Heller Classic GB Chat

[Black Knight]

37 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Thanks for that @Black Knight, would this also apply if both kits were ‘Black Boxed’? 

A very generalisation; a Heller black box of the Airfix/Heller period could have either coloured or grey plastic, but an Airfix boxing will have grey plastic.

[Basilisk]

On 12/19/2019 at 6:36 AM, Enzo Matrix said:

I've just had a very enjoyable visit to the French quarter of The Stash.  I've decided on my builds for this GB.

 

I'm reeely looking forward to the Yak-3.  Look at the box contents...

 

 

   

Why not build that lovely Yak-3 in the proposed Yak-1 to 11 STGB??? Looks like you have plenty of other kits you can build here

Cheers, Peter

[Wez]

17 minutes ago, Basilisk said:

Why not build that lovely Yak-3 in the proposed Yak-1 to 11 STGB??? Looks like you have plenty of other kits you can build here

Cheers, Peter

Whenever he chooses to build it, remind me to wear sunglasses to read his WIP posts, that blue plastic is...   ...rather vivid!

[TonyW]

It feels a bit like wishing my life away here, the GB is a fair way in the future at the moment, but I've been sorting through my stash as well as hoovering up a few cheapo Heller kits as they appear at shows and auctions. It's starting to niggle me that I can't begin a build or two. By the time the GB comes around I'll be at it like a bullet from a gun!

 

The Museum series is what attracts me to Heller kits as a collector and as a builder. There's not too many in the series to make collecting a chore and they certainly look good on display. The re releases of the originals over the years mean builders are cheap enough and easy to find. Heller are currently issuing the series in copies of the original boxes. They come with original issue decals plus a couple more options as well. A really good idea!

 I won't be building any of my proper originals but this lot below are in contention for a bit of paint and glue although those black box single engine planes are starting to grow on me as collectables. I could be in trouble here.  No problem though, there's plenty of others to be getting on with for the GB.

 

 

 

I'll be on the lookout for more stuff prior to the kickoff. Period french references and paints will be required for the progress and Gallery shots, so I'll need to track that kind of thing down between now and then. All good stuff for keeping me keen as well.

The Airfix and FROG GB's saw a decent number of builds from me. I'm aiming to follow suit here.

 

Tony.

 

 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

1 minute ago, TonyW said:

 It's starting to niggle me that I can't begin a build or two.

 

Who says you can't?   There's nothing wrong with indulging in a build just to take the edge off the waiting...    

 

I always liked FROG kits: not least because of their British patriotism.  Whatever kit they released, if there was a British markings option it would be on the decal sheet.

 

Heller are exactly the same with their French patriotism.     Look at the Vampire, T-6 and T-28 kits.  All of them have French marking options - usually on the box top art.  But Heller went a little bit further in that they released kits of French subjects that no other manufacturer would ever consider.  Your photo shows exactly what I mean.  What an excellent selection.   The two Caudrons look very inviting.

 

But for me the star of the show has to be the Bloch 210.  That's just begging to be built in this GB!

[Rabbit Leader]

Yes, an excellent ‘start’ to your collection and potential GB builds there @TonyW. I too am itching to start, however will get the chance soon thanks to January’s Scandinavian GB. Thankfully Heller produced six classic SAAB kits between 1977 - 1982 and I currently have all bar the J29 Tunnan which is still readily available. I won’t be building all six up front however there’s plenty of other GB titles throughout the year that I can spread these over. It should be a cracking year for Heller kits and I look forward to seeing what you end up building. 
 

Cheers and Merry Christmas.. Dave

[Enzo the Magnificent]

2 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

I won’t be building all six up front

Awwww...  

 

but you know you want to...    

[Rabbit Leader]

2 minutes ago, Enzo Matrix said:

Awwww...  

 

but you know you want to...    

‘Want’ and ‘Can’ are two entirely different words. I’ll see if I can meet you half way Enzo and build three! 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

1 minute ago, Rabbit Leader said:

‘Want’ and ‘Can’ are two entirely different words. I’ll see if I can meet you half way Enzo and build three! 

But now you have the agony of choice...  

