My top models

[Charter]

Hi to all.
I've finally decided to post a thread where I'll share photos of my top models. With such a vast collection, it's difficult to decide which model is the most beautiful according to my tastes and desires. However, there are models that have an inner beauty (for example, those that made me decide to start collecting 1:400 scale), models that I find objectively beautiful (like some special widebody liveries), and models that are part of my culture as a civil aviation enthusiast, especially charter and leisure airlines.
I won't list manufacturers and brands in this list, for a simple reason: when I started collecting 1:400 scale, I didn't pay attention to brands and manufacturers. Having already collected 1:500 scale models for several years, and already deeply disappointed by Herpa's choices, I approached 1:400 scale for the models and airlines missing from 1:500 scale, not for the brands and manufacturers. In fact, I confess that, despite having made a lot of progress in the wonderful but crowded world of 1:400 scale, I still remain rather ignorant of the visual method that allows one to recognize a model by its manufacturer and brand characteristics, except perhaps for Gemini and Phoenix. For this reason, therefore, while I know I am writing a real blasphemy for the most refined and cultured palates of 1:400 scale and I deeply apologize for this, in this list I will share only the aircraft model and the airline with its livery. To be able to do something like what I am doing in 1:400 scale, given that the same model, airline, livery, and often even the same registration is produced by two or more brands, one would have to buy all the same beloved and desired models produced by all the brands, then compare them, choose the one that is most similar to the original and best built, and then post it. With a turnover of about 200 models a year, even choosing just 10% of them would result in bankruptcy, a certain kickout, and a drive you crazy!
In the next few days, I'll start posting photos of the top models in my collection. S
If interested stay tuned!

 

[Critical Aviator]

Looking forward to it !

 

[AJC]

I'll second the 'looking forward to it' motion!

 

[Jazajia]

Hi to all.
I've finally decided to post a thread where I'll share photos of my top models. With such a vast collection, it's difficult to decide which model is the most beautiful according to my tastes and desires. However, there are models that have an inner beauty (for example, those that made me decide to start collecting 1:400 scale), models that I find objectively beautiful (like some special widebody liveries), and models that are part of my culture as a civil aviation enthusiast, especially charter and leisure airlines.
I won't list manufacturers and brands in this list, for a simple reason: when I started collecting 1:400 scale, I didn't pay attention to brands and manufacturers. Having already collected 1:500 scale models for several years, and already deeply disappointed by Herpa's choices, I approached 1:400 scale for the models and airlines missing from 1:500 scale, not for the brands and manufacturers. In fact, I confess that, despite having made a lot of progress in the wonderful but crowded world of 1:400 scale, I still remain rather ignorant of the visual method that allows one to recognize a model by its manufacturer and brand characteristics, except perhaps for Gemini and Phoenix. For this reason, therefore, while I know I am writing a real blasphemy for the most refined and cultured palates of 1:400 scale and I deeply apologize for this, in this list I will share only the aircraft model and the airline with its livery. To be able to do something like what I am doing in 1:400 scale, given that the same model, airline, livery, and often even the same registration is produced by two or more brands, one would have to buy all the same beloved and desired models produced by all the brands, then compare them, choose the one that is most similar to the original and best built, and then post it. With a turnover of about 200 models a year, even choosing just 10% of them would result in bankruptcy, a certain kickout, and a drive you crazy!
In the next few days, I'll start posting photos of the top models in my collection. S
If interested stay tuned!

I love this for two main reasons:

1) I am really curious to know if you can actually pick a list of your favorite models among tens of thousands of them.

2) I absolutely love how you (a veteran collector) embrace the fact that you can't even tell the difference between manufacturers in 1:400 scale, and just focus on the aircraft and liveries that give you joy... That's wonderful!

While I do recognize that some molds are better than others, I think too much toxicity is introduced in the hobby as a result of radical points of view on this matter.

 

[Charter]

I love this for two main reasons:

1) I am really curious to know if you can actually pick a list of your favorite models among tens of thousands of them.

2) I absolutely love how you (a veteran collector) embrace the fact that you can't even tell the difference between manufacturers in 1:400 scale, and just focus on the aircraft and liveries that give you joy... That's wonderful!

While I do recognize that some molds are better than others, I think too much toxicity is introduced in the hobby as a result of radical points of view on this matter.

Thanks for the nice words and for understanding my point of view.

2) I absolutely love how you (a veteran collector) embrace the fact that you can't even tell the difference between manufacturers in 1:400 scale, and just focus on the aircraft and liveries that give you joy... That's wonderful!

While I do recognize that some molds are better than others, I think too much toxicity is introduced in the hobby as a result of radical points of view on this matter.

