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TTS Cancellations


NXEA!
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Apologies if I’ve missed it elsewhere, but it appears Hornby have cancelled some of their forthcoming TTS sound chips. I’ve been keeping an eye out for the B12 chip, R7145, and I’ve just checked and Hattons and others are showing it as now cancelled from production - it was showing as due in May as recently as last week. The link to the product on the Hornby website no longer works either.  The Q6 chip also appears to have been cancelled. 

 

Does anyone know why - I’m assuming low pre-orders? It’s disappointing, especially when the release date was close, but I can understand the decision if take-up hasn’t been great. 

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Well Nxea, I had ordered both! Like you I was very surprised to see that they had been cancelled. I was then disappointed as I did realize I was looking forward to them both coming out.  I do wonder what goes on behind the doors of some of the manufacturers when things like this happen. Any how the modelling budget has just changed and the order with these cancelled along with a locomotive and another TTS decoder. so a turn around of 288quid... not spent! 

 

 

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9 hours ago, DougN said:

Well Nxea, I had ordered both! Like you I was very surprised to see that they had been cancelled. I was then disappointed as I did realize I was looking forward to them both coming out.  I do wonder what goes on behind the doors of some of the manufacturers when things like this happen. Any how the modelling budget has just changed and the order with these cancelled along with a locomotive and another TTS decoder. so a turn around of 288quid... not spent! 

 

Given that Hornby steam TTS doesnt synch exhaust beats to wheel movement would the existing 'A3 Flying Scotman' chip suffice? You'll get the same range of steam sounds plus the whistle should be appropriate.  I wouldn't deny myself the very fine B12 or Q6 for lack of a TTS chip myself. Or buy one loco instead of 2 and get a quality sound chip for it?  :)

 

9 hours ago, DougN said:

 

 

 

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I had thought this about the steam decoders. In fact, as they all seem to have a 2 cylinder rhythm to them, which would probably be better suited to either a B12 or Q6, though the whistle might not be quite right (although similar)

 

I have both a B12 and a Q6, the latter suitably modified to be a pre-war LNER machine, and would happily add more if funds permitted! Definitely models worth owning in my opinion, regardless of TTS offerings!

 

IMAG3279_1.jpg.0eb072b1c98d4a865ea2b2d133a717aa.jpg

 

Cheers

 

J  

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I have to totally agree with you I have 2 Q6's and a B12. The detail on all the latest crop is exceptional. This really only comes home when you have built a Dave Bradwell, Martin Finney Kits  et al. of the locomotives and you see the detail included in the kit and then compare it to the RTR. I have built the Q6 and saw in areas where the Brass kit was better (and 200Hrs!) and in other areas the RTR was better (also a heap cheaper!) 

 

As others have said we have never had it so good.   

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3 hours ago, JaymzHatstand said:

I had thought this about the steam decoders. In fact, as they all seem to have a 2 cylinder rhythm to them, which would probably be better suited to either a B12 or Q6, though the whistle might not be quite right (although similar)

 

I have both a B12 and a Q6, the latter suitably modified to be a pre-war LNER machine, and would happily add more if funds permitted! Definitely models worth owning in my opinion, regardless of TTS offerings!

 

 

Cheers

 

J  

 

 

I too felt that about the Merchant Navy TTS sound: it seemed more like two cylinders than three, and also didn't have the softer sound that unrebuilt Bulleids tended to have, As such, I moved the MN sound decoder into a Standard class 4, where it sounds far more appropriate to me.

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2 hours ago, cravensdmufan said:

Class 47 cancelled as well. Very strange as they have been sold out at most retailers for months now.  I wonder if they are re-working them?

 

I thought the 47 had already been released? Unless I'm just thinking of the pre fitted loco?

 

The diesels are often better with different speakers, I've not tried changing them on the steam decoders, but I dare say many others have!

