What? No Hornby Xmas day announcement?

[darren01]

HI

If it's anything like the last few news letters ,then it won't be much!.

[Guest Belgian]

.

 

Well. All one needs to do is have a word with your local friendly model shop owner once the Hornby Rep has been around asking for his order for next year.

 

That "used" to happen in early December about 10 years ago (when my local shop was still there) - I assume the same applies nowadays.

 

Another reason to use your local shop.

 

.

I hope the Rep will be trailing a TC or two behind . . .

 

JE

[Dave777]

Will I care when the announcements are made? For the first time Im really sorry to say that Hornby's announcements will be of little any interest to me. Why?

 

Last Christmas I was really excited when the Vep was announced...

 

[etc]

 

 

Aren't we just wandering back into the 'Hornby's future is cheap toys' thread...?

[7013]

Seems like that doesn't it. Interestingly when Pat Hammond asked what modellers would like to see in the forthcoming catalogue the replies were deemed to be wish lists. Well as we are not privy to what is in the catalogue what else can we do other than hope/wish/speculate/froth (pick your word). Therefore it becomes a pointless exercise if we cannot hope/wish/speculate/froth, as they are all to a greater or lesser degree the same.

[The Stationmaster]

Seems like that doesn't it. Interestingly when Pat Hammond asked what modellers would like to see in the forthcoming catalogue the replies were deemed to be wish lists. Well as we are not privy to what is in the catalogue what else can we do other than hope/wish/speculate/froth (pick your word). Therefore it becomes a pointless exercise if we cannot hope/wish/speculate/froth, as they are all to a greater or lesser degree the same.

Speculating on what is there is more like a sort of 'informed' wishlisting in that you are trying to read how the manufacturer is reading the market - well that is, I think, how it should work. So you have to try to forget what you want apart from the number of times you've suggested it to Simon Kohler at a show; you talk to your friendly retailer about the vibes he is picking up from and feeding to Hornby reps and you try a bit of guesstimation from there. I know of one thing which a number of Hornby reps regularly feed into the internal wishlisting process based on retailer feedback and I have included it a couple of times in my past guesstimate although I left it out last year because I knew that another 'old' Southern emu would definitely be in the list and I was sure it will eventually appear but things might now have changed.

[D400]

Hmm.

 

Personally, whether or not the announcement is 25/12 or 03/01, I am looking forward to it, as indeed any new product or range announcement, for 2 reasons:

1. I always enjoying seeing what manufacturers have decided there next move in the market will be - its a good reflection of the state of the market and the sustainability of R-T-R model railways as a whole.
   
2. Am I the only one on here who sometimes works backwards around these announcements?! About November and until the end of March (after Bachmann's announcement) I usually wind-down my modelling just in case the thing I'm about to spend hundreds of hours trying to make becomes available off the shelf?! Last year I was all gearing up to repaint a 50 as 50008 in Laira Blue, but it was put on the back burner in October in case the inevitable would, and indeed did happen! So I'm looking forward to the announcement so I know where my projects stand and where I'm going next! Also gives me chance to plan new projects, sometimes on the back of new releases - all good fun imho!
   

With my tongue firmly in cheek and blowing my very small miniature trumpet, I'll just mention that this time last year I correctly predicted 2 releases, including being one of only 2 people to mention the T****** word! see here. I don't have any predictions this year mind - frankly anything could happen so I'm looking forward to finding out what that will be.

 

 

Bruce

 

***edited spelling and punctuation***!

[Gilwell Park]

Tee hee hee!

Better be careful about stating our requirements!

I wonder if anyone did receive a pair of forceps?

A railway model shop version of the Two Ronnies "Four Candles/Fork Handles" sketch is brewing in my head.

RP

 

This reminds me of the time, many years ago, when I had to read, out loud, at school, a passage from Oliver Twist. I became completely tied up when I had to say " a bare garret room ". I don't think the teacher ever understood the problem.

 

Roger.

[Metr0Land]

 

A railway model shop version of the Two Ronnies "Four Candles/Fork Handles" sketch is brewing in my head.

RP

 

A railtour version appeared a number of years ago when Hertfordshire Railtours ran 'Nurse, the four Ceps' tour.

[Guest 40-something]

Quite suits me being released on the third, I'm back at work that day and it'll give me something to do!

[Guest dilbert]

I predict the Great Bear outshopped in BR Blue with an advanced analogue clockwork mechanism, The spring roll feature will allow for automated seamless seasonal adjustments in a heuristic & hedonist fashion thereby avoiding adding complexity to over-complicated life patterns... dilbert

[Ozexpatriate]

The spring roll feature will allow for automated seamless seasonal adjustments in a heuristic & hedonist fashion

So it will adjust for daylight savings time?

 

I tried to stretch the pun to reach 'hedonistic fashion' but that was beyond my grasp.

[Guest dilbert]

So it will adjust for daylight savings time?

 

I tried to stretch the pun to reach 'hedonistic fashion' but that was beyond my grasp.

