The hobby of collecting 1:400 die-cast airplane models is full of "celebrity" brands that have been the star of the moment at different times. Back in the late 1990s GeminiJets glowed next to Dragon Wings with their all-metal molds (though Dragon had plenty to brag about too). Then in the mid-2000s and early 2010s, it became Aeroclassics' and related brands (most notably BigBird) turn to be the recipients of seemingly endless praise from collectors. In the mid-to-late 2010s NG Model revolutionized the hobby by bringing to the table a new standard in terms of detail, accuracy, and quality, which enabled them to stand up to the well-established American brands and make them lose some sleep. At the time, it seemed as if NG would rule the hobby forever. Still, they stepped down from stardom a lot sooner than expected as they started to flood the market with progressively boring releases while quality and innovation started to stagnate and even regress. NG's downfall enabled another legacy brand that had remained largely in the background to finally have its shot at worldwide fame: Phoenix Models. In the early 2020s, Phoenix broke that unwritten rule that seems to exist among legacy manufacturers of safeguarding the collectible value of models, when they started to release a bunch of sought-after aircraft/livery combos that had been previously released and were commanding top coin in the second-hand market, as well as some other no brainer classics that for some reason had been ignored by other brands. This move initially caused a lot of controversy because many of the models in question were made using Phoenix's less-than-stellar 747 molds. But eventually, Phoenix conquered the hearts of many collectors (the majority of, I dare to say) because their livery choices were just too good to resist. Besides, in addition to the 747s they also gave us an even greater selection of wonderful models using their better castings (767s, A340s, Il-96s), and even tweaked some molds (MD-11 NLG, for example).
As I write this, I think the collector group still expects Phoenix to announce the most exciting release set among all current brands every month, even though they seem to have started to lose some momentum.
But why could Phoenix be losing momentum? Well, a few things. First, there are only so many contemporary classic re-releases that need to be done, and they already have three years at it (plus other brands are engaging in the same behavior - Aeroclassics' recent 747s, A300s, and DC-10s, for example). Also, only so many modern subjects need to be released and competition is too fierce in that area (GJ, NG, JC, AV400, and even AC to some extent).
However, the real bad news for Phoenix could be coming from the brand that might just be the next big thing in 400 scale. A humble player that has been sort of minding its own business in the background. A brand that, though much smaller in size, has been largely considered to be on par with NG (the NG from 5 years ago, that is) in terms of precision and quality. A brand that has just announced releases in two brand-new molds that happen to be two of Phoenix's cash cows (MD-11, and 767-300), a brand that has completely overshadowed GeminiJet's latest 1:400 scale mold (767-400). A brand that is starting to struggle to meet the exponential increase in demand for some of its releases. A brand that operates differently than any other brand when choosing what to release. They don't look to the sides too much, and they don't make us collectors beg too much. Instead, they make the molds available and, to a rather large extent, allow the collecting community to dictate production (via regional retailers). And boy is it working.
Panda Model has been around for about a decade, and they have always been characterized for making sharp state-of-the-art models, and for collaborating extensively with retailers around the world, as well as collectors, willing and able to commission exclusive production runs.
Panda, like any other brand, is not perfect, and you will always find room for improvement in their models. But by and large, they stand among the leaders in the hobby in terms of innovation and quality.
They also benefit from being a small player. Unlike NG, Panda doesn't need to worry about being an absolute straight-A student all the time. They can afford a few B+s without triggering an epidemic of chronic outrage among collectors; for now at least.
Plus, since the majority of models produced by Panda are commissioned by regional retailers, usually with strong input from local collectors, the majority of those releases are rare exotic subjects that would be appreciated by many even if they were made on worse molds. It is a brilliant system that allows Panda to ensure that a lot of their releases are all paid for by someone else who in turn likely has many collectors lined up waiting to snag those models.
Panda may be humble and operate in a peculiar way, but they are very much in touch with the hobby and they can play some good moves.
Let's look at some of their most recent molds: 767-400, 767-300 and MD-11. I think these are great mold choices for some very clear reasons: Those are aircraft types that are in a sweet spot between classic/exotic and current/modern. There is currently a market for those aircraft types that is being moderately exploited by Phoenix, GeminiJets, and JC Wings on molds that can be easily topped. So there is space in the market, and the competition is easy to beat; at least in terms of quality, not so much in terms of marketing (more on this later). Finally, those molds limit their exposure to competing directly against NG. I think their goal is clear: Go after PH 763s, after GJ/JC 764s, and after both of their MD-11s. It is also no secret that Panda's 764 mold is the best in the hobby, so much so that I would not be surprised if it keeps NG from ever using the sample they showed a while ago. I think what we will see in the near future is GJ/JC focusing on capturing the general public and corporate airline orders with their 767-400, while Panda will become the brand of choice for detail-oriented collectors who are active in the online community. This could leave NG struggling to find a niche for their 767-400 mold, which while acceptable, is inferior to Panda's.
Panda Model's outstanding 767-400 mold in 1:400 scale:
And I haven't forgotten about Panda's A350s. There is a lot of competition in that area, but if you want to compete with a modern subject, I think the A350 is an excellent choice: A wide-body long-haul aircraft that is the flagship of many major airlines around the world, and that is also a lot more elegant than the 787. Judging by the performance of their recent Singapore A350-900 there is no doubt that Panda made the right choice there too.
Granted, we haven't seen Panda's 763 and MD-11 finalized products yet, but we have no reason to believe that they will not be as good as any of their other molds. The sneak peeks we have seen looked fine. Also, just imagine what kind of exclusive releases could be produced with those molds (Did you know that Viasa at one point considered replacing the DC-10s with MD-11s? Oh no! I have been bit by the fantasy bug).
As good as Panda is, they do have an Achilles heel, a weakness shared by many of the newer model brands emerging in China. They struggle to get a foothold on the Western market.
Many aviation enthusiasts who also collect models are not part of the online community and thus have no clue who Panda Model is. They might see some of the retailer-exclusive releases but don't know the brand behind them. This puts Panda, and other brands that are working hard on innovation, at a disadvantage against the marketing giants such as GeminiJets, whose reach goes far beyond the online community of collectors. Even Herpa Wings, who has become a minor player, continues to be a much more well-known and recognizable airplane model brand among society in general, by pure virtue of their original marketing efforts that reached well past a niche group of AvGeeks. Therein the importance of approaching a market from the top rather than from the bottom (this doesn't mean that you have to start big, just use an ambitious strategy), a statement that many collectors disagree with, but one that I just can't ignore (many insist that going mainstream, and thus fully licensed, is detrimental to the core of the traditional collecting community).
While this is bad for Panda because it prevents them from benefiting from the full potential of their efforts, there is also some good. I have to acknowledge that with global expansion quality and innovation could potentially suffer (but maybe not...). So staying low-key could make it easier for Panda to remain consistent in those areas that have made them so well-liked among the traditional collecting community.
Panda is a promising brand with a lot of potential. With consistency, they will continue to make heads turn, both from collectors as well as competitors. Making their mold catalog available so that anyone with the funds at their disposal can make many models that other brands won't even touch is an invaluable contribution to the hobby.
Are you interested in purchasing aircraft models by Panda Model? Click Here or on the image below and use code jetfuel for a nice discount.
Comments