Aeroclassics are one of the grand-daddies of 400 scale and have made more 400 scale models than any other brand by some distance. They historically have had an exceptional mould catalogue of great classic jets and have made a lot of very impressive models. As others have said no other brand makes the diversity of airlines or aircraft types that Aeroclassics make. If you are looking for an aircraft that predates 2000 then it is highly likely AC will be your only option a lot of the time.
Historically their quality has been as good or better than everyone elses and the vast majority of Aeroclassics releases are excellent. In my collection of 2,557 models 1,360 are or use Aeroclassics moulds.
The biggest problem with Aeroclassics nowadays is that their models haven't moved with the times. Their current releases are as good as and often inferior to their pre-2010 production. The problems stem from both the owner's unwillingness to add new features but also from a factory that has limited expertise and QC. Overall I would say:
Pros:
- Excellent range of airlines and aircraft types
- Huge mould back catalogue
- Generally great mould sets for classics and even A320s, A330s
Cons
- Expensive outside of the USA and Canada
- Weaker printing compared to rivals (NG, Panda, AV400, JC Wings, GJ)
- No aerials
- Colours sometimes too dark
- The most recent moulds (737 MAXs, L-1011 Tristars) have been inferior to earlier moulds
On classic types the weaker printing detail and lack of aerials are less important. No brands are perfect and rather than focus on who is making the model I would recommend focusing on what mould they are using first and foremost:
1:400 Scale Die-cast Model Airliner Mould Reviews
www.yesterdaysairlines.com
