2019 Hornby Catalogue Any Sign of One Yet?

[robmcg]

Hi All,

 

Have I missed something or has there been no speculation about a 2019 Hornby catalogue?

 

I enjoy each year's offering, it gives an idea of future plans as well as being a pleasant thing to read.

 

Presumably the company has to be rather careful about planning, and I expect there will be some clarification of plans before January 2019.

 

Here's hoping.

 

 

[MGR Hooper!]

Hi All,

 

Have I missed something or has there been no speculation about a 2019 Hornby catalogue?

 

I enjoy each year's offering, it gives an idea of future plans as well as being a pleasant thing to read.

 

Presumably the company has to be rather careful about planning, and I expect there will be some clarification of plans before January 2019.

 

Here's hoping.

Isn't it still to early?

[TravisM]

Hi All,

 

Have I missed something or has there been no speculation about a 2019 Hornby catalogue?

 

I enjoy each year's offering, it gives an idea of future plans as well as being a pleasant thing to read.

 

Presumably the company has to be rather careful about planning, and I expect there will be some clarification of plans before January 2019.

 

Here's hoping.

Catalogues are after the New Years press announcements. No point in publishing a catalogue before then.

[robmcg]

Catalogues are after the New Years press announcements. No point in publishing a catalogue before then.

 

Ahh   thank you all, sorry I wasted thread space.

[jjb1970]

Hornby seem to have reverted to their former method of communication, so expect big annual announcements, embargoes etc. Personally I think that it is a massive step backwards but there we go.

[JSpencer]

Who knows? Maybe they will announce something at Warley, maybe not. Two years ago they did, last year they did not.

 

The catalogue is always January though.

[MGR Hooper!]

As per a post on facebook, they will not be announcing anything at Warley.
 

Maybe they will announce something at Warley

[jjb1970]

Several years ago one of the big complaints made about Hornby was their poor corporate communication. They turned that right around and went from zero to hero to the point that they were pretty much the market leader in communication. Over the last year things have gone into reverse a it seems their communication strategy was to make a brave return to yesterday's means of communication. I really find that very disappointing.

[JSpencer]

Several years ago one of the big complaints made about Hornby was their poor corporate communication. They turned that right around and went from zero to hero to the point that they were pretty much the market leader in communication. Over the last year things have gone into reverse a it seems their communication strategy was to make a brave return to yesterday's means of communication. I really find that very disappointing.

 

Bachmann won't annouce anything at Warley either. That will come early next year as well.

 

For the moment it looks like we have the following:

Accurascale

Rapido

Kernow

 

That said Hattons, Dapol & Heljan could bring out a surprise (about 50/50) and maybe some lone warrior (remember SLW with the class 24?).

Expect lots of updates on previously announced items though.

 

EDIT: and within 2 hours of writing that, Hattons Announce some things!

Edited November 19, 2018 by JSpencer

[Hroth]

Who knows? Maybe they will announce something at Warley, maybe not. Two years ago they did, last year they did not.

 

The catalogue is always January though.

Currently, the headline models in the 2018 catalogue (LN and Streamlined Coronations) are set to arrive mainly in 2019, although LN "Sir Francis Drake" is on their "coming soon" list, but we'll have to see how soon.  It'll be interesting to see what gets trumpeted in January 2019, but I wouldn't expect to see anything before 2020.

 

It would be in Hornbys interest to give the punters some crumbs at Warley, though that may amount to final livery examples rather than some interesting teasers for next year.

 

I wonder what the 2019 club model will be? 

[MGR Hooper!]

Several years ago one of the big complaints made about Hornby was their poor corporate communication. They turned that right around and went from zero to hero to the point that they were pretty much the market leader in communication. Over the last year things have gone into reverse a it seems their communication strategy was to make a brave return to yesterday's means of communication. I really find that very disappointing.

True, it may be disappointing to many (me included), but we have to factor in Hornby's current situation. It's worse than what they were a couple of years ago. This year Hornby actually did something and that was announce additional items. No body liked it. Can't blame Hornby. I remember looking at a few posts and laughing my guts out because people were expecting big huge things and newly tooled products when in all honesty a normal person would've known that they'll announce additional products (because they said they might at the start of the year) so who is to blame for assuming here?

