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Hornby: A Model World


Phil Parker
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17 minutes ago, Georgeconna said:

Last nights one was ok. Kids will love that Toy Train set with sound, Pretty cool to get if you were a wee person. Bit about the Vampire was good too.

 

They just need to spot the difference between a Lancaster and a Wellington now. 

 

I'm a big fan of Playtrains - it's well thought out as unlike the cheapo junior range, you can buy points to build a proper model railway, not just run things around in a circle. With my little assistants, I've put some time in playing reviewing all the components (not just Flash) here: https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/reviews/hornby-playtrains/

 

It's also cheap, and I think a potential investment purchase. Buy everything at RRP and the bill will be about the same as the Dublo Merchant Navy. In five years time, which will be rarer? A mint MN or a mint set of Playtrains....

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30 minutes ago, spamcan61 said:

Absolutely, SWMBO currently spends her evenings watching episodes of Grand Designs back to back via BritBox and I've resorted to my noise cancelling headphones to drown out the same dialogue episode after episode. I'm sure there's a GD bingo card somewhere on t'internet.

 

I've alway wondered with Grand Designs if the female half of the building partnership becoming pregnant is in the contract part way through the project. And if Kevin M is always the father. Well, he does seem to drop in quite a lot!

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11 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I've alway wondered with Grand Designs if the female half of the building partnership becoming pregnant is in the contract part way through the project. And if Kevin M is always the father. Well, he does seem to drop in quite a lot!

Is this before or after they fire the architect and decide to project manage the construction work themselves, despite having no experience of doing this? 

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1 hour ago, Georgeconna said:

They just need to spot the difference between a Lancaster and a Wellington now. 

 

I think the box illustrator knew, I'd blame the script writer for only knowing a limited number of British WW2 aeroplanes, Spitfire and Lancaster.  I bet if there was a Hurricane it would be blithely labelled "Spitfire" too.

 

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58 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I'm a big fan of Playtrains - it's well thought out as unlike the cheapo junior range, you can buy points to build a proper model railway, not just run things around in a circle. With my little assistants, I've put some time in playing reviewing all the components (not just Flash) here: https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/reviews/Hornby-playtrains/

 

It's also cheap, and I think a potential investment purchase. Buy everything at RRP and the bill will be about the same as the Dublo Merchant Navy. In five years time, which will be rarer? A mint MN or a mint set of Playtrains....

 

I'm liking the look of the Playtrains system.  A lot of the discussion revolved around the need to interest the very young in model railways, in the hope of transfer to "real" model railways as they grow older.

 

In view of that, will the playtrains transfer too?  Looking at the plastic track system, it looks fairly "fine", so will the trains work on set track without bumping on railchairs or jumping over points?

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2 hours ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

 Miss P,

 

should we call you Mystic Meg now?

 

It's getting a bit like Kevin McCLoud's Grand Designs, where things have to go wrong (or be in jeopardy) before everything works out perfectly. The directors presumably think it makes for good TV but it gets rather boring, week after week.

The programme clearly runs to a formula but if we keep watching then it is obviously a successful formula and it is a bit of fun where we need to forget counting rivets - even if that subject seems to be regularly mentioned (Vampires and rivet counters - was there a subliminal message there I wonder?).  The format - the non Hornby stuff apart - is one reason why I refer to it as 'The Hornby Show' - it's all good fun and informative in some ways even if it follows a pretty standardised pattern from week-to-week. 

 

The inclusion of the non-Hornby stuff is clearly a carefully conceived editorial decision because 'someone' realised it would help to attract a wider audience, possibly including the likes of some 'committed modellers' who might otherwise lose interest in  'The Hornby Show' or the latest edition of 'Simon Stalks The Archives'.   And that non-Hornby stuff has thus far been consistently interesting, occasionally worrying, and showing us stuff we might not otherwise see - almost a sort of condensed virtual exhibition with a few demos thrown in and something very different such as Jenny's upside-down display.

 

PS When we built our present house I contacted the producers of 'Grand Designs' to offer the projects as 'a possible'.  They did reply - in the negative - nicely pointing out that simply building a house - with all the usual vicissitudes that includes - wasn't what they needed to 'make good television' and they wanted something more quirky and oddball.  So that's their formula made clear.

