How did Heljan reviews vanish from the channel for a year, then suddenly we are bombarded with one after another? I'm not complaining, Heljan reviews are always entertaining! 😆
Because there's only so long a person can take continual disappointment for before they need a break for a while I'm assuming. It's such a shame that Heljan's quality control is so hit and miss. They have so much potential to be a genuinely excellent manufacturer, but they keep missing the mark in such stupid ways.
Thats whats great about your reviews. The honesty. Magazine reviews very rarely now included negative comments. Whats that about? Even a faulty model gets a glowing review! I bet Kernow and Model Rail arn’t pleased they are involved in this model!
I love Model Rail as a magazine, but their reviews are rarely critical, and I refuse to believe so many models are pefect. Definitely something I've noticed of late.
On the contrary, Heljan’s Class 11 - also a Kernow/Model Rail project - is a fabulous model. I rarely buy new stuff these days but I went for one and it honestly blew my socks off. It’s well built, clean decoration, mechanically very sound with an excellent crawl and it has directional lights too. Puts the Hornby and Bachmann 08s to shame. Most of their other stuff is fit for the bin. It’s really odd!
So, I talked with Dekas (danish manufactor) CEO a few days ago, where we discussed the way Dekas run compared to Heljan, and he mentioned that Heljan had no passion for the hobby and were easy to say a locomotive wouldn't be profitable for them if they didn't sell at least 1500 of them. Dekas on the other hand will according to themselves make a model if they might be profitable in the long run, i.e after 3 or 4 batches and they know how annoying bad quality is. I know I sound like a PR person for them, but I do really recommend their models, really some of the most detailed and quality locomotives that I own in my collection.
I'd argue it's a healthier attitude for the hobby as well. It's an incentive to keep the product on the market; there's too many models that are one-run-and-done.
@@nigelnicholson7439 Techincally, no as their models are made to represent Denmark (Granted, danish company) and Sweden, but if you would count rolling stock currently at the Nene Valley Railway, you could argue that their new coaches (Sat to arrive in a few months, got to see a prototype a few days ago) which the Nene Valley railway actually has, you could say that they could fit a heritage layout. Also they're HO as that's the standard scale used in Denmark.
I’m from Denmark. It is not untrue what he says. Heljan have alienated much of the Danish market with too many bad models. I will never buy more of it. Dekas on the other hand is amazing stuff.
Sam managed to get through the whole review, without mentioning the oily fingerprints on the middle access doors on both sides. I guess they were put there by whoever washed the loco in oil when packing it.
@@karlyoung3275 1361 is definitely worse, the performance is around the same as the 1361, although this one is actually like, kind of almost half-decent quality.
@@gamingwithlukeJToH on the other hand, at least the 1361 didn’t cost 200 quid, and actually had die cast and sprung buffers on it… neither work properly, so goodness knows which one Sam prefers
@@Alpha-oo8 that's what it costed in 2020, putting inflation into account means the model would now cost around £196.84, which is nearly the same. not to mention the fact that basically all of the diecast on the model was horribly done.
I just love your reviews, even though I live in germany and am a Märklin h0 scale modeller. They're just so entertaining, especially the bad reviews. I just read the title and was like: I'm gonna love this one. So.. at least this model served one good purpose: To give me and many others a fun time while you reviewed it. Cheers!
I'm trying to imagine the conversation in the main dungeon of Heljan head office now. Hel: Hey, I've just seen how many Sam's Trains reviews there've been recently complaining about Hornby peddling overpriced shoddily made tat! Jan: What?! That's unacceptable; Hornby are muscling into our territory! They're Titfield-thunderbolting us! We'll show them... everybody likes Hornby's cute little Rustons, we shall make a Ruston of our own which exemplifies everything Heljan is known for! Now... what more could we do, to go the extra mile for a really stand-out review...? Hel: Well, Sam did review a diesel shunter from AliExpress not long ago, we could maybe *try* to aim for that kind of standard, I suppose? Or we *could* maybe attempt to make a good model for a change instead.... ? .... Heljan: Hahahahaha.... no.
Hey Sam, its a definite tribute to your presentation skills that I must have watched 50+ of your videos despite running AC gear (Marklin) on my own layout, so zero 'crossover' info really. I must say, it doesn't give me a lot of confidence in laying out high amounts of money (given it has to be shipped to Australia) to buy new models. I believe I've had less issues with 2nd hand 40 year old Lima AC models and even less issues with 40-50 year old Marklin/Fleischmann gear. Keep it up - the plethora of fans prove you're on the right track!
Once again Sam, I owe you a massive thank you for your review as you have saved me a lot of heartache. My preservation group owns one of these (The real locomotive not the model) and has since being a small ambition of mine to get an example of our collection in model form. I was immediately excited when I heard Heljan were making a model of these as I didn't think anyone would ever consider making a model of these locomotives with them being a non "mainstream" Shunter which never had a lot of presence. However the original price immediately put me off and like you I decided to wait until a significant discount was applied before buying one... I was just about place an order when I saw your review. To be honest, even at £50 I just couldn't live with buying this disaster.
I am 79 and I have never bought a Heljan model ( not even secondhand ). I have sent Sam a comment and told him that he need not apologise for his review as most of us really appreciate his honesty in his comments. Regards from Ron
I noticed the stripes on the "wasp stripes" on the back of the cab weren't painted straight either in the close-up at 13:06! It almost looks like whatever was applying either the black or the yellow stripes was slightly misaligned, which caused the two to slightly overlap when they shouldn't and green to show through where it shouldn't either. Just sloppy all around, I'm surprised it managed to avoid last place! I also feel like the rubber tube used as the drive-shaft of the motor, while it may be an interesting (if rather cheap) solution, I doubt it'll help the model's longevity in any way, especially since the rubber will inevitably harden over time. Though, given the 'quality' of the rest of the model, it might not last long enough to even make it that far!
