Heljan announce re-tooled Class 86 in OO

[cairnsroadworks]

23 hours ago, 97406 said:

86404 has just been outshopped with cab gutters, deeper grey band, and some paint on the roof bits. It looks exactly how I remember them, now. I made the tail lamp lenses appear a little smaller by applying a little thinned yellow acrylic paint to the edge and letting capillary action draw it round. The cab front handrail moulding is a flimsy affair that is glued to the front. They didn’t survive being removed. I made replacements out of nickel silver wire. It took 5 attempts before I had 2 decent ones! Technically they should be white, but I’ve used a little modeller’s licence for extra bling!

 

That looks awesome. Well done. Need to find some time to get mine sorted out. I’m considering modifying mine to 86411 with large numbers and full yellow fronts for a bit of variety. 

[97406]

11 minutes ago, cairnsroadworks said:

That looks awesome. Well done. Need to find some time to get mine sorted out. I’m considering modifying mine to 86411 with large numbers and full yellow fronts for a bit of variety. 

Thanks! One thing to watch out for is some of them didn’t have the lower door handle. 411 being a case in point. I kept finding examples like that when I was looking to renumber mine. 

 

 

[adb968008]

4 hours ago, 97406 said:

Thanks! One thing to watch out for is some of them didn’t have the lower door handle. 411 being a case in point. I kept finding examples like that when I was looking to renumber mine. 

 

 

Hornby learned that to… their first 86 had no door handles.

https://www.hattons.co.uk/34503/hornby_r360_class_86_86219_phoenix_in_br_blue/stockdetail

[97406]

30 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Hornby learned that to… their first 86 had no door handles.

https://www.hattons.co.uk/34503/hornby_r360_class_86_86219_phoenix_in_br_blue/stockdetail

Yes and they’re tricky to add. I’ve a couple of 86s which were amongst the first locos that I did up when I got back into the hobby a couple of years back, and I just thought ‘Nope’ at the time. They may end up with the handles but without the recess.

Edited January 31, 2022 by 97406

[cairnsroadworks]

4 hours ago, 97406 said:

Thanks! One thing to watch out for is some of them didn’t have the lower door handle. 411 being a case in point. I kept finding examples like that when I was looking to renumber mine. 

 

 

Awesome. 

[97406]

A slightly tweaked and weathered 426 has been outshopped. One small thing I've noticed is that the tops of the cantrails look to be a touch on the low side, not that this detracts from the model in any big way. It captures the look of the prototype well, and it is a vast improvement on the Hornby one, which was still good for its time. The pantograph has a Marklin spring which is gentler than the Heljan ones, and a bend in the upper anti-roll bar wire has the head sitting a little straighter under the wire.

[Garry D100]

My 86404 arrived today and very pleased with it I am.

 

Like some I wondered how the heck to release the pantograph.

I worked it out as on the attached picture.

There is a little rocking plate with a lip on it, this is a catch, i hooked my fingernail on the lip and gently pressed and this released the pan.

I then just gently pushed it down until it locked into it again.

 

Hope thats of use.

[47606odin]

They do look good, and I was tempted to get 622, but unfortunately Heljan have made some big issues for me, with the accuracy of the livery application. The dark grey doesn’t come down far enough, should be 3 red triangles down, meaning the numbers are too high, putting the CE plate in the wrong position and the RFD logo doesn’t come down quite far enough towards the tumble home, all of which are easily checked out on the web before signing off on the artwork.

[97406]

1 hour ago, 47606odin said:

They do look good, and I was tempted to get 622, but unfortunately Heljan have made some big issues for me, with the accuracy of the livery application. The dark grey doesn’t come down far enough, should be 3 red triangles down, meaning the numbers are too high, putting the CE plate in the wrong position and the RFD logo doesn’t come down quite far enough towards the tumble home, all of which are easily checked out on the web before signing off on the artwork.

 

Same with the executive one, hence my partial respray. I grew up with early Hornby and Lima locos that were pretty awful out of the box so you had to learn how to make them better, and the Heljan 86 is a much better starting point.

 

I do think Heljan’s signoff process often misses key details, perhaps they need to employ the services of a good rivet counter!

 

On reflection, my 622 is a bit out of era for me, so I’m wondering about backdating it and respraying it. Banger blue or executive livery (perhaps with the fuller yellow end) and maybe turn it into an 86/2 ahead of the next Heljan run. 86218 Planet was one I remember from the mid 80s, though this needs work to remove the lower door handles.

[Hal Nail]

2 hours ago, 97406 said:

I do think Heljan’s signoff process often misses key details, perhaps they need to employ the services of a good rivet counter!

I did offer once and was told they know what they are doing, or words to that effect!

 

(Not suggesting I'm an expert, just the right blend of observant and dull!)

[97406]

21 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

I did offer once and was told they know what they are doing, or words to that effect!

 

(Not suggesting I'm an expert, just the right blend of observant and dull!)

 

The thing is, as hopefully I’ve shown, it’s not an insurmountable job to get them right. I’ve had mine less than a week, and 2 have been rectified. These would have been easy things to sort throughout the processes leading up to production, and there are lessons to be learned by the way the likes of Accurascale engages with its customer base. Nevertheless have really enjoyed tweaking mine, and a more ambitious blue early-to-mid eighties 86/2 is in the offing.

