jixer

I think the most significant announcement they could make, leveraging their 100 year anniversary, would be a commitment to bring their manufacturing back to the UK. It wouldn't be easy, it wouldn't be quick and it wouldn't be cheap. But, sooner or later, they are going to have to tackle the root cause of their endless delays and quality issues. And it would surely help them, at least in the long run, get a far better grip on their business. Perhaps look to Roco and what they've done in Eastern Europe, as a possible example.

I would think it likely that all Bachmann pre-orders at Hatton's are uncertain until the dispute between the two companies is settled. It is impossible to know if or when that might happen. At the moment, if you have a Bachmann preorder with them, then you are essentially hoping the dispute will be settled before the model is released. That'll be too much of a risk for many.

All the coaches seem to be everywhere at the mo. They have hit eBay. My local model shop has lots of each type, including the TSOs. Looks like they went on sale in Liverpool first and the TSOs went quickly from that seller. But they are widely available everywhere else, as the stock comes on stream across multiple outlets.

I'm a bit puzzled about all the talk about these being 'sold out'. The Liverpool box shifter had them up first and, yes, the TSO went pretty quickly. But the other coaches are still available with 'over 10 in stock'. And now I see the Sheffield box shifter has the TSOs freely available. All the coaches are also available at my local shop. Could Oxford have maybe sent these out in a limited way initially and the sellers are still waiting for proper stock? Anyway, whatever the answer, perhaps a tad early to say they're sold out.

Here's hoping! That news was by far the most exciting bit for me from the combined Hornby/Bachmann 2019 announcements.

Yes, I guess we're all waiting for that 'definitive' Mk3 (in all its guises). Lima, Hornby and Oxford have all got bits right, but not the whole thing. And that's quite something really, when you think just how important and prolific these coaches are.

I'm going to have to go against the tide and say that I, personally, don't think the silver window printing works. It was good that they tried. But printing the silver on the window itself, rather than the frame, makes the Mk3 windows look much too small. I can't live with that. And that's before I start on the bodyside grey colour, which remains just plain wrong, regrettably.

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Quick question. Has this new batch of 33s switched to LED lighting? Or still.the same bulb arrangements? Cheers!

There appears a fair bit of confusion creeping in to this discussion about the HSTs on offer. The HST in the GWR train set appears to be Hornby's ancient own original (and incorrect) model from the 70s (which I think we all thought had been consigned to the crusher). The ones in the Railroad blue/grey train pack are the ex-Lima model, probably with the updated DCC-ready power bogie (that Hornby released once before, years ago, as a Railroad Virgin HST train pack). The rest of the HSTs are the newer mega detailed ones. I would also be weary about assuming the Pullmans in the Belmond pack are the newer detailed ones. The price of the pack suggests otherwise. But let's see.

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These, for me, are the highlight of the announcement. Great to see new gen MK3 tooling, reflecting the coach's own evolution, and Hornby doing something nobody else is. Brilliant!

Just can't help thinking that cash-conscious Hornby should have deployed the resources spent on these for a different fight. We'll see!

Pretty surprised by this. Seems a tad illogical on first pass. Bachmann are surely going to do these liveries too at some point. Their model really is the state of the art for the Mk2f. And I can't see Hornby changing that. So Bachmann is likely to remain the preferred option for modellers. It will be very interesting to see how the Hornby ones do in the market.

Just to add something that Dave might not be aware of. I'm one of those that hasn't yet repaid their deposit. The reason being is that I followed the link on Dave's email (that should have taken me to the new version of my order) but found that the model combination allocated to me was not the one I had originally signed up for and paid my deposit for. That means I'm going to have to go the main site and order the one I actually want from there. But if that kind of 'wrinkle' is happening to other people then it might account for some of the drop off in people signing up again. I know it's not the biggest deal but for some it could cause confusion/be annoying and possibly prompt them to wait until they're confident the main site and its payment system is up and running properly. Just a thought!