Agree about Heljan. I have finally found a use for my Beyer garratt, that rarely worked, ripped the guts out, removed running gear, sprayed it rust, put it behind a Class 24 to tow it to scrap. Perfect.
Great vid Sam! Shocking that Heljan still produce crap like this!! Sorry I've not been commenting of late I've just been very busy with college amongst other things!
I love the intro Sam! Set the tone with humour! On a more serious level, I don’t like the flexible transparent plastic drive from the motor to the flywheel. It might work very quietly and cheaply for a little while, but I can imagine the hefty dousing of oil might soften it over time, and the loco transmission will fail. Whilst replacing it might not be technically difficult - getting hold of a fresh piece of tube of the correct size might be.
Well yes! Why use a cheap piece of tube? It’s the sort of thing people did when scratchbuilding models in the 1970s. Fulgarex brass did it too, and it fails. These days precision moulding has got better and cheaper - just make a neat little universal joint like the Hornby B12, the KR models GT3 to name 2 examples.
At 17:41 the wipers are pointing in such a variety of directions that having one touch a wheel is a case of luck, especially given the amount of sideways movement that the chassis offers
Can't thank you enough, I'm looking into this hobby, and if I got this as a first loco, I would probably quit right away. I'm going with accurascale I reckon. Cheers again. : )
My 1361 is a great runner and has never given me any trouble but my 47xx Night Owl is an utter horror, does't run full stop and the body removal is the worst model railway experience Ive ever endured. No more Heljan nonsense for me. Good, very fair review, Sam.
Hi Sam, an honest opinion as always. I will, however, pick you up one one thing. The instructions state gears to centre axle, not direct drive as you have implied, not that it makes much difference but worth pointing out none the less. I very rarely buy new models, and if I do, I tend to buy from Accurascale. They appear to be passionate about the hobby and the models they produce, and as we are all well aware, offer a lifetime guarantee. I won't be buying one of these anyway because I model era 3, and I try to kit build, so if they are crap I've only myself to blame!! P.s. they usually are 😂😂😂 I look forward to the next one, cheers Lawrence.
I'm damn glad I bought the Bachmann class 03 now. Never considered this Ruston but a few years into the future (now) I probably could well have. And my 03 still runs well after 4 years of being sat in a cold sometimes moist attic having never left the table. Very realibale runner
Nice video Sam. It’s interesting how I know hundreds of people who speak highly of heljan but from my own experience and videos like this I do wonder what they are talking about some times though I do have good older items their newest releases appear to be as if they were dressing up hornby train set locos. Although I think it’s the Bachmann pricing scheme where the high prices make you think that they are high value products, which is not always the case. I’m guessing that most people don’t look closely at performance and general construction with the majority of newer releases.
I speak highly of heljan because the vast collection of locos that I have manufacturers by them have been some of the best, my collection ranges from some mainstream locos like the class: 47 (old version, not the new one just released) 28, 17, 45, 128 DPU, EM2/Class 77 electric, an EFE rail 58 which is the old heljan tooled one, I have one steam locomotive that one being a Garratt, other locos I have from them are pretty much every prototype locomotive they have made, locos like: DP2, D0280 Lion, D0260 Falcon, HS4000 Kestrel, 10800, Rails/Heljan 18000 and 18100 gas turbine locomotives, 18100 being my most recent loco from heljan, in this vast collection that I have not one has exhibited any issues, construction of them has been excellent with no parts falling off, performance has also been excellent for me even on DC, some are dcc fitted now since I got my first controller earlier this year, they are also fairly easy to service despite what some may say about that, I have serviced a fair few heljan locos and believe me if I can do it anyone can, the reason why I speak very highly of them is because I have never experienced a bad issue with any model from them also I know my experience of a model will be different to everyone else, a good example here is my class 17, Sam reviewed one years ago and it ran but it wasn’t the greatest running model but it didn’t stop me from buying one as a few months later I bought a 17 and it worked fine, it still works today plus it’s a second hand one, not every heljan model out there is a poor one and it’s about time many people started realising that, they also need to stop being influenced by what they are seeing online and broadening their scope especially when it comes to heljan models because what one person may call a poor model due to their experience someone else who has a different experience may call that same heljan model a good one.
@@davidstrains4910 good point. I must admit that I have had good runners in the past, but have not had much luck in recent times. I believe it has something to do with the rising cost of Chinese factories and presumedly a lowering quality control. Maybe some day with the rising importation costs we will see more companies moving production back to the uk as seen in Poland which has just reopened a HO car factory. For I think someone called something like suzki
Absolutely excellent review of the Ruston 165DE diesel shunter 👍 Now I can actually rant about the ridiculous price of this diesel model, I can’t believe this model cost about £200 while it SHOULD be £100 instead. The detail is ok, but the price is absolutely infuriating as most diesel shunters are cost much cheaper right around this price. It so shameless really with this model even it is slightly good, but the price is absolutely a joke especially the model is made of plastic.
And also I’m absolutely disgusted horrified that this model keeps on and oh and ON stopping. Really unbelievable that this model is nothing but ripoff really and I will be sorry for everyone who bought this dumpster fire model that keeps on stopping.
I am generally a fan of Heljan locos but this one takes the biscuit and I agree with your review. I am surprised that Kernow MRC wish to be associated with this model. I was considering buying one of these but no way, not even at the reduced prices on offer. I have several Heljan class 33s, 35s 47s and 52s which run really well. I have had to return class 17s, class 29s and GWR railcars as their motors were rubbish and failed within hours! I would be interested to see how well this loco runs with a Zimo decoder and stay-alive. I assume you will be returning this loco to the retailer?
