GeminiJets & NG Models are both good...?

The footage from Kai Tak with the vintage 747s and Tristars is amazing. Though I'm still a modern-type guy, I find the 777 to be horribly boring. It's just so bland and ubiquitous - yet I can't help buying models of it since it's the type I've flown the most on. 787s and A350s weren't around when I was young, so they're at least somewhat novel.
Yeah and the pictures of Kai Tak is also wonderful. I'm surprisingly not a fan of the 787's and A350's even though those are kind of the era of planes I was around. Maybe some kind of magic happened over covid that made me love older types.
 
Regarding the GJ 787-9, they have used the older mould sometimes. I know recently they did a LATAM and it was on the cradle mould, but they also did a British Airways 787-8 recently with a flaps down release and it got the newer slot-in mould from JC. So I guess it depends on if they do a flaps down to complement the release, they will release it on the newer, better mould.
Hey, thanks for the info! 😊 That’s definitely a good point to check before buying 787s from GJ. 💡

By the way, do you have any experience on the A350 from GJ? Because I’m thinking of the South African A350 from GJ (currently it seems to be available only from GJ and Phoenix). But with both companies I was hesitant to buy it without further information, especially after that 787 experience…
 
Hey, thanks for the info! 😊 That’s definitely a good point to check before buying 787s from GJ. 💡

By the way, do you have any experience on the A350 from GJ? Because I’m thinking of the South African A350 from GJ (currently it seems to be available only from GJ and Phoenix). But with both companies I was hesitant to buy it without further information, especially after that 787 experience…
If the A350 is just between a Gemini and a PH, I would go with the Gemini. Neither of those moulds is the best, but the GJ comes off better in that battle. AV400 did make a South African A350, it might be worth trying to hunt that one down.
 
I understand... what's up with all those smooth curves and pointy wings? It looks like a spaceship, it lacks the character of a real jetliner 😅. Where have the sharp angles and smokey engines gone?! What a disgrace! I'm mostly kidding, but I can see how someone can instinctively dislike the 787. I have to say that is growing on me slowly, and the A350 is actually starting to call my attention more and more, I think it looks more interesting than the Dreamliner, but still nothing like a 747 or a tri-jet. Only two Dreamliners in my collection and no A350s so far.

As far as the JC/GJ 748, they did mess up the hump enough for it to jump at me.



I think we are definitely at a prime time for what I refer to as contemporary classics (airliners from the 70s-200s), as opposed to vintage classics (propliners, and pre-70s jets).

Plenty of us missed out on the initial wave that took place in the early 2000s, we are still very active and willing to drop cash on a second wave of re-releases in updated molds, and I bet there is even enough demand to warrant certain re-releases in the same old molds that still exist (BB 74s...) As you said, given the current exaggerated response to the perceived higher demand for ultra-modern stuff, and the stiff competition to satisfy that market might make those contemporary classics strong sellers right this minute (low supply high demand). Wait a decade and some of us (the demand) might have moved on. We can see this with the propliner market, it is becoming more and more niche, almost exclusively served by Aeroclassics, and AK himself has recently said multiple times that they are running out of sellable subjects.

I think there will always be demand for classic/vintage/historic types, but it will likely not be enough to warrant mass production and those who want those models will have to look for more artisanal ways to obtain their desired aircraft models.

Or... maybe in some years, we will see a wave of thirst for aviation history among the collectorate, and a 1:400 version of the Wright Flyer will become the hot seller of the moment with JC, NG and Aeroclassics all producing molds for it.
As a kid I used to love sleek twins like the 787 or A350, but as I've grown older I've cooled on them somewhat. I've instead developed an affinity for contemporary classics with a modern twist like the 747-8. It's annoying how GJ/JC got the hump and printing so wrong, so I've got huge hopes for NG's version.
I guess that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. 😁 For me I guess it’s because last year I started traveling again and on 90% of those amazing trips I went with 787s. I think that’s what made it my favorite plane and backbone of my collection. And I love the smooth lines and also the Chevron nozzles on the engines. I think that gives that plane an amazing and super elegant look… 😉😁 But I completely see your arguments also towards other planes - nowadays when looking for new potential pick ups I try to remind myself that there are not only 787s around… 😂

Wishing all of you a great new year, hopefully with everything you wish for! 🎊🎉🍾✨🚀
 
If the A350 is just between a Gemini and a PH, I would go with the Gemini. Neither of those moulds is the best, but the GJ comes off better in that battle. AV400 did make a South African A350, it might be worth trying to hunt that one down.
Yes, I saw that one from AV400. That looks amazing but currently I can find it on eBay only from UK dealers. And since they went out of the EU, the high transportation fee and additional customs fees would make it a real investment. But let’s see, maybe I get weak one day. 😅

Have a great new year, hopefully with everything you wish for! 🎉🎊🍾🚀 I guess in Australia the new year is almost there now…
 
If the A350 is just between a Gemini and a PH, I would go with the Gemini. Neither of those moulds is the best, but the GJ comes off better in that battle. AV400 did make a South African A350, it might be worth trying to hunt that one down.
IMO AV400 has the best A350. Although NG's is great as well, the cockpit-nose angle is too aggressive.
 