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1 hour ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I've alway wondered with Grand Designs if the female half of the building partnership becoming pregnant is in the contract part way through the project. And if Kevin M is always the father. Well, he does seem to drop in quite a lot!

 

1 hour ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

Is this before or after they fire the architect and decide to project manage the construction work themselves, despite having no experience of doing this? 

 

Hang on - you forgot the bit where the couple in their early thirties inexplicably bought the property for £600,000 and yet somehow have a budget of another £500,000 to fund the project...

 

I had to stop watching because I realised I hated them all.

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1 hour ago, Hroth said:

 

I think the box illustrator knew, I'd blame the script writer for only knowing a limited number of British WW2 aeroplanes, Spitfire and Lancaster.  I bet if there was a Hurricane it would be blithely labelled "Spitfire" too.

 

I'm not too sure.  I visited Hornby earlier this year, and was surprised by the number of howlers in the captions in the various displays. I'm not an expert on aeroplanes, but I do know what a Lancaster looks like, even if the curators didn't!

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22 minutes ago, Nick Holliday said:

I'm not too sure.  I visited Hornby earlier this year, and was surprised by the number of howlers in the captions in the various displays. I'm not an expert on aeroplanes, but I do know what a Lancaster looks like, even if the curators didn't!

Its oK .They are put there deliberately to annoy you .I would ...

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28 minutes ago, Nick Holliday said:

I'm not too sure.  I visited Hornby earlier this year, and was surprised by the number of howlers in the captions in the various displays. I'm not an expert on aeroplanes, but I do know what a Lancaster looks like, even if the curators didn't!

Maybe they got an ex-Luftwaffe pilot to do the captions? After all, they were *always* shot down by Spitfires. and never by a Hurricane or anything else. 

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One thing I did notice, when the newly smoke fitted Duchess started up and moved off how much wet particulate could be seen all the way along the top of the boiler.  I wonder how much ends up on the layout after a long run...

Edited by johndon
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2 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

I think the box illustrator knew, I'd blame the script writer for only knowing a limited number of British WW2 aeroplanes, Spitfire and Lancaster.  I bet if there was a Hurricane it would be blithely labelled "Spitfire" too.

 

 

:offtopic: Back in the days of great big CRT monitors on ones desk most folk in our big open plan office had a "mascot" on top of their monitor.  I had a 1:72 scale Hurricane.  99% of visitors to my workstation who mentioned it referred to it as a Spitfire and were subsequently politely educated.  The 1% who got it right received sincere congratulations on their perspicacity. :D

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On 30/11/2021 at 13:22, Phatbob said:

 

:offtopic: Back in the days of great big CRT monitors on ones desk most folk in our big open plan office had a "mascot" on top of their monitor. 

 

I still do ;)

 

DSC_0349.JPG.faf71208fecd6264a1c548f179340dba.JPG

 

 

A mini me with a custom Ulyett Landscapes logo on the back of the hi-vis

 

Edited by RedgateModels
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It seems they need to get SK involved in everything . Couldnt quite work out why  needing an illustration for the Vampire  Simon trundled down to the archive and brought back the illustration of "Dogfight Doubles " Spitfire and Me109 then had a meeting pointing out the illustration is older than the person hes having meeting with . All for effect of course and not at all relevant  !  Strangely little Scalextric in it so far , I know theres an episode coming , but one episode from 10 makes me think Scalextric perhaps is not as important as it used to be .  It seems to be all Airfix and Hornby so far with Corgi making token appearance and even that was aviation related - The Bristol Fighter. 

 

Perhaps Montana had the most telling insights..........

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I want to go into the archive and find the products from when I was a kid as in theory there should be an untouched vintage apt set- the XPT Hornby did based on the Australian HST and the duchess of Sutherland set with 4coaches, signals and a level crossing etc!

Not to mention all the airfix kits and the associated artwork.

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6 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

I think the box illustrator knew, I'd blame the script writer for only knowing a limited number of British WW2 aeroplanes, Spitfire and Lancaster.  I bet if there was a Hurricane it would be blithely labelled "Spitfire" too.

 

yes I meant to add a smiley face in me post!!

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5 hours ago, Nick Holliday said:

I'm not too sure.  I visited Hornby earlier this year, and was surprised by the number of howlers in the captions in the various displays. I'm not an expert on aeroplanes, but I do know what a Lancaster looks like, even if the curators didn't!

