When Gemini Jets announced they were going to be releasing a model of the Delta Air Lines A350-900, I knew this was a must have for my collection. The aircraft itself is the future of aviation and air travel. This model has many great features and will certainly be a gem for model collectors for years to come.
History of Aircraft
The A350-900 is the latest addition to Delta’s fleet and was delivered to Delta during a ceremony in Toulouse, France in July. The A350 is the carrier’s answer to replacing their aging fleet of B747-400s inherited from Northwest Airlines when the two airlines merged in 2008. The first route per a Delta press release is scheduled to be from Detroit to Tokyo Narita at the end of October. Delta will acquire approximately 25 A350-900s over the next few years.
Model Mold
Gemini Jets has produced an accurate rendition of this beautiful jetliner. The model itself is quite bulky, but is still able to hold its spot on the stand, which is a shock to me since usually most of the bulkier 1/200 scale models seem to have a center of gravity issue. The wingtips are crafted to the dot, and are decorated with the Delta widget. The aircraft also features the Delta titles and widget in white on the underbelly of the aircraft. If there is an aircraft which makes me proud to own it would be this one due to how sleek and clean the model is.
Score 10/10
Paint and Livery
Creating the right colors for the Delta fleet is an issue I have noticed with certain Gemini200 models, although this one is correct. Looking at the nose it is apparent that the A350 lives up to the name of having a raccoon look. This is true when viewing the model from either front or the side. Continuing down the fuselage, the SkyTeam logo is depicted flawlessly near the first entry/exit door. It seems that Gemini decided to skip adding jewel beads for the lights on the wing and instead went with a decal for them, which itself is placed precisely. Again there are no issues with the paint, however there was a minor paint chip on the right wingtip that is noticeable only when the model is viewed up close. Detailed exit markings are located certain window points and help bring the aircraft into a true to life form.
Score 10/10
Quality
The one issue as noted above, has to do with the wingtip paint chip. This aircraft features spinning engines, a characteristics found on most of Gemini Jets larger models. This adds to the realism of the model. When looking over the aircraft’s antennas and Wifi cone they are scaled to what the real life version features. In previous reviews I have run into issues with spacing and loose parts, yet this model seems to have been one that is going to get a clean check up. The wings are surprisingly thin and I thought this might be an issue, however after giving the model a close up check I could not find a single issue or error. One minor flaw I did notice had to do with the forward wing pylon attachment point, as there was a small gap between this and the aircraft wing.
Score 9/10
Conclusion
This model itself is one which is a great representation of the future in aviation and the model is amazing and beautiful. As a collector I hold this one in my top 5 right behind my beloved American Airlines B767-300(w) in the chrome livery.
Final Score 29/30
