Heller declared bankrupt

[Dizzyfugu]

The A-1 Skyraider is the same, too.

[zenrat]

Yes, forgot that one.  That was my first whiff upon discovering this place.  It had an odd bulge moulded into it just forward of the vertical tail suggesting maybe the moulds should no longer be used.

[KiwiZac]

Disappointing news, but we (I?) can live in hope that they are bought by someone like Hornby who can revitalise the brand and make their products better than ever.

That said, the last time I remember seeing a Heller product on Kiwi shelves was when Dad bought me one of their Concordes, and that was not long after the Paris crash. I do remember the starter kits (I had the Atlantique but always wanted the Skyraider) being available at a local department store in the mid90s, though.

[jcf]

Disappointing news, but we (I?) can live in hope that they are bought by someone like Hornby who can revitalise the brand and make their products better than ever.

That said, the last time I remember seeing a Heller product on Kiwi shelves was when Dad bought me one of their Concordes, and that was not long after the Paris crash. I do remember the starter kits (I had the Atlantique but always wanted the Skyraider) being available at a local department store in the mid90s, though.

Heller Joustra has already been taken over by Maped SAS as of March 22, 2016.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maped

http://www.maped-creatives.com/en/

[Tophe]

an expensive millstone made thrice as bad by French employment laws.

This is an interesting subject (I am employed in France) but this is politics so outlaw here.

[ericr]

Heller has been around for so long, and through quite a few hazards, we may hope it will be resilient again ...

The quality is very varying, but that comes I guess friom the fact that some of the kits were designed in the 60s and never redesigned, for example the old classic french 30s planes, or recently I bought a PZL Karas from a polish brand but I guess it was a reboxing from a very old Heller design.

Anyway, for those for which originality can compensate quality, Heller is a pleasure.

[philp]

Their recent 72nd armor has been good with their new Sherman one of the best in scale.