After a big fanfair of Heljan doing a "better" class 25/3 than Bachmanns, effort, the first pictures of a factory painted example have been released. Underwhelmed would be the best way to describe it TBH. Something is very wrong with the shape of it. I can't be sure but the cab looks too flat?
clicky
Heljan class 25/3
Re: Heljan class 25/3
I have long taken an interest in the 'hit and miss' aspect of Heljan's OO diesel and electric models. (So far I have been lucky, all four that suit me - classes 15, 16, 23, 26/0 - are definite hits.) Long ago, on a forum no longer operating, I made the suggestion - based on my own experience - that the most likely cause was two individuals or teams developing their products, one significantly superior to the other. At that time Heljan's UK product was roughly 50: 50 hits and misses as far as accurate appearance was concerned: the good were widely acknowledged as good; and those that were not so good, likewise there was general agreement.
Well, you would think I had dropped my pants in front of the queen and evacuated my bowels on the palace lawn, from the response a moderator sent me. YOU ARE WITHIN AN INCH OF BEING BANNED, DON'T YOU EVER DARE MENTION SUCH A THING EVER AGAIN. would be the general shouty thrust of it. I near died laughing at this: 'Methinks the gentleman protesteth too much', must have hit the nail on the head there then...
Well, you would think I had dropped my pants in front of the queen and evacuated my bowels on the palace lawn, from the response a moderator sent me. YOU ARE WITHIN AN INCH OF BEING BANNED, DON'T YOU EVER DARE MENTION SUCH A THING EVER AGAIN. would be the general shouty thrust of it. I near died laughing at this: 'Methinks the gentleman protesteth too much', must have hit the nail on the head there then...
Re: Heljan class 25/3
All I can add to that is when Heljan asked to measure up D5705 we dragged it out and their guys climbed all over it with a ruler and notepads. The CoBo is one of their better efforts despite the rather crude approach to the job. Maybe they were the A team? 
Re: Heljan class 25/3
Ambled around looking at the pictures and frankly it's indisputably a 25. Ugly, looks like it was thrown together rather than designed - let alone styled - and then run into a wall. That's the fundamental problem, a current model designer is probably forever being tempted into 'tidying up' something that really was such an omnishambles. It's going to have Heljan's excellent drive and finer flanged wheelsets on it as compensation...D605Eagle wrote:...Heljan doing a "better" class 25/3 .... Underwhelmed would be the best way to describe it TBH. Something is very wrong with the shape of it. I can't be sure but the cab looks too flat?...
But that's from someone who only saw them rarely when in service, so I don't have dog in this fight, and my ancient Bachmann model (upgraded with wire handrails is the limit on the improvements I have made, plus a large dollop of LMR muck) is still good enough to totter over from LMR on an occasional ECS move or similar.
I would be pleased if a manufacturer cared to pay this much attention to a new OO Brush 2 (classes 30/31) tooling, in order to correct the measurable error of the cab side window positions, the defect which makes the current Hornby model unacceptable to anyone who has looked at the real thing! If Heljan had a crack at it, it would have an A1A-A1A drive too, so I would not have to fiddle around with salvaged Hornby mazak rotted mechanisms to make the centre smaller wheelset unpowered. Hope springs eternal...