The new Heljan Hymek is in the shops at last. I never knew the prototype in real life, they'd gone by the time I arrived on the scene, so I can't confidently proclaim whether the model has that elusive 'Hymekosity' or not. I'm mindful of how uninformed comment on things like the Bachmann Class 37 and the Hornby HAA has left so many people looking particularly stupid in the last 12 months, so I'll try and confine my comments primarily to the build quality of the model.
To my untrained eye, however, this loco is easily a far better model than anything that has gone before. If you bear in mind that the previous best was widely regarded as being either the Heljan 47 or the Bachmann 08, according to taste, and that both of these models had significant flaws, then you'd have to come up with something pretty ropey in order not to eclipse these products. It's unfortunate for the UK D&E modeller that manufacturers such as Bachmann and Lima have done just that up to now, bringing suprisingly poor products to market in the face of consumer expectations to the contrary. Heljan seem to have reversed this trend at last.
Not a perfect model, by any means, you're certainly not going to go 'Wow!' unless you've been hiding in the jungle for the last 20 years and have never seen any US or European models. But the Hymek is a good, solid, workmanlike product that makes one hell of a welcome change. Without doubt the best example of a 4mm RTR diesel to date, although with the Hornby Class 50 due any day now it's stay at the top might be brief.
My sample has a very poor-fitting body that leaves an unsightly gap around the buffer beam and a sliver of the chassis visible. The bogie sideframes seem to slope to the centre and the bodyside windows aren't very flush. The horizontal handrail on the cab front tends to sag on most samples I've seen, the fuel tanks don't seem deep enough and the panel lines aren't very subtle, although they're far better than what Bachmann's 'Mad Trencher' normally achieves. A model with niggles, then, especially at £70, but no major flaws that I've spotted so far. Early days, though!
The model is DCC-Ready, as was the Class 47 before it, but the directional lights are pathetic, even on full brightness. Heljan really should be fitting LEDs on a product of this price, but it should be noted that this is a typical short-coming on European models of twice the price.
In summary, this isn't a model that would bring me running back to UK modelling if I was building a US or European layout, but neither is it a model that would drive me away. Had models of this quality been available to the UK enthusiast 20 years ago then I may never have gone American, but this isn't 20 years ago. If I was modelling the Western Region in the 60s or 70s then I would welcome these Hymeks with open arms, but if I was modelling another location or era then this wouldn't make me change. I don't want to sound indifferent when it comes to a model that puts all of it's competition in the shade, but I can't get wildly excited about the Hymek. Workmanlike is the word that keeps popping into my mind. That isn't a criticism - the hobby could use a lot more workmanlike products.