Landy Models

Received by email:

From [email]  Fri Aug 17 05:55:29 2001

To whom,
I saw your site's screens regarding models and thought of passing some info your way.

I'm a Series IIa owner in North Carolina. I have drawn assembly instructions for the ERTL model company's kits. My twin interests of Rovers and models have brought me into contact with a gentleman in Czechoslovakia who represents Vista-Semily, a company now holding the molds formerly used by Heller. Owned or licensed, I do not know.

I was of course delighted to see these great little kits reappear. I had been aware of a fire response vehicle and a safari hard top. Other kits they offer are a soft top ski transport, IFOR ambulance (hard top, all white... not a true ambulance body), a shocking Phillipino taxi, a snow plow, a kommando (SAS rover), and a Baywatch lifegard vehicle with skidoo and raft. Recently Mr. Krhoun, my contact there, sent me a test shot of a tow truck rover that they themselves have developed as a variant. It has a bull bar, truck cab, and a fair number of fiddly parts. It looks good built but wouldn't make a good "toy" like the others in that it does have some fragile pieces.

The Heller molds show no appreciable wear and remain crisp and flashless. V-M's plastic seems to be of good quality also. In other words, anyone wishing for another chance at the Heller kits would feel like they're getting it. Most are priced from around $2 to $4, a bargain but shipping will nearly double it.

I have only been in contact with Mr. Krhoun by mail and email. He has dealt fairly and been quite helpful. He is understandably quite interested in getting a US distributor. Though I'm not interested, I have been passing names to him and in this instance, touting his wares.

If you wish to contact him or me, feel free. I'm not associated with them in any business manner however. His address: Dalibor Krhoun: [email]
Sincerely,
Knox Crowell