Hornby 2014 - predictions

[hammy]

I predict that there will be some shiny new things some relivered old things some things from out the closet some people will be mega happy and some people will be moaning

[brushman47544]

I predict that there will be some shiny new things some relivered old things some things from out the closet some people will be mega happy and some people will be moaning

 

Not too shiny or most people will be moaning. A nice satin/matt finish will do fine.

[Coombe Barton]

In all this I wonder what effect the coming Corporate Re-Branding will have? Will they change the name (to Triang)? In case you wonder, the PowerPoint slides say "Hornby Hobbies – Group rebrand to be launched at Nuremberg Toy Fair in February 2014" in Slide 8.

 

I say Triang because somewhere I've seen the suggestion, but can't find where just now.

 

Funnily enough this rebrand announcement is in the slides - http://www.Hornby.com/_assets/files/November-2013-Interim-Results-Slides.pdf but not in the full report http://online.hemscottir.com/ir/hrn/pdf/19828_HORNBY_INT13_FINAL.pdf, but that is only the financial report. 

[coachmann]

In all this I wonder what effect the coming Corporate Re-Branding will have? Will they change the name (to Triang)?

Hornby  could rebrand to Rovex or Bonko for all I care. I'll continue to buy models I really want and replace moulded bits, but those impulse purchases are out.

[TheSignalEngineer]

I don't think that Hornby own the Tri-Ang name or trade mark at the moment.

[Dunsignalling]

Hmmm do we know if or when the modelling press have their day at Hornby to get first wind of the program?

 

will it make it into the mags for a December read up or will we read "full details in Februarys issue"?

I think it may be carefully timed to fit in with the publication of the January issues, in which case they will have already been briefed, otherwise it'll be the latter.

 

A  rather arcane process seems to be playing itself out, presumably as a result of certain titles "blowing the gaff" prematurely in the past?

 

John

[Ozexpatriate]

As Hornby have a concession deal with the Edinburgh Woollen Mill chain, perhaps they could produce a model of the engine (a 4-4-0?) that the North British Railway painted in tartan livery for Queen Victoria? It could come in a gift set with some shortbread and a sporran? 

Shortbread be damned! The Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST Dailuaine Distillery No.1 which sits motionless outside the Dewar distillery, Aberfeldy, could be sold in a gift set with a decent malt.

You'd need a very big box, and I think Dewars would have something to say about it. Oh, I see, you mean a model Barclay pug... silly me.

Well, they have sold locomotives with Royal Doulton plates. They have sold locomotives with 'art' prints. They have sold locomotives with postage stamps.

 

The idea of them selling a Scottish locomotive with shortbread is hilarious and clever, it's not nearly as silly as it first sounds.

 

However, how long does shortbread in a tin stay fresh?

 

They'd have a devil of a time planning when to make their shortbread order. If they planned the shortbread to arrive at the same time as their initial estimates of delivery from China, that might be very stale shortbread indeed - though I suspect it might have  a shelf life that can keep pace with even Hornby's extended delivery cycle.

[petethemole]

However, how long does shortbread in a tin stay fresh?

 

Whisky doesn't go off....How about ex NBR class D30, No 9419/2428/62428 The Taliman, packed with a half bottle?

 

Pete

[rovex]

However, how long does shortbread in a tin stay fresh?

 

Whisky doesn't go off....How about ex NBR class D30, No 9419/2428/62428 The Taliman, packed with a half bottle?

 

Pete

 

It could indeed be a classis malt by the time the engines arrive

[Southernman46]

_{That they'll get around to stuff planned for 2013 release................... has someone already done that one  ?}      

[JSpencer]

In all this I wonder what effect the coming Corporate Re-Branding will have? Will they change the name (to Triang)? In case you wonder, the PowerPoint slides say "Hornby Hobbies – Group rebrand to be launched at Nuremberg Toy Fair in February 2014" in Slide 8.

 

I say Triang because somewhere I've seen the suggestion, but can't find where just now.

 

Funnily enough this rebrand announcement is in the slides - http://www.Hornby.com/_assets/files/November-2013-Interim-Results-Slides.pdf but not in the full report http://online.hemscottir.com/ir/hrn/pdf/19828_HORNBY_INT13_FINAL.pdf, but that is only the financial report.

 

Re branding does not necessarily mean renaming. The company I work for rebranded itself but still kept the same name.

 

It can effectively mean things like new logo, new corporate colour, I mean let's face it, a power point presentation using bright yellow hardly speaks of a professional company!

 

Hopefully they won,t waste large amounts of money to rebrand themselves with some weird colours and shapes that looks a melted apple system and is yuck! But I suspect they will....

[Ozexpatriate]

In all this I wonder what effect the coming Corporate Re-Branding will have? Will they change the name (to Triang)? In case you wonder, the PowerPoint slides say "Hornby Hobbies – Group rebrand to be launched at Nuremberg Toy Fair in February 2014" in Slide 8.

 

I say Triang because somewhere I've seen the suggestion, but can't find where just now.

I suspect the Triang reference you saw (if you saw it here) was a sarcastic (yet apt and certainly humorous) pun on the notion of 'design clever' taking model fidelity back 40 years.

 

Re branding does not necessarily mean renaming.

Indeed. I suspect we will see rebranding around the "Hornby Hobbies" brand. I don't think we'll see red and yellow go away, and the sub-brands won't likely go away but we might see something like Airfix, Scalextric, Humbrol and Corgi show up with new red and yellow logos with some consistent themes like typefaces.

[Coombe Barton]

 a power point presentation using bright yellow hardly speaks of a professional company!

Red and yellow are their current corporate colours, so not so unprofessional. I agree garish and not one I would have chosen, but it follows the theme.

