Bachmann 2020 Announcements - Spring

[Buckley Wells]

4 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

To pick up on the crane, it's what's called a "Halo Product" - everyone looks at it and goes "Wow!" and this reflects well on the rest of the range. The clever engineering you decry is there to make the thing work, something it does very well. Anyone who has had a play is hugely impressed with the thing. I doubt you'd get the same effect with a locomotive and it's a million miles away from a set of opening diesel doors. Even if you don't buy one, you look at it and want one.

 

More importantly, we were told today that the red livery has sold out and the others are very close. Some people are obviously happy to own something that they will rarely use, in the same way that people own supercars they don't drive. From Bachmann's point of view, they made an amazing product that has sold and presumably made them a profit. If that's bad business, someone needs to explain to me what good business is.

I don't decry the clever engineering Phil, I just question its value. I wont pick up on your use of the word play, but already I've heard people asking why it isn't motorised, rather than being dependent on "the hand of god."

I think Bachmann's original Blue Pullmans had a similar wow factor, but all the careful work from research to table lights was there to see as it ran on your layout.

Maybe the cranes have paid for themselves with just one sold out run and, if they have, then that makes financial sense for Bachmann.  But I was looking over the firm's offer more as a modeler than an investor and, to follow your car analogy,  if they are making a profit by filling glass fronted display cabinets,  then perhaps that's not good for those who enjoy the hobby in the way I do.  

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi @AY Mod, @Phil Parker

 

Just a little question which you might know from today. Towards the end of last year Bachmann have really started to catch up and deliver high quality models and the estimated release dates were on their website going well into this year. Of particular interest to me the Class 20/3’s did they say if this schedule has changed or will we just have to wait and see at each 1/4’s announcement for the existing plans models to appear?

 

I’m not in any rush for them as I want too much this year already lol! 

 

One thing that’s come up a few times in this topic is funding new models if they are announced and you want it in a shorter timescale. I have a little instant access savings account that I keep alongside my main account. If I sell a little on eBay or have a little surplus I just move it across that way I’ve always got a little rainy day fund for that model I really want. It’s really helped whilst money has been tighter this last year or so and as a result I’ve managed to get more than I had hoped. I’ve also become much more careful to only buy what fits my layout plans despite how nice something new and shiny is!

 

Whilst this 1/4 doesn’t have anything I want. I had suspected from the previous list this would be the case. It meant I was finally able to get the rep EWS 37704 model I had been after and go for the sound version as well. The latest 37’s with sound are very good from Bachmann and having waited found a good price too.

 

Now spare a thought for Andy and Phil, think of all the frothing and wishlisting that Bachmanns new announcement plan will create 4 times a year!

 

Thanks

Mark

 

 

 

[gordon s]

I do much the same but in a simpler format, just emptying my pockets of loose change every day and putting it in a pot. Probably wouldn’t work for others in with the rapid onset of a cashless society.

 

My wife budgets our monthly income and always sets aside a few quid each month to replace domestic appliances, such as our freezer that packed up on Sunday. I’m sure it’s a generation thing as we were taught to save up for things.

 

 Maybe we are are couple of dinosaurs.......

[ThaneofFife]

I spoke too soon.  The newest releases of the MK2f DCC on Board now showing at £84.99  RRP.......up about 6%

[Markwj]

7 hours ago, MRDBLUE17 said:

Hi @AY Mod, @Phil Parker

 

Just a little question which you might know from today. Towards the end of last year Bachmann have really started to catch up and deliver high quality models and the estimated release dates were on their website going well into this year. Of particular interest to me the Class 20/3’s did they say if this schedule has changed or will we just have to wait and see at each 1/4’s announcement for the existing plans models to appear?

 

I’m not in any rush for them as I want too much this year already lol! 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the collectors club mag they are at Livery artwork stage but I guess we now may not know when they are due until they appear in the 3 monthly announcement.

[Ron Ron Ron]

As fate may have it, the timing of Bachmann’s switch to quarterly announcements has coincided with the rapidly evolving health situation in China.

There are more reports today of factory closures and of supply chains grinding to a halt.

