Hornby announce TT:120

[PaulRhB]

29 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

I know we can't tell absolutely but the stated speculation from SK was that TT:120 would appeal to a whole new untapped market of space poor families etc who were looking for something new reached by marketing through non-modelling media.

Yes and surely not intended to ignore the existing market who’ve been asking about it for a while? Early adopters are usually tech or badge hungry, TT:120 doesn’t really hit either of those criteria, space is about the only thing new about it. As I said much earlier in the thread if you want to hit those new markets then you need a hook, usually a film or craze tie in and there’s nothing, not even a Christmas set. 
 

33 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

My gut feel is that it's not this bright new market.

I agree 100% which is why I jumped in early as I’m not convinced it’ll survive without the existing market included. That’s where I find the choice of liveries of locos and stock utterly bonkers. 😆

[luke_stevens]

1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

<snip>
As I noted above I’m not after lots just some joined up thinking. Five options for BR(E) and just one for LMS, why not 3-3 or 4-2?

<snip>

 

The most complex part of a model is always the chassis. For production purposes the A1/A3/A4 is one model with new tops. The Princess Coronation / Duchess is one chassis. If Hornby were to so a streamline Coronation they would still be the same model with just a new top.

 

But I do agree with your general point of a weird selection of items. I noticed the Era 7 Mk2F's with the only correct ear loco being the 08? 

 

I wonder if it is that the new factory (SK confirmed it wasn't an existing factory producing the TT items) has started working on many, many items simultaneously and now certain items are closed to production than others; these are the phase 1&2 items pictured and listed in the catalogue. I'm am also sure there are phase 3&4 items that are not yet listed but are on their way. I have a friend who had somm of the original TT3 and s frustrated that there isn't any Southern items :)

 

Interesting to realise that the is now announced the 73, Mk2F's and Mk1 full baggage, which is pretty much all you need for an original Gatwick Express...

 

Luke

[luke_stevens]

48 minutes ago, HExpressD said:

<snip> we may have no idea as I can imagine your average family enjoying their hobby together, never posting about it anywhere. <snip>

 

My brother is a case in point. When we were younger the "model railway" was the thing between me and Dad. My brother was exposed to it, dragged to exhibitions. who see what was going on, was involved in a layout rebuild when I was at scout camp, but it wasn't "his" hobby. Now he has 2 boys of his own (3 & 5) and he ordered his TT120 trains as soon as he checked it would fit under the divan! I am still not sure if it is a present for him or for the boys. However it goes he won't be posting on social media. I suppose it is SK's target market?

 

Luke

Edited December 15, 2022 by luke_stevens

[HExpressD]

2 minutes ago, luke_stevens said:

 I suppose it is SK's target market?

Not sure if it's the target market, but it's certainly a part of the market of unspecified size which shouldn't be overlooked IMO

[frobisher]

1 hour ago, 97406 said:

I must admit that going for a scale of in the region of 2.5mm / ft always seemed strange to me as it’s so close to ‘N’. I understood the old TT of 3mm / ft as it fits in between ‘OO’ and ‘N’ better. I suppose there is a better correlation if you consider it alongside ‘HO’, though.

 

The important thing is it's not a new scale, just a new scale for the UK market.  Producing TT3 would be commercial suicide (beyond the "legacy" market), ditto UK N Gauge (Hornby missed that boat 15 years ago).

[97406]

16 minutes ago, frobisher said:

 

The important thing is it's not a new scale, just a new scale for the UK market.  Producing TT3 would be commercial suicide (beyond the "legacy" market), ditto UK N Gauge (Hornby missed that boat 15 years ago).

Yes, I get that. If I were to starting out and there was a wide range of models, then maybe I’d consider it, but not now after amassing a great deal of OO stock.

 

When I was a kid, I remember the old TT being slated as too big to save space and too small to allow for a the detail of 4mm, but manufacturing has improved since then.  I also recall that Hornby did team up with Minitrix for a while in the field of N Gauge, but it didn’t stand the test of time. It will be interesting to see how this develops and what it does for Hornby.