Great video Sam, not a loco to start the hobby , I think. I've recently bought a railroad P2 locomotive and some pullman coaches to begin with it, but I think having another loco would be great. Do you think buying pre-owned locos at retailers would be a good idea? Thanks and, again, awesome video.
I can't believe all the oil when you turned it over. I think you were too generous with the grading points, but you are with the HellJam. Gret review, Jersey Bill
I have a Ozzie Powerline F3 Clone diesel with plastic/rubber drive shaft couplings from motor to bogie drives. About the cheapeast loco on the Aussie market at the time...has run well now for 7 years...use it as a test loco layouts as there is no detail parts to get damage...cheap and cheerful as they say, and has run well...often better than those costing 3-4x more?
Hi Sam, I had the Model Rail Heljan LMS diesel and it was the same, broken steps, missing parts and poor running. They swapped it and that one was also dripping in oil but still so bad I had to fit a huge stay alive. I had similar problems with the garret and the Heljan turntable. There is a common theme....
I love how the previous video is a sam’s exlusive review of a newly built prototype model that has high detail and good motor. to THIS! A £160 model that barely works.
The same with the Danish and German MAK lokomotives the started costing 2500dkk and now you can get them on heljans shop for 1000dkk mine came with a lot of broken parts
Hi Sam, I have not seen that type of silicon tube transmission since early US outline brass locos. If there is any angle or offset in the alignment, the tube becomes a big drain on power being absorbed by the continuous rotational bending of the tube. I would not be surprised if a lot of the problems in running were due to that cheap transmission.
When I saw it stop moving in the intro I knew this would be one of those reviews on the plus side it certainly would be best buds with the 1361 class as they share a lot in common 😂
Hi Sam great video i think you was a little too generous with the score for this locomotive but I bet it can be for a great Halloween video for this year
Hi Sam, up until you mentioned the amount of negativity on the forums. I was convinced that this must be a counterfeit model. With the poor manufacturing & especially the mistakes & contradictions in the paperwork it looked too ridiculous for any proper manufacturer (let alone Hejan) to think they could get away with releasing this model at such a ridiculous price. If (as you stated) this is a widespread problem with all their models, then something should be done to rectify these shoddy business practices. Thanks for having the committment to the railway modeling community for carrying through with this video. 👍
The only Heljan steam locomotive I would recommend is the 009 Gauge Lyn. The average RRP is over 200 which is far too much but I managed to pick mine up for £109 from Rails.
Even with that model, there are some poor design choices. Gears do not have any play, and not prepared for sound installation. But I admit, besides from that it is a lovely model.
Heljan (if you have real Terry Pratchett's books on Tiffany Aching series of using Slug Glue) look at Heljan! my former class 14 in OO & class 25 in O gauge could not stop falling apart! I hope for OO modelers that Hornby produce the 165 in O-4-O, since moving to O gauge I am waiting for the 48DS Heljan 😵💫 and the Accurascale 88DS 🤔. Heljan need to vasty to improve! Plus are the roof mounted horns right for a industrial livery?
Hi Sam, your reviews are the best ever and you don’t have to apologise for this Heljan rubbish. I would get a refund if I was you purely for the missing wiper blade and poor running. PS I’m 79 and I have never purchased a Heljan model and I never will now after watching this review. All the best,please keep up the good work. Regards from Ron 🚂👍🚂😃🚂✔️🚂
Shame, because lil shunter diesels are my favs. Have a few Heljan locos and think I've just been lucky as never had any issues so far. Picked up the Class 17 recently and runs great. What I wanna know is what brakevan is attached at the back of the review-loco's train? I like the livery its got and not one I think I've seen before, but it wasnt on-camera enough to make it out.
Got mine last Friday. After nearly having a breakdown while trying to run it in I contacted the retailer. I intend to return this rubbish as quickly as possible.
Was excited for Heljan's CoBo upcoming release. Now after hearing all the negative reviews about Heljan's models, I'm going to wait and see what others think about it first.
Contrary to what you see online the vast majority of heljan models are perfectly fine and very good, I have a vast collection of models from them and not one has exhibited an issue at all, never had any trouble with them, the upcoming CoBo from them will be excellent when it’s released, if you want one just buy one, make your own decisions and stop being influenced by what others are saying, your experience of a particular model will be different to another persons experience.
Id pay no more than 50 usd, and would using it with a backup engine to keep things running when it fails. Personally I think it looks kinda neat. Of course im a sucker for a diesel with side rods
Model Rail magazine announced a while ago that they are doing the Class 11 and Class 12 shunters (predecessors to the BR 08 shunter). These are being made for them by Heljan. After this review, I'd rather wait for the new Bachmann Branchline 08, or find an older Bachmann or Hornby version instead.
That reminds me, Rails of Sheffield recently discounted their stock of Heljan Class 33s, in the same manner as the Ruston 165. Dare I recommend reviewing a Crompton after this fiasco? As for the RRP of modern Heljan releases (not just this Ruston), I seriously question how they could possibly be so high.
A few years ago Sam had a review on another Heljan loco. It was very poor and other victims had the same issues. So I cancelled all my pre orders on all Heljan locos then on offer and have seen that Sam’s review has saved me a great deal of grief. The positive is that Hornby are safe from being the worst manufacturer. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
My Heljan 05 dropped its buffer beam in front of punters at a show - "Hey Mr, is that supposed to fall off?" and has been in the showcase ever since. The 165DE is an ideal loco (as is the 07) but I'm not thinking of getting one....
