Otis JB

What a great announcement! From what I can gather Highland engines were always green and that nice yellow was rather inaccurate, would I be correct, more knowledgable people?

Has anyone managed to reduce that tender edge yet and if so would they be willing to share it? I'm seriously tempted but £200 and all that! Thanks

I have just found out thanks to the wonderful Anthony Dawson on Twitter, that the 'new' coal wagons are just reliveries of the Rocket tender. So not new and entirely made up. Terrible.

I understand that a new-tooled super-detailed model will of course command a higher price than the original but there is a limit and I think people are right to call it out. I personally think value for money is above all else; you shouldn't start with a high price and add extra features to justify it. Affordable models with the detail levels of five to six years ago would do me fine, I'd rather have the extra cash and add details myself instead of pay more than they're really worth to have them factory applied. A little DIY modelling never made anyone unhappy!

My thoughts exactly...

I was indeed but if I am not mistaken every L&M wagon set was that price.

Something to note, I have been scrolling through the comments on a number of range launch videos and as you might imagine the anger and criticism is to an extent I have never seen before for any manufacture. That is, on all videos except the official one on the Hornby Model Railways Youtube channel; I haven't found a single overwhelmingly negative comment and barely a mention of price. Draw your own conclusions but it struck me as rather odd.

I don't know about you but I would love another £200 4-4-0 tank

I'm the same as you John, there are still bits I want from H. Happily on this subject though, as someone interested in 'original' L&M stock, I see no point in wasting my money on coaches covered with strange grey panels so my money will be going to R.

Yes me too, nice set. Would be nice to have the loco separately for those of use who prefer accurate trains but that seems to be the new way of doing things in packs, one really desirable piece and some less impressive complements. Still, nice to see some new uses of tooling and more obscure railways coming through.

I'm glad we're still seeing a good influx of 'Rocket stock' but anything over £50 for three is ridiculous - £25 a piece at RRP! I'm particularly excited for the coal wagons but I think I'll wait for the retailers. I have been making my own chaldrons and L&M flatbeds and it not only makes such wagons affordable, its a much more satisfying and realistic result at the end of the process. I hope these new prices will usher in a new wave of scratch and kit building and modifying old stock. If you can't or won't buy it - build it!

To be honest, I expected Hornby would try their old 'tricks' again and I'm sure this activity will continue for some time to come no matter what we all think of it. It just saddens me when you think that they could have used all the time, money and resources they put into Lion to make something new that would please everyone like Planet or Locomotion and still probably have made as much profit.

It's rather baffling that the two or three year old terrier can be released in plain black for £20 more and the brand new 0-6-0 sentinel can be released for £10 less. Presumably a main reason for releasing a plain black model was for those of us who like to customise liveries, as with the Peckett. Why would anyone looking to repaint a terrier buy this over those already available at the retailers for as low as £75.

When I filled and repainted my Rails Terrier cab with white Phoenix Precision, I didn't find I needed any primer but it might be worth a thin coat on this just in case. I wouldn't risk sanding off that roof detailing.

Just opened mine, bent tender guard iron and pipework and tender wheel half out but nice enough model. I don't particularly feel it was worth £220 though...

‘Oops we did it again.’

The Fairlies do look splendid but my heart goes out to Peco/Kato.

I completely agree with you yet I am still buying one president and two 812s. It is interesting that you mention experience; when KR Models (who at the time hadn’t made a model in any scale) announced the GT3 I was doubtful they could deliver but they managed to make something comparable to the likes of Hornby, Bachmann or any of the the others. I suppose that’s modern manufacturing for you.

I don’t remember the last time I was this excited after an announcement, I wasn’t expecting anything like this at all. Not to be too repetitive but lovely lovely prototype at a fantastic price, what more can one ask for?! I am rather stunned by the price actually, maybe costs aren’t rising as dramatically as we are being led to believe?

I agree with Southport, I think these prices are actually quite reasonable, relative to everything else at the moment. A very pleasant surprise indeed. I am considering one for a conversion back to LSWR condition, I live on the island and it would be a nice, if not a bit out of place, addition to my collection.

If anyone missed the video the prices start at £239.95 for DCC ready or 'standard' and go up from there.

Thanks, what an incredible job you've done!

Please show us more of that NER long boiler you have lurking in the background it looks absolutely fantastic! I'm currently working on a CAD (at a snail's pace) of it so I can have my own.

If anyone's interested I got around to finishing those kit bashed coaches. They actually ended up as London and Birmingham stock; a little sloppy in places but I think they make a nice contrast to the yellow and white: