Gold Leader

Hey all, here something really cool from a long time ago

Back in 1985, my parents and I flew a Trans Australian Airlines A300-B4 We flew from Brisbane International to Sydney International, and from Sydney International to Schiphol International was done with a KLM Boeing 747-300, for our 6 week Vacation in The Netherlands, having Christmas and New Years from 1986 to 1986 in The Netherlands with family it was a very great time

Anyways 2 days ago I was sorting out old stuff from the past 30 years and I came across the original photo my dad made back in 1985 at Brisbane International Airport of the TAA A300-B4!!!!

As I looked at it closely I can see a B above it's cockpit windows as where my model from hogan Wings has an A, So I checked the registration number on my model which is VH-TAA.

So I sought up all the A300-B4's from TAA's fleet, with that I Stumbled on to this website which has all the info I was looking for:
https://www.planespotters.net/airline/Trans-Australia-Airlines

That B was part of it's registration number, the one I was on back in 1985 was the VH-TAB ! As where the model I have is the VH-TAA

TAA had 5 A300-B4's in service TAA was 1st of 5, TAB was 2nd of 5 and so on others are VH-TAC, VH-TAD & VH-TAE.

So here the photo's

Model Info:

Airbus A300-B4
Trans Australian Airlines "Retro 1980's TAA livery"
Scale 1:200
Hogan Wings

Here that Classic photo my dad took back in December of 1985 at Brisbane International Airport; the TAA A300-B4 VH-TAB pictured on the left at Brisbane International Airport back in December of 1985. Other aircraft are 2 TAA Boeing 727-200's and an Ansett Boeing 72-200 in the background taxiing from the runway to the terminal:


Here my TAA Airbus A300-B4 model with the registration VH-TAA and the photo of the VH-TAB
Same plane with the same livery scheme, just a different registration number:


Closeup of the front section:


Here an angled side view showing it's lovely Retro TAA Livery scheme, the colors are very pleasant looking of this oldie:


Angled rear view, also note the Airbus logo lower left on its tail fin and the strips along the aircraft also shape the TAA logo's behind the cockpit to the sides of it's tailfin as well:


Face view of this retro widebody; which also shows the A's above it's cockpit windows this is part of it's registration number VH-TAA, the one I flew on had B's there as that was VH-TAB:


Belly view of this TAA A300-B4, also revealing the registration number VH-TAA on it's right wing:


Top view just has the TAA livery colored strips on the top of the wings:


Hereby I hope to have shared something fabulous from a plane I been on but never have forgotten it's experience, the ride was very smooth and very pleasant

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HTF200

I think it is an "enhanced" Hogan commisionned by someone in Australia who also had Qantas made. I had one of the latter but sold it recently.
So it has extra details with antenna, and the cockpit & nose is quite accurate.

Gold Leader

Oh that's pretty neat, when I was at the Aviation Mega Store with my dad he found this TAA A300-B4 and he bought it for me since he remembered that day we flew on it for our trip to The Netherlands.

Back then I didn't know much of models as now, but yeah that is how I got it actually
The Aviation mega Store does have these:
https://www.aviationmegastore.com/a3...nfo&art=133089

They seem to have the same details as the one I have here, yet this one has the Australian Airlines livery from 1988 from what I can recall

But damn I didn't know of the enhanced edition thing from Hogan, interesting to know, thanks

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Baerke

Always very nice to have a model with a special story attached to it! Brings back nice memories!

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Gold Leader

Yeah very true thanks for your kind comments although finding a B742 from KLM in the old 1970'searly 1980's white Retro Livery will be very hard I think.

This was a lucky find from my father, glad he found it too, not something you come across a lot it seems.

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jetfly1968

Beautiful and accurate model of the A300B4 aircraft. Even plastic and old mould represens well the real airplane. Only the wing fence between the engine and 2/ 3 out towards the wing tip is missing.

Regards Modestos

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Gold Leader

Hey many thanks man, yet I don't know what you mean with the wing fence hah I never got much in to details when it came to aircraft models, as I had with Dinosaur models & resins

Do tell though, I am very interested

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Aussiejets

This model is not "enhanced" this is how all Hogan A300 B4's are delivered. Yes all the VH ones have been commissioned, but they have all been manufactured by Hogan

SgtMoody

That Hogan model is an absolute gem!

eugenevh

I still pine for a proper SAA A300B2, B4 and C4 in all colours.

I have to be content with the Flight Miniatures version I have.

You have a very nice model indeed.

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Baerke

Yes saa a300 for sure! Totally agree!

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Gold Leader

Well Hogan Wings id a good job at making these, by far the best A300-B4's I seen around tbh

Many thanks man
Also thanks to my dad for finding it at the Aviation Mega Store, now that I have looked around at other A300-B4's this one is really worth it indeed!

Many thanks ansd Yaaas the Retro SAA livery is also a piece of South African Gold

All in all Retro liveries maintain that Classy look, they represent the airliner much better than current liveries.
And to be very honest. I somehow am finding this all out right now, excuse me this late discovery, well for myself it's a discovery worth making
Back in my modeling days I didn't see these desktop models from such angles and details, thanks for mentioning such things

Majorly, many hanks for all your kind replies everyone

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Super727

Similiar to the 727 that had the fence on the leading slat also i gather.

I had the pleasure to work on these Airbuses as an apprentice but in the Australian Airlines colours.

HTF200

Article May 2014
May 13, 2014 by australianaviation.com.au

Airbus’s first aircraft, the A300, is still going strong 40 years after entering service.
Air France placed the first A300B into commercial service four decades ago on May 12 1974. Airbus would go on to build some 878 A300s – the world’s first widebody twin airliner – through until mid-2007, and says more than 400 of these remain in service today with 65 operators.
The A300 was the first Airbus to be flown by a local carrier, when Trans-Australia Airlines took delivery of VH-TAA at Tullamarine airport on July 13 1981. TAA, which later became Australian Airlines and then Qantas, operated up to five A300B4s in the 1980s and 1990s. Further A300s were operated in Australia by the short-lived Compass Airlines, which operated four A300-600Rs in 1990-1991.
“The success of that program and the philosophy to innovate has been the cornerstone of Airbus’s ongoing success story,” Airbus said in a statement

Super727

Compass in addition to the A300s also had one A310 but not in the grey and blue livery i think it was white if i recall as it had been parked at the Australian Airlines maintenance base awaiting return the lessor after Compass went bust.