Apart from manufactured finished goods, components and parts destined for overseas markets are now being interrupted, affecting manufacturing companies in South Korea, SE Asia and Europe. Internal Chinese restrictions on movement and transportation are also taking a toll on manufacturing and distribution networks.

Model trains are not important in the larger scheme of things and sadly, I expect Bachmann’s May announcement will also be light on content. Most likely, all the RTR brands who manufacture in China will suffer similar delays in production.

At least we can’t moan about something being late, if we didn’t know it was due to arrive in the first place.

 

 

[Phil Parker]

2 minutes ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

As fate may have it, the timing of Bachmann’s switch to quarterly announcements has coincided with the rapidly evolving health situation in China.

There are more reports today of factory closures and of supply chains grinding to a halt.

Apart from manufactured finished goods, components and parts destined for overseas markets are now being interrupted, affecting manufacturing companies in South Korea, SE Asia and Europe. Internal Chinese restrictions on movement and transportation are also taking a toll on manufacturing and distribution networks.

Model trains are not important in the larger scheme of things and sadly, I expect Bachmann’s May announcement will also be light on content. Most likely, all the RTR brands who manufacture in China will suffer similar delays in production.

At least we can’t moan about something being late, if we didn’t know it was due to arrive in the first place.

 

This was mentioned at the event. Much of the stuff to be delivered in the next report will already be on a boat, it was completed before the Chinese New Year so will be enjoying its 6-8 week cruise on the high seas.

 

Development is carried out in Hong Kong, so will continue. It will just be inconvenient that the engineers can't visit the factories as easily for a while.

[Legend]

36 minutes ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

As fate may have it, the timing of Bachmann’s switch to quarterly announcements has coincided with the rapidly evolving health situation in China.

There are more reports today of factory closures and of supply chains grinding to a halt.

Apart from manufactured finished goods, components and parts destined for overseas markets are now being interrupted, affecting manufacturing companies in South Korea, SE Asia and Europe. Internal Chinese restrictions on movement and transportation are also taking a toll on manufacturing and distribution networks.

Model trains are not important in the larger scheme of things and sadly, I expect Bachmann’s May announcement will also be light on content. Most likely, all the RTR brands who manufacture in China will suffer similar delays in production.

At least we can’t moan about something being late, if we didn’t know it was due to arrive in the first place.

 

 

 

More than model trains I think you are going to find this in more and more items , automotive, medical devices , phones , electrical devices  as supply chains are interrupted .  We will find out just how reliant on China for manufacturing we are.   And it will have effect on companies as they are starved of things to sell , cash flow starts to be affected . 

[scottystitch]

9 hours ago, Buckley Wells said:

...if they are making a profit by filling glass fronted display cabinets,  then perhaps that's not good for those who enjoy the hobby in the way I do.  

 

I'd argue the opposite.  I'm quite happy for the collector fraternity to bank role some of the more borderline models for the rest of us, in the same way that those fortunate enough to be able to afford to sit at the pointy end of the aeroplane make air travel more financially affordable for the rest of us over the wing box (safest part, structurally) and the blunt end.

 

Best

 

Scott.

[phil gollin]

.

 

Did Bachmann give out any information (or even a rough indication) on when they hope to get towards the end of the "catch up" period and will commence new announcements ?

 

.

[The Johnster]

16 hours ago, jonny777 said:

 

While you are in the future, can you check if the Peco bullhead single slip has been introduced by 2105?

And can you find out how much longer a certain pannier tank is going to be.

[The Johnster]

16 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Budgeting is called a credit card.

No, budgeting is called not needing a credit card and saving up for things.

 

16 hours ago, brushman47544 said:

If you’re not a conspiracy theorist, I suggest you skip this post...

 

Interesting.... Andy has changed the title of this thread to “Spring”. We are in February which is Winter, so shouldn’t the next quarterly announcement (May-ish?) be Spring. Has the Spring announcement already caught the coronavirus and died a death or is this the Spring list running ahead of schedule?

Or, as a lady in the bus queue ahead of me asked the driver, 'is this the next bus or is it this one?'  Driver, to his credit, came back straight away with 'no, luv, it's the last one running late'.