[luke_stevens]

1 hour ago, 97406 said:

I must admit that going for a scale of in the region of 2.5mm / ft always seemed strange to me as it’s so close to ‘N’. I understood the old TT of 3mm / ft as it fits in between ‘OO’ and ‘N’ better. I suppose there is a better correlation if you consider it alongside ‘HO’, though.

 

 

Don't forget that British N is different from the rest of the World. UK is 1:148 and the Rest of the World is 1:160 (with exceptions)

 

Or in other words 1:76 to 1:100 to 1:148, as opposed to 1:87 to 1:120 to 1:160.

 

Luke

[NCB]

Think Hornby have got it right with their choice of models. The important thing at this stage is to get some eye-catching quality models capable of whizzing around track. As a hardened 3mm 14.2mm gauge modeller I must confess to being sorely  tempted.

[rob D2]

4 hours ago, Robin Brasher said:

I am not sure if poor families would have access to the internet to buy the TT:120 models on line or enough money to buy at train set.

 

TT:120 has attracted no interest at my local model railway clubs or exhibitions but I have not been able to resist it. The two train sets did not appeal to me but I have bought some track and buildings and I have pre-ordered five locomotives. 

 

I think that existing railway modellers will buy the TT:120 range and they will be looking for a fun train set that can easily be transported to clubs and exhibitions in a small hatchback.

I think you can be certain even “ poor families “ are on the internet , as for train sets , again it’s down to disposable income which depends on your circumstances . 

[peak experience]

5 hours ago, Barry Ten said:

 

Maybe a bit unnecessarily oblique but it's about a confusion between foot and inch symbols, which results in the Stonehenge prop being ludicrously small.

which in turn was inspired by black sabbath, who wanted a stonehenge stage set, got the units mixed up, and ended up with something twice the size of the original stonehenge. tony iommi, in his autobiograhy, tells how they got so sick of hauling it around the USA, often to venues that couldn't accommodate it, that they ending up dumping it in some desert in the middle of nowhere. 

[Porfuera]

Has anyone else signed up for stock alerts for any TT:120 items?

 

I signed up for stock alerts for the points but I don't seem to have received any.

 

Just wondering whether anyone had signed up for stock alerts on the track or the buildings or lineside items that were recently released and had received them.

 

Cheers, Neil.

[Porfuera]

15 minutes ago, Porfuera said:

I signed up for stock alerts for the points but I don't seem to have received any.

 

Oops! I think I can answer my own question here...

 

I just checked the online shop and the points still seem to be marked as "You will be notified when this product is back in stock" - so in spite of the recent "Good News" email saying they've been released it seems they are still not available.

 

Still, has anyone signed up for and received a stock alert for anything else?

 

Cheers, Neil.

[BRTrainz]

Well got my Scotsman set here in the US yesterday.

Loco and carriages look gorgeous.

Loco was dead out of the box but turned out the Next18 dummy plug had come dislodged and was rattling around in the tender.

Was a bit jerky in reverse but I haven't broken it in yet and only did some very basic testing.

Track seems decent but will likely be sold on as I have Tillig bedding track.

Buffer stop seems like it will fit Tillig bedding track with some trimming.

Bit disappointed that the buffer stop is black like the OO one instead of the nicer looking brown shown on the website.

Think I might start selling off my N gauge as I've always found it a bit too small to be satisfying.

[D9020 Nimbus]

I've had the "released" email for some of the plain track ordered but not, as yet, the points. I've just ordered enough for a test track as I already have a quantity of the Tillig "bedding" track.

[D9020 Nimbus]

Interesting that the choice of initial models is quite different from TT back in 1957, which started with the "Jinty", the suburban coaches and a good selection of wagons, prompting — possibly — the Minories track plan. Here they're going for the glamorous models first. I think the "phases" are supposed to be 6 months each, and that the first two phases were intended to be both in 2022—as is implied by the back page of the catalogue.