[TonyW]

29 minutes ago, Enzo Matrix said:

 

 

 

But for me the star of the show has to be the Bloch 210.  That's just begging to be built in this GB!

 

 

I have a built one. I have a small collection of Heller Museum series models already built and tucked away. No doubt they will get an airing soon. The Bloch 210 certainly fell out the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down but I still like the thing.

 

 

A furniture van with wings, but still prettier than the Amiot 143, although a plane with a lounge downstairs seems very French somehow.

 

I can see me building both again. 

[Rabbit Leader]

9 minutes ago, Enzo Matrix said:

But now you have the agony of choice...  

Best treat them like my two children then, where there is one clear ‘favourite’!! My aim is to build all six in 2020, even the Viggen in splinter scheme - “Wot!!”, now I’m clearly going mad! 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

39 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

 even the Viggen in splinter scheme - “Wot!!”, now I’m clearly going mad!

I'm doing one of those as well...  Insanity loves company!   

[Wez]

10 hours ago, TonyW said:

but this lot below are in contention for a bit of paint and glue

The one I'd like to see made up of that little lot is the Coudron SIMOUN, a lovely looking aircraft but a kit I've never owned.  I think Model Art did some alternative decals for this aircraft a few years back...

Edited December 24, 2019 by Wez
typo

[TonyW]

I'm in full agreement with you there Wez, it's a fine looking plane.

I really like the kit decals so I'll be going that route with it which will save a few bob that I can spend on other Heller kits! Win win if you ask me. I borrow female shopping logic when necessary. 'With the money I saved buying a half price pair of shoes, I got two handbags for free' Two can play at that game!

Edited December 24, 2019 by TonyW

[TonyW]

Final picture, at least until after Xmas I guess, the rest of my built Museum series Heller kits, including the unbelievably ugly Amiot 143. The French themselves must have thought the same, look at the colour they chose for it!

 

 

For all the mud slinging I do regarding the pre war French stuff I still have quite an affection for them. Some of the RAF types then current would have given them a close run for Worlds Ugliest, but that's the charm of them really. Blackburn Blackburn anyone?

 

Happy Xmas to all Heller GB entrants, see you at the start line.

 

Tony.

[PeterB]

OK, I am definitely in but several of the Heller kits in my stash will probably get done in other GB before this one - Tunnan, Lansen and Viggen shortly, and the Spit XVI later this year. That leaves me with just 3 - Mig 19, Mirage IV, and AMX 30, all pre 1980 according to Scalemates, although my boxings are somewhat later I think. I thought the Lansen came out in the 1970's as well but now find it was 1982 - but as I said recently in a Kuta thread, my memory is clearly not as good as I thought. I also have a LeO 451 but I am not sure it will meet the 25% rule as the fuselage is finished and the tail put on, but I have not started on the wings yet.

 

This looks as if it will rival the recent Frog GB which was my first go at "public modelling" and very enjoyable.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

[Wez]

5 hours ago, PeterB said:

OK, I am definitely in but several of the Heller kits in my stash will probably get done in other GB before this one - Tunnan, Lansen and Viggen shortly, and the Spit XVI later this year. That leaves me with just 3 - Mig 19, Mirage IV, and AMX 30, all pre 1980 according to Scalemates, although my boxings are somewhat later I think. I thought the Lansen came out in the 1970's as well but now find it was 1982 - but as I said recently in a Kuta thread, my memory is clearly not as good as I thought. I also have a LeO 451 but I am not sure it will meet the 25% rule as the fuselage is finished and the tail put on, but I have not started on the wings yet.

 

This looks as if it will rival the recent Frog GB which was my first go at "public modelling" and very enjoyable.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Welcome Pete,

 

I'm glad to see you're going to build your other Heller kits in other GBs, I might just use your threads as inspiration to catch more punters.

 

The Lansen is a funny one, my original example came in the traditional Heller black box so I definitely class it as a Heller kit but any of your remaining choices would be very welcome.  The thing with this GB is the manufacturer made a very wide range of subjects so I'm hoping to see cars, submarines and ships amongst the aircraft in this GB.

 

Anyone else want to join the fun?

