Major New Announcement: Accurascale Acquires Heljan

[MOGUL]

16 hours ago, GSR 800 said:

Hardly surprising given we're an Irish railway modelling forum, from which Accurascale spouted from.

How many have actually bought Heljan models? I've never bought a thing from them, their poor quality control made sure I wasn't putting money toward them, even for the odd model I'd have a vague interest in.

 

13 hours ago, irishmail said:

Re Heljan models, I have a 23, 26, 33, 45, 52, 86 and a DPU.  Only real issue I have with the Heljan's is that they pre fit all the buffer beam detail at the factory.  Quality control wise they are no worse than Dapol,   At least the DPU runs well, whereas my Dapol 121 I have had to repair the drive shafts.

 

12 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Have quite a few Heljan diesels and coaches, plus one or two wagons. Not done much mileage but from a visual perspective, they are stunning. The Class 50 in particular has a wonderful presence to it. Picked up a OO Gauge Class 57, too, but still haven’t run it.

Almost all of mine have been bought at various levels of reduced prices, usually between €300-ish and €400-ish for the diesels. I think that the Class 26 may have been a little cheaper, and one of the Class 50’s a little more, but roughly in that range.

Coaches all around the €75 to €150 range, more towards the lower end of that spectrum. Bit the bullet and paid the extra for the Mk2’s, but that was still when they were something like 50% off.

Only picked up one or two wagons as pricing was excessive, went for Dapol and Accurascale instead.

Pricing has been the big thorn in Heljan purchasing. If not for the retailers basically doubling the price, I’d have bought more, a lot more, but that money has either gone on other brands, on OO, or on 1/18 Otto models instead.

The changes brought about this week mean that I will definitely be buying a lot more. @BosKonay says that they will have several deliveries from Heljan over the coming months. Expect to see a chunk of stuff Canarias-bound!

Just plucking out these posts, as they illustrate a very important point.. The perception of people who haven’t bought the brand is one of poor QC etc, whereas the lived experience of people who bought Heljan's products is more favourable.. Were all past Heljan products perfect? No but they have some very fine models in the range that with a little bit of love and attention from the Accurascale team will remain available and provide in many instances the only OO RTR model of their prototype.. The high prices certainly didn’t help matters, but were in part a symptom of Heljan’s  distribution chain. 
 

From my own perspective, I have a Heljan BOC gas tanker which is an excellent model along with a full rake of IRM/Heljan Esso tanks. Will I be buying more based on what I've seen so far, certainly, just as soon as I can get the stock I’m after into the warehouse! 

Edited March 29 by MOGUL

[murphaph]

The only Heljan stuff I have are the IRM tank wagons and they certainly look the part. I never realised they were so vilified tbh.

[DJ Dangerous]

1 minute ago, murphaph said:

The only Heljan stuff I have are the IRM tank wagons and they certainly look the part. I never realised they were so vilified tbh.

Couple of YouTube vloggers like Sam’s Trains are very vitriolic towards Heljan.

Others like Heaton Lodge are very positive, but the negatives are always louder than the positives.

Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to get your hands on a few at some stage to tear them down.

[irishmail]

16 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Couple of YouTube vloggers like Sam’s Trains are very vitriolic towards Heljan.

Others like Heaton Lodge are very positive, but the negatives are always louder than the positives.

Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to get your hands on a few at some stage to tear them down.

Pams  Sams (carpet boy) trains is quite often negative about most things (not just Heljan)  by all accounts.  Only ever saw one of his videos and that was one too many lol...         

[DJ Dangerous]

3 minutes ago, irishmail said:

Pams  Sams (carpet boy) trains is quite often negative about most things (not just Heljan)  by all accounts.  Only ever saw one of his videos and that was one too many lol...         

 

Ah, some of his videos are fine, they just go on a little too long.

Hey, nothing wrong with carpet:

 

 

[Galteemore]

17 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

Ah, some of his videos are fine, they just go on a little too long.

Hey, nothing wrong with carpet:

 

 

I had very little time for him until I saw some of the 3d stuff he’s designed and produced himself, including working locos. As Neil Postman would point out, the video medium doesn’t really lend itself to gravitas. 

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, MOGUL said:

.... Were all past Heljan products perfect? No but they have some very fine models in the range ...

It's my view that the Class 35 Hymeks are still the best all-round that Heljan ever produced. Their Class 17 Clayton was the most realistic 'cos it kept breaking down, just like the real things.

However, the spare parts were the best bit about Heljan - incredibly useful for lifting / modifying other models.

[Colin R]

Of course, there is another side to this story. I am thinking Peco, they used to price things more expensively or at the RRP if you bought it from them directly, and you could always save a few bob at the local model shop. They reasoned that they wanted to support your local model shop.

The fact that I still have a local model shop is unbelievable, to be honest (the signal cabin, Sidcup, Kent). It is right outside Sidcup railway station, so getting to it by Train or Bus is not a problem.