This Is exactly what i start to think, in my humble opinion. Losing the "objective" beauty of a model just because produced by A instead of B or C means losing the pleasure of collect for...pleasure, becoming a kind of job in the never ending searching for perfection. And this Is exactly what happened to me for 1:500 scale and Herpa, especially after the demise of Inflight 500, Aeroclassics, Netmodels, Sky500, Big Bird, StarJets etc: toxicity because never Happy with what the market was offering. Of course if a model Is awfully produced and with macroscopic errors and flaws must be stigmatized, but in my opinion we should go back to beauty because beauty at our eyes and collector's hearts without too many mental process to understand who produced what and why. Just in this way a beautiful hobby remains a hobby and not a job.

Of course, this is my subjective opinion and it is not meant to belittle the wonderful and important work that goes into the search for perfection and the differences between brands and manufacturers in such a lively and competitive scale as 1:400.

 

[Charter]

Let me start with Southwest Airlines (USA).
Fifth largest airline of the world after United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and China Southern; first full low cost of all times (considering PSA - Pacific Southwest Airlines, Loftleidir Icelandic and Laker as not complete LCC), an example for the crazy visionary O'Leary (Ryanair) and for all low cost carriers model.
I think that a scale collection can't be serious and can't exist without some fundamental airlines: Southwest, in my opinion, is one of these fundamental airlines. And this was one of the reasons because i started to collect 1:400 scale: Herpa produced many Southwest Airlines models in 1:500 scale, true, but when Southwest was changing livery introducing the B737-800WL Herpa lost the license and Southwest has become a dream and a wish. Impossible to accept.
Here a B737-700WL, B737-800WL and B737 MAX8 latest livery.

 

[Charter]

Southwest Airlines B737-300 N344SW "Shamu - Sea World special livery", an icon, just an icon.
Shamu was the name of an Orca living in captivity that died in 1971 and then It remained as name of the Sea World Acquarium (San Diego, Orlando, San Antonio) program with many other Orcas living in the acquarium. The program stopped after four instructors died, three killed by the same animal.
The B737-300 like the B737-500 are among the B737 classic i love more along with a couple of B737-300 and B737-400 that you will discover following the thread.

Shamu

 

[Starz10p Aviation]

I love this for two main reasons:

1) I am really curious to know if you can actually pick a list of your favorite models among tens of thousands of them.

2) I absolutely love how you (a veteran collector) embrace the fact that you can't even tell the difference between manufacturers in 1:400 scale, and just focus on the aircraft and liveries that give you joy... That's wonderful!

While I do recognize that some molds are better than others, I think too much toxicity is introduced in the hobby as a result of radical points of view on this matter.

Completely agree on this. Over the last few months all I’ve come to care about myself is release choice

 

[Charter]

Alaska Airlines B737-800W N560AS "Spirit of the Islands".
Livery created by 17 years old student from Honolulu this beautiful airplane flew from 2013 to 2022 celebrating Hawaiian culture.

 

[Charter]

Air Transat B737-800WL C-FTCZ
Air Transat Is among my most loved airlines since started to fly to Rome FCO with A310-300 and A330-200 and this livery is gorgeous.

 

[Charter]

Turkish Airlines A321-200 TC-JCG "Turkey - Discover the potential" special livery, for me the most beautiful Turkish Airlines special livery and among the most beautiful special liveries of the sky ever.
Promoting Turkey and its economic and cultural potentiality and especially Turkey as business and holiday destinations, this airplane worn this special livery until 2015.
"Finike" was the name of the A321.

 

[Charter]

Air Canada B737 MAX8
Absurde elegance with the white and dark blue/almost black contrast, with the red leaf on the tail like a icing on the cake, beautiful black mask around the cockpit windows...more a spaceship than an airplane.

 

[Charter]

jetBlue A320-200 N586JB "I love NY".
Simply beautiful and iconic even if "eurowhite".

 

[Aviation on Scale]

Air Canada B737 MAX8
Absurde elegance with the white and dark blue/almost black contrast, with the red leaf on the tail like a icing on the cake, beautiful black mask around the cockpit windows...more a spaceship than an airplane.

View attachment 81213View attachment 81214View attachment 81215

Wonderful!

 

[BubblesAviation]

jetBlue A320-200 N586JB "I love NY".
Simply beautiful and iconic even if "eurowhite".

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One of my most wanted models.

 

[Charter]

Western Pacific Airlines B737-300 N939WP "The Simpsons".
Who would not have a father like Homer?!
Another iconic model for me, grew up with The Simpsons.

"In 1995, a marketing promotion with Rupert Murdoch’s American Fox network led to one of the airline's Boing 737-300 being painted with characters from The Simpsons. According to Fox, this was because it would "give people a chuckle" and that "people at the airport will notice it."

 

[Charter]

British Airways B737-400 (Chatham Dockyard regular livery).
I love this model because it was the workhorse of British Airways short - intra European routes and, in the last years before the phasing out, was dedicated to British Airways charter and leisure flights. In fact British Airways was among the first legacy and flag airlines to understand the importance of leisure routes dedicating some of the oldest airplanes of the fleet to those routes.
Here BA B737-400 at Salzburg Airport




This single model was an important reason to start to collect 1:400 airplanes, even because dozens of letters and mails by many, many collectors weren't enough for Herpa for the production of this beauty (important beauty i would say!) in 1:500 scale. Shameful as usual.
I also discovered something i did not know about "Chatham Dockyard" livery, also called Union Jack: it was one of the many "Utopia" liveries and then remained as British Airways official livery.

