A number of years ago, the French company Heller, produced a SA-315B Lama (#482). The kit was advertised as 1/50, however the spruces are very similar in size (if not exactly the same) as the Alouette II (#80479) released in 1/48.
This kit is long out of production, and can cost a bundle on eBay. It is a shame because it makes for a beautiful model when built. It’s a small and neat kit, as is its Alouette II counterpart.
Assembly is easy, but proper care is needed for the assembly of the tail section. In addition, Heller didn’t provide decals with this kit. Instead numbers and markings are molded as raised details. One ought to sand these are replace them with home-made decals for a better look on the final product.
The following pictures include the normal pictures for the spruces (2 in white, one for clear parts), and also pictures of my other assembled Heller models: the Alouette II, and for a sense of scale, the Ecureuil (a.k.a. “A-Star”) “Bombardier D’Eau” (Heller #80485). Unlike the Lama, both the Alouette II and Ecureuil are readily available from vendors and eBay alike.
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- Built Alouette II on the left, and Lama on the right.
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- Note the differences between the skids of the Alouette II and Lama.
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- The Lama also features a 3-blade tail rotor (like its Alouette III cousin). The Alouette II has a 2-blade tail rotor.
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- Note the relative size of these kits when compared with the Ecureuil at the same scale.
Kit Summary:
- Heller 482
- Scale : 1/48 or 1/50
- Availability: Very Poor
- Status: Out Of Production
- Estimated Street Price: $45 or more