Bachmann announce Class 90 (OO)

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

10 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

Please stop using RMweb as a vehicle for stupid behaviour.

 

You can go back on the moderation queue.

 

That must be a helluva queue these days...

[Pete the Elaner]

6 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

 

You mean the liveries YOU are asking for. It's unlikely that you have access to Bachmann's e-mail, so you have no idea what other people are asking for. Nor do you have access to their sales figures to work out what is shifting off the shelves. It's in the firms interests to produce stuff that sells after all.

 

I don't understand why so many people seem to forget this.

[Covkid]

18 hours ago, letterspider said:

Why not just tell it like it is?

 

"We don't have any new liveries in the current quarter - we do not (or cannot) reveal details about many or all of our current projects until 3 months before release"

 

I am not in retail but I guess the MO of retail is to keep the customer excited and tantalised. If Bachmann told you "no" you wouldn't be so happy with their product, whereas if they kept you checking their sales bumpf you wouldn't be disappointed. 

[TomScrut]

2 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

I don't understand why so many people seem to forget this.

 

Exactly. Although I do think there is a difference between having a reasoned debate about why liveries may perform differently to others (i.e. what I thought was happening until yesterday) than just saying "I think they should make this because I want it".

 

They don't all sell at the same rates, as the stock levels at stockists suggest, but then again I (probably we) definitely don't know what constitutes a failure (i.e. not selling as quickly as desired) as we do not know how they budget for sales. The RFD one (i.e. what looks to be the worst selling one) is still probably regarded as successful from Bachmann's point of view.

 

I would be interested to know how the manufacturers carry out market research though.

 

[woodenhead]

Bachmann haven't replied to my enquiry about a 1970s banger blue with headcodes class 90.

 

Don't think they are taking me seriously.

[GordonC]

3 minutes ago, TomScrut said:

 

Exactly. Although I do think there is a difference between having a reasoned debate about why liveries may perform differently to others (i.e. what I thought was happening until yesterday) than just saying "I think they should make this because I want it".

 

They don't all sell at the same rates, as the stock levels at stockists suggest, but then again I (probably we) definitely don't know what constitutes a failure (i.e. not selling as quickly as desired) as we do not know how they budget for sales. The RFD one (i.e. what looks to be the worst selling one) is still probably regarded as successful from Bachmann's point of view.

 

I would be interested to know how the manufacturers carry out market research though.

 

 

How are you judging the RfD one as being any worse selling than the Powerhaul one? We dont know production run quantities, but I haven't noticed the RfD one left on shelves anywhere that the Powerhaul one wasn't too. The Intercity one is obviously the best seller, but I dont get the impression there will be much difference in popularity of the RfD and Powerhaul ones.

 

Personally, I've never liked the Powerhaul livery on any classes so I may have been interested in an original Freightliner Yellow/Green livery, but that may have been something to do with Freightliner providing help in scanning/development

[TomScrut]

6 minutes ago, GordonC said:

How are you judging the RfD one as being any worse selling than the Powerhaul one?

 

I looked at several retailers where stock levels could be seen and there were generally more RfD than Freightliner.

 

As an example, Kernow have 1 FL and more than 10 RFD, Rails don't look to have any FL but have RFD, TMC have more than 10 of each. First 3 I checked just now.

[TomScrut]

16 minutes ago, GordonC said:

Personally, I've never liked the Powerhaul livery on any classes so I may have been interested in an original Freightliner Yellow/Green livery, but that may have been something to do with Freightliner providing help in scanning/development

 

Yes, I expect that is why it happened. I'd have been surprised if it was first choice for a modern livery purely on an expected sales front.

[GordonC]

1 hour ago, TomScrut said:

 

I looked at several retailers where stock levels could be seen and there were generally more RfD than Freightliner.

 

As an example, Kernow have 1 FL and more than 10 RFD, Rails don't look to have any FL but have RFD, TMC have more than 10 of each. First 3 I checked just now.

 

I dont accept thats conclusive proof of popularity between the two. The shops could have stocked more RfD than Freightliner to start with so if they sell at the same rate you could expect more RfD left. Or perhaps the RfD had sold out earlier and they restocked from Bachmann expecting to sell more.

 

It might even come down to whether SquirrelRail is ordering a box of 10 or 20 of one for repaints - are there many detailing differences between the two which would make the Powerhaul one a better base for EWS or the various modern liveries?

 

Either way, Bachmann has some of both left and only they'll know the sales figures and whether they consider the liveries as successful releases

[TomScrut]

40 minutes ago, GordonC said:

I dont accept thats conclusive proof of popularity between the two.

 

And I never said it was supposed to be conclusive. All we can do is draw the best conclusions we can with the evidence available. i.e. what I have attempted to do above.

 

44 minutes ago, GordonC said:

Either way, Bachmann has some of both left and only they'll know the sales figures and whether they consider the liveries as successful releases

 

Exactly. As per my comment where you started arguing with me about RFD.

[andyman7]

It stands to reason that if three liveries are released, there will always be some sort of order that they run out in. Given the worldwide disruption in supply chains I have been impressed that both Bachmann and Hornby have been able to continue delivering new items throughout the pandemic. 

