Introduction
Manufacturer: NG Jets
Scale: 1/400
Airline: easyJet Airline
Type: A350-900
Registration: G-A359
Price: £43.16
Release Date: November 2020
In this review I will look at the easyJet Airline A350-900 manufactured by NG Models. This mould arrived on the scene in the late autumn of 2020 and was highly anticipated. The NG Models mould is a newcomer to the scene dominated by offerings from Gemini, Phoenix, JC Wings and Aviation 400.
NG have a long track record for producing excellent models that are consistent in quality and beautifully presented. The A350 has proved a challenge for many brands to get the nose shape looking right and even now not all moulds are created equal.
In this review we will take a look at a concept livery that was one of the first liveries released by NG Models. The new easyJet scheme first took to the skies in 2015 and was a striking refresh to the old and bland billboard scheme. I like the new scheme it is bright and vibrant, but in this review I will consider how well NG have adapted a concept to reality and also analyse the new kind on the block.
For this review, as easyJet do not have A350-900 in real life, I will base my comparisons on one easyJet A320neo photo and a LATAM A350-900. I have chosen LATAM as their unbelievably boring scheme shows the shape and technical details more clearly than an A350 with a scheme.
The Package and First Impressions
NG Models are very consistent with their packaging. The boxes are bright and eye catching often featuring a geometric pattern, this is true here with the box in striking orange and white. The aircraft is cradled in a foam insert with a plastic top, I prefer to see foam inserts I just feel more confident that the aircraft has arrived to me as intend by the manufacturer. NG has some of the best packaging for 1/400 scale models on the market.
Most 1/400 scale models do not include a stand, that rings true here. I will not dock points for this, but it is worthy of note.
On first looking at the model I was unsure what to think. Whilst the overall shape of the aircraft looked realistic, it just did not seem right.
The colours however really did catch my eye, without them looking tacky or artificial, the bright orange and clean white base stood out proudly. I was pleased to see the unique mask over the cockpit windows had been modelled as well.
25/25
Mould
There is absolutely no debate that the nose on previous A350 models have left a lot to be desired, on the real aircraft the nose has a number of very subtle changes in angle and style. Some have said the nose by NG Models is a little too pointy. Personally I disagree I think the taper is accurate. Under the cockpit windows there is slightly convex curve, which I think has been made slightly too deep. I deduct 2 points, as this is definitely the most faithful reproduction of the nose we seen, however it is spoilt by that clumsy curve.
The A350 fuselage is very rounded and I feel that NG have recreated this very well, the upper line of the fuselage slopes away towards the tail and even this subtle change has been crafted into the model. The slope continues under the tailfin and along to the APU outlet. The wing box joint is very pronounced on the real aircraft, and the line of the wing leading engine blends in the wing box well, this very subtle continuation of the wing really is a beautiful detail.
I love to see a model with accurate wings, these days the wings are often the most iconic part of the aircraft. The model does accurately reflect the shape of the wings, and the winglets are excellent, including the gentle flick at the upper tip and the subtle convex curve on the trailing edge. Even the subtle change in angle between the inboard and outboard flaps is there. Not that it makes much difference, the scribing for the flaps, spoilers and aileron control surfaces is very faint. It has hard to see the panel lines, this is same underneath the wings, which are rather bland and lacking detail. I deduct 2 points, I believe the subtle lines are done not to detract from the colours but they just lack punch to me.
The A350 has two of the most powerful engines ever bolted to an aeroplane. It is not unusual to see messy engine rims at this scale, with paint bleeding into the cowling. It looks to me as though the rims are a sperate piece of metal, the smooth finish with no bleed really is spectacular. The engine pylons can often catch manufacturers out, however in this case the shape appears life like. Including minor details such as the darker part above the engine exhaust and at the very tip of the pylon. Inside the engines, the fan blades are see through and appear accurate to the titanium colour I would expect, it is hard to say weather this is accurate or not because if I was stood this close to the engine, it would be unlikely to matter for much longer. I like the overall appearances of the engines and think there is sufficient detail at this scale.
The landing gear is simply a work of art, I was always infuriated by the Phoenix A350, in which the nose gear is too short and the aircraft sits nose down. The A350 should sit level on its gears. The nose gear, is simply crafted but does look the part, the main gear trucks look accurate and have faithfully recreated the sharp lines of the gear doors. The model rolls smoothly, with no stuttering or over balancing.
It has only been in recent years the aerials have become standard on 1/400 scale models. The A350 has three on the upper side of the body and one on the bottom, true to life NG have replicated the size and location of these aerials accurately. The communications pods at the front of the aircraft have been painted on top of the livery. As a concept a WiFI box has been included towards the rear of the aircraft as seen on the frames operated by Finnair. It is commendable that such precision has been put into an aircraft at this scale.
21/25
Detail and Paint
The most striking aspect about this model, is the bright orange colour scheme. The crisp orange cuts through the white base layer. NG have represented the livery beautifully, the swish over the body and tail is very accurately done, even on the larger scale. The fonts used look accurate and true to life, in this scale. What is even more impressive, is that their is no colour bleeding around the orange lines.
The decaling on the top has a clear partition, where the printed has been applied to each side separately. I deduct 1 point only, as this in all fairness a challenging scheme.
The engines and flap guides are all painted orange as per our comparison aircraft. However the inside of the winglet features “easyJet” branding, this has been omitted on the model version, as it would be very difficult to squeeze that into a space not a quarter of an inch long. I will deduct 1 point for this omission.
The wing box markings are in black as per our donor aircraft and other A350 wings however the “No Step” markings have been omitted, whilst they would normally be too small to read at this scale, they should still be there, I deduct 1 point.
The lights are also poorly detailed, I would expect to see a painted top and bottom beacon and navigation lights, that are clearly defined from the wings and body. The lower beacon has been painted on, thought the upper beacon is missing. The navigation and wing lights are just grey boxes with no detail, I deduct 2 points.
On earlier A350 aircraft there was a row of 3 sensors below the cockpit window line, even these have been included on this model, despite not featuring on later models. The pitot tubes and other access hatches are clear and crisp, even when viewed from a distance. There are plenty of tiny details to look at on the underside of the belly too.
One final point worthy of note, the registration on real easyJet aircraft would be under the horizonal stabiliser, however on this aircraft it has been placed by the rear door and it is the wrong colour. I am taking no points for this, as this model at least has registration and it has been applied in a way to not make it look awkward.
The doors and windows appear to be in line and stand out cleanly against the body. The engines feature an excellent array of markings and nice shape.
20/25
Conclusion
I have struggled to objectively write about this model. Whilst I spend a lot time staring lovingly at the piece of art, there are some aspects that could be improved. Much of my critique involves the technical aspects of the model, rather than glaringly obvious errors or poor workmanship.
The overall shape of body and wings is first rate, the engines and gear are about as good as can be expected in this scale. What lets the model down, is the lack of detail in the wing control surfaces both on the top and bottom.
A concept livery that has been carefully applied, with crisp vibrant and accurate colours, is a fair assessment. I think it represents what I would expect to see in real life very well. I would be interested to see if NG Jets put more effort to real world livery.
The personality of the A350 has been beautifully recreated, but there is room for more refinement and detail. Is this just a tease of what is to come, as its one of the very first aircraft off the press and maybe needs time for more tweaking and adjusting. I do like the model that NG Jets have produced, but I feel it is lacking that extra sparkle we have come to expect in recent years. It is a solid performer and a joy to look at, however I have to observe the technical drawbacks too.
Final Score – 66/75
