Heller - Morane 230, as flown by @jean when he was just a lad **Finished**

[JOCKNEY]

So having been the victim of @jean cunning plan, verging on entrapment, please see below my other build for this GB !

This is another one of my modern kits from the 1960's, so the decals will be a battle, and those strutts look like a nightmare, but life's too short not to take these things head on. So let battle commence 

 

 

Cheers Pat

[jean]

Gee Pat,

this kit must be one of your most recent acquisition!

You will indeed suffer, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

We will watch and cheer, like the ghoulish modelers we are.

 

Have fun Mate.

 

JR

[CliffB]

So far, we have a 225, a 230 and a 236 in the Group Build.  Are we missing any from the Heller catalogue? 

 

Cheers

[RidgeRunner]

Nice, Pat

[Richard Tucker]

I built this one last year for the Heller GB and really enjoyed it. It was small and beautifully formed. The decals were a pain though.

 

I'll follow along and see how it should be done.

[JOCKNEY]

Parts, instructions and decals

 

 

 

Cheers Pat

[jean]

Hi Pat,

 

this promises to be worth watching.

Lot of fun for us, and hopefully for you too.

This plane holds a special part in my heart. I flew on a MS 237, which was a version built in very small number before the war (no, not the 100 years one!) for the civilian market. It looked pretty much the same though.

On my first flight, obviously as a passenger, I was trying to strap myself in the front seat when I realized that one of my lap strap was jammed under the seat.

I turned around to tell my mate flying the plane, just as he pushed the throttle for take-off. He was a rubbish lip reader, as he smiled and gave me a thumb up.

So off we went, towing a Wassmer Bijave glider, while I was still unsuccessfully trying to free the damn belt.

The glider releases the tow, my friend reduces power and falls like a grand piano while doing all sorts of lazy eights, inverted turns, etc. to show me how great the plane handles... While all this is happening, I am holding the underside of my seat with both hands, spending most of the descent suspended in mid-air by my arms, while stupid gravity and its friends are trying to suck me out of the cockpit. Me, scared?

By the time we reached the downwind, my arms were in agony and 8 inches longer than before take-off.

The best part was to see my mate's face when I told him what had happened... Whiter than white, and possibly whiter than mine.

 

So you should put some scuffing on the underside of the front seat, even if you are modelling a 230!

As I said, a special plane!

 

JR

[JOCKNEY]

Thanks JR, that's brilliant and I know it was frightening but very funny when it isn't happening to you.

I might paint the front seat brown, rather than blue on this occasion  

 

Cheers Pat 

[jean]

2 hours ago, JOCKNEY said:

Thanks JR, that's brilliant and I know it was frightening but very funny when it isn't happening to you.

I might paint the front seat brown, rather than blue on this occasion  

 

Cheers Pat 

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu/u``````````````````````````````````````````````trtttttttttttttttd3332222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222221wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww3eqee

 

Hi Pat, the above is not gibberish but a message from Squiggle, our mongoose, who obviously disapproves in the strongest terms about the color of the seat!

I was actually too busy trying to remember how to flap my arms in case of ejection, for anything to happen in my lower half!

Sorry, I have a mad mongoose tap dancing all over the keyboard. Damn, her head is now stuck in a model's sprue... HELP!

Anyway, the seat retained its color!

 

Have fun.

Cheers mate.

JR

Edited August 11, 2021 by jean

[PeterB]

Ho Pat,

 

Fortunately my current pair of cats are not interested in kits or they could be just as bad if not worse than Jean's Mongoose. All they are really interested in is eating, sleeping and going outdoors and slaughtering the local rodent population, unfortunately with the odd bird thrown in - Jak was playing with a ruddy Jackdaw the other day. Oh, and yes they will condescend to have a bit of a fuss every once in a while, when we have managed to fully satisfy their needs! Unlike their five predecessors they do not even like left over tidbits from out meals. But then they are brothers from the same litter which we have never had before - they bond more with each other rather than us I suspect.

 

As to the seat perhaps Kahki would be appropriate in spite of Jeans's protestations?😁

 

Pete

Edited August 12, 2021 by PeterB

[JOCKNEY]

Bit of progress to report

 

 

I kept the front seat blue, harness straps are probably too thick but at least @jean can find them !

 

 

This is the colour of green as stated on the Smer painting guide for my MS225, looks lighter than I expected.