[britishcolumbian]

In a sense I'm part of (one of the) target market(s), too - I'm only here at all getting into British modelling because it's 1:120 on 12 mm track.

[Michanglais]

On 14/12/2022 at 13:34, irishmail said:

I am still waiting for my catalogue and membership pack after two months, (joined 10th Oct.) Have sent then an email but no reply as yet.

 

I joined around the same time and received mine in France yesterday. 

 

To be frank, it's not that exciting... :)

[melmoth]

2 hours ago, peak experience said:

which in turn was inspired by black sabbath, who wanted a stonehenge stage set, got the units mixed up, and ended up with something twice the size of the original stonehenge. tony iommi, in his autobiograhy, tells how they got so sick of hauling it around the USA, often to venues that couldn't accommodate it, that they ending up dumping it in some desert in the middle of nowhere. 

 

Ah, history obviously repeating itself...

[andythenorth]

Checked in to see how the thread was going, nice to see it's continuing to add pages of nothingness, the consistency is remarkable 🙂

 

What's the longest known thread on rmweb?

Edited December 15, 2022 by andythenorth

[irishmail]

2 minutes ago, andythenorth said:

Checked in to see how the thread was going, nice to see it's continuing to add pages of nothingness, the consistency is remarkable 🙂

 

What's the longest known thread on rmweb?

But some people are now getting their 'Scotsman' train sets.  😀,  Dont expect we will see many more new TT products now till end Jan/ Feb.

 

[Mike Harvey]

4 hours ago, peak experience said:

which in turn was inspired by black sabbath, who wanted a stonehenge stage set, got the units mixed up, and ended up with something twice the size of the original stonehenge. tony iommi, in his autobiograhy, tells how they got so sick of hauling it around the USA, often to venues that couldn't accommodate it, that they ending up dumping it in some desert in the middle of nowhere. 

I was in Kerrville, Texas recently, and a bit surprised to find a half-ish size stonehenge in a dedicated park! it shared the space with a few Easter Island stone figures.

 

https://texashillcountry.com/stonehenge-texas-hill-country/

Edited December 15, 2022 by Mike Harvey

[5Dublo2]

6 minutes ago, irishmail said:

But some people are now getting their 'Scotsman' train sets.  😀,  Dont expect we will see many more new TT products now till end Jan/ Feb.

 

Some of the Hornby TT:120 buildings are about to arrive on people's doorsteps 

[Ravenser]

10 hours ago, Robin Brasher said:

I am not sure if poor families would have access to the internet to buy the TT:120 models on line or enough money to buy at train set.

 

TT:120 has attracted no interest at my local model railway clubs or exhibitions but I have not been able to resist it. The two train sets did not appeal to me but I have bought some track and buildings and I have pre-ordered five locomotives. 

 

I think that existing railway modellers will buy the TT:120 range and they will be looking for a fun train set that can easily be transported to clubs and exhibitions in a small hatchback.

 

 

Anyone with a smartphone has internet access. (Most people under 30 seem to use their phone instead of a laptop)  If you can't afford internet access you can't afford 200 quid for a trainset.

 

A mobile phone contract is running at £20-30/month at the lower end - so £240-360/year

[Ravenser]

5 hours ago, peak experience said:

which in turn was inspired by black sabbath, who wanted a stonehenge stage set, got the units mixed up, and ended up with something twice the size of the original stonehenge. tony iommi, in his autobiograhy, tells how they got so sick of hauling it around the USA, often to venues that couldn't accommodate it, that they ending up dumping it in some desert in the middle of nowhere. 

 

 

I am now imagining an oversized Stonehenge in the middle of some Amercican desert. Still there after 50 years...

[andythenorth]

1 hour ago, irishmail said:

But some people are now getting their 'Scotsman' train sets.  😀,

 

I meant that it still has people posting "I don't see the point" and "nobody's going to buy it" and "we're all doomed, I tell ya" etc 🙂

 

But that's not what I wrote sorry, have covid, not entirely in my right mind 😉

Edited December 15, 2022 by andythenorth