Before we look at the model here is some background as to why I chose 33 012.
Back in 1981 I began my career on the railway as a junior railman at Portsmouth & Southsea
Station. This was via the governments then YTS (youth training scheme) Now I don't want to get
all political but this was just a slave labour scheme! £23.50 per week and out of that I had to
find my train fare to Portsmouth from my then home station of Havant £4.50 per week.

However I needed a way in and this seemed to be it.
I was sent on a induction course at Eastleigh and one foggy morning (maybe my first) I was walking
to the school hut (now the EWS depot) when I spotted a class 33 in what I have always called 'Bandit livery'
This was 33 012 and you can see her here in this rather poor photo taken on my 110 camera at the time. The date is the 10th December 1981.

Later while on duty at Portsmouth I saw her again heading back to Fratton after working a Bristol to Portsmouth Service. The date here is 22nd January 1982.

So now onto the pictures of the Heljan model December 2006

I had been waiting a very long time to add a model of 33 012 in Bandit livery to my collection. 25 years in fact !

Here displaying a 72 headcode ready for Portsmouth to Waterloo mail train.

I best remember 33's working at full power through Havant station with the Fawley to Earlswood tankers. Hence the 9C headcode here.

The tankers are Bachmann TTAs and quite fine as well!