Came across a few vids on the interwebs. The 1/500 collectors out there now want NG to make 1/500 because apparently Herpa is becoming the Gemini of 1/500, but is it really needed? NG does 1/400 and 1/200 very well, I don't think they should spend any money or resources on 1/500. What are your opinions on this?
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my wishlist: Belavia 737-300 World of Tanks Rossiya EI-XLD on the new JC mold Air Malta A320neo Pan Am 747-100 N653PA Clipper Unity Air France 747-100 Old Livery Uzbekistan 757 UK75703 Tarom IL-62 red stripe and 737-700 YR-BGG Air Vietnam 707-300 and 727 Aerosvit 767-300 w/winglets Aeroflot IL-62, Tu-114, A321 VP-BEE
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Never liked 1/500, never wanted to. I've been collecting since 2008. 1/500 has never appealed to me in that time. I have spent more money on 1/400 in the last 2 years BECAUSE of NG. 1/400 is in a better place right now than it's been in a long time again, IMO because NG has risen the bar and everyone else is racing to catch up. More good stuff is being made in 1/400 than I can afford at this time. I remember a time when people were skeptical that GJ was going to continue to make 1/400 models and put all their effort into 1/200 and many feared 1/400 jets would no longer be widely produced. If NG wants to make 1/500, more power to them. Would I buy any of it, at this point, no. To me, the scale is just too small to really capture the character of an airliner. If they ever went down that road, as Big Al stated, I sure would hope it wouldn't be at the expense of their 1/400 line. Over all, I highly doubt there is any real probability of NG moving into this category, but if they are, my message would be, PLEASE DON'T.
My conclusion is one one hand somebody wants Easy Jet models which Herpa refuses to releaase due to liscensing issues, and secondly they want NG to push Herpa to release models they want. I don't get that - when NG is releasing the model I want, why switch to HErpa again, when they release the same one....?
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I think it's nothing more than someone with a keyboard and an opinion. They can lobby for something as much as they want, it won't magically will it into existence.
NG has released a substantial range of products on 1:400. Why does anyone think they'll suddenly abandon ship to an entirely different scale, out of the blue?? NG has even gone into 1:200 on a few types, but have really been reluctant to develop any additional tooling for that scale, much to the chagrin of the 1:200 collectors.
Their interest in 1:500 has so far been zero, and I have to imagine is likely to remain that way.
JC has dabbled a bit with 1/500 but Im no 1/500 collector so I don't know if he has his own moulds, or Herpa's moulds? Best bet for the 1/500 community is to get JC's attention.
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JAG
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Agree with the majority here. Herpa is 1:500. Without them there is almost no scale and frankly much like 1:600 500 scale is dying. I don't see any logical reason why NG would chance downscaling to what is nowadays very much a niche market.
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Richard
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No!! No!! No!! Definitely not!!
They have their own manufacturers that concentrate on 1/500. They should stick to them!
And anyway NG need not get involved, as their forte is 1/400 and also considering they are working on so much as it is in this range! The bigger,more popular they get,the more opportunity sets in to lose the quality control. And the pressure would become too much that NG would lose the high standard that they've achieved so far! Not worth it! NG must stay ( repeat..must stay!!!) in the 1/400 market!
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NG L1011's: BWIA(Steel drum livery)/RAF x3/Eastern bare metal/LAM/TAAG JC A340: Gulf Air( Gold Falcon tail)Surinam/Royal Jordanian/ Azerbaijan(500/600) Air Namibia (Blue tail) South African (600) JC MD-11s: Sabena White/ World Airways/Finnair blue tail/ Garuda old colours/City bird/Varig (Blue tail) NG SP: TWA/SAA/Qantas/Air Namibia/Luxair/Air Mauritius/ Pan Am billboard/ Saudi Arabian/Braniff
DON'T BE DECEIVED,IM ALSO A BIG LOVER OF THE MIL STUFF!!!!
Agree, I know it sounds harsh, but 1/500 are just like toys, with the scale too small to be able to accurately replicate the real thing.
1/400 is perfect, though I do like 1/200 too and sometimes you can get a model for the same price as the increasingly-expensive 1/400. But then space is compromised.
