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Enzo the Magnificent

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The aircraft modelled is an early prototype for the B series of the Heinkel He112 fighter. It was named V9. 

 

From 1937 it toured Europe in an effort to make sales and then, in 1938, saw action in the Spanish Civil War where it was given the code 8.2. It was piloted by Hauptmann Harro Harder who gave it his own distinctive swastika insignia. Harder was later killed during the Battle of Britain.

 

Following the Spanish Civil War, V9 resumed its European sales tour but in February 1939 crashed during a demonstration flight in Hungary.

 

This is the link to the WIP:

 

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My first submission for this GB, indeed my first GB submission ever: Republic F-47N Thunderbolt of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, flown by Lieutenant Colonel José Antonio Muñiz, a co-founder of the PRANG, in the late nineteen-forties. Muñiz lost his life on Independence Day, 1960, when the F-86D Sabre he was flying in an air display formation lost power and crashed. PRANG’s home base is named in his honour. This aircraft was restored in 1972 and is now on display at Peterson Air & Space Museum in Colorado.

 

This is the much-maligned P-47N kit first issued in 1974, with aftermarket decals, wheels, cannon, rockets and canopy. I chose this kit mainly because nobody seems to have a good word to say about it (there are a couple of online reviews out there that are almost comical in their indignation). No attempt was made to correct any of the apparent inaccuracies. The weaponry is speculative, even fanciful; there’s no evidence that this particular airframe was ever tooled up like this, but there is a well-known photograph of a P-47 armed to the teeth for the benefit of a press display. Whether a Jug would take all that weight and all that drag into a combat situation is anybody’s guess. I wanted a fairly quick (one month start to finish, quick for me!) and enjoyable build and that’s exactly what I got, it was just what I needed in between all the other stuff I have going on. This is absolutely not one for the rivet counters but if you want a fun kit and rediscover your inner thirteen-year-old I highly recommend it.

 

Thanks to everyone who has shown an interest and offered encouragement, especially @Wez, who provoked me into this!

 

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My first issue Heller Hawk has finally made it to the gallery!

 

A nice and simple build with nothing in the way of extra detail added, straight out the box assembly and paintwork. Humbrol Authetics used although not all from the French set. The green is from the Uniforms set and the underside blue/grey from the Russian set. The topside grey is from the French set although it should be used on the underside! I thought it looked better up top. The cockpit got finished in black and not a thing, including the pilot, can be seen in there. KISS principles in operation here.

 

Build thread here...

 

 

 

Glamour shots here. All shot with my phone camera using no flash and the overhead natural lighting in my model shed.

 

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This is Heller's 1/72 PZL P.23 Karas (catalogue number 247) dating from 1979 (great year for music). This was my first entry to the GB as it was one of the first Heller kits I remember building back in the early 80s, and it's a kit I wanted to re-visit. I'm sure that there are more modern and better kits of the Karas out there now, but the Heller offering is still extremely good, and for it's time, I would say excellent. The mouldings are crisp, detail is good and the fit is pretty flawless. I built the kit pretty much OOB except for some etch seat belts and some aftermarket decals. I omitted the loop antenna housing as the all the options on the decal sheet I had didn't seem to include the loop. WIP is here...

 

 

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Here's my Heller Ju 52.  She's a "back of the cabinet" job, but she'll do until the definitive build I have planned for oh, sometime a long time hence.

 

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Here's the link to the build.

 

Rgds

 

Martin

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        Hello everyone... I present my 3rd and final build here. It is Heller kit #240 the Heinkel He.112B/01. It is in the markings of the Romanian Air Forces Grupul 5 Vanatoare stationed at Pipera-Bucharest June 1941. 

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Please fell free to ask questions, post comments, or add thoughts in my build thread. 
 

Dennis

 

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Heller Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb, L.088

 

Markings are 322 (Dutch) Sqn, RAF - established June 6, 1943, RAF Woodvale 
BM354 was one of the former Belgian 350 Sqn aircraft taken over at Hawkinge where 322 Sqn was reassigned to (without their former rides).

322 commonly named their aircraft, this one named after the city of Malang on Java.

