Introduction
Manufacturer: Inflight200
Scale: 1/200
Airline: QANTAS
Type: B747-400
Registration: VH-OEE
Item No: QANTAS747FAREWELL
Price: £116.98
Release Date:
Supplier: Aviation Retail Direct ARD
I am on a quest to pay tribute to the B747-400s who sadly met their maker in 2020. I have united models from British Airways, KLM and QANTAS with a Lufthansa version on order, the last model for the set is Virgin Atlantic which I intend to sort imminently.
Back in July 2020 Inflight200 announced two QANTAS farewell edition models. One would depict VH-OEE which flew the last commercial flight in March 2020 the other VH-OEJ which the last ever flight from Sydney onto to Mojave for disposal in July 2020.
For me VH-OEJ has no special connection, I have never seen the frame. Therefore I opted to order VH-OEE which was the last QANTAS B747-400 I would see in September 2019. I like all my models to have a story or a personal connection to me and this would be no exception.
I have named this model, the question I will answer as we go into this review is what and why.
The Package and First Impressions
All Inflight200 products are packaged in the same style, however the box art can vary. In this case we have a striking red outer sleeve, which also has a photo of the modelled aircraft on the top. All sides of the sleeve have a Boeing 747-400 logo and stylised QANTAS lettering. The front and rear also has a simple drawing of the aircraft. On the back are the trademark logos and a drawing of the included collectors coin.
The model is housed in a sturdy white box with a dense foam insert. I cannot stress enough how classy this all feels. I hate to see models packaged in polystyrene, not only do I detest the feel of it, it is not very forgiving of the models I always worry it will scratch or tarnish them in transit.
In the box, there is one flying kangaroo, one of the infamous Inflight200 stands and a collectors coin. The stand included in this model is unusual, it has solid metal base which is red with a white kangaroo painted on the top surface. All Inflight200 stands have a plaque showing the airline, aircraft type and scale.
On one side of collectors coin is a photo of the aircraft and the other has a FlightRadar24 map of the last flight from Santiago to Sydney. I do not like the back of the coin as the route line just blends in to the dark sea and land. I deduct 2 points for this as it ruins a really rather lovely feature to the recent IF200 line up.
As I took the aeroplane out of the box, it looks as crisp and clean as one would expect. The packaging is vibrant, the stand quirky to say the least, and the aeroplane looks good too. Such an eccentric product deserves respect and respect it shall receive.
Section Score: 23/25
Mould
I have written about the Inflight200 B747-400 mould several times in previous posts. I am not going to dwell on it too much here other than cover the main points. For a very in depth review of the mould take a look over my British Airways G-CIVF report here.
There is no doubt the mould is old, but it would be foolish to interfere with a winning recipe. The two drawbacks to this classic tooling is the wing box joint which really stands out and the fixed landing gear. As this model uses a cradle fit wing, there will always be a seam. Personally it doesn’t bother me because the B747-400 has a pronounced wing box anyway. The landing gear is fixed however most models these days had magnetic removable gear, I always show my models gear down, so it does not bother me. I will take my standard 3 points for the wing joint.
The overall shape of the model is spot on. The nose looks sharp and elegant, the body suitably rounded and the tail broad and flat.
The wings are long and gracefully curved with a flat joint to the winglet. As it would look on the real aircraft. The landing gear is detailed with fine struts and support arms. All the tyres rotate freely and they are detailed with tread lines.
As ever though I think the flaps, spoilers and ailerons lack definition the paint is a bit thick, I deduct 2 points.
There should be three aerials on the top and four on the bottom, which it pleases me to see that there are. Along with the communications box by the number four doors.
We must always remember this mould is a classic design but it still cuts above the competition.
Section Score: 20/25
Detail and Paint
The QANTAS scheme has always been simple. The core of the livery hasn’t changed for many years. A red tail with a white kangaroo and white fuselage. Some older schemes had a cheatline and a polish finish on the belly. In the earlier version of this scheme the kangaroo on the tail cut through the horizontal stabiliser. In the later version of the livery as shown here the legs of the kangaroo pass in front of the stabiliser.
This aircraft is named Nullarbor which is a large plain in Southern Australia. QANTAS have a long history have naming aircraft after Australian landmarks or famous people, as well as various schemes celebrating Aboriginal art. Indeed sister ship and model VH-OEJ was originally painted the second edition Wunala Dreaming scheme.
The smoky grey “QANTAS Spirit of Australia” are without a doubt one of the most eye catching elements of this scheme and it looks great in model form. The name of the aircraft is in position just behind the cockpit windows, coming straight down is the “Longreach” branding. Qantas are one of the few airlines using the ER model of the B747-400. Just before the number 4 doors the aircraft type is painted in and finally the registration half way between the number 4 and 5 door. From what I can see all these individual elements are correctly positions and sized to scale.
The technical stencilling is exactly where it should be, all the main cabin doors and windows are in line and positioned accurately. There are three cargo doors on this aircraft, two on the right hand side one front and one rear and the bulk cargo door on the left hand side at the rear. One thing I like about them is the fine details, such as the operating handles and instructions, which with a magnifying glass are readable. On the underside I was very surprised to see strong black lines showing the gear doors, I have criticised IF200 previously for the detailing in this area being poor, I was pleased to see the bold details on this model.
The wings and horizontal stabiliser have the wing box markings in crisp black. As ever though the engines are bit bland, they have the kangaroo logo the hazard area markings can be seen and that is your lot. I take 2 points as I feel more could be done with the engines.
The iconic tail leaves you in doubt what you are looking at. The red colour looks accurate and the kangaroo stands out proudly.
Overall, this model has nice technical details and the colour scheme is well applied.
Section Score: 23/25
Conclusion
When I first looked at the packaging for the model I was immediately intrigued by the striking red box. As I opened her up and came across the unique red stand with the proud kangaroo a shimmering collectors coin and the nice aircraft I was really rather captivated by the model. I have concluded that it is really rather quirky. I like quirky, its a bit exciting and a change from the routine.
The mould is the standard Inflight200 design, it is old but gold and still looks elegant to this day. Yes it lacks some of the modern features we take for granted. But is that such a bad thing, I have to say no because those little things don’t make much difference in real terms. I do not miss the gear up option, and the wing box does not bother me.
Inflight200 can be a bit inconsistent with detail. Though this scheme looks accurate and bright, it is eye catching without looking tacky or the colours appearing artificial. Even the technical details are nice here, I especially like the bold landing gear doors on the belly.
When buying a piece from Inflight it feels more like a package than just a model, it has that extra special feel. It doesn’t take much really for some nice box art an engraved stand and a collectors coin or card. I am fairly sure this model will please any collector and I am pleased to welcome Skippy the 747 into my home!
Final Score – 68/75