¹⁄400

Heller of France has announced the reissue of kit 81069, the French Navy Submarine Daphne.

Heller’s Daphne is an interesting little model of a French diesel sub of the 1960s. I believe the kit was first released sometime in the 1970s but never reissued since, so it had become somewhat hard to find. It comes with a simple parts breakdown and a minimum of parts. An interesting feature is a choice of different bows, both early and late with the latter having a large bulbous sonar array on top. Quality is typical of the era with ok but not great fit and fairly minimal surface detail. The hull comes in two pieces with the conning tower attached, split laterally. This makes for a nasty seam right in the middle of the upper deck, and the separate bow parts add another. Smaller parts are reasonably good. Decals in the original release included markings for nine of the eleven boats which served in the French navy, but Minerve and Euridice, both lost with all hands in accidents at sea, were omitted. The new issue of Heller's classic kit of the Daphne can be built to represent any one of 21 versions. The model will measure 14.45cm long when assembled.

The French Navy Sous-marin Daphne can be had from Hobbylink Japan for ¥16.20 (approximately US$16.00) at http://hlj.com/product/HEL81069/Nav