Widnes Model Centre

Ours have arrived.Great artwork on the box. Sorry, too well packed to show contents. Impressed? We are.

Hi Mike, maximum Hornby discount is 10%. In a perfect world what you suggest would be ideal. When we order Hornby items and I will use the Hornby seven car APT as an example; Ordered at £484.99 in January 2020. Arrived in January 2022 at £586.99 after a number of price increases which were passed on to the retailer but original price honoured by Hornby to direct sales customers. If we took a deposit at £484.99 and applied maximum retailer discount, price would have been £436.49. Remember this is a dealer discount not a price reduction built in by Hornby, this comes out of our profit, not Hornby's. The price difference would be £150 ish on full RRP. Would Hornby query why we were selling at £435 when maximum discount is at time of arrival 10 % taking price to £528.29, thereby breaking our Terms and Conditions? Not to mention breaking our financial worries. Interestingly I had a look at current APT prices. They are listed online for £365.99 for the 5 car, both 2020 releases and this years, 2022 release. The rrp is £477.99. The listing shows a lot of Hornby products but I cannot see them listed as a stockist on the Horby website.

We are certainly very wary of taking preorders. We still have items that you could put on the "Endangered List". We have fallen foul of the "I ordered from multiple retailers to make sure I got my loco". We appear to have been down their list in Alphabetical Order and still have preorders that were not taken up. This deprives the customer who normally only places orders with us and then has to go elsewhere due to us reaching our allocation. At the same time we have had preorders not taken up as we are Tier 2 and even the most trustworthy customers thought we might not be able to get their item from Hornby. They then bought direct from Hornby to ensure they get their item. Theme here ? (The actual fact is that we never let any customer down who had their orders confirmed by us. We only sell what we have been allocated and not one item more.) The problem this creates with limited numbers is that there is often nothing to put on the shelf next to the Laminated Book of Dreams and Broken Promises. Also known as the Hornby Catalogue. This even applies to preordering new release Airfix kits. These are not limited but customers think going direct is the safest route.

From memory it started but never really got off the ground under the previous board. I do remember one of the items we had to stock had not been available for a long time and was still out of stock. Right hand and left hand out of sync?

I think this relates to terms and conditions in the past. We had to stock certain items, one of which from memory was a Hornby Turntable and other items deemed as "must have in stock Hornby items". They also had to be on display in a prominent position. We stocked Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix, Humbrol and Corgi. Trying to display five brands all in a prominent position proved futile and was never muttered again. These condition no longer apply. We are not forced to take any stock that we haven't ordered. Hope this clarifies the current situation.

When l started going to Hattons, l only ever recall Norman being there. It was the original shop in Smithdown Road. That would be 50+ years ago. Lived around the corner and went most Saturdays. Absolutely loved that shop. Probably Norman’s fault l have my own shop. The fear of going in, overcome by excitement.

We have all read about the decline of the High Street Model Shop. Big reduction in footfall. High rents, business rates, cost of parking, Covid etc... l have just come up with another reason.... Another sleepless night. Off down to Aldi to buy a cheap Airfix kit. Give me something to take my mind off things.

Like most retailers preordered in January 2020. We pay the latest price at time of dispatch not the preorder price. Can anyone confirm the original release price for the five and seven car sets?

Confusing isn't it? Earlier post from me stating that the price to retailers was at the latest price increase as they hadn't arrived and been despatched to retailers in time for the 15th January cut off date.

Hi Mark, Yes aware that the 5 car have been on the Hornby website for over a week and now the 7 car is on there. However Hornby say to the trade that retailers stock hasn't arrived yet. Latest update is the the 5 and 7 car are due "imminently".

Absolutely, couldn't agree more. You obviously haven't picked up that I am a Hornby Retailer. The "bad information" is coming from Hornby. I was using you as an example not realising that you would state I was "all kinds of chewed up". Merely pointing out that Hornby had sent your set to the USA but none to it's retailers inthe UK. If you want some more "bad information". The latest from Hornby is that the 5 and 7 car sets,as of today, 01/17/2022 (to save you getting confused I have used the US date system" are"due imminently".

The APT five car sets are due into the UK today,19th January 2022. Hopefully be with retailers this week according to Hornby. As they have arrived after the deadline of 15th January they will be sent to UK retailers at the latest increased price. Good to see that a member in Ohio, USA has already received the model direct from Hornby and at the original 2020 price. Not sure how that happened as they haven’t arrived yet at Hornby.

Hi Spamcan61. Certainly not going to argue with you’re maths, l haven’t got a clue. But that seems a lot. We often get pallet deliveries and envisaging a cubic metre is easy. If l am reading your post correctly, 860 items on a cubic metre pallet? Saw we pay £100 (just for maths purposes for a Hornby loco) that pallet would cost us £86,000, if my maths is correct oh plus VAT. Have l got that right, I’m not sure myself? Hornby as a group import Airfix, Scalextric etc. Airfix are basically big boxes with a lot of voids at a much lower price than railways. Cost per m3 is presumably much higher. Humbrol paint is produced in the UK, but l believe the tins, plastic bottles are imported from China. Wouldn’t want to cost shipping on empty tins etc. 40000+ items in a single container for Hornby? Wouldn’t want to book them in and put on shelves.

