Last week I reviewed a Legacy Jets branded A320, so it seems only right that this week I look at a release from another of the HX Models affiliated brands in YY Wings. YY appears to be a retailer brand from China that has made a lot of releases (actually more than HX themselves) and tends to aim towards mass market models with higher production runs facilitating lower prices. Like Legacy Jets they have also been able to get priority usage of some new HX moulds and in this review, I’ll look at the most recent Ilyushin Il-76 in 400 scale and to date its only model release.
Each review is to split into three key areas:
- The model mould
- The paint and livery reproduction
- Printing and quality control
Each section can get a maximum score of 10 for a maximum combined score of 30
This review is sponsored by Northeast Diecast. Check out their store for an excellent range of hard to find 200 and 400 scale collection sale models and get 15% off!
MOULD
In recent years there has been an explosion of mould production, often of unusual and interesting aircraft types that are then effectively ignored by the producer, as aside from a few releases they are too niche to sell to the masses like a 787 does. Will the HX Models Ilyushin Il-76 be another of these moulds? Quite possibly.
To date there have been four releases, but all have been rebadges of the same PLAAF model so in effect they amount to a single production run. The model was released first in November 2025, but it wasn’t until the recent London Gatwick Fair that I was able to acquire an example (thanks Bedfordshire Diecast).
Prior to this HX mould, ignoring a rather toylike Model Power / Del Prado version, the Il-76 has been represented by a mould from Aeroclassics, dating from way back in 2003, and a Witty Wings version dating from 2013. Both the Aeroclassics and Witty moulds are basically identical aside from the size of the tyres and the presence of a standhole on the Witty. This is almost certainly because the Witty was a clone of the Aeroclassics.
Both the older moulds have been well thought of and are quite hard to obtain, but there’s no denying this new HX edition easily surpasses them. The age of the originals means they are not seamless and utilise a reverse cradle to fit the wings to the top of the fuselage. It is however well done and the seam follows the shape of the forward fairing join line.
This new HX version has modern slot in wings so avoids the seam, creating a more realistic and sculpted look to the wing join region. It is very well done and looks great. Also, the shape of the intakes forward of the wing are a more accurate scallop shape.
The wings themselves have a greater anhedral than the old moulds, which judging from photos looks more accurate. The rest of the wingshape, engines and the engine pylons are all very accurate.
The rest of the mould compares very favourably to the real aircraft and overall has a finer, sharper level of detailing throughout than the old moulds. The nose is great and a little sharper, correctly so, than the older variants.
Extra detailing is also evident at the control surfaces, especially the rudder, which has all three hinges present. Similarly, the hinge detailing on the tailtop horizontal stabilisers is very nice.
The horizontal stabilisers also provide one other area of difference with the Aeroclassics / Witty. They are more correctly thinner and blade-like. The join of the vertical stabiliser to the fuselage is seamless, so much so that it appears to be a moulded part of it rather than an attached piece. This gives it a far better join line than on the older moulds.
There are several areas where fuselage fairing details are moulded in. On the underside tail ramp, undercarriage sponsons and on the portside the blister ahead of the L1 door. The older moulds have the first two but lack the third.
This mould also comes with the two forward aerials, complete with hooklike rear extensions. All this detailing is fitted to an Il-76 that looks almost identical to the real thing. Obviously, this version lacks the old-fashioned tail-gunner position present on older Il-76s, and it is uncertain whether HX have that version or not.
I’m not seeing anything to criticise on this mould. It is an excellent Il-76 and superior in detail to the older variants.
SCORE – 10
PAINT & LIVERY
This aircraft is one of nearly 40 Il-76s of various marks still in service with the PLAAF. The aircraft in question was built in 1984, originally as CCCP-76583. It looks like it was transferred to the Ukrainian Government and then somehow ended up in China around 2008. Initially it was registered 6331 but has since taken up 21141. There is a selection of shots of this frame at Jetphotos.com for comparison.
The scheme it wears here is the current low-viz light blue grey with a wavy demarcation between that and a white belly. The model is a little darker than the real thing judging by all the photos I’m seeing. The application of the wavy line between blue and white is largely accurate.
Logos, titles, red wingtips and the Chinese flag are all in the correct place, although on the real aircraft the registration is clearly yellow, not red as on the model. This could be a consequence of this being a rebadge, since YY also made 21041, 21042 and 21043. Maybe they have red regos, but this frame does not.
Also, I note that the radome and chin fairing are painted grey on this model. Although they can look darker than the rest of the scheme in photos, from what I’m seeing they aren’t really. Overall while this livery has been replicated well from a detail perspective there are a couple of minor colour issues.
SCORE – 8
PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL
The biggest weakness of a lot of older Il-76 models is not the mould but the printwork, which is often sparse. The cockpit windows are also often undersized and not well placed. HX is becoming renowned for the sheer volume of linework it puts on its models, and this release is no exception. From panel lines on the engine nacelles to all manner of dots and lines on the underside the print detail is fantastic.
The complex and large cockpit windows and glazed lower nose also looks excellent. Build quality presents no issues.
YY Wings facilitates its relatively cheap pricing by using the cheaper plastic stand, rather than the nicer metal version used with HX releases, but considering most brands don’t include a stand at all that is hardly a criticism. The model also comes with a collector’s card, although given the large production runs there is no statement of the model number.
As with last week’s Legacy Jets the general impression is of a high quality model despite these retailing in China for around the rmb250 mark (about $37). That price point isn’t necessarily replicated in the West where YY Wings are usually in the £43-50 range in the UK, no doubt due to sales tax and the fact they are being sold to retailers at near the price you can buy them in China as a consumer.
SCORE – 10
CONCLUSION
This is another top quality mould from HX to rival their 747 classics and McDonnell Douglas MD-11. My only concern is that like with several other Soviet-era moulds (JC Wings Antonov props, NG Models Tu-154s & Tu-204s, Panda Tu-134s) the business model of the manufacturer, which requires quite large production runs, simply doesn’t support the production of any kind of variety of releases, which rather defeats the point of making it in the first place. Hopefully I’m proven wrong, but a single release in 8 months doesn’t fill me with confidence. Regardless, this is an excellent version of the Candid.
FINAL SCORE – 28/30
