Hornby EXETER

[Standardtank]

Hi All,

The ongoing saga regarding Hornby's inabilility to supply R3115 Exeter seems to be coming to a head. The model came in to them in the last few days.

This morning I was told that only 290 units have been delivered to Hornby for distribution AND THAT'S ALL THERE ARE GOING TO BE!!!!

That equates to less than one per dealer before allowing for the one they'll sell direct through their webshop.

Hornby's answer to this problem is to not allocate any to some dealers and cut back drastically all others.

No Doubt by the weekend they'll be on ebay for a grand!

Everyone should know this is not the fault of any dealer. The blame lays firmly at Hornby's door. They'll try to blame Bachmann of course but Sandekahn hasn't done any Hornby production for 18 months- 2 years  since Hornby decided to move production to other factories in China. They knew this was going to happen and have issued a tissue of lies to dealers for the last 2 years regarding delivery dates etc but have not once suggested we would not get what we ordered.

They will no doubt keep the bulk back to supply direct through their website ensuring they don't lose out and stuff the dealers who've supported them for many years.

If you have ordered with a dealer I suggest you check with them NOW to see if they can supply. Their are going to be a lot of disappointed modellers out there.

Please don't start attacking the dealers though. This daft situation has cost a lot of us a big loss in potential sales and for some of us our only big seller this year has been ripped out from underneath us.

You couldn't make this rubbish up!

 

[The Stationmaster]

Hornby cleared out of Sanda Kan quite  along time ago so why is it that Sanda Kan manufactured items are only now coming to the marketplace?  Fowler tank last month, 'Exeter' this month, I wonder what it will be next month?

[steviesparx]

Hi All,

The ongoing saga regarding Hornby's inabilility to supply R3115 Exeter seems to be coming to a head. The model came in to them in the last few days.

This morning I was told that only 290 units have been delivered to Hornby for distribution AND THAT'S ALL THERE ARE GOING TO BE!!!!

That equates to less than one per dealer before allowing for the one they'll sell direct through their webshop....

Available on the Hornby website now, and it let me add more to the basket -  so, if you want one....http://www.Hornby.com/br-4-6-2-exeter-west-country-class-br-green.html

 

How do you know there's only 290 ?

[Andy Y]

Available on the Hornby website now, and it let me add more to the basket -  so, if you want one....http://www.Hornby.com/br-4-6-2-exeter-west-country-class-br-green.html

 

 

Rub some salt in the wound why don't you?

 

The point is the writer would like more than one, so he could put them on the shop shelves and perform a useful function as a Hornby stockist.

 

I can tell who it is and I'd say it's understandable he's a bit miffed.

[leopardml2341]

Because of seeing this I followed the link and if I'd really wanted to I could have bought 19 from Hornby website.

[Stevelewis]

I just  put  295 in my basket  cost  £39000+  and  it  accepted  that  quantity OK  quickly  amended  to  1  though!!

[Ian Hargrave]

Assuming that the normal Hornby production run is 1000 units and that 290 are earmarked,as is posted above,for distribution ,does this mean that the rest of the run are for direct sales from Hornby....or is that figure the total sum in the container ? 290 and that's your lot.

Or maybe it's drip feed again and there's more to come,as is their habit recently.

 

Some confusion here.I have one on order with a retailer.I will be on the phone p.d.q.tomorrow.Been here before,I think...what goes round,comes round.

 

Will somebody tell us WHY it has to be this way....the day after we see Hornby publish a list of delivery dates and we think that things are improving with more transparency.? Woe is me,the fog has descended again .

[3rd Rail Exile]

That really doesn't sound good.  I've had a pre-order in (with a well-known box shifter) since Jan 2012 (though it appears to have shifted to July 2012 when other items on the original order were dispatched), but given the news above I've felt compelled to purchase direct from Hornby to have the best chance of actually getting one at all! 

 

Which now begs the question - do I cancel the pre-order?  I certainly wouldn't object to having two if I'm lucky enough (no, it won't end up on eBay), but if it deprives someone else then that's not exactly fair...  I guess the first thing to do is see if the one from Hornby actually turns up - Stevelewis's little test looks like it tells us that Hornby's website doesn't know how many they've actually got?

 

Getting away from the selfish "how do I ensure I get hold of one" viewpoint and trying to see the wider picture, would it have been better if Hornby had "gone public" with the situation but said that they would not sell the 290 original units until they'd got a new factory up to speed to make sufficient more to cover demand?  Or are they really that cash-strapped that they have to sell everything that arrives on the boat from China pdq irrespective of the furore it might cause?  Certainly a kick in the teeth for the retail trade to lose a big seller such as this...

[andyman7]

Some will have gone to overseas agents (there's 2 available apparently from an Australian retailer on ebay at the moment). The main message for the rest of us is if you want one and see it on sale, don't hesitate, and don't angle on waiting to find it cheaper. 

