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Hornby 2011 range


mick
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Hornby released details of their new range of products for 2011 early on Christmas Day and whilst there were some welcome additions to the Horby fleet there were some that were also very surprising.

For the full range of products and comprehensive information you can view the Hornby 2011 range but I will just quickly run through some of those I think deserve a special mention here. Please bear in mind that these are my personal thoughts and I have no connection with any company mentioned here.

The train sets offer the usual assortment of Hornby models but it's in the Train Packs section where the surprises begin.

The all electric Pullman 'Brighton Belle' will be available as a twin car pack comprising 2 Pullman Driving Motor Brake Thirds (PulDMBT) with the Pullman Trailer First with Kitchen (PulTFK) and the Pullman Trailer Third (PulTTL) available as individual items to complete a 5-car set. Each coach will feature illuminated and detailed interiors.

The Brighton Belle operated between London Victoria and Brighton so its usefulness to many modellers will be limited but as a collectors model it could just be one of those 'must haves' of 2011. It certainly promises to be a stunning model.

If the 'Brighton Belle' is a welcome addition for the coming year then the new R3059 Train Pack 'Tornado Express' is one that few people could have expected. With the highly detailed Bachmann A1 model of 60163 Tornado already well established, Hornby must believe that there is room in the market place for another model of Tornado and to be honest while at first it felt simply 'confrontational' it may well have good financial viability for Hornby. To begin with, this new model from Hornby will retail, if first reports are accurate, at approx £50 below the current retail price of the Bachmann model. For a completely new tooling that's a significant price difference which begs the question of why most new models are thus so expensive? In addition, a cheaper 'Railroad' version of Tornado is also to be made available making it even more accessible to the masses. 'Tornado' has become a household name and coupled with the already famous Hornby brand I'm sure it will prove successful to the market that Hornby cater towards. Apart from the 'Tornado Express' Train Pack, Tornado will also be available individually as well as in the Railroad version already mentioned. Please see the Hornby 2011 catalogue for full details of liveries etc..

Another seemingly 'confrontational' release is the LNER 4-6-0 B1 locomotive. The B1 is another model currently produced by Bachmann, albeit one that is not currently DCC ready and one that is long overdue a chassis upgrade at the very least. The B1 would seem to be a logical progression from Hornby's current B17 but if Bachmann now decide to finally upgrade theirs then isn't it all needless duplication with resources that could have been better used elsewhere?

The Hornby 2P and 4F will receive chassis upgrades and be released as loco-drive although upgrades would appear to be limited to below the running plate.

On the coaching stock front there's news of the welcome addition of the Full Brake to the 61ft 6in Gresley coaches which will be available in LNER Teak and BR Maroon. There are also completely new models of Gresley non-corridor suburban coaches available in both LNER and BR versions which are most welcome.

The above are the highlights of Hornby's announcement for me so do let me know what you think of the Hornby 2011 range.

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I've been thinking about which loco to buy for Amblethorpe, as so far everything i've got is a multiple unit (if a HST is an MU) and I think the new Class 31 in Network Rail livery may have just made it to the top of the wish list.

The First GBRF 66 is interesting. With Eurotunnel recent take over I can't see the First livery lasting long on the prototype.

I can't find any new DMU's. I was rather hoping for a Pacer or a 150 in Norther Rail.

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I'm rather pleased with the Full Brake Gresley Coach in LNER Teak, as I'm currently building a rake of these - indeed Dad bought me a composite and a half brake for this rake this year, but a full brake would give me different options for it :)

The Tornado caught my eye too as I'd been looking at the Bachmann model anyway, but this purchase is a little way of for me at the moment, regardless.

I couldn't help but notice the unpainted resin buildings in the skaledale range. I wondered if they're the using the same productions process as the range of 1/76 unpainted resin buildings that have been released by Airfix this last year.

Finally, with Father Christmas bringing me and the kids a load of Thomas locos and rolling stock, I was rather taken with the upcoming Murdoch from the Thomas range. I mean, who wouldn't want a big golden 9F? :)

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I'm pleased with the news of a Gresley Full Brake too and I'm looking forward to the suburbans as well.

