[Celtic]

Thank you, PH-LKK. I knew about 10% of all that. It is all very confusing, and a bit putting off. To bad about Big Bird being gone, and it looks like getting into 1/500 is a bad thing at this time (and maybe forever). I emailed Pam at JetCollector a week ago and asked if they were staying in 1/500 (I was suspicious because all their 1/500 were marked as low quanitity, and the prices were marked down), and she replied that they were getting out of the scale as soon as current stocks were gone. However, she didn't explain why.

Is 1/500 dying? I notice Inflight is now releasing the scale, and it seems to be a Herpa staple (and Herpa using the StarJets moulds may explain the recent improvement in Herpa offerings in the scale). My question is, are the wings of the StarJets/Herpa models metal or plastic? I hate to waste money trying them out, but may have too.

My question to you (as an obvious expert) is, if I want continuity in my 1/500purchases (good quality, metal wings, and some assurance the company will stay in business), what companies should I go to?

Same question in 1/400 models. Who should I rely on? Your excellent summary makes it sound as if this scale is fluid to the point of nearly total confusion, which makes trying to find the best quality models very difficult, and a bit putting-off.