I have a rail king proto sound 1 locomotive and was running it on a track system older than the engine, even then it still ran over 30 laps on a transformer I wasn’t supposed to run it on before the 3 clanks of death. MTH enjoyers should know what I’m talking about when I say the 3 clanks of death
I have to wonder if the wheels were clean or maybe had some oil on them also? Did you try some contact cleaner on the wheels and maybe polish them up as clean as possible?
Thanks for reviewing this Sam - I was thinking of getting one of these to complete my Ruston trio, I think the funds will be getting diverted onto other models now. Will you be reviewing one of the new Dapol Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST?
A Heljan review on your channel Sam is always entertaining. Sadly, for the wrong reasons. I’ve only ever owned two Heljan product. Very poor. I felt there were built down to a cost rather than up to a quality. Their new 47 is way off the mark. Another great video.
I'd pay £50-60 for that and then thoroughly enjoy fettling it and sorting out the shocking paint job - the black wasp stripes were misaligned on there. The handrails being a different colour is correct on at least one real life example though as I have a colour photograph of it. I don't know how Heljan consistently screw up OO gauge when their O gauge offerings are absolutely superb in my experience and totally bomb proof.
ooh, what has Heljan been up to this time? Nothing good is the default answer, and look at those hideous flanges on the wheels and the mismatching colours! Thanks as always Sam.
Lima somehow made similar locos for much less and more reliable despite having a very simple mechanism, that German Wermacht 0-4-0 shunter comes to mind.
Wow I was thinking of getting into model railways but starting to think twise what planet are they on ? charging prices like this hmmmm will have to maybe re think this great video Sam
This isn’t relevant to the video, but Accurascale have unveiled decorated samples of their S56 / J69 models, with a release date of Q4 2024. They look pretty good, and I’m excited to order one.
This won't be relevant either, but I preordered mine back in March, and then preordered a second one earlier today. The decorated samples look amazing and I'm really looking forward to it.
Heljan get my business on account of the quirky locos they produce, but never close to full price. I recently bought a weathered Class 23 for 95 quid, which I much enjoy.
Is the motor getting hot, have you check it with an Amp-meter? I'd also wonder if the gears are binding, after all it has a flywheel and stalls on points.
![[LOST MEDIA] BNSF 5715 mid-DPU in Superior, WI](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FNYHMoCqG2U/mqdefault.jpg)
How did Heljan reviews vanish from the channel for a year, then suddenly we are bombarded with one after another? I'm not complaining, Heljan reviews are always entertaining! 😆
That's the year of recovery needed
I'm not sure - I suppose I'm reviewing more now because their stuff from the past year has now been reduced?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Because there's only so long a person can take continual disappointment for before they need a break for a while I'm assuming. It's such a shame that Heljan's quality control is so hit and miss. They have so much potential to be a genuinely excellent manufacturer, but they keep missing the mark in such stupid ways.
@@SamsTrains 0:12 Shapes Music.
@@SamsTrains 0:40 Those shapes are rectangles, circles, and squares.
Thats whats great about your reviews. The honesty. Magazine reviews very rarely now included negative comments. Whats that about? Even a faulty model gets a glowing review! I bet Kernow and Model Rail arn’t pleased they are involved in this model!
Hornby Magazine like to cut and paste the "nothing of note" in their "cons" section of their reviews.
I love Model Rail as a magazine, but their reviews are rarely critical, and I refuse to believe so many models are pefect. Definitely something I've noticed of late.
@@dansmodelrailways7886 because they pay for so much of the floor space at the “cut n paste” large exhibitions every year.
On the contrary, Heljan’s Class 11 - also a Kernow/Model Rail project - is a fabulous model. I rarely buy new stuff these days but I went for one and it honestly blew my socks off. It’s well built, clean decoration, mechanically very sound with an excellent crawl and it has directional lights too. Puts the Hornby and Bachmann 08s to shame.
Most of their other stuff is fit for the bin. It’s really odd!
So, I talked with Dekas (danish manufactor) CEO a few days ago, where we discussed the way Dekas run compared to Heljan, and he mentioned that Heljan had no passion for the hobby and were easy to say a locomotive wouldn't be profitable for them if they didn't sell at least 1500 of them. Dekas on the other hand will according to themselves make a model if they might be profitable in the long run, i.e after 3 or 4 batches and they know how annoying bad quality is.
I know I sound like a PR person for them, but I do really recommend their models, really some of the most detailed and quality locomotives that I own in my collection.
Thank you for sharing that with us :D
I'd argue it's a healthier attitude for the hobby as well. It's an incentive to keep the product on the market; there's too many models that are one-run-and-done.
Do they do any British Profile models? Are they 00 or HO?
@@nigelnicholson7439 Techincally, no as their models are made to represent Denmark (Granted, danish company) and Sweden, but if you would count rolling stock currently at the Nene Valley Railway, you could argue that their new coaches (Sat to arrive in a few months, got to see a prototype a few days ago) which the Nene Valley railway actually has, you could say that they could fit a heritage layout. Also they're HO as that's the standard scale used in Denmark.
I’m from Denmark. It is not untrue what he says. Heljan have alienated much of the Danish market with too many bad models. I will never buy more of it. Dekas on the other hand is amazing stuff.
Intro clip told me all: "for God's sake"
Yeah absolutely!! ;D
OMG yes...I'm JUST watching it, and well that MUCH for a loco that Sam had to tweak in the intro???oh lord's truth!
Sam managed to get through the whole review, without mentioning the oily fingerprints on the middle access doors on both sides. I guess they were put there by whoever washed the loco in oil when packing it.
What? Sam's Heljan 1361 is evolving!!!
(Evolves into the diesel)
Congratulations! Your Heljan 1361 has evolved into a Heljan 165DE!!
Nice reference!
Wonder which Sam considers worst.
@@karlyoung3275 1361 is definitely worse, the performance is around the same as the 1361, although this one is actually like, kind of almost half-decent quality.