I'm still very surprised not only at the news of Hornby's model of Tornado but also at the suggested retail price. 'Hattons' are currently advertising the forthcoming R3070 'Special Edition' of Tornado for just £75 (compared to the same retailers current price of £129 for the Bachmann model). It will be interesting to see just how the Hornby model compares to the Bachmann in terms of overall accuracy and level of detail.

Got my eye on a 9F too but I'm awaiting Bachmann's 'Evening Star' in the early part of next year.

I'm trying not to get too enthusiastic about any other new releases from Hornby's announcement in an attempt to keep costs to a minimum as I still have several 2010 models to catch up with. If the B1 is as nice as their recent L1 then I might have to take a look at it and I haven't got an L1 yet!

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I bet the B1 will be a super model if it's anything like Hornby's recent offerings. I already have a Bachmann one but I feel that the Hornby one is going to be far superior.

I too am pleased to see the appearance of the LNER full brake and suburban coaches. Glad to see the 4f and 2p getting a loco drive at long last too.

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IanR said:

I bet the B1 will be a super model if it's anything like Hornby's recent offerings. I already have a Bachmann one but I feel that the Hornby one is going to be far superior.

I have every confidence in Hornby making a superb job of the B1 but had Bachmann chosen to upgrade their own model of the B1 earlier then we wouldn't be in this situation of having duplications on the market again. Do Bachmann now retaliate with an upgraded model of their own or give up on the B1 altogether?

Going back to the Blue Pullman as an example, Hornby had the opportunity to offer a new/upgraded model but chose not to despite the many requests from modellers for them to do so. Bachmann thus stepped in with their plans to produce an entirely new model for release during late 2011. It does of course remain to be seen if this decision will prove to have been a good one (and also whether Hornby have any lingering plans to offer a 'Railroad' version of the BP to steal the show which I wouldn't rule out)

If Hornby, in their wisdom, felt it not financially viable to produce the Blue Pullman themselves (which I assume is the primary reason that they chose not to go ahead previously) then why would Bachmann later decide it would be a good idea?

Likewise, Bachmann already have a decent B1 model base that requires an upgrade but they haven't felt it necessary to do so, hence Hornby step in with a new model thus making the current Bachmann one redundant almost.

Competition is good for the hobby as a whole but there are some areas that now feel extremely confrontational. What's going on?

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Competition is a good thing. Look at it this way. Hornby have noticed that their is room for improvement in Bachmanns B1 so they have gone out and made their own version which we all expect to be better. We will now have a choice as to which one we buy. Bachmann may now choose to lower the price of their B1 to compete.

If Hornby had produced a Railroad version of the Blue Pullman, there would have been a lot of complaints about the quality. With Bachmann starting from scratch we are all expecting a high quality product which will sell well for them.

Popular trains should be made by more than one manufacturer to provide us with choice and to drive up standards.

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chris said:

...If Hornby had produced a Railroad version of the Blue Pullman, there would have been a lot of complaints about the quality. With Bachmann starting from scratch we are all expecting a high quality product which will sell well for them.

Popular trains should be made by more than one manufacturer to provide us with choice and to drive up standards...

I believe a 'Railroad' version of the Blue Pullman would have been a good move for Hornby. There is (apparently) a demand for a model of the train but as detailed as it might prove to be, the planned 6-car Bachmann rake is going to cost upwards of £300 if pre-ordered at the current time. It seems it will be available only as a complete set and thus may be financially out of reach of many modellers. A less detailed model with a reliable running mechanism would be a welcomed addition to the 'Railroad' range I am sure. Who knows, it may still happen.....

IanR said:

We don't know what Bachmann have got planned yet, maybe there'll be an improved B1 in their new catalogue! :)

Hope they upgrade the V2 as well.

Of the two I would prefer to see an upgraded V2 from Bachmann, especially now that Hornby have announced plans for their own B1. What's the betting we end up with 2 very similar B1s fighting it out while the V2 is totally ignored?

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  • 2 months later...

