Model Review - Air China Boeing 777-300ER by NG Models - & the New V2 Mould

[YesterAirlines]

NG Models tinker with their moulds a lot, even though they are usually great anyway. They have recently designed an entirely new fuselage barrel for their 777-300ER and it introduces several major changes. Not only that, but they've also been playing around with the cockpit printing. Here I take a look at the February release of this Love China 777, which also comes with the new NG stand style:

Air China | Boeing 777-39LER | B-2006 | NG Models

NG Models has a history of tinkering with its moulds, despite them usually being the best anyway. There are almost no moulds in their catalogue that haven't had some form of modification - from 757 to L-1011 to A350 to 787. They've all had changes and sti

www.yesterdaysairlines.com

I was following the discussion in the NG hints thread and I have to say that far from being atrocious I think this is an improvement both at the nose and the tailcone. I'm not saying it is perfect, but it is certainly very competitive with other available moulds and better than the CX fantasy release I own.

Having said that I am far less happy with the March 777 cockpit print, which is different to that on this Air China.

I've posted some comparison images in the review but @Phantom here's the Panda 767 and the NG 777 nose to nose side on:

 

[Phantom]

I've posted some comparison images in the review but @Phantom here's the Panda 767 and the NG 777 nose to nose side on:

Thanks. I never had any doubt the V2 looks "ok" (slightly oversized maybe) side on. But could you please take a pic from above? Does it still look as good? I don't think so.

I mean, this image on your review really shows the mess:

And it's not the artwork, because as you showed, it looks good side on which it wouldn't in case of an artwork issue.
A wrong shape requires a wrong artwork to look ok from at least some angle.

 

[Phantom]

The more I'm looking at V2, the more I get the feeling I'm looking at a 1/324 scale 767 with 777 cockpits.

Anyways, I'm glad I'm done with my 77W collection so I'm glad it doesn't bother me too much.

Btw, any news on NG's 747s?

 

[YesterAirlines]

I did include this above shot in the review. Sorry no news on the 747s but NG don't tell me much anymore:

 

[Phantom]

Sorry, I meant 767 vs. 777 from above.

 

[YesterAirlines]

Sorry, I meant 767 vs. 777 from above.

Here you go. The 777 windows are larger, but I would add that when they were smaller everyone complained they were too small.

 

[Phantom]

Here you go. The 777 windows are larger, but I would add that when they were smaller everyone complained they were too small.

View attachment 41351
View attachment 41352

Not everyone.
This V2 now really has that 1/324 scale 767 look to it.
Excuse the crappy cellphone quality, but here's what V1 vs. Panda 764 looks like - . The nose wasn't brilliant, but the best 77W we had. I stay by what I said about V2.


I wonder what NG 763 looks like next to 77W V1/2. I don't have one.

 

[planes_on_a_shelf]

I frankly never understood the fuss about NG's V1.
I felt it was just great as it was! Each mould has its own deficiencies, and NG's were minimal in my view.

Prior to ordering this Love China and last month's Dream Pursuer (I've yet to receive these) , I'd got the Go Canada 77W, as well as CA, CZ, AM & AA 772s.

I don't know why they had to change anything.

 

[YesterAirlines]

I frankly never understood the fuss about NG's V1.
I felt it was just great as it was! Each mould has its own deficiencies, and NG's were minimal in my view.

Prior to ordering this Love China and last month's Dream Pursuer (I've yet to receive these) , I'd got the Go Canada 77W, as well as CA, CZ, AM & AA 772s.

I don't know why they had to change anything.

I tend to agree at the nose. NG do like to muck about with things, but I admit I prefer the new tailcone myself.

 

[planes_on_a_shelf]

I admit I prefer the new tailcone myself.

Right. Though it's disappointing that they'd go about changing the nose to make it undesirable.
Hopefully they will change this back and I would presume they'd have noticed this too by now - curious if there's been anything on this on CN social media?
- but I'd guess they'd already have the next batch in production, and surely there would be 777s amongst those, unless there's some intervention at the factory by now.

 

[Sithan400]

I tend to agree at the nose. NG do like to muck about with things, but I admit I prefer the new tailcone myself.

I have been waiting on an update to their tailcone. Unfortunately this new rendering still leaves much to be desired.

 

[Aircrafter93]

All this effort to retool the 777, but sadly not the same love for the 747SP. I would have bought every release had it not been for that nose section.

 

[ghqv2988]

Thanks. I never had any doubt the V2 looks "ok" (slightly oversized maybe) side on. But could you please take a pic from above? Does it still look as good? I don't think so.

I mean, this image on your review really shows the mess:

And it's not the artwork, because as you showed, it looks good side on which it wouldn't in case of an artwork issue.
A wrong shape requires a wrong artwork to look ok from at least some angle.

From this angle, it appears the cockpit windows are not only angled the wrong way (with an upward flare), but they're also too stretched out in the center.

The cockpit window shape can really make or break a model, and it seems like an aspect that NG has been struggling with lately (e.g. 748s, 777s, 767s). I'm one of those who won't preorder any 777 from NG until the official photos of the model are released. There's too much variability.

I think Panda does the cockpit windows best. Even with their 737s, they're shaped and angled more accurately. The NG ones seem slightly too short.

 

[YesterAirlines]

If you guys love the new 777 cockpit on the Love China above you'll really love how the March 777s look. The cockpit windows are thinner, printed lower and the outer windows smaller. I'm not a big fan at all:

 

[pons399]

Yeahh it isn’t too bad from the side, but the front looks too droopy.

 

[planes_on_a_shelf]

If you guys love the new 777 cockpit on the Love China above you'll really love how the March 777s look. The cockpit windows are thinner, printed lower and the outer windows smaller. I'm not a big fan at all:

Ouch so this includes the Dream Pursuer I pre-ordered

 

[YesterAirlines]

Ouch so this includes the Dream Pursuer I pre-ordered

I actually just got this one and it is better than the Star Alliance ones possibly because this was a February release:

 

[Aircrafter93]

I actually just got this one and it is better than the Star Alliance ones possibly because this was a February release:

View attachment 41405
View attachment 41406
View attachment 41407

I have this one arriving today. Excited to see in person, but I agree with you. Looks better than the March versions. Also, they got the cockpit window to passenger window height difference right too. That’s another big issue with NG 777s. Often times the passenger windows are level to the cockpit

 

[mark4323]

one thing I really like about the 777 is the way the fuselage slopes down to the cockpit from quite far back, and this model has it. It looks great. Cockpit windows still not quite there - with the centre 2 panels being too wide, but the update is terrible. It wasn't the height that was the problem and the 2 side windows looked correct and didn't need to change.

 

[Phantom]

It wasn't the height that was the problem

Yes, it's the "new" mould and NG seems to realize that, no matter what they do with the artwork, it looks crap.