Jump to content
 

Hornby 2020 range "reveal date" = 6th Jan


phil gollin
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium
27 minutes ago, wombatofludham said:

(edit) The Adams Radial.  To be honest, given they were such a niche loco working one branch line for most of their life, 

 

A large class by LSWR standards - 71 locomotives - and hardly exclusive to the Lyme branch, which would have become very crowded!

 

Unless by "most of their life" you mean the last three decades of just three class members - three decades out of eight, somewhat less than most. Admittedly, those three were of course rather longer-lived than the other 68 class members.

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

The area I think is most underrepresented is the modern third rail EMUs, with only the 450 available to model lets. While I would like a 444 or 442, realistically the Electrostar would offer the most options to the manufacturer.  That said I'm not holding my breath!

  • Agree 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

I think they'll be doing something very different given the 100th anniversary and all that. I'm going for some augmented reality angle, don't have a specific product in mind but something much more radical than a new big green engine a bit different to last year's big green engine.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

We frequently hear “be more like Piko”..

Piko just launched there 2020 range, quite ambitious including a bunch of new toolings, but interestingly they are new tooling a Steam loco in HO... a BR78 (4-6-4T) which was previously the preserve of Markin/Fleischmann tooling, however unlike their recent modern image toolings, where price was extremely competitive, in some cases 50% less than previous aging competitors tooling, this one is handsomely priced at 299 Euro for the DC version... 

 

There must be something about steam costs as the new ET21 announced as their 10th Polish tooling is less than 160 Euro.. and its got 2 pantographs.

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
4 hours ago, 34theletterbetweenB&D said:

Roughly fifteen years ago, when it had become clear that ranges of new and decent RTR OO model introductions were going to continue from three manufacturers, there was much to froth about. There was a good choice in 'never previously available' traction and vehicle subjects, to generate excitement that they might be next to appear. And appear they steadily did, causing the suds to mount up in ever higher heaps.

 

But now? I would suggest it's largely minority interest subjects waiting for models. I couldn't confidently name a loco class and say 'sure fire winner if released in OO'.

 

So what might we find in the 'thinking outside the box' suggestion? There's been some thoughts about VR or in cab cameras already. What about some novel approach to scenic product? A new ready ballasted track system with integrated point motor and control kit built in?

 

Once the Fell and Kerosene Castle got announced, it was evident that the age of froth was nearing its end....

 

  • Funny 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
On 30/12/2019 at 13:35, wombatofludham said:

Once again, I ask why would Hornby - a business - throw away tens of thousands of pounds tooling up a new range of starter locos when the existing fat Pug and Holden-ish locos more than satisfy the market they are aimed at?  They are aimed at the starter market, not high end collectors, they are simple, robust and probably cheap to make.  They sell.  They are appealing. They can put up with a lot of abuse.  The chassis can cope with Radius 1 curves laid on carpet, which isn't guaranteed for a smaller wheelbase with finnicky modern motors.  Above all, they bring in loads of money which can be re-used to fund the more critically designed models for adults where fidelity is more important.  For a children's starter set, sold in supermarkets to parents or grandparents wanting a brand name they can trust, the Bagnall shunter, Holden and fat Pug in pretty colours ticks all the boxes.  And earns Hornby a decent mark up on a bundle of stuff that has cost a few pounds to manufacture but which can retail at a lot more.  

Just because the trainset locos are compromised, or look "crap" to adult modellers, doesn't mean Hornby should be using scarce investment funds to replace them unless the moulds and chassis are life expired.  Which of you would be willing to give up on the dreams of your own pet wishlist items to free up investment to create replacements for the Holden and Pug to satisfy the real market that frankly isn't demanding they be replaced?  Don't all shout at once...

 

Battlespace. Very definitely Battlespace. Especially, the exploding twin tender version. Now that Hornby have found a way to have a 'smelly steam' feature, you can expect to have your very own flavour of vapour. 

 

 

 

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I think some form of VR could be a genuine winner for modelling, at least if it's done right. To some extent, we're already using it - most layout photos in magazines, for example, have photoshopped sky rather than what you can really see over the top of the backscene, and often subtle enhancements such as smoke effects as well. That's a form of VR, albeit non-interactive. But I can see the potential, at least in the train set market, of being able to point your iPad or smartphone at your 6x4 oval and see your trains running through a visualised setting rather than just a plain baseboard. Or seeing virtual people moving on the platforms, and boarding the trains, and driving the trains.

