Hornby Merchant Navy announced (formerly Facebook leak)

[7013]

I keep reading about the possibility of Bachmann announcing an OO MN. Has someone got inside information on this or is it pure froth and speculations? I guess we will know next week.

[farren]

Don't you mean in 25hours 22min 54 seconds no 53 52 51 50 hang on no 47 46 45 oh sod it. Tomorrow

[Georgeconna]

I must admit I read with amusement that MN did run further than this and did not run on that, I wonder how many of us actually have a real location modelled, I for one have mostly Southern Equipment but have acquired an A4 and some other foreign locos that you might just see running alongside T9, WC, BoB, Schools etc....Delightfully I am not too worried about that too much!!....i will look forward to unpacking one of these beautys at some stage!!    

[toboldlygo]

The Maunsells - I am a leading owner - are very fine vehicles, and the full range is by no means exhausted yet, with all sorts of permutations of body-style and livery still unmade. Sadly I fear Hornby has said goodbye to the tooling in the change of Chinese manufacturer. Perhaps if they choose to start again they will do some bodystyles - especially the final versions - which have not been seen so far.

 

I suspect that any new versions would lose the separate door and commode handles that distinguish the original batches, simply due to cost. OTOH the BILs and HALs have the moulded detail and are certainly "good enough", to my mind.

 

Ebay is full of Maunsells for those who care to look, although olive livery is a bit hard to find now.

 

Somehow I don't think they did say goodbye to the tooling for the Maunsells...

 

http://www.Hornby.com/shop/pre-orders/train-packs/1940-return-from-dunkirk-train-pack-limited-edition.html

 

 

Wish I shared your confidence. Remember this is the company that releases HST power cars without intermediate trailers and vice versa. Aren't the Hornby Maunsells suitable rolling stock? They may not be in this years catalogue but I'm sure you can still get them. The market was flooded with them not so long ago. I'm sure they could make a reappearance in the 2016 catalogue

 

I'm not on about Maunsells, I talking the Pullmans used for the Golden Arrow!

Edited March 1, 2015 by toboldlygo

[7013]

Weren't some of the Pullmans used on Churchills funeral train Golden Arrow stock? If that is the case then Hornby can justify building the Golden Arrow sets for the MN, Cl71 hauled train as well as having the correct coaches for Churchills train. Or am I completely wrong?

[toboldlygo]

Weren't some of the Pullmans used on Churchills funeral train Golden Arrow stock? If that is the case then Hornby can justify building the Golden Arrow sets for the MN, Cl71 hauled train as well as having the correct coaches for Churchills train. Or am I completely wrong?

And if you look back to Hornby's first teaser picture posted on Thursday (on FB) there's a Pullman quite prominent in the picture

[DJM Dave]

I must agree with Stationmaster.

 

If Bachmann are announcing one (and the clever money regarding the Hornby announcement seems to possibly indicate this) then it wouldnt surprise me if Bachmann are quite far along in their development cycle too.

 

After all, they had done a huge amount of work on the J15 before the Hornby announcement and pulled back to drop it, but i dont see them dropping anything this time.

 

In fact 'if' they announce, it wouldnt surprise me to hear they they will do all versions of the loco, and in fact go head to head with Hornby on this.

 

I think the only drawback in this is that each will spend xxx on development and tooling etc, only to get 50% of the profits (presuming they both get to profit on a model that's already been produced?). At least Bachmann doesnt have to justify that to shareholders!

 

Cheers

Dave

[Coach bogie]

I think the whole situation is appalling. No consideration at all, to poor modellers like me who have unbuilt Millholme MN kits on the shelf. I am sure we would all build them sometime in the next 20 years. Where is the incentive now!

 

Disgusted of North Yorkshire

[gwrrob]

I think the whole situation is appalling. No consideration at all, to poor modellers like me who have unbuilt Millholme MN kits on the shelf. I am sure we would all build them sometime in the next 20 years. Where is the incentive now!

 

Disgusted of North Yorkshire

I'd hardly call you a poor modeller Mike !

[phil gollin]

They could bring back out their Maunsell coaches in crimson cream only this timed as a low window set.

 

To be honest I have plenty of SR stuff waiting to be pulled by them.

.

