Post your personal manufacturers list, please.

[Charter]

Hi to all.
Several things happened and convinced me to post this thread asking for your comment, suggestion and help. This what happened:

- Air India A321-200 model literally fell to pieces even though it never fell to the ground and always stored in the box: nose landing gear, main landing gear, tail rudders, engine...all broken!
- China Southern A350-900 special livery sold at 65 euros!
- The same model produced by three-four manufacturers with different mould, different tampo print, different details, different price.
- Looking at Alitalia A319 latest livery, so awful in all points of view that i did not understand how was possible to buy It.
- Models announced and delivered after many months, often even years.
- An objective invasion of Chinese and Far East airlines and liveries, a great disparity respect Europe and USA.

So i ask for your courtesy and help, please post your personal list of manufacturers considering money for value, models prices, quality, tampo print on the fuselage, quality check, moulds type and quality, variety of airlines, liveries, airliners and countries of the world considered, time among announce and delivery.
Since some years ago a 1:500 scale model price was about 25 euros, a 1:400 model 35 euros with the generic law "add 10 euros and you will switch from 1:500 to 1:400...". Today prices are crazy and really enemies of collectors and their dreams.
Many manufacturers: Phoenix, Gemini, Herpa, NG, HX/YY, Panda, Aeroclassics, JCWings...in this labyrinth of manufacturers how to decide what is best about all or the majority points of view, if there is a best about money for... everything considered? I understood that it is too easy and not true saying "NG the best, then Gemini, Phoenix etc" because it is not good for me saying that the best is a manufacturer with an almost perfect moulds and quality but with prices around 60 euros per model and a backlog formed exclusively by Chinese and Far East area airlines.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Critical Aviator]

Honestly, as far as I am concerned, the best manufacturer really depends on the model itself.
But here are my thoughts on each manufacturer I have in my collection:
- NG is still the best overall and usually my first choice when NG is an option. Not all of their moulds are the best but they are at least better than most of the competition. However they are expensive and can have QC issues. Add to that the poor usage of some of their moulds and the imbalance between releases from China and the rest of the world. But I still value NG, in fact, most of my collection is from NG and in some instances, NG has been the only manufacturer to make certain subjects. I also appreciate the CRP wishlist, despite its flaws, as it is an opportunity to share the models we want to see made (or even made again).
- Aviation400 is one of the brands I trust the most. They make quality models at a decent price and so far, I have never had a single QC issue with them. Their releases are fairly diverse but like NG, they can use their mould catalog better. Also, their releases can take some time before being available.
- Phoenix might no longer have the best moulds for most aircraft types but moulds for common aircraft like most Airbuses and Boeings are decent enough to still be worth considering in 2026 and their prices are decent. They are the best in terms of diversity and there are plenty of examples of Phoenix being the only manufacturer so far to make certain subjects.
- Aeroclassics make a vast selection of classics, and sometimes modern, subjects. However, the quality isn't the best but sometimes, you don't really have a choice if you are interested in certain subjects.
- GeminiJets are mostly great if you collect US, Emirates and certain Western models. The quality can be inconsistent. As far as pricing goes, they are at least as expensive as NG but usually with less quality. Not my first choice but sometimes, the GeminiJets option is worth considering.
- JC Wings make what GeminiJets do not want to make and therefore most of what apply to GeminiJets also applies to JC Wings. However, in my experience, JC is cheaper than GJ, so the value for money proposition is better with JC than GJ in my opinion. Their release choices are fairly diverse but in recent times, they have made releases meant to compete with HX and HX-related brands only, good to have the option if you can't get the model you want on the HX mould but it takes production slots away from other models. The only downsides to JC are the QC issues, a good chunk of their mould catalog and the fact that a lot of their releases are very slow to get to the market.
- Panda Model are very consistent with quality but my main criticism comes from the fact that most of what PM produce is for other brands.
- HX are a rising star in the scale. Good products at competitive prices. Although my HX sample size is very small (only 2 models), I think they definitely deserve the praise they have been receiving. My main problem with them is that most of what they release is of no interest to me.
- Aeropolaris are a very promising manufacturer. Their quality is very close to NG's and their price range is decent.
- Apollo is a ressurging brand with good potential and decent prices. I can only speak for their A380s, which I really like, as I don't have any other moulds from them.
- Socatec is only noteworthy for their Air France Concordes in my opinion, as most of the time they work with GJ.
- BigBird is a bit like JC but with a focus on classic models and they release fewer models.
- Hogan are irrelevant in 1/400. Their models are definitely not very good compared to the major manufacturers.

But my take is the following:
- Sometimes, you don't have a choice of manufacturer. If you want an Embraer E2, you're stuck the the JC/GJ mould regardless of the quality of the final product. NG have a great hard product but if you want an A310, you won't get it from them as they are yet to create a mould for it.
- When there is competition, in 2026 most models are at least decent enough to be worth considering. Personally, I consider if the price is reasonable for me, how the final product turned out and mostly availability. Each manufacturer has its pros and cons.
- Quality is an unknown variable. Even on the same mould and from the same manufacturer, it isn't guaranteed that the quality will be the same.

