Introduction
Manufacturer: Inflight200
Scale: 1/200
Airline: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Type: B777-300ER
Registration: PH-BVA
Item No: IFLHS006
Price: €146.52
Release Date: Summer 2019
Supplier: Aviation Megastore
April 2021 was a sad month for me, I lost my best friend a fine four legged companion called Sammy a noble Jack Russell who had been a faithful friend for many years.
I had been after a model of the KLM Orange Pride liveried B777-300 for a while and the time was finally right to treat myself. With a little help from my good friend in Holland, he contributed some of the funding for this model and I am grateful for that. I ordered this exlcusive release from the Aviation Megastore in Amsterdam. There were two options available, one with the 100years decals and one without. I opted for version with the decals as it reflected what I had seen in real life. It arrived promptly and was well packaged, which was a minor miracle considering it came with UPS.
The Orange Pride livery first came to pass in 2016 the scheme was designed to celebrate the Dutch Roots and pride in the national colours of The Netherlands.
The striking orange and blue behemoth has been recreated by various manufactures through the ages of time and in this case we will look at the 1/200 version by Inflight200. There have been several releases of this model through the years by IF200 earlier releases were not famed for their accuracy and one version even had an orange stand. It is no secret I am a big fan of the excellent work IF200 do so let us take a look at Orange Pride.
As a thank-you to the excellent Rudi Van Goch I have included one of his many videos of Orange Pride instead of one of my own photos in this part of the review.
The Package and First Impressions
The packaging is standard issue for IF200. A simply decorated card sleeve, with a cartoon picture on all sides and a bit of background information about the aircraft on the back.
Sliding the sleeve out the way, a sturdy white box opens up to a solid foam insert. You will find one very nice looking aeroplane, removable parts to display the model either gear up or gear down and a stand. The stand for this model required some assembly as the steam and base were two separate parts a simple screw holds them together.
For an aircraft that is such a global icon I was very surprised to find this model did not come with a collectors card or card. I will be taking two points.
In recent years IF200 have used a standard dark grey stand which has come with the vast majority of their recent models. In the earlier issues of this model an orange metal stand was included. I like the classy stands and the consistency as a predominantly IF200 collector. The stand has an engraved metal plaque with the KLM and 100 years logo the aircraft type and scale.
The first impression is of a standard IF200 product, the B777-300ER looks realistic and the colours vibrant and life like . At this stage the entire package seems as I would have expected.
23/25
Mould
I have always thought the B777-300ER one of the finest looking aircraft of the modern era, that long fuselage, the enormous engines and those raked wing tips it screams power and elegance.
Starting at the front of the aircraft the nose is nicely rounded and looks to be accurate.
The B777 has a an exceptionally long fuselage and the model feels just as long as it should, tapering to the APU outlet at the back which is nicely detailed too. The gentle slope under the tail has also been recreated. The tail has the sharp lines of the leading and trailing edge and gentle curve on the top edge. This is often missed as we saw on the IF200 B787-9 model.
On the top of the aircraft you will find a jewel type beacon light, three aerials a WiFI box and three other communication boxes, this is correct and the positioning looks good too. On the belly you will find another jewel type beacon light and then two additional aerials which again look spot on.
The B777-300 has similar wings to the earlier B777-200 variants however the raked wingtips of the (ER) varirant set it apart from anything else. The shape of the wings looks great with a gentle slope from the wing root the tip. The engines are a definite work of art, they look, big and scream power. I almost here the mighty bark of the GE90.
One thing I have been harsh on IF200 for in the past is the lack of definition on the etched parts such as aileron, flap, spoiler and rudder panels. On this aircraft I am pleased to see they and very cleanly etched up and the lines look sharp.
This model comes with the option of displaying her gear up or gear down. I always show my models gear down. The included gear is very intricate as I would expect the nose gear is telescopic meaning if it is on the stand it will appear slightly longer as it not taking the weight of the aircraft. The main gear has nine tyres on each bogie. Each bogie is articulated so you position the wheels as you wish should you display her on the stand.
Overall I think this is one of the best moulds I have seen for a long time. It does feel accurate, life like and I can’t find anything to fault.
25/25
Detail and Paint
Starting at the front of the aircraft we can hardly ignore the bright orange nose and forward fuselage. Running down to the transition which spans four windows across the centre of the aircraft then running into the signature blue. The purple transition area is rather faint on the model it should be a deeper colour, for that I will take two points.
KLM blue can sometimes look rather flat and dull, other times it can look very shiny and glossy. I think IF200 have tried to average the colour out and have done a fair job. The blue used on the model seems a mid blue that is more on the glossy side.
This aircraft also features the cheatline and contouring we see on other members of the KLM fleet. Under the orange forward fuselage the cheatline is red , blue and white in a stylised Dutch flag, merging into solid blue under the transition area. On the real aircraft the gap between the red and blue has been painted silver under the transition area. This is rather hard to see on the model though is it there. I will take a point as it could be more pronounced.
Overall I would say the paint job is good representation of the aircraft. A scheme like this is very unlikely to be perfect in model form.
It is often the tiny details that make a difference. One thing that has been picked up a number of times in the past is the thick white lines IF200 use for the nosecone on the B777-300 models. I was sad to see this model is no different, on the real aircraft the guide lines of the radome are orange though white on the model. It is a toss up between making the nose cone and detailing visible or allowing it to blend in. I will take two points as it rather too pronounced.
All KLM aircraft have the Skyteam and Air France KLM Group logo behind the cockpit windows and this has not been missed here and appears to be positioned correctly.
Continuing along the fuselage behind the 1L/1R door is the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines titles and the aircraft name Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe / De Hoge Veluwe National Park it is in English on the port side and Dutch on the starboard. The details are crisp and clear with no smudges or blemishes.
In 2019 KLM celebrated its centenary and added the stylised 100 logo to the majority of its fleet. On the widebody aircraft it can behind the 2L/2R door, it has been recreated well here and sits in the right place.
Running to the rear of the aircraft we have the registration, Dutch and EU flag and finally stylised B777 lettering behind the 5L/5R door. I can see no issues with the location and placement of any details here.
Looking at the technical aspect of the model, the doors and windows appear correctly positioned and they stand out well. The cockpit windows are equally well sized and positioned. The wings have plenty of printed detail too, the wingbox markings are crisp and clean as well as the escape path markings. An unusual feature of the B777 family is the thick black bar on the wings, this lines up with the outside edge of the main landing gear the idea being to help pilots when using the camera to taxi.
I was also pleased to see no step areas and the access hatches on the engine are there too, sometimes IF200 can overlook these little details.
20/25
Conclusion
As ever my first impression of this model was very good. The packaging is standard IF200 design, with the option to display the aircraft gear up or gear down. It is always nice to see a good quality engraved stand too.
The mould is very accurate capturing the style and elegance of the B777-300ER very well, the body and wings feel realistic. It is very aware I award a full 25 points for the mould of any model.
The paintwork is nicely done, for a scheme of this complexity, the transitions are little lifeless but that is to be expected at this scale in all seriousness. The technical printing is very good and has all major components covered.
This is a great effort at a very complicated model and whilst the paint scheme has not been replicated perfectly, I am more than happy to have it in my collection.
Final Score – 68/75
In loving memory Sammy the Jack Russell 2008-2021.