 

Is this right I should I repaint before I go any further ?

 

Cheers Pat

[CliffB]

5 hours ago, JOCKNEY said:

Is this right I should I repaint before I go any further ?

 

I've no real knowledge on this Pat, but when I last looked at it (via the colour guides on the IPMS Stockholm site), I ended up with FS14052 as the closest colour, which then led to Tamiya XF-13 'J.A. Green'.  To my eyes/monitor it looks very close to what you've done.  I guess yours would darken a bit too under a coat of varnish?

 

As I say though, I'm no expert so could easily be wrong!

[Richard Tucker]

I used Vallejo Model Air Russian Green for mine and it looked a similar colour to the box art.

 

 

[jean]

Hi Pat,

 

it depends in what year this 230  would have been flying.

Before the war, you would have to paint it in vert "emaillite" (it is a wrong name anyway, but that is a long story).

All planes were painted like that until the phoney war.

The most accurate way to obtain it is (Humbrol 30 x 3) + (Humbrol 3 x 1). A beautiful color.

 

But again, this is your call.

And yes, I wish I had those thick seat belts during my first flight!!!! 

 

Looking good!

 

JR

[PeterB]

Hi Pat,

 

If this is what IPMS Stockhold call "Vert Ptotectif" they suggest Hu 101 x 1 plus Hu 88 x 1, but Jean's suggestion is probably better.

 

Pete

Edited August 20, 2021 by PeterB

[JOCKNEY]

Getting there

 

 

 

Thanks for the colour tip @jean

 

Cheers Pat

[Andwil]

Looking good Pat, I love those inter war parasol monoplanes.

 

AW

[CliffB]

Wow.  There's no mistaking that this is M336! 

[jean]

Hi Pat,

this is an impressive build, with all the sticky things you seem to have a predilection for!

Really good.

And you have the proper vert emaillite!

Great show

 

JR

[jean]

Hi Pat,

 

yesterday as I was "tidying up" tons of floatsam in the loft, I found a box with some Instamatic photos taken at the dawn of creation.

Which prompts me to apologize as the plane I almost got ejected from was not a MS 237, but a MS 317!!!! Pretty much the same... Senility is around the corner, no doubt.

Unfortunately, when subjected to a cool 35 Celsius after years of lying tight in a box, these photos started curling like potato chips.

So I have taken a few photos of the photos, and the shadow you see at the top comes from a piece of Potassium-rich granulite (the best photo weights!).

Anyway, here are a few shots of F-BCBQ, and of the Bijave glider it was towing when I got my very first grey hair!

Apologies for the poor quality!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers mate.

 

JR

PS: just noticed that you can see my 2 CV between the front canopy and the wing...Memories...

Edited August 28, 2021 by jean

[JOCKNEY]

Cheers @jean

Superb photos, amazing how a photo can bring back long forgotten memories instantly. 

If this is you hinting I now need to look for a blooming MS 237 as well, you can dream on mate ! 

Cheers Pat

[Ol' Scrapiron]

Nice project Pat.

 

Jean, lovely vintage photos and it is a shame what time can do to these treasured prints. I hop you do not mind that I took a stab at bringing some of the old life back into the ones you posted. No altering, no resizing, no "fixing" -- just boosting some of the levels and contrast to see more of the original.

 

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-

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Ooops. I had to upload to get a hyperlink for the shots and it looks like my site did scale down the images in the process. Hope these look a little closer to your memory of that experience.

 

 

 

[jean]

Hi @Ol' Scrapiron

 

you have done a great job. Yes, they look so much better, and one can see my beloved mountains now!

Thanks a lot!

 

JR

[JOCKNEY]

Brilliant job on the pictures @Ol' Scrapiron, thanks very much.

 

I'm calling this one done, I've had a shocker in the Blitzbuild GB, so posting pictures of a finished build on here is an attempt to raise my spirits.

 

I hope you like it.

 

Cheers Pat

 

 

 

 

 

[jean]

Hi Pat,

 

not sure yet what the shocker you experienced in the Blitz Build is about, but there is nothing shocking about this little Morane!

It is dainty and beautifully built + the paint looks spot on.

I am very impressed by your rigging. The X between the underwing supports must have been a cast iron one to fit. Single malt helps calm the nerves, we all know that!

 

Congratulations mate.

 

JR