Hornby Warley Announcements?

[No Decorum]

I know what he does!!  I won't spoil the surprise for you....

So do I and he does it very well.

[steve1023]

Seems we have a few people on here that don't recognise irony.

[NXEA!]

Me personally, I can understand why there may be a little bemusement that there was no big launch at Warley and that it was a bit of a damp squib, but there's no use fretting. Lets face it, when they announce the range on the 8th January with a few big ticket items which we know will be stunners, we'll all be frothing (me included!) and forget about all of this! 

[gc4946]

I thought Hornby would announce a model version of Bluebell's preserved H, having brought that loco up specially for Warley.

 

I asked one of their guys and he refused to be drawn on a possible release.

However, he confirmed that Hornby will announce its new range on 8th January.

 

[Ian Hargrave]

Seems we have a few people on here that don't recognise irony.

Recognise what exactly....?

[PenrithBeacon]

I know what he does!! I won't spoil the surprise for you....

Thank you John!

 

Regards

[PenrithBeacon]

 

Ok but who are you and what do you do professionally?

I’ve taken a look at your profile and you seem to be anonymous.

Regards

Now I understand to a degree. Seems to be a blast from the past. I didn’t buy the magazine then and now it’s defunct. So why is CJL is such bad odour with RTR manufacturers now and why does he want to boast about it?

 

Regards

Edited November 27, 2017 by PenrithBeacon

[MikeParkin65]

 

I think that magazine ravings are best taken with a pinch of salt. Essentially the reviews are a piece of product placement and it is in the interest of a magazine editor and owner to offer the best of reviews. I gather that BRM went against the grain recently with its review of the DJM/Kernow GWR saddle tank but that's very much an exception.

 

 BRM give a pretty honest and not complimentary review of their example of Hornby's Duchess in the January issue purchased at the show. Makes for an interesting read. 

[dibber25]

Now I understand to a degree. Seems to be a blast from the past. I didn’t buy the magazine then and now it’s defunct. So why is CJL is such bad odour with RTR manufacturers now and why does he want to boast about it?

 

Regards

 

One man's blast from the past is another's experienced reviewer who didn't like responsible magazine reviews described as 'ravings'. (Chris Leigh, Launch Editor, Model Rail. Currently Consultant Editor, Transport, Bauer Media)

[Andy Y]

BRM give a pretty honest and not complimentary review of their example of Hornby's Duchess in the January issue purchased at the show. Makes for an interesting read.

 

I am very complimentary of many aspects of the model though. The digital version out at the end of the week should also have a short video review illustrating the areas of concern.

[MikeParkin65]

I am very complimentary of many aspects of the model though. The digital version out at the end of the week should also have a short video review illustrating the areas of concern.

Your example was very similar to my first one which I had to return to the dealer. Second version much better. I thought your review was very even handed - you described what you saw and found, good and bad.

[GNR Dave]

I wonder if Hornby's marketing department / management team consider the 2017 Warley Stand a worthwhile investment. They had a lot of floor space, and hauled a (beautifully restored) tank engine half way across the country, yet from what I saw on the Saturday, the reaction from visitors was fairly unenthusiastic.

I remember the dismay expressed on this forum a few years back when Hornby said they would no longer be attending model railway exhibitions. They thankfully reversed that decision, but did they really achieve anything with their participation last weekend ?

 

Just my opinion... 

[Legend]

Well it gets their name in front of the buying public. They are also able to demonstrate items that are still to come , like the IEP and Class 87 . It seems that at least Paul from the development team was there to talk to the punters. So good PR . Hopefully he got something out of the discussions too. Not sure what or if they paid for floorspace or sponsorship so I can’t say for sure it’s worth it , but I think it’s important to have a presence. More importantly had they not been there or pulled out at last minute it would have led to much speculation.

 

However as many others and myself have commented it was a bit of a missed opportunity. It may have been arrangements were made in advance and were changed at last minute

[Willie Whizz]

I wonder if Hornby's marketing department / management team consider the 2017 Warley Stand a worthwhile investment. They had a lot of floor space, and hauled a (beautifully restored) tank engine half way across the country, yet from what I saw on the Saturday, the reaction from visitors was fairly unenthusiastic.

...

 

And even a superb model of it in their display cabinet ... along with a sweet dinky little label saying "Sold Out".  Small wonder with this and everything else that's been commented on that there wasn't much enthusiasm in evidence.

 

We cannot, of course, know what has been happening behind closed doors in the last few weeks, and nobody should be shooting poor foot-soldiers doing as they're told; but someone fairly senior somewhere in there should be feeling in no doubt they've let the Company down in front of a very large number of its customers.

[jjb1970]

I wonder if Hornby's marketing department / management team consider the 2017 Warley Stand a worthwhile investment. They had a lot of floor space, and hauled a (beautifully restored) tank engine half way across the country, yet from what I saw on the Saturday, the reaction from visitors was fairly unenthusiastic.

I remember the dismay expressed on this forum a few years back when Hornby said they would no longer be attending model railway exhibitions. They thankfully reversed that decision, but did they really achieve anything with their participation last weekend ?

 

Just my opinion... 

 

I think Hornby maybe ended up in the worst of all positions, they invested in attending the show, made a big statement by dragging a full size kettle to the show and warmed people up and told us to expect a launch of their club, then seemingly at the last minute spiked their plans and ended up disappointing people and basically offering little to anybody. So they blew their investment, left people disappointed and may have been better off just not going in some ways.

[jjb1970]

I think people are getting crowdfunding mixed up with pre orders/deposits.

 

Rapido and Kernow haven't as far as I know done any crowdfunding.

