Hornby cancel Titfield Thunderbolt

[Pmorgancym]

5 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

Extremely unlikely; it was a commission for Hattons.

And was a bit, better than decades old airfix model but not as good as it could be. 

[I.C.L. 11]

1 hour ago, Pmorgancym said:

So did Lion get beyond vapour ware...?

Not yet. It's 16 months to the day since Hornby's cat out the bag announcement when they clamed they were already working on it and yet there's been no evidence of development except a poor sketch. Cards close to chest due to the rival model probably but it doesn't help their case. Accompanying the initial announcement with even one photo of, say, them measuring the real Loco would have been proof of some prior leg work and a project that isn't just all talk.

 

Rapido, by contrast, have recently shown a running sample and were able to announce their models with the blessing of StudioCanal from the start which was proof or much prior work and dialogue on their part.

Edited July 8, 2022 by I.C.L. 11

[newbryford]

Was it wrong of me to get "Titgate" onto The Times/Sunday Times FB pages.....?

 

https://www.facebook.com/timesandsundaytimes/posts/5904605569568676?comment_id=548247216843535&reply_comment_id=2686888998122408&__cft__[0]=AZVOWpn4Qr95dFp4IEEGNJklshRWEmRADoIOksZ1SwzGa76Ou9d4PY52jfNlcU2hpogCfgXQ1cfSiO7YYiSvXugCu_SuB84MIdE2jjDdEI9b2mKzy49nqLTUUbjDmRTBLG0&__tn__=R]-R

 

🙃😆

Edited July 10, 2022 by newbryford

[deepfat]

On 07/07/2022 at 15:03, AY Mod said:

 

Which was why this topic was started. Keep up.

 

Andy I am not into Meta = when Zuckerberg gets privacy, I'll reconsider 

[wombatofludham]

13 hours ago, newbryford said:

Was it wrong of me to get "Titgate" onto The Times/Sunday Times FB pages.....?

 

https://www.facebook.com/timesandsundaytimes/posts/5904605569568676?comment_id=548247216843535&reply_comment_id=2686888998122408&__cft__[0]=AZVOWpn4Qr95dFp4IEEGNJklshRWEmRADoIOksZ1SwzGa76Ou9d4PY52jfNlcU2hpogCfgXQ1cfSiO7YYiSvXugCu_SuB84MIdE2jjDdEI9b2mKzy49nqLTUUbjDmRTBLG0&__tn__=R]-R

 

🙃😆

Judging by the reactions, no.

Well done, it's a shame the Times don't pick up on the retailer issue for a deeper look.

[JohnR]

4 hours ago, deepfat said:

Andy I am not into Meta = when Zuckerberg gets privacy, I'll reconsider 

 

The first post in this thread gave a link to the Hornby website and quoted in full the press release. No need to go to Facebook. 

[Porcy Mane]

3 hours ago, wombatofludham said:

Well done, it's a shame the Times don't pick up on the retailer issue for a deeper look.

 

Unfortunately, I think there's far too much other "stuff" going on at home & in the rest of the world for the broadsheets to give many column inches to the unsavory goings on at planet Hornby.

 

Hornby is maybe breathing a bit of a sigh of relief thinking that now is a good time to eat humble pie, as "it's a good day  (time) to bury bad news".

 

P

[adb968008]

5 hours ago, Porcy Mane said:

 

Unfortunately, I think there's far too much other "stuff" going on at home & in the rest of the world for the broadsheets to give many column inches to the unsavory goings on at planet Hornby.

 

Hornby is maybe breathing a bit of a sigh of relief thinking that now is a good time to eat humble pie, as "it's a good day  (time) to bury bad news".

 

P

it feels like 364 days of bad news and then the annual report right now.

I havent seen many pictures of anything newly released by Hornby on here (that wasnt being questionned) for quite some time..

 

What happened to those excited days of eagerly awaited New stuff with raving reviews ?.. you know what we see in other manufacturers threads..

