Phil Parker

On 06/04/2024 at 17:40, Steamport Southport said:

Try selling fake Louis Vuitton bags or Manchester United shirts on eBay and see how much they care!

 

eBay are extremely strict on what is sold on their platform and will prosecute if they have evidence. But they need the evidence and I doubt a few old Hornby Dublo trains are worth even bothering about.

It's all here - https://pages.ebay.co.uk/authenticity-guarantee-seller/

On 06/04/2024 at 16:46, The Johnster said:

I hereby challenge eBay to prove me wrong by removing all their clearly dodgy stuff over the next week; I think we know how that's gonna play out, don't we children?

Get over yourself. If you think the company will splash millions on looking at every listing, then sending the goods to an expert to check authenticity, because some bloke on a forum challenged them, you are living in cloud cuckoo land.  As I've linked above, there is a procedure for high-value goods, but that doesn't include Hornby Dublo or any other toy train. And if it did, we can only imagine the howls of protest as the delivery of said toys was held up, and the buyer landed with a bill for the authentication.

Returning to the OP, has anyone worked out how much you would save buying a dodgy Dapol loco? A quick look at the prices suggests that by the time your postman has extracted the import duty from you on the doorstep (and you have headed to Facebook to have your tantrum about being taxed, whilst also moaning that your roads have potholes), the saving isn't really worth the effort. Now I know we are in a hobby where people scrabble around to save pennies, uninterested in the "big picture" damage they have already done to model shops etc., but I really don't see it's worth the trouble. It's not like Dapol stuff isn't pretty keenly priced anyway.

The ULF transmitter is at Rugby, which is why, according to someone who did know these things, it is the number 2 target for the Soviets. 

1 hour ago, ColinB said:

This is a risk that can happen when you "outsource" your product to a production facility out of your control. Even worse when it is in China and India, but business think they save a load of money so they do it. They don't seem to understand that the fakes will be exactly like their product because they will probably made by the same business. Sadly I have very little sympathy, it should be one of your design decisions when you decide to "Outsource". I know with batteries you have to be very careful as the fakes don't last as long and the rechargeables catch fire. Thanks for the heads up though.   

Ahh yes. Because this will only happen if you "outsource" your products.

When I went to Hornby for the press announcements in December, chatting to the man in charge of the breakfast area, I mentioned where I was heading. He then regaled me with tales of models leaving via the back door at Margate. Apparently, lots of people acquired their toy trains this way.

So, it happens in Blightly, and even when you own the factory.

Please do not paste links to eBay sales in this topic. Dapol has enough on their plate trying to stem the flow of these products, without people here making it easier.

25 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

That's why "smaller suppliers" exist and some modellers don't do r-t-r at all.

Chatting to the 3mm Society at York, TT120 has seen a marked interest in people taking out membership with them.

13 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

To be fair Phil as most modellers just don’t get the randomness you do begin to wonder if there’s much knowledge as the range is so disjointed.

Can't argue that it's not that joined up - I'd have launched with a Pannier, B set and some wagons - but with the gestation period of most models being greater than two years, the origins of this date back a lot further than 9am today. So to say the current company has no-one who knows anything about trains is unfair. That's the only point I'm making.

I've met the designers, and they know their stuff. Now, how much say they have over releases I don't know, but I suspect it's more than 18 months ago.

2 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

This is what happens when you run a model train company with people who know nothing about trains!

 

CJI.

I think Hornby's designers would take great exception to that statement.

3 minutes ago, RobAllen said:

Nowadays is that we think that someone shouldn't lose an arm or die on the job because of a preventable mistake.

Different times.

Spot on. I tend to ask people, "How many of your children are you willing to sacrifice so their boss can make more money?"

2 minutes ago, Hobby said:

Going onto the subject itself, though, why do I have the feeling that's 15 minutes of my life wasted? Surely they could have done some more such as estimated launch times for future (already announced) models?

That's why I don't like video for this sort of thing. You have to sit and wait.

You could have the same information much faster by heading to a news service and spending a couple of minutes reading - https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/hornby-reveals-new-products-for-tt120-range/ 

An excellent show as always. Some cracking layouts, but the highlight has to be the best custard doughnut I have ever eaten.

11 hours ago, decauville1126 said:

Buy a cheap gash etched loco/wagon/whatever kit from ebay and practice on that. You'll learn very quickly and at very little cost. Also cheap etched kits/bits can be found at local model railway exhibitions and swapmeets. Don't rush!

Hmmm. Trying to assemble and old, badly designed kit will put you right off. That's why I suggest something from Severn Models, it won't be covered in old solder. 

18 minutes ago, doilum said:

Start with a wagon.

Or a building. Severn Models have several that would make good starters. 

Is the cost of parking ag Glasgow really relevant to this topic?

1 minute ago, dasatcopthorne said:

I was exhibiting and had a Parking pass in my window in the Paddock.

 

Euro Car Parks have me for 24 hours from Sunday arrival at 08.53. £8.20

 

BRM get this sorted please.

 

Dave.

Message @SteveCole directly as asked. He'll need your registration number for a start.

2 minutes ago, fezza said:

when die-hard enthusiasts are driving to events, the railways have an affordability problem

That's been happening for years. I know several who wouldn't take the train no matter how little it cost.

48 minutes ago, fezza said:

There was actually a sign up on the Paddock car park machine saying parking was free to exhibition visitors. I queried this with a steward and they said it was free for exhibitors only - although that's not what the sign said. Later I noticed the sign was gone, but I wonder how many will receive letters?

Left over from a previous event apparently. When Cathy spotted it, the venue were politely requested to take them away.

57 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

 

Ye gods man, couldn't you have dunked them?!

 

 

No. Dunking just means cakey porridge in the bottom of a cup.

In other news, I could have sold a couple of copies of your Titfield book to people enjoying my little diorama.

1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

What I found most disturbing today was the cake stand filled with a model railway on the BRM stand and Phil standing around not making sure there was ACTUAL CAKE! 
 

You’re slipping Mr Parker😁

Cake was a bit of a disaster. There is a promising independent baker in Muswell Hill where I was staying. I stocked up on giant cookies, as they are easily transportable.

Each was like eating dust. They went in the bin!

27 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

I thought the show guide a great improvement over last year. However, finding your way around would be considerably improved if Stand Number display cards could provided to each stand. 

They are in the packs handed out on arrival. It's up to the exhibitors if and where they display them. 

Parking: @SteveCole is on this and trying to get it sorted.

On the positive side, several people have commented how pleasant and helpful the Ally Pally stewards are. I can't disagree, even the guy on the gate in the rain this morning was brilliant. 

7 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Question to the Warners team, I was told today when I arrived (as an exhibitor)  to park in the exhibitors marked carpark section and parking would be free.  
 

when leaving we noticed the ticket machines (and the ANPR mast), and checked the reg which showed as owing payment for parking.  Several other exhibitors saw the same same thing and went and paid (not wanting for fall foul of the dodgy parking company) and I did the same. 
 

would be good to know from anyone in the organising team what should have happened.

 

other than that slightly sour end to the day I had an enjoyable day out with DEMU.   I didn’t get much of a chance to see any layouts unfortunately,  (I’m not a fan of the separation of trade into one room and layouts in the other.)  We had a few people at the stand who hadn’t realised there was another hall hiding all the layouts 

That's interesting because I was also put in that car park, and didn't spot a flag about a fee owing, but I might just have missed it. I wonder if a letter will follow?

What should have happened? Exactly what did as far as I know. There was a list of those who could go down into the North car park, the rest are normally put into the one with a concrete base at the side, but the gate stewards didn't point anyone in there, directing us to the Ice Rink car park. 

I'll chase this up tomorrow. But for the moment, I'm in the same position as you. 

In all this, a good (and less controversial) guide is the Luton club's model of the Great Train Robbery. It was a static diorama, in a tent, where visitors were treated to a somewhat dry telling of the whole story, based on facts. The team had put a terrific amount of work in, to produce an accurate history, devoid of lurid detail.

Despite this, I know people who not only wouldn't look at it, they said it should be destroyed.

Online, magazines that featured the model saw comment sections with people screaming that they would never buy the magazine, and often anything from that publisher, ever again.

If we can't deal with a relatively minor (in comparison) event, I suggest that many wartime railways are far too challenging for us to deal with. Leave it to a museum.

I think part of it stems from the British attitude to WW2. There's a generation who think we won and should celebrate. Lots of "bang bang you're dead" style war films that gloss over the reality of conflict. Apart from the first half hour of Saving Private Ryan, it's all very sanitised.

Having taken Overlord (a model of Southamption Docks in the run-up to D-Day) to Germany, I know they, understandably, have a different attitude to conflict.

Anyway, mod hat on again, I'm just being careful, not trying to stiffle anything.