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They aren't - the shipment got through well before that. They will be shipped from our Danish warehouse in the first week of April - next week in fact.

Looking great Peter. I really like that Faller modern warehouse. Pity I haven't got anywhere to put one on my layout! Ben

CAD images and further information now available to view at www.Heljan.co.uk Enjoy!

Much as liked that trio, they're not in our plans at the moment. We have more than enough ground to cover with the more numerous /0s, 2/s, /3s, /4s and /6s and they will keep us going for quite a few years.

The new website at www.Heljan.co.uk is the best route to contact us now. Although the Heljan.dk address is shown on the website, there's also a contact form which comes direct to me. I'll to respond to queries as quickly as I can. I can also reply to PMs here, but I don't look at the forum every day, so replies will take a bit longer.

On the Class 86/0 the lighting arrangement is the same as the first batch of 86s a few years ago - headcode panels and tail lights lit in direction of travel and no cab lights. The 86/4 will have separate control of tail lights on DCC but no microswitches for DC users as it's very difficult to find a place for them under the body. Our plan is that the 86/2 will be a further evolution, with cab lights added and more DCC functionality. Hope this helps Ben

I think it's also safe to say that 86259 in current condition is likely to be part of the mix when we get around to the 86/2s. There are so many livery options on both the /2s and /4s it will take us a few years to work our way through them. It'll be impossible to keep everyone happy, but we will do our best to cover the most popular liveries in the early batches.

Dear All, Just been informed that the Class 86/0s will be shipped to UK retailers in the first week of April. They are about to land in Denmark, but will be checked first and then start to be shipped from April 1st (no jokes please!) Hope this helps Ben

Hi, I've seen a few queries about this. To make it absolutely clear, the missing flash on 25093 is deliberately printed like this - it is not a mistake. A quick '25093' search on Flickr will show that this missing flash (and mucky mark left behind) was quite noticeable on this loco, so we wanted to make it as accurate as possible for the period modelled. Hope this Helps Ben

No chance. If you're a Bl**e then you can only have a duff one! ;-) Seriously though, we are waiting to see how many are actually returned before making a decision on what to do with them. If it's just a few then they might be sold off as seconds at a show (on the assumption that shows will start again at some point), but swapping them for new bodies is also an option. UTO!

Really sorry to see that you got one of the duff weathered locos. Returning it is the correct thing to do so that we can get the affected examples out of circulation ASAP.

Our new 25 does have etched metal grilles. Many moons ago we asked RMweb members whether they’d prefer moulded or etched grilles and although it was not unanimous, the preference was for the latter. We also showed photos of two styles of grille here and we went with the more popular option. However, I don’t disagree that they could be improved even further. Hope this helps Ben

Dear All, Thanks for the posts on various topics related to the new Class 25s. A quick update to bring everyone up to date on the current situation. It's pleasing to read that they are finding good homes and generating positive reactions. We were confident that once people saw them up close they would be well received. It can feel like the 'end of the world' when a new product is delivered and the first reports we get are of problems. However, we're getting a better picture of the real situation now. Despite the issues with some of the weathered models (more below), the demand from retailers for all versions has been exceptionally strong since they were released last week. We are seeing repeat orders for large quantities and most versions are now sold out at the warehouse, with small numbers remaining of a few versions for the moment. They may all be sold out in the next couple days at the current rate of progress. Plans for the second run are now being finalised. That said, we cannot overlook the issues raised over the last few days. There has been a 'robust' exchange with our supplier and it's been made clear that they must up their game on quality control. As we all know, QC issues can and do happen with any run of mass produced models, but in this case there are more problems than we are comfortable with. As for the weathering, fortunately not all are as bad as that in the Olivia's photos that first raised the alarm. But again, it's not good enough and has taken the edge off what is an otherwise exciting new release. Interestingly, we've taken a large number of re-orders for weathered models since the issue was raised, so clearly retailers are selling them through quickly - which suggests that the situation is not as bad as first feared. If you do receive a Class 25 that is not up to the standard you expect, please return it to your retailer for exchange or a refund. Finally, to respond to one earlier post regarding review samples - the samples we send out to magazines are usually despatched at the same time as the retailer deliveries and are not 'cherry picked'. I can't speak for other manufacturers now, but when I was working on Model Rail and BRM the review models we received were almost always undisturbed in their packaging, suggesting that they had not been pre-checked. Hope this Helps. Thanks for all your feedback. Ben

Raised moulded detail, picked out with white printing on some models, but not all.

