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Hornby Novelty Wagons


mick
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Given the alleged financial difficulties that Hornby appear to be experiencing at the moment, I find myself unable to grasp how they can commit resources to producing novelty items such as the following Father's Day wagon:

http://www.hornby.com/uk-en/fathers-day-open-wagon-2016.html

Didn't they also produce a Downton Abbey train set not too long ago? What on earth was that all about and who are the expected customers of such things?

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I suppose the "Merry Christmas" wagons fall into the same category, for the market of "wives and children who don't understand", but the year suffix (2008 onwards) has apparently also made them "collectible" as very few retailers stocked them. Perhaps they were exclusive to Modelzone but I'm not sure. Some people would buy a stack as soon as they became available and flog them on eBay at 2 or 3 times what they'd paid for them. I suppose there were no tooling costs (except for the initial pile of presents) and nothing was spent on advertising them so presumably they made some money for Hornby or they wouldn't have carried on with them for over 5 years.

Hornby has made some very strange marketing decisions though, I completely agree. I also thought the Downton Abbey set was a daft idea.

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I think the problem is that Hornby dont know who they are or who there customers are anymore. If you say model train the first thing people say is Hornby. Thirty years ago that was it you either bought Hornby or built it from a kit End off. Today there just one of many players all after a limited market. Add to that the duplication of models by differant companys and your in a fight for customers which l think Hornby are loosing.

Moving production to China may have kept costs down but China is no longer cheap. They have discovered that when it comes to it they can up there prices and as they have all the tooling in place and the customer has no alternitive but to pay there price or bare the cost of moving elsewhere with the resultant lose of production whilst this happens.

The leadin time for new models must be around two year now from conception to shelf so livery changes and limited additions are a quick way of turning a buck.

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Hornby are stuck selling to two markets "Train set" and "Model Railway".

We don't have train sets, we have model railways. We don't understand the train set end of the market.

If Dad has bought a train set, for his son, to play with. This is a great gift to receive on fathers day.

Railroad is for the Train Set market, Model Railway enthusiasts buy them and often express disappointment at the product. TTS Sound is a Train Set product. It is bizarrely cheap, yet people complain that you can't play multiple sounds at once.

There is an area where Hornby do fail because of these two markets, they sell Model Trains as Train sets. A couple of years ago they released the Northern Belle, but only produced 6 of the 11 coaches for the train. The East Coast InterCity 225 came with coaches with different running numbers, but still missed two of the coaches. Going back 7 years, The EWS Managers train was sold as a Train Pack of loco, 2 coaches and a DVT, the third coach had to be purchased separately. It did't surprise me that the extra coach sold-out way before the Train Pack and thus retailers had to discount it heavenly to shift it.

I'm happy for them to make cheep or gimmicky products, what I don't like is when they fail to realise that the difference in the products they sell extends beyond the build quality of their models.

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  • 1 month later...
mick said:

Given the alleged financial difficulties that Hornby appear to be experiencing at the moment, I find myself unable to grasp how they can commit resources to producing novelty items such as the following Father's Day wagon:

http://www.hornby.com/uk-en/fathers-day-open-wagon-2016.html

Didn't they also produce a Downton Abbey train set not too long ago? What on earth was that all about and who are the expected customers of such things?

It is not really a big investment Mick, new decals for a few quit, and it will sell to relatives who doesn't understand the railway modelers world.

Followed with a big thanks and a false smile, perhaps we have forgotten that it is the gesture that counts :D

And yes I agree with you, they better could spend there resources wiser.

They seem to forget that the average age who still is interested in model railways is over 40, we are not the public anymore who buy an oval set with a cheap model in it, and think that it's the end of the world.

And lets face it, if we would buy such a set, it would be for our grandchildren.

And they look at us and think, even often say it in our face, "what the F*** is this, I want a computer game" with a face like this :evil: or this :mrgreen: , :lol:

I always found Hornby a cheap, affordable brand who every time surprise me with relative very good looking models.

Of course they only could just keep doing this, and keep their head above water by producing their models in cheap labor countries now.

If It would be an EU production, your average model would cost you 3X what you pay now.

Look at Märklin, 300 to 500 euro for an average model is normal there.

And even they are dancing on the edge to disappear.

Believe me many modelers will stop their hobby at those prices.

That's why I like Hornby so much, an average good price for a good looking model to enjoy.

If only they would leave the toy and giftshop department behind and invest a bid more in their DCC system that is well on it's way.

Perhaps less new model releases, but all kept at an sensible and affordable prices for all enthusiast is the real goal here.

And to all wives and children who want to surprise their dads, a new point or a couple of new tracks are always welcome and more attractive to us :lol:

Cheers,

Danny

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Maybe I was being a bit harsh on Hornby. I just find it difficult to take Hornby seriously in the model railway stakes when they continue to release gimmicky wagons like this under the same brand name.

I don't claim to understand the first thing about marketing or the economics of the model railway business but wouldn't Hornby just be better deciding where their future lies and concentrating on that aspect of it rather than putting all their products in the one box? Or is it simply that the Hornby brand name can sell almost anything and that's the reason they use it in such an all encompassing manner?

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You where not harsh on Hornby Mick, I totally agree with you.

And one should tell them this once in a while.

But I think it's because we approach it from a collectors/modelers view, and the see it as a toy.

Even the big German brands like Märklin/Trix, Rocco etc. bring out these nonsense production.

They also had a liquor bottle in form of a wagon, a locomotive in form of a pig etc...

It seem that every brand has it's lunatic designer.

30455_zpste7k5q5w.jpg

Do these product sell, yes probably.

Who to, not me, that is for sure.

Is it worth while, I think so, otherwise they would not repeat this nonsense.

I think we best can look away , and hope that no one buys it for us :lol: SURPRISE!!!

Cheers,

Danny

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