New Partwork "Mill Town"

[Hroth]

If they can produce wagons that cheap. Or coaches like the previous series. Or even static locos like the Great British locomotives series. Would they not be better doing a run of magazines with just rolling stock? If they did say a 12t van at £4.99 most of us would buy several copies. Or a mk1 TSO for 8.99

The thing is, they can't.  The first issue is an eye-catching loss leader,  its actual cost is amortised over the subsequent run.  With 120 issues to fill, some will be rather light on parts, say half a building at a time, some track only or a Dapol kit. This means that the value of the content for some issues will be far less than the regular cover price.

[cypherman]

Hi all,

Hroth I agree and disagree at the same time with you, Yes the first issue and some times the 2nd issue are loss leaders. But I really wonder just how much the wagons do cost to produce. Remember that they do not have shops to pay for(as I mean the end retailer not the maker). They use very limited advertising. And above all else the models tend to be far simpler than the well detailed models we have come to expect from the likes of Bachmann. So I do believe they could make a profit with a £5.99-£6.99 price tag. As to whether a enough modellers would want to but a slightly less detail product is another question. But Hornby seem to be doing well out of their Railroad models, So I cannot see why they may not. The problem would come to when they may make a more complecated wagon such as a bogie bolster which needs seperate bogies and double the number of wheels. This would obviously cost more to produce. So you may end up with the situation of a variable price rate for the magazine. This is not I think something a company like Hachette would consider as the possibility of producing a wagon that was both more expensive and possibly not as popular may cost them money. I mean I personally would buy 20-30 box vans or minieral wagons at the right price, But say only 3-4 well wagons and certainly no modern wagons. The sales would be too unpredictable for them.They could end up with thousands of unsold models of unpopular wagons with little or no chance of selling them off at a profit or even breakeven price.Coaches on the other hand may be possible as they nearly all tend to be of a similar wheel configuration. They could sell the standard coaches for slightly more to off set the cost of the more exotic ones. But the cost would probably not be too much more.So still making them a good buy compared to the prices of Bachmann and Hornby.

On another note some one mentioned that Hachette were selling off the left over stock from the 'My model railway village'. Can they tell where they found this info.

Edited February 5, 2017 by cypherman

[modelpara]

On another note some one mentioned that Hachette were selling off the left over stock from the 'My model railway village'. Can they tell where they found this info.

On here

 

http://www.modelrailwayvillage.com

[cypherman]

Hi Modelpara,

Thanks for the link, But it is just to their mainwebsite, Where did you find the section that said they were having a sale.

[modelpara]

https://www.hachettepartworks.com/your-model-railway-village

Hi Modelpara,

Thanks for the link, But it is just to their mainwebsite, Where did you find the section that said they were having a sale.

Apologies, thought it was on that one but actually it's here

[Keith George]

Could not find any in Bristol today.

 

Keith.

[Keith George]

I just spotted a copy in my local Smiffs today so I had to buy one. The manager told me that they might not carry them for very long. I must say that the mill looked quite impressive.

 

Is it a secret where your local  "SMIFFS" are..

[Steamport Southport]

Cheap poor quality wagons?

 

Isn't that what Dapol are for?

 

 

 

 

Jason

[kernowtim]

Cheap poor quality wagons?

 

Isn't that what Dapol are for?

 

 

 

 

Jason

Dapol wagons are not cheap!!!

Had another look in WHS Camborne and a couple of local Tesco ,no joy..

[PhilJ W]

Is it a secret where your local  "SMIFFS" are..

Basildon, other newsagents in the area seem to have a good stock as well.

[rue_d_etropal]

Hi all,

Hroth I agree and diasagree at the same time with you, Yes the first issue and some times the 2nd issue are loss leaders. But I really wonder just how much the wagons do cost to produce. Remember that they do not have shops to pay for(as I mean the end retailer not the maker). They use very limited advertising. And above all else the models tend to be far simpler than the well detailed models we have come to expect from the likes of Bachmann. So I do believe they could make a profit with a £5.99-£6.99 price tag. As to whether a enough modellers would want to but a slightly less detail product is another question. But Hornby seem to be doing well out of their Railroad models, So I cannot see why they may not. The problem would come to when they may make a more complecated wagon such as a bogie bolster which needs seperate bogies and double the number of wheels. This would obviously cost more to produce. So you may end up with the situation of a variable price rate for the magazine. This is not I think something a company like Hachette would consider as the possibility of producing a wagon that was both more expensive and possibly not as popular may cost them money. I mean I personally would buy 20-30 box vans or minieral wagons at the right price, But say only 3-4 well wagons and certainly no modern wagons. The sales would be too unpredictable for them.They could end up with thousands of unsold models of unpopular wagons with little or no chance of selling them off at a profit or even breakeven price.Coaches on the other hand may be possible as they nearly all tend to be of a similar wheel configuration. They could sell the standard coaches for slightly more to off set the cost of the more exotic ones. But the cost would probably not be too much more.So still making them a good buy compared to the prices of Bachmann and Hornby.