 

Personally I will not blame Hornby for any of these things, over the last year I've been carefully watching how forum members react to news and updates and I really have to say, we do tend to blow things out of proportion. People get so caught up with wish-listing/frothing/guessing and so on that they end up making a bigger deal of things. Another issue again brought about by us is expectations and misunderstanding. What did Hornby start TES for? They started the blog to share information regarding behind the scenes stuff and information about forthcoming products. They ended up slipping in a few sneak-peaks and next thing you know, everyone looks at TES only for sneak-previews. People have forgotten what TES was originally for.

[MGR Hooper!]

Currently, the headline models in the 2018 catalogue (LN and Streamlined Coronations) are set to arrive mainly in 2019, although LN "Sir Francis Drake" is on their "coming soon" list, but we'll have to see how soon.  It'll be interesting to see what gets trumpeted in January 2019, but I wouldn't expect to see anything before 2020.

 

It would be in Hornbys interest to give the punters some crumbs at Warley, though that may amount to final livery examples rather than some interesting teasers for next year.

 

I wonder what the 2019 club model will be? 

Just because the 2018 models are delayed to 2019, doesn't mean the 2019 models will be delayed until 2020. Each model goes through it R&D phases and production phase at different speeds. The 2-BIL for example was announced in November and hit the shelves in Jan.

[Edge]

Advertisement in issue 255 (Dec 2015).Announcing 2019 range launched at 10am on 7/1/2019 on there website   

What a peculiar date. I for one miss the 'big dates' that they used to do like new years eve or xmas eve. There was something of a sense of anticipation about it. Don't quite get the same out of 10am on 7/1/2019 to be honest...

[Bulleidboy100]

It's almost first thing on a Monday morning - probably many will be heading back to work after the Christmas/New Year holidays - seems perfectly reasonable to me.

[Edge]

It's almost first thing on a Monday morning - probably many will be heading back to work after the Christmas/New Year holidays - seems perfectly reasonable to me.

 

Agreed that there's nothing unreasonable about the time and date, just that the previous midnight reveals etc had a level of excitement about them that is missing a bit from this one. For me at least

[brushman47544]

What a peculiar date. I for one miss the 'big dates' that they used to do like new years eve or xmas eve. There was something of a sense of anticipation about it. Don't quite get the same out of 10am on 7/1/2019 to be honest...

 

Would you want to be their IT bod who has to work over Christmas to ensure the website doesn't crash... or resurrect it if it does. What message would it send if they allowed that to happen and were seen to be waiting until after the holiday to fix it.

[Hilux5972]

Advertisement in issue 255 (Dec 2015).Announcing 2019 range launched at 10am on 7/1/2019 on there website

Issue 255 of what?

[Trains4U]

The Retailer previews start on the 7th January.

[The Stationmaster]

Would you want to be their IT bod who has to work over Christmas to ensure the website doesn't crash... or resurrect it if it does. What message would it send if they allowed that to happen and were seen to be waiting until after the holiday to fix it.

 

The only thing being that the 07 January is rather a long time  after 'the holiday' as there four working days (in England) the previous week when one sincerely hopes for their sake that their IT will be in 100% working order.   True many folk make the Christmas/New Year period a 2 week break but equally many people don't do that and many people are restricted to having no more time off work than the official public holidays (although quite a considerable number also have to work on at least one or two of those).  Basically it's yet another example of Hornby's rather limp attempts at marketing with - in this case - some potential excitement among customers missed in the run up to Christmas (when of course some are taking the first week of their two week break.  

 

On the other hand maybe their idea is that if folk are back to work and school etc then their website won't be quite so hard hit as might happen when folk are still off work/school and thus they won't get so many moans?

True, it may be disappointing to many (me included), but we have to factor in Hornby's current situation. It's worse than what they were a couple of years ago. This year Hornby actually did something and that was announce additional items. No body liked it. Can't blame Hornby. I remember looking at a few posts and laughing my guts out because people were expecting big huge things and newly tooled products when in all honesty a normal person would've known that they'll announce additional products (because they said they might at the start of the year) so who is to blame for assuming here?

 

Personally I will not blame Hornby for any of these things, over the last year I've been carefully watching how forum members react to news and updates and I really have to say, we do tend to blow things out of proportion. People get so caught up with wish-listing/frothing/guessing and so on that they end up making a bigger deal of things. Another issue again brought about by us is expectations and misunderstanding. What did Hornby start TES for? They started the blog to share information regarding behind the scenes stuff and information about forthcoming products. They ended up slipping in a few sneak-peaks and next thing you know, everyone looks at TES only for sneak-previews. People have forgotten what TES was originally for.

