{"product_id":"heller-80392-breguet-693-2-heller-museum-1-72-scale-plastic-model-kit","title":"Heller 80392 Breguet 693\/2 Heller Museum — 1\/72 Scale Plastic model kit","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: Heller, France\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eKit number: 80392\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEAN\/barcode: 3279510803921\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAircraft: Breguet 693\/2\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eScale: 1\/72\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeries: Heller Museum\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eParts: 57\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFinished length: approximately 133–141.6 mm, depending on catalogue measurement\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWingspan: approximately 207 mm\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMaterial: Injection-moulded plastic\n\u003cbr\u003eHeller and the Heller Museum series\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Heller Museum range has a particularly interesting history. Heller began developing its historically focused aircraft range in the 1960s, under the technical direction of Roland de Narbonne. The objective was to reproduce important French aircraft that were often poorly represented in plastic model form.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHeller's description of the Museum series emphasises the amount of historical research that went into the original tooling. Because many original aircraft drawings and archives were unavailable or incomplete, Heller's designers sometimes had to reconstruct aircraft dimensions and shapes from surviving documentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe modern Museum reissues deliberately retain much of the character of those classic kits while updating their presentation. Heller states that contemporary reissues received new decal sheets and colour\/decorating instructions, while retaining the basic characteristics of the original models.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat makes the 80392 particularly interesting to collectors: it is not simply a modern newly designed Breguet kit, but a modern presentation of a historically important Heller tooling.\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 80392 contains 57 parts and is a relatively compact twin-engined aircraft in 1\/72. Specialist catalogues consistently identify the kit as a 57-piece model.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit provides:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    injection-moulded plastic airframe parts;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    twin engine nacelles;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    propellers;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    cockpit and crew areas;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    undercarriage;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    defensive armament;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    bomb\/attack equipment appropriate to the aircraft;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    decals;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    assembly instructions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGlue and paint are not included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe current Museum boxing is intended for both modelling and collecting, and Heller's updated decal and colour information makes it considerably more useful than simply purchasing an old original example for nostalgia.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe real aircraft — Breguet 693\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet 693 was a French twin-engined ground-attack aircraft developed immediately before the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt evolved from the Breguet 690 family, which had originally been conceived as a twin-engined fighter. As French military requirements changed, the design was developed into a dedicated attack aircraft, resulting in the Breguet 691 and ultimately the improved Breguet 693.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft was a relatively modern design for France in the late 1930s:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    twin engines;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    low-mounted monoplane wing;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    retractable landing gear;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    enclosed cockpit;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    heavily constructed fuselage;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    internal bomb bay;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    cannon and machine-gun armament.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts compact twin-engine configuration gave it a purposeful appearance quite different from the larger French bombers of the period.\n\u003cbr\u003eDevelopment\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe original Breguet 690 prototype first flew in 1938.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe French Air Force was looking for a fast, modern aircraft capable of carrying out tactical attacks against ground targets. The Breguet design was selected for further development and the Breguet 691 entered production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet 693 represented an important improvement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of its principal changes was the replacement of the original engines with Gnome-Rhône 14M radial engines, which provided improved reliability and performance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 693's compact dimensions and robust construction made it well suited to low-level attack missions.\n\u003cbr\u003eEngines and performance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet 693 was powered by two Gnome-Rhône 14M-6\/7 radial engines, each producing approximately 700 hp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRepresentative specifications are approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Crew: 2\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Engines: 2 × Gnome-Rhône 14M\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Power: approximately 700 hp each\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Maximum speed: approximately 480 km\/h\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Length: approximately 9.67 m\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Wingspan: approximately 15.37 m\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Armament: cannon, machine guns and bombs\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    Role: low-level attack\/reconnaissance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt 1\/72, those full-size dimensions translate to roughly 134 mm in length and 214 mm wingspan, explaining why the Heller kit is a substantial twin-engine model despite its compact overall size.