Me too. Rainhill livery 86235 is already on my list. 86214 had an odd early style headlight at that time, which would require extra tooling, so unlikely to feature.

Not possible to supply MW jumpers with this batch as they are complete and already in transit. As part of the work to do the 86/4, we have also completed extra CAD versions to enable the production of MW fitted 86/0s and 86/3s at a later date. Hope this helps Ben

Good Morning, Reading through the thread, I've seen a couple of posts asking about grille/step plates. To confirm, ALL models are supplied with a set of very fine etched footstep cover plates (x6) and boiler grille cover plates (x2) painted in the appropriate colours. These allow you to configure your model to suit your period and livery, but also to model other locos with alternative arrangements if you wish. From the start of the project we were aware that there were numerous differences across the class in the presence (or otherwise) of these retro-fitted parts, so we felt that this was the most flexible and appropriate way to supply them. Hope this helps Ben

We do plan to work our way on to the Class 86/2s after we've completed the 86/4s. Planning and research is already underway, but we need to deliver what we've already promised before moving on to more '86s'! Hope this helps Ben

I agree that these are unlikely to be the only examples not up to scratch - it's important to wait until we find out the full extent of the problem, rather than speculating. Like any busy retailer, Olivia's doesn't have time to indulge in picking out examples to suit any agendas - the first one out of the carton gets plonked in front of a camera and then they move on to the next of many jobs. This is not an Olivia's issue - it's an issue for us to take up with our supplier and resolve asap. Hence why I said earlier that if anyone receives one that they are not happy with, it should be returned for exchange/refund.

Thanks Zunnan, It is a let down - anyone who knows me will confirm that I'm usually pretty laid back, but I'm furious about this. Since I joined Heljan I've used professional modellers to supply high quality weathered control samples for the suppliers to copy and the results have generally been excellent (LLB 37116, faded blue 33012 etc) and well received by customers. Although we don't yet know the extent of the problem, in this case the factory has not supplied what we asked for and the production models shown in Olivia's photos do not match the quality of the samples we approved. The 25s come out of a different factory to the Dogfish and as the wagons you mention were before my time with Heljan I can't say what the process was at that time. Ben

Without seeing it in the flesh I couldn't say for sure. I don't want to speculate as I don't know the recent history of this specific model.

Good Morning All, The photos of the weathered BR blue 25 have come as an unpleasant surprise this morning. I'm sure I don't need to say that it is *absolutely not* what we approved with the factory and I am hugely frustrated and disappointed with what has been delivered in this instance. A phone call to Denmark has just confirmed that the random QC checks undertaken before shipment to the UK did not reveal any problems at that stage. Unfortunately the model shown by Olivia's is from the production batch and is clearly way below the standards we demand. Like you, I expect much better and we will take steps to ensure this cannot happen again. HOWEVER, it's important to note that this appears to be a (particularly severe) rogue example and not representative of the wider production run. Nor is it any reflection on the rest of the Class 25 models, which are decorated to a high standard. If any other examples crop up that are poorly finished, we will take them back and resolve the situation with our supplier. I'm also disturbed by the state of the headcode panels in the Olivia's photos, which are clearly not as specified and appear to have been messed around with. A quick look at the photos on other retailer websites, and the Heljan Facebook page, will demonstrate how they actually look. Finally, I can only apologise and recommend that if you receive a weathered Class 25 that does not match your expectations, please return it to your retailer for exchange/refund. Hope this helps Ben

No problem. Happy to help if I can. Unfortunately everything is now taking longer and costing more to ship than it did before Jan 1st.

Thanks. Some late survivors are definitely in the plan. 25093 was chosen because it looks a bit different with the numbers on the bodyside and 25252 was selected as we had some excellent photos of both sides. We also needed a good spread of regions to *try* and keep as many people happy as possible.

Hi Clive, Thanks for the suggestions. Both of these would require new tooling, which we do not have planned for this model at the moment. One to consider for the long term though. Ben