have you seen sam trains latest you tube post

[happy tt]

i just watched sam's trains you tube post in which he talk about hornbys steam punk range and the TT120 model rolling stock while it was great and very well made but who wanted in the first place hornby should stop these bad ideas

he said the concept of steam punk was a very bad idea . in the next breath he said the same about TT120 and who would buy it . he did say that it had not faded away yet as people had thought it would but who knows in future and the sale figures must be bad but he did not know how bad they were. he drew usual comments about TT120 in the comment section yum

[moawkwrd]

I'm not sure why he brought up TT 120 in the same breath as the Steampunk range - they're not remotely comparable. I suspect any opportunity to make a dig at Hornby and get his fans liking and commenting on his video can't be ignored in his position.

[Postman On The Rails]

How can he say TT:120 is doing badly when items are selling out as fast as they can get them in and now they are rolling out to retailers

[Moccasin]

The video is pure clickbait I suspect, designed just to drive traffic to his YouTube channel and squeeze some more ad revenue.

[96RAF]

He’s not claiming the sun is shining in the desert is he. I will go and check.

As stated click bait for revenue. His fan-boys will protect him.

[Rallymatt]

@Moccasin, absolutely Peter, Pure Click Bait, by the way had a lovely cup of tea and a cake at the Staiths Cafe near you the other day while pedalling some of the old railway routes 😁

Yes Steam Punk was a punt that didn’t take, it used some altered old toolings so cheap way to put out a ‘new range’. TT:120 is quite different and he had been quite complimentary in the past about it, £1.5 m worth of sales in its first 1/4 (we know is 100% accurate) sounds really bad to me… not!

Spoke with a well known retailer yesterday who are stocking TT:120 and they said they are sold out already on many items and very impressed with quality. Meanwhile Sam is on his Mum’s carpet….

[Moccasin]

@Moccasin, absolutely Peter, Pure Click Bait, by the way had a lovely cup of tea and a cake at the Staiths Cafe near you the other day while pedalling some of the old railway routes 😁

Yes Steam Punk was a punt that didn’t take, it used some altered old toolings so cheap way to put out a ‘new range’. TT:120 is quite different and he had been quite complimentary in the past about it, £1.5 m worth of sales in its first 1/4 (we know is 100% accurate) sounds really bad to me… not!

Spoke with a well known retailer yesterday who are stocking TT:120 and they said they are sold out already on many items and very impressed with quality. Meanwhile Sam is on his Mum’s carpet….

it’s a great cafe. If a large fluffy, friendly black and white cat happened to greet you on the cycle path further towards the Tanfield path, it was probably Bede. He’s shameless and ignores all advice not to trust strangers….

Explored a few of the old railway paths during lockdown, even as far as the Tanfield Railway itself. Doesn’t take long to get out of the urban area.

I never cease to be amazed at how much hate TT120 gets from certain quarters, including from those who profess to have no interest in it. I know it’s the way of online forums but are there not better things to do?

[ColinB]

I watched that video, well I assume it was the same one. On the subject of TT100 he said he didn't know how good the sales were going good or bad, but found it surprising that they had released them to about 6 retailers. He only found out by reading an obscure news article. He then asked if anyone knew anymore and who the other Retailers were. So did we both watch the same video? Reading the TT100 posts on this forum there do seem to be a number of issues but perhaps they are just the 5% that always have issues.

[96RAF]

TT100 ? - probably as accurate as carpet boy gets.

[Moccasin]

I watched that video, well I assume it was the same one. On the subject of TT100 he said he didn't know how good the sales were going good or bad, but found it surprising that they had released them to about 6 retailers. He only found out by reading an obscure news article. He then asked if anyone knew anymore and who the other Retailers were. So did we both watch the same video? Reading the TT100 posts on this forum there do seem to be a number of issues but perhaps they are just the 5% that always have issues.

Doesn't inspire much confidence in his work when a quick check on Hornby's main TT120 website page would tell him all he needed to know about retailers and as @Rallymatt says, the company have now (twice) reported what their TT120 sales were up to March 31st this year. If he didn't want to wade through those reports (available via Hornby's website), then the results have been discussed at length here and in other forums. Of course, generating comments and debate on the video helps his own numbers...