\n\u003cbr\u003eArmament\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet 693 was heavily armed for a tactical attack aircraft of its era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts forward-firing weapons included a 20 mm Hispano-Suiza cannon together with several 7.5 mm machine guns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional machine guns provided defensive fire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft also carried bombs internally, allowing it to attack ground targets while maintaining a relatively clean external aerodynamic configuration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe combination of cannon, machine guns and bombs made the 693 a genuine close-support\/ground-attack aircraft, rather than simply a reconnaissance machine.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe Battle of France\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet 693's operational career is closely connected with the Battle of France in May–June 1940.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy the beginning of the German offensive, the French Air Force had only recently begun receiving substantial numbers of the new aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe type consequently entered combat under extremely difficult circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBreguet 693 crews were frequently required to operate at very low altitude against German columns and other ground targets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis was dangerous work. Flying at low altitude exposed the aircraft to:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    rifle and machine-gun fire;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    anti-aircraft artillery;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    German fighters;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    and rapidly changing battlefield conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft's relatively heavy construction gave crews some protection, but losses were substantial.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe Breguet 693 in combat\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 693 nevertheless demonstrated that it could deliver effective attacks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrench crews carried out low-level attacks against German troop concentrations, transport and armoured formations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe problem was not simply the design of the Breguet itself. France entered the campaign with a relatively small number of operational modern attack aircraft, while German air superiority made repeated low-level missions extremely hazardous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet therefore suffered heavy losses during the 1940 campaign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe type's short operational career is one of the more unfortunate examples of a technically promising aircraft appearing just as the strategic situation of the country using it was deteriorating.\n\u003cbr\u003eBreguet 693\/2\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 693\/2 represented a production development of the basic Breguet 693.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe \"\/2\" designation is particularly relevant when cataloguing the Heller kit because it distinguishes this subject from earlier versions in the Breguet 690 family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Heller Museum boxing is specifically labelled Breguet 693\/2, rather than simply Breguet 693.\n\u003cbr\u003eVichy and post-armistice service\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing the French armistice in June 1940, surviving Breguet 693 aircraft were retained by the French authorities under the restrictions imposed by Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome aircraft continued to serve with French forces in limited roles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe German occupation and dismantling of much of the French military aviation system effectively ended the Breguet's career as a major French combat aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome surviving aircraft were subsequently used for training or other secondary purposes.\n\u003cbr\u003eProduction\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet 690 family was produced in relatively small numbers compared with aircraft such as the Bf 109 or Ju 88.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eApproximately 250 Breguet 693 aircraft were produced, with the majority manufactured during the rapid rearmament period immediately before the German invasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe overall Breguet 690 family production figure is higher because it includes the 690, 691 and other related variants.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft therefore represents a relatively small but important chapter in French aviation development immediately before the fall of France.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhy the Breguet 693 is historically important\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet 693 is significant because it demonstrates that French aircraft designers were developing modern dedicated ground-attack aircraft immediately before WWII.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt combined:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    a modern monoplane layout;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    twin-engine performance;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    heavy forward armament;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    internal bomb carriage;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    and a robust structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts short operational career was largely a consequence of the circumstances in which it entered service rather than an indication that the concept itself was obsolete.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor collectors of French WWII aircraft, the Breguet 693 is particularly desirable because it represents one of the more distinctive indigenous French combat aircraft of 1940.\n\u003cbr\u003eSurvivors\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Breguet 693 is extremely rare today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNo complete airworthy original Breguet 693 is known to be operating. This is one reason the aircraft has substantial historical appeal despite never reaching the fame of the Spitfire, Bf 109 or Ju 87.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHeller's long-standing Museum treatment is therefore particularly useful to collectors because it preserves the appearance of an aircraft that is difficult to experience in full-size form.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Heller","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57512971862396,"sku":"Heller-80392","price":18.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/C7347B44-AD4F-45AC-84B9-8E8BCBEA0AFA.jpg?v=1790663796","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/heller-80392-breguet-693-2-heller-museum-1-72-scale-plastic-model-kit","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}