The document provides a review of a 1:200 scale model of a Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-600 aircraft produced by JC Wings. The reviewer examines the model's mould, fine details, paint and livery, quality control, and accessories. Overall, the reviewer finds the mould to be very accurate, particularly in the wing joints, though notes some minor inaccuracies in the tail curvature and nose shape.
The document provides a review of a 1:200 scale model of a Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-600 aircraft produced by JC Wings. The reviewer examines the model's mould, fine details, paint and livery, quality control, and accessories. Overall, the reviewer finds the mould to be very accurate, particularly in the wing joints, though notes some minor inaccuracies in the tail curvature and nose shape.
The document provides a review of a 1:200 scale model of a Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-600 aircraft produced by JC Wings. The reviewer examines the model's mould, fine details, paint and livery, quality control, and accessories. Overall, the reviewer finds the mould to be very accurate, particularly in the wing joints, though notes some minor inaccuracies in the tail curvature and nose shape.
The document provides a review of a 1:200 scale model of a Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-600 aircraft produced by JC Wings. The reviewer examines the model's mould, fine details, paint and livery, quality control, and accessories. Overall, the reviewer finds the mould to be very accurate, particularly in the wing joints, though notes some minor inaccuracies in the tail curvature and nose shape.
May 20, 2023 Ethan’s Aviation Hangar 1:200 Scale Reviews
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................................................2 Preface.....................................................................................................................................................3 THE REAL THING.......................................................................................................................................4 THE MODEL..............................................................................................................................................5 THE MOULD..........................................................................................................................................................................................6 Fine Details-Antennas, gear and engines...........................................................................................................................................9 PAINT & LIVERY..................................................................................................................................................................................11 PRINTING AND QUALITY CONTROL...................................................................................................................................................12 ACCESSORIES, PACKAGING AND OTHERS..........................................................................................................................................13
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................14 FINAL SCORE – ?9/100............................................................................................................................14
The Airbus A340-600 is a long-range, wide-body commercial aircraft renowned for its efficiency, comfort, and reliability. With the introduction of the Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-600 B-HQA into Cathay’s fleet, it quickly became a significant role in Cathay Pacific's passenger operations, but was very short lived.
The A340-600's origins can be traced back to the early 1990s when Airbus sought to expand its portfolio of aircraft to address the growing demand for longer-range flights and higher- capacity seating. The A340-600, the largest and longest variant in the A340 family, made its maiden flight in 2001 and was subsequently introduced into commercial service in 2002.
The Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-600 B-HQA, with its distinctive livery, reflects the airline's commitment to providing an unparalleled passenger experience. Equipped with state-of-the- art avionics, the A340-600 B-HQA offered unmatched fuel efficiency and operational performance, facilitating Cathay Pacific's extensive network of long-haul routes.
Over the years, the Airbus A340-600 has been widely recognized for its quiet and comfortable cabin. Yet, due to its 4-engine configurations and the revised ETOPS regulations, it has since proven to be little profitable to the airline and has since been transferred to Hainan Airlines and scrapped in 2014.
THE REAL THING
Ethan’s Aviation Hangar Ethan’s Aviation Hangar Ethan’s Aviation Hangar The Cathay Pacific Airbus A340-600 B-HQA is a visually stunning and technologically advanced aircraft, known for its sleek and elongated fuselage. As the longest variant in the A340 family, it offers increased capacity, accommodating more passengers and contributing to greater fuel efficiency. Adorned with the elegant Cathay Pacific livery, the aircraft features a soothing green and white colour palette and the iconic "brushwing" logo, symbolizing the airline's commitment to a world-class travel experience.
Boasting a four-engine configuration, the A340-600 B-HQA provides several operational
advantages, including impressive power for longer distances and added redundancy for safety. The meticulously designed wing, with its high aspect ratio and winglets, optimizes lift and reduces drag, enhancing the aircraft's aerodynamic performance and fuel efficiency.
Not only is the A340-600 B-HQA an exceptional passenger aircraft, but it also serves as a versatile cargo carrier. The spacious cargo area, facilitated by the elongated fuselage, allows for efficient loading and unloading of cargo, meeting the diverse needs of the airline's operations.
Sadly, due to its fuel-thirsty nature, it has also led to the early downfall of its type. Although we can rarely see this type in flight anymore, let us see if JC Wings can capture its spirit into the model in this issue.
THE MODEL The format for my reviews is to split them into five key areas: Ethan’s Aviation Hangar Ethan’s Aviation Hangar Ethan’s Aviation Hangar The mould of the aircraft The fine details of the aircraft The paint and livery Printing and quality control Accessories, packaging and others
Each can get a maximum score of 20 for a section giving a maximum combined total score of 100.
THE MOULD
The iconic A340-600 is never hard to spot in the skies. With its four massive engines, long fuselage and distinctive landing gear design, it still remains a beloved plane in the model collecting industry. Surprisingly, it has been a long time since a Cathay A340-600 has been released, nearly 8 years ago by Phoenix. When looking at the Phoenix mould, you can definetly spot out fatal flaws-and it is just not worth the time to talk about it and the money Ethan’s Aviation Hangar Ethan’s Aviation Hangar Ethan’s Aviation Hangar to purchase it either, especially when this new release will most definitely be superior compared.
Overall, JC captured the shape and feel of the A340-600 on-spot. The nose is good enough, but rather not pointy enough in my opinion, but the others are made quite well. The wing joints are good enough, of which is very similar to the joint on the real aircraft.
Starting with its nose, it is rather impressive. However, I would say that the cockpit window arrangement is probably taken from the A330, instead of re-designed and positioned for the A340, this, which, is barely noticeable. The wing joints, are made exceptionally well in my opinion. The position of the seam between the wing and the fuselage is nearly identical as the real aircraft.
Moving to its tail, I believe it is equally impressive as the other parts of the plane. The curvature of the tail is made mostly accurately, I would say that it is a bit too steep and started a bit late. Referring to online photos, the curve starts at the 14 th window when counting from the back, instead, the one on the model started at around the 8 th or 9th window, which is the reason for the sharp curve up to the tailcone. When taking a closer look, this is more significant and easy to see when we compare the curve with the horizontal stabiliser assembly (pointed in above picture). On the real plane, the curve is very close to the horizontal stabiliser assembly, nearly merging with the assembly itself. On the model, it instead left a strange gap between the two. There is simply too much space below the horizontal stabilizer. Sadly, this also resulted in the incorrect curvature from the vertical stabiliser joint and to the tail cone. Once again, it is too sharp. It should be gentle, nearly forming a straight line. This is quite unfortunate, but is very hard to see unless observed closely. The horizontal stabiliser itself is made very well, replicating the exact bump seen on the real plane, and also the cut-out edge of the rudder, which is very surprising. It is amazing how much detail is put into this plane.
When observed from the front, it is equally good. The nosecone is made to perfection, correctly capturing the look of the A340. The wings are also of good angle, without excessive wing flex observed, which is seen in previous releases. I would say the wings can be lifted a bit higher on the end side, since the ground clearance for outboard engines seems to be more in real life. Nonetheless, it’s still very well-made.
Last, I would like to add how the horizontal
stabilisers are made accurately. On the A340, the horizontal stabilisers are not tilted upwards or downwards, which shows how JC didn’t just directly copy the A330 mould. I really appreciate the integrity to provide accurate models by JC Wings.
Overall the mould is very accurate and detailed, especially the wing joint, which has just gotten to a whole new level or realism.
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