 

Cheers

 

J   

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I hope this is not a shift in policy to not sell the decoders as stand-alone. Given that JaymzHatstand is correct that the TTS class 47 has hit the streets, it does seem a very odd situation.

 

Edit: has been planning to put a Class 47 TTS chip in one of my son's locos for his birthday, have to rethink now.

 

 

Roy

Edited by Roy Langridge
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On ‎07‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 03:33, DougN said:

Well Nxea, I had ordered both! Like you I was very surprised to see that they had been cancelled. I was then disappointed as I did realize I was looking forward to them both coming out.  I do wonder what goes on behind the doors of some of the manufacturers when things like this happen...

The effective control over what gets manufactured from the proposed product listings is by the retailers, they are the manufacturer's customer. What the retailers order in combined sufficient volume to make a batch production run viable is what gets made. (This is generally known as the 'pull' system and has been a commonplace in batch production of imported consumer goods for at least fifty years.)

 

From the perspective of a purchaser from those retailers: if you see a product listed that you really want and will purchase, give the retailer that information by placing an order. Still no guarantee that it gets made of course...

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2 hours ago, JaymzHatstand said:

 

I thought the 47 had already been released? Unless I'm just thinking of the pre fitted loco?

 

The diesels are often better with different speakers, I've not tried changing them on the steam decoders, but I dare say many others have!

 

Cheers

 

J   

Yes, the Class 47 had been released as a stand alone item.  I have fitted 5 into Bachmann locos.

 

Now out of stock at Hattons and most other retailers.  I had another on a pre-order from Hattons for a while now, but got an email from them yesterday telling me the item (R8103) "has been cancelled from production" and "that it is not now expected to be released".

 

 

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Looking at this from another direction, the recently released Lord Nelson with TTS had considerably more "sounds" available than the first phase of TTS fitted steam locos.  It could be that there are upgrades coming in the TTS universe and that current TTS offerings will no longer be produced, with new catalogue numbers for Mk2 (as it were) decoders. 

 

Or there are problems getting manufacturers to make relatively small chip sets.

 

I have also noticed that the retail price also seems to be creeping up...

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3 hours ago, Hroth said:

Looking at this from another direction, the recently released Lord Nelson with TTS had considerably more "sounds" available than the first phase of TTS fitted steam locos.  It could be that there are upgrades coming in the TTS universe and that current TTS offerings will no longer be produced, with new catalogue numbers for Mk2 (as it were) decoders. 

 

Or there are problems getting manufacturers to make relatively small chip sets.

 

I have also noticed that the retail price also seems to be creeping up...

 

'Let's hope so' perhaps isn't quite the right phrase, but Hornby can't have failed to look at the TTS decoders and note that they have been popular.  Sure, they are not to everyone's cup to tea and they are not without faults, but in general, they remain a cheap and cheerful means of adding more fun to the loco.    We don't know what the future holds, but i'd be surprised if Hornby can them - perhaps they are to be tweaked with better speakers or perhaps speaker-free (a better idea) for us to fit our own and possibly running a little cooler than they currently do.  Looking slightly wider afield, Hornby seem to be a little bit more switched on to people accepting short-comings so long as the price is right.

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Flogging TTS without a speaker would knock how much off the price - say 50p, then the squeaky wheel brigade would whinge about them not having speakers and that they were even less PnP than before, noting of course that most every other sound decoder is sold speaker-less and open to user choice.

 

I wonder why so many folk moan that TTS doesn’t just drop into their ‘n-th’ variant 1960’s FS when no one moans that any other sound decoder needs to be actually modelled into a loco.

 

It was interesting that the recent model magazine DCC/Sound fitting special edition chose mostly to go the PnP route rather than tackle more of the awkward and generic installations. Too many folk these days seem to want to put the loco and decoder in a box, give it a good shake and expect it all to come out working.

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8 minutes ago, RAF96 said:

Flogging TTS without a speaker would knock how much off the price - say 50p, then the squeaky wheel brigade would whinge about them not having speakers and that they were even less PnP than before, noting of course that most every other sound decoder is sold speaker-less and open to user choice.

