tomstaf
Western Thunderer
http://www.tower-models.com/towermodels/ogauge/heljan/index.htm
So what have HJ got in store for us at Telford then?
Cheers
Tom
So what have HJ got in store for us at Telford then?
Cheers
Tom
Heljan 7mm Wagons
- Thread starter tomstaf
- Start date
BrushType4
Western Thunderer
Could be they have ferry wagons?
Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
Already mentioned this on the Telford thread
tomstaf
Western Thunderer
Already mentioned this on the Telford thread
Sorry Phil,
I hadn't seen your post. Thanks for pointing it out. Now, fingers crossed it's something good for Sun
Cheers
Tom
tomstaf
Western Thunderer
Well not long to wait to find out, so we need not froth or wish-list......
Whatever they have, I bet it'll be one or all of the following:-
Expensive.
Inaccurate.
Irrelevant - to any other HJ models, or maybe just me personally...
Oh and Tower will make out they are the sole source of supply.....
Of course Tower will be the omnipotent supplier. I mean no one else has anything to do with Heljan do they
Cheers
Tom
daifly
Western Thunderer
Whilst I am not going to try to defend Tower (from whom I have, incidentally, only received the best of service) I will ask the Tower-knockers, if you want to buy an item of new 7mm Heljan kit with a reasonable expectation of finding it in stock and in the livery that you want, where is your first port-of-call?
Dave
Dave
Pugsley
Western Thunderer
My money is on IZA Cargowaggon twin sets....
Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
erm.....Rails of Sheffield.
daifly
Western Thunderer
Thanks. They are totally off my radar. They don't seem to advertise in the magazines that I read or have a presence at any of the shows that I attend. For better or worse, unlike Tower.
Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
They don't really attend the shows I go to either, but they are only a few junctions down the M1 from me.......they also have a good website & mail order service too (I believe most of their business is mail order)
The last Heljan loco I bought was from them (GFYE Hymek) when I got it home I discovered the screw link couplings were missing, so I gave them a quick phone call half expecting to be fobbed off with the Heljan UK phone number, but instead they were very apologetic & ordered replacements on my behalf & had them delivered to me within a couple of days, which I thought was very good
tomstaf
Western Thunderer
Hattons for me. 2 of the 33s I ordered had some broken bits on them when they arrived. A quick phone call to Hattons and they were straight on it. 2 days later replacement parts arrived plus some complimentary bits. I also found them cheaper too.
Antics in Bristol have been the source of some of my other HJ locos and they're perfectly happy to price match the cheapest ones.
Cheers
Tom
Phill Dyson
Western Thunderer
Just goes to show in the case of Rails & Hattons you can pay a very competitive price & still get very good customer service as well
daifly
Western Thunderer
To be fair, they are listed by Tower only as 'Sold Out'. The 'and now unavailable' comment is your unfair interpretation of Tower's stock report. Items which are unavailable are usually listed by Tower as NLA - no longer available.
Pugsley
Western Thunderer
The cat is out of the bag:
http://www.tower-models.com/towermodels/ogauge/heljan/wagons/index.htm
VAA Vans, OAA opens and 35T class B tanks. The 35T tanks are an unfortunate bit of duplication, but I guess it's to be expected, the presence of a kit seems to be taken to mean that an RTR model is a safe-ish bet. Just ask Barry at Cambrian!
the VAA is interesting - I had planned to do one of those myself, so it'll be interesting to see what it comes out like. I'd be happy to add my own detailing parts to a good base, but I won't count my chickens until I see one in the flesh. If it's no good, which is eminently possible given Heljan's record, I'll press on with my own.
The OAA isn't of much interest to me, but again it'll be interesting to see how they do, especially with the thickness of the sides.
http://www.tower-models.com/towermodels/ogauge/heljan/wagons/index.htm
VAA Vans, OAA opens and 35T class B tanks. The 35T tanks are an unfortunate bit of duplication, but I guess it's to be expected, the presence of a kit seems to be taken to mean that an RTR model is a safe-ish bet. Just ask Barry at Cambrian!
the VAA is interesting - I had planned to do one of those myself, so it'll be interesting to see what it comes out like. I'd be happy to add my own detailing parts to a good base, but I won't count my chickens until I see one in the flesh. If it's no good, which is eminently possible given Heljan's record, I'll press on with my own.
The OAA isn't of much interest to me, but again it'll be interesting to see how they do, especially with the thickness of the sides.
BrushType4
Western Thunderer
Yep, I'll be getting some of these new wagons for sure. Pretty cheap at £55 RTR, even if I'll need to add details.
Like it or not, our hobby at this scale is about to get a whole new generation of modellers and that can only be a good thing.
Like it or not, our hobby at this scale is about to get a whole new generation of modellers and that can only be a good thing.
BrushType4
Western Thunderer
Do they still make them?Im getting a VAA van from Model express (Express models) tomorrow to start my RTC vehicles.
Steve
I fully agree - but then it won't be the same hobby will it?! In reality, there are at least two hobbies within O gauge already.
BTW this is not sour grapes on my part as we have had good profits indeed from our 35ton tank wagons - and no doubt we shall do a little add-on pack for the the Heljan wagon and make some more money. As I've said before, kit manufacturers can either see these things as a problem or an opportunity.
However - that doesn't mean that a grumpy old sod like me cannot indulge in a general 'regretting' at the way things are 'dumbing down' [at my age I'm allowed to!].
Knowing the 35ton Tank wagon very well now, I cannot imagine how Heljan are going to produce all that underframe gear, which in 7mm is so very complex & fine. The truth is of course we will probably see the vac cylinders mouded integrally with the chassis and everything ultra-simplified as in their Class 47 sideframes & central underfloor section - pure Hornby in the 1970s.
Regards,
David Parkins