I can see how frustrating this is for dealers but if that's what they have, then I can't see they have any choice but to sell them - I can't see any point in them holding on to the stock until they make more. The supply from Hornby has improved this year - still lots of delays but compared to last year, much more product has come through, so hopefully a further batch of this or another BR WC will appear without quite such a wait.

[Ian Hargrave]

Kernow''s newsletter has just arrived,telling the whole sorry story.They cannot fulfil their pre orders either. Go onto their website for further details.It does not make for comfortable reading,I'm afraid.Apparently ,Hornby only found out when they arrived that Kader (sic!) had not fulfilled the full order.

We'll,,,,that's the story,anyway. Kernow wryly draw our attention to the knowledge that they are on Hornby'website. It has not gone down well,that's for sure.

A pretty shabby business all round.....again.

[robmcg]

If these models are SK produced they must be old production.  And if 290 is the total, I wouldn't expect a new run to be imminent.

 

On the other other hand Hornby deliveries are so sporadic they might find a container with thousands of lost or forgotten models.... I'm not holding my breath though.  I feel sorry for retailers.

[phil gollin]

.

.............  Or maybe it's drip feed again and there's more to come,as is their habit recently.   ...........

 

.

.

.

 

The cynic in me makes me believe this is another 2-BIL episode where some time in the New Year suddenly more will turn up !

 

I believe that this is a way for Hornby to try to get as many sales at full retail price rather than their retailers to earn their living.

 

IF SO, it is not good for either the retailers, or the modellers.

 

.

[Ian Hargrave]

If these models are SK produced they must be old production.  And if 290 is the total, I wouldn't expect a new run to be imminent.

 

On the other other hand Hornby deliveries are so sporadic they might find a container with thousands of lost or forgotten models.... I'm not holding my breath though.  I feel sorry for retailers.

I feel sorry for everyone bruised by this latest episode. All this will do is breed lack of trust,a scramble for R3115 and a feast for the hovering e-bay vultures.Does it really have to be like this?

[Wicor Models]

I have just spoken with our Hornby rep regarding Exeter.  It appears this was the last model from SK and they produced around 250 and that was it.  The model was already considerably oversold and allocation was going to be the case anyway.  There appears little chance that there will be any further production of this model unless Hornby can get the tool from SK and then move it to one of their factories, cancel another item and use the slot to produce Exeter.

It's not our fault and it doesn't appear to be Hornby's fault.

 

Dave

[brushman47544]

Hornby cleared out of Sanda Kan quite  along time ago so why is it that Sanda Kan manufactured items are only now coming to the marketplace?  Fowler tank last month, 'Exeter' this month, I wonder what it will be next month?

The Sanda Kan production of these is certainly odd, but didn't Hornby say that their "split" from SK and payment for tooling included production of models up to last July? If so Exeter could be one of the last models always planned for SK production, it's just taken a bit longer than planned and fewer have been produced. What is much more strange, to me at least, is the implication from Kernow's newsletter that the A4 Bittern with double tender is also SK production. What does that mean for Hornby's A4 tooling since A4s have been coming out of Refined (REF) for some time, including the Great Gathering and Goodbye sets. More than one set of tools?

 

Back to Exeter, I wonder what it means for the Collectors Club model of 34070 Manston, now apparently to appear in 2015. Presumably this will now be from a new factory, but will the tooling need to be adapted as a result. I suspect we may not see further streamlined WC/BB models for a while unless new tooling is being made.

[Forester]

But then who would want a model of Exeter with an early crest high-sided tender attached to a late-styled panel-lined cab which it never wore, as the tender was modified at the same time Exeter was rebuilt in 1957?

Of course, going by past experience, the Hornby picture may bear no relation to the actual model ..............

[Ian Hargrave]

I have just spoken with our Hornby rep regarding Exeter.  It appears this was the last model from SK and they produced around 250 and that was it.  The model was already considerably oversold and allocation was going to be the case anyway.  There appears little chance that there will be any further production of this model unless Hornby can get the tool from SK and then move it to one of their factories, cancel another item and use the slot to produce Exeter.

It's not our fault and it doesn't appear to be Hornby's fault.

 

Dave

So everyone is blameless then ? So convenient....now we can all get a night's sleep secure in that knowledge.It's those Chinese again.And that is the problem,isn't it? No one claims ownership,no one accepts responsibility and the way spirals downhill from here...all the way to the bottom.

[brushman47544]

But then who would want a model of Exeter with an early crest high-sided tender attached to a late-styled panel-lined cab which it never wore, as the tender was modified at the same time Exeter was rebuilt in 1957?....

Me - I was hoping to make a name & number change and swop the tender body for a cut down 4500g version with late crest. We'll see...

[2ManySpams]

Is now a good time to mention I've a dozen or so BoB/WC coming up for sale?

[Forester]

Me - I was hoping to make a name & number change and swop the tender body for a cut down 4500g version with late crest. We'll see...

