Well, lookie here, you young’uns. Today, we’re gonna yak about this here… thingamajig, this… Lockheed Constellation model kit. Don’t rightly know what all them fancy words mean, but it’s one of them airplane contraptions, you see. Like the ones flyin’ over our heads sometimes, but smaller. Much smaller.
Now, I ain’t never built one of these myself. My hands are too busy with knittin’ and cookin’ and such. But I seen my grandson fussin’ with one, all them tiny little pieces and glue. Lord, it looked like a mess! He kept grippin’ and grumblin’, but he seemed to like it alright. Said it was a “Heller Humbrol Lockheed L749 Constellation Model Kit No 80310, 1:72” if you can believe that mouthful.

What’s in the box, you ask? Well, beats me! But from what I gathered, it’s got all sorts of little plastic bits and pieces. Wings, a body, little wheels… looks like a puzzle, if you ask me. My grandson said somethin’ about it bein’ a “1:72 scale”. Don’t know what that means, but he said it means it’s a whole lot smaller than the real thing. Guess that makes sense, don’t it? Can’t be fittin’ a real airplane in a box now, can ya?
I seen him lookin’ at pictures too. Seems like this here “Constellation” was a real airplane back in the day. Big ol’ thing, carried folks all over the place. He showed me some pictures, all shiny and silver. Looked mighty fancy. This here kit, though, it ain’t silver. It’s just plain ol’ plastic, grey like a cloudy day. But I guess you can paint it up all nice and purty if you want.
- First off, you gotta get yourself one of them kits. Like I said, the one my grandson had was a “Heller” somethin’ or other. Said you can buy it online or maybe at a hobby store, whatever that is.
- Then, you gotta get yourself some glue. Special glue, mind you, not the kind you use for fixin’ chairs. This glue is for stickin’ them little plastic pieces together. And you gotta be careful, don’t get it on your fingers, or you’ll be stuck to the airplane!
- And then, I guess you just follow the instructions. My grandson had a little booklet with pictures and stuff. Looked complicated to me, but he seemed to figure it out. He’s a smart fella, that one.
- Oh, and you gotta have patience. Lots of it. This ain’t somethin’ you can do in five minutes. It takes time, you see. You gotta be willin’ to sit there and fiddle with them little pieces, sometimes for hours on end.
Now, some folks, they like to paint them airplanes all fancy. They get little brushes and tiny pots of paint, and they make them look real purty. My grandson, he ain’t much for paintin’. He just wanted to get it built, he said. But I seen pictures of other folks’ airplanes, all shiny and colorful. They look real nice, I gotta say.
Is it worth it, you ask? Well, that depends on what you like, I reckon. If you like fiddlin’ with little things and makin’ somethin’ with your own two hands, then maybe it is. My grandson, he seemed to enjoy it. Said it was “relaxin’”, believe it or not. Me, I’d rather be out in the garden, tendin’ to my tomatoes. But to each their own, I always say.
So, there you have it. My two cents on this here “Lockheed Constellation model kit.” Like I said, I ain’t no expert, but I seen my grandson buildin’ one, and that’s about all I know. If you’re lookin’ for somethin’ to keep you busy on a rainy day, maybe this is it. Just don’t blame me if you get glue all over your fingers!
And one more thing, if you’re gonna buy one, make sure you get the right one. Seems like there’s different kinds and sizes and all sorts of things to consider. My grandson said this “Heller 80310 L-749 Constellation Air France Model Kit” is a good one, but what do I know? You youngsters and your fancy contraptions!

Anyways, that’s all I got to say. Now get on outta here and let me get back to my knittin’!
Tags: [Lockheed Constellation, Model Kit, Heller, Humbrol, L749, 1:72 scale, Airplane model, Plastic model, Hobby, Air France]