Purpleplane
Well-known member
These are great!! I hope to contribute a couple of them myself soon.
Model comparisons
- Thread starter MSP Aviation
- Start date
OscarBravo992
Well-known member
Does anyone have any of the NG/GJ Southwest specials that they would be willing to share and compare? Thanks 
Purpleplane
Well-known member
I have the NG and GJ Freedom One. I'll try to put together something later this week.Does anyone have any of the NG/GJ Southwest specials that they would be willing to share and compare? Thanks
OscarBravo992
Well-known member
Looking forward to it!
Purpleplane
Well-known member
I'll do a detailed comparison later, but this should at least give you an idea of the differences using the photos I already have.
Left side first the Gemini:
And the NG:
Right side view...first the Gemini:
and the NG:
For starters, the gray appears to me to be just a bit dark on the Gemini.
Left side first the Gemini:
And the NG:
Right side view...first the Gemini:
and the NG:For starters, the gray appears to me to be just a bit dark on the Gemini.
Purpleplane
Well-known member
I can also do a comparison between the Panda and Gemini Southwest California One...again using the photos I already have.
Left side first the Gemini
and the Panda
Right side:
Gemini.
and Panda
The immediate thing I see with the Panda is that the window line is too high...by at least a milimeter.
Left side first the Gemini
and the Panda
Right side:
Gemini.
and Panda
The immediate thing I see with the Panda is that the window line is too high...by at least a milimeter.
OscarBravo992
Well-known member
Very nice thank you! The GJ Freedom One's colours seem to be a bit dull when compared to NG's. Very nice models, thanks for sharing!
Purpleplane
Well-known member
I see what you mean. NG's is much better. You're welcome. I'll do both of those in more detail later on.
OscarBravo992
Well-known member
Looking forward to it.
Jazajia
Well-known member
@Purpleplane on the Freedom One, NG is much better than GJ. The California one seems more even between the two manufacturers. I see what you are saying about the window line on the Panda, then seems like the livery is also distorted as some elements seem to be aligned properly with the misplaced window line 
Purpleplane
Well-known member
Oh, yeah. NG is much better..by far. Seems like Panda has a problem with high window line on all of their 737-700's, at least all of them that I've seen. Guess they need to make an adjustment on it somehow.@Purpleplane on the Freedom One, NG is much better than GJ. The California one seems more even between the two manufacturers. I see what you are saying about the window line on the Panda, then seems like the livery is also distorted as some elements seem to be aligned properly with the misplaced window line
OscarBravo992
Well-known member
From my Panda 737-700s I can confirm this. They have got a crazy high window line, which they need to fix.
Purpleplane
Well-known member
I could be wrong, but it seems like Panda only has the window line issue with the 700's. I have a Sun Country 737-800 and the window line seems fine on it:
Same with the 737-400..Piedmont:
ad the 737-300 on Southwest Silver One:
OscarBravo992
Well-known member
I don't have any Panda -800s, but on my old Southwest Desert Gold -700 it looked bad:
(Not my picture, from RM Model store... I sold my model last month and don't have any good pictures to show the windowline angle)
Purpleplane
Well-known member
OscarBravo992
Well-known member
Yep, just as bad as I remember. Hope we can see NG do this aircraft so I can get a new one that doesn't look like the windows are sunroofs!
Purpleplane
Well-known member
I also noticed that the color is just a bit too light. Would be nice if NG did one...then I could replace this one....already replaced my California one with the Gemini...just haven't sold the Panda yet.Yep, just as bad as I remember. Hope we can see NG do this aircraft so I can get a new one that doesn't look like the windows are sunroofs!
Jazajia
Well-known member
Original Post at: Versus Series Vol. 1: American Airlines MD-80 Dragon Wings vs. GeminiJets
These little airplane models give us a tangible way to appreciate and honor these wonderful flying machines, engineering marvels, country ambassadors, and world shrinkers. Each one of us has personal reasons to be particularly fond of some aircraft types and airline liveries. In those cases only one model might not be enough, after all, it doesn’t hurt to have a little more than enough of a good thing.
Such is the case for me with the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 in the American Airlines livery. The T-tail design of the DC-9 family is exotic and I find it more pleasurable to the eyes than the wing-mounted twin-jet design that is all too common today. And even though the latter design is the clear winner, I am grateful for the decent success that the DC-9 family had, as it has allowed us to delight ourselves with such a beautiful airliner design for several decades.
Last American Airlines MD-80 (N979TW) to land at Houston IAH. September 3, 2019
I find the MD-80 to be one of the most attractive members of the DC-9 family, especially the early ones with the pointy tail cone and black nose radome. Its good fuselage and engine proportions give it a balanced appearance without looking too modern or too vintage.
