Herpa as manufacturer, and when important airlines like easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2holidays, Wizz Air had no space because of license problems, i decided to start to collect 1:400 scale. With so many satisfactions. Today NGModels is the leading manufacturer with top quality models, even if "top" are also the prices (so high!) and "top" is becoming the boredom because of the production of too many Chinese and Far East airlines, forgetting Europe.
Herpa produced nice models in 1:400 scale, mainly plastic made, but then the German manufacturer decided to abandone the "dark side" focusing in 1:500 scale.
I will start with some models of my huge collection. Enjoy.

Wideroe Dash 8-400 by Geminijets.
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I am not easily impressed but that is quite some models! Do you have a museum to display them all?

Since you started collecting you averaged to buy 3 models per day. My wife would kill me lol.

But all jokes aside, welcome to the forum. Hope you have a good time here :)
 
Damn, I’ve only got 10% of your 5000 1:400 models and I’ve not got much room left to store them. How big is your house 😆
 
Hi charter, nice to see you here my friend :)
Happy 2025!!

Really nice the north regional plane!
We will wait more photos about your collection!
 
A BIG ciao and thanks to all the friends and fellow collectors.
The frustration for the missing of fundamental airlines like easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Volotea, Alitalia narrowbodies, charter/leisure airlines like Jet2.com, Jet2holidays, israir, Arkia, Transavia etc, made me make the decision to join the "dark side" (for me), buying all the European charter/leisure/low cost airlines produced in 1:400 by all the manufacturers. In my madness i think to have about 200 models among easyjet, Volotea, Ryanair, Buzz Air, Malta Air, Wizz Air, Air Arabia...


Here an ITA Airways A220-300 by JCWings.
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I hope so soon to see aeroitalia! And also our poste air cargo!! You are lucky now and can spot them :p
I hope too. Aeroitalia would be a great goal, maybe Gemini or Phoenix because NGModels is too focused in Far East and USA airlines. And prices are rising too fast.
But i am waiting also for neos B737 MAX8, a masterpiece of beauty!
 
Charter, you are well known by many 1:500 veterans it seems. I only remember you from about two years ago when you did a similar thread over at DA.C.

I find it interesting how 500 scale has shrunk so much. I have a friend who has managed to stick with it only because his criteria are very narrow, and he relies heavily on customization.

I have heard that Herpa took strong legal actions against competitors in 500 scale. I am not sure how true that is, but if so it is really sad to see a pioneer in popularizing the hobby of die-cast aircraft model collecting being also responsible for destroying a market just because they could not compete. What they are doing now a days is crazy, 1:500 models are more expensive than their 1:400 counterparts, at least in America.
 
Hi Jazajia, thanks fior the nice words. Some years ago i also thought 1:500 world was not so lucky because nobody wanted to compete with Herpa, then i understood that Herpa doesn't want to compete with anybody, remaining the only manufacturer of 1:500 models! Starjets, Sky500, Inflight500, Netmodels, Aeroclassics500, Big Bird...i don't know if these manufacturer really produced without asking licenses, 1:500 world is full of "metropolitan legends" and fake news.
The great news of these days is the production of easyJet A321neo in 1:500 scale, while Southwest, Ryanair Group and other airlines are still a chimera.
 
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