Hornby Star which iteration is best

[1466]

I have a yen for a Hornby Star , an itch which needs to be scratched .

I believe there have been versions of the loco and some are better and run better than others .

I would welcome views and experiences . Thanks .

[adb968008]

Very first runs has incorrect number of spokes in the pony wheel.

 

[gwrrob]

14 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

Very first runs has incorrect number of spokes in the pony wheel.

 

 

Hornby will exchange them { castle bogie I think ] if you ask them.

[No Decorum]

As for which iteration is best, IMHO the retool which hasn’t been done yet.

[Ian Hargrave]

5 hours ago, 1466 said:

I have a yen for a Hornby Star , an itch which needs to be scratched .

I believe there have been versions of the loco and some are better and run better than others .

I would welcome views and experiences . Thanks .

I have the last iteration which is late GW 4013 .In terms of livery,construction & general overall finish the best of an indifferent bunch. Spoiled by an overdose of unnecessary silver paint on cylinders,piston etc.But you could certainly touch that out if you so wished. Runs well. Basically,it’s a decent model.

 

[gwrrob]

3 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Basically,it’s a decent model.

 

 I’d agree although parts of it date from the design clever era at Hornby. Should have been better but not LNER is it.

[Ian Hargrave]

1 minute ago, gwrrob said:

 I’d agree although parts of it date from the design clever era at Hornby. Should have been better but not LNER is it

 

 

Given the significant improvement from Hornby with their last few releases,I wonder if a revamped edition might be the answer. I know they’ve been a bit turkey & tinsel for a while but with significant competition now cutting the mustard the incentive for a big improvement might produce positive results. I have a feeling that it could.

 

[No Decorum]

11 hours ago, Ian Hargrave said:

 

 

Given the significant improvement from Hornby with their last few releases,I wonder if a revamped edition might be the answer. I know they’ve been a bit turkey & tinsel for a while but with significant competition now cutting the mustard the incentive for a big improvement might produce positive results. I have a feeling that it could.

 

Bachmann has knocked out a few models with an old body on a new chassis. Perhaps the bodies are not quite up to modern standards but the new chassis are well thought out and perform well, in addition to being relatively easy to fit sound into. A new chassis under the Star owing nothing to design stupid, a little warming up here and there and a decent paint finish and I think you’re right.

 

Why on earth, with all the Kings, Castles, Halls, Granges, Manors, Panniers, Prairies, heavy freighters &c. floating around, has no-one produced a Saint?

[1466]

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments.

No decorum , I second your thoughts on the lack of a Saint .Coach bogie  suggested a way forward akin to your thoughts on a newer chassis and an old body on ANTB . He has made a lovely   Saint .

Thanks again .

[The Stationmaster]

16 hours ago, adb968008 said:

Very first runs has incorrect number of spokes in the pony wheel.

 

Despite SK denying (to me at a show) that was the case!

 

12 hours ago, gwrrob said:

 I’d agree although parts of it date from the design clever era at Hornby. Should have been better but not LNER is it.

Exactly so but that person has now left teh service so we can but hope.  But I'd be amazed if Hornby had another go at because GWR models probably still don't sell (except to us!!)    However I think the basic outl;ine is good and with alittle bit of attention it can hold its own in my view.

Edited October 22, 2023 by The Stationmaster

[The Stationmaster]

 

30 minutes ago, No Decorum said:

 

Why on earth, with all the Kings, Castles, Halls, Granges, Manors, Panniers, Prairies, heavy freighters &c. floating around, has no-one produced a Saint?

Hopefully the answer to that is 'yt'.  I have been working hard on various people but getting nowhere quickly )or even slowly) but I'm not giving up on my quest.  

[Miss Prism]

With Simon Kohler now departed, I have no idea what Hornby might be thinking of steam-wise. It wouldn't surprise me if no new steam locos were produced (apart from those in the current development/production pipeline of course).

[Harlequin]

38 minutes ago, No Decorum said:

Why on earth, with all the Kings, Castles, Halls, Granges, Manors, Panniers, Prairies, heavy freighters &c. floating around, has no-one produced a Saint?

 

Of course there's an odd one out in that list. The Accurascale Manor sets new standards and all of the other members of that list are lagging behind it in terms of accuracy and detail. Maybe that means that some of those classes, including the twenty-nines, are now commercially viable for updating?

 

I have three Stars, two are OK runners, but Hornby's most recent Lode Star has a "lump" in the gear train that I never managed to diagnose, despite having the whole thing to bits. I hoped that it might wear itself away but I can still hear the hammer blow on the rails every now and then.

 

[jjb1970]

It wasn't Hornby's best and aspects of 'design clever' weren't very well implemented but the overall impression is pretty good IMO. 

[gwrrob]

21 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

It wasn't Hornby's best and aspects of 'design clever' weren't very well implemented but the overall impression is pretty good IMO. 

 

Agreed as we see 4019 Knight Templar on a stopping train.

 

[No Decorum]

6 hours ago, Miss Prism said:

With Simon Kohler now departed, I have no idea what Hornby might be thinking of steam-wise. It wouldn't surprise me if no new steam locos were produced (apart from those in the current development/production pipeline of course).

I hope to Heaven you’te wrong! I like diesels and electrics but the bottom of the well is starting to show. The steam well is very deep.

[adb968008]

2 hours ago, No Decorum said:

I hope to Heaven you’te wrong! I like diesels and electrics but the bottom of the well is starting to show. The steam well is very deep.

I’m not expecting any new diesels and electrics either.

 

my expectations are very low, indeed its a race between KR and Hornby to take bottom place now.

 

I hope a Bishop from Welchester visits Margate to restore the faith, but right now i’m thinking Hornby may not be a name for serious modellers in the future.

I think the Black 5 will be the pinnacle that decides which way its going, but right now risks confusion between a model with toy gimmicks, or an expensive toy that could be a serious model.

 

I’m enjoying the. 9f, P2, 2MT and Turbomotive thinking this is the end of an era.

its nearly 2 years now since the last set of substantial announcements (as side of all the excess Dublo noise and yet another streamliner) , not even sure if there is a 2024 range, suggestions that approach is changing too.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by adb968008

[The Stationmaster]

On 22/10/2023 at 11:14, Miss Prism said:

With Simon Kohler now departed, I have no idea what Hornby might be thinking of steam-wise. It wouldn't surprise me if no new steam locos were produced (apart from those in the current development/production pipeline of course).

I think we might see a concentration on TT120 for a while but anything in 00 is going to very much depend on tje way the organisational changes work out and potential budgetary constraints.  They still have irons in the fire so to speak with the Black Five project.   I am aware that work on a new h-i-fi steam outline model was scrubbed earlier this year (before SK left I believe).

 

As I've posted previously from next year the Hornby annual 'beanfeast' Christmas/New Year holiday period announcement will cease.  I understand that it will be greatly reduced in scope and become 'just another part' of a. number of announcements to be made over the course of the year.