Major 1:400 scale brands ranking for ALL aircraft types - WIP

Pachiman287

New member
I´ve been a fan of aviation since my early days. As a child, I loved visiting my local airport each week to see my father come and go on his business trips, plane spotting the few aircraft that landed at it. Later, started collecting toy models and piloting in flight simulators since I was 10 years old. When the time came, I decided to start a more formal collection of aircraft in the 1:400 scale.

It´s been a while since I´ve embarked into the task of finding out which are the “best” brands for any given aircraft type made in the 1:400 Scale. Soon, I found myself in a sea of information about different types of aircraft, moulds, brands, and most of all, points of view. This showed up to be no easy, neither short task.

But in the end, I was determined to finally achieve my goal: to graphically display each one of the more than 130 aircraft types that have been made, and to reach a sort of reasoned conclusion about which is the best 1:400 scale manufacturer.

What I´m about to show you, are the latest results of my work and investigation.

Rules of the ranking:
  • By “Best” I´m referring mostly to the technical aspect of the moulds used, how accurate to the real stuff they are compared to their rivals. Having said this, the # and variety of aircraft produced is also taken into consideration.
  • I´m considering the latest mould each brand has used (ie: I´m not considering the earliest of GJ moulds, since many of them have already been updated.
  • Rather than just ranking the mould, I´m mostly taking into consideration the brand that has made use of it.
  • I´m ranking the best 3 brands, and considering the 4th best for diversity purposes.
  • If there are less than 4 brans to consider, the spaces will be left blank.

Please note that:
  • I´ve decided to also add some minor brands that also produce some unique moulds.
  • This ranking is based on brands themselves, rather than the moulds each one of them produce, given that some brands have used 3rd party moulds.
  • I´m fully aware of a lot of other brands that have some great quality models but given the little to no information that I´ve found about them, I´ve decided to take them out (for now).
  • There´s lots of information and comparisons between the 747s of all generations, so I will need your help in order to develop their rankings

Of course, this is very a subjective topic, therefore I´m taking this “investigation” to all of you, so we can discuss and argue in order to further develop these charts. Said this, there will always be personal preferences and points of discussion and that’s always great.

Big thanks to Yesterday´s Airlines, who gave me some great framework via his website.

The Brands included (for the time being) in this ranking are:
  1. Gemini Jets / JC Wings
  2. Phoenix Models
  3. NG Models
  4. Aeroclassics
  5. Herpa / Hogan
  6. Aviation 400
  7. Panda Models
  8. Jet X
  9. Apollo / Witty Wings
  10. Dragon Wings
  11. De Angostini Models
  12. Seattle Aircraft Models
  13. Retro Models
Without further delay, I present the results:

Airbus.png
Airbus seems as one of the most competitive sectors, with lots of new high quality moulds and some older, but surprisingly good ones. In my opinion, the thoughest battlefield today in 1:400 scale.


Boeing.png
On the othe hand, boeing aircraft still shows some variety, but in most cases, It´s easier to find a clear 1st place for each aircraft type.

This I where I need your help the most, I´m still missing the 747 rankings :(



Regional.pngATR.png
It is no surprise that Gemini & JC fully dominate the regional market in the 1:400 scale, only herpa and it´s occasional E-170 make pressence here.


DC MD.png
Looking at the Douglas / McDonell Douglas aircraft, clearly shows off an area of opportunity for new brands to make a footprint, given the relative old age of the moulds being used, but still, Aeroclassics seems to be your go option when it comes to Douglas aircraft, while Gemini & JC wings still have the best McDonell moulds (Though heavily underused MD-80s).


Other.pngRetro.png
Looking at other aircraft manufacturers,

On the other hand, Aeroclassics singlehandedly takes the throne of pre jet airliners.


To sum it up, these final charts show the brands ranking based on raw points, number of models and average quality for each one of them.
Total points.pngTotal numero.pngTotal avg.png

My personal conclusions are:
  1. The absolute variety of Gemini Jets and JC Wings offerings put them, like or not, as a must go to brand for lots of airliner models.
  2. Aeroclassics remains (and will be for a long time IMO) the best resource of classic aircraft, but still shows off its capacity to compete in the modern airliner field.
  3. Phoenix, while being the 3rd biggest brand still in service, leaves a lot to be desired in terms of quality.
  4. Panda, NG & AV400 have brought a lot of fresh air and innovation to the scene.

What are your thoughts? Please let me know!!!
 
