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Hornby announce TT:120

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009 micro modeller

009 micro modeller

Posted
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8 hours ago, SteamingWales said:

Everyone talking about the target market yet no one has managed to full define it yet?

 

So far all I have seen is:

  • Internet
  • Youngsters
  • Trainsets

Do I fall into this bracket being a 25 yo?


Based on age that would (if correct) put me in the target market as well - unless they’re thinking younger than that, or with more of a slant towards people who don’t already have other model railway stuff. I think I could be interested, as being mainly an 009 modeller I’ve always found that standard gauge 00 takes up an enormous space by comparison, even for relatively small and simple track plans. Unfortunately I can’t commit to TT now, as for the time being my modelling time and cash is taken up by my latest 009 project, which potentially is going to be slightly more complicated and long term than stuff I’ve done in the past. But if I do want to do a bit of standard gauge in the future TT is now a practical option. Is it too soon to flippantly wonder whether, having both 12mm gauge and 4mm scale ranges, Hornby might like to at some point combine them and give us RTR 00n3? 🙂 (More seriously though, the increased availability of 12mm gauge equipment might make it easier for people kitbuilding or scratchbuilding in 00n3.)

 

The question of ‘why didn’t they do it in 3mm scale?’ seems to have come up again, despite that particular debate already being done to death in the other British 1:120 threads.

 

I agree with others who have already posted that the online-only selling model is probably fine, as lots of products (including lots of model railway products) are now bought online anyway, and many people don’t have a local model shop or don’t know where it is. I am lucky to have a physical model shop within fairly easy reach and generally prefer to use them, but their opening hours are not always convenient for me which has sometimes prompted me to go online instead. There’s also a few slightly more specialist 009 bits and pieces that I can’t get from the shop, although they do stock the Peco RTR 009 wagons etc. and a tiny selection of Dundas kits (which I suppose does suggest that there might be some similar level of interest from retailers in stocking Hornby and/or Peco TT, if they were given the opportunity).

 

My main concern is that, for a lot of model railway beginners, one of the most difficult things when getting into the hobby seems to be understanding the differences between the different scales and the relationship between gauge and scale. This is one issue that probably would be helped by buying in person, as it gives the ability to inspect 00, TT, N gauge etc. side by side, so that the size difference becomes obvious. With Hornby now producing similar models in similar packaging, but to two different scales, I wonder if issues will arise with people buying a mixture of the two, without realising that they aren’t compatible. I realise that they will probably be quite clearly labelled as either ‘TT 1:120’ or ‘00’, but perhaps not all newcomers will understand the significance of this, especially if they’ve been brought into Hornby and model railways by the specific TT marketing and aren’t particularly aware of the Hornby 00 range.

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Dava

Dava

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I am interested in a short freight line project, initially with the 08 (repainted in green) & BR goods wagons, later the J94 & smaller locos. It could be a shelf layout, based on zJames Hilton’s book.

I used to model in TT and sold the last of it in 2017. Normally I do 7mm scale.

The running & shunting qualities of the stock will be important.

 

Dava

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melmerby

melmerby

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Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, JohnR said:

 

Hornby registered the Tri-Ang name in 2019. As far as I can tell from the registry, Oxford have never had it (indeed, why should they?)

https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/collections/triang

 

The original "Triang Minic" Ships finished in 1964 but the  brand was resurrected in 2003

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ProjectRedcar

ProjectRedcar

Posted
Posted (edited)

Just throwing my hat into the ring...and pretty sure others have made this point already

 

First, I won't be switching to TT:120 unless I can find a good reason to. At this point, I have OO gauge stuff and for me, the other gauges don't fit into my 'goldilocks zone'. I think N gauge, whilst very cool (I mean, tiny trains that actually run and have lights? Amazing!), is too small for me. O gauge is too big and way too pricey for me. All the power to N and O gauge people. And TT people, also.

 

But the likelihood of this sinking Hornby...I doubt it.

 

I don't have a super high opinion of Hornby to begin with, but I don't wish this venture to fail. That's just mean-spirited and Hornby are capable of making great products, charging fair prices, remaining competitive and making good decisions, like all companies are. With proper management, anything is possible.

 

Whether this was a good decision remains to be seen. If hardly anyone buys into it and Hornby invested a lot in it...then it's safe to say it wasn't. But if there's decent interest and it sells, then it's a decent idea. I don't expect it to take the scene by storm, as it were, but it got people talking, at least?

 

If I was being half-selfish, half-objective...I'd say the money, time, thinking and effort they put into this would've been better spent on improving on what they already make.

Tapping into a different market is a risk and like it's probably been said many times before here...but N gauge would probably have been a safer bet.

Edited by ProjectRedcar
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luke_stevens

luke_stevens

Posted
Posted (edited)
34 minutes ago, melmerby said:

https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/collections/triang

 

The original "Triang Minic" Ships finished in 1964 but the  brand was resurrected in 2003

 

It briefly resurfaced in the late 70's / early 80's. I had a couple of sets: Passenger Liner and Warships, both came with several bits of docks. The passenger had a terminal building and cranes where as the military had oil tanks. They all wore out and fell to pieces, but I do remember that The did a steam loco and single coach casting which was damned tiny!

 

Luke

 

PS found this link to one of the sets I had. - I always knew them as Minis Ships, and the box cover says "by Hornby" but no sign on "TriAng" anywhere...