I think we may see a two-tier model shop structure in time, one led by online manufacturers and the other very much based on the old Peco system of support for the small shop.

Personally, I think we may be seeing the end of the big box shifters as they stand right now in our hobby, with Model Manufacturers taking not only more interest in the hobby and making sure the quality standard becomes much better (where have I heard this said before?) I think in the end, we, the modeller /collector, will be better off.

Most of my modelling years have been based around 009, and very early Eggar was something else to behold. It was only after the Eggar Brothers left the company that 009 modelling became a joke, but from the early 1970s, when the 009 society had been formed, did things start to change for the better. Improvements in N gauge also helped as well. Today, we still have a large number of cottage industry manufacturers making stuff from Whitemetal, Brass etched kits, to 3D prints using N gauge Chassis.

As I see it, our standard gauge (4ft 8.5 in) brothers have a lot of catching up to do, quality-wise. I also realise that the model manufacturers need to make money to stay in business, and hats off to everyone who has produced Irish prototype models in the past, Sure the market share is not huge for Irish models, but when IRM took the gamble and started their range, I would think they were not certain it would all sell and now by become part of Accurascale with the bigger BR market, it appear to be paying off.

As far as I know, there are only two larger model railway markets than the UK-based one, and they are 1 the USA and 2 Japan (this may have changed since I last looked at it).

I find the American Market hard to understand since it used to have a range of RTR manufacturers, down to the brass-etched kit guy. HOe (009 in these parts) has always been popular, but at the same time, they do like S scale modelling (somewhere between OO and O gauge). Now, as I see it. Bachmann is dominant in the American market, but could an Accurascale-style operation work over there? 

To be honest, why not? Rivarossi used to be a big name in both the European and American markets for steam locos in HO, but since it was taken over by Hornby, I think that has mainly stopped. But if you happen to like your diesels, then both America and Europe must have come up on the radar at some point, and this can only be a good thing for the likes of someone like Accurascale to tap into new markets, regardless of what the big box shifters have to say about it all

 

 

 

   

[west_clare_wanderer]

12 hours ago, Mayner said:

 

Wondering whether West Clare Wander and Irishthump actually read the RM Web treads on the Accurascale acquiring Heljan and or the "Independent Retailers" campaign, my impression from reading both threads is of a balanced discussion/sharing of opinion on the Accurascale take over of Heljan, pushback from the major boxshifters and its potential impact on the hobby in the UK. Majority view appears to be supportive of Accurascale acquisition of the Heljan British Outline range and critical of the major boxshifters in particular Rails for their treatment of Heljan and throwing a tantrum at Accurascale switching Heljan to a direct sales model.

Not sure how this relates to 'know it alls telling everyone else what's really going on" or being a 'pretentious bunch", personally I found the RMweb mens mental health group friendly and supportive while I was going through a difficult time during the last few years, or maybe I have spent too much time as an Irish man living and working in the UK and further abroad and I have learned to appreciate people who 'speak their mind".

 

 

10 hours ago, GSR 800 said:

Couldn't agree more John, I find RMWeb to be very good in terms of members noting inaccuracies and whatnot in CADs and samples so the manufacturers can get models right. At the end of the day, its all our money going into the hobby, our opinions are the ones that matter.

A quick browse through the latest few pages of the inde retailers shows a decent discussion with good points brought up on all sides of things. 

It was mentioned here before but our ecosystem, or economy in terms of Irish railway modelling is a very different beast to the other side of the Irish Sea. We've 1-2 RTR manufacturers and a diverse range of brass kit suppliers, 3d print suppliers, etc. In both cases almost entirely an online presence. In the latter case, we've the rather serious issue of the traditional part suppliers in England going bust meaning wheels, motors, various other parts become increasingly difficult if not impossible to source. 3d printing can bridge some of the gap but not all.

GB is a different kettle of fish altogether, with several largescale RTR suppliers that have been around for half a century or more, traditionally having sold via retailers. Many of those manufacturers and retailers are facing increasing losses showing that the current model there, as it stands, is not working. I wonder also about the sheer amount of models being sold now v the past. There's such enormous ranges and diversity, one has to wonder.

There's also a conversation to be had about spare parts and the distribution of them. Spares are (obviously) a critical component of keeping models running longterm, but also (as can especially be seen in the likes of bachmann and rapidos 009 spares) used for kitbashing, scratchbuilding, etc. 

I just meant it as a general comment about RM Web, rather than that thread specifically. My gripe is principally with the manufacturer/trade threads where folks are often arguing and falling out. About bizarre stuff like 'top feeds' on GWR tank engines (what the feck is a top feed I ask ). The sense of entitlement sometimes on display does point to an increasingly selfish world.

It's the lack of perspective that baffles me..... It's just toy trains... Does it really matter if your latest loco is delayed by three months? Just go and play with the other 99 you have! 