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Nick Moss
Holy Grails Boeing 707 of Ethiopian (Done)/Royal Jordanian/Tarom/Dan Air/Florida West/Tampa/Millon Air/Air Zimbabwe (Done)/Azerbaijan, DC-8 of Air Spain/Surinam-KLM(Done)/Seaboard World, Tu134 Aviogenex/Malev/Aeroflot(Done)/Balkan, Tu154 Malev, IL76 Mahan Air, IL18 Tarom/Malev, Caravelle Trans Europa/Syrian Air, plus any AN12, Tu114, IL14.
Favourite manufacturers - Aeroclassics ("just like a fine wine, they only get better with age"), also like El Aviador, and NG Models.
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Re: People complaining about NG to make 1/500?
Great idea... let NG make 1/500 & 1/600 scale!! Maybe I can upgrade my Schabaks!!
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Enjoying aviation from a "TSA-free Zone"!!
Take the money-grab & deceit out of our hobby, and bring back ethics and quality!!
Just say NO to Apollo400/Black Box/Panda Models/Junk-X/First Choice/C&C/IF400/AV400/Witty400/Magic/AV200/AK200/Flightline/Flightline200/Flightline400/Pegasus/Blue Angle/5stars & any BigBirds (real or fake)
I hope NG will not go into the 1:500 scale.. I collect 1:400 because it is a wonderful scale with very good detail.. If NG is also going to make a smaller size models than I think there will be less 400 scale models on the market and the detailing will be worst..
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Re: People complaining about NG to make 1/500?
Quote:
Originally Posted by T7_4ever
You just made me spit out my coffee from laughing so hard with your post!
That's what life is all about; having a few good laughs!! I hope you're all doing well up there, north of the closed border!!
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Enjoying aviation from a "TSA-free Zone"!!
Take the money-grab & deceit out of our hobby, and bring back ethics and quality!!
Just say NO to Apollo400/Black Box/Panda Models/Junk-X/First Choice/C&C/IF400/AV400/Witty400/Magic/AV200/AK200/Flightline/Flightline200/Flightline400/Pegasus/Blue Angle/5stars & any BigBirds (real or fake)
That's what life is all about; having a few good laughs!! I hope you're all doing well up there, north of the closed border!!
I agree with you on having a good chuckle once in awhile. Yep, we are doing fine here in the Maritimes. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland/Labrador just enacted a 4 province Atlantic bubble on July 3rd. Borders/non-essential travel between the 4 provinces were closed for over 2 months or so. Residents can now travel inter-provincially within the 'bubble' without having to self-quarantine for 14 days after a visit. Border with Quebec is still closed, and my brother and his family live in Montreal so I guess we won't be seeing them till 2021 Which is fine by me and my wife, based on all the Covid-19 cases/deaths they've had there.
I will now make sure that I will not be drinking anything when reading any of your posts! Cheers! T7 ( stay safe and healthy Andrew!)
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Agree with the majority here. Herpa is 1:500. Without them there is almost no scale and frankly much like 1:600 500 scale is dying. I don't see any logical reason why NG would chance downscaling to what is nowadays very much a niche market.
And they capitalize on that. A lot of the 500's I've come across cost almost as much as a 400 scale. I remember being able to get them new for $15 lol
Great idea... let NG make 1/500 & 1/600 scale!! Maybe I can upgrade my Schabaks!!
..well you would say that, just to take the competition away!
Many 1/500 collectors are changing to 1/400 as they can see better quality and more variety. Competition in 1/400 is healthy and good for collectors and keeps manufactuers on their toes.
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Adrian
The missing B.707s still needed to be done in 1/400: Uganda Airlines, Luxair,
DC-8s still needed to be done in 1/400: UAT, Iberia ('80s scheme), Air Ceylon, Air Spain, Seaboard World (-63CF)
Aeroclassics Comets still missing- Dan Air (4 & 4C), United Arab Airlines/Misrair/Egyptair, Kuwait AW, Sudan AW, East African AW, Saudi Royal Flt.
Some other brands dabbled in 1:500 scale iirc. BigBird, C&C, InFlight and NetModels come to mind.
