The rise of Accurascale and others

[TravisM]

I find myself slowly moving more and more towards the likes of Accurascale, Cavalex, Rapido, Realtrack and Revolution because their products are simply stunning and in my humble opinion, well worth the money.  I'm also aware that they are also producing some items which maybe considered by some, a "niche" market.

 

I'm not having a go at the other big four as some of their products are in the same bracket as the above five (Bachmann's Blue Pullman comes to mind), and I'm absolutely sure I'll buy from the likes of Bachmann and Hornby, but maybe not in the same quantity as I used to.  Also, with possible lead times of up to 18 to 24 months from announcement, it gives us modellers plenty of time to save and spare the credit card from overload.

 

There will always be a market for the likes of Bachmann and Hornby etc, especially Hornby's Railroad models which are mainly old Lima mouldings with new mechanisms in, but ideal for youngsters who want to get into the hobby or those on a fixed budget, but I was just wondering if anyone else was finding themselves moving more towards them rather than the big four?

[Wheatley]

The traditional modelling trade-off is Time -v- Money -v- Satisfaction. At the RTR-based* end of the hobby there is also Availability. Essentially, if you want one, and only X makes it, then you buy it from X or go without. If others also make it then the Money -v- Satisfaction trade-off comes into play, and you weigh up whether you buy the best you can afford or a cheaper one you are prepared to accept.

 

Where exactly that balance sits may depend on the item, I'm happy to pay Hornby and Bachmann for awkwardly shaped wagons like Presflos and horseboxes because they're a bit of a faff to kit or scratchbuild and I don't need many, but I still use the Dapol nee Airfix 2 bob kit for my mineral wagons because I can batch build them 10 at a time quite easily. Same with most 4 wheeled steam era vans and opens, I have maybe two 12t vans and opens from the RTR boys and upwards of 100 from Parkside and Cambrian because RTR can't supply the variety required.   

 

If I was looking for KUAs then there's really no point looking anywhere other than Accurascale. No-one else makes one (afaik ?) and they look like complete nightmare to scratchbuild. MDOs less so, it's an open box with a few twiddly bits so Parkside, the RTR option doesn't even get a look in. HAAs though, I'm not sure. Accurascale works out at about £25 each, Cavalex at about £30 each, and you need 30 of them at least so are the Cavalex ones worth the extra £150? But then if I only want them to trundle past in the background maybe a carrier bag full of Railroad ones from a swapmeet and some tarting up on the bench might be more attractive ?  

 

*That's not an attempt at elitism, I'm very happy to use the RTR offering if it's right for what I'm looking for. If I'm going to take a razor saw to it I might look at the Bachman version rather than the SLW one. 

[wombatofludham]

If a company makes what I want, to the best possible standards, with the best possible detail at a decent price, I'll buy it.  Sadly, Hornby don't tend to fall into that bracket, being obsessed with things that boil water, of the "biggies" Heljan and Bachmann do more non-steam, and I have pre-orders with Cavalex, Accurascale and Revolution.  I've also bought Charlie's 156 and Rapido's APT-E (my only "Rule 1" purchase ever) so if any of the aforementioned want to announce the Class 310 emu, I'll happily hand you the access codes to my savings account.

It is good though to see newcomers entering the market in the face of the received wisdom that the UK model market is too small and too price sensitive.

[MarkSG]

One of the benefits of modern design and production techniques is that it's possible to make a profit on a relatively small manufacturing run, particularly if you can offer a product that justifies a premium price. That creates an opening for the niche manufacturers, because they can position themselves in precisely the corner of the market where enthusiasts are prepared to pay for highly detailed models that aren't going to sell by the bucketload.

 

Overall, I think that's good for the hobby, although I have to confess that the only one of the manufacturers mentioned above that I've bought anything from is Rapido - and then only because the NRM and then Model Rail chose them as a manufacturing partner for a product that I found attractive. It will be interesting to see how well Rapido do with the products that they produce entirely off their own bat, that don't have the benefit of a widely-read magazine or a well-known organisation helping with the promotion. But then, I am a kettle fan, and that segment is pretty well served by the big four.

 

What is interesting, I think, is to compare and contrast the approach taken by different newcomers to the industry. Oxford Rail's products are incredibly good value for money, but at times you can tell that they're built down to a price rather than priced up to a spec. But they're also leveraging the brand awareness (and existing distribution channels) of Oxford Diecast to get their products into the general toy and hobby market - I've seen Oxford Rail products in a toy shop in my town, but there's no chance they're ever going to be stocking the likes of Rapido or Accurascale. Oxford's approach seems to be to crack the mass market, alongside Hornby and, to a lesser extent, Bachmann and Dapol, and for that they need to be competitive on price as well as have good contacts with the retail distribution trade. The premium brands, on the other hand, seem content to let their reputation do their marketing, and charge what they need to in order to keep that reputation intact.

 

I think there's space in the hobby for both approaches, and to some extent we need them both - the lower cost brands are clearly fulfilling a need for an entry level product (and a base for customisation and modding), but the premium brands are meeting a genuine demand for models that otherwise wouldn't get made at all. I'm pleased to see both ends of the scale apparently succeeding.