Trains4U

3 days in and this has proven to be one of the most popular preorders in such a short time that I’ve ever experienced. I expect we will sell out of some versions before release You can find the link to our order form on our homepage. No deposit required and no obligation!

Look what’s arrived!

Hi, sorry for the delay, the order form can now be accessed here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSean3LVVxx_o6ns-xV8zLLBfs9P-Zxt-auMXi_UX9PSVHCArw/viewform?usp=sf_link Thanks

We are also taking orders... Let us know what you want https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2JBxsjQIMNx7zZrxPPWwzBCufEE1f5g2P3yxWwolukS07Og/viewform

Help struggling retailers by not buying from them? Sorry, maybe I misinterpreted the point you are trying to make, but how does that help?

I've had confirmation that they are at the Heathrow reception centre - so we are at the will of the customs officials, but all going well, it shouldn't be more than a few days before we get them. We have a lot of people still to contact and an enormous number of models to send out, so please be patient with us.

The recent announcement and debate around a competing product has clearly brought our models to the attention of new customers, as we have seen a flurry of orders for Cavalex MGRs over the weekend. Whilst we have inevitably had a few cancellations, we are in a position where we are having to increase our production run as we have orders for 90% of our planned run, with some variants having significantly oversold original estimates. We know that our MGR is expensive, but you can see why when you look at the details. From the outset, our aim has been to focus on quality without having to be constrained by price. This means that we can concentrate on ensuring that the end products are as fine and detailed as possible, whilst avoiding any obvious compromises in the tooling or construction methods. We have a couple of revisions and alterations in the works that will ensure that our accuracy levels are unsurpassed. Watch out for our final decorated samples which are due very soon! But here are a few tasters of the detail you can expect: (Factory finished first samples shown)

Hi Don’t worry, we have plenty of stock. we are processing payments as the wagons are now with UK customs and we are expecting them in the next week. We should get to you soon!

Ive still got loads

No this has been picked up and is being corrected

I am seriously impressed with the finish of the hoods on the CDA it looks like real tarpaulin

Ooh they do look good!

Yes R3434 “Channel Packet” and R3435 “Royal Mail” expect to pay £230-£275 if you manage to locate a second hand one though.

They are on the way! we have been exploring shipping options. I hope to have a clearer picture early next week, but hopefully they will be with us soon!

I think I'm done with this topic now. Anything else will just be repeating myself - and I don't want to sound like a broken record... (Besides, I don't want to risk writing something emotional ) I've given as much detail as I sensibly can from the retail point of view - its all there if you care to read back through the 70 odd pages that this has generated.

Our stock has arrived... http://www.trains4u.com/p/51638/Accurascale-ACC2400-KUA-KUA-Nuclear-Flask-Carrier-Twin-Pack

Actually, we are having supply issues with Peco, and we don't always know what we will get in the box, but Peco have been completely transparent about their issues in providing covid-safe manufacturing and distribution capacity and the associated impact it has had on their product availability. It is a temporary problem that will be resolved and we are doing our best to support them, as they have supported us over the years.

Not with any of the other 20 or so suppliers I deal with, No.

No We place our orders in January production quantities are known (or at least planned) at that time and we are advised at the time or shortly afterwards if any items are restricted and given allocations. what is happening is that confirmed orders are being arbitrarily reduced by the supplier at short notice before delivery for whatever reason. It may be that covid has impacted factory capacity and Hornby have decided to have less of everything rather than none of something, restricting supply, there may be other reasons, we haven’t been told. all we are told is that our allocation is reduced, here is what you are getting and that’s final.

Lots of you are getting in a froth about how commissioned models might affect tiering decisions. to quote Hornby’s press release: Such Tier 3 designated retailers may also manufacture their own branded model railway items which might possibly conflict with those produced by Hornby Hobbies Ltd. livery commissions are not own branded, they are clearly manufacturer branded, though may have some retailer branded packaging elements, such as a label or differently coloured box. The KFA that I commissioned is exclusive to us, but not forever, and is in a Cavalex box The HAA is a Cavalex model and branded as such none of these examples contravene the statement above.

Having typed the above, I’ve just checked my emails to find an order amendment from Hornby (2 of the Beatles vans reduced) sigh...

I think that’s the second time you’ve pushed that button... Those models are commissioned from a manufacturer. We are not the manufacturer, we have no financial or other interest in the manufacturer and we do not own the tools. We have a degree of (time limited) exclusivity over some of the production run. we have exclusivity on the KFA and some other forthcoming models we have done it in the past with Bachmann There are lots of other retailers in the same position (Kernow, Gaugemaster, TMC, Olivias, Rails, Harburn... the list goes on)

I’ll also stress that Hornby did say that T2 retailers should still get most , if not all of what they order, though I suspect advice will be provided on how many are available to each retailer where product is scarce. I’m also hopeful that in future the confirmations will be more concrete, giving retailers confidence in how many models they can offer for preorder. I’m not suddenly going out and ordering 500 of everything, it’s not how we work and Hornby wouldn’t allow it anyway.

in all honesty, I don’t know. Under current circumstances, I’m not sure I can guarantee anything as we have been subjected to some allocation reductions. I know I’m unlikely to be allowed any more of the popular items than I already have on order.

I think everyone is reading a lot more into this than is the case... we only know what we have been told and what we have been told is what is shown on page 1 of this thread. Sales volume will be one of the factors in determining tier levels along with the others listed (this much was hinted at in the original communication in January) If Retailer sales volumes were plotted on a graph, the pattern would almost certainly have a hockey-stick shape, with lots of similar sized retailers, ramping up quickly to the biggest with some serious volumes We are probably somewhere on the lower half of the sharply upturning curve, bigger than perhaps 80% of the other retailers out there, but still miles behind the biggest retailers who are in turn a good 20 x or more bigger than us. And for the avoidance of doubt, T1 retailers do exist. We are one of them (and we are by no means one of the biggest out there)