I guess, 'cos they're no longer doing them, it wasn't much of a success. Or the companies folded!
Further research shows that there is still some competition for Herpa - Sky500 for example.
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Re: People complaining about NG to make 1/500?
AeroClassics still has some 500 scale tooling, and those were always very nicely detailed! Maybe we'll get back to them eventually, some day!!
__________________
Enjoying aviation from a "TSA-free Zone"!!
Take the money-grab & deceit out of our hobby, and bring back ethics and quality!!
Just say NO to Apollo400/Black Box/Panda Models/Junk-X/First Choice/C&C/IF400/AV400/Witty400/Magic/AV200/AK200/Flightline/Flightline200/Flightline400/Pegasus/Blue Angle/5stars & any BigBirds (real or fake)
As a 500 scale collector I find the answers to this thread very subjective and unfair. Why not let other collectors have a piece of the cake too?
DAC has not been a home for 500-scale collectors for a long time. Collectors at DAC do not represent the whole airplane model collecting world. Only logical that no collector will respond here in favor of 500 scale models.
I have also heard rumors about NG coming to 1/500 in 2021. To cite a personal message from NG : ‘ Hope we can release the first one in late this year‘. Hope it’s true. But if it’s not then I won’t whine, I have other things which matter in my life...
@Andrew Klein, yes your AC DC-10 are surely one of the best models made in 1/500 along with the good old BigBird 747s. Would be awesome if more DC-10s could see the light of the day, although I heard the last batches you made had trouble to be sold. Hope especially for an Icelandair DC-10!
So in my opinion 1/500 is surely a scale where a manufacturer CAN bring attention to detail, and I think it DOES have a solid collector basis in Europe. NG Models - give it a try.
If NG move to have a 1/500 market (as well as 1/400 and 1/200) it would be a fatal business mistake IMO.
Not enough customers and the money invested into new moulds would be the death of them. 1/400 and 1/200 is where the money's at, the future.
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Aeroclassics please make:
Norfolk air 737-200 (VH-OZD)
Ozjet 737-200 (VH-OZU)
Air Nauru 737-300 N/C, 727-100 (C2-RN4)
Australian Air express 727-100 VH-TBS
Heavy lift 727's (RP-C8019 and 9L-LEK)
Kalitta air DC-8's
PAWA Dominicana DC-9-30 (HI965)
TAB Cargo Bolivia DC/MD-10-30 (CP-2791)
LAB 727-200 (last c/s)
Amerijet 727-200 (N495AJ) Before it got fitted with wingles. Circa 1999
Raya airways 727-200 (Last C/S)
Neptune air 727-200 (9M-NEP)
Regards, Brad.
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1:500 is a dying market and even the best releases take ages to sell compared to anything in 1:400. Investing in new tooling simply makes no sense.
I agree, plus there'll be too much pressure on the factory work force as they now have a new scale to be working with and IMO, I think the 400 scale would soon enough start showing cracks in the quality issues due to rush jobs!! Sorry if this sounds selfish to all the 1/500 collectors but please NG don't go down this route!!
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NG L1011's: BWIA(Steel drum livery)/RAF x3/Eastern bare metal/LAM/TAAG JC A340: Gulf Air( Gold Falcon tail)Surinam/Royal Jordanian/ Azerbaijan(500/600) Air Namibia (Blue tail) South African (600) JC MD-11s: Sabena White/ World Airways/Finnair blue tail/ Garuda old colours/City bird/Varig (Blue tail) NG SP: TWA/SAA/Qantas/Air Namibia/Luxair/Air Mauritius/ Pan Am billboard/ Saudi Arabian/Braniff
DON'T BE DECEIVED,IM ALSO A BIG LOVER OF THE MIL STUFF!!!!
1:500 is a dying market and even the best releases take ages to sell compared to anything in 1:400. Investing in new tooling simply makes no sense.
It is not a dying market. Though most have left that scale and have moved on, there is still a very strong customer base and demand for 500 scale models based on the dealers I know selling them is still quite brisk.
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Real tomato ketchup Eddie?
