HASEGAWA MODELS [ MORE REVIEWS ] [ WEBSITE ] [ NEW STORIES ]

In-Box Review
1200
Boeing 777-300ER JAL
Boeing 777-300ER of Japan Air Lines
  • move

by: Ben [ MCLEOD ]

History
First rolled out in November of 2002, the Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) is one of the newest members of Boeing's highly successful 777 family of aircraft.

With a length of 73.9m and a wingspan of 64.8m, this aircraft can only be described as huge. It can transport more than 450 individual souls to distances greater than 14,000km at a cruising speed of 895km/hr. Packing massive General Electric GE90 engines, the aircraft still maintains proven fuel conservation 20% more efficient than Boeing's 747-400. At the present time, this is the largest twin-engine jet airliner in existence.

First Impressions
The kit arrived to me in an attractive 38cm x 19cm top opening box, the top cover artwork being an actual photograph of a Japan Airlines 777-300ER. This just happens to be the very first 1/200th kit I’ve ever handled, and when I opened the box, I was surprised to see the workings of a rather large model. Truly, I was expecting something small.

Inside I found the fuselage sealed in one plastic bag and all the other parts on sprue sealed in another. The box also contains a b/w folding pamphlet style set of instructions and an outstanding decal sheet that was not protected in a sealed bag. Just my opinion, but, I feel all decal sheets should be shipped protected.

Fuselage
First impressions of the fuselage were that it was crisply molded, flash free, and offers sufficient and very nice recessed panel line detail. There is a bolt included in the box, meant to screw through a pair of bulkheads and act as forward ballast in the fuselage.

Personally, I don’t care for molded in open fuselage windows, and these lengthy fuselage halves offer lots of them. My plans are to fill those in and instead use the excellent decals Hasegawa has provided.

Closer inspection of the fuselage proves that there are obvious tooling marks at points roughly 1/3rd from the nose tip, and 1/3rd from the tail cone. It appears the tools (I’m no expert) would have been joined in three sections allowing Hasegawa to effectively mold other models of the Triple 7. There are also a few slight sink marks at those locations, where the tools were joined. Certainly, all of this is easily fixable, and may not be serious enough to worry most modellers.

I do like the fact that a nice display stand is included in the packaging. This comes as a pair of smoked clear plastic pieces, joined by slots to form an X, more or less.
Wings
The wing moldings are definitely nice. There is sufficient recessed panel detail and no warping in my example. The main wings are molded in top and bottom parts with heavy duty attachment slots on the bottom wing for engine and accessory attachment.

Empennage
The rudder and fin are molded onto the fuselage halves, straight and offering no issues. The stabilizers and elevators are already nicely molded as one piece units, again with sufficient recessed panel line detail. You need only attach then to their respective fuselage locations.

Engines
I’m impressed with the engine cowls and engines. The forward fans are a wonderful disk molding and the rear engine cone is very well presented. I can clearly see, the engine construction will be simple and the detail more than sufficient for the scale. Even in 1/200th, these engines will be obviously massive, and that nice detail will be required as your eyes will certainly direct toward them on a completed model.

Landing gear

Believe me, I’m no airliner engineer. To me, though, the supplied landing gear struts look a little heavy and overdone. Perhaps, that is required in a large, small scale model. I don’t know. At least, they may not be readily visible on the finished model. There will be six wheel and tire mounted on each main gear leg along with associated wheel bay covers.

Accuracy

I don’t get into rivet-counting accuracy. This model certainly looks like it will properly represent a Boeing 777-300ER.

Decals and Markings
The marking and painting guidelines (the scheme) are printed in black and white reduced scale on the instructions folder. It is easy to follow, and suggests marking for a single aircraft. Colours are defined in the usual Hasegawa method of a number in a box referencing Hobby Colour paints.

As far as the decals are concerned; wonderful! There are a lot of decals on that 5-1/2x7” sheet; the reds look red and the blacks look black. The sheet holds enough quality decals to do the example suggested on the box-top, and there are enough extra numbers and a letter included to do any 777-300ER in Japan Airlines fleet. Well done, Hasegawa.

conclusion
This is a very nice Hasegawa model kit. In my opinion, all around, it is very well detailed and looks to be fairly accurate. In my view there are only a few small issues, notably in the fuselage, windows and landing gear. I strongly recommend it for all who have interest in small scale airliners. It will be a fun build.

related reviews

Kit 10718 in ANA markings .


Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.
SUMMARY
Highs: Well detailed for small scale; obviously a fun, relaxing build; excellent decal sheet
Lows: Landing gear looks over-weight; tooling marks on both fuselage halves; there are a lot of windows to fill. Small scale should be molded without windows and dependant on the provided decals.
Verdict: This is a wonderful kit, and will be a lot of fun for those who get it. The subject is a very good looking aircraft defining greatness. An outstanding addition to the hobby display.
Percentage Rating
94%
  Scale: 1:200
  Mfg. ID: 10719
  PUBLISHED: Mar 29, 2014
  NATIONALITY: Japan / 日本
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 92.00%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 85.84%

Our Thanks to Hobbico!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

View Vendor Homepage  |  More Reviews  

About Ben (Mcleod)
FROM: ALBERTA, CANADA

I live in Alberta, the West Central region close to the Rocky Mountains. It get's so cold here in the winter, that staying inside and building model aircraft seemed like a really good idea. I enjoy the hobby very much. The aircraft are my favorite, but, I do dabble with the odd bit of armor, aut...

Copyright ©2021 text by Ben [ MCLEOD ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



   
ADVERTISEMENT


Photos
Click image to enlarge
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
  • move
ADVERTISEMENT