But I totally agree @Mayner, there are some great threads, and I've also found that mental health one very beneficial. Even though I am mainly an observer, it's fantastic that people have a space they feel they can open up in. So, I am certainly not dismissing the place. 

 

2 hours ago, irishmail said:

Sams (carpet boy) trains...

2 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Couple of YouTube vloggers like Sam’s Trains are very vitriolic towards Heljan.

I keep reading about this guy.... Who is he? 

I must admit, I've never watched anything model railway related on YouTube. I'd rather form my own opinions! Doesn't sound like I'm missing out...

 

Edited March 28 by west_clare_wanderer
Spelling

[Ironroad]

1 hour ago, Colin R said:

 

I find the American Market hard to understand since it used to have a range of RTR manufacturers, down to the brass-etched kit guy. HOe (009 in these parts) has always been popular, but at the same time, they do like S scale modelling (somewhere between OO and O gauge). Now, as I see it. Bachmann is dominant in the American market, but could an Accurascale-style operation work over there? 

To be honest, why not? Rivarossi used to be a big name in both the European and American markets for steam locos in HO, but since it was taken over by Hornby, I think that has mainly stopped. But if you happen to like your diesels, then both America and Europe must have come up on the radar at some point, and this can only be a good thing for the likes of someone like Accurascale to tap into new markets, regardless of what the big box shifters have to say about it all

Now that you mention it, it may be more of a reality that you think. Did you know that the turntables marketed in the USA by the big distributor Walthers under their Cornerstone brand are actually made by none other than HELJAN !!!

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, Colin R said:

...The fact that I still have a local model shop is unbelievable, to be honest (the signal cabin, Sidcup, Kent). ...  

Some model shops go on for decades owing to the fact that the original proprietor may have bought the freehold to the premises.

My nearest local model railway shop is Junction 20 Models, Kings Langley; in fact it's the only one of its kind left. Although most of the interesting stuff is in the secondhand area at the back of the shop, they do have plenty of new items out front.

[Turin60]

Living here in North Hampshire I am quite lucky in having three model shops within easy driving distance (if you can afford the fuel!) plus a lively exhibition scene.

As far as Heljan goes I had a Class 33 which all the "experts" told me had all the wrong curves on the cabs (nothing wrong with a few curves!) but ran like a dream even after I converted it to EM gauge, while currently I have one of their Class 07's in 00 which also is a superb runner so no grumbles from me there. But even as a 009 modeller I wouldn't touch the L&B loco's with a barge pole!

John Bruce.

[Mayner]

RM Web Heljan thread.

Thanks for answering my question Westclarewander & Irishthump, I was wondering if you were simply agreeing with George or actually read the actual threads. There was little sign of anything really contentions when I read the thread after the George comment that the thread hand been locked and deleted, maybe the moderator got there and deleted the really interesting stuff before me!

Westclarewanderer sometimes people come across as 'know it alls'  even pedantic when they are deeply interested in a subject, indeed one of our member almost comes across as 'speaking infallibly" when it comes to Irish railway liveries and rolling stock and I love to search of discrepencies to challenge a view/belief and I can sometimes come across as a know it all myself.

A 'top-feed" is a distinctive feature of several British steam loco classes and quite reasonable to criticise a manufacturer for not getting it right.

Impact of shift to direct on-line sale by manufacturer/comissioner to customer.

It looks to me that British Outline has reached saturation point with supply exceeding demand in a similar manner to the 1980s when it took several years after the manufacturers had ceased production for retailers to shift stock of Airfix/Mainline/GMR locos and stock. I was able to take advantage of the situation during the late 80s early 90s when I went on a brief binge of buying OO gauge Western Region locos and stock for a layout I never built!

Direct sales potentially allows the manufacturer/comissioner to maintain a viable business potentially allowing manufacture to continue and new models to be released potentially at a lower price by cutting out the middle man as in many other businesses. Several years ago I bought my Large Scale stock direct from the manufacturer in the United States as buying the models through the Australian distributor would have been prohibitive.

I am not gone on the "Independent Retailers" claims that direct sales and the end of the boxshifters will contribute to the death of the hobby with the end of exhibitions and clubs. In Ireland and this part of the World the hobby continues to trive despite an absence of large retailers (boxshifters) and large exhibitions (Warley, York, Glasgow, Bristol etc.

I suspect a high proportion of locos and stock in Ireland and this part of the World are purchased direct from the manufacturer or overseas boxshifters.  Hamilton where I live has a model railway club, the local model shop and Hobby City in Auckland (1-2 hr drive)  focuses mainly on die cast and RC with model railways mainly entry level Hornby, model railways are more prominent at Bay Hobbies (2hrs drive) primarly American outline locos, stock and buildings and Hornby British outline. Not sure about the retail situation in the lower North or South Islands but one large mainly British outline retailer in Christchurch stocks Hornby possibly Bachmann

None of the New Zealand based retailers appears to stock Heljan so Accurascale take over likely to have minimal impact on retailers with potentially lower prices at least in the short term for local modellers.