Nothing but the best! "I don't know why they call this stuff hamburger helper. It does just fine by itself, huh? I like it better than tuna helper myself, don't you, Clark?"
"you're the gourmet around here, Ed!"
It is not a dying market. Though most have left that scale and have moved on, there is still a very strong customer base and demand for 500 scale models based on the dealers I know selling them is still quite brisk.
I live in Herpa country and not too far from its capital, Dietenhofen, and concur.
I think it's just a matter of how to break into the existing market for NG or whoever as much of Herpa's business here appears to still be via stationary shops.
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Alex
Last edited by Phantom II; 01-10-2021 at 09:28 AM.
1:500 is a dying market and even the best releases take ages to sell compared to anything in 1:400. Investing in new tooling simply makes no sense.
Best example of this was I think Aeroclassics (?). They did I think 2 Air Canada 777-200LR's in 500 scale and that was it.
I started out collecting 500's because my parents got me one of the Herpa airport starter kits, but Canadian stuff in that scale were very far and few between. But at the time it was equally as easy to get 500's as it was to get 400's, but I made the switch and still have that first 400 I bought... it's in rough shape though lol
Does anyone have access to overall sales figures for each scale?
I doubt it, so how can anyone make generalisations, whatever the truth may be.
I worked directly with the US distributor for Herpa assisting in filling xmas orders, I can tell you its fact....I also speak to dealers who sell them and most report a healthy 500 scale business.
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Real tomato ketchup Eddie?
Nothing but the best! "I don't know why they call this stuff hamburger helper. It does just fine by itself, huh? I like it better than tuna helper myself, don't you, Clark?"
"you're the gourmet around here, Ed!"
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Owner of To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. and fan of Aer Lingus, CP air, Ward air, and many more.
Last edited by FrenjaminBanklin; 01-10-2021 at 03:34 PM.
Location: Hangzhou, Zhejiang; Peoples Republic of China
Posts: 6,512
Re: People complaining about NG to make 1/500?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BPanio
Best example of this was I think Aeroclassics (?). They did I think 2 Air Canada 777-200LR's in 500 scale and that was it.
I started out collecting 500's because my parents got me one of the Herpa airport starter kits, but Canadian stuff in that scale were very far and few between. But at the time it was equally as easy to get 500's as it was to get 400's, but I made the switch and still have that first 400 I bought... it's in rough shape though lol
Are you kidding? AC500, in just Air Canada & Canadian Pacific alone, have made the 777-200LR, multiple 777-300ER, 767-300, and 747-200/400 in AC, 737-200, 747-200/400, 767-300, & DC-10s in CP.
I still collect 500 scale, so would always look forward to some new additions.
__________________
Enjoying aviation from a "TSA-free Zone"!!
Take the money-grab & deceit out of our hobby, and bring back ethics and quality!!
Just say NO to Apollo400/Black Box/Panda Models/Junk-X/First Choice/C&C/IF400/AV400/Witty400/Magic/AV200/AK200/Flightline/Flightline200/Flightline400/Pegasus/Blue Angle/5stars & any BigBirds (real or fake)
Are you kidding? AC500, in just Air Canada & Canadian Pacific alone, have made the 777-200LR, multiple 777-300ER, 767-300, and 747-200/400 in AC, 737-200, 747-200/400, 767-300, & DC-10s in CP.
I still collect 500 scale, so would always look forward to some new additions.
I still collect 600 scale and love my Schabaks. Of course they are toyish and inaccurate but I treasure them.
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Models I want to see in 1/400:
Boeing 737-200/300 Condor (grey), Boeing 737-500 Air France, Boeing 747-200B SAA (white belly), McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 Aero Lloyd
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People complaining about NG to make 1/500?
You just made me spit out my coffee from laughing so hard with your post!
Yep, we are doing fine here in the Maritimes. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland/Labrador just enacted a 4 province Atlantic bubble on July 3rd. Borders/non-essential travel between the 4 provinces were closed for over 2 months or so. Residents can now travel inter-provincially within the 'bubble' without having to self-quarantine for 14 days after a visit. Border with Quebec is still closed, and my brother and his family live in Montreal so I guess we won't be seeing them till 2021 