The $800 l was told was the price in 2019, pre pandemic. Sounds about right.

Where do you live and is the garage locked? l was also told by a neighbour about the wind turbines and he did say how much each one cost. Can’t remember exactly but it was in the £ millions. About 12 months, give or take a year or so ago. Had a balsa sheet priced at £2.67. Re stock price was £5.76 exact same size. I can remember when 2s 6d , that was half a crown wasn’t it? Would buy enough to make a large boat including the glue. Bought from the Handyman’s Supermarket in Smithdown Road, Liverpool. A few streets down from my favourite model shop. Sorry Norman, l only got so much pocket money.

We Posted this and saw AY Mod had posted. I deliberately mixed up US Dollars as that is the currency used to pay for containers and Sterling gives a UK perspective. No matter what currency or maths we use. $800 compared to $18000, doesn’t give a difference of £7000. It’s approximately £12,500+ more. All dependent as well on currency fluctuations which l haven’t followed for the past two years. In addition, haulage companies were charging very high rates to collect and deliver to the UK from continental ports. All this his information is what we have been told re shipping. Posted and then saw AY Mod had already replied.

Hi Sam, A couple of years ago it was around $800, not £5000. That was for a forty foot container. Realistically $800 would add nothing to the price of anything but the cost would be factored in. Now as much as $18000. All relative, but if you could fit 18,000 items of rolling stock in the same container and l can’t envisage that amount. It would add $1 to very item, if only 9,000 items, then two dollars etc. Some years we would import PWC’s (jet ski’s) into the UK at around £300 for a twenty foot container. Held six in their shipping crates. Price for one was retail around £8000. At today’s shipping costs that would add $3000 to each jet ski. If today’s price is £12000 for a jet ski, imagine adding $3000 to a preorder! Don’t think any company in our trade can swallow these price increases. What is really scary is shipping the likes of balsa wood. Have you seen how much that has gone up?

Hi @Shedmaster pre pandemic a container could cost as little as $800, now circa $14000 to $18000. Many factors but from memory really kicked in around September 2020. Predictions that this may stabilise after Chinese New Year in relation to shipping times. But cost is expected to remain the same. There was/is a shortage of containers as they were left empty/full in various ports around the world. Not sure if still ongoing but the likes of Felixstowe we’re so congested ships were taking them to Rotterdam etc and companies had to get them collected and brought via road. But as we have been hearing, shortage of HGV drivers. We have stopped importing from EU due to overall costs and the B word.

Hi Coryton, sorry for the laughing emoji on your post, but what you have written as your description of the Tier system is what it should be. Reality is that it is far from true. You have described Tier 1 as being exactly what our shop is. We are Tier 2, Heritage Centres and Museum type shops etc. Full details of Tier 2 as below. Certainly went away from the "bricks and mortar"image. Those who have been nominated to Tier 2 tend to be the types of outlet that include heritage centres or museums. Those outlets designated Tier 2 must also be able to offer help, support and advice for their customers and are willing to promote Hornby products. Good credit and payment history must also be a factor and their willingness to accept and work within the Hornby Hobbies terms and conditions of trading. Tier 2 will also include those on-line retailers who are also prepared to offer help, support and guidance to their customers.

To give you an idea of the demand for these. We have received requests for 84 of theses wagons today. Every other call was a Drax request, Facebook, email, you guys tried every which way today. One retailer rang me to see if we had any to spare. He didn't know what Tier he was in. Presumed we were Tier 1, we're not. We didn't even receive any. First I knew about the wagons was via an email request. We have no clue who is in Tier 1, doesn't help people trying to find "specials" like this.

Hi, Looking for advice re APT formation on a nine or eleven car unit. Certainly not an area I have a clue about. Ideally giving the Hornby R numbers to make up the APT than actually ran on the West Coast Mainline. TIA

I remember going across on the Transporter. Fabulous piece of engineering. The toll booth is pretty much the only thing remaining. Now we have the Britannia/ Ethelfeda bridge. Silver Jubilee and Mersey Gateway bridges. All within about half a mile of each other. For the engineers amongst us. The viaduct taking the trains towards Britannia Bridge has a spiral arch. I was told that this was necessary due to the extreme length of the viaduct. It is subject of much study by bridge design students from around the world. Tried to photograph it once but couldn’t get the detail as it is so large. Unique in as much that you have to pay to go over everyone of them, one of them used to be toll free.

Every time l hear mention of Tiers, Tears For Souvenirs goes through my head. True story: I was about to step into the witness box when there was an almighty cheer and sound of loud applause. The Judge asked me as the only Police officer in the court to find out what was happening. l returned to a ‘Well?’. ‘Your Honour, it appears Mr Dodd, has been found not guilty of defrauding the Inland Revenue’. Judge who was well known for his wit. ‘Did he’. ‘No your Honour, Doddy’. Judge also knew my sense of humour when he was a barrister. Short remission, while the court composed itself.

You’re probably right. Not many could afford them. Full of Premier League footballers and ex-Beatles etc.

Runcorn has a garage that sell Michelin tyres. Does that count?