Heller 345 de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide — 1/72 Scale Plastic model kit

Manufacturer: Heller

Kit number: 345

Aircraft: de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide

Scale: 1/72

Country of manufacture: France

Original kit release: 1979

Material: Injection-moulded plastic

Approximate parts: 45

Subject: Civil/utility passenger aircraft, with military-service options

Vintage: Yes

The original tooling has proved unusually durable. IPMS Netherlands describes the kit as an old but good-quality 1/72 release, with approximately 45 injection-moulded parts.
Heller

Heller is one of France's historic plastic-model manufacturers. The company was established in the 1950s and became particularly well known for its extensive range of French aircraft, European military subjects, ships, cars and civil aircraft.

The Dragon Rapide is a good example of Heller's approach to aircraft modelling: rather than concentrating exclusively on famous combat aircraft, Heller produced numerous important civil and transport aircraft, giving collectors subjects that were otherwise poorly represented in plastic.

Kit 345 belongs to the classic Heller period. The surviving vintage boxings are particularly recognisable by their characteristic Heller artwork and relatively simple packaging. A specialist Heller catalogue records No. 345 as the DH.89 Dragon Rapide, 1/72.

The kit was still sufficiently desirable decades later that specialist dealers continue to list original examples. One current specialist listing has a vintage No. 345 at $18, although it is presently out of stock.
The kit itself

The Heller Dragon Rapide is an interesting vintage kit rather than a modern highly detailed tooling.

IPMS Netherlands reports approximately 45 parts, with the cabin windows installed from the inside. The interior includes seats and other basic fittings, although relatively little of the interior is visible once the fuselage is assembled.

The kit has raised surface detail, characteristic of its late-1970s tooling. A modeller wanting a more modern appearance can rescribe the panel lines, although this is obviously a matter of personal preference.

The kit's dimensions are impressively accurate for its age. IPMS Netherlands found the wingspan approximately 2 mm too large and the fuselage approximately 1 mm too short, which is an excellent dimensional result for a kit originally released in 1979.

Some later boxings changed the decal selection. A Heller collectors' discussion specifically notes that later editions omitted the French colour scheme that appeared in earlier releases.

That means the box date and decal sheet matter when valuing a No. 345. Two kits with exactly the same catalogue number can have different collector appeal depending on the artwork, decals and packaging.
The real aircraft — de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide

The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was one of Britain's most successful light passenger aircraft of the 1930s.

Designed by A.E. Hagg at de Havilland, the Dragon Rapide was essentially the improved and more powerful successor to the earlier DH.84 Dragon.

It was a twin-engined, low-powered but highly efficient biplane designed for short-haul passenger operations. The aircraft used de Havilland's characteristic construction methods, including a largely wooden structure covered in plywood and fabric.

The design's simplicity was actually one of its greatest strengths. It could operate economically from relatively small airfields and required comparatively little infrastructure.
Passenger capacity

The Dragon Rapide normally carried approximately 6–8 passengers, depending on the interior configuration.

This made it particularly useful for Britain's expanding network of regional and cross-channel airline routes during the 1930s.

Its compact size also made it attractive to colonial and overseas operators, where reliability and the ability to operate from relatively primitive airfields were more important than outright speed.
Civil airline service

The Dragon Rapide entered airline service during the 1930s and became a familiar sight at British airports.

It was operated by numerous companies, including Hillman's Airways, Railway Air Services, British Airways Ltd and later British European Airways.

The type was also widely exported and operated by airlines and government organisations throughout the British Empire and overseas.

Its relatively low operating costs helped it survive commercially even after considerably more advanced aircraft had appeared.
The Dragon Rapide in wartime service

The outbreak of the Second World War transformed the aircraft's role.

Large numbers of Dragon Rapides were impressed into military service and operated by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, where they were generally designated Dominie.

The aircraft proved useful for:

navigation training;

communications;

personnel transport;

pilot training;

liaison;

and general utility duties.

This is particularly relevant to the Heller kit because some boxings provide military as well as civilian markings. One specialist listing describes the No. 345 as a 1930s short-haul biplane that subsequently served with the RAF and Royal Navy during WWII.

The Dominie designation continued to be associated with the type after the war, and some aircraft remained in service for many years.
Long post-war career

One of the most remarkable characteristics of the Dragon Rapide was its longevity.

Although it was already an older design by 1945, the aircraft's relatively simple construction and economical operation meant that many examples remained useful for years.

Some continued flying commercially, while others became:

executive aircraft;

pleasure-flight aircraft;

flying club aircraft;

agricultural aircraft;

and museum exhibits.

The type therefore has an unusually broad historical footprint: 1930s airline aircraft, wartime military utility aircraft and post-war civilian classic.
Production

More than 700 Dragon Rapides and closely related aircraft were produced, making it one of de Havilland's most successful pre-war light twin designs.

Its success was partly due to the flexibility of the basic design. Operators could use essentially the same aircraft for scheduled passenger services, charter work, mail, military liaison and training.

That versatility is reflected nicely by the Heller kit, which can represent the aircraft in several different operational contexts depending on the decal option.