@@gamingwithlukeJToH on the other hand, at least the 1361 didn’t cost 200 quid, and actually had die cast and sprung buffers on it… neither work properly, so goodness knows which one Sam prefers
@@Alpha-oo8 that's what it costed in 2020, putting inflation into account means the model would now cost around £196.84, which is nearly the same. not to mention the fact that basically all of the diecast on the model was horribly done.
I still like old Cyclops, the Triang Dockyard Shunter...
I just love your reviews, even though I live in germany and am a Märklin h0 scale modeller.
They're just so entertaining, especially the bad reviews. I just read the title and was like: I'm gonna love this one.
So.. at least this model served one good purpose: To give me and many others a fun time while you reviewed it. Cheers!
I german too, and like his reviews.
Thank you so much - glad you like the reviews! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I'm trying to imagine the conversation in the main dungeon of Heljan head office now.
Hel: Hey, I've just seen how many Sam's Trains reviews there've been recently complaining about Hornby peddling overpriced shoddily made tat!
Jan: What?! That's unacceptable; Hornby are muscling into our territory! They're Titfield-thunderbolting us! We'll show them... everybody likes Hornby's cute little Rustons, we shall make a Ruston of our own which exemplifies everything Heljan is known for! Now... what more could we do, to go the extra mile for a really stand-out review...?
Hel: Well, Sam did review a diesel shunter from AliExpress not long ago, we could maybe *try* to aim for that kind of standard, I suppose? Or we *could* maybe attempt to make a good model for a change instead.... ?
....
Heljan: Hahahahaha.... no.
That intro threw me off for a second. Thought my internet stopped. Lol
hahahaha!!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that
@@SamsTrainshave you ever gave a 1 star for everything on a locomotive? sorry i just want to know how bad a loco can get lol
Same 😂 i was just about to swear at the internet when i realised 🤣
Saw the word "Warning" in the title and knew I was in for a treat!
Me too 🤣
Hey Sam, its a definite tribute to your presentation skills that I must have watched 50+ of your videos despite running AC gear (Marklin) on my own layout, so zero 'crossover' info really. I must say, it doesn't give me a lot of confidence in laying out high amounts of money (given it has to be shipped to Australia) to buy new models. I believe I've had less issues with 2nd hand 40 year old Lima AC models and even less issues with 40-50 year old Marklin/Fleischmann gear. Keep it up - the plethora of fans prove you're on the right track!
Once again Sam, I owe you a massive thank you for your review as you have saved me a lot of heartache. My preservation group owns one of these (The real locomotive not the model) and has since being a small ambition of mine to get an example of our collection in model form.
I was immediately excited when I heard Heljan were making a model of these as I didn't think anyone would ever consider making a model of these locomotives with them being a non "mainstream" Shunter which never had a lot of presence.
However the original price immediately put me off and like you I decided to wait until a significant discount was applied before buying one... I was just about place an order when I saw your review. To be honest, even at £50 I just couldn't live with buying this disaster.
I am 79 and I have never bought a Heljan model ( not even secondhand ). I have sent Sam a comment and told him that he need not apologise for his review as most of us really appreciate his honesty in his comments. Regards from Ron
Haha! The intro made me think I lost connection until I heard "For God's sake..."
Great work once again Sam!
I noticed the stripes on the "wasp stripes" on the back of the cab weren't painted straight either in the close-up at 13:06! It almost looks like whatever was applying either the black or the yellow stripes was slightly misaligned, which caused the two to slightly overlap when they shouldn't and green to show through where it shouldn't either. Just sloppy all around, I'm surprised it managed to avoid last place!
I also feel like the rubber tube used as the drive-shaft of the motor, while it may be an interesting (if rather cheap) solution, I doubt it'll help the model's longevity in any way, especially since the rubber will inevitably harden over time. Though, given the 'quality' of the rest of the model, it might not last long enough to even make it that far!
i noticed this as well, while watching on a 7" mobile phone screen! was going to mention it too but you beat me to it.
I was having a rotten day and then your video showed up Sam. You turned my day around! GREAT WORK!!
Agree about Heljan. I have finally found a use for my Beyer garratt, that rarely worked, ripped the guts out, removed running gear, sprayed it rust, put it behind a Class 24 to tow it to scrap. Perfect.
Put loco back in box and send it back. If your not happy with it you have a right as I customer .
Great vid Sam! Shocking that Heljan still produce crap like this!! Sorry I've not been commenting of late I've just been very busy with college amongst other things!
Thanks for the heads up. I have just bought one.
When I saw the 1361? I was in the 9th grade, and now I'm watching this at work 😂🎉
Lol same here. I work a job now vs I was in school and yes, the intro was hilarious
Have to say i am bit gutted, that was top of my next purchase list. I need another small diesel shunter. Thanks for the review.
The way prices are going, if you wait a bit you might be able to get a 1 to 1 scale shunting loco for the same amount !! :-)
I'd sooner get the piko shunter if I was you, at least it works and you could get 5.
21:42 It must be poor quality if the diesel is "picking up steam!" 😂Another very entertaining Heljan review!
I love the intro Sam! Set the tone with humour! On a more serious level, I don’t like the flexible transparent plastic drive from the motor to the flywheel. It might work very quietly and cheaply for a little while, but I can imagine the hefty dousing of oil might soften it over time, and the loco transmission will fail. Whilst replacing it might not be technically difficult - getting hold of a fresh piece of tube of the correct size might be.
Would be better to overhaul the whole dang thing if you absolutely have to own this item.
Well yes! Why use a cheap piece of tube? It’s the sort of thing people did when scratchbuilding models in the 1970s. Fulgarex brass did it too, and it fails. These days precision moulding has got better and cheaper - just make a neat little universal joint like the Hornby B12, the KR models GT3 to name 2 examples.
