Your thoughts on AeroClassics

Matt Reid

Member
I've been collecting 1.400 models around 19 months now and have 64 models, this however is my 1st AeroClassics model. I do like the retro/vintage jets and have 4 747SP's & 2 L1011's all by NG. So to people in the know how good are Aeroclassics. I really do like this model but find it a little pricey for the size of the model. Advice will be very welcome. Thank you.20221018_130824.jpg
 
I like AeroClassics a lot. Not maybe for tiny details like antennas or anything else. AeroClassics have made models that no else will make. Especially when it comes to classics. I'm collecting classic Nordic/Iceland models and without AeroClassics I would have just a few. I have about 140 AeroClassics models out of my 437 models. So, based on this AeroClassics is my favorite and has always been.
This is one example:

SteinarSAS Viking props_1.JPGSAS Viking props_9.JPG
 
I lile Aeroclassics a lot, even though some of their moulds are quite outdated or inferior to other competitors. However AC is the only brand that dares to make airlines that no one else does like Hang Khong Viet Nam, Braathens Safe, Kampuchea, Zimbabwe...I also collect classic models so it's nice to have aircrafts ranging from A300 to IL18, 2022 so far being the 2nd brand that I have purchased the most.
 
Aeroclassics is awesome for the really old planes (I’m talking postwar years up to around the doorstep of the Jet Age), and some of the obscure stuff no one else will do as hinted by other members.
 
Aeroclassics is one of in my view the top brands in 1:400. Their moulds made before a few years ago are mostly among the highest-quality moulds for the types, notably their McD Douglas jets and their Boeing 707 and 737-200. Their 727 is comparable in quality to Gemini. Their recent 767-200 mould is mediocre and the recent L-1011 mould is poor. I avoid the L-1011's.

In the mid 00's Aeroclassics made a bunch of 747-100/200 and 747-400 on the BigBird400 moulds. AC and the original BB400 747's are the best in the 1:400 scale. Not only is the mould excellent, but the finish and colors are amazing. Like everyone else AC gets some colours wrong here and there, but in general you can't beat their 747's.

Today, Aeroclassics continues, as JJ Skippy noted, to make obscurer classics, which is rare nowadays. I'm in my 50's and grew up in Upstate NY in the 70's and 80s, and love the colorful airliners of my formative years. Who but AC is going to make a Pacific Western 767-200, a USAir-Piedmont hybrid 727-200, World Airways DC-8, or Uganda Airlines 707-300. I always eagerly await finding out what AC's monthly releases will be.
 
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AeroClassic also did the DC-6B Loftleidir TF-LLB. My first flight ever back in June 1963. Gothenburg to Reykjavik (not KEF). KEF was a US Nato airbase at that time.25AF8199-E9AC-41D0-98A4-75C17B0FD181.jpeg
 
Aeroclassics is one of in my view the top brands in 1:400. Their moulds made before a few years ago are mostly among the highest-quality moulds for the types, notably their McD Douglas jets and their Boeing 707 and 737-200. Their 727 is comparable in quality to Gemini. Their recent 767-200 mould is mediocre and the recent L-1011 mould is poor. I avoid the L-1011's.

In the mid 00's Aeroclassics made a bunch of 747-100/200 and 747-400 on the BigBird400 moulds. AC and the original BB400 747's are the best in the 1:400 scale. Not only is the mould excellent, but the finish and colors are amazing. Like everyone else AC gets some colours wrong here and there, but in general you can't beat their 747's.

Today, Aeroclassics continues, as JJ Skippy noted, to make obscurer classics, which is rare nowadays. I'm in my 50's and grew up in Upstate NY in the 70's and 80s, and love the colorful airliners of my formative years. Who but AC is going to make a Pacific Western 767-200, a USAir-Piedmont hybrid 727-200, World Airways DC-8, or Uganda Airlines 707-300. I always eagerly await finding out what AC's monthly releases will be.
Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it.
 
The price is not really related to size, all brands have a similar prices. Aeroclassics (AC) has overall pretty good moulds, but it's main issues are the printing and sometimes gear. Mainly, the lack of details and most importantly that they usually tend to get colors quite bad (generally too dark), aside from the very delicate gear, specially the falling tires. If you want to get retros, there is a high chance AC has made one of your taste, and they are generally quite good for that, but not for modern models.
 
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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:

 
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As a retro collector I almost only buy Aeroclassics. And I agree with what has been said already. Recently there have been more design & printing flaws than before, so I highly recommend to visit your local retailer instead of buying them online. They have become crazy expensive here in Europe unfortunately (€55-60 for narrowbody and €60-70 for widebody is the new standard), but that has nothing to do with the brand itself. There are still loads of excellent models on the second-hand market for a good price.
 
In my opinion, Aeroclassics is doing a fantastic job by releasing all those classics and unknown/forgottenn liveries, which no other manufacturer would probably make. However, they really should improve their quality control. Wrong colors, bad printing and other errors are sadly becoming quite recurrent. I currently only own one Aeroclassics model, but I'd love to have some more. Sadly they're more expensive and I end up having custom models instead.
 
I've been collecting 1.400 models around 19 months now and have 64 models, this however is my 1st AeroClassics model. I do like the retro/vintage jets and have 4 747SP's & 2 L1011's all by NG. So to people in the know how good are Aeroclassics. I really do like this model but find it a little pricey for the size of the model. Advice will be very welcome. Thank you.View attachment 1999
Not bad for anything retro but they tend to screw up modern models for some reason but will get one if I absolutely need a kind of one like the flair max.
 
I do like the models they produce, especially their older Australian props. I do not own any at the moment, mostly due to their high pricetag in Australia. I have however in the past, and they were lovely models.
 
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I have yet to buy one. However upon careful scrutiny of images and videos available, their models seem to lack realism. No antennas on the moulds I have seen, and very little detail compared to NG or Aviation 400. Also I find their A320 nose shape off. And yes, they are too pricey for the size of the model. Not sure if their landing gears are decent, but certainly not worth taking the risk at their prices.
 
If Aeroclassics stopped making models, I would stop collecting. For me, I love recording the history of airlines I have grown up with and seen. Just churning out the latest Boeings and Airbuses as soon as an airline changes livery is not something I spend my money on. They all look much the same, so to have different historic types in the collection makes it much more interesting and collectable. Their BEA Vickers Vanguards are my all-time Holy Grail favourites that I bought several of them. If Aeroclassics re-released this, I would buy more! I was 'weaned' on plane spotting with my Dad at Heathrow in the 1960s and logged the whole fleet, so it was important to maintain that nostalgia with these models.
BEA Vanguards (4).JPG
 
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Fully agree with you Adrian. The fun thing of Aeroclassics (and IF200 too) is that their releases are mostly unpredictable, unlike some other manufacturers that all make the same aircraft. Release full of modern twin jets and 747's? No thanks. Give me Aeroclassics with Douglas props, DC-8s, -9,s and -10's, Lockheed Electras, Old Boeing jets and Soviet aircraft. Are some moulds not that great? Obviously, but atleast it's fun
 
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