I have always perceived the DC-9 family to be poorly represented in the scale model/toy world. The DiMA database agrees with me as it has a combined total of 985 DC-9s (DC-9 + MD-80 + MD-82 + MD-83 + MD-87 + MD-88 + MD-90 + B 717) in 1:400 and 1:200 scales. For reference, there are 1932 B 737 models and 1721 A320s (A318
+ A319 + A320 + A321) in 1:400 scale alone. This isn’t an exact calculation as some models are listed under more than one type field, and some others are not registered at all in the database, but it gives a general view of the under-representation of DC-9 models.
In spite of the MD-80 shortage in 1:400 scale, one airline that has not been underrepresented is American Airlines. American MD-80s were iconic, and even though they were predominantly seen in North America, it is safe to say that aviation lovers worldwide have no issues connecting the aircraft and the airline. For 37 years the airline got to operate close to 400 of these aircraft with the same livery throughout, making AA MD-80s a bridge that connected the modern aviation scene with that of the eighties and nineties.
The first American MD-80s in 1:400 scale date from 2001 and were produced by Dragon Wings. Then around 2011 Jet-X produced some more. And finally, GeminiJets released some more in 2013, 2014, and 2019.
My first American MD-80 model was a GeminiJets MD-82 registered N573AA, I bought it when released in 2013. I was pretty happy with it, even though I was acutely aware of the oversized engines and oddly shaped nose.
Years later one of the original Dragon Wings examples from 2001 crossed my path at an accessible price. It was also an MD-82, but registered N473AA.
Dragon’s example has a black radome and pointy tail cone, which places the aircraft in the pre-2003 period, in line with its release date. Its Gemini counterpart comes with the grey radome and the new-style flattened tail cone. Additionally, the fuselage of my DW example is painted, while the GJ example is bare metal.
Beyond those basic differences come the differences inherent to the two molds. I will not go into a detailed comparison/review of these two models as that has been done before at Yesterday's Airlines. I will say, however, that if I had to choose between the two, I will personally keep the Dragon Wings version.
Enjoy the pictures and compare:
Dragon Wings American Airlines MD-82 N473AA 1:400 Starboard Side
GeminiJets American Airlines MD-82 N573AA 1:400 Starboard Side
Dragon Wings American Airlines MD-82 N473AA 1:400 Port Side
GeminiJets American Airlines MD-82 N573AA 1:400 Port Side
American Airlines MD-80s in 1:400 scale. Left: GeminiJets. Right: Dragon Wings
These little airplane models give us a tangible way to appreciate and honor these wonderful flying machines, engineering marvels, country ambassadors, and world shrinkers. Each one of us has personal reasons to be particularly fond of some aircraft types and airline liveries. In those cases only one model might not be enough, after all, it doesn’t hurt to have a little more than enough of a good thing.
Such is the case for me with the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 in the American Airlines livery. The T-tail design of the DC-9 family is exotic and I find it more pleasurable to the eyes than the wing-mounted twin-jet design that is all too common today. And even though the latter design is the clear winner, I am grateful for the decent success that the DC-9 family had, as it has allowed us to delight ourselves with such a beautiful airliner design for several decades.
Last American Airlines MD-80 (N979TW) to land at Houston IAH. September 3, 2019
I find the MD-80 to be one of the most attractive members of the DC-9 family, especially the early ones with the pointy tail cone and black nose radome. Its good fuselage and engine proportions give it a balanced appearance without looking too modern or too vintage.
I have always perceived the DC-9 family to be poorly represented in the scale model/toy world. The DiMA database agrees with me as it has a combined total of 985 DC-9s (DC-9 + MD-80 + MD-82 + MD-83 + MD-87 + MD-88 + MD-90 + B 717) in 1:400 and 1:200 scales. For reference, there are 1932 B 737 models and 1721 A320s (A318
+ A319 + A320 + A321) in 1:400 scale alone. This isn’t an exact calculation as some models are listed under more than one type field, and some others are not registered at all in the database, but it gives a general view of the under-representation of DC-9 models.
In spite of the MD-80 shortage in 1:400 scale, one airline that has not been underrepresented is American Airlines. American MD-80s were iconic, and even though they were predominantly seen in North America, it is safe to say that aviation lovers worldwide have no issues connecting the aircraft and the airline. For 37 years the airline got to operate close to 400 of these aircraft with the same livery throughout, making AA MD-80s a bridge that connected the modern aviation scene with that of the eighties and nineties.
The first American MD-80s in 1:400 scale date from 2001 and were produced by Dragon Wings. Then around 2011 Jet-X produced some more. And finally, GeminiJets released some more in 2013, 2014, and 2019.
My first American MD-80 model was a GeminiJets MD-82 registered N573AA, I bought it when released in 2013. I was pretty happy with it, even though I was acutely aware of the oversized engines and oddly shaped nose.
Years later one of the original Dragon Wings examples from 2001 crossed my path at an accessible price. It was also an MD-82, but registered N473AA.