MORE bizzare Heljan pricing!!!
Where do they dream it up from??😧😧
Always love your reviews Sam!! My only go-too on youtube.
At 17:41 the wipers are pointing in such a variety of directions that having one touch a wheel is a case of luck, especially given the amount of sideways movement that the chassis offers
Can't thank you enough, I'm looking into this hobby, and if I got this as a first loco, I would probably quit right away. I'm going with accurascale I reckon. Cheers again. : )
My 1361 is a great runner and has never given me any trouble but my 47xx Night Owl is an utter horror, does't run full stop and the body removal is the worst model railway experience Ive ever endured. No more Heljan nonsense for me. Good, very fair review, Sam.
*NO SPRUNG BUFFERS ON A £200+ MODEL???*
even Hornby wouldn’t rip us off like THAT!
Yet
Are you sure
🤣🤣🤣🤣 biggest rip of manufacturer out there!
@@railthefox1857 99% sure. Even hornby’s class 60 has sprung buffers. The price of that class 60 is still a ripoff tho
@@matthewjohnson4800 at present
4 stars for mechanism where the motor is connected with plastic pipe? This is very generous!
Thanks for the barrels Sam! They turned up today. Very nice 👍🏻
Hi Sam, an honest opinion as always. I will, however, pick you up one one thing. The instructions state gears to centre axle, not direct drive as you have implied, not that it makes much difference but worth pointing out none the less. I very rarely buy new models, and if I do, I tend to buy from Accurascale. They appear to be passionate about the hobby and the models they produce, and as we are all well aware, offer a lifetime guarantee. I won't be buying one of these anyway because I model era 3, and I try to kit build, so if they are crap I've only myself to blame!! P.s. they usually are 😂😂😂 I look forward to the next one, cheers Lawrence.
I'm damn glad I bought the Bachmann class 03 now. Never considered this Ruston but a few years into the future (now) I probably could well have. And my 03 still runs well after 4 years of being sat in a cold sometimes moist attic having never left the table. Very realibale runner
Heljan are like the vauxhall of the model train world.. thats all I ever think whenever I see any reviews on their products. Great stuff as ever Sam
hahaha what an analogy!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I am german, never have a Heljan Loco, but my dad had a vauxhall for two years when I was a child. I know what You mean.
Spot on 👍🏻👍🏻
Vauxhall compared to heljan, no way, Vauxhall made the Churchill, wait, what's that, they had numerous design faults, oh
I'd say more like Skoda
Heljan never fail to disappoint
12:03 there has been a shower head mounted at the rear end of the loco?
You'll never stop learning with Hel(l)jan!
Nice video Sam. It’s interesting how I know hundreds of people who speak highly of heljan but from my own experience and videos like this I do wonder what they are talking about some times though I do have good older items their newest releases appear to be as if they were dressing up hornby train set locos. Although I think it’s the Bachmann pricing scheme where the high prices make you think that they are high value products, which is not always the case. I’m guessing that most people don’t look closely at performance and general construction with the majority of newer releases.
I speak highly of heljan because the vast collection of locos that I have manufacturers by them have been some of the best, my collection ranges from some mainstream locos like the class: 47 (old version, not the new one just released) 28, 17, 45, 128 DPU, EM2/Class 77 electric, an EFE rail 58 which is the old heljan tooled one, I have one steam locomotive that one being a Garratt, other locos I have from them are pretty much every prototype locomotive they have made, locos like: DP2, D0280 Lion, D0260 Falcon, HS4000 Kestrel, 10800, Rails/Heljan 18000 and 18100 gas turbine locomotives, 18100 being my most recent loco from heljan, in this vast collection that I have not one has exhibited any issues, construction of them has been excellent with no parts falling off, performance has also been excellent for me even on DC, some are dcc fitted now since I got my first controller earlier this year, they are also fairly easy to service despite what some may say about that, I have serviced a fair few heljan locos and believe me if I can do it anyone can, the reason why I speak very highly of them is because I have never experienced a bad issue with any model from them also I know my experience of a model will be different to everyone else, a good example here is my class 17, Sam reviewed one years ago and it ran but it wasn’t the greatest running model but it didn’t stop me from buying one as a few months later I bought a 17 and it worked fine, it still works today plus it’s a second hand one, not every heljan model out there is a poor one and it’s about time many people started realising that, they also need to stop being influenced by what they are seeing online and broadening their scope especially when it comes to heljan models because what one person may call a poor model due to their experience someone else who has a different experience may call that same heljan model a good one.
@@davidstrains4910I have too agree you. All my Heljan models are fine runners.
@@davidstrains4910 good point. I must admit that I have had good runners in the past, but have not had much luck in recent times. I believe it has something to do with the rising cost of Chinese factories and presumedly a lowering quality control. Maybe some day with the rising importation costs we will see more companies moving production back to the uk as seen in Poland which has just reopened a HO car factory. For I think someone called something like suzki
When Sam shows in the intro that the loco stops, you will know it will be a bad runner 😂
00:00:11 - 00:00:12 Shapes music from Joe gets a clue.
Absolutely excellent review of the Ruston 165DE diesel shunter 👍 Now I can actually rant about the ridiculous price of this diesel model, I can’t believe this model cost about £200 while it SHOULD be £100 instead. The detail is ok, but the price is absolutely infuriating as most diesel shunters are cost much cheaper right around this price. It so shameless really with this model even it is slightly good, but the price is absolutely a joke especially the model is made of plastic.
And also I’m absolutely disgusted horrified that this model keeps on and oh and ON stopping. Really unbelievable that this model is nothing but ripoff really and I will be sorry for everyone who bought this dumpster fire model that keeps on stopping.
