Model Description
Herpa 1/500th scale 534284-003 Airbus Industries BelugaXL – XL#3 – F-GXLI. Available to pre-order at Flying Tigers.
Because Airbus needed additional cargo space capacity, especially for the series production of the A350 XWB, and the heavily used Beluga fleet was also getting on in years, the aircraft manufacturer began studies in the early 2010s to develop a successor model, which led to concrete plans from 2014 onwards. The A330-200F was chosen as the basis for the new parts transporter, with the short runways at Hawarden airports in Wales and Bremen in particular tipping the scales in favour of the smaller version of the A330. With a length of 63 meters and a height of 19 meters, the Beluga XL is a good six meters longer than the predecessor model A300-600ST, has a 1.1 meter wider fuselage and a cargo volume of 2,209 m³ that is almost 1,000 m³ larger. This was precisely what was decisive in order to be able to transport two instead of just one wing of an A350 in the future, for example. Externally, the XL is most easily recognizable by its “smile”, which further enhances the appearance of the whale. F-GXLI entered service in October 2020 as the third of currently six BelugaXL transporters. Made of metal, the model is made with a plastic replacement part, which allows it to be displayed with either the bow door open or closed.
RRP £44.00
