Its always fun to discuss these things
Since we haven't gotten any new 1:18 aircraft in a couple years, why not discuss all the old classics?
I agree that CplSlade pretty much summed it up... We did see a wide variety of accuracy on the 21c models throughout their run - along with the planes made by other manufacturers like Admiral Toys and BBI. I won't get into the QC issues, etc that plagued 21c items from the beginning except whereas relevant. Overall, however, the 21c items at least initially were marketed as toys and have to be thought of as such. They began at TRU with the idea of creating an affordable military toy line that was exclusive to TRU (the spot now filled by the True Heroes/Chap Mei items). But still, there were winners, losers, and some that hit-and-miss when it came to accuracy with the 21c items...
LOSERS:
P-51Ds
I won't even get into the S1 P-51 which is horribly inaccurate on nearly all aspects of the model: oversized riveting, incorrect canopy shape, incorrect landing gear thick wings with no real dihedral, etc. The only excuse is that it was their very first aircraft and obviously a company has to work out the kinks... That 21c later made a more accurate "retooled" P-51D says something - yet that had certain flaws as well, particularly the bent props!
BF-109s
The S1 ME-109E had its share of inaccuracies as well - the tail, the canopy shape, the landing gear, etc. JSI partially fixed it with their recent "Galland" release with the correct canopy, but still far from perfect. The BF-109G while significantly better than the S1 release still had a bunch of issues. It lacked the radio mast in the correct position and the landing gear were a little off. When fully extended and locked, they pointed down vertically as opposed to being splayed. That issue could be corrected with a little handy work, however. Really, only BBI got the BF-109 as accurate as possible - their latest "Erich Hartmann" release to me ranks among the most perfect of 1:18 planes and is a real winner.
P-40
This one was a toy through and through, not the model it should have been. So much is off from the oversized panel lines and thick surfaces to the way-oversized cockpit & canopy and the "pregnant" look to the fuselage. I often rank this as one of the worst 21c aircraft.
Snake Man, I have 3 P-40s (AVG, RAP, Pearl Harbor). The RAF one is the earliest (bought early 2004) and has flat wings; my AVG and Pearl Harbor ones are special editions released a couple years later and have some wing dihedral.
P-47s
These still reflect some of the toyish features of especially the earlier 21c planes like the tabs on the landing gear doors; oversized cockpits & canopies; and other features. The gap in the fuselage behind the cockpit of the "Razorback" P-47s is terrible... The bubble canopy on the "Bubbletop" versions is oversized and toyish, killing the accurate look of the plane.
HIT-&-MISS:
FW-190D9
This was certainly one of the more controversial 21c 1:18 planes... Would have been so much better had they made the more well-known radial-engine FW-190A/F and the 21c plane sold so poorly they had to offer a contest to clear the shelves of Wal Mart. I liked this plane and then I didn't. On the one hand, it is an FW-190. started to move away from the toyish look of the 21c items. However, the landing gear are one piece, don't sit at the correct angle, & have the exposed screw.
F-4U Corsair
This was an earlier release and has some of the more toy-like features, but at the same time still very much looks like a Corsair. This was a fantastic model until BBI came out with their 1:18 version which was far more accurate and certainly one of the better 1:18 aircraft ever made. The slots behind the cockpit, lack of depth within the cockpit (including the window under the fuselage) and the design of the pitot tubes are very inaccurate. It did look good in the special edition Boyington and Kepford paintjobs, however!
Spitfire
This has always been a favorite of mine, but Snake Man is correct about the canopy shape being a little off. The hood should be a little more bulged out. Like the FW-190D, this was starting to move away from being a toy and being more of a model. It has thick panel lines and the prop and exhaust stacks could be a bit more accurate. The 1:18 21c model looks very toyish when next to my excellent Corgi diecast 1:32 model.
P-51D Retooled
This was a good attempt at an accurate P-51D model, especially after BBI's 2004 release of their 1:18 P-51D made the S1 21c example look like crap. They got a lot right with this model from the deep intakes to the forward rake of the main gear, the tail wheel, and even the cockpit is nice. Still, its likely under-riveted just as much as the BBI example is over-riveted. The smooth surfacing starts to look a bit toyish. Then there were the bent props that really messed up the look of the first few releases. Overall, the model was more toyish than it should have been...
TBF Avenger
Likely 21c's penultimate aircraft, it fell short of expectations, or at least my expectations. We waited nearly 2 years for it, only to get something that seemed rushed and under-developed. The fuselage itself is awesome - big and with an interior. I love the gun turret. The bomb bay doors are very inaccurate, but I know are a compromise as it would have been difficult to engineer them to open correctly while keeping them functional and sturdy. Having separate inserting pieces for the open and closed doors (like on the 1:72 scale Hobby Master Avenger) would have been "un-21c-like". Where this plane failed was with the wings. I know 21c was going for maximum accuracy, but they are poorly engineered. The hinge is too weak and they wings could have been designed to secure more tightly and in the correct position. The wing sagging kills the look of what is otherwise a great model. I have 3 Avengers and only one has the correct dihedral on the wings because I glued them in place after one of the hinges broke.