On another note some one mentioned that Hachette were selling off the left over stock from the 'My model railway village'. Can they tell where they found this info.

on that last point, I saw it on their website where you could buy back issues. https://www.hachettepartworks.com/your-model-railway-village

just had another look. I am sure they were at half price last week. Maybe there has been a surge of interest, so price has gone back up.

Edited February 5, 2017 by rue_d_etropal

[griffgriff]

Who'd have thought this topic would start imitating an MRJ thread

[Londontram]

Seriously guys the last few pages have started to turn a bit heated everyone needs to take a step back and cool off before this thread gets blocked by a moderator before the magazine even becomes generally issued

[SDJR7F88]

Thanks for the heads up! Will be keeping an eye out for one. Still no joy as of yet. Seems they've not made it to the South West yet, check my local and Bristol last night with no joy, but will keep trying 

[Hroth]

Who'd have thought this topic would start imitating an MRJ thread

Oh come ON!

 

This is nowhere near the insanity of a MRJ thread (and I speak as one who inadvertently initiated one of the longest and inconsequential in living memory....)

 

There's nothing about sausages, 1950s British films associated with a specific WHS location, Mrs Trellis, Mornington Crescent, complaints about issue publication dates or any other of the multifarious concerns of an MRJ thread!

 

This thread (SO FAR) has been concerned with the existence of the partwork, a desire to get a number of cheap LMS brake vans, the suitability of the subject for beginners, the quality of the components, a discussion on the locomotive "offer" and where the work is currently being trialled.  All perfectly sensible topics

 

Naw read on't........

 

(Edits for emphasis and clarification)

Edited February 5, 2017 by Hroth

[eddie3]

I got issue 1 in Asda Motherwell, they still have about 2 left.

[cypherman]

Hi all,

Still not abailable in N Wales yet.

[Hroth]

For a "Lancashire Milltown" issue, the trial areas (the South and Scotland) seem a bit wayward......

[rue_d_etropal]

it is odd that Scotland and Essex are trial areas, but maybe that makes sence from a marketing perspective, as Essex is very different to the subject, and Scotland does share some similarities. As I have subscribed I would hope to get some type of email when first part is actually properly released, but am not completely convinced I will, so I am checking local shops every week.

[Guest]

As I have subscribed I would hope to get some type of email when first part is actually properly released, but am not completely convinced I will, so I am checking local shops every week.

 

FWIW I subscribed to the test of the Mallard partwork in Feb '14. The actual release was in August that year.

[griffgriff]

Oh come ON!

 

This is nowhere near the insanity of a MRJ thread (and I speak as one who inadvertently initiated one of the longest and inconsequential in living memory....)

 

There's nothing about sausages, 1950s British films associated with a specific WHS location, Mrs Trellis, Mornington Crescent, complaints about issue publication dates or any other of the multifarious concerns of an MRJ thread!

 

This thread (SO FAR) has been concerned with the existence of the partwork, a desire to get a number of cheap LMS brake vans, the suitability of the subject for beginners, the quality of the components, a discussion on the locomotive "offer" and where the work is currently being trialled.  All perfectly sensible topics

 

Naw read on't........

 

(Edits for emphasis and clarification)

It was the WHS locations that inspired me... BTW you forgot to mention 'finescale standards' in your list

[PeckettChap]

As others have commented, although the layout design of this partwork is perhaps a better physical shape than the 'Your Model Village' one, it would still be too large a size in many a modern house.

So, I was wondering what other RMWeb viewers would think to a partwork whose aims were:-

 

a.) an end objective of an end-to-end layout (say, a terminus to fiddleyard, with a board depth of around 45cm, so it would fit on many standalone shelving units), and;

 

b.) where the included parts were to make the actual layout baseboard (say from laser-cut plywood, with tab and slot construction, with each set of parts making up into an open-box 'slice' of the end layout. The open-box style would allow a layout to have embankments, cuttings, and perhaps a ferry/dock scene at the terminus);

 

I am prompted to make this suggestion, as many would-be modellers (- probably including myself ! -) are possibly less aware of how to go about building a layout board, than they are in where to get track, rolling stock and locos.

So, to my mind, a partwork that provided the 'groundworks' for a model railway, along with suitable notes and references on selecting track, scenics, etc., might appeal to a different sector of the market than the 'Mill Town' or 'YMV' ones, and may result in an increase in the numbers of modellers actually running trains !

 

I have a few other ideas related to the above, but do not wish to bore everyone, so just to add that whilst I do not have any funding to get such a venture launched, I would be quite happy to work with others on the concept.

[steve1]

Whilst I see what you are driving at with point b, i can't see many newsagents stocking a mag with 6ft lengths of timber fixed to them. The alternative would be lots of small sections and that wouldn't make for very sold structure

 

steve

[griffgriff]

Serious head on.

 

I suppose a cutting list could be included for the builder to take to a DIY store.

 

Griff

[Steamport Southport]

Baseboard construction is probably the main thing that puts many people off having a permanent layout. That and electrics.

 

 

 

Jason