Potentially I cannot see myself returning to British Outline and buying Heljan models at this stage, I have more on my plate than I can manage with Irish Outline broad, narrow gauge and OO, a large scale garden railway, an American Outline N gauge collection & partially built layout, EM British outline locos and stock and a 9mm scale (O gauge) New Zealand Railways tank loco! I culled my American On30, HO, British OO collections to concentrate on Irish Outline about 20 years ago!

Conventions potentially replacing exhibitions

Locally exhibitions tend to be low key with relatively low attendance (exhibitors wheeling out the same layouts and second hand stock), a significant difference to Ireland and the UK is that specialist modelling groups (American, New Zealand and Garden Railway modellers) hold regular regional "Meets" and "National Conventions' which normally include trade stands, modular and conventional layouts in a similar manner to Expo EM and Scale Forum and 'Layout Tours" to visit local layouts, my 3' gauge C&L layout Keadue and G gauge garden railway were included over 3 days in Layout Tours at the New Zealand National Convention held in Hamilton in 2014 and my garden railway when Hamilton hosted the 2012 garden railway convention.

Conventions are mainly funded by registration fees paid by visitors/delegates before the meet/convention as opposed to members of the public turning up on the day, no layout barriers visitors/delegates primarily interested in model railways, held in a venue with lincensed bar and catering

American Outline.

I have modelled American outline since the mid-80s and also visited model shops and layouts while visiting the USA. The market is quite different from the UK with distinct sectors.

O gauge largely remains High Rail 3 rail AC (almost tin plate track) dominated by Lionel. 

HO & N

Bachmann is largely considered entry level not quite Hornby Railroad standard and has traditionally struggled to improve its reputation with significant quality problems (reliability, durability and finish) even in its premium 'Spectrum' range of models. Bachmanns On30 & Large Scale models introduced during the early 2000s became notorious for split final drive gears on its range of locomotives.

Walthers possibly largest commissioner, importer, wholesaler and Direct Retail, HO & N, mainly imported from China. 

Atlas commissioner, importer, wholesale, direct retail. O,HO,N. Quality reputation. Initially offshored production to Rivirossi (Italy 70s), Roco 70s-80s Austria  introduced centre motor flywheel drive locos, Kato (Japan 80s), China 90s-

Athearn HO & N reasonably priced "Blue Box" almost CKD locos and stock 80s-90s--highly detailed Chinese RTR

Heljan buildings/structures

Heljan traditionally focused on and produced Continental/American building and structure kits in O, HO and N, but only an O Scale diesel depot currently listed.

I wondered whether Accurascale potentially viewed the Heljan take over to expand their European and potentially North American market share.

 

I have probably been going on a bit to long at this stage

 

 

[DJ Dangerous]

33 minutes ago, Mayner said:

RM Web Heljan thread.

Thanks for answering my question Westclarewander & Irishthump, I was wondering if you were simply agreeing with George or actually read the actual threads. There was little sign of anything really contentions when I read the thread after the George comment that the thread hand been locked and deleted, maybe the moderator got there and deleted the really interesting stuff before me!

Westclarewanderer sometimes people come across as 'know it alls'  even pedantic when they are deeply interested in a subject, indeed one of our member almost comes across as 'speaking infallibly" when it comes to Irish railway liveries and rolling stock and I love to search of discrepencies to challenge a view/belief and I can sometimes come across as a know it all myself.

A 'top-feed" is a distinctive feature of several British steam loco classes and quite reasonable to criticise a manufacturer for not getting it right.

Impact of shift to direct on-line sale by manufacturer/comissioner to customer.

It looks to me that British Outline has reached saturation point with supply exceeding demand in a similar manner to the 1980s when it took several years after the manufacturers had ceased production for retailers to shift stock of Airfix/Mainline/GMR locos and stock. I was able to take advantage of the situation during the late 80s early 90s when I went on a brief binge of buying OO gauge Western Region locos and stock for a layout I never built!

Direct sales potentially allows the manufacturer/comissioner to maintain a viable business potentially allowing manufacture to continue and new models to be released potentially at a lower price by cutting out the middle man as in many other businesses. Several years ago I bought my Large Scale stock direct from the manufacturer in the United States as buying the models through the Australian distributor would have been prohibitive.

I am not gone on the "Independent Retailers" claims that direct sales and the end of the boxshifters will contribute to the death of the hobby with the end of exhibitions and clubs. In Ireland and this part of the World the hobby continues to trive despite an absence of large retailers (boxshifters) and large exhibitions (Warley, York, Glasgow, Bristol etc.

I suspect a high proportion of locos and stock in Ireland and this part of the World are purchased direct from the manufacturer or overseas boxshifters.  Hamilton where I live has a model railway club, the local model shop and Hobby City in Auckland (1-2 hr drive)  focuses mainly on die cast and RC with model railways mainly entry level Hornby, model railways are more prominent at Bay Hobbies (2hrs drive) primarly American outline locos, stock and buildings and Hornby British outline. Not sure about the retail situation in the lower North or South Islands but one large mainly British outline retailer in Christchurch stocks Hornby possibly Bachmann

None of the New Zealand based retailers appears to stock Heljan so Accurascale take over likely to have minimal impact on retailers with potentially lower prices at least in the short term for local modellers.