 

Don't try BS usage, a summary of some of the crap I heard today at work... dilbert

[Fenman]

The spring roll feature

I know the price of raw materials is going through the roof, but I'm not sure that substituting takeaway food for metal or plastic is a good idea. Although it would save me from having to leave the tracks to go on a food run to the kitchen. Interesting.

 

Paul

[7013]

Pat Hammond did not put a posting of MRemag up today, I am speculating he has gone to the Hornby announcement day.

Wish...Hope without Expectation or Speculation.

Prediction...Speculation and Expectation with hope

Froth...Complete madness..............When can we start!

[Andy Y]

I've no problem with anyone starting a prediction thread; hopefully the spurious wishing will be minimal and if anyone's seen frothing at the mouth please do keep a safe distance.

 

Last year we kept the prediction topic limited to December after previous years where some people spent half the year frothing. This year no-one's started a dedicated topic. I think there's certainly less 'enthusiam' for such matters as so many other aspects have been debated which may possibly impact on any announcements anyway and it somehow seems less of a focal point in the modellers year with so many other approaches to releases from other manufacturers and the recent evidence that any announcements are less likely to hit the shelves before the next round of announcements come about.

[Oldddudders]

I know the price of raw materials is going through the roof, but I'm not sure that substituting takeaway food for metal or plastic is a good idea. Although it would save me from having to leave the tracks to go on a food run to the kitchen. Interesting.

A few years back, some friends were camping in Belgium, and found that one of the pipes under the engine compartment of their Saab had been eaten away. Apparently the recycled materials used for this item included food-waste packaging, which contained enough food residue to interest the local rodents!

[Western Stalwart]

Oh my god, no! How ever will I get through Christmas day without the Hornby announcent to look forward to.

Oh. I know. I'll eat lots of Turkey, Xmas pud etc, drink moderate quantities of alcohol based beverages and enjoy watching my son, Adam who now being four and is a state of excitement already at the thought of Santa coming.

[english electric]

i think i can live with the extra 9 days since we have already had to wait 365 for this

no doubt there will be leaks of the range like a certain mag for the modern image side of it or they woundnt say till mid january when the next issue would be out

[Roy P]

Last Christmas I was really excited when the Vep was announced.

Not wishing to be pedantic but wasn't the VEP actually announced two years ago? The Pair of them in my sons collection referred to in another thread were intended to be his Christmas Presents last year. They landed around the time of his Birthday so I ended up paying for them anyway hence my vested interest!

RP

[jonathan452]

I'm sure some of the 'domestic authorities' (where applicable) will be breathing a collective sigh of relief.

 

First of all those gentlemen contributing to last years post announcement thread in the wee small hours and those who were not assisting their 'authorities' in the pre christmas lunch preparations and/or welcoming guests and relatives. (In laws!)

[pete_mcfarlane]

I predict the Great Bear outshopped in BR Blue with an advanced analogue clockwork mechanism, The spring roll feature will allow for automated seamless seasonal adjustments in a heuristic & hedonist fashion thereby avoiding adding complexity to over-complicated life patterns... dilbert

Is that to go with the live steam CIE turf burner, and the all new Railroad class 67 (less detailed and more robust than the current ex-Lima model)?

 

Actually, I'd quite fancy a model of the turf burner........

[wombatofludham]

Actually, as they have a penchant for Southern steam generators, and want to do less detailed cheaper locos they could do a Leader, complete with 4-VEP will-it-won't-it motor bogie. Basically a giant Fray Bentos tin on massive bogies and no sticky-out bits to model. I'm sure it would sell, if Heljan can flog all sorts of unsuccessful diesels which barely worked, Hornby should be able to stick a "Leader" right at the top of the sales charts.

[Andy Y]

I don't know where this 3rd Jan date has emanated from but it could refer to a date or w/c date when trade buyers visit Margate.

 

I stand corrected, the embargo date is 3rd January.

 

I don't see that as being a realistic date that people will be able to hold to as it falls poorly with existing publishing dates and preparation.

[James]

Andy, I do wonder if it really matters when the annoucement is. To be honest, I think there's too much emphasis on these 'annoucements' - like any PR exercise they're created to create hype and interest which, in my opinion, isn't always the best thing. What amuses me is that we find out that Hornby won't be making the Christmas annoucement and there's five pages of dicussion about it!

[Western Scottish]

That must put Model Rail in an unfortunate position as they publish on 29/12. So if they don't get special dispensation RM or BRM will probably be first with the news. I suspect they will get dispensation as REM usually publish ahead of embargo and get invited back each year , so the inference is they do it with Horbnys permission. If Model rail are allowed to go with it , the embargo date of 3rd Jan becomes a non-sense as it'll be in the public domain on 29th. And if the embargo is broken anyway , whats to stop people with subscriptions discussing it as soon as their editions hit the floor maybe on the 27th/28th? Doesn't seem to be well thought out , unless the embargo is finite and Model Rail don't publish plans until following edition. I don't imagine they'll be pleased being the last of the big 4 to break the news.