Heljan announce O gauge 73/1 and 27

[47606odin]

On 01/09/2023 at 18:19, SouthernMafia said:

Heljan appear to have captured the wrong prototype loco - I didn't know this other than the NSE branding and placement, but the livery details between 73109/126 are different to 73129/136.

Heljan have modelled 129/136s livery (almost correctly) and then numbered it 73126. The bit wrong for 73129 is the top white band is the thin version as on 73126. So it's a bit of a hybrid, but actually the model now has potential for a renumber to 73129/136, which is something I was considering anyway. 

 

 

 

the bigger issue is the point of the yellow on the side of the loco. Completely wrong location for the modelled loco. And that is why I cancelled that pre order until I can verify the livery has been corrected

[Hal Nail]

Tower are suggesting the 73s will be available by the end of the month.

 

Be interesting to see how they sell. The 26s are now down to £395 at Rails so there's no way I'm paying £660 odd for a 73 much as I'd like an early blue one

 

Even if the more popular ones sell out at the initial price cant believe they all will!

[admiles]

23 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

Tower are suggesting the 73s will be available by the end of the month.

 

Be interesting to see how they sell. The 26s are now down to £395 at Rails so there's no way I'm paying £660 odd for a 73 much as I'd like an early blue one

 

Even if the more popular ones sell out at the initial price cant believe they all will!

 

Just as a matter of interest what price would you be willing to pay?

[Hal Nail]

1 hour ago, admiles said:

Just as a matter of interest what price would you be willing to pay?

I'll be surprised if I can't pick one up for 450 eventually. Depends when I lose my nerve!

Edited October 18, 2023 by Hal Nail

[Baggies1961]

Always interesting to see which ones sell best. The 58’s appear to be the original as built livery.

Maybe the same will be true with the 73’s. Makes me wonder what risk manufacturers take bringing out so many liveried, as an initial release, scaled back it appears from the original announcement.

[47606odin]

So with the imminent arrival of the class 73, are there any pictures of the livery corrections, especially the NSE livery which was very wrong for 126? I’m assuming the pictures on rails are still older pictures as the intercity version still has 102 and the nameplate still shown

[Baggies1961]

Hi Ian,

 

I have not seen any recent pictures, my guess is we wont until they either appear on here or retailers update their respective pictures.

 

On another topic any updates on the shed?

 

Regards

 

Julian.

[Hal Nail]

29 minutes ago, Baggies1961 said:

my guess is we wont until they either appear on here or retailers update their respective pictures

Which many don't actually do!

 

I've got caught out before when a late error slipped in and everywhere was using old livery sample photos rather than the actual product.

 

I find it ridiculous when online ordering is so widespread, the manufacturers dont arrange official photos of the actual product, although Rails and Hattons do take very good ones usually and I wait for them now. 

 

Fortunately pre-ordering isn't necessary in 7mm so I guess it's a first world problem!

Edited November 3, 2023 by Hal Nail

[norman]

I wonder why the EW&S logos are missing. Perhaps it's just that Heljan will not pay for a licence to use them or maybe DB Schenker just said no. It's a pity because otherwise the 73 looks good.

[47606odin]

50 minutes ago, norman said:

I wonder why the EW&S logos are missing. Perhaps it's just that Heljan will not pay for a licence to use them or maybe DB Schenker just said no. It's a pity because otherwise the 73 looks good.

because 131 and 128 had different combinations of logo and EWS or EW&S text at different times so by making them blank people add which version they want with or without logos

[Hal Nail]

Plus its an unnumbered version and they often leave the logos off those. I assumed so at least the lettering and logos match even if you can't quite match it to the body.

[47606odin]

14 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

Plus its an unnumbered version and they often leave the logos off those. I assumed so at least the lettering and logos match even if you can't quite match it to the body.

128 was EW&S 131 was EWS. So if you put the appropriate text on it will only work for one loco

[Baggies1961]

The 73 arrived this morning. Looks superb!

Bag of bits haven't a clue where they go though. More details in the user manual than usual.

[47606odin]

1 hour ago, Baggies1961 said:

The 73 arrived this morning. Looks superb!

Bag of bits haven't a clue where they go though. More details in the user manual than usual.

you’ve got the wrong one, I need to see the NSE version 

[Hal Nail]

Looks very good apart from those thick orange lines in the windows which rather stand out (I'd never noticed them on the real thing before seeing the model) and should be white on early locos. Not sure I would fancy trying to remove them without frosting the glazing but finding it hard to see past them in the pics I've seen so far.

 

Just out of interest does the buckeye drop or detach? How do you couple it to, say, wagons?