 

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by adb968008

[The Stationmaster]

12 hours ago, adb968008 said:

it feels like 364 days of bad news and then the annual report right now.

I havent seen many pictures of anything newly released by Hornby on here (that wasnt being questionned) for quite some time..

 

What happened to those excited days of eagerly awaited New stuff with raving reviews ?.. you know what we see in other manufacturers threads..

 

 

Yet another symptom of thei big bang annual announcement policy I think.  Instead of a stream of news and 'surprises' through the year it all comes at once and then. because there is so much of it some of it drops to a very pedestrian pace.   Fortunately LCD seems to have seen the light with a hint of announcements other than big bang being extended to model railways.

 

'The Engine Shed' does give them a sort of outlet for updating news but it suffers, in some respects, from having to work to a fixed timetable so loses a bit of PR 'punch' and immediacy with 'the very latest news'.   And of course they don't supply some of the printed mags with review models any more (possibly because they had abad review or maybe they just don't like to do that sort of thing nowadays?).

[Phil Parker]

1 minute ago, The Stationmaster said:

Yet another symptom of thei big bang annual announcement policy I think.  Instead of a stream of news and 'surprises' through the year it all comes at once and then. because there is so much of it some of it drops to a very pedestrian pace.   Fortunately LCD seems to have seen the light with a hint of announcements other than big bang being extended to model railways.

 

I wonder how valuable the catalogue is as a product - we know people like it, so presumably it sells well and should be very profitable. Dribbling out announcements during the year would kill this golden goose.

[Roddy Angus]

4 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I wonder how valuable the catalogue is as a product - we know people like it, so presumably it sells well and should be very profitable. Dribbling out announcements during the year would kill this golden goose.

 

I think the Bachmann catalogue illustrates this point well, it is basically a list of products which are delayed or are poor sellers and therefore still available.

 

Regards

Roddy

 

[Legend]

Just now, Phil Parker said:

 

I wonder how valuable the catalogue is as a product - we know people like it, so presumably it sells well and should be very profitable. Dribbling out announcements during the year would kill this golden goose.

 

Not sure about that Phil .  Lets face it the catalogue usually only includes pictures of the real life locos that are being introduced .  i think the annual catalogue could be a chance to see EPs (they seem to be published in Hornby Mag) for stuff announced during the previous year . They could also have reliveries announced in Jan with other models introduced throughout year .  I am a Hornby Catalogue collector it would be sad to see  it go . But  to be honest it could do with a bit of sprucing up and made more exciting . They've tended all to be same format for last 15 years . A bit lazy I think .

[33C]

Yes, the catalogue format is so boring! The best ones were from 1973 to 1979. The covers of the 1976/77 issues are iconic. Come on Hornby, sell yourselves with excitement not a mailing list....

 

PS. Good art and artists are out there, traditional and contemporary, they can showcase the models and also their work, the 1981 catalogue was also a gem. The catalogue Rot started to set in around 1983/4, photo, blurb,photo,blurb,etc. If art is reintroduced then every catalogue would be of it's time and place and once again they would become a "must have" in themselves.  Who else charges ten quid for a "stock list"! Look to the train set lid illustrations of the 70's e.g. D.Ivory's "GWR Freight" set, a masterpiece....it can be done. Play with the set, frame the art! 🤓

Edited July 12, 2022 by 33C
Missing letter.

[adb968008]

its certainly a hangover from the old days
Last time they tried to drop the catalog there was outcry.

 

Its certainly important for some, and presumably an income generator otherwise why produce it.

 

I think they should just look at it from a finance perspective, does it contribute, if yes go on, if no look for alternatives.

 

Hornby is much more than just locos, if its in decline, then it maybe worth a reboot in content.

 

Just about every other manufacturers catalogs tend to drift out of date, but imo Hornbys pretty safe with an annual reboot, even if new stuff emerges over the year.