[Rabbit Leader]

Great to see you taking another dip at a Classic kit GB Pete. Not sure why the Lansen would not be eligible (or is it?) as it’s from the Black box era circa 1982. I’ll be doing one in the Scandi GB and hope to complete all six Heller Swedish Saab kits as the year progresses. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Wez]

46 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Not sure why the Lansen would not be eligible (or is it?) as it’s from the Black box era circa 1982.

There's a murky (to me anyway), period in Heller's history where Humbrol had started taking over distribution of Heller products and Heller's own paint call outs started disappearing from their instruction sheets to be replaced by Humbrol ones.  At this point, Heller were still developing and moulding their own kits and they continued to be issued in what I consider to be the classic black box.

 

So from my point of view, if the kit was originally issued by Heller in the classic black box then it is eligible for this GB even if the modellers own boxing is in a later boxing.  For instance, I have the recently re-issued 1/72nd scale Fennec but I first built this kit back when it was released and it definitely came in a black box.  This ruling would apply to the original Mirage 2000 (but not the subsequent 2 seater which is firmly in Humbrol territory), the Lansen, the Connie and DC-6 for instance.

 

If there's any doubt ask.

[Rabbit Leader]

58 minutes ago, Wez said:

If there's any doubt ask.

So just to make it easier for everyone Wez, what would be the best way to determine eligibility? Is there a particular year cut-off that we can check via Scalemates? If said kit was first released in year 19xx it’s in, and past this date it’s out? 
 

Call me thick, but the Lansen query still baffles me a little. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[PeterB]

Hi Dave,

 

I got the impression that somewhere in the thread 1980 was mentioned as a cut off. A couple of my kits are 1979 as I thought the Lansen was, but it was actually 1982 so apparently not eligible - no matter as I was going to do it in the Scandi GB anyway. I was thinking of the "Airfix" Super Etendard, which was a Heller moulding, but as it was not released until after 1980 I guess it is classed as Heller/Humbrol and therefore fails the "Classic" test too.

 

See you around mate,

 

Pete

Edited January 3, 2020 by PeterB

[Wez]

38 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said:

So just to make it easier for everyone Wez, what would be the best way to determine eligibility? Is there a particular year cut-off that we can check via Scalemates? If said kit was first released in year 19xx it’s in, and past this date it’s out? 
 

Call me thick, but the Lansen query still baffles me a little. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

Like I said, this is where it is a bit murky in my mind.

 

Reading the Wikipedia page on Heller, it would appear that Borden, the owners of Humbrol bought the brand in 1981 but didn't acquire Airfix until 1986, therefore I would say that if it was originally released by Heller until 1985 it's eligible.

 

The Lansen was originally issued in 1982 in the black box, I would class this as a Heller kit, likewise the Constellation would be OK.  The Etendard/Super Etendard is a bit fuzzy, Scalemates shows a black box as the initial release but the logo on the box is for a later time in Heller's history but the kit was released before Borden/Humbrol's acquisition of Airfix so I would class that as OK.  It's really once the two brands became almost interchangeable it all goes south.

 

I think if you can find it on Scalemates, with an initial release in a Heller box with the right period logo for that release, then its good to go.

 

[PeterB]

See what you mean Wez,

 

Both the Etendard IVM and the Super Etendard were released by Heller post Borden in 1984 in a strange box type. My memory is probably playing tricks but I thought I saw an Airfix Etendard IV in Beatties in Cardiff somewhere in the late 1980's/early 1990's and almost bought it, but as they don't seem to have issued the early version I think it must have been the Super Etendard - that or the Heller one. May get one yet as they are cheap enough!

 

Pete

Edited January 4, 2020 by PeterB

[PeterB]

On 12/22/2019 at 8:38 AM, Wez said:

Whenever he chooses to build it, remind me to wear sunglasses to read his WIP posts, that blue plastic is...   ...rather vivid!

Hi Wez,

 

Well if he is short of time Enzo can leave the bottom unpainted as it looks quite close to the blue used on Russian planes - perhaps Heller were copying Matchbox😁.

 

Pete

[Mr T]

A bit late to the party with this. Built a few Heller kits in the past, but not much left in the stash, however purely by chance  last night I came across the Bf108. I put it away years ago to build an Aldon, provided I can figure out the colour scheme etc.