[47606odin]

29 minutes ago, 97406 said:

 

The thing is, as hopefully I’ve shown, it’s not an insurmountable job to get them right. I’ve had mine less than a week, and 2 have been rectified. These would have been easy things to sort throughout the processes leading up to production, and there are lessons to be learned by the way the likes of Accurascale engages with its customer base. Nevertheless have really enjoyed tweaking mine, and a more ambitious blue early-to-mid eighties 86/2 is in the offing.

tweaking is fine, however, I have plenty of other stuff to tweak, so it would be nice that some don’t need tweaking

[97406]

2 hours ago, 47606odin said:

tweaking is fine, however, I have plenty of other stuff to tweak, so it would be nice that some don’t need tweaking

 

I have a proper soft spot for cans (and forties), so I’ll grab what I can and make it right!

[ERIC ALLTORQUE]

4 hours ago, 97406 said:

 

 there are lessons to be learned by the way the likes of Accurascale engages with its customer base.

Just shows that Accurascale are here for the good of us all,not just the good of themselves,resistance is futile,you will be impressed.

[47606odin]

It’s like on the retro electric blue livery loco. Not much to get wrong there you think. So why did Heljan stop the yellow paint before the bottom of the cab and paint it like Anglia did on their livery with the rounded bottom corners?

 

[97406]

10 minutes ago, 47606odin said:

It’s like on the retro electric blue livery loco. Not much to get wrong there you think. So why did Heljan stop the yellow paint before the bottom of the cab and paint it like Anglia did on their livery with the rounded bottom corners?

 

Yeah, I was squinting at photos of the real thing for hours. Fortunately the yellow panel is a good match for Phoenix Precision Signal Yellow (Pre 85 (I think) warning yellow). The white cab roofs end too high above the doors too. Another thing I’ve addressed.

[97406]

19 minutes ago, ERIC ALLTORQUE said:

Just shows that Accurascale are here for the good of us all,not just the good of themselves,resistance is futile,you will be impressed.

I sense some proper cranks working for them.

[cairnsroadworks]

7 hours ago, 97406 said:

 

Same with the executive one, hence my partial respray. I grew up with early Hornby and Lima locos that were pretty awful out of the box so you had to learn how to make them better, and the Heljan 86 is a much better starting point.

 

I do think Heljan’s signoff process often misses key details, perhaps they need to employ the services of a good rivet counter!

 

On reflection, my 622 is a bit out of era for me, so I’m wondering about backdating it and respraying it. Banger blue or executive livery (perhaps with the fuller yellow end) and maybe turn it into an 86/2 ahead of the next Heljan run. 86218 Planet was one I remember from the mid 80s, though this needs work to remove the lower door handles.

I was led to believe that changing one to an 86/2 led to compromises beyond this rivet counter, although I confess that my love for them hasn’t extended to examining the bogies in great detail which I believe is where some of the main differences lie?

[97406]

10 minutes ago, cairnsroadworks said:

I was led to believe that changing one to an 86/2 led to compromises beyond this rivet counter, although I confess that my love for them hasn’t extended to examining the bogies in great detail which I believe is where some of the main differences lie?

 

I’ve not managed (yet) to find a definitive comparison. I can live with that if need be as they’re black and dirty, and close enough. Converting the 86/0 to a 2 would be a bit of a challenge, though.

 

Edited to add, it looks closer to the 86/2 bogie than the Hornby 86/2 bogie for what its worth.

Edited February 3, 2022 by 97406

[cairnsroadworks]

6 minutes ago, 97406 said:

 

I’ve not managed (yet) to find a definitive comparison. I can live with that if need be as they’re black and dirty, and close enough. Converting the 86/0 to a 2 would be a bit of a challenge, though.

Maybe you can help interpret what my friend told me…

 

”The main difference is the bogies, the dampers, yaw damper mounting. The 86/4 used more class 90 ideas whereas an 86/2 used 87 stuff”

[97406]

9 minutes ago, cairnsroadworks said:

Maybe you can help interpret what my friend told me…

 

”The main difference is the bogies, the dampers, yaw damper mounting. The 86/4 used more class 90 ideas whereas an 86/2 used 87 stuff”

At the moment, I can’t see a visual difference. The 86/1s had the bogies that were destined for the 87, and I think they were briefly numbered in the 86/2 series, so that may be where it came from. Anyhow, my eye is untrained in that area, so will scrutinise more pics after work. I do remember the bogies being converted from the original AL6 bogies at Crewe, where they attached the flexicoil mountings in much the same way as an 86/2.

[ERIC ALLTORQUE]

40 minutes ago, 97406 said:

I sense some proper cranks working for them.

Exactly,whats not like about them,most of us are a few bricks short of a full load.

[gazwire]

Just picked up my intercity executive livery model and it looks fantastic to my eyes. I know some have mentioned a few minor details but it's still a cracking model and much appreciated from an 80s west coast fan.

[97406]

10 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

I did offer once and was told they know what they are doing, or words to that effect!

 

(Not suggesting I'm an expert, just the right blend of observant and dull!)

You need to be a stickler in this day and age! Or so I keep telling myself!

[cairnsroadworks]

5 hours ago, 97406 said:

At the moment, I can’t see a visual difference. The 86/1s had the bogies that were destined for the 87, and I think they were briefly numbered in the 86/2 series, so that may be where it came from. Anyhow, my eye is untrained in that area, so will scrutinise more pics after work. I do remember the bogies being converted from the original AL6 bogies at Crewe, where they attached the flexicoil mountings in much the same way as an 86/2.

Be interested in any findings. This info comes from a man who really knows his 86s, and has owned a few!