HX Models Pan Am 747 Official Photos

[YesterAirlines]

Here are the official shots of the HX Pan Am 747s

N733PA 'Clipper Young America'




N732PA 'Clipper Storm King'




N735PA 'Clipper Constitution'




N747PA 'Jet Clipper America'




N747PA 'Clipper Juan T. Trippe'

 

[pons399]

Engine electroplating’s waayyy too shiny, (literally) hurts to look at.

 

[YesterAirlines]

Engine electroplating’s waayyy too shiny, (literally) hurts to look at.

It's certainly a curious choice. No way any Pan Am 747 was ever that clean

 

[pons399]

It's certainly a curious choice. No way any Pan Am 747 was ever that clean

Yeah, a more “smoky” finish like this would’ve been better.

 

[planes_on_a_shelf]

Yeah, a more “smoky” finish like this would’ve been better.
View attachment 46259

Hopefully their next releases will be corrected.
Curiously the TWAs don't have the bling?
@Jim can confirm
I'll then be picking those up
This first PA batch is just too plasticky shiny

 

[LeoMuse747]

Yep, those engines are way too shiny... and the landing gears still need to be shorter than that

 

[YesterAirlines]

Hopefully their next releases will be corrected.
Curiously the TWAs don't have the bling?
@Jim can confirm
I'll then be picking those up
This first PA batch is just too plasticky shiny

It's not a case of correction. They did this electroplating on purpose for these specific models because they thought it looked better and added something extra. They were actively talking about it before as being something new and cool.

 

[Jim]

I'd like to briefly explain the manufacturing approach we’ve taken, especially regarding why most aircraft engines are made from plastic rather than metal.


In general, metal engine parts are highly prone to falling off during transportation, making them an unreliable option. This is why plastic is widely used — it's more secure and stable for both production and shipping.


However, for the classic Pan Am 747 series — especially the early variants — the metallic look and feel are essential. To better replicate this, we've applied chrome electroplating to the plastic engine parts to enhance their metallic appearance.


Using silver paint is the most practical and cost-effective method for engine finishing, and it's widely used in the industry. In our view, the ideal solution would be to apply electroplating to both the fuselage and the engines, creating a consistent and unified metallic finish across the entire model. Unfortunately, the high production cost of full-body electroplating makes this very difficult to achieve.

 

[onemanfromussr]

I've been looking forward to it for a long time...But when I saw those engines, I decided to wait for a matte silver engineversion (if they will do

 

[Phantom]

Engine electroplating’s waayyy too shiny, (literally) hurts to look at.

And certainly pronounces the odd shape of HX's engines and pylons.
And I see they didn't correct the h.stab painting on these.

 

[planes_on_a_shelf]

While undoubtedly, the engines and fuselage on the well maintained 747s would be so much shiny when captured in photos, my concern is that in 1:400, the engines especially become too blingy - and the model then looks toy like - which kills any realism.

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[joeycheung0521]

Oh man, those engines look brighter than my future! Great subjects and good intentions from HX, but the execution could be more polished (no pun intended). Lots of room for improvement and knowing HX, I look forward to their revised 747 mould. It'll be interesting to see what HX's ideas for improving the look of their engines will be in near future. With so many possibilities for the 747 family, I'm sure there will be something to keep everyone happy.

I'll stick to my customized Dragon Wings Pan Am 747 N733PA "Clipper Young America" for now.

 

[Jazajia]

I see electroplated nose wheel doors.

 

[Phantom]

my concern is that in 1:400, the engines especially become too blingy - and the model then looks toy like - which kills any realism.

This exactly. I'd be ok with some bling if these engines/pylons would at least resemble the shapes of the real thing.
Like I recently said, I more and more get the feeling that this hobby exceeded the zenith of accuracy and now goes down the way of (blingy) gimmicks.

 

[joeycheung0521]

Still waiting for the lost art of Dragon Wings/Jet-X two-tone Chrome to make a comeback... (images courtesy of https://pps.main.jp). I believe this was achieved with electroplating/chroming, then applying a thin layer of matte/semi-matte clear coat to resemble the variations in the natural aluminum finish on natural metal planes. This look was also used on several American Airlines models (777s and MD-11s)... all of which were released more than two decades ago!

 

[Phantom]

Same mistake as JA8101？

No, but they'd be good to do them like on the 747 prototype.

Was there a reason for painting N747PA not the way it was initially rolled out? (smaller globe)

 

[joeycheung0521]

No, but they'd be good to do them like on the 747 prototype.

Was there a reason for painting N747PA not the way it was initially rolled out? (smaller globe)

Jokes on all of us... BigBird from 20 years ago chose to do it with the smaller roll-out globe. (Image courtesy https://www.wingsworld.cn)

 

[Phantom]

Still waiting for the lost art of Dragon Wings/Jet-X two-tone Chrome to make a comeback... (images courtesy of https://pps.main.jp). I believe this was achieved with electroplating/chroming, then applying a thin layer of matte/semi-matte clear coat to resemble the variations in the natural aluminum finish on natural metal planes. This look was also used on several American Airlines models (777s and MD-11s)... all of which were released more than two decades ago!

This would be something for those HX engines. A fine coat of satin clear (90-95% gloss or so) applied over the chrome would work wonders I think.
But as Jim already pointed out, the same treatment would then be needed for the belly to look alike.

I agree with Jim that the oldschool glitter silver is the worst option, but there's something inbetween rough glitter and chrome bling.

 

[MIAv8Diecast]

Engine electroplating’s waayyy too shiny, (literally) hurts to look at.

I could brush my teeth looking into those engine nacelle's

 

[Eagle]

I welcome electroplating the engines as long as it is in line with the rest of the fuselage. I feel there cannot be enough chrome (polished mirror look) on my models. I still love the job PHX did with the SWR MD11 and find back in the days Dragon Wings often did a better job (like the N401PW highlighted above) than what we often see today in that aspect. Not a fan of the smokey finish or the “real metal” that we used to get from GJ. You can always tweak the finish to look more dull / add wear. But I like to collect the models in their best appearance. If you want to have it more real - most Air France planes would need some mud added