Here the history.
The Chatham Dockyard livery was first introduced in June 1997 as part of a now infamous rebranding of BA known as “Project Utopia”.
It takes its name from the Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent. The tail fin bears a red, white and blue interpretation of the Union Flag, the official name of the national flag for the United Kingdom.
Based on the original flag used by Admiral Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the Chatham Dockyard livery was created for BA by the Admiral’s Original Flag Loft factory in Chatham which had made flags for more than 400 years. The factory has since closed.
Originally, only Concorde was to feature the Chatham Dockyard livery with all other aircraft being painted in up to 50 different tail fins featuring images developed by artists from around the world.
However, all aircraft were to bear a new BA logo and three dimensional speedmarque towards the nose of the aircraft
Following an adverse public reaction to the World Images tail fins, BA initially decided to paint half of aircraft in the Chatham Dockyard livery, before deciding to withdraw the World Images tail fins altogether British Airways
20 years on, the Chatham Dockyard livery has remained to this day, albeit with slight modifications. All aircraft are painted in bright white rather than pearl white (Concorde always had to be painted bright white for technical reasons) and many aircraft now feature the BA “To Fly. To Serve.” crest.

BA’s new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft also feature the Chatham Dockyard flag on its wing-tips".

 

[Charter]

Jetstar Australia B787-8 VH-VKA
One of my first widebodies, great livery.

 

[Jazajia]

British Airways B737-400 (Chatham Dockyard regular livery).
I love this model because it was the workhorse of British Airways short - intra European routes and, in the last years before the phasing out, was dedicated to British Airways charter and leisure flights. In fact British Airways was among the first legacy and flag airlines to understand the importance of leisure routes dedicating some of the oldest airplanes of the fleet to those routes.
Here BA B737-400 at Salzburg Airport
View attachment 81380

View attachment 81381View attachment 81382

This single model was an important reason to start to collect 1:400 airplanes, even because dozens of letters and mails by many, many collectors weren't enough for Herpa for the production of this beauty (important beauty i would say!) in 1:500 scale. Shameful as usual.
I also discovered something i did not know about "Chatham Dockyard" livery, also called Union Jack: it was one of the many "Utopia" liveries and then remained as British Airways official livery.

Here the history.
The Chatham Dockyard livery was first introduced in June 1997 as part of a now infamous rebranding of BA known as “Project Utopia”.
It takes its name from the Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent. The tail fin bears a red, white and blue interpretation of the Union Flag, the official name of the national flag for the United Kingdom.
Based on the original flag used by Admiral Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the Chatham Dockyard livery was created for BA by the Admiral’s Original Flag Loft factory in Chatham which had made flags for more than 400 years. The factory has since closed.
Originally, only Concorde was to feature the Chatham Dockyard livery with all other aircraft being painted in up to 50 different tail fins featuring images developed by artists from around the world.
However, all aircraft were to bear a new BA logo and three dimensional speedmarque towards the nose of the aircraft
Following an adverse public reaction to the World Images tail fins, BA initially decided to paint half of aircraft in the Chatham Dockyard livery, before deciding to withdraw the World Images tail fins altogether British Airways
20 years on, the Chatham Dockyard livery has remained to this day, albeit with slight modifications. All aircraft are painted in bright white rather than pearl white (Concorde always had to be painted bright white for technical reasons) and many aircraft now feature the BA “To Fly. To Serve.” crest.

BA’s new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft also feature the Chatham Dockyard flag on its wing-tips".

Nice summary of how the Chatham Dockyard livery became BA's standard.

Landor:



Utopia World Tails:

 

[Jazajia]

Western Pacific Airlines B737-300 N939WP "The Simpsons".
Who would not have a father like Homer?!
Another iconic model for me, grew up with The Simpsons.

"In 1995, a marketing promotion with Rupert Murdoch’s American Fox network led to one of the airline's Boing 737-300 being painted with characters from The Simpsons. According to Fox, this was because it would "give people a chuckle" and that "people at the airport will notice it."

View attachment 81331
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Interesting to see someone coming from 1:500 mentioning this one as one of their favorite 1:400 models. Maybe because it was a staple in 1:500 scale?

I remember the shop I used to visit here in Houston in the 1990s that carried Herpa and Shabak. Herpa focused heavily on special liveries and there was no shortage of the WP 737-300 in the "The Simpsons" livery in stock. The same was true for the Crossair McDonald's MD-80 and a bunch of Southwest specials (which I thought were the coolest thing ever, the same airplanes that were seen in the Houston skies).

I hear a lot of complaints about Herpa omitting a lot of regular liveries in 1:500 in favor of special ones. Maybe it is a culture that was born during the 1st gen days. When the lack of details (no regs, etc...) was compensated for by focusing on special liveries? Just a thought.