Herpa KLM Boeing 777-300ER PH-BVA 1:500 Diecast Model

1:500 Diecast: KLM Boeing 777-300ER PH-BVA "Orange Pride" (Herpa). This aircraft, manufacturer serial number 35671 and line number 694, was delivered to KLM in February 2008 as the airline's first Boeing 777-300ER . It left the Boeing plant using environmentally friendlier paint, a first for the manufacturer . Upon delivery, it wore the silver SkyTeam Alliance livery with dark blue accents .

Named after Amboseli: In August 2009, PH-BVA was officially named "Amboseli National Park" after the Kenyan wildlife reserve, making it the first aircraft ever named after an African national park . It was the fourth of KLM's 777-300ERs to receive a national park name, part of the airline's program since March 2008 to make its care for nature tangible .

The Orange Pride transformation: PH-BVA's claim to fame came in 2016. Following a Facebook campaign where KLM asked "Should we colour orange next year?"—receiving 2,500 comments and 30,000 likes—the airline painted PH-BVA in a stunning orange livery in just four days, using 335 liters of paint applied by 35 workers in Hangar 14 at Amsterdam Schiphol . On June 15, 2016, it performed its first post-paint flight to Stavanger, Norway, to verify the paint adhesion . The aircraft went on to operate the "Medal Flight" carrying Dutch Olympic participants from Rio de Janeiro back to Amsterdam .

A history of incidents (all safely resolved): PH-BVA has faced multiple in-flight challenges that demonstrate the robustness of both the aircraft and its crews. On April 2, 2014, operating flight KL-836 from Singapore to Amsterdam, it received a cargo fire indication, activated the fire suppression system, and diverted safely to Bangkok—emergency services found no trace of fire . On May 2, 2017, flight KL808 from Taipei to Amsterdam suffered a No.2 engine failure while climbing, diverting safely to Hong Kong where passengers disembarked after emergency services confirmed the aircraft was secure . On December 31, 2020, operating flight KL896 from Shanghai to Amsterdam, it experienced an issue with engine No.1 and diverted safely to Beijing . In late 2023, it was repainted with an updated Orange Pride livery in Malta over 18 days, featuring a larger Dutch flag replacing the gradient design .

About this model: Herpa released PH-BVA (item 537760) in 1:500 scale as a limited edition, capturing the aircraft in its updated Orange Pride livery with the prominent Dutch flag running from nose to tail. At 18.48 cm long with a 16.2 cm wingspan, it features detailed GE90-115B engine fans—the most powerful jet engines in the world at 115,300 lbf thrust each . For collectors of KLM special liveries, aircraft with documented incident histories that ended safely, or 777 variants, this represents one of the most iconic and eventful aircraft in KLM's modern fleet.

Age 16+ only. Not a toy.