Hornby announce TT:120

[Peter Kazmierczak]

7 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

 

 

 

 

TT will need customer champions, success stories, inspirational stories, not from the vendor, but from customers. Photos of layouts, ideas just like OO has.

 

Thats where forums like this, other social media come in… there really isnt any other substitute in 2022..

With them on board, helping them promote it, without online support,  with customer champions it might be successgul. In absence of all that its nothing more than a sub-section of one vendors website offering a model thats incompatible to any other product vendor in the UK.

 

 

 

 

Well, if Hornby send me a free "Easterner" set (even if the locos have dodgy counterweights), I'd build a layout and publicise it...😉😉😉

[whart57]

Perhaps what is confusing us is that Hornby are aiming at multiple markets.

 

The trainsets are for dads and kids. They are pitched at the same market as the 00 Smokey Joe and similar except that in TT you can get "proper" trains in the same space.

 

The 08 is pitched at the small shunting shelf layout builders. Who are they? Well people who have reached a stage in life when space is at a premium. These could be students in shared houses or halls of residence or the elderly who have downsized into seniors' flats or sheltered accommodation. Or the newly divorced who have had to give up their half of a family home.

 

What I don't see is a major pitch at experienced modellers in the hope of getting them to change gauge. That would be the hard sell because that is one picky audience. (What do you mean you aren't doing a Great Northern Atlantic - goes off in a huff) Maybe several phases down the line there will be a critical mass of stuff to attract experienced modellers, but right now TT:120 is a curiosity among those.

[Hroth]

12 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Agreed lego isnt the only competition on the block.

But thats why I am also not convinced Hornby is aiming this as a trainset for kids, replacing Smokey Joe…

 

if it were, then TT would be in the triple A… Argos, Amazon and Asda.

 

So who is it aimed at ?

 

looking at the range, it feels like the enthusiastic of 1977. Its a suck it and see.

 

if I were to guess who it maybe is mis-aimed at, my guess would be rmwebbers… yikes you say…but now hear me out..

 

Its only on Hornbys website, there is no retail, there is no body of knowledge on the high street and TT is only discussed in a few minor sections of internet forums. There isnt even a second hand range on ebay to draw from.

 

TT is very niche, very few people in the UK know what 120 even means.
imo the TT society would be the core and key to its success., they are the ultimate evangelists for TT.

 

What is there membership size ? - Thats your starting market size.

What eras/ geographies interest them.. ? Thats your current product range..

if they dont get onboard who else is ?

 

so lets look: 3mm society …

https://sites.google.com/site/3mmpublic/40-years-of-3mm-modelling

it suggests 1000 members.

 

TT will need customer champions, success stories, inspirational stories, not from the vendor, but from customers. Photos of layouts, ideas just like OO has.

 

Thats where forums like this, other social media come in… there really isnt any other substitute in 2022..

With them on board, helping them promote it, without online support,  with customer champions it might be successgul. In absence of all that its nothing more than a sub-section of one vendors website offering a model thats incompatible to any other product vendor in the UK.

 

Thing is I am a complete novice customer just hearing of this TT gauge thing… so I do as any other human in 2022… I type in “TT gauge” in google…

And Hornby doesnt even come up, despite being the only retailer vendor of it in the UK.

 

And if you google tt120 you would get Hornby, Hornby, Peco and RMweb as the top four returns.  As Hornby and Peco are branding it as TT:120, it's more likely that any curious folk might include the 120 rather than your rather misleading "search".

 

[AY Mod]

Right; we've decided - we won't bother posting pictures which give useful information. All you lot want to do is argue whether is a good concept or not.

 

🤬

 

Wind it in a bit, eh?

[britishcolumbian]

3 hours ago, Legend said:

 

Interesting. Do Piko do TT:120 ?   I've always thought this was a manufacturer that produces reasonable detail at a good price

They do, and it's pretty decent stuff. They broke through Tillig's lock on "sole major producer" status by coming in with low prices like €90 for a Taurus, prices have gone up some for products released since then (just paid €115 for a DB V90 I'll be using to power my Class 22), but the value for money is still good.

