Hornby 2014 - predictions

[tomparryharry]

Datsun did a re-brand a few years back. Now known as Nissan

 

You can re-brand as many times as you wish, providing you can improve on the previous offering.

 

Ian

[lyndonsdad1]

TRIUMPH motorcycles, the name's the same and with a new owner just look at the success the company is now and now NORTON is on it's way back.

[dibber25]

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.

Hornby does announce to its customers, by a variety of media of which the magazines are one element. How would you have them make the announcement? Not all modellers have computers. It was the embargo arrangement which didn't work. That's now gone and the magazines are being advised in time to suit their individual deadlines. The details are already known and will be in the next Model Rail after December 16.

CHRIS LEIGH

[coachmann]

Hornby does announce to its customers, by a variety of media of which the magazines are one element.

A mouth-watering page of images for this augustly forum Andy....?

[84A]

Personally, i'd like it if Hornby came out with a catalogue of models that they felt could be delivered within the next twelve months. There are a number of models from this year still outstanding (P2, Duke, Hall, etc etc), therefore even if only one new model were annouced, i'd prefer it as at least it would allow the company to get back to a sense of normality after the supply issues this year.

 

In general, Hornby have been quite good in the past at annoucing new items, and then delivering them within the year. I'd hate for them to go down the Bachmann route of ``we're doing this and that'', and then you dont see anything for two (or possibly more) years in some cases. Just a small example:

 

http://www.railexpress.co.uk/news/retooled-whistler-from-Bachmann

 

Not sure when the retooled 40 was actually announced, but the line ``...is soon to hit the shops in three versions'' is pretty bad, considering the date was December 12th 2012.

 

I'd like to see a number of Great Northern 0-6-0's (in particular J3), and of course a Klondyke Atlantic. A C1 would be nice, but i'm pretty sure one of those will be annouced by Bachmann relatively shortly.

[rodger5591]

Personally, i'd like it if Hornby came out with a catalogue of models that they felt could be delivered within the next twelve months. There are a number of models from this year still outstanding (P2, Duke, Hall, etc etc), therefore even if only one new model were annouced, i'd prefer it as at least it would allow the company to get back to a sense of normality after the supply issues this year.

 

In general, Hornby have been quite good in the past at annoucing new items, and then delivering them within the year. I'd hate for them to go down the Bachmann route of ``we're doing this and that'', and then you dont see anything for two (or possibly more) years in some cases. Just a small example:

 

http://www.railexpress.co.uk/news/retooled-whistler-from-Bachmann

 

Not sure when the retooled 40 was actually announced, but the line ``...is soon to hit the shops in three versions'' is pretty bad, considering the date was December 12th 2012.

 

I'd like to see a number of Great Northern 0-6-0's (in particular J3), and of course a Klondyke Atlantic. A C1 would be nice, but i'm pretty sure one of those will be annouced by Bachmann relatively shortly.

 

I am sure Hornby and Bachmann have similar product development times, but the difference between them is at which point in the product development cycle they make announcements to the public about their new items. Bachmann usually do it at the research/early drawings stage, while Hornby do it once all the research and drawings are done, or close to done, and they are ready to authorise a production run for a proportion of their announced product.

 

Not only do Bachmann announce earlier, but they also publish information as models progress through the various stages. This is risky as it can make product development seem overly long, especially if research errors appear or design problems slow things down, but it is a relatively transparent approach.

 

Hornby look to be more efficient/effective, since they (try to) come to market in the same year as the product announcement, but we don't know if a particular model took 1, 3 or 5 years to get ready for a production run.

[Ozexpatriate]

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

That may well be the case, but from the context of what they said it appears to be more about the "Hornby Hobbies" brand - meaning making the whole brand, including Scalextric, Airfix, Humbrol and Corgi more cohesive without losing the heritage and name recognition of the existing brands.

 

I'll be very surprised if they resurrect the Tri-ang brand in any way. It does nothing for them.

[Ozexpatriate]

Datsun did a re-brand a few years back. Now known as Nissan

And Datsun is back - in the low end of the market.

 

The Nissan brand was used to go up-market, somewhat successfully, to deliberately avoid the 'cheap and cheerful import' image that Datsun had. Most of the range will still be known as Nissan.

[gwrrob]

 

 

The Nissan brand was used to go up-market, somewhat successfully, to deliberately avoid the 'cheap and cheerful import' image that Datsun had. Most of the range will still be known as Nissan.

 

As someone who drives a Nissan it has been the most reliable car I've ever owned.Cheap and cheerful does for me.

[SwissRailPassion]

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

3mm ought to be a good move. Many people have space problems and n gauge is quite small. TT or 3mm would allow sensible curves particularly for modern stock with longer locos and carriages. Trains could be longer as MK 1s would be around 7 inches long, thus allowing 5 carriages per yard. A loco and 4 is around 50 inches in OO, but in TT this would give space for a loco and 6. Branch line stations could be more realistic in small spaces and medium size stations could more easily accommodate 6 and 7 carriage trains.

 

To me TT would be a sensible move and help to create a NEW mass market for the average house where space is limited. The new IEP model will have coaches up to 40mm longer in OO after all.

[Legend]

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

See I now refer to them as "Dysons" which is proof you can't rest on your laurels and that brands can die after a while

[Legend]

Hornby does announce to its customers, by a variety of media of which the magazines are one element. How would you have them make the announcement? Not all modellers have computers. It was the embargo arrangement which didn't work. That's now gone and the magazines are being advised in time to suit their individual deadlines. The details are already known and will be in the next Model Rail after December 16.