I hope this is helpful and I'm sorry if it isn't.

 

[Airmath]

Some collectors complain about printing details, but I think we should just as much, if not before, complain about the quality of finish, the quality control !
I received a whole series of planes last year with quality issues:

777-300 prototype chromed JC Wings > all wings and fins in bulk, not bonded, with paint shard at the junction of a fin
A340-200 Lufthansa Phoenix > paint shard under a wing
DC-10 prototype Patriot > over-sanded wing top with loss of details, irregularities under the paint
747-400 prototype Patriot > broken front gear
747-100 prototype NG lite > crushed box on an angle (already like that before the delivery cardboard!) > the problem may be due to the retailer.
Quality control problems are becoming more and more recurrent !
To the point that the shopping experience becomes as much a stress as a pleasure: in what state will the plane arrive?
Given the increasingly prohibitive prices, I don’t understand why manufacturers are not making more efforts to improve and control the quality of their products...

Manufacturers should also please everyone by producing more variety according to regions, eras, and continue the national and important airlines in the history of aviation before the fanciful liveries.
For some manufacturers, the delays are too long between the announcement and the release (indeed, months or even years).
Same for some planes, still no new mould in perspective (among what interests me of course), whereas their moulds are old :
707-100 (cradle of wings)
727 (all versions - cradle of wings, except for the Witty mould, but which dates)
737-100 (cradle of wings)
737-200
DC-10 (all versions)
A310 (JC Wings fell asleep?)
Concorde (cradle of wings)

The hobby is becoming more and more expensive, takes more and more time to get what we expect, presents more and more recurring quality problems, and therefore generates more and more stress...
Should a hobby stress or relax?

 

[YesterAirlines]

I have literally spent the past 11 years now discussing these topics and have hundreds of pages of information at the website about it so asking for the answer in a single thread is a bit of a stretch!

Also you say manufacturer, but presumably you really mean brand. Gemini for example isn't a manufacturer but is a brand. There are 6 or 7 manufacturers and well over 20+ brands.

In terms of quality there are discernable differences but they are relatively minor between brands. Aeroclassics is clearly the lowest quality in 400 scale. NG, AV400, Panda and HX I would say are at the top. Everyone else is in between, but that's a massive generalisation. A lot of it depends very much on individual releases and the moulds being used.

Anyone who buys from only a single brand is in my opinion making a mistake. If you're shopping only on price you are also making a mistake - yes price matters but it is a false economy to buy the cheapest because it is the cheapest, plus different brands are cheaper in different parts of the world anyway.

The prices in Europe are always crazy I have noticed. More expensive than the UK, which is more expensive than the US, which is more expensive than China itself. However if price is your criteria then there are far more cheap brands around nowadays then there ever have been. Apollo, NG Lite, JET and to a degree HX and YY are all on the cheaper end of things.

What I've noticed from your collecting @Charter is that you don't really care that much about the mould and care more about the subject matter - and you mainly collect European airliners. Your issue is mainly that Europe just isn't as important a market for 400 scale as it perhaps ought to be. I'd put that down to:

• A lack of retailers per capita
• A general lethargy among those retailers for making their own models
• The high prices in the European market
• Competition from 500 scale in Europe that doesn't exist outside of Europe
• A relatively static and consolidated European aviation market
• The massive pull of the home Asian market

From where I'm sitting 400 scale is in an amazing space at the moment, with more models, manufacturers and brands than ever before. I don't think it is even that there are less European or US releases. It's just that there are more Asian ones.

 

[YesterAirlines]

Quality control problems are becoming more and more recurrent !

I don't think that is really true. If anything I'd say QC has improved, which is impressive when you consider the models are a lot more complicated than they used to be. A modern 400 scale model often has over 40 parts.

Given the increasingly prohibitive prices, I don’t understand why manufacturers are not making more efforts to improve and control the quality of their products...

Because they don't need to mainly. Some brands are very arrogant and really don't care that much about the end customer. Plus these models are made in a low wage environment by employees that don't care that much or speak English as a first language. And I suspect the sort of quality checking you are looking for is a) not possible since a lot of damage is caused after the models leave the factory and could b) just drive up the price of the product even further.

Manufacturers should also please everyone by producing more variety according to regions, eras, and continue the national and important airlines in the history of aviation before the fanciful liveries.

This would be nice but realistically manufacturers do what they want to, are almost all Chinese and young, and make what they think will sell. They aren't charities. This is where the OEM model Panda, Kylin and others use should help as it allows for market related releases, however it relies on people in those markets caring enough to get the models made and spend the money.