 

Why would you do that to what looks like being a rare and valuable (if inaccurate) model when there are so many mint Wiltons out there at a fraction of the price?

[The Stationmaster]

Is now a good time to mention I've a dozen or so BoB/WC coming up for sale?

Maybe is just that you had, hm, too many spams and now need the money to buy bits for a proper engine

 

But getting back to the OP and some subsequent comments I think we are again seeing some of the lack of trust I have spoken about in the past - Hornby must have known how many pre-orders they had (I hope) therefore they should order enough from the factory to cover that requirement.  If that means ordering more than they have orders for because the factory only makes multiples of X hundred then order enough to cover the pre-orders and offer the rest to the retail trade - no problem, no disgruntled retailers, happy consumers.

 

But they do appear to have some odd ideas on numbers - a little bird sitting on a retail tree told me yesterday that the last batch of P2s arrived at Hornby this week - 60 of them.  I know not which version but what a peculiar number - one factory makes only 60 of something while another makes 290 and yet 'everybody' tells us that the Chinese factories work to specific batch sizes for production purposes and the numbers 60 and 290 are never mentioned in that context.

 

Is someone being less than straight with the trade, and hence us the end consumer?

[robmcg]

The Sanda Kan production of these is certainly odd, but didn't Hornby say that their "split" from SK and payment for tooling included production of models up to last July? If so Exeter could be one of the last models always planned for SK production, it's just taken a bit longer than planned and fewer have been produced. What is much more strange, to me at least, is the implication from Kernow's newsletter that the A4 Bittern with double tender is also SK production. What does that mean for Hornby's A4 tooling since A4s have been coming out of Refined (REF) for some time, including the Great Gathering and Goodbye sets. More than one set of tools?

 

Back to Exeter, I wonder what it means for the Collectors Club model of 34070 Manston, now apparently to appear in 2015. Presumably this will now be from a new factory, but will the tooling need to be adapted as a result. I suspect we may not see further streamlined WC/BB models for a while unless new tooling is being made.

 

I am guessing that Hornby has a number of SK manufactured Britannias which being sold as limited edition 70043 and 70044. But at least these weren't subject to unfulfilled pre-orders from retailers.

 

I wonder the various Bulleid Pacific model's tools will end up with another manufacturer, if they haven't already? It might depend on sales of existing models in all parts of Hornby in the next few months, together with another extension to banking covenants (not sure if that's the best term, 'overdraft' might be better), before decisions are made about which models are to appear.

 

By setting up direct sales in Hornby.com and realising maximum mark-up , and not supporting pre-orders from retailers, it will look good on the balance sheet, I suppose.  I'm not sure of the etiquette involved in manufacture/wholesale/retail, there are no doubt many opinions.

 

I have bought an 'Exeter' from Hornby and to be honest rather like the idea that it will possibly be rare, but mostly I have bought it because I collect models of attractive and interesting express engines, photograph them and sometimes re-sell them. Mostly, I just like Spamcans.

 

But today, I am photographing a 'Britannia' 70000 one of the 'proper' green versions, and am wondering about Hornby's various renditions of BR Brunswick green, which is severely off-thread, except inasmuch Exeter is likely to be rather similar in colour.

 

Enough rambling from me, and I'm sorry I cannot measure the damage done to Hornby's retailers, it might well be considerable, models arriving in very small numbers certainly is strange.

 

edit; p.s. if someone reading this has bought an 'Exeter' it would be nice to see a basic photo and confirmation that it is SK branded.

[Ian Hargrave]

According to the Kernow newsletter,Hornby state that Kader are responsible for the shortfall of supply.

 

As to the veracity of Hornby's statement,none of us "could possibly comment".

[Gwiwer]

Kernow MRC's statement is here:

 

 

 

We have received a delivery from Hornby. Items R3099 / R3103 / R3115 / R3129 have been supplied today but only a tiny fraction of our order has been delivered. Hornby advise there will be no more of these items and we regret with the exception of R3103 we do not have enough to cover our pre-orders. Hornby say this is because Kader have only supplied a very small quantity of these models which they evidently only found out once they sent the deliveries out yesterday. We can only apologise for this as it is completely out of our control, although we do note that Hornby appear to have these models available for direct sale from their own website.

 

Three items they cannot fulfil even pre-orders on.  

 

I can understand not only retailers but customers being more than a little miffed at this.  We trust our retailers and we often support our chosen businesses.  It is not their fault that Hornby choose to indulge in or suffer these tactics from their own suppliers but the loss is across the board from us through the retailers to Hornby suffering loss of sales and business credibility.

 

I wouldn't want to be manning their stand at Warley in the light of this information.

 

We have been here before.  I had thought things were improving but it seems not.  Why should I trust Hornby in 2015?

[darren01]

Is now a good time to mention I've a dozen or so BoB/WC coming up for sale?

Please don't forget me.

Darren