[britishcolumbian]

2 hours ago, adb968008 said:

TTistas

"tiszta" means "clean, pure" in Hungarian, so... yeah, I like it.

[jjb1970]

Piko have been something of a disrupter in the European market, majoring on value and applying pretty much what Hornby wanted to do with design clever and still do with a multi-tier range (putting detail in where it matters while balancing detail and cost, optimizing designs for different segments). They also developed a multi-tier product range very successfully and have taken a lot of sales from manufacturers that used to look down their noses at Piko. They're a model of how to evaluate an established market and challenge existing market leaders. Some of those ideas have also been done very well by others, such as a multi-tier product range.

[britishcolumbian]

9 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

Piko have been something of a disrupter in the European market, majoring on value and applying pretty much what Hornby wanted to do with design clever and still do with a multi-tier range (putting detail in where it matters while balancing detail and cost, optimizing designs for different segments). They also developed a multi-tier product range very successfully and have taken a lot of sales from manufacturers that used to look down their noses at Piko. They're a model of how to evaluate an established market and challenge existing market leaders. Some of those ideas have also been done very well by others, such as a multi-tier product range.

They've also started doing things nobody else (amongst the major producers, anyways) has been willing to do, and tackling subjects that are only aimed at a single, relatively small, market, like the Hungarian V43 electrics in H0 - yes those are essential for modelling any electrified line in Hungary, but they are used nowhere else. So they're willing to take chances on smaller targets.

 

To bring this back to TT, hopefully the H0 V43 means a TT one will follow, like how MTB did a MÁV M41 in H0 and followed it up most recently in TT...

[irishmail]

1 hour ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

 

Well, if Hornby send me a free "Easterner" set (even if the locos have dodgy counterweights), I'd build a layout and publicise it...😉😉😉

I would too, maybe even risk doing a Youtube video. 😀

[irishmail]

40 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

Right; we've decided - we won't bother posting pictures which give useful information. All you lot want to do is argue whether is a good concept or not.

 

🤬

 

Wind it in a bit, eh?

Can the 'whingers'  be barred from posting on this thread, constructive critisism accepted?  

Its great that we can see some images on here of the products, espesially people like myself who cant get to any of the shows to see them in the flesh (plastic)

Pesonally, I do hope that the TT:120 will be a sucsess and look foward to seeing some products in the near future.  I already have some Peco track for an eventual layout. 😀.

Regards, John

 

[Hroth]

4 minutes ago, irishmail said:

I would too, maybe even risk doing a Youtube video. 😀

 

So there's going to be a race for the first TT:120 unboxing video???

 

Hurrah!

They're under starters orders....

 

[irishmail]

4 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

So there's going to be a race for the first TT:120 unboxing video???

 

Hurrah!

They're under starters orders....

 

Not sure about the unboxing, but thats a good idea, 😁,  was thinking more of weekly installmaents of the layout construction.

[Legend]

17 minutes ago, irishmail said:

I would too, maybe even risk doing a Youtube video. 😀

 

I need to know how to open the box 

[Phil Parker]

5 minutes ago, irishmail said:

Not sure about the unboxing, but thats a good idea, 😁,  was thinking more of weekly installmaents of the layout construction.

 

There's a complete build in the TT club magazine. Which you get if you sign up I beleive.

[Pmorgancym]

'The models are very small and you'd have had very little chance to fondle them'

Is he talking about the TT stand or his evening entertainment????

[irishmail]

1 minute ago, Phil Parker said:

 

There's a complete build in the TT club magazine. Which you get if you sign up I beleive.

I have signed up for the TT club about three weeks ago, just waiting for my stuff to come through now.

[Legend]

That 08 and A3 look seriously impressive. Still looking at this as a retirement project. Sort of a fresh start recapturing the days of my youth, but maybe using DCC this time.  I said before I looked up the old Tri-ang 10 years book which features layouts in OO and TT and you can certainly get a lot in. I think I'll wait for the 47 and 37 (is that phase 3 or 4?) before taking the plunge though.