 

 

Crowdfunding is where you give someone money and they usually give you something in return, usually of different values according to how much you have given. If the project fails then you don't get your money back. It's the method that some bands use to pay for recording albums, the more you give then the better version of the album you get.

 

 

 

Jason

 

That is a fair point, however for Rapido it depends on how to consider Rapido's UK releases. As far as I know none of Rapido's UK releases have been done for their own program, all have been done via UK partners. And at least one of those partners does do crowd funding.

However, it is true that I think some of my posts at least do conflate crowd funding with commissioned models. I think it is because the two concepts share some things in common with pre-ordering up front for some commissions, up front deposits in some cases, manufacture to order, de-risking etc.

[Bernard Lamb]

I wonder if Hornby's marketing department / management team consider the 2017 Warley Stand a worthwhile investment. They had a lot of floor space, and hauled a (beautifully restored) tank engine half way across the country, yet from what I saw on the Saturday, the reaction from visitors was fairly unenthusiastic.

I remember the dismay expressed on this forum a few years back when Hornby said they would no longer be attending model railway exhibitions. They thankfully reversed that decision, but did they really achieve anything with their participation last weekend ?

 

Just my opinion... 

So would it be better spending a few bob on giving out review samples to the model press?

Bernard

[Clearwater]

I’m not sure I share the view that kernow doesn’t crowd fund. If memory serves, they’ve expressly asked people to pay in full to help with their cash flow, avoid bank borrowing and to get the models to market. I agree it’s not classic crowdfunding of “Ive got an idea, who’s in” but nonetheless it is asking buyers to take some risk albeit those buyers have got a discount both in absolute terms relative to people who wait and order and I’m the form of loyalty points. Whilst they’ve not called it “crowd funding” and have pitched the risk to purchasers at a different level (ie when the model is pretty much done), it shares many of the attributes of crowd funding.

 

David

[adb968008]

I think Hornby maybe ended up in the worst of all positions, they invested in attending the show, made a big statement by dragging a full size kettle to the show and warmed people up and told us to expect a launch of their club, then seemingly at the last minute spiked their plans and ended up disappointing people and basically offering little to anybody. So they blew their investment, left people disappointed and may have been better off just not going in some ways.

No..

They sold me an 8f...

After I saw 48045 on Saturday I 180’d my opinion on where it was going.. I think they’ve done a goodun there, so I ordered one Saturday night.

 

Also 35014, the 800, next H’s and yet to be released 87’s were on show.

It was also a good showcase for what is out on the shelves.

 

Without doubt the H upstaged the 1450, and everyone who got up close to it, got up close to the Hornby stand.

Bachmann may have stole the light here, due to the volume of new stuff on display but Hornby and the H stood out larger than life in the Hall there.

 

If Hornbys stand was about awareness they certainly succeeded, the stand was never empty. When I went past. Sure it could have been more, but it wasn’t a waste, if Hornby stayed at home and the H in the shed.. there certainly would have been a hole in Warley.

Edited November 28, 2017 by adb968008

[The Stationmaster]

I wonder if Hornby's marketing department / management team consider the 2017 Warley Stand a worthwhile investment. They had a lot of floor space, and hauled a (beautifully restored) tank engine half way across the country, yet from what I saw on the Saturday, the reaction from visitors was fairly unenthusiastic.

I remember the dismay expressed on this forum a few years back when Hornby said they would no longer be attending model railway exhibitions. They thankfully reversed that decision, but did they really achieve anything with their participation last weekend ?

 

Just my opinion... 

 

Be careful what you wish for . (And as far as getting best value of the Warley floor space I don't think they did, but i think they would have if they'd approached it in the same manner as they did last year, but they'd decided to drop that way of doing things.)

[The Stationmaster]

I’m not sure I share the view that kernow doesn’t crowd fund. If memory serves, they’ve expressly asked people to pay in full to help with their cash flow, avoid bank borrowing and to get the models to market. I agree it’s not classic crowdfunding of “Ive got an idea, who’s in” but nonetheless it is asking buyers to take some risk albeit those buyers have got a discount both in absolute terms relative to people who wait and order and I’m the form of loyalty points. Whilst they’ve not called it “crowd funding” and have pitched the risk to purchasers at a different level (ie when the model is pretty much done), it shares many of the attributes of crowd funding.

 

David

Not quite - what they have done with certain models which are coming up over the horizon and getting reasonably close to release is ask for full pre-payment at the original price at time of ordering.  Such pre-payment has not been compulsory (definitely not compulsory for some models) but if you don't do it you'll pay more than the original pre-order price.  An effective way of dealing with unbudgetted price rises at the factory gate rather than crowd funding I think, and also a way of checking commitment from customers.  Don't overlook the fact that there can be a 'drop out' factor on pre-orders especially if they extend back over some years so it's helpful to know that the commitment is still there (or the customer hasn't gone to that great model railway in the sky)

[rovex]

So if the Hornby announcement isn't being made until early January (which at least means I don't have to spend Christmas being disappointed that H haven't announced any toplights or GWR non-corridor coaching stock), when does the frothing season start?

[stewartingram]

It never stops.

 

Stewart

[Paul.Uni]

So if the Hornby announcement isn't being made until early January (which at least means I don't have to spend Christmas being disappointed that H haven't announced any toplights or GWR non-corridor coaching stock), when does the frothing season start?

No more than a month before seems like a reasonable amount of time. Maybe a combined Bachmann/Hornby thread as the announcement dates are one after the other.

[4630]

... when does the frothing season start?

 

 

It never stops.

 

Stewart

 

If necessary, breakout the froth protection gear.