I started collecting 1:400 scale without considering the various brands so much. For example i bought some Dragon models, especially Eurofly A320 and A330-200, and i noticed that Dragon models were a bit more than a toy, plastic made and not so eye catching (then, unfortunately, the two Eurofly models had the Italian Soccer Team logo on the fuselage and this was a real pity, like Herpa with Monarch A321 1:500 scale with "William and Kate" written. I prefer regular liveries and ruin the only model produced with special liveries Is a shame).
Then, after buying easyJet, Ryanair and Southwest (not present or no more produced in 1:500) i started to understand the difference among the various manufacturers:
Phoenix = very nice A320 mould, awful/weird B737-800 mould (especially the nose section)
Gemini = very nice B737 mould, not so good A320 mould
Aviation400 = not so good quality of the models, many mistakes about livery colors and details
JCWings = nice models, great varietà but "Biblic" production time, even years
Aeroclassics = low quality, mistakes on the livery colors, poor quality check, production of the same model three-four times with just different ragistration (this was real also in 1:500 scale with Aeroclassics 500 and Aero500). Boring.
Herpa = good quality but plastic made
Then arrived NGModels: top quality, top attention to details, nice QC, great variety of airlines and liveries.
In the last years something changed: both Phoenix and Gemini produce good models, JCWings Is quicker on the production, i stopped to buy Aeroclassics, Herpa abandoned 1:400 market, Dragon remains a toy, NGModels Is getting worst focusing on US and China Airlines, few EU airlines, worst QC and prices rising a bad top.
Generally speaking the level Is high, higher than, for example, Herpa 1:500, but prices are becoming really insane.