I can tell you that the BB400 mould for the 747 looks better than the phoenix one.
The Gemini jets mould the newer one is also nice
 
Agreed on all except the 777s, NG definitely beats JC/GJ if you look at the total package. Yes the APU on the JC/GJ is better, but NG's printing (i.e. cockpit windows), landing gear and aerials are far more accurate. The pics below give a general idea; Qatar & Garuda are NG, Korean is JC/GJ.
 

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Agreed on all except the 777s, NG definitely beats JC/GJ if you look at the total package. Yes the APU on the JC/GJ is better, but NG's printing (i.e. cockpit windows), landing gear and aerials are far more accurate. The pics below give a general idea; Qatar & Garuda are NG, Korean is JC/GJ.
Wow okay this definitely boosts my confidence in NG's 777. Have always found JC/GJs cockpit pretty suspect. Av400 is better defs but NG is spot on accurate. I didn't pick up the recent GJ AC 777lr once I saw the photos - the cockpit is ugh!
 
How bad must the alternatives be when an AC 721 mould scores rank 1?
I have a few DW 721 and while it's got a circular #2 intake the rest of the mould is great.
 
Very detailed and interesting list, however, some little changes need to be made in my opinion:
- The 747-400 ranking should be: JC/GJ, AC/BB, Witty, Dragonwings
- The 707 should be split up into the -100, -200, -300 and -400, just like you did with all other aircraft
- The DC-4 is missing

Despite these things it's still great to see this in one thread. Could be very useful when you have to choose between brands.
 
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Agreed on all except the 777s, NG definitely beats JC/GJ if you look at the total package. Yes the APU on the JC/GJ is better, but NG's printing (i.e. cockpit windows), landing gear and aerials are far more accurate. The pics below give a general idea; Qatar & Garuda are NG, Korean is JC/GJ.
What's your take on the Aviation 400 offering? Nose and tail on these models are so essential to the overall look and accuracy of the model. The NG nose on the 777 is exceptional and beats the competition, including AV400. However, the apu and overall shape of the tail lacks the NG attention to detail, especially on the 777. Which has such a unique tail cone and apu. The others have tried to replicate the two protruding elements characteristic to the aircraft, but are too big for the scale. AV400's mould does it best, but their nose seems blunted. So I am torn here...
 
What's your take on the Aviation 400 offering? Nose and tail on these models are so essential to the overall look and accuracy of the model. The NG nose on the 777 is exceptional and beats the competition, including AV400. However, the apu and overall shape of the tail lacks the NG attention to detail, especially on the 777. Which has such a unique tail cone and apu. The others have tried to replicate the two protruding elements characteristic to the aircraft, but are too big for the scale. AV400's mould does it best, but their nose seems blunted. So I am torn here...
I can't say for sure as I don't have the AV400, but its APU certainly seems more accurate. But the cockpit windows seem a little oversized, and the aerials and landing gear obviously won't be as good. Tough choice.
 
I’m yet to see an AV400 A320Neos so idk how you can rank them without actually seeing the final product. NG models is the only reason why my 1/200 collection growth is not growing as much as before as they are almost there with the details compared to 1/200.

Major issues for AV400: suffers from a nose that looks like it was punched by a UFC fighter on most of the 777 and few of the A350s. These models should have never left the factory in the first place as they completely ruin the model. The ANA Star Wars 787 also has this issue.

Minor issues for AV400: The A350s also have engines that slightly angle up sometimes. 787-9 cockpit placement with the exception of Qatar’s isn’t accurate as they placed it too high.

A380s look great so far and I look forward to new releases from them.
 
Recently took these compare and contrast of Garuda NG Vs Air India JC. You be the judge, I prefer the JC and look forward to the new rumored corrected engines from NG.
 

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I´ve been a fan of aviation since my early days. As a child, I loved visiting my local airport each week to see my father come and go on his business trips, plane spotting the few aircraft that landed at it. Later, started collecting toy models and piloting in flight simulators since I was 10 years old. When the time came, I decided to start a more formal collection of aircraft in the 1:400 scale.

It´s been a while since I´ve embarked into the task of finding out which are the “best” brands for any given aircraft type made in the 1:400 Scale. Soon, I found myself in a sea of information about different types of aircraft, moulds, brands, and most of all, points of view. This showed up to be no easy, neither short task.

But in the end, I was determined to finally achieve my goal: to graphically display each one of the more than 130 aircraft types that have been made, and to reach a sort of reasoned conclusion about which is the best 1:400 scale manufacturer.