ME-262A/B
I almost included this in the "Winner" category below and in many respects the 21c ME-262A & B are winners. These models showed just how accurate and detailed 21c could get with their models. Compared to the earlier Admiral Toys ME-262, the 21c examples are highly detailed, accurate, and functional models. I love the paint work on them, particularly the ME-262A. Its also a pretty solid model.
Where I felt 21c royally screwed up with the ME-262 was with the canopy design and certain QC issues. In terms of shape the canopy is accurate, but the hinges are way off. The fact that they used the same fuselage tooling for both the A and B variants meant that on the ME-262A, they had to cover over the rear seat and canopy hinge. Most of the ME-262As I saw in person (including mine) had a very noticeable gap behind the cockpit where the rear seat was covered. This ruined the flush look of the fuselage. (Actually, on the ME-262A, if you removed the top of the rear fuselage, you will find the rear seat and partially detailed rear cockpit of the ME-262B... I gained a spare seat!) I found that the ME-262B tooling hid the seams and cockpit hinges better and is the better looking of the two jets.
For whatever reason, I also encountered serious QC issues with the ME-262A. I went through 3 models before I got one that held up well. I had the canopy snap off the hinges on one model, landing gear doors crack off on another. My current one has held together, though I'm always very careful with it. If it weren't for the fuselage seams and QC issues, I'd rank the 21c ME-262s as real winners in terms of 1:18 aircraft design.
WINNERS:
UH-1C Huey
I always felt 21c got their UH-1C Huey more-or-less correct. It looks the part and while some of the detailing isn't as crisp as on later 1:18 models, it still looks the part. Heck, the JSI repaint that came out a decade or so after the original Huey release still looked good!
P-38
This likely could fall into the "Hit & Miss" category as well, but I think that for a 2001/2002 design, it still holds up remarkably well against later more detailed models. The P-38 was conceived when 21c was still making "toys" and it shows: the landing gear are off, the cockpit a bit oversized, and oversized panel lines. However, they did get the overall shape right and with a good paint scheme, the plane still looks fantastic.
JU-87 Stuka
This is another plane 21c made early on that has held up well. My most serious complaint is that the control surfaces on the wings are off and should have been "staggered" as one can see on the 21c 32x model. But even without the correct control surfaces, it still captures the look of the Stuka, has a detailed cockpit & interior, and as JSI showed with their weathered repaint, could still look good in a professional setting nearly a decade after it was first released.
AH-1 Supercobra
The 21c AH-1 Supercobra is another winner in my book. Compared to its contemporary offerings in 2004, it was a step above. There are minor accuracy issues, say with the shape of the forward fuselage and canopy, but overall it looks like a Supercobra and its level of detail and functionality is excellent. My biggest complaint with that item was that it should have come with a proper pilot figure instead of the special forces soldier.
F-104C/G
A rather unusual subject for a Cold War/Vietnam era fighter jet, 21c still did a great job with this model. It has an excellent blend of functionality and accuracy and just looks fast. The cockpit detail is awesome. I've had one on display ever since I got my first one in 2005. My only gripes with this is that the air brakes weren't designed to open and they should have modified the wing to include hardpoints on the F-104G tooling.
Mig-15
In my opinion, this ranks among the best of 21c's offerings. Here their years of experience perfecting their design of 1:18 planes was starting to pay off. The Mig combines an excellent amount of detail, accuracy, and playability. I love the cockpit detail, opening gun bay, and air breaks. The model is also rather sturdy and can be handled well without real fear of breaking it.
F-86
This is one of 21c's best efforts in my opinion. They did everything right that the earlier Admiral Toys 1:18 F-86 got wrong. Like the Mig-15, it combines an excellent amount of detail, accuracy, and playability, while still being a bit rugged. It captures the look of the F-86 and is a beautiful model. 21c got so much right that when JSI re-released it, it seemed only the landing gear bay interiors were what needed modification. My only real gripe is that on the 21c versions, they did not put the yellow strip ID markings on the underside of the wings. That was the grossest inaccuracy with this 21c model!
Well, I think that covers just about all the 21c aircraft and my general assessment of them... The 21c armor, BBI aircraft, BBI armor, and JSI toolings will need other separate threads and I'm not dwelling on them here (especially the JSI F-14!!) Kudos if you made it to the bottom of my post