I'm not such an avid collector of scale models as I used to be, nor do I collect models in airline livery since it's the plane I'm after, not the airline or unless it's an airline I've been on.
But occasionally it's nice to own a model of a beautiful and highly ranked plane. I used to prefer large 1:200 snap fit models regardless of the brand as long as the quality was good. But there were a few issues sticking to 1:200 snap fits. One was that they lacked detail and accuracy. And that shouldn't be surprising given they are made of plastic as opposed to the metal that 1:400 diecast models are made of. The second was that there are models of classic aircraft not available in 1:200 scale.
Also another problem is 1:200 snap-fit models of classic wide body airliners are rare to find. Others of classic wide-body planes don't even exist.
So when I'm forced to choose between diecast models, I realize the mistake I made by purchasing DragonWings models. Not only are they highly priced, but they're also delicate and require their landing gears to be fitted in.
Aeroclassics are expensive also, but they come with their landing gears attached and their build is much more solid.
The same is true for Herpa Wings with their models coming not only with full attached landing gears but also their wheels rotate. The only thing I don't like about Herpa Wings is their 1:600 scale models which are cheap in quality and almost identical to the unpopular Schabak. DragonWings on the other hand seem to produce models with delicate wings, landing gears that need to be attached and can get lost easily and overall expensive planes.
Herpa Wings can also be small in their 1:500 scales, but I actually realize they are still great quality and more solid than Dragon Wings models and less pricey. Upon this analysis, I would recommend collectors not to go after dragon wings models. It's simply not worth the price, especially after the landing gears get lost or the delicate thin wings break off.
