rob Lyttle Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 I've had this kit languishing in the pile for some time. I've occasionally looked in the box, thought a bit and pondered, and put it away again. It looks like an original issue of the 1st kit ever issued by Heller..... EASY, EEEEASY you collectors..... ‼️ I'd never read the back of the box, which is a grave omission with any Heller products. Until a couple of weeks ago while discussing on the chat thread..... What I have is an "Exact Reproduction, in a Numbered Limited Edition, of the First Heller Box Produced in 1957" The barcode is a bit of a give away, isn't it?? Never the less the plastic and the instructions are as they were, and the Decal sheet is well short of modern standards of what we have come to expect. So I'm going to make a start and see how far I can get. I doubt that it will be all the way to completion. So far, all I've done is release the rudder from the fuselage sides. Visible there among all the raised details are a couple of sweeping lines across the fin. They are the delineated outline for the Air France decor! 🤔😕 A major hurdle I'm anticipating is the front windscreen parts. The transparencies are way too big for the moulding which has all the glazing bars already in situ. If the transparencies are placed over the nose, then the discrepancy becomes painfully obvious..... This was one major reason for always closing the box and putting it away again. I don't know if this is what you got back in 1957, and it's been carefully reproduced here in the name of historical accuracy, or a more modern error in making the repro kit. But I'm going to have to come up with some magical solutions. No better place than on here, right ⁉️🤩 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 I'm really pleased that you've plugged the Caravelle gap in the Group Build, Rob. I was hoping to wheel out my 1/200 version, but unfortunately won't have time now. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 That glazing is a bit of a fright! I would be inclined to fill the nose solid and paint the windows in black. Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 19, 2020 Author Share Posted December 19, 2020 16 hours ago, CliffB said: was hoping to wheel out my 1/200 version, but unfortunately won't have time now. That's a pity, I could do with some company and insights on this one!! Are you sure.....? 🤩 5 hours ago, TonyW said: That glazing is a bit of a fright! Isn't it?? 😜 I decided to try some easy options on a test basis, first with a couple of panes of thin clear styrene, and then filled a couple of openings with PVA to see how it looked. The cut pieces were "tricky" to say the least but not a disaster. The PVA panels dried out like this... I can live with that! And MUCH easier to do. There's absolutely nothing inside the fuselage to be on show. In that sense I don't want the windows to be too clear 😜 A bit of research has thrown up some interesting points. The style of decor supplied, with a blue band on the window line going straight onto the cockpit glazing and "CARAVELLE" large and white, is for the prototype airframes by Sud-Est and then Sud after amalgamation with Sud-Oeste. (it seems that French aviation industry directly after WW2 was simply set up as 4 geographical regions, North East, North West, South East and South West in a push to rebuild and reorganise.) However, from what I can see, the 1st prototype F-WHHH did not have the big spine /fin extension on top of the fuselage. The 2nd prototype F-BHHI flew a good while later and has the feature. Could be that lateral stability was an issue and this addon was the solution. The kit decals, which are pretty shot anyway, have the reg F-BHRA which I've seen (and modelled in 1.144 by Airfix) in Air France livery. Soooooooo..... I'm looking at the 2nd airframe as an option to aim for. There's very little available on the after market for this strange scale. Loads in 1.144 of course. A bit of a discrepancy when I draw the window cheat lines forward to the cockpit.... ..... doesn't quite line up. A bit of creative curving will be required. Also there are the holes I've drilled for the landing lights on the nose. I have clear plastic sprue at 2mm that will glue in there. It's an interesting bit of aviation history, and obviously France's pride and joy. No wonder that Heller piled in with this, their very first kit, totally contemporary with the development of the first aircraft. Rolls Royce engines of course, and basically licensed the de Havilland Comet cockpit, it's the start of a collaboration that culminated in the most extraordinary airliner ever. And Tolouse is still the epicentre of all things Airbus 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 F-DCAL will knock you up some decals. I got a set in 1/96 for my FROGspawn issue. They will scale to your requirements. Are you going to lose the rivets? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 20, 2020 Author Share Posted December 20, 2020 11 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said: Are you going to lose the rivets? Yea, they've got to go. I might try leaving a hint of them, but if I use my sticky back Ali foil, it really picks up rivets and magnifies them by 10! The lines for the Air France decor will have to go too. F-DCAL will be borne in mind. Thanks 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 21, 2020 Author Share Posted December 21, 2020 I'm finding a good number of sink marks in the fuselage halves, and the odd little dimple in the wings, mostly outside of the locating lugs. These ones are on the engine pylons though, Styrene moulding technology has come a long way since this tooling was made. This is a fairly grey plastic but it has some of the old fashioned "silver" thing going on. As I work away on the rivets and surface lines the ghost of their presence is still there. So I'm using touch to find out how much is removed. I tried out with some foil tape to see what it's like. The Ali tape picks up everything and exaggerates. Hmmmmm..... Tentative steps 😎 The side window transparent strips are a pretty good fit and come rather well to the outside surface of the fuselage. I'm toying with the idea of getting the cheat line painted before the transparencies go in and the sides are joined. At the moment I'm sticking with the plan to do the 2nd airframe F-BHHI with the blue band and the Sud logo on the tail. It looks like the tailfin is still bare metal at this stage. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 Slow progress here with the festive season bearing down on us 🥳 I'm getting some thinned white humbrol washed on the upper surfaces around the windows etc And I've sprayed a piece of Decal paper with navy blue, with a view to cutting strips for the window-lines. The weak point in this plan is sorting out the top fuselage joint when the halves are assembled. We'll see how that goes, later. The flaps are going to be deployed, and I set about one of the wings for a try out. It's hard going because the cut line underneath is well forward of the line on top of the wing, and it's all one piece on the top wing moulding. Quite a rakish angle is required through some thick plastic! Here's what I'm dealing with.... Underside, Top side, A rest is required after doing one of these, I can tell you. Noticeable above are the 2 jet engines around which the nacelles will be built. I will describe them as rudimentary. That's OK.... Details that can't be seen are not on the agenda with this kit. Aeroplane kits in 1.100 scale are not that common but I do have one to go with the Caravelle. It's the DC3 from that funny little kit by..... No, sorry, the name escapes me. Entex, is it (or is that the plumbing brass and copper fittings Co.???) Anyway, slow and steady 😊 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 Nice cut Rob! I can see you needing a bit of a breather after that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bengalensis Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 The beautiful lines of the Sud Aviation Caravelle... nice to see Heller #1 in here! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 Here we are in No-Man's-Land between Christmas and New Year. Congratulations everyone for making it through this far, and let's hope for the best for 2021.......it's GOT to be better, hasn't it ⁉️🌠🌤️ As for the Caravelle, let's see.... I have a blue stripe applied, It's less than perfect but it is workable. Just one side so far. The holes cleaned out OK and the transparencies are quite a tidy fit. They're just pushed in for the moment. I might try to get them a little bit deeper before glue. I've actually been spending a bit of time tinkering with my old Airfix 1.144 Caravelle, sorting some bits that needed attention. I'd made a runway base for it and with the flaps fully extended, she sits on a clear sprue post just about to squeal her tyres. The main reason for going off on the detour was to have another try at the wingtop spoilers. This was something I tried before and didn't get a reasonable outcome. The blades are an elaborate, perforated style which would be the perfect candidate for photo-etch. This is my best shot so far.... The question was, do I try to make them on this Heller airframe?? I'm thinking that the answer is no, looking at these. The scale is bigger and slightly less fiddley, and they'd look good if I could pull it off. But my scratch effort isn't a show-stopper. I might try making one in 1.100 scale and see what it looks like before deciding to attack the wing. Anyway, I got the second flap detached from the wing and the nacelles assembled around les reactours. They need blue stripes too 👍😎 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halcyonjet Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 You're doing a grand job on what doesn't look to be the easiest of kits. The cockpit glazing provided looks to be a similar style to their DC-8 kit as pictured here. Strangely, on a flying visit to my local model shop, I noticed the Heller Caravelle with a prototype Concorde combo boxing. Already having got 1/100 Faller and Revell, plus 1/96 Novo Caravelles, for once I let my head rule my heart... Keep up the good work! Dave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 30 minutes ago, halcyonjet said: The cockpit glazing provided looks to be a similar style to their DC-8 kit as pictured here. Congratulations on dealing with the mental anguish in the model shop and coming away unscathed! 😅 (who have Novo repopped? Frog or something?) Your cockpit glazing looks interesting lol. Looking like the frame area is recessed and the transparency fits over the bars? These on the Caravelle I think are missing the upstanding panes. The clear "chunks" would be a very nice fit on the inside if only there were raised panes to fit through into the openings. The strips of side windows are a great fit into the fuselage. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted December 29, 2020 Share Posted December 29, 2020 Some pretty awesome work here - I really like those flaps! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Looks really good and as has been said earlier its Heller #1 so it's just got to be in the GB ! Best of luck Cheers Pat 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Crikey! That's a scary looking kit and kudos for taking it on. The transparency issue alone would have been enough to put me off. Great work so far! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 3 hours ago, fightersweep said: The transparency issue alone would have been enough to put me off. That's been the deal-breaking issue until now, but then the group build bandwagon gives that extra sense of unbeatable optimism! With this many Heller kits being done together, how can it not be doable ⁉️😅 TonyW says he is about to start into the Lockheed Constellation airliner in the new year...... That's what I'm talking about 🌠 May the Force be with him ‼️🧚🧚♂️🧚♀️🧙♀️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 Not brilliant results with the 2nd blue window stripe but again I think it's fixable. The paper was sprayed with Humbrol acrylic rattlecan. I've tried it again on a patch of laser printing Decal paper, and some clear lacquer on top, to see if it performs any better for the engine strips and the rest. I've got one of the wings assembled and under way. The fences are going to need some enhancement. The top spoiler has been etched on in a better position.... That underwing panel is for the other wing- port side is done already. Engine nacelles and tailplanes are coming on, and once the fuselage is joined up, this is not a complicated build. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 There's a brilliant photo of the wing parts in assembly, but it's a Ghetty image they want to sell for £350.00 or so..... I'd better be careful. But I can put a link on, can't I? https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/vue-générale-de-lintérieur-de-lusine-sud-aviation-à-news-photo/558656767 So far, I've enlarged the bigger, inboard fences and there's a bit of final shaping to do. The fences underwent a few changes through the development stages of the type. Seems that the 1st airframe only had one small fence per wing. Later types have the outer one curling right over the leading edge. I think I need an outer with the same footprint as the kit gives, but a little taller and protruding out over the aileron. I'll let that lot dry and set, and then see what I can do. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 (edited) When I'm foiling airframes, the build order gets adjusted to suit the process. It's usually easier to cover the fuselage and the wings separately, and then assemble. Doing a wing while it's flat on the bench can be a lot more convenient. It means that I'm relying on a good tidy joint though, when it's time. Cover strips can be applied over a bit of filler, and quite often on inspection you find real aircraft assemblies make use of such strips etc. Well, it's always nice to have some idea of what is in store, and a dry fit with this one reveals a very good effort from Heller. Not bad for a 1957 tooling, eh? A bit of buffing and polishing pays off on the wing top. The navy blue stripe is going to look nice. Edited December 31, 2020 by rob Lyttle Pic 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 Glad to say that the new piece of blue Decal paper is a lot better than my first effort. I have a tailpiece done, ..... and it all went fine. I had the foresight to cut a hole for the raised item that sits right in the middle of the blue band. APU intakes?? Who knows, but they'd make a right mess of the Decal strip. Looking at the kit decals I'm hoping to make use of them with some modifications. But it will take a bit of creativity. The main registration letters for the wing are strangely squeezed horizontally and stretched vertically. My plan is to cut on the pencil line. The B is modified to suit, and the mid-lines of the F and H are centered. The dash can be cut and moved or replaced. That gives me F-BH and even the first vertical for the next H. H and I are easy to make. Likewise the fuselage reg is a bit cramped, with the hyphen shoved back into the F. But again the H and I are easy to scratch. I have one picture of F-WHHH in flight showing the wingtop letters a bit, and they should be laid out like the Airfix model with the last HI between the fences. My pencil line gives a height of 10mm which is in the right area at this Heller scale. I have a nice shot of F-BHHI on the ground and the tail logo is right for this airframe. (not the first prototype though. I think by the time my plane, the 2nd airframe, flew, Sud Este was amalgamated into Sud, and that's the Sud Aviation logo on the fin) There doesn't seem to be the French flags applied to the fuselage at the time. The required parts of the Decal sheet are getting gloss acrylic varnish in the hope of strengthening. 🤞 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Nice attention to detail going on here. I can see one of these turning up here at some point. Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Engines are on and the mountings reinforced inside as the mating surfaces to the nacelles is slim and bevelled. Lead and nails attached in the nose to balance out the weight of the engines and tailplanes.... and some backing in the opening for the back stairs. And then - in we go...... A few tricky moments, and too much squeezing deforms the shape, but overall it could be worse. That can set a while. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Lovely work Rob, I've always been intrigued with the idea of foiling a kit, but have never done it, really enjoying following this one. Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 13 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said: intrigued with the idea of foiling a kit, but have never done it, I've got used to this stuff, the sticky Ali tape, and it's a favourite activity for me, There's a bit of a knack to it but it's a lot tougher than kitchen foils and a lot cheaper than the modelling metal finish. I'm looking forward to seeing TonyW use this famed rubbing powder on the Connie. I've heard of it but never seen it 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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