 

I wonder why so many folk moan that TTS doesn’t just drop into their ‘n-th’ variant 1960’s FS when no one moans that any other sound decoder needs to be actually modelled into a loco.

 

It was interesting that the recent model magazine DCC/Sound fitting special edition chose mostly to go the PnP route rather than tackle more of the awkward and generic installations. Too many folk these days seem to want to put the loco and decoder in a box, give it a good shake and expect it all to come out working.

 

Not quite sure what brought that on? I am not seeing any disdain about TTS or moaning about the inclusion of a speaker, or that it doesn't fit older models. In fact, I think TTS has actually been one of the better accepted initiatives from Hornby. Most people in this thread seem to have got, ordered or want them.

 

Roy

Edited by Roy Langridge
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I gave the customer service team a ring and chances are the B12 and Q6 chips were canned due to low pre-orders. The chap I spoke to did say they could be brought back into the range at a later date, but personally I have my doubts as there’s unlikely to be a massive additional take-up next time around. 

 

I’ve already got a B12, and have slightly mixed views on the omission of the chip from the range. I was looking forward to being able to add sound to mine for a low price and give TTS a try, although as others have expressed on here, I did have reservations over sound synchronisation in particular. I do wonder why they went for the B12 as it seems to have been a slow seller - if they wanted to do a GER engine I would’ve gone for the J15 as that seems to have sold strongly. 

 

All is not lost though as Coastal Sound do a B12 sound chip - I have the J15 one already and it’s superb quality. Just need to save the pennies now! 

Edited by NXEA!
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44 minutes ago, RAF96 said:

Too many folk these days seem to want to put the loco and decoder in a box, give it a good shake and expect it all to come out working.

You mean to say that it doesn’t? :o

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On ‎08‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 08:23, JaymzHatstand said:

 

I thought the 47 had already been released? Unless I'm just thinking of the pre fitted loco?

 

The diesels are often better with different speakers, I've not tried changing them on the steam decoders, but I dare say many others have!

 

Cheers

 

J   

 

Yep they were. I added one to a Bachmann 47 (via a 21 to 8 pin convertor).

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18 hours ago, Roy Langridge said:

 

Not quite sure what brought that on? I am not seeing any disdain about TTS or moaning about the inclusion of a speaker, or that it doesn't fit older models. In fact, I think TTS has actually been one of the better accepted initiatives from Hornby. Most people in this thread seem to have got, ordered or want them.

 

Roy

 

There are some persistent whingers on the Hornby site who expect detailed instructions on how to install TTS for every model Hornby has ever produced since year dot and who moan about being given a speaker that doesn’t fit their particular model and they will have to replace it or extend the wires, etc and then have to fiddle with CVs to make it work,... it goes on and on.

I sometimes wonder what has happened to basic modelling skills in this day of PnP. I suppose it lies on the back of a generation that can happily watch a 20 - 30 minute video of someone taking something out of a box.

I am never satisfied unless I have had something to bits and fettled it, even if it doesn’t need it, probably why my gash box is full.

Edit - I am a great TTS fan.

Edited by RAF96
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2 minutes ago, RAF96 said:

 

There are some persistent whingers on the Hornby site who expect detailed instructions on how to install TTS for every model Hornby has ever produced since year dot and who moan about being given a speaker that doesn’t fit their particular model and they will have to replace it or extend the wires, etc and then have to fiddle with CVs to make it work,... it goes on and on.

I sometimes wonder what has happened to basic modelling skills in this day of PnP. I suppose it lies on the back of a generation that can happily watch a 20 - 30 minute video of someone taking something out of a box.

I am never satisfied unless I have had something to bits and fettled it, even if it doesn’t need it, probably why my gash box is full.

Edit - I am a great TTS fan.

 

Ah ok, I didn't put it in the context of another forum. Like you I like taking things apart and making them better, if I can.


Roy

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