What I´m about to show you, are the latest results of my work and investigation.

Rules of the ranking:
  • By “Best” I´m referring mostly to the technical aspect of the moulds used, how accurate to the real stuff they are compared to their rivals. Having said this, the # and variety of aircraft produced is also taken into consideration.
  • I´m considering the latest mould each brand has used (ie: I´m not considering the earliest of GJ moulds, since many of them have already been updated.
  • Rather than just ranking the mould, I´m mostly taking into consideration the brand that has made use of it.
  • I´m ranking the best 3 brands, and considering the 4th best for diversity purposes.
  • If there are less than 4 brans to consider, the spaces will be left blank.

Please note that:
  • I´ve decided to also add some minor brands that also produce some unique moulds.
  • This ranking is based on brands themselves, rather than the moulds each one of them produce, given that some brands have used 3rd party moulds.
  • I´m fully aware of a lot of other brands that have some great quality models but given the little to no information that I´ve found about them, I´ve decided to take them out (for now).
  • There´s lots of information and comparisons between the 747s of all generations, so I will need your help in order to develop their rankings

Of course, this is very a subjective topic, therefore I´m taking this “investigation” to all of you, so we can discuss and argue in order to further develop these charts. Said this, there will always be personal preferences and points of discussion and that’s always great.

Big thanks to Yesterday´s Airlines, who gave me some great framework via his website.

The Brands included (for the time being) in this ranking are:
  1. Gemini Jets / JC Wings
  2. Phoenix Models
  3. NG Models
  4. Aeroclassics
  5. Herpa / Hogan
  6. Aviation 400
  7. Panda Models
  8. Jet X
  9. Apollo / Witty Wings
  10. Dragon Wings
  11. De Angostini Models
  12. Seattle Aircraft Models
  13. Retro Models
Without further delay, I present the results:

View attachment 10600
Airbus seems as one of the most competitive sectors, with lots of new high quality moulds and some older, but surprisingly good ones. In my opinion, the thoughest battlefield today in 1:400 scale.


View attachment 10602
On the othe hand, boeing aircraft still shows some variety, but in most cases, It´s easier to find a clear 1st place for each aircraft type.

This I where I need your help the most, I´m still missing the 747 rankings :(



View attachment 10605View attachment 10601
It is no surprise that Gemini & JC fully dominate the regional market in the 1:400 scale, only herpa and it´s occasional E-170 make pressence here.


View attachment 10603
Looking at the Douglas / McDonell Douglas aircraft, clearly shows off an area of opportunity for new brands to make a footprint, given the relative old age of the moulds being used, but still, Aeroclassics seems to be your go option when it comes to Douglas aircraft, while Gemini & JC wings still have the best McDonell moulds (Though heavily underused MD-80s).


View attachment 10604View attachment 10606
Looking at other aircraft manufacturers,

On the other hand, Aeroclassics singlehandedly takes the throne of pre jet airliners.


To sum it up, these final charts show the brands ranking based on raw points, number of models and average quality for each one of them.
View attachment 10609View attachment 10608View attachment 10607

My personal conclusions are:
  1. The absolute variety of Gemini Jets and JC Wings offerings put them, like or not, as a must go to brand for lots of airliner models.
  2. Aeroclassics remains (and will be for a long time IMO) the best resource of classic aircraft, but still shows off its capacity to compete in the modern airliner field.
  3. Phoenix, while being the 3rd biggest brand still in service, leaves a lot to be desired in terms of quality.
  4. Panda, NG & AV400 have brought a lot of fresh air and innovation to the scene.

What are your thoughts? Please let me know!!!
What software you use to make the chart/table?
 
Recently took these compare and contrast of Garuda NG Vs Air India JC. You be the judge, I prefer the JC and look forward to the new rumored corrected engines from NG.

For reference, the correct values for those clearances are:
(min - max)
Engines: 1.825mm - 2,475mm
Wingtip: 18.225mm - 19.750mm

But I think we agree that such measurements are highly variable and a grain of sand under one wheel (of the model😆) can throw it off already.
 
Cockpit printing looks slightly slanted on the
For reference, the correct values for those clearances are:
(min - max)
Engines: 1.825mm - 2,475mm
Wingtip: 18.225mm - 19.750mm

But I think we agree that such measurements are highly variable and a grain of sand under one wheel (of the model😆) can throw it off already.
All I agree on is the engine clearance measurements are so bad they make Gemini Jets wing flex look normal 😂
 
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