Potentially I cannot see myself returning to British Outline and buying Heljan models at this stage, I have more on my plate than I can manage with Irish Outline broad, narrow gauge and OO, a large scale garden railway, an American Outline N gauge collection & partially built layout, EM British outline locos and stock and a 9mm scale (O gauge) New Zealand Railways tank loco! I culled my American On30, HO, British OO collections to concentrate on Irish Outline about 20 years ago!

Conventions potentially replacing exhibitions

Locally exhibitions tend to be low key with relatively low attendance (exhibitors wheeling out the same layouts and second hand stock), a significant difference to Ireland and the UK is that specialist modelling groups (American, New Zealand and Garden Railway modellers) hold regular regional "Meets" and "National Conventions' which normally include trade stands, modular and conventional layouts in a similar manner to Expo EM and Scale Forum and 'Layout Tours" to visit local layouts, my 3' gauge C&L layout Keadue and G gauge garden railway were included over 3 days in Layout Tours at the New Zealand National Convention held in Hamilton in 2014 and my garden railway when Hamilton hosted the 2012 garden railway convention.

Conventions are mainly funded by registration fees paid by visitors/delegates before the meet/convention as opposed to members of the public turning up on the day, no layout barriers visitors/delegates primarily interested in model railways, held in a venue with lincensed bar and catering

American Outline.

I have modelled American outline since the mid-80s and also visited model shops and layouts while visiting the USA. The market is quite different from the UK with distinct sectors.

O gauge largely remains High Rail 3 rail AC (almost tin plate track) dominated by Lionel. 

HO & N

Bachmann is largely considered entry level not quite Hornby Railroad standard and has traditionally struggled to improve its reputation with significant quality problems (reliability, durability and finish) even in its premium 'Spectrum' range of models. Bachmanns On30 & Large Scale models introduced during the early 2000s became notorious for split final drive gears on its range of locomotives.

Walthers possibly largest commissioner, importer, wholesaler and Direct Retail, HO & N, mainly imported from China. 

Atlas commissioner, importer, wholesale, direct retail. O,HO,N. Quality reputation. Initially offshored production to Rivirossi (Italy 70s), Roco 70s-80s Austria  introduced centre motor flywheel drive locos, Kato (Japan 80s), China 90s-

Athearn HO & N reasonably priced "Blue Box" almost CKD locos and stock 80s-90s--highly detailed Chinese RTR

Heljan buildings/structures

Heljan traditionally focused on and produced Continental/American building and structure kits in O, HO and N, but only an O Scale diesel depot currently listed.

I wondered whether Accurascale potentially viewed the Heljan take over to expand their European and potentially North American market share.

 

I have probably been going on a bit to long at this stage

 

 

On the RMW thread, I found some of the posts a little tantrum-ish, calling for a virtual boycott of Accurascale etc, but nothing worth deleting or whipping out the ban-hammer for. Closing the thread until things cool down, while opening a new discussion thread to cover the off-topic content was the right choice.

In our hobby, with all of it’s different branches, being pedantic can definitely be an asset. Picking up on detail issues, bogies used, livery changes etc. These kind of notes help manufacturers when they need information, and help members who want the most prototypical models possible.

Some people want ultra-realism, some want the right feel, some want to feed their nostalgia, some are just happy to get a chance to run some trains, prototypical or not, and we all kind of mesh together and make things work.

I find RMW in general to be a little overwhelming. The members’ interests cover such a large base, there are such a large volume of posts, and there is such a large knowledge base, that it’s hard to keep up. In general, tempers seem to fray more easily and more often than here ln the IRM forum, but, taking into account the size difference, it’s probably all the same.

As @murphaph pointed out, IRM, and thus Accurascale, and the subsequent Heljan rescue, were all born out of this very forum, both in it’s current form and pre-migration.

They’re the Musks and Zuckerbergs of model railways in a way, combining innovation and business acumen to learn, adapt and evolve, hopefully providing RTR Irish models for many years to come, while pursuing other ventures to keep their company strong…

Although hopefully they don’t grow into Michael O’Leary’s, that might be a step too far.

 

[Rob R]

46 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

Although hopefully they don’t grow into Michael O’Leary’s, that might be a step too far.

 

"You want wheels on that loco? That will be  an extra £20 per wheel sir. A motor as well? Another £50 sir"

[irishmail]

48 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

Although hopefully they don’t grow into Michael O’Leary’s, that might be a step too far.

lol, your next loco, a new tooled 0 gauge 071 class loco for only €50.00.  You want wheels, oh extra €30.00, you want it to run add optional motor for €40.00, Priority delivery, add €25.00.  Oh you did not have the app, so we will have to print out your order, that will be another €50.00.. you get the picture....     

