{"product_id":"heller-71211-personnel-de-la-luftwaffe-1-72-scale-plastic-model-kit","title":"Heller 71211 Personnel de la Luftwaffe — 1\/72 Scale Plastic model kit","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: Heller\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKit\/reference: 71211\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEAN: 3279510712117\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSubject: Luftwaffe personnel\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eScale: 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eType: Plastic military figures\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eParts: approximately 48 figures\/parts, according to a current second-hand listing\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEra: Second World War\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCountry represented: Germany\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKit purpose: Aircraft dioramas, airfield scenes and WWII military displays\n\u003cbr\u003eHeller and the origins of the figures\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis particular item has an interesting history because the moulds are not originally a modern Heller creation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHeller's military figure range incorporated a number of Airfix-origin figure sets. Collector research records the lineage of the related figure sets through Airfix, Humbrol\/Heller and later Heller\/Hornby releases.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor example, the collector history of the closely related RAF personnel set records:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    1973: Airfix S47, 1\/76\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    1976: Airfix S47, 1\/76\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    1980: Airfix Products S47\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    1986: Humbrol\/Heller 01747, 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    1999: Heller 79647, 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    2010: Heller 71211, 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    2013: Heller\/Joustra 49647, 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    2019: Hornby\/Airfix A00747V, reverting to 1\/76.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat history explains why you can encounter reference 71211 associated with different personnel sets in online databases and marketplace listings. Some sellers have also incorrectly described 71211 as USAAF or RAF personnel. Current eBay results, for example, contain listings for both RAF and USAAF under 71211.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor your barcode collection, I would therefore record the EAN as the primary identifier, with the subject being Luftwaffe Personnel.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike the aircraft kits you've been sending, this is not an aircraft model. It is a figure set intended to populate a 1\/72 military scene.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe contents consist of multiple moulded plastic personnel figures representing German Luftwaffe ground personnel. The figures can be assembled and painted individually and arranged around aircraft, vehicles, buildings and airfield equipment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe approximately 48-piece content figure is supported by current marketplace information.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe set is particularly useful alongside:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    1\/72 Luftwaffe aircraft;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    airfield dioramas;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    maintenance scenes;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    aircraft dispersal areas;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    WWII German vehicle scenes;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    command and administrative scenes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBecause these are personnel rather than an aircraft, there is no full-size aircraft corresponding to this kit, so there is no single aircraft development history or full-size aircraft selling price to provide for this particular barcode.\n\u003cbr\u003eHistorical background — Luftwaffe ground personnel\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe figures represent personnel associated with the Luftwaffe, the German air force during the Third Reich period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Luftwaffe was formally established in 1935, although Germany had maintained covert aviation organisations and training programmes during the years when the Treaty of Versailles restricted German military aviation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnder Hermann Göring, the Luftwaffe rapidly expanded during the 1930s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough the best-known Luftwaffe personnel were pilots and aircrew, the organisation depended upon a very large ground organisation. Mechanics, armourers, refuellers, signals personnel, administrative staff, medical personnel, drivers and other specialists were essential to keeping aircraft operational.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is why personnel sets are particularly useful in aircraft modelling: an aircraft sitting alone on an airfield does not accurately convey the enormous amount of ground activity required to operate it.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe importance of ground crews\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA WWII combat aircraft required extensive ground support.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA typical Luftwaffe airfield could contain personnel involved in:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    aircraft maintenance;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    engine servicing;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    weapons loading;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    bomb handling;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    ammunition supply;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    fuelling;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    communications;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    weather observation;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    vehicle operation;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    administration;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    medical support;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    security;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    aircraft recovery and repair.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe men represented by a set such as this therefore represent the infrastructure behind Luftwaffe aviation, rather than simply pilots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a 1\/72 aircraft collection, that makes the set particularly useful for dioramas.\n\u003cbr\u003eModelling history and collector interest\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe underlying Airfix\/Humbrol\/Heller figure lineage is considerably older than the barcode itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is typical of European plastic modelling: a mould could remain commercially useful for decades while the company, packaging, catalogue number and even scale designation changed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe related RAF set demonstrates this particularly clearly. The original Airfix mould was marked S47, originally marketed at 1\/76, while later Heller versions were marketed at 1\/72. The actual figures themselves did not necessarily change simply because the packaging and stated scale changed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat makes these sets interesting to collectors of vintage Airfix\/Heller military figures as well as to diorama builders.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Heller","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57512972452220,"sku":"Heller-71211","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/513057BF-28C5-4C1F-B8B2-1D82BCBBE207.jpg?v=1790661320","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/heller-71211-personnel-de-la-luftwaffe-1-72-scale-plastic-model-kit","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}