[Mike Storey]

And it will have the 3500gal intermediate tender behind it for good measure.

 

Sounds like Mike (StationMaster) has had 3500 gallons of something.......

[Mike Storey]

Re branding does not necessarily mean renaming. The company I work for rebranded itself but still kept the same name.

 

It can effectively mean things like new logo, new corporate colour, I mean let's face it, a power point presentation using bright yellow hardly speaks of a professional company!

 

Hopefully they won,t waste large amounts of money to rebrand themselves with some weird colours and shapes that looks a melted apple system and is yuck! But I suspect they will....

 

Maybe they will use Go Faster Stripes on all their packaging. That might help with deliveries.......

[hornbyandbf3fan]

Maybe they will use Go Faster Stripes on all their packaging. That might help with deliveries.......

They've got to be made first!

[Legend]

I don't think the timing of magazines as got anything to do with timing of announcement. And that's as it should be. Hornby should be announcing to its customers not some in between media. It didn't work in the past when they announced to mags ahead of time. If. I remember correctly Model Rail spilled the entire program at least twice and maybe three times ahead of official dates. If I remember correctly there was also a. Model shop in Japan once that announced it. Rail Express was much maligned for announcing the modern image items in advance. We never did find out if they had official sanction. The whole thing became a farce, and given this year Hornby are somewhat in disrepute I think it's correct we dispense with the dramatics and just announce direct.

[t-b-g]

I suspect the Triang reference you saw (if you saw it here) was a sarcastic (yet apt and certainly humorous) pun on the notion of 'design clever' taking model fidelity back 40 years.

 

Indeed. I suspect we will see rebranding around the "Hornby Hobbies" brand. I don't think we'll see red and yellow go away, and the sub-brands won't likely go away but we might see something like Airfix, Scalextric, Humbrol and Corgi show up with new red and yellow logos with some consistent themes like typefaces.

 

I also recall seeing a reference to the Triang name being used again but I can't remember exactly where it was or in what context. I am pretty sure that it was part of a Hornby official announcement though.

 

Tony

[Ozexpatriate]

I also recall seeing a reference to the Triang name being used again but I can't remember exactly where it was or in what context. I am pretty sure that it was part of a Hornby official announcement though.

When we last discussed ownership of the Tri-ang brand it was owned by people who made bouncy castles (rather than GWR Castles).

 

This online catalogue does date back to 2011 though.

 

If I recall, there were questions about the appearance of the inflatable grab rails and whether or not the pool had a 3,500 gallon capacity on No. 9117 see p23.

[TheSignalEngineer]

It looks as if the Tri-ang trademarks may be available soon as the current  address for the trademark holder, the people who sold the bouncy castles, is c/o Ernst & Young.

 

There is another apparently-dormant company listed as Triang Toys Limited, but I'm not sure about that because the same address has another dormant company named Matchbox Toys Limited, which would be sailing a bit close to the wind as the Matchbox car brand is a trade mark of Mattel.

[newbryford]

I could see Tri-ang being used for the railroad range, but Hornby retained for the main (detailed) stuff.

 

If there's one thing about the Hornby brand, it is a very well known name. Whenever I tell someone I model trains, the name Hornby is often used in the next sentence.

It's used in the same context as all vacuum cleaners are "Hoovers",such is the strength of the brand name.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[frobisher]

ThaneofFife, on 09 Dec 2013 - 09:10, said:

I like the idea of TT gauge in RTR - that list though is admittedly ambitious but my immediate concern would be that it cuts out modellers of common or garden D&E so it would need at least a 37 or 47 to start off with too. then youve got to keep those buyers of your 37 or 47 satisfied with another release then another then another BUT - if the demand was there and given that N gauge and 00 gauge and increasingly the 0 gauge markets are being eaten up good and proper now, maybe 3mm isnt the daftest way of expanding your business.

I agree, there is a lack of diesels there; I based my list on what Hornby had tooled up reasonably recently in 00 in the main part, so would benefit from existing high standard CAD, and also on stuff that sort of fitted together in a time scale. On reflection I inadvertently missed out the Class 31 which should probably be there as a nod to the old TT range in any case, and ditto the Castle.

 

ThaneofFife, on 09 Dec 2013 - 09:10, said:

Its a nice thought though.......

Yup

[NHY 581]

I think the last place Hornby need to go is 3 mm. If anything would be their albatross that's it.

Whilst the size/space argument is a valid one, why bother with a scale that, whilst it undoubtedly has its aficionados and produces fine layouts, it is still very much a minority interest.

 

 

If Hornby have to try a new range/scale, then it has to be 7 mm. This has seen a massive growth in recent years and I would be very surprised if RTR 7 mm is not a reality from Hornby and Bachmann within the next ten years.

 

No, 3 mm has to be a non starter.

 

Rob

[phil gollin]

.

 

I was quite upset when Tri-ang changed ( via Triang-Hornby ) to Hornby  -  it seemed very odd at the time.

 

It would be hilarious to see the operation reversed do many years later  -  back to the way it "should" be.

 

However the idea that Triang might.be resurrected for the "Railroad" range does work for those of us old enough to remember the difference in quality between Tri-ang and Hornby Doublo.

 

HOWEVER, I think it is much more likely that any re-branding will be associated with trying to tie the various European companies together.

 

----------

 

As for the "new" scale, I would suggest "G" scale  -  surely some of the European Hornby companies have models/chasses that could be re-bodied for the UK ?

 

 

.

[coachmann]

Triang Trainsets has a ring about it, but Mr and Mrs Numptyabouttrains will assume Hornby has stopped trading when they go into a shop to buy a trainset fer't lad this Xmas and discover there's now't on't shelves. Hornby is in the proverbials at the moment and the dangers of killing it's core 'set' market are very real.