For some manufacturers, the delays are too long between the announcement and the release (indeed, months or even years).
Same for some planes, still no new mold in perspective (among what interests me of course):
707-100 (cradle of wings)
727 (all versions - cradle of wings, except for the Witty mould, but which dates a little)
737-100 (cradle of wings)
737-200
DC-10 (all versions)
A310 (JC Wings fell asleep?)
Concorde

I'd love all of these but most collectors don't buy them. The money is in 787s and A350s. However I know of new moulds being produced for at least 3 of those and potentially 5 of them. Whether they get used properly is a bigger issue than new moulds being made.

The hobby is becoming more and more expensive, takes more and more time to get what we expect, presents more and more recurring quality problems, and therefore generates more and more stress...
Should a hobby stress or relax?

I disagree with this mostly. It is becoming more expensive, but there is a greater range of models than ever before, albeit mostly modern, and the quality of several brands has increased. I buy a lot of models and rarely have QC issues that are at all major. I really don't know where people are getting all these broken models from!

 

[Jazajia]

The money is in 787s and A350s.

I think there's a market for both classic and new. In fact, in my experience, the exact opposite is true, but that could be because I tend to carry what I like.

I agree that the current airliners are a smart investment because you have generations of collectors in the making who are going to consume those subjects for decades to come. Also, we probably haven't even seen half of the liveries that 787s and A350s are going to wear in their careers.

However, the market is sluggish for those types. Tons of competition, so nothing sells fast. Also, collectors know that more than one release of the same will come, so very few releases become true hot sellers.

The market for classics is certainly shrinking. There are relatively few collectors left who will fight over a Constellation, DC-3, or Caravelle.

But the market for what I like to call "contemporary" classics (as opposed to "vintage/archaic" classics) is at its prime and underserved.

You and I are examples of it; we both grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, and nostalgia is a driving factor behind our collections. We also missed out on the initial wave of Aeroclassics and BigBird, and we are at a point in our careers where we have enough disposable income to indulge freely in the hobby. And, there are tons and tons of other collectors in a similar situation.

In my limited experience as a retailer, I have seen many dozens of 747-200, DC-10s, MD-11, MD-80s, and 767s disappear from the shelves in a few months or weeks (in a few days on more than one occasion), while the handful of 747-8s, A350s, and 787s that I carry just gather dust on the shelves. I have to say that I am seeing an uptick in my sales of modern subjects as the store gains popularity, and since I started offering NG, but still nothing nearly as briskly as the contemporary classics.

 

[YesterAirlines]

I think there's a market for both classic and new. In fact, in my experience, the exact opposite is true, but that could be because I tend to carry what I like.

I agree that the current airliners are a smart investment because you have generations of collectors in the making who are going to consume those subjects for decades to come. Also, we probably haven't even seen half of the liveries that 787s and A350s are going to wear in their careers.

However, the market is sluggish for those types. Tons of competition, so nothing sells fast. Also, collectors know that more than one release of the same will come, so very few releases become true hot sellers.

The market for classics is certainly shrinking. There are relatively few collectors left who will fight over a Constellation, DC-3, or Caravelle.

But the market for what I like to call "contemporary" classics (as opposed to "vintage/archaic" classics) is at its prime and underserved.

You and I are examples of it; we both grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, and nostalgia is a driving factor behind our collections. We also missed out on the initial wave of Aeroclassics and BigBird, and we are at a point in our careers where we have enough disposable income to indulge freely in the hobby. And, there are tons and tons of other collectors in a similar situation.

In my limited experience as a retailer, I have seen many dozens of 747-200, DC-10s, MD-11, MD-80s, and 767s disappear from the shelves in a few months or weeks (in a few days on more than one occasion), while the handful of 747-8s, A350s, and 787s that I carry just gather dust on the shelves. I have to say that I am seeing an uptick in my sales of modern subjects as the store gains popularity, and since I started offering NG, but still nothing nearly as briskly as the contemporary classics.

I hope this optimism leads to some healthy reorders from YV400!

A lot of the percieved demand comes down to production volumes, which can give the illusion of high demand when it really is just scarcity of product (see Aeroclassics where most of his stock doesn't sell out even though production is about 120-150 units of even high demand subjects).

For that CX A350 80th if you add the production together it'll be something like (PHX: 500, NG: 500, JC: 500, AV4: 500, AP: 200, Apollo: 500) 2,000+ units. Most will sell reasonably quickly and the fact so many different brands are making it helps because stores stock every version.

Even for the V1:400 United 767s the demand isn't anywhere near that of a moden A350 + I suspect the sales in markets with a lot of younger collectors like Asia will be low. An A350 has almost universal appeal.

Plus of course the higher the production runs the lower the unit cost of a model so the CX A350 is cheaper to make as well. Not saying there isn't a market - it just isn't big and certainly isn't as widely recognised by the Chinese manufacturers.