 

In view of Hornby's build up and promotion of that announcement through an announcement of the forthcoming announcement they were the ones who built the anticipation, not their potential customers.  Yes there was frothing but that always happens although it gets worse if there is an announcement of an announcement, especially one promoted as something special.  Sorry but yet again Hornby got their public promotion desperately wrong - in this case by creating excessive interest and anticipation as opposed to their usual recent method of not creating any interest at all - and it backfired as it turned into a very soggy squib.  

 

Altogether it continues to show how since the change of regime the public face of Hornby has retreated into Fortress Sandwich trying hard to recreate their back to the past time machine.  On the PR and promotional front they seem to have succeeded so who needs a De Lorean with all the Doc's special additions?  And plenty of us can remember exactly how TES was used and what benefits it had for Hornby including, for example, their quick riposte when the Hattons' 'King' was announced - that is good marketing; sitting on information until year end, or early new year as it will be for the 2019 range. simply shows how out of touch they are with the way the market now works with the 'net allowing near instant communication in order to let companies keep themselves in the public eye over a longer period, quite a contrast with Oxford's style in respect of diecasts.

 

Provided the new regime has allowed certain past developments to continue there will be some good stuff from Hornby next year but plenty of others are out there after our money now so I sometimes wonder if folk sitting on their hands in Sandwich are doing their employer a big disservice by not giving hints about what might be coming and the 'need' to keep money ready to buy it.  After all at a time Hornby needs sales revenue in a really big way, and to a far greater extent than it did last year, it should be doing everything it can to chase that revenue and keep it sitting in bank accounts or jars on mantelpieces ready to spend on its goodies rather than sitting back while it is spent on 'special opportunity' bargains and 'nice to have' purchases elsewhere.

['CHARD]

 

the public face of Hornby has retreated into Fortress Sandwich 

 

Can I have mine on granary please, no mayonnaise.  

[mdvle]

 

That said Hattons, Dapol & Heljan could bring out a surprise (about 50/50) and maybe some lone warrior (remember SLW with the class 24?).

Expect lots of updates on previously announced items though.

 

EDIT: and within 2 hours of writing that, Hattons Announce some things!

 

And Rails of Sheffield have announced something as well.

[mdvle]

True, it may be disappointing to many (me included), but we have to factor in Hornby's current situation. It's worse than what they were a couple of years ago.

Which is all the more reason why things like the former Engine Shed were so important.

 

It is no longer the 80s.  Today, with the various online services that make communicating to the customer base both easy and cheap, combined with the increasing number of competitors, means it is more important than ever to keep Hornby in the consumers mind and the current Hornby approach is a spectacular failure.  The current Hornby process of one big secret announcement in January is essentially ceding the market to their competitors for the other 11 months of the year and they can't afford that.

 

Compare to Accurascale, who have spread out at least 4 new products in the last 12 months (HUO, Cemflo, PCA, new locomotive at Warley) and thus have placed themselves front and centre 4 times in the customers mind.

 

Or Hattons, with 2 new products spread out over the last 12 months (crane, 66) and possible plans for not just continuing but likely expansion.

 

With all this competition they need to be periodically putting themselves into the customers mind and they are failing at that.

 

This year Hornby actually did something and that was announce additional items. No body liked it. Can't blame Hornby. I remember looking at a few posts and laughing my guts out because people were expecting big huge things and newly tooled products when in all honesty a normal person would've known that they'll announce additional products (because they said they might at the start of the year) so who is to blame for assuming here?

Sorry, but that was Hornby's fault - the promoted the announcement as though it was something big and then failed to deliver.

[wombatofludham]

Wasn't the first workday back after Christmas voted the most depressing Monday in the calendar?

 

Perhaps Hornby are getting into the zeitgeist and adding to the overall pervading sense of doom and gloom by announcing not a lot.  In fact they should seek a sponsorship deal with Prozac to help out their financial situation.

[brenn]

who 

 

As per a post on facebook, they will not be announcing anything at Warley.
 

are planning to announce at Warley, Heljan normally do don't they/

 

B

[John M Upton]

who are planning to announce at Warley, Heljan normally do don't they?

 

B

Accurascale are I believe, possibly Dapol and RevoloutioN as well. Nothing expected from Bachmann/Farish and not sure about DJ Models as - on RMWeb at least - Dave Jones seems to have mysteriously disappeared.