 

The other concern of course is the value of the catalog as a sales aid (its primary purpose)… turning to the track page and finding what track you need to build your layout…

 

have you ever tried searching for “track” as a search term on Hornby.com ?

 

 

you need to be an expert, or a retailer’s help.., but it can help to have a catalog to hand, to find the R number your looking for….

 

Of course if retailers are history, the catalog is history, track sales too might be history unless the website gets scrubbed up a-bit better than it is.

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by adb968008

[Dunsignalling]

1 hour ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I wonder how valuable the catalogue is as a product - we know people like it, so presumably it sells well and should be very profitable. Dribbling out announcements during the year would kill this golden goose.

I don't think the Hornby catalogue any longer functions as an information source on any level.

 

Much of it is a collection of computer generated images of products that haven't been made yet, and may well not arrive during the cover-year. Others may have been and gone by the time it is goes on sale. It therefore doesn't even constitute a future record of what was released during its currency.
 

All that said, quite a lot of people seem to like it enough to shell out a tenner or so for a copy. On the same basis, it doesn't cost me a penny, so who am I to complain?

 

I tend to agree with Mike (Stationmaster) though; it is something of a straitjacket from the viewpoint of Hornby participating effectively in what has become a more crowded and faster-moving marketplace than was the case when "everybody" did it their way. 

 

John

Edited July 12, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I wonder how valuable the catalogue is as a product - we know people like it, so presumably it sells well and should be very profitable. Dribbling out announcements during the year would kill this golden goose.

Not necessarily - in fact it might actually make the catalogue more meaningful as it could list what is actually available plus a 'hot news section' for some upcoming developments.  So no need to drop the catalogue but all they need to do is re-purpose it from a wish list to a real catalogue (plus a bit extra).

 

I suspect that it probably does make money because logically it wouldn't otherwise have survived but it has increasingly become something rather different from being 'a catalogue of what they will be selling this year' into - in some respects - a longer term forecast of what they think they are going to make (barring complaints from members if the legal trade).

 

As for 'won't work without the annual big bang announcement' maybe Bachmann could tell us what impact there has been on the sales of their catalogue since they shifted to quarterly announcements?

[Harlequin]

10 hours ago, adb968008 said:

its certainly a hangover from the old days
Last time they tried to drop the catalog there was outcry.

 

Its certainly important for some, and presumably an income generator otherwise why produce it.

 

I think they should just look at it from a finance perspective, does it contribute, if yes go on, if no look for alternatives.

 

Hornby is much more than just locos, if its in decline, then it maybe worth a reboot in content.

 

Just about every other manufacturers catalogs tend to drift out of date, but imo Hornbys pretty safe with an annual reboot, even if new stuff emerges over the year.

 

The other concern of course is the value of the catalog as a sales aid (its primary purpose)… turning to the track page and finding what track you need to build your layout…

 

have you ever tried searching for “track” as a search term on Hornby.com ?

 

 

you need to be an expert, or a retailer’s help.., but it can help to have a catalog to hand, to find the R number your looking for….

 

Of course if retailers are history, the catalog is history, track sales too might be history unless the website gets scrubbed up a-bit better than it is.

 

 

Good Grief!!!

 

No, not the rubbish search results - it's the revelation that Hornby are doing something for GWR modellers this year!

 

😉

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by Harlequin

[mdvle]

3 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

I wonder how valuable the catalogue is as a product - we know people like it, so presumably it sells well and should be very profitable. Dribbling out announcements during the year would kill this golden goose.

 

I don't know that changing the announcement pattern would change the value of the catalogue to most who buy it - you can already get the announcement information online faster than going and getting a printed catalogue anyway.

 

I suspect that the catalogue is more of a "wish/dream" book than anything else - something to look at as one ponders the possibilities of a potential layout.