Don't forget the EE Lightning with no tail plane on the box art!!  (thankfully they were inside the box) .Its Corrected I think now even though have not had a pilgrimage to a model shop for some time to check.

 

In all fairness there has been some great box art work both Cross and the the new era.

 

 

a05042.jpg

 

The Matchbox one though!! Love a full print of this for the wall!

 

image.png.f7dcecfb7e663f87df9791959d7c114d.png

Edited by Georgeconna
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3 hours ago, johndon said:

One thing I did notice, when the newly smoke fitted Duchess started up and moved off how much wet particulate could be seen all the way along the top of the boiler.  I wonder how much ends up on the layout after a long run...

 

yes looks fab but the oil on the body is a killer, I had a Hornby D49 1980's job, (still runs = with DCC too!) with a smoke generator, Loved it though. The smoker unit was taken out in the end.

 

Seen other chaps chimneys sag from the heat if not operated properly.

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A firm fitted a smoke unit to my Tri-ang Princess Elizabeth in the 1960s and I enjoyed the effect.  I am surprised it has taken Hornby so long to reintroduce smoke units.

 

The artwork on Hornby and Airfix boxes is wonderful.  I developed my modelling skills in my teens with Airfix kits and the large ships like the Victory took me the whole of the Christmas holidays to build.  I enjoyed reading the historical information about the Airfix kits.

 

In the 1960s it looked like Scalextric was going to take over interest from model railways but the interest seemed to be short lived.  I am pleased that Scalextric is continuing but I don't hear much about it. Around 1960 a garage in Orpington built a huge Scalextric layout.  I left the queue to operate it for dinner and when I came back an hour later the same boys were waiting in the queue. There were some problems with boys being over enthusiastic with the throttle, which included me when a motorcycle combination went flying off the track.  After some youngsters had been waiting over an hour for a go the garage announced that it was only going to let adults at the controls.

 

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27 minutes ago, Georgeconna said:

 

yes looks fab but the oil on the body is a killer, I had a Hornby D49 1980's job, (still runs = with DCC too!) with a smoke generator, Loved it though. The smoker unit was taken out in the end.

 

Seen other chaps chimneys sag from the heat if not operated properly.

Another problem is the build-up of condensed oil on the track, which causes locos to slip.

 

John

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12 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I've alway wondered with Grand Designs if the female half of the building partnership becoming pregnant is in the contract part way through the project. And if Kevin M is always the father. Well, he does seem to drop in quite a lot!

 

The comedian David O'Dohety did a memorable song about Grand Designs, and the collapse of a relationship between the couple building their misguided dream house, on "8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown" some years back... lyrics like "the caravan... the pregnancy..." and "it turned out the cracks weren't in fact in the foundations, but in our mar-riage..."

 

Whenever we watch it, we know that if the windows haven't been installed by the second break, that's when it's all going to go wrong, as it always seems to be the glazing where problems happen :)

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I always wanted a Scalextric for a pressie but it was never to be, the Missus to be understood this story of Woe and bought me a Formula 1 set some time ago when Jordan where going (good early sign in the relationship!). I added and added to it thinking of the joys I will have with my pending family full of Sons into trains boats and planes.....alas I was blessed with 3 girls and the Scalextric gets the odd airing even now and then which is a shame as its mostly in the loft all of the time.

 

The Digital introduction should of given it a massive boost but did not I feel it did capture the imagination. The Shop I worked in Scalextric was the worst seller. The Cars are now so much detailed and some at €65.00 are just not for kids TBH or even the adults with a few pints in them as they are just seen as toys.

 

Its still good fun though!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU9ENkxZiTY

 

 

 

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18 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Another problem is the build-up of condensed oil on the track, which causes locos to slip.

 

John

Just like the real thing then. Has the oil problem got worse as the engines got older, its not something I remember from my old Hornby engines which had it. 

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3 minutes ago, Blandford1969 said:

Just like the real thing then. Has the oil problem got worse as the engines got older, its not something I remember from my old Hornby engines which had it. 

It also dissolves traction tyres you have them, which make a right mess of the track.

 

If we are to see a revival of "smoke" it needs to be water-based.

 

John

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