@@joelightrailway2362I have just bought one off the back of this review. Can you send your sorryness in the post please?😊👍
I wish a major manufacturer would make the 0-4-0 version. Planet Industrials used to make one, but it was discontinued.
I am generally a fan of Heljan locos but this one takes the biscuit and I agree with your review. I am surprised that Kernow MRC wish to be associated with this model. I was considering buying one of these but no way, not even at the reduced prices on offer.
I have several Heljan class 33s, 35s 47s and 52s which run really well. I have had to return class 17s, class 29s and GWR railcars as their motors were rubbish and failed within hours!
I would be interested to see how well this loco runs with a Zimo decoder and stay-alive.
I assume you will be returning this loco to the retailer?
Thanks for the review, I think wasp stripes are painted upside down and should look the NCB shunter. Not bad for a novelty pizza cutter!
Great video Sam, not a loco to start the hobby , I think. I've recently bought a railroad P2 locomotive and some pullman coaches to begin with it, but I think having another loco would be great. Do you think buying pre-owned locos at retailers would be a good idea? Thanks and, again, awesome video.
I can't believe all the oil when you turned it over. I think you were too generous with the grading points, but you are with the HellJam. Gret review, Jersey Bill
I have a Ozzie Powerline F3 Clone diesel with plastic/rubber drive shaft couplings from motor to bogie drives. About the cheapeast loco on the Aussie market at the time...has run well now for 7 years...use it as a test loco layouts as there is no detail parts to get damage...cheap and cheerful as they say, and has run well...often better than those costing 3-4x more?
Hi Sam, I had the Model Rail Heljan LMS diesel and it was the same, broken steps, missing parts and poor running. They swapped it and that one was also dripping in oil but still so bad I had to fit a huge stay alive. I had similar problems with the garret and the Heljan turntable. There is a common theme....
When you do the history of the loco, id love to see real pictures of real locos rather than black and white ones of the model
Yeah I prefer doing it that way too - but I prefer to use my own material to be on the safe side in terms of copyright!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrainsfantastic point! Love your good character and integrity
I love how the previous video is a sam’s exlusive review of a newly built prototype model that has high detail and good motor. to THIS! A £160 model that barely works.
The same with the Danish and German MAK lokomotives the started costing 2500dkk and now you can get them on heljans shop for 1000dkk mine came with a lot of broken parts
Hi Sam, I have not seen that type of silicon tube transmission since early US outline brass locos. If there is any angle or offset in the alignment, the tube becomes a big drain on power being absorbed by the continuous rotational bending of the tube. I would not be surprised if a lot of the problems in running were due to that cheap transmission.
It's used regularly on model trams with no issues.
Awesome video Sam's trains 🚆 😊
Thanks so much as always Brian, much appreciated!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains you're welcome Sam's trains
This loco will definitely be in the top 5 worst models for this year
Im beyond glad i saw this review as i was about to pick one up. Not anymore
12:54 Now that’s what we call Pizza Cutter flanges haha! Truly an appalling model indeed and I hope you get your money back on this junk
When I saw it stop moving in the intro I knew this would be one of those reviews on the plus side it certainly would be best buds with the 1361 class as they share a lot in common 😂
Hi Sam great video i think you was a little too generous with the score for this locomotive but I bet it can be for a great Halloween video for this year
Thanks for the review, it makes me feel to find a new chassis for the trix train one
Hi Sam, up until you mentioned the amount of negativity on the forums. I was convinced that this must be a counterfeit model.
With the poor manufacturing & especially the mistakes & contradictions in the paperwork it looked too ridiculous for any proper manufacturer (let alone Hejan) to think they could get away with releasing this model at such a ridiculous price.
If (as you stated) this is a widespread problem with all their models, then something should be done to rectify these shoddy business practices.
Thanks for having the committment to the railway modeling community for carrying through with this video.
👍
The only Heljan steam locomotive I would recommend is the 009 Gauge Lyn. The average RRP is over 200 which is far too much but I managed to pick mine up for £109 from Rails.
Even with that model, there are some poor design choices. Gears do not have any play, and not prepared for sound installation. But I admit, besides from that it is a lovely model.
I’ve got three of their 009 L&B locos and none run that well. All derail on points, they will only run on straight track. Not a Heljan fan..
@@Jaherick The Manning Wardle are the worse. Lyn is their 3rd try, and is better.
Heljan (if you have real Terry Pratchett's books on Tiffany Aching series of using Slug Glue) look at Heljan! my former class 14 in OO & class 25 in O gauge could not stop falling apart! I hope for OO modelers that Hornby produce the 165 in O-4-O, since moving to O gauge I am waiting for the 48DS Heljan 😵💫 and the Accurascale 88DS 🤔. Heljan need to vasty to improve! Plus are the roof mounted horns right for a industrial livery?
Hi Sam, your reviews are the best ever and you don’t have to apologise for this Heljan rubbish. I would get a refund if I was you purely for the missing wiper blade and poor running. PS I’m 79 and I have never purchased a Heljan model and I never will now after watching this review. All the best,please keep up the good work. Regards from Ron 🚂👍🚂😃🚂✔️🚂
Shame, because lil shunter diesels are my favs. Have a few Heljan locos and think I've just been lucky as never had any issues so far. Picked up the Class 17 recently and runs great. What I wanna know is what brakevan is attached at the back of the review-loco's train? I like the livery its got and not one I think I've seen before, but it wasnt on-camera enough to make it out.
Hornby R60088 OO Gauge LMS 20 Ton Brake Van S&T Blue Chester
i have quite a few of these both industrial and br ones all are fine no complaints think you got a duff one
I have a Heljan 14, 17 and Hymek and they all run excellently on DCC, perhaps heljan locos are better adapted for DCC?