 

But even if they move to multiple announcements a year they could always get creative and create a small "gossip" section in the catalogue with clever hints at what might get announced in the next 12 months.  Then give a week's advance notice that an announcement is coming and a lot of people would go back to their catalogue to ponder through those cryptic hints...   And then discuss it online, generating more interest for Hornby.  Repeat X times until the next edition gets released.

[Bucoops]

4 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I wonder how valuable the catalogue is as a product - we know people like it, so presumably it sells well and should be very profitable. Dribbling out announcements during the year would kill this golden goose.

 

Not to Hornby, but I suspect the catalogues that feature Titfield may increase in value?

[MyRule1]

Isn't the catalogue now outsourced to Key Publishing? For the last few years it has been available as a bundle with Hornby Magazine. At the moment it's in Key's Bookazine sale at £5.

[adb968008]

On the subject of publications, my edition of Hornby collectors club mag arrived today.

 

i have to say the quality of this has definitely risen over the last couple of editions… Theres quite a lot of more interesting content and articles on real railways interlinked and history of Hornby and modelling tips than it used to be in editions of the past… its quite a lot more content overall too.

of note was a sample of an LSWR c14 0-4-0 tooling sample an 0-4-0 that never made production… as well as an article on Scottish B12’s and Terriers… 56 pages this edition.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by adb968008

[JohnR]

22 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

On the subject of publications, my edition of Hornby collectors club mag arrived today.

 

i have to say the quality of this has definitely risen over the last couple of editions… Theres quite a lot of more interesting content and articles on real railways interlinked and history of Hornby and modelling tips than it used to be in editions of the past… its quite a lot more content overall too.

of note was a sample of an LSWR c14 0-4-0 tooling sample an 0-4-0 that never made production… as well as an article on Scottish B12’s and Terriers… 56 pages this edition.

 

 

 

 

 

I thought the C14 eventually became Nellie?

 

Its a pity the people who produce the Collectors Club mag dont link in with the sales folk. Wouldnt it be nice if they produced some Scottish B12s?

[Halvarras]

10 hours ago, Legend said:

But  to be honest it could do with a bit of sprucing up and made more exciting . They've tended all to be same format for last 15 years . A bit lazy I think .

 

I've never been a fan of the broadside views Hornby insists on showing in its catalogues and publicity material - it may make computer generated images easier to create but all too often seeing just the side leaves questions about the ends, e.g. yellow panel/headcode panel/marker light treatment on diesels, or planked/corrugated ends on goods vans, which aren't answered until the models go on sale.

 

I agree, a bit lazy - Bachmann does it better IMHO.

[adb968008]

1 hour ago, JohnR said:

 

I thought the C14 eventually became Nellie?

 

Its a pity the people who produce the Collectors Club mag dont link in with the sales folk. Wouldnt it be nice if they produced some Scottish B12s?

According to the article it was the other way around, or at least unclear.

 

But “Katy” is shorter, a different dome, proper cab front windows, rather than those long cut outs, refined footplate access and drivers side view, and better shaped bunker… But the chassis was still a triang-esque horror story. 

A well worth the read article, apparently planned for 1982.

 

GWR 101 wasnt much older, and smokey joe appeared in 1983 and tbh looks a lot better / less primitive, which might be why they dumped it.

Edited July 12, 2022 by adb968008

[Dunsignalling]

10 hours ago, Halvarras said:

 

I've never been a fan of the broadside views Hornby insists on showing in its catalogues and publicity material - it may make computer generated images easier to create but all too often seeing just the side leaves questions about the ends, e.g. yellow panel/headcode panel/marker light treatment on diesels, or planked/corrugated ends on goods vans, which aren't answered until the models go on sale.

 

I agree, a bit lazy - Bachmann does it better IMHO.

Even lazier than you think. Where the image is of an item that has been produced previously, they just photoshop a new name and/or number (as applicable) on an image of the old one.

 

The dead giveaway is that such pics often display the previous type of tender coupling, which Hornby stopped using several years ago....

 

John