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by Hal Nail

[47606odin]

5 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

Looks very good apart from those thick orange lines in the windows which rather stand out (I'd never noticed them on the real thing before seeing the model) and should be white on early locos. Not sure I would fancy trying to remove them without frosting the glazing but finding it hard to see past them in the pics I've seen so far.

 

Just out of interest does the buckeye drop or detach? How do you couple it to, say, wagons?

 

 

 

I believe they do drop to reveal the hook. I’m wondering if they are like the Ellis Clarke Drop heads

 

as for the lines in the window, they weren’t white, they are coppery sort of colour but also very thin being the demisting elements, but these are very very over size

Edited November 5, 2023 by 47606odin

[Hal Nail]

7 hours ago, 47606odin said:

as for the lines in the window, they weren’t white, they are coppery sort of colour but also very thin

 

It's possible they will come off with IPA and then polish up. The early liveries in particular are very different.

 

Incidentally going back to previous chat, these weren't like that in all the samples!

 

Edited November 5, 2023 by Hal Nail

[61661]

On 04/11/2023 at 09:23, norman said:

I wonder why the EW&S logos are missing. Perhaps it's just that Heljan will not pay for a licence to use them or maybe DB Schenker just said no. It's a pity because otherwise the 73 looks good.

Very simple answer - both 73s painted in this livery carried both the initial EW&S and later EWS branding so to give customers full flexibility we omitted the branding so that they could choose how to finish them. More often than not our O gauge models are delivered without numbers or printed details tying them to specific locos.

There’s no requirement for a licence to use the defunct EWS branding and, in any case, we have a long standing agreement in place with DB. Hope this helps. 

[61661]

14 hours ago, Hal Nail said:

Looks very good apart from those thick orange lines in the windows which rather stand out (I'd never noticed them on the real thing before seeing the model) and should be white on early locos. Not sure I would fancy trying to remove them without frosting the glazing but finding it hard to see past them in the pics I've seen so far.

 

Just out of interest does the buckeye drop or detach? How do you couple it to, say, wagons?

 

 

 

It‘s a fully operational drophead buckeye coupler. It can be lowered to reveal the hook, as per the real thing. 

Edited November 5, 2023 by 61661
Autocorrect!

[47606odin]

Well, I won’t be buying 126

 

whilst they have moved the point of the yellow panel down to line up with the number in the middle of the white band they left the top of the yellow in the same spot it was previously so the angle of the point is completely wrong. The top corner of the yellow panel should be about in line with the corner at the bottom of the Yellow panel, completely distorting the shape and looks horrible.

 

so intercity livery it is, and when they drop down in price as they will at some stage I might consider the Dutch livery and maybe a 2nd intercity one. A shame as I wanted 126 to go with my southern region inspection saloon

[Clarky1000]

Got my 73 from Tower in BR Plain Blue this morning

 

I think it looks great - captures the image of the real one perfectly as far as I can tell - as Derby chap, it was only on trips South that I saw them - but i did spend part of my apprenticeship at Eastleigh in 1985 - just as they were painting them in Large Logo

 

Well done Heljan - A beautiful model

 

I was boring and numbered it as E6012 - from a photo at Clapham in 1969

 

Lovely - lots of really delicate parts though - only got the Vac Pipes to fit for me1

 

G

[47606odin]

16 hours ago, Clarky1000 said:

Got my 73 from Tower in BR Plain Blue this morning

 

I think it looks great - captures the image of the real one perfectly as far as I can tell - as Derby chap, it was only on trips South that I saw them - but i did spend part of my apprenticeship at Eastleigh in 1985 - just as they were painting them in Large Logo

 

Well done Heljan - A beautiful model

 

I was boring and numbered it as E6012 - from a photo at Clapham in 1969

 

Lovely - lots of really delicate parts though - only got the Vac Pipes to fit for me1

 

G

mine is still at Rails, waiting for them to invoice me. I do wish they’d hurry as it’ll be weeks before it gets here still

[47606odin]

Finally mine is processed at Rails, with nameplates ordered from Protoneo, I’ll be having 73119 Kentish Mercury. Well I am a Man of Kent after all……

[Baggies1961]

Interesting what Ben said about hook. Mines away being sound installed. I must say I could have sworn I did not see a hook when I pushed the drop eye down to look.

 

I will check again when it returns.

 

On a positive not it is a beautiful model well done Heljan.

[Baggies1961]

On 15/09/2023 at 14:29, 47606odin said:

the bigger issue is the point of the yellow on the side of the loco. Completely wrong location for the modelled loco. And that is why I cancelled that pre order until I can verify the livery has been corrected

Studying the photo rails have on their site, the point of the yellow now looks to point at the number. It appears Heljan have corrected it, if thats what you meant?