Wings900 - Herpa PSA Lockheed L-188 Electra 1:400

Wings900 Model Review Reviewer: Michael Hoeltmann Model Photographs � Todd McCartney Real Aircraft Photo Courtesy of JetPhotos.net
*Airline*	*Make/Model*	*Manufacturer*	*Scale*
	Lockheed L-188 Electra		1:400

*Introduction*
	The Lockheed Electra II, powered by four Allison turboprops, was introduced to the PSA fleet at the beginning of the 60s. With Pacific Southwest�s livery, it cut a very fine figure. A thick black line underneath the cockpit windows gave the airplanes a smile and the nickname �Smiliner�.

The Model

Before I start the review, please note: Unfortunately, the model we got for review misses its main gears, but please rest assured, the model usually features Herpa's new generation highly deailed gear :-). Sometimes we got pre-production samples for review purposes, that doesn't have the final production standard. This being said, let's turn to review Herpa's brand new L-188 Electra mould. The model is all metal including wings, stabs and tail fin. Only the partly missing gear and the props are made of plastic.

The overall shape of the mould looks good, only the nose section looks a bit odd, but I'll come back later to this issue. The cheatline and the windowline are printed in the correct height. The same applies to the "PSA" titles. Both, the red and the orange color seem to be a bit off. While the red is supposed to be some shades darker, the orange should be a little bit lighter. The colors on the model almost seem to fade into eachother. Further, the windows seem to be a bit oversized.

The metal wings are well shaped and nicely mounted to the fuselage from below. The shape of the engines nacelles is not 100% correct, as the upper intake is not that clearly moulded, while the lower one is clearly visible. The engines lack a certain amount of details. The available ;-) nose gear is nicely shaped and mounted i the correct position. Herpa added some nice details printing the numbers on the nose gear door, though this is a more and more commeon feature in scale 1:400.

Let's turn to the nose section. Somehow, it seems a bit too bully in my opinion. The part where the cockpit windows are printed should start a little lower. Thus the cockpit windows itself are printed to high on the fuselage. The upper part of the nose cover should be a litte more flat rightin front of the cockpit windows. You can tell from the position of the black glare shield. The black nose dot is printed a little to high, too, while the famous "Smile" is printed spot on.

The metal tail fin is correctly shaped and nicely mounted to the fuselage. Well done. The "PSA" titles as well as the logo are printed spot on. In this close up you can spot the slightly to large windows. The same applies to the three rear windows. The small rear door is printed spot on, as well as the registration.

Final Thoughts

It's nice to see Herpa expanding its 1:400 scale product range, though someone may wonder why they release moulds already existing in 1:400 instead of new ones like some regional jets or props. But you have to keep in mind, that over here in europe, the other 1:400 brands like Gemini Jets and Aeroclassics are not that well know except Dragon Wings and only very few shops does carry those models, while you're able to get Herpa models in almost every toy store.

Rating

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