Solomon’s 1/500 fleet

[s4lmon8]

Hi all! I have started collecting 1:500 scale airliner models since the beginning of 2026. After reading threads after threads on both MAF and good ol Wings900, I am also inspired to share my fleet with everyone! Also hope to document my journey of collecting in this thread.

Here is a teaser, I will need to properly catalog my photos and do more photos & editing for the models.

 

[LeoMuse747]

Hi all! I have started collecting 1:500 scale airliner models since the beginning of 2026. After reading threads after threads on both MAF and good ol Wings900, I am also inspired to share my fleet with everyone! Also hope to document my journey of collecting in this thread.

Here is a teaser, I will need to properly catalog my photos and do more photos & editing for the models.

Welcome to the forum! feel free to share pics of your collection!

 

[s4lmon8]

Welcome to the forum! feel free to share pics of your collection!

Thanks Leo, I will post more when i get back home from work!

 

[s4lmon8]

Taking some time to get satisfactory photos of all my individual models, but here is a group shot of the start of my collection… The hobby started for me when I went back to my hometown during the summer. As I visited a toy shop that I used to go to a lot when I was still living in Hong Kong, they had a bunch of old stock Herpa models on the shelf. I have always been collecting 1:64 scale car models, but even though I am always passionate about aviation, both civilian and military alike, I had never considered collecting model airliners. From the shelf in the toy store, I picked up my first 1:500 model - OG BA Concorde in Landor livery!

 

[s4lmon8]

As a contrast, here is the overview of the collection as of yesterday…

 

[LeoMuse747]

As a contrast, here is the overview of the collection as of yesterday…View attachment 71818View attachment 71819

Nice oldies you got there. The Starjets MD-11 is very nice, since it's just a scaled down version of Gemini MD-11 in 1:400

 

[s4lmon8]

Nice oldies you got there. The Starjets MD-11 is very nice, since it's just a scaled down version of Gemini MD-11 in 1:400

I really like Starjets, their models are always full of details even though their mould design might not be the best

 

[LeoMuse747]

I really like Starjets, their models are always full of details even though their mould design might not be the best

Their moulds are mostly better than Herpa's offerings back in the day, I'd say. Specially the MD-11

 

[s4lmon8]

Let's start with the smallest aircraft in my fleet: Lufthansa Vickers Viscount v814. I had no particular reason to buy this to be honest, except to have a turboprop to put next to the other modern jetliners for scale I guess! I do really like the old Lufthansa livery, especially the iconic blue crane in the yellow circle, and it really compliment the other Lufthansa retro livery jet in 1:500 scale.

 

[s4lmon8]

Then we have the DH Comet 4. Since I started collecting this is one of the must have for me due to its historical significance. It is a shame that in real life the jet was haunted by stories of tragedy and unreliability. It is however one of the prettiest passenger jets imo. The integrated engines in the swept wings really do it for me! I have 2 Comets, one for BEA airtours and the other for BEA.

 

[s4lmon8]

I think I have decided to post this thread according to the timeline of which the aircraft is introduced. So the next one would be the Boeing 707 - Another significant aircraft in aviation history, I guess I won't need to give you all another history LOL. I have the House livery as you would be able to see, I like factory schemes/ prototype liveries. I do wish to get one in perhaps the TWA/ Pan Am livery in the future though.

 

[s4lmon8]

The next is the 727-100 in prototype/ testing livery. For some reason I always thought the 727 is much larger than it actually is. The 727 has such a sleek profile, especially with the rear-mount tri-engine config. The cream yellow and maroon livery might not be for anyone, but I really like it personally.

 

[s4lmon8]

707 & 727

 

[BubblesAviation]

Great models!

 

[LeoMuse747]

The next is the 727-100 in prototype/ testing livery. For some reason I always thought the 727 is much larger than it actually is. The 727 has such a sleek profile, especially with the rear-mount tri-engine config. The cream yellow and maroon livery might not be for anyone, but I really like it personally.
View attachment 72032View attachment 72033

If I remember well, this was a quite rare model! This old 727 mould of Herpa reminds me of a very cool release they did: Air Gemini, a cargo carrier from Angola. Super exotic one

 

[s4lmon8]

If I remember well, this was a quite rare model! This old 727 mould of Herpa reminds me of a very cool release they did: Air Gemini, a cargo carrier from Angola. Super exotic one`

Yeah the "Boeing Milestones" series are all up my alley, the 707 in house colour is also from the same series!

 

[s4lmon8]

Next we have the Vickers VC10 in BA/ BOAC hybrid livery. It is a shame that many of the British airliners from the same period didn't achieve the same status as their American counterparts. Would also like to get the Il-62 at some point to complete the quad rear engine line-up!

 

[s4lmon8]

Tristar is probably another of my favourite passenger aircraft. The s-duct tri-engine design is iconic and much more elegant compared to the brute force impression of it's main contemporary the DC-10 (or MD-11). I am lucky to have found all 3 versions of the CX livery in 1:500 scale. As a HongKonger, the legends of Checkerboard Hill and low flying 747s were seared into our collective memories. I really love the design of the old CX livery, and maybe I have a certain pride of it being the flag carrier of our city. It is really awesome to see the retro 80th anniversary that they are bringing back and I will see if I am able to get a flight on one of those. Hopefully some manufacturers could also make a retro-liveried a350 in 500 scale in the future! (Probs very unlikely but fingers crossed :/)

 

[s4lmon8]

VR-HHK & VR-HHW - different moulds and minor differences in details. I prefer the polished wing & underbelly of the HHW, but I think the Herpa? mould of the HHK is over all better as the Starjet? mould of the HHW has its rear tail-fuselage-horizontal stabilizer as a separate piece which creates a massive gap which is quite jarring.

 

[s4lmon8]

Simplified white livery VR-HDK after the jet returned to CX services after leasing out to Dragon Air (RIP). Came in a set with VR-HHW. Does anyone know the story behind these 2 that came in a white box set? I'm guessing they were made in some quantities as samples for CXcitement but never made into mass production? Perhaps testing the Starjet mould?