Heller

https://www.heller.fr

Heller is a French model kit manufacturer founded in Paris in 1957 by Léo Jahiel, who had previously worked at the plastics company SOMAP. The company set up headquarters in Paris and established a production facility in Trun, Orne (Normandy) in 1963, where manufacturing still takes place today. Heller's first kit was a 1/100 scale Sud Aviation Caravelle, and the company grew to become one of the largest French model kit brands, with a catalogue of over 300 references covering aircraft, military vehicles, cars, and ships. Heller is particularly noted for its ship subjects, including large, highly detailed sailing ship kits such as the 1/100 scale Soleil Royal (Louis XVI's flagship, with over 2,300 parts) and HMS Victory, as well as modern vessels like the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in 1/400 scale. The company has passed through several corporate owners over the decades, including Borden's Hobby Products Group (alongside Humbrol and Airfix) in the 1980s, an Irish investment group in the 1994, and various French owners in the 2000s before financial difficulties led to receivership in 2006. Since 2019 Heller has been owned by the German company Glow2B, with production continuing in both France and Germany, though the brand retains its strong French identity and Normandy manufacturing roots.

Kits

	Kit	Ship	Scale	Status
	Le Superbe (80895)	Le Superbe	1:150	Available
	Golden Hind (80829 / 56829)	Golden Hind	1:96 (1/8 in=1 ft)	Available
	HMS Victory (80897)	HMS Victory	1:100	Available