[adb968008]

All this is built on assumption of there being identical quantities of each made.

 

I still say the best way to see more 90’s is for the first batch to sell out.

 

 

[TomScrut]

6 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

All this is built on assumption of there being identical quantities of each made.

 

Which is probably the case (other than the CC one), but you're right, still an assumption.

[Markwj]

Being a supporter of AC electrics having been brought up alongside the west coast mainline I was interested to see how both these and the class 85 sold. I was told at a show by someone on the Bachmann stand that the class 85 washed its face which I took to mean recouped the development costs but wasn’t a huge seller. The class 90 seems to have sold well judging by how many have appeared in bargain bins which I don’t think has been that many.

My hope is that sales will have been enough to encouraged Bachmann to have a go at more AC electrics and further runs of the 90. Perhaps there is a delay as Bachmann seek to resolve the issues from the first batch along with the small matter of the pandemic which has delayed everything from everyone!

As frustrating as it may be for some only time will tell.

[wombatofludham]

The other thing which should be improving the sales of AC electrics is the much wider range of stock available - the 85 initially was ploughing a lonely furrow with only the Heljan 86/2 of broadly comparable standard (acknowledged flaws excepted) so probably struggled a bit for initial sales.  Now, with the Hornby 87, the Heljan retooled AL6-86 and their own 90 I suspect sales will have picked up.  Certainly the 85 seems to be getting difficult to get hold of in some liveries, and are fetching decent prices on Tatbay which, if you analyse trends rather than individual items, is a pretty good analogue for market desirability.

Basically we now, or shortly will have, a sufficiently decent range of models to be able to run a convincing representation of West Coast Electrics from about 1967 onwards.  The obvious missing links would be an AL1-4 and an EMU but I have a feeling they may yet come.

[martin_l_jones]

Well, after all that, lets hope Bachmann can have some faith in a very good model and release more in the near future.....

 

DB, EWS and F/L Tango for me....

[Pete the Elaner]

On 24/09/2021 at 13:33, martin_l_jones said:

Well, after all that, lets hope Bachmann can have some faith in a very good model and release more in the near future.....

 

DB, EWS and F/L Tango for me....

 

Not the liveries you wanted, but no less than 4 announced today:

Virgin

Mainline

3TG Freightliner

Freightliner green

 

Won't suit everyone but IMO a pretty decent selection.

[Johnson Street IEMD]

Well .. good news folks .. well .. for some .. four new Class 90s have been unveiled by Bachmann today.

 

See 10.14 onwards

 

 

90026 in Inter City mainline

90004 in Virgin West Coast 

90048 in Freightliner weathered grey

90041 in Freightliner green

 

All are going to be available in DCC sound as well with a new chip for this group.

 

As a modeller of DB Cargo and the associated liveries of Malcolm, Grand Central, Scotrail, EWS, DB Schenker and so on, i am a bit disappointed that Freightliner have three livery representations yet EWS / DB have none.

 

 

:-(

 

Back to @Squirrel Rail i will go

[ac1874]

Surprised not to see an orange one considering that most get drawn into producing whatever is new and shiny but a nice selection.

[The Black Hat]

18 minutes ago, Johnson Street IEMD said:

Well .. good news folks .. well .. for some .. four new Class 90s have been unveiled by Bachmann today.

 

See 10.14 onwards

 

As a modeller of DB Cargo and the associated liveries of Malcolm, Grand Central, Scotrail, EWS, DB Schenker and so on, i am a bit disappointed that Freightliner have three livery representations yet EWS / DB have none.

 

 

:-(

 

Back to @Squirrel Rail i will go

Possible issue with permissions being granted?

[kevpeo]

Not my era, but man that grey one looks good! Shame I've already done a Mainline one too! Kev.

Edited November 3, 2021 by kevpeo

[TomScrut]

43 minutes ago, Johnson Street IEMD said:

i am a bit disappointed that Freightliner have three livery representations yet EWS / DB have none.

 

Likewise, but as is said above it might not be their fault.

 

I do think though (other than 48 being weathered) that if picking two FL 90s to do they are good choices. Both cover a wide range of time (48 was like that for over 20 years wasn't it?).

[TomScrut]

1 hour ago, Johnson Street IEMD said:

 

All are going to be available in DCC sound as well with a new chip for this group

 

It is interesting that they have changed the DCC chip and also changed the servo motor too, I will have to remember that if I duplicate the settings from my other 90!

[scottrains29]

Looking forward to the Virgin class 90. Perfect timing now the Oxford Rail loco hauled Virgin mk3s have just arrived. 

[VXDH92]

Great to see the new livery releases - the early to mid 2000's era wasn't really catered for in the first batch; now we've got Virgin and FL green.

 

The FL triple grey seems a slightly odd choice with certain specifics in the livery making it quite a short-run livery in real life. I think it only appeared like that from about 2018/2019, then got repainted into the new FL orange shortly after. Not 100% sure tho.

 

Will email Bachmann at some point and ask whether the new chip and old chip can be mix and matched with older / newer batch class 90s because I've got spare chips of the previous version that I was waiting to use in future releases.