Revell Airbus A350-900 Lufthansa new livery (03881) - 1:144 Revell

[Viking]

Airbus A350-900 Lufthansa new livery

1:144 Revell (03881)

 

 

In service since 2015, the A350 is the newest of the Airbus family of wide bodied long haul airliners. The fuselage is built from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic, making it lighter, stronger, and easier to maintain than traditional aluminium bodied aircraft. It is one of the modern ultra fuel efficient machines, with ranges from 8,000 nautical miles up to 9,700 nm depending upon version. Sectors over 20 hours have been introduced by Singapore Airlines flying to the west coast of America

The first time I saw one I was surprised at how big it was, somehow photographs make it look a lot smaller. It is in fact very similar in size to the Boeing 777 and 787, with which is competes. With nearly 1,000 on order it looks like it will be around for many years yet.

 

This is not a new kit, but a re-boxing of the original released in 2013, updated with the the latest Lufthansa markings. Moulded in white plastic it features lightly engraved detail, free from flash or sink marks. It comes in a tightly packed box, there are so many parts that in fact I had trouble packing it all back in once I had done the review photographs. This is no 'small kit rattling around in a big box', you certainly get your money's worth.

 

The two fuselage halves are almost as long as the box, and feature the same belly cut out in the wing area that will be familiar to builders of Revells' other wide bodied airliners. All windows are cut out with a separate sprue holding strips of glazing.

 

 

The wings are very nicely moulded with the upward curved tips, and recesses for the separate flap tracks. The two part tailplanes are also on the wing sprues. Having already built the earlier release of this kit, I can confirm that the fit of the wing to the fuselage is perfect. So much so that I have never glued them on to my model, as they lock in securely, and can be removed for storage/transportation.

 

 

Next up is the previously mentioned 'belly plate', the flap track halves, undercarriage legs, and parts for the stand. The belly plate is a very good fit, and nowhere near as troublesome as on some of the other kits with this feature. Detailing on the undercarriage legs is sharp, all you really need to do is add some of the hydraulic lines from fine wire.

 

Undercarriage doors, nacelle halves, and a complete cockpit feature on the next sprue. I always like it when a cockpit interior is included as it saves me scratchbuilding one. It is worth taking time over painting this as it can be seen through those large cockpit windows. The only thing I might add would be a couple of 'N' gauge figures painted up as crew.

 

 

The engines are real works of art, the mouldings for the fan blades are amazing. A front and back set join together to form a complete fan disk. Again, having built this kit I can say that it is possible to rotate the fans in the completed and painted engine by gently blowing on them.

 

 

The base of the stand, some undercarriage parts, and the wheels are all on the final sprue. The hub/tyre interface is neatly defined, which is a great help when painting them. I usually do hubs first, and then brush paint tyres with Humbrol 67 Panzer grey. (Tip - Tyres are almost always dark grey rather than black. And in any case in 1:144 the 'scale effect' of pure black is way too harsh).

 

The decals are designed by DACO which is a sure sign of quality, and beautifully printed with a full range of stencils and walkways. There are optional solid windows if you choose to paint over all the glazing, or silver frames if you like to keep them clear.

My only reservation is personal, and that is that I find the current Lufthansa livery a bit lifeless and bland. It is not a problem as there are several aftermarket decal sheets covering other operators of the A350. Of course, if you like the new look Lufthansa, then this sheet will do a superb job of re-creating it on your model.

 

Conclusion.
This is one of the best airliner kits available, taking advantage of the latest moulding techniques to produce a model with incredibly good fit, and those amazing engines. It is also quite big, dwarfing something like an A320, and even making a 747 look average. The ease with which it can be built, and the simplicity of the livery would make it a suitable kit the beginner, while the sheer quality of it will appeal to the more serious modeller.  I love it, and have already purchased another.

 

Highly Recommended

 

 

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

 

Footnote: My build of a previous release of this kit, using aftermarket 'Thai' decals from 26Decals.

 

See what I mean about how big it is alongside a 747?

 

And the wing fit is so good, they can be popped out for storage.

 

[vppelt68]

I suppose it's not the A350-900 XWB, that would really make my day?

 

[Julien]

17 hours ago, Viking said:

 

See what I mean about how big it is alongside a 747?

.

 

 

I see what you and Chris meant about the size now!

[PhantomBigStu]

2 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

I suppose it's not the A350-900 XWB, that would really make my day?

 

 

All a350s are XWB

[vppelt68]

56 minutes ago, PhantomBigStu said:

All a350s are XWB

That's what I was trying to find out too, it just looks so much fatter when seen live! Thanks PBS 👍

[PhantomBigStu]

8 hours ago, vppelt68 said:

That's what I was trying to find out too, it just looks so much fatter when seen live! Thanks PBS 👍

it’s deceptive, might be the widest of the twin jet wide bodies but the long fuselage changes the perception 

[stringbag]

Very informative review John, so thanks.

Totally agree about the lacklustre Lufthansa livery as well.  Basically Quantas in a different colour.

 

Chris.