Thought I would post a fun comment for a change.    

[Horsetan]

1 hour ago, Rob R said:

"You want wheels on that loco? That will be  an extra £20 per wheel sir. A motor as well? Another £50 sir"

Be careful what you wish for. 

[GSR 800]

1 hour ago, irishmail said:

lol, your next loco, a new tooled 0 gauge 071 class loco for only €50.00.  You want wheels, oh extra €30.00, you want it to run add optional motor for €40.00, Priority delivery, add €25.00.  Oh you did not have the app, so we will have to print out your order, that will be another €50.00.. you get the picture....     

Thought I would post a fun comment for a change.    

That is pretty much the experience building kits!

Turning into an ever increasing nightmare sourcing wheels, motors, gearboxes, detail parts etc post Brexit and with the part suppliers going bust or retiring with nobody to carry things on.

[Galteemore]

5 minutes ago, GSR 800 said:

That is pretty much the experience building kits!

Turning into an ever increasing nightmare sourcing wheels, motors, gearboxes, detail parts etc post Brexit and with the part suppliers going bust or retiring with nobody to carry things on.

Yep. When I do a major project now I have to buy everything up front just to make sure - last thing you want is to finish a loco and find that the gearbox you’d planned it round is suddenly unavailable …..

[Galteemore]

15 hours ago, Horsetan said:

Some model shops go on for decades owing to the fact that the original proprietor may have bought the freehold to the premises.

My nearest local model railway shop is Junction 20 Models, Kings Langley; in fact it's the only one of its kind left. Although most of the interesting stuff is in the secondhand area at the back of the shop, they do have plenty of new items out front.

That’s most interesting- it was a local for me 2015-2023. I also used AGR in Leighton Buzzard and Transport Treasures in Aston Clinton (shut c2021). The latter one I could actually walk to. Glad to hear J20 is still going. These places are great for stuff like paint and plasticard section which one often needs to see rather than buy at a distance. 

[Horsetan]

17 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

... Glad to hear J20 is still going. 

The owner refurbished the shop front a few years ago, as it was visibly down-at-heel. The shop window display is still UV-faded, though!

[Thomas]

All I have to say on the topic is that I wish Accurascale well with there takeover of Haljan. If Accurascale continue with their business model in not being able to supply spare parts for their new models, is not a good omen. They produce a lovely spare parts document with there models but have verry little if any of their parts in stock.  

 

My rant is over.

[BosKonay]

2 minutes ago, Thomas said:

All I have to say on the topic is that I wish Accurascale well with there takeover of Haljan. If Accurascale continue with their business model in not being able to supply spare parts for their new models, is not a good omen. They produce a lovely spare parts document with there models but have verry little if any of their parts in stock.  

 

My rant is over.

Actually we have a dedicated mini warehouse with two colleagues in Darlington who only handle parts. When did you last interact? Maybe we've fixed the issues you previously encountered?

[Broithe]

Parts Handler.

That's a job title to aspire to...

[DJ Dangerous]

26 minutes ago, Broithe said:

Parts Handler.

That's a job title to aspire to...

I mis-read that first “r” as an “n”…

[Darius43]

Whilst I understand the principle behind the campaign to buy from my local model shop the reality is that most of my model railway purchases come from:-

1.  eBay 

2.  Rails of Sheffield online (223 miles away)

3.  Kernow Model Railway online (259 miles away)

4.  Accurascale/IRM (direct)

5.  Rapido UK (direct)

My local (Worthing) model shops are the Sussex Model Centre (mainly RC stuff and limited model railway) and Gaugemaster (invariably full price as they are a wholesaler to the trade).

Thus the reality is that there is really not a local model shop that I can truly support.

Cheers

Darius

[jhb171achill]

On 26/3/2026 at 10:33 PM, Colin R said:

Yes, but Gaugemaster are a box shifter, and maybe this could work out well for all concerned.  Accurascale makes them, and Gaugemaster moves them, shades of Dire Straits, Money for Nothing

……. and your locos for free….

[Flying Snail]

Having read through the RMweb thread, I think there are some fair and balanced points being made about what a direct-sales model might mean for retailers and for the wider hobby. But equally, there’s also been a fair bit of hysteria and pearl-clutching.

In the end, manufacturers should be entitled to choose the route to market that suits their business, while retailers are entitled to commission their own models as well.

Not everyone will like every business model, but that’s how markets work.

[Horsetan]

4 hours ago, Broithe said:

Parts Handler.

That's a job title to aspire to...

 

4 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

I mis-read that first “r” as an “n”…

 

That's basically Lord Mandelson, no?

[Warbonnet]

Hi everyone,

Greetings from Glasgow!

First, thank you all for your support and congratulations. It is certainly a proud moment for us all at IRM and Accurascale and it indeed is a “pinch myself” moment considering how we first started.

