2021 Range

[mahoganydog]

So far only page 1 has worked but it seems they are trying to steal Hattons thunder by releasing four and six wheel coaches. No idea what else is there until their website starts to work!

[Bigmet]

Streamlined version of the P2, yum.

An all new 9F, initally with BR1K, BR1F and BR1G tender options, the latter behind 'Evening Star'. Going up against the Bachmann model which is a very good layout loco. There is room for visual improvement, the frame tops could be represented, Hornby have a proven fully concealed drive line, and the dome and safety valve surround can be better blended to the boiler clothing, are obvious opportunities.

Continuation of the 'H-D 2 rail' metal bodied loco option they began with the Duchess in 2020: a BR green version for 2021, and a new introduction, air smoothed Bulleid MN pacific. Same again in volume, 500 only per model, comes in an H-D styled box. Anyone prepared to bet against Hornby offering all their pacifics in this style over time?

Reliveries, includes two versions of the much requested BR Clan, MacDonald and Stewart this time.

[Ex-Pat]

The Video worked ok, but unfortunately no D30 stablemate for the J36, and nothing arouses my interest except that they are going to produce "Knight of the Thistle" in pre-grouping livery. I wonder if they will also do "Knight of Thistle" in BR green sometime?

[flying scotsman123]

I managed to get in to RMWeb to have a look-see.

The 4 and 6 wheel coaches are clearly an attempt to rain on Hattons' parade, priced exactly the same at £30. The Hornby ones a little more Stroudley like, and are still totally wrong for LNER and LNWR liveries, although the Hattons ones seem to be attempting to "correct" this during livery application for their LNWR ones, both are for LNER types. Personally I'll be interested to see how the 6 wheel underframes compare between the two. I do wonder whether it would have been more profitable to go for some short generic bogie coaches of a similar style instead. Oh well.

As for the rest, new P2, 9F, A1 and A3 (really?). Looks like some new diseasels in the railroad range, or "Railroad plus". Among the newly issued liveries looks like the Clan is back. Maunsell dining saloon third and composites look rather tasty, and there's a Mk1 BCK and SR luggage van too.

There's some HST/mk3/Mk4 stuff that goes right over my head, along with a newly tooled Ruston & Hornsby shunter of some kind with some novel couplings.

[Ex-Pat]

I managed to get in to RMWeb to have a look-see.

Hadn't thought of them!

I found this interesting

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index ... a1-and-a3/

The loco is clearly described as "Knight of Thistle" yet the nameplate is equally clearly "Knight of the Thistle" (the name it carried until 1932).

Which will it be?

[luckymucklebackit]

So the "Unlikely to be ever produced again" Clan is back, typical that it appears when I have no layout to run one on! I never bought this idea that the tooling had been destroyed and could never be recreated when it must have been obvious that the CAD files to make the tooling remained in existence, just needed the will, and I am sure the silly money these were selling for on Ebay would have been an influence.

Jim

[stuartp]

So the "Unlikely to be ever produced again" Clan is back...

Was that ever a thing though, or just speculation from people who didn't understand why it wasn't re-released quickly ? I thought the issue was that it depended on hand assembly skills which were not available (reliably) once Hornby had to move factories.

Glad to see it back but at current prices I'll finish the Crownline one I think.

Edit - Hmm. Now the page loads without the internet falling over, its £180 which isn't that terrible. I don't actually need all 5 Kingmoor Clans but...

[RAF96]

Deltic TTS should please a few folk especially if they do a TTS retro fit kit for it.

[mahoganydog]

Yet again they fail to deal with three god awful models in the range that NEED TO BE TOOLED PROPERLY;

8F
Black 5
2P

All woefully inadequate in looks, performance and design.

[Mountain]

I love the idea of bringing back cast metal bodies. They have a presence due to their weight which makes them sound right.
Also, and I am not sure why, plastic bodies locos always look plasticky despite their intricate detail. Metal bodied locos seem to look right even though they lack detail. Does anyone else see what I mean?

I like looking at new products because I look at potential to convert to 7mm narrow gauge. I also like to look anyway! I am amazed by how many classes of locos and types of coaches there now are in production. In the past almost everyone had to convert things if they wanted something that was not made, yet today the amount of different locos out there is amzing!

[flying scotsman123]

I just noticed the method of lighting for the 4 and 6 wheel coaches, a CR3032 battery with a reed switch and a magnetic block - that's a neat idea. might have to pinch that...

[Steamingon]

Sorry. Wrong place.

[Buelligan]

Theres a few there I like the look of, the streamlined P2, Hush Hush in the grey livery, open carriage pack for the Rocket, and the flat bed pack for Rocket, and finally the Christmas wagon.

I'm a bit disappointed as I saw mention of the Midland Pullman on facebook groups, then when I managed to view the 2021 range I was deeply disappointed to find it's just the 43HST in Midlands Pullman livery. I'd love one of the proper Midlands Blue Pullman sets, but the Bachmann sets are just so expensive! And there's no life in my Dads old Triang model, plus it wouldn't run over modern points anyway.

[Bigmet]

... I'd love one of the proper Midlands Blue Pullman sets, but the Bachmann sets are just so expensive! ...

Small chance of an alternative. Sometimes it is a case of pony up or do without for the RTR item. Alternatively go to work on the Triang set with a replacement drive, Kitmaster cars, ...and a whole lot of work...

[Bigmet]

Having had more of a chance to digest the announcement, the lack of even one newly tooled small steam loco is disappointing. But I expect that between seven types of pacifics, and the 2-10-0s, 4-6-4s and 2-8-2s in all their variations once the 2020 and 2021 announcements are combined, the factory production slots may well be full, and there's only room to squeeze in the BR std 2MT?

Yet again they fail to deal with three god awful models in the range that NEED TO BE TOOLED PROPERLY;

8F
Black 5
2P

All woefully inadequate in looks, performance and design.

Well, two out of three! The 2P is realistic surely? in its own way it well represents the 'Derby disaster school of loco design'.

I remain puzzled - albeit pleased - that Hornby recently invested so much in the excellent B12/3, surely that investment in the Black 5 or 8F would have been a better long term prospect? The main counter reason that suggests itself is that these models still sell well, and making money on long ago amortised tooling is good for any business.