 

That may seem gimmicky to those of us who like to spend time creating realistic scenery, and don't particularly feel the need to have it digitally enhanced. But we're not the entirety of Hornby's customer base, not by a long stretch. And we're not the ones that they need to be coming up with novel ideas to attract - we'll all (mostly) be satisfied with the release of whatever model is on our personal wish list. It's the people outside the hobbyist sector that Hornby needs to find new ways to reach.

 

The other place I can see it working is on Scalextric. Put a small, forward-facing camera in each car, and then use your phone or tablet as the controller to operate it from a driver's-eye point of view. There's already a sport of drone racing which works on precisely that principle.

  • Agree 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Apparently 2020 is the 60th anniversary of some dreary television programme called "Coronation St".  Given rumours of more cinema and TV tie ins I wonder if we will get the Class 08 shunter that nearly killed Ena Sharples when it came off the viaduct, or a model of the Metrolink tram seen in the opening titles, together with a "Weatherfield" series of Skaledale models?

Stranger, tackier, things have happened.

  • Informative/Useful 1
  • Craftsmanship/clever 1
  • Funny 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
1 hour ago, wombatofludham said:

Apparently 2020 is the 60th anniversary of some dreary television programme called "Coronation St".  Given rumours of more cinema and TV tie ins I wonder if we will get the Class 08 shunter that nearly killed Ena Sharples when it came off the viaduct, or a model of the Metrolink tram seen in the opening titles, together with a "Weatherfield" series of Skaledale models?

Stranger, tackier, things have happened.

If that happens, I know what I’m getting my mother for Xmas lol

Link to post
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, wombatofludham said:

and I would hope that the promised Oxford HST Mk3 stock would be a high priority for a launch under the new merged range, with a number of engineering tweaks to make them more robust than the loco hauled range. 

 

I would guess that the new Hornby sliding door Mk3 would be a better starting point for a better HST Mk3 than the Oxford stuff.

 

8 hours ago, adb968008 said:

We frequently hear “be more like Piko”..

Piko just launched there 2020 range, quite ambitious including a bunch of new toolings, but interestingly they are new tooling a Steam loco in HO... a BR78 (4-6-4T) which was previously the preserve of Markin/Fleischmann tooling, however unlike their recent modern image toolings, where price was extremely competitive, in some cases 50% less than previous aging competitors tooling, this one is handsomely priced at 299 Euro for the DC version... 

 

There must be something about steam costs as the new ET21 announced as their 10th Polish tooling is less than 160 Euro.. and its got 2 pantographs.

 

Not entirely comparable given a lot of North American steam has more external stuff that needs to be added compared to UK/European steam, but in discussing the struggles of Rapido's line of Canadian steam locos it was pointed out that one of the issues faced was that a steam loco was about double the tooling cost of a diesel, and thus needed a higher retail price and/or higher sales volume.

  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Pandora said:

The TT issue is a non-starter, why should anyone  turn their back upon the vast range of models in OO and even N,  gauges with a considerable catalogue of  locos wagon coaches and more ,from Hornby  Bachmann Dapol etc,  and be restricted to a tiny range of models,  from a single manufacturer with limited resources for tooling and manufacture?

 

Say about 15 years ago somebody could have been saying - The O issue is a non-starter, why should anyone turn their back upon the vast range of models in OO and even N and be restricted to a tiny range of expensive RTR models from Heljan?

 

Not to say that TT will happen (guessing it won't), and Hornby still has reasonable resources available to it through the credit available to them, but if a scale offers advantages and the initial program of releases is chosen correctly it can be viable despite the dominance of OO.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Denbridge said:

I bet they sell more HO & N models than they do OO simply because there is a bigger worldwide market. Same applies to Bachmann. Especially in the latter case, OO is relatively small beer.

 

I would guess they don't, for the simple reason Hornby effectively have no presence in North America - the well time release of the Big Boy being an exception (and benefiting from the total mishandling of the event by their biggest competitor).