Well for me, the news that Bachmann are upgrading their B1 (and the V2 & A4 as well don't forget) with new chassis' means they would be my number one choice. However, at this moment I don't see me being in the market for a B1, although the V2 'Green Arrow' will certainly be on my pre-order list.

Bachmann have built themselves a solid reputation in recent years for producing reliable models to a high standard at very competitive prices and if the choice ever came down to Bachmann over any other manufacturer then I would have to choose Bachmann every time. That's just my personal opinion from my experience with the Bachmann Branchline range.

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I agree with you Mick. Bachmann locos do tend to be more solid than Hornby locos. In Model Rail magazine someone said they'd by the Bachmann 4MT rather than the Hornby 4MT of the 75,000 series as the Bachmann loco was heavier with less fragile parts attached to it. They got a strong rebuke from the staff at the magazine but I would rather buy Bachmann locos every time. Unfortunately Bachmann does not make all the locos I want and so I have to buy Hornby too or go without.

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  • 3 weeks later...

There are a few points to remember here.

First of all, Hornby and Bachmann keep releases confidential. Their reps are banned from the 'other manufacturer's' part of the same factory in China for example.

Secondly, many new releases are a gamble in terms of returns to the retailer. Sometimes as for Hornby's NE L1 it pays off! I certainly agree that a Railroad version of the Blue Pullman by Hornby would be very good option for them!

Hornby's lower price for their Tornado is easily explained in their hoping for a greater volume of sales! I've pre-ordered mine already for £72.50 + £3.99 p&p. Had they been £129 upwards I would NOT have ordered one.

The other main point is that Hornby announce their models once they reach the pre-production stage, ie likely to be in the shops in 6 months or less for some of their new range, whereas Bachmann announce theirs much earlier in the product production cycle sometimes amounting for up to a two year wait for their arrival in the UK.

A LOT depends on the proportion of new models or revamped models in each manufacturer's programs,as well as announcements by eg Kernow Models for the Beattie Well tank loco and O2 tank loco, or by Dapol.

As for quality, whether by Hornby, Bachmann or smaller manufacturers, models recently over the past few years have almost without exception been top-notch.

Prices have unfortunately been very high too. I wince when I see coaches costing £40 upwards or wagons £10 upwards. I haven't bought, nor am I likely to any new coaches recently. They simply cost far more than I can afford . . .

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I agree that the Hornby Tornado is priced low to attract a higher volume of sales and doubtless in train set guise it will do so. However, in competition against the already available Bachmann model the standard Hornby version has already lost a high number of potential buyers - I have the Bachmann version of Tornado which I think is superb and am very unlikely to want the Hornby version too however low it is priced.

So, a brand new model of Tornado is to be made available by Hornby at an extremely low cost. How come that other entirely new models and the majority of re-releases are priced much higher? I guess that's why we are being asked to pay upwards of £40 for a coach and (in the case of the ubiquitous MGR wagon) upwards of £20 for a single 4-wheel wagon!

The model railway market is now highly competitive and it's becoming somewhat fierce at the top. Take for example the Dapol/Hattons model of the LMS twins announced last year - they are currently priced at approx £124 on the Hattons website. Now along come Bachmann/Rails with the announcement that they too are to release models of the same locos, only at around £25-£35 cheaper.

Where does that leave Dapol/Hattons? It's a shame that such a welcomed venture by a leading retailer and a top RTR manufacturer should be almost scuppered by their respective competitors. In these times of financial restraint, unless the Dapol/Hattons version is released very soon to generate those initial sales it's bound to lose out big time without a drastic reduction in the listed prices.

Anyway, that's somewhat off-topic but in my opinion Hornby, with their model of Tornado, will certainly attract the attention of the train set market with their version of Tornado - that's what they're good at and it's why they have become an household name. Needless duplication, as in the case of the B1, isn't of great benefit to the market in general although it may help keep prices of that model to a minimum, but Tornado with its potential for high volume train set sales is a slightly different proposition.

And yes, today's models from almost all the major manufacturers are to a very high standard indeed.

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