 

https://www.dbcollectables.com/corgi-juniors-3081-superman-gift-set-all-mint-in-original-box

 

PPS A short history 

 

https://cncollectables.co.uk/2021/05/a-brief-history-of-triang-minic-ships/

Edited by luke_stevens
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Johan DC

Johan DC

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The wikipedia-page on TT is up to date I see, so there's no way back now! 😀

If it was around  five years ago, I think I would have gone with TT. I have a dozen pacifics that almost never go out for a spin because of lack of a decent lay out, or space to build a permanent one. TT would fit.

I think this will work. It's not a solo adventure, they have the expertise in house (Arnold) , and if Hornby keeps the QC at '9F'-levels, they have a fair chance at succes. 

They also work together with some very popular (and skilled!) social media content creators, quite interresting to see it develop. 

 

And since I became godfather of a nice young lady last weekend, I might get a starter set after all! (for her, of course, they can't be introduced young enough! I will take the task upon me to take care of it for the first ten years or so 😋) 

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47606odin

47606odin

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

Having modelled OO for years it always bugged me having HO track, which never looked right on a layout, even code 75. And I wasn’t going to convert everything, although earlier this year I did consider moving to EM to revisit OO. Based on that a few years ago I switched to O and have thoroughly enjoyed it, but lack of space means my layout has been limited to a depot layout and not able to watch trains running around, so I bought a Z gauge starter set and what a brilliant thing it is, albeit rather small and easy to knock off the track. This resulted in me buying more Z and have a nice collection, and have the basics for building a continuous layout to watch trains going round. I’ve done N in the past, but don’t want to go there again.

 

had TT been about when I bought my Z, I probably would have gone in that direction, and would now not be buying German O gauge which I can get to run on peco set track on the floor because of the couplings used.

 

I am tempted with the TT stuff, and has definitely put the nail in the coffin of me ever going back to OO. So I shall watch how it goes, and I hope it does well for Hornby as it doesn’t need all the super fine detail the larger scales need and will hopefully make it more robust 

Edited by 47606odin
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47606odin

47606odin

Posted
Posted (edited)

Update, nearly bought a set, but they don’t have a diesel starter set, so now I’ll have to wait. I think they should of had a couple of those as well as the steam. Class 50 with 3 coached, or class 08 with half a dozen wagons. 
 

will have to see what pops up

 

although I’m intrigued by the “mainline express electric” trainset

Edited by 47606odin
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BachelorBoy

BachelorBoy

Posted
Posted

I am reminded of CDs. People abandoned their record collections and then bought all the same music again on CD. Great for labels.

 

It's not a perfect analogy, I know.

 

But I wonder if Hornby is counting on people abandoning OO, which is probably a saturated market,  and then spend loads of money buying exactly the same rolling stock again but in TT120.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Delta_Who

Delta_Who

Posted
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34 minutes ago, BachelorBoy said:

I am reminded of CDs. People abandoned their record collections and then bought all the same music again on CD. Great for labels.

 

It's not a perfect analogy, I know.

 

But I wonder if Hornby is counting on people abandoning OO, which is probably a saturated market,  and then spend loads of money buying exactly the same rolling stock again but in TT120.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Think it's more of expanding the pie, rather than changing flavors. They still have a relatively large portfolio in OO... I'm not entirely sure where people (not you specifically) would sanely get the idea that Hornby would ditch it.

Then again, perhaps this is some 4D chess move. After failing to win a OO gauge locomotive award again, Hornby have decided upon market dominance in TT, forcing Hornby Magazine, Model Rail and BRM to invent new categories...

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frobisher

frobisher

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, OOgaugeJaf said:

I hope this does not sink Hornby. Probably would have been better off entering the N gauge market. 
 

I cannot see many folk making a complete move from their current preferences of say N, OO or O when they have amassed decent diverse collections. Possibly more a little side project. 
 

I think there is so much untapped potential models highlighted in the wish lists that Hornby could have tackled. 
 

 

Hornby missed the N boat about 15 years ago which is when they should have launched a range like this.  Now, every item would be a duplicate pretty much, so they would need to nail every single one as "best in class" in compete and come a distant second to Farish and Dapol in market share.

 

Hornby get to own TT:120 if this works, and they can leverage their research in 00 to cherry pick the models that will sell by the bucket load (relatively speaking, new market after all).

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britishcolumbian

britishcolumbian

Posted
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12 hours ago, Cherry Tree Junction said:

 

It's not that odd a decision when you realise that this is the first time they can sell British outline models directly into overseas market without being out of scale - TT is widely used and supported overseas and now people can mix and match British and continental models on the same layout without any scale problems. 

 

I'm one of these. I don't plan to mix my North American and Hungarian and British outline stuff in the same scene, but I do stick to 1:120. I've long wanted to do something British but kept being put off by the scale mismatch between the models and the track. That's no longer an issue, and I for one am eagerly awaiting things to build my little representation of Pen Mill.

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britishcolumbian

britishcolumbian

Posted
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12 hours ago, Geep7 said:

I'm pretty sure there are Kadee's for TT scale

In the North American 1:120 scene we use either Kadee HOn3 or Microtrains N scale couplers. I prefer the Microtrains because they're oversize for N and close to correct size for 1:120 - and they will mate with the HOn3 ones so not a massive issue if I get some stock with those on.

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