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Dioramas
Do you love dioramas & vignettes? We sure do.
Heller Diorama kits are available again.
Bodeen
#026
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: June 08, 2002
KitMaker: 1,744 posts
Armorama: 1,359 posts
Posted: Monday, November 27, 2017 - 11:37 PM UTC
I've been looking for years for those old Heller diorama kits such as Koufra and Samur. You could find them for a while under the SK (Poland) brand name. You could also pay outrageous collector prices.

I recently found a vendor on ebay that carries all of the Heller stuff. These kits have been re-released by Heller with new packaging. It is much cheaper than trying to buy the vintage kits. I know they aren't the most accurate kits but I've always had a soft spot for them. I bought the Samur kit in a little shop in Bitsche, France 30+ years ago. I had to leave it in Germany when I left.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Heller-1-35-Koufra-Diorama-81101/332465063598?hash=item4d687646ae:g:fnAAAOSwUwFaExYQ

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Heller-25mm-Canon-Hotchkiss-Machine-Gun-and-Bike-w-Sidecar-1-35-Scale-Kit-HEL/112602397400?epid=1337715178&hash=item1a37a03ad8:g:uqoAAOSwR2RaCg8D
Biggles2
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Quebec, Canada
Joined: January 01, 2004
KitMaker: 7,600 posts
Armorama: 6,110 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - 05:08 AM UTC
Those are decent prices, especially for the Hotchkiss set. Toss the figs, the equipment looks usable.
Jmarles
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: November 02, 2008
KitMaker: 1,138 posts
Armorama: 953 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - 06:08 AM UTC
They have been out for a while now. The Normandy ruins set is especially welcome, and it's nice to see the Gnome Motorbike again. I got the Koufra set for nostalgia's sake. The camel reminds me of Playmobil lol! I wouldn't mind getting the Partisan set....as an aside, they have a few 1/43 car bases which can be useful for 1/35 too.
JPTRR
Staff MemberManaging Editor
RAILROAD MODELING
#051
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Tennessee, United States
Joined: December 21, 2002
KitMaker: 7,772 posts
Armorama: 2,447 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - 06:47 AM UTC
Welcome back, old friends! Glad to hear this.
Bodeen
#026
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Pennsylvania, United States
Joined: June 08, 2002
KitMaker: 1,744 posts
Armorama: 1,359 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - 08:18 AM UTC
I actually got aftermarket Hornet heads for the figures...it makes a big difference. These Heller kits remind me of the old 1/32 Monogram kits. They aren't very accurate but have great nostalgic value. I'll be getting more of these kits.
Jmarles
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British Columbia, Canada
Joined: November 02, 2008
KitMaker: 1,138 posts
Armorama: 953 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - 10:25 AM UTC

Quoted Text

I actually got aftermarket Hornet heads for the figures...it makes a big difference. These Heller kits remind me of the old 1/32 Monogram kits. They aren't very accurate but have great nostalgic value. I'll be getting more of these kits.


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I found the vintage British Paras and German Paras for a few bucks. Apart from them being a bit dwarfish the details and equipment aren't half bad. I can throw them in some old dio buildings I have lying around.
 _GOTOTOP