Yes, I saw that one from AV400. That looks amazing but currently I can find it on eBay only from UK dealers. And since they went out of the EU, the high transportation fee and additional customs fees would make it a real investment. But let’s see, maybe I get weak one day. 😅

Have a great new year, hopefully with everything you wish for! 🎉🎊🍾🚀 I guess in Australia the new year is almost there now…
If the AV400 is out of reach, then go with the Gemini. It will still be a great model. Thank you, I hope your new year will be exactly what you want it to be. It is 7PM here in Perth, so only a few more hours for me. :D
 
IMO AV400 has the best A350. Although NG's is great as well, the cockpit-nose angle is too aggressive.
I tend to disagree. I prefer the more aggressive angle of the NG, particularly due to the recent issues with the AV400 nose. We are still lucky to have TWO lovely A350s, and there is a lot of choice in most cases.
 
I tend to disagree. I prefer the more aggressive angle of the NG, particularly due to the recent issues with the AV400 nose. We are still lucky to have TWO lovely A350s, and there is a lot of choice in most cases.
Yep, it's probably the most well-represented type after the 777, which has 3 excellent moulds.
 
I guess that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. 😁 For me I guess it’s because last year I started traveling again and on 90% of those amazing trips I went with 787s. I think that’s what made it my favorite plane and backbone of my collection. And I love the smooth lines and also the Chevron nozzles on the engines. I think that gives that plane an amazing and super elegant look… 😉😁 But I completely see your arguments also towards other planes - nowadays when looking for new potential pick ups I try to remind myself that there are not only 787s around… 😂

Wishing all of you a great new year, hopefully with everything you wish for! 🎊🎉🍾✨🚀
Absolutely, I am fully aware that If I had been born 10-20 years later I would totally share your point of view. Inversely, if I had been born 30 years earlier, I'd probably be a prop freak. At the end of the day, airplanes are airplanes and I respect both propliners and ultra-modern jetliners, and they have a place in my collection, just not the main place 🙂.

This has become a common topic at MAF lately, why we collect what we collect, and why we would like to see more of a certain category of model airliners being produced. I think is good, a good chunk of the animosity that made other forums well-known for laid on the fact that many collectors couldn't see eye to eye in regards to what they wanted out of this hobby.
 
IMO AV400 has the best A350. Although NG's is great as well, the cockpit-nose angle is too aggressive.
You know, I think the ITA AV400 A350 would have been a very nice model to have. Like I said, among the modern wide-body twins I prefer the A350, and the ITA livery is so nice. Not regretting too much not having gotten it, but it would have been nice.
 
Eh, DC-10 looks too clunky and unrefined; I'd take a 777 over it any day. The Tristar, on the other hand, is one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.
But the 777 is just a lame old twin that killed all the 747s fine the dc10 is fat but still
I do see your point though
And the l1011 is a beauty
 
Great conversations are being had here! There are so many different ways to look at this. I believe that looking at the best from both companies is the best approach, then constructive criticism is reasonable if it can be justified.
 
If the AV400 is out of reach, then go with the Gemini. It will still be a great model. Thank you, I hope your new year will be exactly what you want it to be. It is 7PM here in Perth, so only a few more hours for me. :D
Hi Oscar,

thanks for the advice with the Gemini A350! As also this one gets more and more rare, I decided to grab one before it becomes unavailable. Today it arrived and I‘m really happy about the general quality and how it looks. Without our chat here, I would have gone for the Phoenix one as the Air France 787 scared me off GJ. But I’m glad that I went for this one, though! 😃

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Maybe I‘m not long enough into collecting so that I might not know enough of the brand‘s history but what puzzles me is the huge quality difference between two recent models from GJ that I picked up:

The first GJ plane I got was the Air France 787-9 which was a huge disappointment for me: especially the wing mounts and some missing antenna made the model look awful to me (see all weak spots marked on the picture). But on some pictures or in some videos I see 787s from GJ that seem to have better moulds with better wing mounts and all antennas. How can that be as the Air France 787 is from recent time?!? Anyway, I replaced it with the NG version as soon as I found one on eBay. 😁

The second GJ plane I got is the Cargolux 747-8F “Not Without My Mask” and this one is great. Nothing to complain here… 😊

Now these quality differences between even recent GJ models are confusing me. Does anybody know something about the reasons?

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The hump on the 748 comes down too steeply....
 

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