BM354 would later serve with 222 Sqn, surviving the war and finally scrapped in 1950.

 

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WIP thread:

 

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My take on the 1967 issue Potez 631 is ready for inspection. 

 

A build that fought back a bit, but most of the problems were of my own making. It's a three footer, but I'm happy enough to add an example of the type to my growing Heller built model collection.

 

Build thread here...

 

 And Money Shots here...

 

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This is the Heller 1/72 Messerschmitt Bf-109E (catalogue number 089) dating from 1975 finished in the markings of Uffz Leo Zaunbrecher's Red 14 of 2/JG 52. Zaunbrecher was shot down and captured on the 12th August 1940 after successfully crash landing at Mays Farm, Selmeston in Sussex. This is another really nice little kit from Heller. Matched the plans well, the fit is great and I would certainly build a few more. Last time I built this kit was in 1984. I'm not sure why I left it so long to build another. One major boob with my finished build, I had these decals for Zaunbrecher's 109 for some time, and thought this would be the perfect excuse to finally use them. So off I storm like the proverbial bull in a china shop only to discover that his Emil was in fact an E-1, and what I've done is effectively an E-3. Ho hum! Although I'm calling this done, I have noticed that a bit of tidying up needs done and there's still a bit of the aerial to add, but it will do me. Fairly happy with the hairy stick paint finish just as long as I view it from six feet away whilst wearing beer goggles.

 

WIP here...

 

 

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Steve

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I have finally finished by Spitfire XVIE. It is OOB except for replacement guns from the Master range and left over wheels from a Special Hobby Spit. I have modelled it as an aircraft of 65 Squadron RAF in May 1945.

 

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Not a bad little kit - basic but goes together well.

 

Pete

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Whilst I was waiting for the metallic paint on my Mig 19 to harden up I thought I would throw in a quick build of the only other Heller kit in my stash, their AMX 30B tank in 1/72

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It is a typical tank kit of the 1979's - basic with horrible thick "rubber band" track that is totally inaccurate in tread pattern, lacking detail on the inside and won't hold acrylic paint, but other than that it made up quite well. I was going to build it OOB but in the end decided to add some turret baskets and stowage - they are not very accurate but better than nothing.

 

Pete

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185 - Leyland Rover 3500 (1977), 1/43

And so the first one of all my entries is finished!

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To try to get rid of the Dinky Toys feeling, i did some weathering. Almost invisible, mostly on the wheels and behind them, and on the windscreen.

 

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No decals were provided apart from generic number plates. Not even the Rover logo! So I had to find something looking at least almost like it - finally I found a small part of an instrument panel decal from i MiG-27(!) The "Rover" "3500" text is taken from a photo of the real thing, printed on paper and glued in place. The number plates are Swedish 1970s standard, MTZ 164 is actually a real red Rover 3500 (extremely rare in Sweden), still existing  (even more extremely rare over here), but wrong year. You can't win them all...

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Build thread: 

 

Edited by Bjorn
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Back in 1973 Heller released a kit of the Mig-19 - the longer nosed missile carrying "PM" variant, known to NATO as the Farmer E. I eventually got round to buying it and here it is.

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It is perhaps not one of Heller's better kits in some repects - the fuselage was see through for a start so I have added jetpipes, bulkheads, intake trunking and boxed in the nose wheel bay. Also, it was pointed out to me that the wing and horizontal tail were not quite right so I grafted on a new horizontal tail from an old KP Mig-19S kit, straightened out the kink in the wing trailing edge and replaced it with proper "tabs", added inner fences and what I guess are flap actuator fairings. I also sanded down somewhat the rash of oversized rivets Heller moulded. It is probably still not accurate but it looks a bit better. I also replaced the rather porr AA-1 Alkali missiles with some fiddly but much better looking Eduard-Brassin ones and replaced the plastic pitot tube incorrectly intended for under the nose with a Master brass one on the starboard wing. I gather that the wing profile and the shape of the fuselage are probably not correct, but there was not a lot I could do about that.

 

So, if you want a totally accurate long nosed 1/72 version of the Mig-19 don't bother with this kit - not that has been a lot of choice until now, but I see Trumpeter have released one this year. Then again Trumpeter have a mixed reputation! Anyway, I have finished it and am quite pleased with the result.

