737 MAX winglet inaccuracy

[igor.lunyov]

Hello IFC, first of all, this is not a complaint topic nor any form of criticism toward the Staff, and I have no intention of causing trouble. This is simply a topic to ask questions and provide some evaluation.

First of all, I want to thank the development team for working so hard to bring us such a wonderful 737 MAX, but there are a few things I’m quite concerned about and I hope to get some clarification regarding the current issues with the 737 MAX.
As some of you may already know (or maybe not, or perhaps you just haven’t noticed), the winglet on the current 737 MAX version is quite off the angle. I have some pictures below to prove this. First, I would like to provide a comparison between the real aircraft and the in-game model

As you can see, there is a slight difference in the upper winglet, its angle is tilted more forward rather than swept backward like IRL

Here is an image comparing the WIP version and the released version. As you can see, the winglet angle in the WIP model is much more accurate and has more detail than the one in the final release.

And lastly, when the very first 737 MAX version entered beta, its winglet had highly detailed static wicks. But somehow, in the later beta versions, and even in the current release, the static wicks have been simplified significantly. This is quite surprising to me, considering the modeling quality standards in 2024.

And here are other faults I found on the 737 MAX, like the outboard slat is misaligned, or that we can see through to the outside from the overhead compartments.

Once again, I don’t mean to criticize or complain, I am simply pointing out the current issues of the 737 MAX.
I also heard that in future updates, the staff will be implementing a new pipeline and has a new team of 3D artists, which could help fix and improve the existing fleet.
Will we see these corrections for the 737 MAX in the upcoming 25.2 update?

I really appreciate you taking the time to read this topic. I also hope a staff member can jump in and address the concerns I’ve had for a while. Please keep the comments constructive and respectful of each other’s opinions.

[N908QD]

I find it interesting how they changed the winglets if it was perfectly fine before. What made them change it I wonder

[Petre2026]

Hey there! Please see this existing topic:

https://community.infiniteflight.com/t/does-the-737-max-need-to-be-fixed/1006628

I know it’s closed, but this issue was brought up early on in the conversation. I believe the devs are aware of it. Hopefully it will get fixed in the future, but my guess is that with all attention being on the new engine, there hasn’t been a big push for this yet.

And since the last topic was closed, if this one is left open then it can become the new thread. Although, like I said, I’m pretty sure the devs know about the issue.

[igor.lunyov]

Hello, Petre!
Thanks, I’ll review that

[igor.lunyov]

Hi!
That is the point I get confused when it was so perfect, but why they changed it. If there is any reason behind this, I would like to see a staff enlighten us this, if it’s possible/needed
But, indeed, waiting for an update, as Petre said

[igor.lunyov]

I took the review, and they talk about the inaccuracy of horizontal stablizers’ angle, and the gaps between flaps. I described bits of other issues
But it’s OK, since we’re striving for realism here, and highlighting another problems gives the room for improvement!

Thanks, again, for ur time

[PhorzaSky]

The leading edge Krueger flaps also have an issue with parts of them not extending correctly. I’ve been told that the developers are aware of this

[Petre2026]

I was talking about in the thread. It’s brought up with photos from the Southwest Max

[ethanburge4707]

I definitely hope the winglet gets fixed.

[Dan]

The simple answer to the winglet inaccuracy is because the entire wing was modelled incorrectly to begin with, so the artists had to completely remodel the shape of the wing, but that then meant the winglet changed.

The changed winglets went unnoticed for some time during development, and all liveries were adjusted & designed on the current model.

This then meant when we did notice the winglet inaccuracy, we could only skew it ever so slightly without messing up the mapping that the liveries use.

Long story short = joys of development. One thing gets fixed, another issues arises. With the anticipation of the MAX being combined with our internal targets and need to ship the aircraft, it was released in its current state.

So yeah.. the max could do with some tweaks but right now they’re veryyyyy minor issues compared to our current goals.

[igor.lunyov]

Hi, Dan!
Yep, this’s the headache of the whole development world: sometimes changes might lead to more issues.
Appreciate your time, responding to my post!
Thanks!

[737Aviator]

Yesss, also I would like to address something else. Though this is very very small, when in the cabin, and you find a window to get a good wing view, facing the leading edge or trailing edge, the wing just looks off, and not realistic. I can show some pictures below.

Again, these are very minor details, and the max itself is already awesome. I can compare to some photos I took irl.

What I’m mainly seeing, is that the wing is just unrealistically thick in IF compared to irl, as you can see in my pictures the wing looks thin, and for smooth. Another thing is the angle of which the winglet is attached to the wing, as it also adds to the weird look of the wing.

[ethanburge4707]

I completely agree

[737maxlover]

I’m gonna be 100% honest here (honestly is the best policy !) I feel like they need to do a complete revamp/rework of the max. I just feel like there’s just so many things wrong pointed out to the point where everywhere you go you can point out inaccuracies. Idk why it’s only for the max though, as for example when I search for imperfections in the e175, it’s almost flawless. I thought they would do the same for the max but I guess not. The wings are very VERY thick, the winglets doesn’t have the right curve/shape, it has the wrong angle, and the liveries are also odd on some (on Alaska Airlines for example in the winglet part). Not to mention the cockpit too which I don’t wanna go too deep into because I’ve been yapping this whole time on some “small” details (I guess you could say) and if I just go deep into the max cockpit inaccuracies which to me are actually much bigger than the external modeling flaws, then you guys are probably gonna get annoyed.

This is just some criticism and feedback, I will still fly the max for now on as it’s the only max aircraft we have on the sim, but as for now hopefully they will fix these issues to make the experience as best as possible. All luck to the IF team and devs!

[Dan]

Thanks for sharing your feedback! We are aware of the issues with the 737 MAX and all things mentioned are well noted. Unfortunately a “full” rework of the 737 MAX most likely isn’t on the cards. I’m not a developer, but I can quite confidently say that a complete rework of the MAX isn’t going to happen anytime soon as it’s one of the newest aircraft in the simulator.

Right now we’re fully focused on our next update / open beta + the NEO, 787-9 and piper aircraft. These features alone take up some time so my best guess is that the MAX likely won’t be looked into until we’ve made significant progress with these developments.

I’m one for realism though and I totally understand the frustration with small inaccuracies! Hopefully this is something we can revisit when resources allow.