The meeting of so many familiar faces at the show was great too, all met with hearty congratulations and best wishes. It meant a lot lads, because you guys set us on this path. Thank you!

To address and answer some queries from the thread, and put across the truth, which seems to have been lost in some parts of the dumpster fire on Facebook;

On 26/3/2026 at 11:09 PM, Ironroad said:

Well they are or were responsible for the sale/distribution of Heljan spare parts and I don't think anything has been said as to whether this arrangement will continue (probably not), nor is it clear what support may exist for Heljan products sold/purchased  pre-acquisition. I think AS have said that products purchased from this point on will be subject to the normal warranty offered by Heljan, not the AS lifetime warranty

Hi @Ironroad,

First of all, thank you for your sensible analysis and contributions on the news, you explain what has basically occurred and why very well.

Regarding spares; The now former owner of Heljan reached an agreement with Gaugemaster for the continued supply of spare parts to customers who have previously bought Heljan locos before Thursday. We will now supply parts for any models we sell directly, and also sell spares in due course to historical customers where we can make and supply them.

On 26/3/2026 at 11:59 PM, Horsetan said:

I suspect Heljan spares will become unavailable. This is a shame, as they were useful for other things.

Hi @Horsetan,

Please see my answer above. Thanks! 

 

On 27/3/2026 at 8:10 AM, irishmail said:

Only problem Gaugemaster wont be doing that as they are going direct sales only!.  Hornby tried that initially with TT and look what happened, retailers now selling it.  Accura/IRM/Hel obviously do not want to support the model shops/ retailers. 

Hi @irishmail,

This is incorrect. Accurascale and IRM will continue to support its network of 170 retailers with Accurascale and IRM models, including Heljan models in OO gauge upgraded to the Accurascale standards and range. This includes Marks Models.

 

On 27/3/2026 at 2:25 PM, GSR 800 said:

I'm in a pretty similar boat buying mainly from smaller batch builders, kit suppliers, etc, all online.

That said Accurascale themselves have an increasingly large range of Accurascale exclusives, available via direct purchase (AFAIK anyway, open to correction) so I think it's that combined with the likes of Hornby TT, retailers are panicking they'll be cut out altogether over time. So Heljan is the straw that broke the camels back I suppose.

I try to buy off Marks as often as possible but otherwise I'm almost entirely buying stuff online. 

Heljans TT range gives some hope for Irish 00n3

 

HI @GSR 800,

The Accurascale business model is to keep prices cheaper for the customer than our competitors, giving more bang for your buck. This means we sell half our models direct and half through retailers, to get a profitable margin overall. Our exclusives are part of this, but are also consisting of models that need expensive licensing agreements that need to be paid, or charity fundraisers. I think everyone will agree it’s great to raise money for good causes like The Samaritans and preservation groups, and we would rather take the retailer margin and give it to a good cause in this instance, maximising our donation.

On 27/3/2026 at 2:38 PM, irishmail said:

Its that fact that it been mentioned about retailers discounting, but Accurascale/IRM/Heljan are now selling items at discounted prices, my point being why can you do so but the model shop/retailers cant.  

I stand to be corrected, but once the retailers have the stock to sell, have the manufactures not already got the money for them ,so its up to the shops if they want to reduce or not?   

I have no objections to direct selling, but why not give the model shops an option to stock items as well if they wish to do so?

Hi @irishmail,

As explained by @BosKonay elsewhere, Heljan needed a full reset. They are not discounted prices on Heljan.com, they are the new RRPs set by us after we bought the stock and assets.

To achieve this affordable range, we need to sell direct, otherwise the retailer margins make it as expensive as an Accurascale loco with a higher specification, meaning it’s unsellable once again. Many of the items on the website are fairly old, made serval years ago and currently sold out among most retailers. It’s lingering, dead stock, or in the case of the OO gauge Class 47, a hard sell due to the dimensional errors it has and the universal panning it has received. 

We’ve decided to create a budget friendly model range out of these models, to suit people with less pennies to spend or youngsters looking for a way into the hobby. Surely that’s a good thing? 

 

On 27/3/2026 at 8:25 PM, Flying Snail said:

Definitely causing quite the stir over on RMWeb. I see Marks Models have issued the joint statement from retailers on their socials now too.

Accurascale and IRM support Marks Models, and Accurascale has 170 retailers on its books. We support them too an will continue to support them.

On 28/3/2026 at 1:10 PM, Tractionman said:

interesting how the focus in much of the dicussion (espeically on RMWeb) has been looking at things more from the Heljan future point of view, which is fair enough, but for us here I wondered about the implications--if any--for IRM (aka Accurascale) plans and for developing new Irish models... I see the brand expansion as a good sign, a portent perhaps that there will be benefits down the line for modellers and modelling this side of the Irish Sea too 

cheers,

Keith

Hi Keith,

No impact on more Irish outline models in the future, we have the next one ready to too, and plans after that. Don’t worry! There has been a slowdown in the market which we have noticed, but that does not mean we will turn our backs on our home market. We have Irish wagons in stock currently, support your local manufacturer and buy some! (joke btw, I know you buy plenty!)