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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Back in 1964 the Mirage IVA began to be delivered to the French Air Force and before long there were 9 Squadrons, each of 4 aircraft, operating as 3 Wings. These 36 aircraft plus a number of spares as back-up formed the French nuclear deterrent until nuclear powered ballisitic missile submarines started to enter service in 1971, and as more of the subs entered service, the Mirage IVA fleet was steadily reduced in size starting in 1976 when one Wing was stood down. In 1984 some of the Mirages were fitted to carry the ASMP nuclear armed cruise missile as Mirage IVP, replacing the free fall AN-11 and later AN-22 bombs. Eventually the rest of the Mirage bombers were replaced by the Mirage 2000N fighter in 1996, though a few lingered on until 2005 as Mirage IVR photorecce planes. So, unlike the B-58 Hustler and the A-5 Vigilante, the Mirage IV continued in its original nuclear role for over 30 years - not a bad record!

 

Heller released their kit of the Mirage IVA in 1979, and I bought this one quite a bit later.

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Except for the radome - the cream coloured circle under the fuselage- the kit went together well. Heller provide markings for 6 different planes and I have modelled aircraft No 4 but have no idea which Squadron it belonged to. They do not give a date, but given the paint scheme it must be after they switched from high level to low level in, I believe, the early 1970's. And yes, the ruddy big white thing recessed under the fuselage is the bomb!

 

I can recommend the kit to anybody who likes French aircraft, though I would suggest fitting the radome after the fuselage is glued together, unlike as in the instructions!

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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Here's my first ever entry for a group build gallery! 

1/72 Heller Bloch 174 with some extras, & nice big marshmallow tongs sticking out the front of the wing!

 

Bloch 174 A3 No.24 1'Escadrille "La Hache" du GR2/33 Avion du Capitaine de Saint-Exupery Mission sur Arras du 23 Mai 1940.

Bloch 174 A3 No.24 1'Escadrille "La Hache" du GR2:33 Avion du Capitaine de Saint-Exupery Mission sur Arras du 23 Mai 1940

 

Bloch 1/Bloch 174 A3 No.24 1'Escadrille "La Hache" du GR2:33 Avion du Capitaine de Saint-Exupery Mission sur Arras du 23 Mai 194074 A3 No.24 1'Escadrille "La Hache" du GR2:33 Avion du Capitaine de Saint-Exupery Mission sur Arras du 23 Mai 1940

 

Bloch 174 A3 No.24 1'Escadrille "La Hache" du GR2:33 Avion du Capitaine de Saint-Exupery Mission sur Arras du 23 Mai 1940

 

Bloch 174 A3 No.24 1'Escadrille "La Hache" du GR2:33 Avion du Capitaine de Saint-Exupery Mission sur Arras du 23 Mai 1940

 

Bloch 174 A3 No.24 1'Escadrille "La Hache" du GR2:33 Avion du Capitaine de Saint-Exupery Mission sur Arras du 23 Mai 1940

 

Bloch 174 A3 No.24 1'Escadrille "La Hache" du GR2:33 Avion du Capitaine de Saint-Exupery Mission sur Arras du 23 Mai 1940

 

 

 

 

 

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The Talbot Lago T26 GP Racer..... 

Finally got down to taking some photos of the finished build. 

It's a great kit, straightforward and no snags and surprises along the way. 

Straight out of the box with a scratch front grille and a bit of effort to keep her down on the springs. 

Yellow for the Belgian race team makes quite a visual impact! I think it suits these cars. Have a look for their yellow shark-nose Ferrari...... 😎

The figures are extra, of course, mainly the skinny pilot and ground crew from the big Revell Spad XIII kit in 1.28 who have been built up and remodelled to something more like it. 

The blue driver is a complete scratch build on a wire frame. 

Just love having this car sitting around.. 

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Having done the ancient Merit kit of the car (in a slightly earlier setup) I can vouch for this Heller kit being a major improvement! 

So now I have l'équipe Belgique du Grand Prix. 

🇧🇪🏁🇫🇷🤩

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