Movable models | Part II

Stephan Külgen, Production Manager at Herpa Wings, about the possibilities and limitations of aircraft models with movable parts

WingsWorld: Mr. Külgen, in 2006 Herpa brought out the first models with a movable front ramp and a partially open cargo door. After that, there have been only a few models with such moving parts. Why has the idea not caught on to a greater degree? Are there technical limits, is production simply too expensive, or has customer interest not been high enough?

Stephan Külgen: Mainly the latter. Many criticized the plastic fuselage of the 747 freighters – even though, objectively, the plastic 747 was even more accurate than the metal one. However, many collectors who did not want to display the model on an airport diorama were also bothered by the fact that the doors on the 747-400M and MD-11, in contrast, were immovably open. Then there are the development and mold construction costs. If a fuselage is to be shown open, the new elements have to be constructed, and at least one new steel mold is required for the specialized fuselage and possibly for any small extra cargo doors.

WingsWorld: What was the response from collectors?

Stephan Külgen: Just very different. Collectors who put the model in their display case were disturbed by the open doors, whereas diorama builders were certainly pleased. However, as diorama building is not as popular among aircraft model collectors as it is with car model or model railroad devotees, for example, the demand for these models was much lower than for those in familiar trim.

WingsWorld: Only very few models with open/movable doors/ramps have been produced so far. Can we expect more variants in the future, such as the cargo versions of the MD-11 or Boeing 747 with open/movable doors/ramps?

Stephan Külgen: Unfortunately, the MD-11 has meanwhile been consigned to aviation history, which not only I but many other collectors and aviation fans certainly regret. Investing in new molds would simply not be economically viable in this case.

WingsWorld: The relatively new model of the BelugaXL can be displayed with both open and closed doors, which offers interesting options, especially for diorama builders. Are further models with movable cargo or passenger doors planned, or will this still only be implemented on special aircraft types?

Stephan Külgen: There is nothing in the works at the moment. We did have to partially rebuild the molds for the Dreamlifter. We took this as an opportunity not only to redevelop the model of the 1:1 scale original aircraft from the previous version, but also to equip it with the special feature of the open tail, which is simply very striking and unique on the Dreamlifter. This means that the models of Boeing's special transporter are once again available to the same exacting standard as their 1:500 scale Airbus counterparts.

WingsWorld: Are moving parts other than freight doors also conceivable on a scale of 1:500, and if so, which ones exactly?

Stephan Külgen: The 1:500 scale is not really suitable for moving parts. Due to the small overall size, any mechanism would be simply too conspicuous and detract from the overall appearance of the model. Even in the much larger 1:200 scale, we prefer to develop interchangeable sets of cargo doors, like on the Transall C-160, instead of depicting them with moving parts.

WingsWorld:Does this mean that the technical and financial possibilities for the 1:500 scale have been exhausted?

Stephan Külgen: One should never say-never with regard to further features becoming reality in the future, as technology continues to develop. When we first presented our molds for the Boeing 777-9 in the 1:500 scale here in Dietenhofen, we also discussed with our collectors whether the wingtips should be movable or interchangeable, which is definitely a striking and essential feature on the original of this new Boeing flagship.
The unanimous opinion of collectors at the time was that a clean and accurate appearance was more important than such a feature. This is in line with the results of our survey in 2000, which prompted us to switch from rolling landing gear to scale landing gear. For our customers, the seamlessly authentic look of a model is undoubtedly more important than any moving parts. Ultimately, our models are high-quality collector's items and not toys. Nevertheless, I think we have been able to achieve the best of both worlds with the 1:200 scale models of the Boeing 777-9 presented at this year's Nuremberg toy fair. On these models, which are expected to be available from fall 2024, the ends of the wings can be shown raised, just like on the original, without compromising the look of the models.

Interview with Stephan Külgen, Production Manager Herpa Wings