Some questions regarding brands and makers

[Coppas]

Hello, new member here but prior to my registration, I´ve been an avid lurker. My main hobby focus is collecting diecast car models, but please bear with me since I also have a soft spot for diecast model airplanes. Particularly in 1:200 scale.

Since I´m not that well-read about the manufacturers that produce these lovely models, I´ve tried to find certain information on the discussion boards. The information I found was unluckily of no avail, so I will try with this approach instead. The issues that I´ve been pondering is as follows…

1 / How are the various model makers regarded in relation to price, quality and details? In other words, are there any manufacturers who are considered superior in any certain way?

2 / Is ARD200 and Inflight the same manufacturer, or are they two different makers? The reason for my query is that some dealers seem to distinguish between them, while e.g. at DiMA they appear to be considered as one and the same.


// Nic

[RStretton]

Hello, new member here but prior to my registration, I´ve been an avid lurker. My main hobby focus is collecting diecast car models, but please bear with me since I also have a soft spot for diecast model airplanes. Particularly in 1:200 scale.

Since I´m not that well-read about the manufacturers that produce these lovely models, I´ve tried to find certain information on the discussion boards. The information I found was unluckily of no avail, so I will try with this approach instead. The issues that I´ve been pondering is as follows…

1 / How are the various model makers regarded in relation to price, quality and details? In other words, are there any manufacturers who are considered superior in any certain way?

2 / Is ARD200 and Inflight the same manufacturer, or are they two different makers? The reason for my query is that some dealers seem to distinguish between them, while e.g. at DiMA they appear to be considered as one and the same.


// Nic

Hi Nic - I'm mainly a 1:400 scale collector but I think I can still assist you a bit. In general all the manufacturers have roughly the same level of quality - although all suffer from failings on a per model basis from time to time and the overall quality of each tends to go up and down. I write an end of year review for each manufacturer at my site here: https://www.yesterdaysairlines.com/a...ry/2017-review but this is for 1:400 so may not interest you.

In terms of ARD200 and IF200 I think they are all made in the Inflight factory and ARD200 is just a brand name used for models ordered by Aviation Retail Direct. Waffle who maintains the database here often ignores sub-brands and focuses on the actual manufacturer.

[Coppas]

Hi RStretton!

I'm very grateful for the information. I also gazed at your impressive site, and the information was very interesting indeed.

Even if your site mainly cover 1:400 scale, I suppose much of what's written applies for most of the makers on the whole. As with other model making (e.g. model cars, model trains etc.) this also appears to be a small world, where the firms have a lot of cooperation. Sometimes quite openly, while at other times more covertly.

As goes for the ARD200 vs. IF200, I did suspect that they had some kind of connection but I wasn’t sure. The thing that confounded me a tad, was the fact that their item numbers doesn’t correspond. Hence, I thought it better then to ask the experts... just in case.