When I started working at Motor City they already had two factories lined up to make some models for them and had already decided they wanted to make a Pan Am aircraft of some kind. A Boeing 707 had been selected. I admit it wouldn’t have been my first choice but it was still a solid option.
A Pan Am 707 had been released in Mid-2024 under the BigBird brand and that model, N435PA Clipper Celestial Empire, had been reviewed at the website here:
I was keen to tread relatively new gound and so steered the new V1:400 Pan Am model in the direction of the earlier Pan Am scheme with full Pan American titles rather than the 1970s variant Big Bird had made.
This wasn’t as easy as you might think because the modified Witty mould only works for a 707-320B+ or 320C variant and not a standard 707-320 or 320B, let alone a turbojet 707. The source of conflict is of course the nosegear door configuration as early 707s didn’t have the rectangular style nosegear doors. For all things 707 see David Hingtgen’s masterful guide:
At the same time I needed to be able to find reference photos to work with as well. Fortunately I was able to find photos of N412PA ‘Jet Clipper Empress of the Skies’ that fit the bill from sites like AirHistory.net . With such a pleasing clipper name this was my chosen aircraft.
This was way back in November 2024. By mid December 2024 the first version of the artwork was ready for review. As is usual there were several revisions that were needed. In this case they were:
- Use of the correct Pan Am logo (the artist had used the 1970s logo)
- Addition of Pan Am overwing titles
- Modification of the cheatline and anti-glare at the nose
The artwork was signed off by Christmas Eve 2024 and production commenced. This was easily the first V1:400 that got to that stage. At this point Motor City hadn’t thought too hard about licensing but in early 2025 attempted to contact the holders of the Pan Am licensing agreement for permission. It was expected this would pose no issue, but unfortunately that was not to be the case.
As soon as the Pan Am licensors heard who we were working with they labelled them as infringers and refused to grant a license! Then the first phase of Trump’s tariff war started and the whole future of the entire V1:400 line was thrown into doubt. The Pan Am issue was kicked into the long grass as more pressing matters arose.
In the background production continued slowly and there was still optimism that a solution could be found. Alas, it wasn’t to be and by the time that was clear the model had progressed quite a long way. There were thoughts of switching the model to another 707 (and I suggested ATA, which Aeroclassics then released only a few months later – so bullet dodged) but the model had progressed to cheatline paint by then so it was too late anyway.
Eventually the model was completed but MCC couldn’t sell it for V1:400 so had to cancel the release. Fortunately, the manufacturer was able to sell the entire run to the Chinese retail brand Z2 Models who have now created their own packaging artwork for the model and are releasing it themselves since licensing is not an issue for them.
So that is why there is no item number 400001 in the V1:400 line! Currently the earliest V1:400 released is the TWA 767 (400005), but there will be 400002-4 in the 2nd release set. I hope this gives up an insight into some of the issues that have arisen during the creation of V1:400. It is fortunate that the model will see the light of day even if for another brand. The release that should be ready now is the model I signed off artwork for back in December 2024 so hopefully hasn’t got any errors on it!