CHRIS LEIGH

Well I'm sitting away from home in a hotel restaurant reading this on my iPad, and believe me this is not uncommon. I would suggest that many more people now access news via tablets, or ever more sophisticated mobile phones picking up the Internet. So I would suggest that this is the route to announcing things in the future. Model Railway mags also plugging their digital editions, so if you have the ability to download one , why would you not be better accessing the news from Hornby direct? You say that everyone does not have access to the Internet, but not all railway modellers buy mags either and why should they just to get news of Hornby announcements?

 

How times have changed. I remember one of the high points of Model Rail Scotland in March was buying the new Hornby catalogue to see what was new. The excitement of ploughing through the pages. What was new, what was in new colours and what was deleted. I remember both the excitement of the 73 and the 74 editions and the huge disappointment of the 75 edition when a large part of the range had been cut, so they could satisfy demand out of their Margate production facilities (somewhat ironic 39 years on!) so quite a few people then got the news from the catalogue. Later I discovered that the news was in Railway Modeller in theMarch edition!

 

We are all impatient for news. That's why the Internet will ultimately reign supreme, even though part of the excitement is lost!

[Dunsignalling]

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

The problem with taking on 3mm would be kicking off with a big enough range to convince enough people they were in it for the long-term - Tri-ang couldn't make it stick when their OO range was a fraction of what it is now and N was very much in its infancy. I'd judge it would be even more difficult to achieve "critical mass" now.

 

However, I don't think there's enough volume in 7mm scale to interest Hornby, either. It is an entirely different business model with much less emphasis on big passenger locos and one in which a production batch of even five hundred would be regarded as massively ambitious.

 

Given the amount of stick they get for OO Pacifics with r.r.p's over £150, I can't see much joy for them in producing O Gauge ones at getting on for 10 times that! 

 

Bachmann, who are generally more agile and adaptable than Hornby, have already had a go at 7mm and withdrawn. The problems of the past year or two must have hit Hornby's cash-flow for six and now would not be the time for experiments.

 

If there is to be a move into another scale, the only logical course would be to develop their, as yet embryonic, N scale range where they have the expertise of their Arnold division to draw on.

 

John

[Budgie]

Perhaps they'll start a T-scale range 

[Dunsignalling]

And Datsun is back - in the low end of the market.

 

The Nissan brand was used to go up-market, somewhat successfully, to deliberately avoid the 'cheap and cheerful import' image that Datsun had. Most of the range will still be known as Nissan.

Isn't the up-market stuff called Infiniti ?

[Dunsignalling]

 

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....

And it would certainly be prototypical for their "modern image" range........

[Coldgunner]

Going by the Brighton Belle, I'd have thought Hornby had their eye on N gauge...

[robmcg]

Having read the various messages here I am bound to say that I think that 3mm is a non-starter, however logical it may seem, it would be very brave and hardly in a accord with shareholder interests, at a time when cash flow is needed.

 

As to future direction I think there would be more likelihood in finding a market in 0 gauge, but that would require factories which could produce high quality, (read, expensive) models and there are already players in this market. Strategic partnership, anyone?  More likely a gathering of other Hornby brands and production 'synergies', to make a nice positive annual report if nothing else.

 

Meanwhile I predict dribbles of quality RTR 00 for the UK in the foreseeable. And having just watched an Intercity 82 Youtube video of a Bachmann DCC class 25 diesel 00  starter set, the exact thing which logic says would be all over the shops right now, both the engine and controller were faulty and had to be returned, so Hornby are not the only ones having quality-control issues.

[Oldddudders]

Re-entry into TT would certainly cause Peco people to grind their teeth. They developed a 12mm gauge track system - just in time for Tri-ang to pull the plug on their TT range, limiting sales of the Peco products at a stroke.

[Anglian]

TT with modern scale fidelity would be fabulous but I can't see happening and which engine(s) would they start with? Black Five? GWR Pannier? I like 3mm as it looks so perfect (to me) but would Hornby want it in their range since their 4mm sales would surely be hit.

[Sam*45110*SVR]

Sorry if this has been said before (Don't fancy trawling through 20 pages of frothing!   ) but I think Hornby would be mad not to make full use of the new P2 tooling by producing the A4 fronted P2s soon, but maybe they'll wait to see how 2001 is received first. I reckon they are on the way though, you can even see a join between the boiler and the smokebox on the preproduction model....

 

Sam

[orcadian]

I am very sorry to predict that, as usual, after the Christmas and Chinese New Year break, the factories in which models are produced for most of the RTR brands in the UK will find themselves with serious staff shortages. This in turn will lead to the recruitment and then training of inexperienced new workers, which throughout 2013 has been one of the main causes of 'missing' or delayed models. The wheel has made another full turn. the 2013 problems are still having major effects, so it seems, and then here we go again!

 

I hope I am not being unduly pessimistic - in the latest EFE Subscriber Newsletter, Frank Joyce states 'The lack of skilled workers in China is still the big factor restricting manufacturing capacity and causing delays.'

 

Although this is a Hornby thread, just look at Bachmann's recent deferral of dates for several of their forthcoming models as well.

 

Please, Santa, may I have a very big box of patience, especially as I'm not likely to get my model presents on time?

 

Richard

[phil-b259]

I wonder whether we will see a repeat of last year - in the sense of having one new model hit the shelves quickly (the 2 BIL last year) even if everything else is delayed.

[newbryford]

See I now refer to them as "Dysons" which is proof you can't rest on your laurels and that brands can die after a while

 

When I hear the word "Dyson", I immediately think of a Class 92.................

 

Cheers,

Mick

[hornbyandbf3fan]

When I hear the word "Dyson", I immediately think of a Class 92.................

 

Cheers,

Mick

You've been in too long!