 

OR, they could do a general release of their high window Maunsell coaches in BR green.

 

Either way, more Maunsells in the missing liveries would be VERY welcome.

 

.

[Robin Brasher]

I wonder how many badge engineered Merchant Navies there are. According to page 131 of Hornby Railways, The Story of Rovex Volume 3 1972-1996 by Pat Hammond Ray Mansfield of Train Trading Post commissioned 50 BR blue models of 35029 Ellerman Lines. They were models of Lord Beaverbrook re-sprayed in BR blue.

[Peter Bedding]

The Maunsells - I am a leading owner - are very fine vehicles, and the full range is by no means exhausted yet, with all sorts of permutations of body-style and livery still unmade. Sadly I fear Hornby has said goodbye to the tooling in the change of Chinese manufacturer. Perhaps if they choose to start again they will do some bodystyles - especially the final versions - which have not been seen so far.

 

I suspect that any new versions would lose the separate door and commode handles that distinguish the original batches, simply due to cost. OTOH the BILs and HALs have the moulded detail and are certainly "good enough", to my mind.

 

Ebay is full of Maunsells for those who care to look, although olive livery is a bit hard to find now.

 

Hello Ian,

 

I had hoped to compete with you on Maunsell R4 ownership, or at the very least come a spirited second. So I have been very pleasantly surprised to see that a different livery 3-set is being packaged with a compatibly new 700 for release at someone's convenience. Is there a hidden story that has not reached darkest Dorset?

 

But even allowing for the history to which you refer, I would have hoped to see sufficient demand for a couple of catering vehicles, such as the Kitchen/Dining First and the Dining Saloon Third from the Maunsell range.

 

And then there would be the 1935 batch. Or is someone keeping their powder dry for the Ironclads?

 

Whatever the future holds, the arrival of a brand-new design for the MN implies to me - at least - an opportunity for more coaches for Era 3.

 

 

 

PB

[Oldddudders]

.

 

OR, they could do a general release of their high window Maunsell coaches in BR green.

 

Either way, more Maunsells in the missing liveries would be VERY welcome.

 

.

A quick count of a crib-sheet I think I found on SEmG suggests at least 25 different numbered high-windowed Maunsell vehicles have appeared already in BR green. Ebay has a few, but mainly FKs or CKs.

[Oldddudders]

Hello Ian,

 

I had hoped to compete with you on Maunsell R4 ownership, or at the very least come a spirited second. So I have been very pleasantly surprised to see that a different livery 3-set is being packaged with a compatibly new 700 for release at someone's convenience. Is there a hidden story that has not reached darkest Dorset?

 

But even allowing for the history to which you refer, I would have hoped to see sufficient demand for a couple of catering vehicles, such as the Kitchen/Dining First and the Dining Saloon Third from the Maunsell range.

 

And then there would be the 1935 batch. Or is someone keeping their powder dry for the Ironclads?

 

Whatever the future holds, the arrival of a brand-new design for the MN implies to me - at least - an opportunity for more coaches for Era 3.

 

 

 

PB

Yes, the more the merrier, 'tis true! Hornby have provided a 1935 vehicle in the pull-push sets of course, so there is hope of more to come.

[toboldlygo]

A quick count of a crib-sheet I think I found on SEmG suggests at least 25 different numbered high-windowed Maunsell vehicles have appeared already in BR green. Ebay has a few, but mainly FKs or CKs.

 

Didn't Hornby do a release of Maunsells in SR Green?

[Oldddudders]

Didn't Hornby do a release of Maunsells in SR Green?

They have done substantial releases in all 4 liveries. Olive, Malachite, Crimson/Cream and BR (S) green. The latter and the malachite appear indistinguishable to many observers.

 

And referring back to Peter Bedding, the number to beat seems to be 50, not including my 2 pull-push sets. Sad, really....

[Ian Hargrave]

Didn't Hornby do a release of Maunsells in SR Green?

Do you mean their rendition of "malachite" ? That received a resounding no from more than a few on this forum.I personally cannot distinguish between that and the BR version,the only difference being the sunshine lettering.