Dragon’s example has a black radome and pointy tail cone, which places the aircraft in the pre-2003 period, in line with its release date. Its Gemini counterpart comes with the grey radome and the new-style flattened tail cone. Additionally, the fuselage of my DW example is painted, while the GJ example is bare metal.
Beyond those basic differences come the differences inherent to the two molds. I will not go into a detailed comparison/review of these two models as that has been done before at Yesterday's Airlines. I will say, however, that if I had to choose between the two, I will personally keep the Dragon Wings version.
Enjoy the pictures and compare:
Dragon Wings American Airlines MD-82 N473AA 1:400 Starboard Side
GeminiJets American Airlines MD-82 N573AA 1:400 Starboard Side
Dragon Wings American Airlines MD-82 N473AA 1:400 Port Side
GeminiJets American Airlines MD-82 N573AA 1:400 Port Side
American Airlines MD-80s in 1:400 scale. Left: GeminiJets. Right: Dragon Wings
OscarBravo992
Well-known member
Thank you for such a detailed comparison! Looks very good, both are stunning models.Original Post at: Versus Series Vol. 1: American Airlines MD-80 Dragon Wings vs. GeminiJets
These little airplane models give us a tangible way to appreciate and honor these wonderful flying machines, engineering marvels, country ambassadors, and world shrinkers. Each one of us has personal reasons to be particularly fond of some aircraft types and airline liveries. In those cases only one model might not be enough, after all, it doesn’t hurt to have a little more than enough of a good thing.
Such is the case for me with the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 in the American Airlines livery. The T-tail design of the DC-9 family is exotic and I find it more pleasurable to the eyes than the wing-mounted twin-jet design that is all too common today. And even though the latter design is the clear winner, I am grateful for the decent success that the DC-9 family had, as it has allowed us to delight ourselves with such a beautiful airliner design for several decades.
Last American Airlines MD-80 (N979TW) to land at Houston IAH. September 3, 2019
I find the MD-80 to be one of the most attractive members of the DC-9 family, especially the early ones with the pointy tail cone and black nose radome. Its good fuselage and engine proportions give it a balanced appearance without looking too modern or too vintage.
I have always perceived the DC-9 family to be poorly represented in the scale model/toy world. The DiMA database agrees with me as it has a combined total of 985 DC-9s (DC-9 + MD-80 + MD-82 + MD-83 + MD-87 + MD-88 + MD-90 + B 717) in 1:400 and 1:200 scales. For reference, there are 1932 B 737 models and 1721 A320s (A318
+ A319 + A320 + A321) in 1:400 scale alone. This isn’t an exact calculation as some models are listed under more than one type field, and some others are not registered at all in the database, but it gives a general view of the under-representation of DC-9 models.
In spite of the MD-80 shortage in 1:400 scale, one airline that has not been underrepresented is American Airlines. American MD-80s were iconic, and even though they were predominantly seen in North America, it is safe to say that aviation lovers worldwide have no issues connecting the aircraft and the airline. For 37 years the airline got to operate close to 400 of these aircraft with the same livery throughout, making AA MD-80s a bridge that connected the modern aviation scene with that of the eighties and nineties.
The first American MD-80s in 1:400 scale date from 2001 and were produced by Dragon Wings. Then around 2011 Jet-X produced some more. And finally, GeminiJets released some more in 2013, 2014, and 2019.
My first American MD-80 model was a GeminiJets MD-82 registered N573AA, I bought it when released in 2013. I was pretty happy with it, even though I was acutely aware of the oversized engines and oddly shaped nose.
Years later one of the original Dragon Wings examples from 2001 crossed my path at an accessible price. It was also an MD-82, but registered N473AA.
Dragon’s example has a black radome and pointy tail cone, which places the aircraft in the pre-2003 period, in line with its release date. Its Gemini counterpart comes with the grey radome and the new-style flattened tail cone. Additionally, the fuselage of my DW example is painted, while the GJ example is bare metal.
Beyond those basic differences come the differences inherent to the two molds. I will not go into a detailed comparison/review of these two models as that has been done before at Yesterday's Airlines. I will say, however, that if I had to choose between the two, I will personally keep the Dragon Wings version.
Enjoy the pictures and compare:
Dragon Wings American Airlines MD-82 N473AA 1:400 Starboard Side
GeminiJets American Airlines MD-82 N573AA 1:400 Starboard Side
Dragon Wings American Airlines MD-82 N473AA 1:400 Port Side
GeminiJets American Airlines MD-82 N573AA 1:400 Port Side
American Airlines MD-80s in 1:400 scale. Left: GeminiJets. Right: Dragon Wings
LeoMuse747
Well-known member
Great comparison! The Dragon Wings version beats the Gemini by a mile, in my opinion.
The front section of the Gemini looks very strange.
The front section of the Gemini looks very strange.
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