[NCB]

3 hours ago, Les1952 said:

 

taken from the latest World Wide Area Group e-supplement from the N gauge Society.

 

Worth noting that Piko who DO have a viable N-gauge range (and from experience it is good stuff) as well as their established three ranges at different price and detail standards in HO, see a market for TT as well.

 

 

Les

 

Bought a TT Piko Taurus years ao to see what it was  like. Superb  and runs like a dream.

 

[Legend]

9 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

There's a complete build in the TT club magazine. Which you get if you sign up I beleive.

 

I think there must be a bit of a backlog, Phil, as I signed up on day 1 and there's nothing through yet. I see others are starting to receive, so hopefully arrive soon. Interested in all radii etc.  It has actually relit the flames of excitement when you tried to work out how may R609s you needed and would it fit the board.  As I said above it kind of feels like a new start while still retaining OO in the loft !

[Hroth]

3 minutes ago, Legend said:

It has actually relit the flames of excitement when you tried to work out how may R609s you needed

 

Now that Anyrail has both Peco and Hornby TT:120 track libraries, that aspect of layout design is far easier...

 

I'm enjoying building "what if" layouts with it in anticipation!

 

[adrianmc]

 

Just received my Hornby TT:120 Club Welcome Pack.

 

Enclosed is a welcome letter, TT:120 badge, catalogue, lanyard & holder and membership card.

 

What is missing and should be there is the first issue of the Club magazine.

 

A phone call to Margate to query its absence led to being informed that the magazine is running late and rather than delay the Welcome Packs it will be shipped separately direct from the printers/publishing house.

 

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by adrianmc

[MartinRS]

2 hours ago, adb968008 said:

here it comes…

 

 

And thats why its not worth discussing ideas, as everyone else knows better. (not that I think Hornby would listen to anything here anyway).

 

If TT is serious, then heres its competition…

 

its got construction value, its box is much smaller than TT, its cheaper..

 

Its even got a TTree.

 

And I asked the inlaws about space… they have a zip lock bag as the box is in the bin.

 

Who exactly is TT aimed at ?

Adults, Kids, N-gaugers, OO converts, Europeans, anyone who happens to pick the cheapest A1 by accident on the website ?

 

I cant guess from the range as its a bit all over the place, imo it needs focus and a USP… so far the USP is the box takes less space in the bin.. but so does that lego set.. and it will run on a table too.

 

Who exactly is TT aimed at ? You have asked that question twice now. Have you watched the video at the start of this thread? SK explains 3 min 30 seconds in if you want to skip the introduction.

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, adrianmc said:

 

Just received my Hornby TT:120 Club Welcome Pack.

 

Enclosed is a welcome letter, TT:120 badge, catalogue, lanyard & holder and membership card.

 

What is missing and should be there is the first issue of the Club magazine.

 

A phone call to Margate to query its absence led to being informed that the magazine is running late and rather than delay the Welcome Packs it will be shipped separately direct from the printers/publishing house.

 

 

 

Mine hasn't arrived yet (posties just been) although I joined on the 10th.  Perhaps Hornby are sending them out in alphabetical order...

 

 

[MartinRS]

1 hour ago, Hroth said:

So there's going to be a race for the first TT:120 unboxing video???

Unboxing? If anyone gets hold of the Hornby Class 08 could they please try it out over both Hornby and PECO points? How does the wheelbase cope with Hornby's dead frogs?  A test of the uncoupler ramp would also be appreciated. I like the idea that the manual ramp can be converted to an automatic ramp with the addition of a point motor!

[frobisher]

5 hours ago, Legend said:

Whereas "N" by Graham Farish just wouldn't have had that penetration in the 70s/80s.

 

And unfortunately, neither did Hornby Minitrix...  It did have the advantage that Farish didn't, of coming into the same toy shops that the 00 range did though.  My local toyshop/newsagent in Godalming used to stock them both but I think there was a certain bias from the proprietor to be honest.