TheFlyingDutchman Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 Everyone's talking about aircraft here, but I'm excited about those Renault 4F4 and Citroen 2CV Fourgonnette. Whether they are their own toolings or Ebbro reboxes, they sure are a lot more affordable than Ebbro's kits! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 2 hours ago, Graham T said: I had NO IDEA that Heller were even still going! To be honest, I'm not sure they ever went away. I think their kits have always been out there in one form or another, either through Heller themselves, Humbrol and a host of other owners over the years. Seem to have had another lease of life now though and hopefully that will last as I like their kits a lot. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted December 24, 2022 Share Posted December 24, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, TheFlyingDutchman said: Everyone's talking about aircraft here, but I'm excited about those Renault 4F4 and Citroen 2CV Fourgonnette. Whether they are their own toolings or Ebbro reboxes, they sure are a lot more affordable than Ebbro's kits! Heller already have regular passenger versions of both which are their own tooling - their 2CV is rather old, but the R4 is quite recent, and based on comparing the instructions, the R4 appears to be more prototypically correct than the Ebbro one. For 2CV kits, Tamiya's is probably the best, and much more prototypically correct than the recent Revell, which like so many of their recent car models, has very toy like suspension detailing. Heller used their 2CV as the basis for their recent Mehari, so I'd be very surprised if these two new kits aren't just newly tooled bodyshells (& any other different parts) for their existing kits. A good way for them to generate extra sales without too much tooling investment too. The big question is what's next. Given all the Golf GTi kits from other manufacturers, there is clearly a market for hot hatch model kits, and a 205GTi would be right up Heller's street. Or even the new Alpine A110...! Edited December 24, 2022 by Paul H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimpion Posted December 25, 2022 Share Posted December 25, 2022 7 hours ago, Paul H said: Heller used their 2CV as the basis for their recent Mehari, so I'd be very surprised if these two new kits aren't just newly tooled bodyshells (& any other different parts) for their existing kits. In the video they state that these are new sprues for their existing moulds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbostream Posted December 25, 2022 Share Posted December 25, 2022 (edited) 9 hours ago, Paul H said: The big question is what's next. Given all the Golf GTi kits from other manufacturers, there is clearly a market for hot hatch model kits, and a 205GTi would be right up Heller's street. Or even the new Alpine A110...! Yeah we definitely need a full detail 1/24 205 GTI. I like it a lot more than a Golf. Edited December 25, 2022 by dbostream 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 25, 2022 Share Posted December 25, 2022 2 hours ago, dbostream said: Yeah we definitely need a full detail 1/24 205 GTI. I like it a lot more than a Golf. I would add another vote for a 1/24 205 GTI. I'd also love to see Heller cover some more standard "bread and Butter" French cars such as the Renault 18, oh! and a Renault 17 would be nice too. If I was being really "wish listy", then I would be hoping for Heller to "upscale" their 1/43 Rover 3500 and Austin Princess to 1/24. I can dream I guess. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFlyingDutchman Posted December 25, 2022 Share Posted December 25, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, Chimpion said: In the video they state that these are new sprues for their existing moulds. That would be great! Although I wouldn't have mind if they used the Ebbro 2CV moulds, as it's much better than Heller's own 2CV. The R4 is a different story. Both Ebbro's and Heller's have severe inaccuracies. Ebbro made a mess of the interior and everything under the bonnet. They mixed up several different types, though the sprues look very good at first sight. When they released their R4 GTL variant, they didn't even try to upgrade the engine, while the differences are quite significant. Heller stuck to one version a lot better: their kit accurately depicts a GTL or late TL variant. However, the wheels are too large, as they re-used the wheels from the Renault 4CV. I hope they re-tool those for the Fourgonnette variant, otherwise I might pass on it. I don't feel like sourcing yet another extra set of Ebbro wheels. Edited December 25, 2022 by TheFlyingDutchman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippo the Zipdrive Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 So the only NEW TOOL aircraft is the E-2. I wish they could update the Super Etandard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moggy Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 2 hours ago, Zippo the Zipdrive said: I wish they could update the Super Etandard. It's probably my fault - I have yet to start my reworking of the Heller Super Etendard in my stash Cheers, Moggy 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VMA131Marine Posted December 27, 2022 Share Posted December 27, 2022 4 hours ago, Zippo the Zipdrive said: So the only NEW TOOL aircraft is the E-2. I wish they could update the Super Etandard. That’s one more new tool aircraft than they have done for many years. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 On 12/25/2022 at 12:35 PM, fightersweep said: I would add another vote for a 1/24 205 GTI. And another one. I owned three 205s, a silver 205 XS with factory sunroof, a black 1.9 GTI and a bright red 1.6 GTI. That last one was my favourite. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippo the Zipdrive Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 On 12/27/2022 at 4:44 PM, Moggy said: It's probably my fault - I have yet to start my reworking of the Heller Super Etendard in my stash Cheers, Moggy Hmmm maybe I should start on mine aswell so [insert model maufacturer] will release a new one, making my efforts wasted. On 12/27/2022 at 6:44 PM, VMA131Marine said: That’s one more new tool aircraft than they have done for many years. Here is hoping for a brighter future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiampieroSilvestri Posted December 28, 2022 Share Posted December 28, 2022 On 25/12/2022 at 12:35, fightersweep said: I would add another vote for a 1/24 205 GTI. I'd also love to see Heller cover some more standard "bread and Butter" French cars such as the Renault 18, oh! and a Renault 17 would be nice too. If I was being really "wish listy", then I would be hoping for Heller to "upscale" their 1/43 Rover 3500 and Austin Princess to 1/24. I can dream I guess. A Renault R16,Dauphine or Caravelle in 1/24 scale. Saluti Giampiero 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFM148 Posted December 29, 2022 Share Posted December 29, 2022 I think the close commercial relationship with Kinetic is producing interesting results. Perhaps an interesting follow up would be something produced by Dassault in 1/48? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish 251 Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 On 12/22/2022 at 9:08 PM, Admiral Puff said: I wonder if the L.1049 and DC-6 "Starter Kits" are repops of the old 1:72 moulds, or something new in another scale ... It's a pity that the DC-6B is being issued with Air France markings, as that airline never flew the type. An Air Atlantique one was painted in AF livery for a movie, I think, but that's all. Anyway, it is still good to see these nice kits being reissued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted December 30, 2022 Share Posted December 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Irish 251 said: It's a pity that the DC-6B is being issued with Air France markings, as that airline never flew the type. An Air Atlantique one was painted in AF livery for a movie, I think, but that's all. Anyway, it is still good to see these nice kits being reissued. I was actually hoping for a new mould. The old one has a few shape problems that are not all that easy to fix, but could be solved if the mould was redone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 On 28/12/2022 at 22:31, GiampieroSilvestri said: A Renault R16,Dauphine or Caravelle in 1/24 scale. Saluti Giampiero As much as I'd also love to buy a new tool 1:24 R16, I suspect that Heller is more likely to reissue their exisitingfull detail 1:20 R16 kit. Were there Gordini versions of the Dauphine, as there were with the R8? If so, that may make one more likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted December 31, 2022 Share Posted December 31, 2022 I remember Dauphine Gordinis. However, this may depend on there only being one Renault type named Dauphine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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