Got mine last Friday. After nearly having a breakdown while trying to run it in I contacted the retailer. I intend to return this rubbish as quickly as possible.
i avoid hejlan like the plague
Was excited for Heljan's CoBo upcoming release. Now after hearing all the negative reviews about Heljan's models, I'm going to wait and see what others think about it first.
Contrary to what you see online the vast majority of heljan models are perfectly fine and very good, I have a vast collection of models from them and not one has exhibited an issue at all, never had any trouble with them, the upcoming CoBo from them will be excellent when it’s released, if you want one just buy one, make your own decisions and stop being influenced by what others are saying, your experience of a particular model will be different to another persons experience.
Id pay no more than 50 usd, and would using it with a backup engine to keep things running when it fails. Personally I think it looks kinda neat. Of course im a sucker for a diesel with side rods
Hopefully the Heljan 1800 class review is better 😂, Good job on the Video Sam
Wow, Sam, that is a shocker! Will be avoiding that one…
The bodyside door clips are exactly the same as the full size locos have.
After quickly looking online for reviews on the 165 whilst in the model shop I'm glad I chose to buy a 48DS and a 88DS instead of this.
Model Rail magazine announced a while ago that they are doing the Class 11 and Class 12 shunters (predecessors to the BR 08 shunter). These are being made for them by Heljan. After this review, I'd rather wait for the new Bachmann Branchline 08, or find an older Bachmann or Hornby version instead.
That reminds me, Rails of Sheffield recently discounted their stock of Heljan Class 33s, in the same manner as the Ruston 165. Dare I recommend reviewing a Crompton after this fiasco?
As for the RRP of modern Heljan releases (not just this Ruston), I seriously question how they could possibly be so high.
A few years ago Sam had a review on another Heljan loco. It was very poor and other victims had the same issues.
So I cancelled all my pre orders on all Heljan locos then on offer and have seen that Sam’s review has saved me a great deal of grief.
The positive is that Hornby are safe from being the worst manufacturer. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
My Heljan 05 dropped its buffer beam in front of punters at a show - "Hey Mr, is that supposed to fall off?" and has been in the showcase ever since. The 165DE is an ideal loco (as is the 07) but I'm not thinking of getting one....
sam’s trains, heljan video ? say no more. 😁 seriously though heljan needs to get their act together.
Yeah... if only I could say no more!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I have a rail king proto sound 1 locomotive and was running it on a track system older than the engine, even then it still ran over 30 laps on a transformer I wasn’t supposed to run it on before the 3 clanks of death. MTH enjoyers should know what I’m talking about when I say the 3 clanks of death
I have to wonder if the wheels were clean or maybe had some oil on them also? Did you try some contact cleaner on the wheels and maybe polish them up as clean as possible?
As soon as you see the words Sam’s Trains and Heljen. You know your in for a good time 😂😂
My friend Lawrie just bought a full sized 4 wheeled version of this.
Your friend brought a full sized locomotive? Does he actually own a railway?
@drosera88 no, he just had a railway that would accept it.
@@Taggart00is this a one Lawrie Rose
@@terrier_productions yes
@@Taggart00 oh cool
The only thing I found you saying was okay was the number on the side of the cab, but to me it doesn't look straight
Nice review sam
Thanks for reviewing this Sam - I was thinking of getting one of these to complete my Ruston trio, I think the funds will be getting diverted onto other models now. Will you be reviewing one of the new Dapol Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST?
How are heljan still in business?
A Heljan review on your channel Sam is always entertaining. Sadly, for the wrong reasons. I’ve only ever owned two Heljan product. Very poor. I felt there were built down to a cost rather than up to a quality. Their new 47 is way off the mark. Another great video.
Glad they pulled out of TT120
I'd pay £50-60 for that and then thoroughly enjoy fettling it and sorting out the shocking paint job - the black wasp stripes were misaligned on there. The handrails being a different colour is correct on at least one real life example though as I have a colour photograph of it. I don't know how Heljan consistently screw up OO gauge when their O gauge offerings are absolutely superb in my experience and totally bomb proof.
It's a shunting diesel, and they were uncomfortably slow in the yards. But kinda sad this applied to a model loco
I do hope the Class 28 will fair better, granted it was originally released in 2011 but the mechanism was supposedly okay
Heljan hold your head high for this great model .
ooh, what has Heljan been up to this time? Nothing good is the default answer, and look at those hideous flanges on the wheels and the mismatching colours! Thanks as always Sam.
haha you wouldn't be wrong!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Awesome video today Sam such a shame about the locomotive and the wagons got delivered today but I’m still in hospital
Lima somehow made similar locos for much less and more reliable despite having a very simple mechanism, that German Wermacht 0-4-0 shunter comes to mind.
26:08 “oh for gods sake” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
a Wild LMM appears.......... its super excited and comes with a large bag of cash! (those who know who he is knows he is the king of rustons)
Wow I was thinking of getting into model railways but starting to think twise what planet are they on ? charging prices like this hmmmm will have to maybe re think this great video Sam
This isn’t relevant to the video, but Accurascale have unveiled decorated samples of their S56 / J69 models, with a release date of Q4 2024. They look pretty good, and I’m excited to order one.
This won't be relevant either, but I preordered mine back in March, and then preordered a second one earlier today.
The decorated samples look amazing and I'm really looking forward to it.
Heljan get my business on account of the quirky locos they produce, but never close to full price. I recently bought a weathered Class 23 for 95 quid, which I much enjoy.
Is the motor getting hot, have you check it with an Amp-meter? I'd also wonder if the gears are binding, after all it has a flywheel and stalls on points.
To carry on the heljan range, maybe the 47xx night owl next?