Philippe de Lespinay started with Heller, the French model kit company in the 1960s as a designer and project engineer. He also also worked for Cox, who are now known for their remote control and gas powered vehicles, but also created many kits over the years. More recently, he was the curator of the Los Angeles Slot Car Museum. And he’s on the hobbyDB Advisory Board, so yeah, he’s our kind of guy.
hobbyDB will be regularly sharing his insights on particular models he has worked on including production kits, never-produced projects, and his own custom builds. We hope you enjoy the journey through his career as well.
Read more about his history in the toy and model business here.
Heller Ferrari 330P4
One of my favorites Heller kits was this Ferrari 330P4. It was drawn strictly from pictures, as I was never allowed to approach the actual car at the 1967 Le Mans race. The kit turned good but the pattern maker made a mistake in the roof line.
I built this kit for the company to use in promotional photos, but used two sets of body parts so as to have the nose removable from the main body, which it is not possible in the actual kit.
Here I am at my drawing table in 1966, at the Heller design department, rue d’Hauteville in Paris. The pictures on the wall are the telltale of some of my favorite machinery.
[…] Designer Notes: Heller Ferrari 330P4 […]
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