 

For Hornby HO is effectively Europe, and as per the half-year report Hornby is a minor player in Europe.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
12 hours ago, wombatofludham said:

I have a feeling the big announcement on Monday will be - they've persuaded GWR to brand up one of their 5 car IEPs with Hornby 100 branding, named Frank Hornby/Hornby Centenary (they tend to give their units two different names, like Brenda/Queen Vic for the "royal" unit) and that it will get lots of free telly advertising through a carefully choreographed news release, plus a model of the Hornby 100 GWR unit being the headline of the new catalogue.  After all, you can't get much bigger than 1:1 scale........


Interesting..... no-one seems to have picked up about the time change from 10am to 9am..... I wonder if the announcement starts with a naming ceremony.... There has to be a reason why it’s been brought forward...... but 9am is not the best time for that - sorry @wombatofludham it’s unlikely to be PDN at 9am, but it could be a South Eastern unit at Margate. (They already have one named after Hornby) 

 

Could we see a unit covered with Hornby 100 vinyl?

 

Just a thought........ although that’s not the think outside the box big announcement.

Link to post
Share on other sites

...its a digital 3D printer on which you can print your own trains, stations, houses etc etc 

 

Its called Hornby print-o-matic, you can buy each 'plan' direct from Hornby and just sit back and print you're miniature world.

 

I can already see series 3 of the Great Model Railway show being a bunch of lads in a room full of printers churning out Jurassic Park volcanoes.

 

(If Mr Wallace has already patented the term 'print-o-matic' then apols to Ardman, if not I'm baggsying that as well.)

A/box

 

 

Edited by Axlebox
to save the planet
  • Like 1
  • Funny 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
18 minutes ago, gc4946 said:

I suspected any celebratory event would be in Kent. 

They might name another Javelin or name an Electrostar instead with that being its launch model for the EMU.

If something special really has to be done maybe Simon Kohler and his entourage could travel on a Merseyrail service from Liverpool Central to Maghull to mark Frank Hornby's places of birth and death.

There would be a launch ceremony for an all-new model of a class 86 86411 Frank Hornby and possibly a bonus announcement of a class 507 EMU at Maghull

Edited by gc4946
Link to post
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, gc4946 said:

If something special really has to be done maybe Simon Kohler and his entourage could travel on a Merseyrail service from Liverpool Central to Maghull to mark Frank Hornby's places of birth and death.

There would be a launch ceremony for an all-new model of a class 86 86411 Frank Hornby and possibly a bonus announcement of a class 507 EMU at Maghull

 

More sensible to announce a 503, they've got the last unit of those in their shed at Margate!

 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, gc4946 said:

If something special really has to be done maybe Simon Kohler and his entourage could travel on a Merseyrail service from Liverpool Central to Maghull to mark Frank Hornby's places of birth and death.

There would be a launch ceremony for an all-new model of a class 86 86411 Frank Hornby and possibly a bonus announcement of a class 507 EMU at Maghull

 

They could even visit the Frank Hornby Heritage Centre in Maghull. Maybe lunch in the Frank Hornby pub in the same town?

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold
36 minutes ago, gc4946 said:

Hornby arranged for an HST power car painted in their colours some years ago (source: Wikimedia)

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hornby_HST_43087-02.jpg

 

Maybe a wrap-round EMU this time?

Cut backs.. less is more, they just stuck a sticker on a 395...

https://hornbymagazine.keypublishing.com/2019/06/10/Hornby-visitor-centre-class-395/

 

  • Funny 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

People keep mentioning think 'out of the box' and I have just realised that this could be a launch of eco packaging where there is no box?  I know this could be true as I have just seen the tealeaves in the bottom of my 'drying out for using as scenics' bowl I keep in the downstairs bog.

Alternatively, it could just be a move away from plastics?

G. Reta (AKA Sharon). 

 

  • Like 1
  • Craftsmanship/clever 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Alternatively (and I suspect probably) it could be nothing to do with packaging whatsoever, and is a phrase being used to introduce something new and innovative to the hobby.

  • Agree 3
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I think they will stay with 4mm but make all models available with EM wheels. They then do a deal with Peco/EM soc to produce a full range of trackwork. Just imagine EM set track.......

 

Keith

Ps but also wishing  for more Southern EMUs

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...