When I saw "Heljan" and "Class 35" I knew things were gonna be good

One of the Hymeks' signature features were their raised aluminium numbers, which D7058 retained until its demise, a shame £178-£209 doesn't buy you some etchings or metal transfers like you'd find in a model car kit. The silver paint transfers just look a bit naff..

Telling it the way it is & holding manufacturers to account: nobody does it better, Sam.

Once again a
very authorative, forensic, informed and excellently presented review. "Caveat Emptor" after watching this. As you say, it's not that it's an expensive model, it's just such very, very poor value for money.

Don't think Heljian is going to get any of my hard earned cash anytime soon.

It seems like Accurascale & Dapol are where it's at nowadays.

When will ALL the manufacturers start gearing locos for prototypical speed, giving us a better slow torque instead of lighning speed, which is totally unrealistic.
Thanks for the review Sam. 👍

You know that when Sam says "hopefully" three times in one sentence it's gonna bomb hard :)

Hi Sam, I have always loved the 35 Hymeks (and 52 Westerns) since watching them blast past my  primary school playground back in 1970. A couple of years later on a visit to Swindon works open day, there was a Hymek on the scrap line with a sign saying "help yourself to any parts you want", so my brothers and I took one of the cab doors off, lugged it home (very heavy) and it then sat in our back garden for a few years. I have one of the EFE rail 7016, which has very poor lighting even on DCC, I was hoping that this new Heljan version would have better lighting. So I think I'll wait until they come down in price a bit and then maybe do my own lighting mods to improve things. Thanks for the review Ian

I’m sorry to say that I certainly think Heljan is taking advantage of the cost of living situation by changing so much for a locomotive of this quality!!

I seriously do personally wanna point out that Bear(formerly known as D71O1) certainly happens to basically have been officially well-knowingly obviously based on the well-known B R class 35 diesel-hydrualic locomotives!

Looks identical to the Triang Class 35. If only chassis update kits existed.

Lightning on Heljan has long been a problem. From dim lights on class26s/27s and 33s to the strange, centre light unintentional "headlamp" on class 17s.

Interesting review. Some people think that accurate model lighting should be dim to be realistic but surely it has to be exaggerated to make it noticeable at all. This loco looks like one for the bargain bin in a few months!

Absolutely love your reviews Sam. They’re always really honest. Will you be reviewing the Accurascale class 31 and 37. Would love to see those reviews. Especially a comparison between the Bachmann 37 and the accurascale one.

The words "Heljan", "High Quality" and "Value For Money" never go together in the same sentence it seems.

Honest review Sam and entertaining.

I have D7016 in blue. On DCC, the lights are no problem, they illuminate the headcode panel perfectly

Thanks Sam you legend love the channel thanks for all the work you put into it you have helped me in my set up greatly your info is honest and justified you legend keep it up big fan first comment

Remember when we used to say about Heljan that although their steam locos were naff, the diesels were top notch?

I'm not so sure that statement holds any water now

I have one of the original release  when they first came out.   Was out of date even then with the incandesant bulbs.  Once I get my layout up a running (one of these years!), I was going to rip the board and lights out and do my own LED solution!  The DCC guy does some great video's on old US Proto2000 E8 locos on how to do that with 3rd party 21pin boards and ebay leds.

Speaking as an old guy who did have a Hornby Hymek  from new back in the 20th century I still  am yet to see a convincing  00 gauge Hymek  . And the Hornby version I had never seemed to fit in with the other locomotives scale wise . Loving the channel Sam

Try a Heljan Class 33. I have 2, they cost £175 from Kernow I believe and are phenomenal bits of kit