Moderators AY Mod Posted December 31, 2019 Moderators Share Posted December 31, 2019 Outside the conventional catalogue and traditional toy and hobby market Hornby are creating a separate range under the nostalgic Bassett-Lowke branding to appeal to the currently popular Steampunk genre. At the December press event a presentation was given to show the range, the slides for which are shown below. 7 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Howard Smith Posted January 3, 2020 Moderators Share Posted January 3, 2020 Read more from us on world-of-railways.co.uk... Hornby seeks new market with 'Steampunk' models Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brocp Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 What? 4 5 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWR8700 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Well, I wasn’t expecting that 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold adb968008 Posted January 6, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2020 I think I wasnt expecting that. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post MarkSG Posted January 6, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 6, 2020 (edited) Well, I did actually suggest they might do something like this, so I'm now feeling a little smug However, while the rolling stock looks the part, the buildings, well. Reminds me a lot of this song. Edited January 6, 2020 by MarkSG 12 9 1 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenGiraffe22 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Okay they're pretty cool. Very Bioshock Infinite. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggie Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Crikey! This could have been announced at the start of April! 1 7 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JohnR Posted January 6, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2020 Well, I wasnt expecting that. Will be interesting to see how well this goes down. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post RJS1977 Posted January 6, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 6, 2020 Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. Not only are Hornby risking a repeat of the 2012 disaster by ploughing a lot of effort into a range which might not sell, they're devaluing the Bassett-Lowke name in the process. The Bassett-Lowke name will mean nothing to Steampunk fans, and to use a name historically associated with well-engineered premium products on models derived from Smokey Joe and the Hornby 4 wheel coaches is somewhat akin to putting a Vanden Plas badge on an Austin Allegro.... 5 30 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
58050 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Meh. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldomtom2 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Yet another attempt to jazz up the old four-wheel locos and rolling stock. Chances of this lasting past two years? 3 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
58050 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 5 minutes ago, eldomtom2 said: Yet another attempt to jazz up the old four-wheel locos and rolling stock. Chances of this lasting past two years? It'll last longer than that. In terms of unsold stock, at least. 3 5 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synch Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Don't see this being a good decision! Looks like another poor attempt at attracting a younger market to model trains. 2 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 I hope it works out for Hornby, though it is definitely a gamble. I must admit my first thought was what will Sir Reginald make of it all. cheers 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium steam-driven boy Posted January 6, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2020 Hi, When the steam-driven boy saw the topic title his first thought was about having to add OO to his addiction. He's relieved to see it's only resulted in a much needed Monday morning outburst of laughter and a feeling of sadness for the beloved B-L brand name. Regards, Gerry. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorLard7 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 Surely they should have been saving the Bassett-Lowke name for proper finescale O gauge, I know the frequenters of a site like this probably aren't the target audience for this but I just don't see this working very well. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Popular Post Phil Parker Posted January 6, 2020 Administrators Popular Post Share Posted January 6, 2020 To be fair, the Steampunk range is aimed at a very new and very large market - 45,000 visitors for a weekend event large. While the genre is under the radar for most of us, there is a lot of interest and potentially a lot of new customers to be found. I suspect the production costs aren't high either as there's not significant new tooling, just applying details to existing models. This is a long way from the levels of investment that went into the Olympic range. I've also been on a stand next to Cato Pass and Laurie draws a crowd all weekend, but not of traditional modellers. Does this equal sales? I don't know, but Hornby have been convinced enough to dip their toe into the water. 8 9 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neil Posted January 6, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2020 (edited) How much? Really? For a Smokey Joe with some sprue and a sprinkling of bits from the scrap box stuck on. Edited January 6, 2020 by Neil 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Edwardian Posted January 6, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted January 6, 2020 Hmm. Love the idea. Don't actually like any of the products!!!!! 1 19 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Watto1990 Posted January 6, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2020 I don’t want to be critical, and hopefully this is a new market that’s going to deliver for Hornby but I do need to ask - who looked at a literal steam locomotive and thought “this needs to be more steampunk”? 1 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted January 6, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2020 48 minutes ago, RJS1977 said: Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. Not only are Hornby risking a repeat of the 2012 disaster by ploughing a lot of effort into a range which might not sell, they're devaluing the Bassett-Lowke name in the process. The Bassett-Lowke name will mean nothing to Steampunk fans, and to use a name historically associated with well-engineered premium products on models derived from Smokey Joe and the Hornby 4 wheel coaches is somewhat akin to putting a Vanden Plas badge on an Austin Allegro.... Not entirely correct there. A whole bunch of SPs around here are also railway buffs! Adolphenso Duckdiseaser 2 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 35 minutes ago, Synch said: Don't see this being a good decision! Looks like another poor attempt at attracting a younger market to model trains. Younger? More like middle aged ex Goths going by the ones I saw at Llangollen for the Steampunk weekend. Jason 7 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathan70000 Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 If this were announced on the 1st of April I would not have believed it for a second... 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 It's a relatively cheap exploitation of existing kit. The test is whether the retailers servicing this market will stock it, as appealing to their customers. Personally, I feel it is insufficiently ambitious to have appeal to this group, when compared to the diseased imaginings that one is sometimes accidentally exposed to. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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