 

15 hours ago, TomE said:

 

 You can take down the 'I want to believe' poster now......

But keep watching the skies...

[Mark Saunders]

20 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

 

Or, as a lady in the bus queue ahead of me asked the driver, 'is this the next bus or is it this one?'  Driver, to his credit, came back straight away with 'no, luv, it's the last one running late.

 

Or as mate did sent the bus company manager a Christmas card in June with the message “is this six months late or six months late”.

[Erixtar1992]

Still awaiting the 168 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

11 hours ago, Widnes Model Centre said:

... the Titanic will be with us later today. Just need to find a place to display it. 

Remember to leave space for the iceberg, probably be along within the week.

[Paul.Uni]

1 hour ago, phil gollin said:

.

 

Did Bachmann give out any information (or even a rough indication) on when they hope to get towards the end of the "catch up" period and will commence new announcements ?

 

.

The next announcement for new releases is May and will cover all models that are due for release between May and July.

 

As for new tooling, it has been stated several times that they will be announce new tooling latter in the design process, when there is something to show, rather than at the research stage. So I'm not expecting anything this year.

[Widnes Model Centre]

1 hour ago, 34theletterbetweenB&D said:

Remember to leave space for the iceberg, probably be along within the week.

 

The iceberg will be supplied with the kit. It will be a fresh one, none of that frozen rubbish.

[BoD]

38 minutes ago, Widnes Model Centre said:

 

The iceberg will be supplied with the kit. It will be a fresh one, none of that frozen rubbish.

Whatever happened to real modelling?

Scratch build your own iceberg - or at least buy one in kit form.

[classy52]

22 minutes ago, BoD said:

Whatever happened to real modelling?

Scratch build your own iceberg - or at least buy one in kit form.

 

 A bag of ice with a floating beer in the middle will do...

[PaulRhB]

17 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Not as many N scale modellers?

That was pointed out in another thread, by I think Dennis Lovett, When asking about N scale versions. N is still a minority compared to OO and with the large backlog of models across all the ranges hardly surprising there’s little now they split it to several announcements per year. 

[Bob83a]

2 hours ago, Erixtar1992 said:

Still awaiting the 168 

According to the Bachmann Times there is no production slot available yet for

32-027C/SF class 20/0 late crest green

32-046/SF class 20/0 blue

35-560 class 168/3 Chiltern

35-625 class 170/1 Arriva

35-626 class 170/4 ScotRail Saltire

35-580 class 171/7 Southern

These were omitted from the combined edition catalogue

 

It states

 

work may continue on these for later release and implies that they will in the quarterly announcements at some point.

 

But “work may continue” does sort of imply that it could be sometime before these appear and leaving them out of the catalogue probably means not this year!

[Erixtar1992]

22 minutes ago, Bob83a said:

According to the Bachmann Times there is no production slot available yet for

32-027C/SF class 20/0 late crest green

32-046/SF class 20/0 blue

35-560 class 168/3 Chiltern

35-625 class 170/1 Arriva

35-626 class 170/4 ScotRail Saltire

35-580 class 171/7 Southern

These were omitted from the combined edition catalogue

 

It states

 

work may continue on these for later release and implies that they will in the quarterly announcements at some point.

 

But “work may continue” does sort of imply that it could be sometime before these appear and leaving them out of the catalogue probably means not this year!

Damn. Not the news i was hoping for, however i appreciate your reply, many thanks!! 
 

[mdvle]

1 hour ago, Bob83a said:

But “work may continue” does sort of imply that it could be sometime before these appear and leaving them out of the catalogue probably means not this year!

 

If everything Bachmann was going to release this year was in the catalog, it would sort of defeat the point of the quarterly announcements...

[JSpencer]

46 minutes ago, mdvle said:

 

If everything Bachmann was going to release this year was in the catalog, it would sort of defeat the point of the quarterly announcements...

 

So are they going to have a quarterly catalogue?

[Legend]

17 hours ago, woodenhead said:

I hope you have a big bath to play with that.

 

I think that is the big bath!

 

Bad news on the Turbostars  also not particularly reassured  by  "work may continue"   meaning it might not?   Are these going to release at some stage or are they canned?