[The Stationmaster]

Why hoping for something when "Design-Clever" has been publicly stated to be scrapped by Hornby? And moreover why even have such a negative doubt when you see models like the K1, J15 and Class 700 look absolutely stunning and all of which are from the post "Design-Clever" era?

 

Jeff.

That's a bit rich coming within a week or tow of the main range 'Hall' being released!.  

 

Now I realise the 'Hall was tooled a couple of years ago - what has now arrived seeming little different from EP samples which could be seen in late 2013 - and I suspect the new hands at the tiller at Hornby have learnt the lesson but I have yet to see any sort of formal comment from the company that this dual range idea is at an end and of course they are selling ostensibly Railroad models in full fat red boxes when it comes to trainset.

 

The 'King' and the air-smoothed variety of MN are no doubt an indication of how they see part of their range going and there are already firm indications that they aren't ignoring the 'full fat' coaching stock market which they have served so well in recent years.  They have access to and are using factories which can produce some superb models (as they have shown with output which bears the names of other 'manufacturers') and it would probably be foolish of Hornby to ignore that market - which can offer high returns but is very different from their past mass market model.

 

Clearly they are also aiming at, and seemingly hitting, the traditional trainset/toyshop market as well and I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that the new boys might be getting shrewd enough to recognise the different markets and finally announce that they will not be looking at trying to serve both with what is basically the same product.

[Vistisen]

I think that the formal statement of the demise of design clever that people are referring to is the officially unofficial blog by the ex-official press manager who unofficially acknowledged that  the design clever programme was a mistake.

[Legend]

And the decision to announce it, was probably his mistake!

[Ceptic]

If Hornby are going to do Bulleid coaches, I would hope they do non-gangwayed ones.

That'll be these, then ?

[miles73128]

That'll be these, then ?

ScannedImage-17 (2).jpg

That's 4SUB! 4732. But you knew that I'm sure

[Guest]

That's 4SUB! 4732. But you knew that I'm sure

 

And lovely it is too. I need to source a kit for one of those as that will surely mean a RTR one will miraculously appear out of nowhere...

[Legend]

Well Hornby certainly stolen the froth on Bachmann with 11 pages on this thread so far with 15 over on Bachmann speculation thread that has been running for about a month I think. As I said at the start I think people are a little jaded with Bachmann with large price increases and very long gestation periods on new models . I think the market is swinging back in Hornbys favour at the moment. I'll bet Bachmann aren't Manufacturer of the Year this year in the poll

[JSpencer]

I must agree with Stationmaster.

 

If Bachmann are announcing one (and the clever money regarding the Hornby announcement seems to possibly indicate this) then it wouldnt surprise me if Bachmann are quite far along in their development cycle too.

 

After all, they had done a huge amount of work on the J15 before the Hornby announcement and pulled back to drop it, but i dont see them dropping anything this time.

 

In fact 'if' they announce, it wouldnt surprise me to hear they they will do all versions of the loco, and in fact go head to head with Hornby on this.

 

I think the only drawback in this is that each will spend xxx on development and tooling etc, only to get 50% of the profits (presuming they both get to profit on a model that's already been produced?). At least Bachmann doesnt have to justify that to shareholders!

 

Cheers

Dave

That door has swung both ways, with Bachmann announcing a loco in the past leading Hornby to cancel one of theirs.

The MN is a popular class that might support 2 manufacturers.

 

Bachmann don,t state the prices anymore and if they did there is no gaurantee it would be honoured. Likewise based on the limited info we have and what we know of the 2 companies, The Hornby MN would be end of 2016, early 2017, Bachmann about a year after that.

 

Bachmann's current conditions means pre ordering in blind faith. I did that with the Brighton Atlantic but it should be noted I did so only for one model. I would hesitate strongly for a Merchant Navy when there is someone else out providing a clearer picture.

 

Bachmann may not have share holders but their owner Kader now wants to see a healthy profit and there were strong hints last year that Bachmann was under selling.

 

On the other side of the coin, all research Bachmann have done was at least used for the N gauge model. If they do announce one, are they at the CAD stage? I would have some doubts as Bachmann tend to announce models long before getting that far. Hornby are then doing everyone a favour ( including themselves) saying "look, we have one in the works. Up to you to decide whether or not you wish to commit resources...."

Edited March 1, 2015 by JSpencer