Revell Airbus A320neo British Airways 1:144 Revell (03840)

[Viking]

Airbus A320neo British Airways

1:144 Revell (03840)

 

 

The A320 neo is the most recent development of the highly successful Airbus range of narrow bodied airliners. Available as the A319, A320, and A321,'neo' stands foe new engine option' as the aircraft can be fitted with the very fuel efficient Pratt & Whitney PW1000G or the CFM International LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines. The other noticeable change is the wingtip 'sharklets', similar in appearance to those used on Boeing aircraft, which replace the smaller winglets previously used. With 95% commonality with the earlier A319-A321 range (now known as the 'eco' engine current option), it is an obvious choice for airlines operating the older machine. Entering service in 2016, the A319-321 neo family has become the worlds fastest selling airliner, although production delays with engines initially slowed down deliveries. They will be seen at airports all around the world for many years to come, probably in a vast number of different liveries.

 

The Kit.
This is the second release of Revell's all new tooling, which has no commonality with it previous range of the A320 family. Packed in one of Revell's end opening boxes, and moulded in their standard white plastic, everything is crisply defined and flash free with no sign of sink marks or other flaws. 

The fuselage has a large cut out where a clear cockpit glazing section is fitted. This far better then the old kit which had a 'letterbox' slot into which the clear part had to be inserted, not an easy job. Cabin windows are moulded open, with clear plastic window strips to fitted from the inside. 

 

All the blade aerials are moulded along one fuselage half, but personally I cut these off for later re-attachment as they make cleaning up the fuselage seam very awkward. Rather than alignment holes and pins, Revell have gone for interlocking tabs along the fuselage halves. A neat little cockpit is provided, complete with separate instrument panel. I often scratch build my own airliner cockpit interiors, so here is one job saved. 

 

 

The wings are very nicely moulded with inbuilt dihedral and broad, thin sprue attachment point which make removal from the sprue much easier. On the old A320 kit you had to remove a number of flap track fairings and fill panel lines, as the kit shared the same wing mouldings as Revell's A321. No such problem here, this is a dedicated A320 wing ready to use 'as is'. 

 

 

The wingtip Sharklets are on their own sprue along with the nose cap. 

 

 

The previous release of this kit in Lufthansa colours came without any undercarriage, and could only be built 'in flight' using a stand provided. This was done by Revell to put the kit into a lower 'skill level' rating, but disappointed many of us more serious builders. Happily, the full undercarriage is now included in this 'British Airways' release, along with a range of three different satellite/Wi-Fi fairings. None of these Wi-Fi fairings are needed for this version but it is nice to have them anyway.

 

 

Another big plus is that two complete sets of engines are included, the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G and the CFM LEAP. BA only use the LEAP, so there are a pair of the PW100G's to go in your spares box! Looking at and comparing them, the differences seem very minor so full marks to Revell for tooling them separately.

 

 

The fine detail is superb, particularly on the fan blades, which are the major noticeable difference between the two engine types. The intake rings are separate parts, which makes painting them silver much easier. (Tip - attach them after the nacelles are painted, using white glue so as not to risk messing up your nice finish).

 

Options.
Only one livery is supplied, the current British Airways scheme.

 

 

The decal sheet has been designed by DACO, and really is excellent, covering all sorts of fine stencil detail and giving a choice of four different aircraft. Printing is faultless with minimal carrier film and in perfect registration. Were this to be an aftermarket sheet it would probably cost half as much as the complete kit. 

 

 

Conclusion.
This is the A320neo kit we have been waiting for Revell to release. Finally it comes with full undercarriage, and the provision of both engine types is a huge bonus for those of us who like to build several variants using aftermarket decals. It looks superb in the box, and should build up fairly easily. 

I'll build my first one straight from the box as that decal sheet is simply outstanding, and I really like the BA scheme. I'll probably get a few more to put in the stash, awaiting further aftermarket decal sheets. The provision of the three different Wi-Fi fairings and both engine types makes this a no-brainer, as you'll be able to build any airlines A320neo without having to also resort to aftermarket engines. This is how to produce an airliner kit Revell, I'm impressed, keep 'em coming!

 

Highly recommended.

 

Currently, Revell are unable to ship to the UK from their online shop due to recent changes in import regulations, but there are many shops stocking their products where you can pick up the kits either in the flesh or online.

 

 

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

[Eric B.]

Thank you, 

 

That's very useful information. I was not considering the A320NEO Revell kit because of lack of landing gear.

Corrrected : I just ordered one today. 

 

Eric B.