On 28/3/2026 at 6:57 PM, Colin R said:

Yes, they do, and I do wonder if sometimes they drive the price so low that the manufacturer might only just be covering their costs, which should not be the case; there should be a gap for R&D in all the models, and to make a profit to cover all the running costs.

When the likes of Hornby, etc. started to have the models made in China, everyone complained about the loss of manufacturing jobs in the UK and Europe at the time 

I see this as the next step in the modernisation of the modelling hobby   

Hi Colin,

Your first paragraph rings true, but in places but “just covering costs” to “sometimes selling at a loss” in this instance to get cash flow in.

The scenario is this. In the last two years, Heljan lost Hattons, who were a massive retailer for them, Olivia’s, again a really big Heljan stockist and backer, along with a whole host of small model shops who stocked them.

Now, a locomotive model project takes 3-4 years from inception to delivery with the customer, all going well. You’ve seen this wait with us first hand in the past. 
 

Manufacturers have to try to read the future, we need to predict what the market will be like in 3 years time and if it will want your model.

Heljan was making models thinking they had these big and small retailers to sell to, and by the time the stock lands they’re gone. All of a sudden, the routes to market has significantly diminished and you have stock sitting there. Every day it’s costing you money, and you are not recouping your investment, but you have bills and wages to pay, you need to reinvest into new tooling. You need your cash back.

So, what happens?

You get a call from another large retailer with buying power. They make you a serious lowball offer on the remaining stock, you sell it hoping to break even, or even a small loss, as you need the cash back to keep the business going. Said larger retailer sells the stock on their website (with a token amount in their shop) marked 60% off, makes a tidy profit as the buying public nabs a bargain. 

Who is losing out? The manufacturer. It becomes a death spiral as the larger retailers use them as a stock room for bargains. You eventually run out of road. Heljan could see it coming.

The direct selling model that we needed to adopt was necessity, and is a symptom of retailers having already gone under, not the trigger of the end of the other model shops.

As we have said elsewhere, we support the retailers, and the 170 retailers on Accurascales books will continue to see that support, and be getting OO gauge Heljan locos back on their shelves when they’re upgraded to Accurascale standards and at a more reasonable price point and better margin. 
 

My final thought on this, I think the campaign for supporting local model shops is great, but this was done for the wrong reasons. It was to have a pop at Accurascale because we’ve taken away those bargain basement specials from the big retailers. I know of two retailers on that collage of images in the graphic used in the campaign who did not give their permission for their shop front image to be used, and see the campaign for what it is. 
 

TBH there is a bit of hypocrisy here. Who is more responsible for putting local model shops under over the last decade or so with rock bottom prices due to larger buying power? I don’t think it’s manufacturers…

I’m a bit astounded that the smaller retailers involved got on board with the bigger ones when they’re the bigger threat daily. Most don’t even stock Heljan, and some stock neither Heljan or Accurascale. But the big guys told them that we’re terrible for saving a manufacturer who would’ve eventually given up or gone under and the range would be unavailable anyway to the modeller and retailer. 

I hope this gives some clarity and food for thought.

Cheers!

Fran
 

 

[irishmail]

@Warbonnet  Thanks for this update  Fran,  Having read through you replies the picture is much clearer now.    

[Colin R]

Hi Fran. 

An excellent response, glad it all went well over the weekend. I like the idea of working with heritage railway groups to bring certain models to the market.

You will have seen a lot of grumbles about the Heljan 009 Lynton and Barnstaple Railway 2-6-2T model; sadly, it was down to a manufacturing issue rather than Heljan themselves.

Once they moved production to another factory, the 2nd batch appeared to be much better. Sadly, the damage had already been done, and while the 009 world may be small beer, it is very hard to recover from something like this in such a small community.

That said, I like the idea behind working to a time frame of say 3 to 4 years. There are a few full-sized 2ft gauge (009?) events coming up in the next few years, which might be worth looking at for long-term new narrow gauge models. 

Keep the good work going.

Regards

Colin Rainsbury

 

  

Edited March 30 by Colin R

[Thomas]

Tried for over 2 months to secure parts. Could not weight and had to cancel the order. In the end I had to kit bash to repair the loco. I suggest that you take a look at Bachman's ( Europe) method of selling parts.      

[BosKonay]

25 minutes ago, Thomas said:

Tried for over 2 months to secure parts. Could not weight and had to cancel the order. In the end I had to kit bash to repair the loco. I suggest that you take a look at Bachman's ( Europe) method of selling parts.      

Or indeed accurascale’s  

[skinner75]

Here's a vid I watched this morning, where he goes through Heljan's 2025 balance sheet - interesting reading

https://youtu.be/g7x_B6LssYU?si=WGRoBCH5-l7S9XXv