[Rallymatt]

@Moccasin, I will look out for Bede! I had ridden out from Pelton Fell to Consett, down the Derwent Path, Metro Centre and Cafe stop before Teams Path, Birtley and back up Consett path to Pelton Fell. That’s a lot of where the inspiration for High Fell ‘look’ comes from! Sometimes add on up to Wylam and over past George Stephenson’s cottage.

@Coilin B, yes there have been some irritating problems, I have had a few but if anything the CS response as been incredible, Hornby leave the others in their wake!

Why a different scale should have supposed enthusiasts frothing at the mouth is beyond me! Many manufacturers have adopted other scales in their ranges, there was a time when Hornby was exclusively O!

One of the great public figures in the hobby, Pete Waterman, would put anyone right on this, it’s about being active in the hobby, not the gap between the rails.

I don’t bother with Sam’s Trains or Right Charlie.. Bishop. Life is too precious to waste on people like that. Some recommended YT content, ‘Yarslow’ really good information sensibly delivered, ‘Grandads Train room’ good solid modelling 👍

[Renoir]

@happy tt, I agree with the other forum contributions. Often voiced is just a YouTuber's opinion, and in many cases best avoided.

Concentrate on the positive contributions from the many encouraging members on this Forum...I have found the forum so helpful over the past months and at some times it has kept me going.😊

[Ivans Rails]

It was a garbage review for a garbage line. I feel like his remarks on TT were an awkward attempt to make the video into something meaningful. This is one of those videos he should have fed to his scrap man instead of releasing. I won’t hold it against him.

[taunmarc88]

What a load of tosh. Sam really needs to get his facts straight before saying things about other scales that he doesn’t have an interest in!

@Rallymatt I would add another grand YouTuber to the mix… @HighFell. I’ve definitely watched his videos quite a few times… good TT content that!

[John-L]

Seems like a click bait video really. The Steampunk range is certainly an odd one, but as others have noted, it was a good way to repurpose existing (and out of date) moulds to cheaply create a new range with potential for crossover into the Warhammer tabletop market. I don’t expect it’s really cost much to try that.

TT is clearly a much more expensive undertaking, and as long as the range carries on through at least phase 3 & 4 it should find a good market. The initial uptake appears to be good with strong sales, so for Sam to lump it on with Steampunk suggests he has a bit of an axe to grind?

Maybe he’s upset at being left out of the Hornby TV show or something? ;)

[Rallymatt]

@taunmarc88, I’m no YouTuber, I make some low grade videos on my phone of my trainset and if people like that, great, it’s meant to inspire and entertain it not about making money…and it doesn’t 🤣 Thank you for even suggesting it’s worth watching! It can be a bit tongue in cheek. Passion not pounds

[taunmarc88]

@Rallymatt The passion shows through, same for a few others in the forum who are on YouTube. As TT has calmed down some of the bigger names have had to pull away slightly as it doesn’t bring as many views.

It’s a shame Sam is using it in a negative way to garner some views, I do enjoy some of his content but this isn’t a good way to gain the new TT audience.

[Skelton Junction]

The old adage of ‘there’s no such thing as bad publicity’ echoes around YT.

The only ones I watch are the ones that get good reviews on this forum because of interesting and relevant content. There’s a comment above about click bait, I hope very few watched it as a result of curiosity from reading about it here 😊

[bill7437]

TT failed years ago and what else can one say about Steampunk - a load pf total rubbish.

[96RAF]

Maybe he’s upset at being left out of the Hornby TV show or something? ;)

 

 

He should, as a professional influencer, realise that the way to garner support from manufacturers is to say nice, but fair things about them and their products on the high days, then when criticism is justified on the low days they will accept it as valid and not simply sensationalistic broadcasting to boost viewing figures.

[Aussie Fred]

Have googled Sam's Trains and can't find any new reviews on TT120. Most of the old ones seem fairly fair in the reviews.

Which one is all the talk about?

[ColinB]

You are missing the point 96RAF part of his YouTube reviews is he buys the loco with his own money and does a review. That is the way you are supposed to do a review. We have been through this before, once you start getting favours from Manufacturers it taints your view. Even in my old job if a Supplier takes you out to lunch you feel very guilty if you have to say something nasty about their product. TT100 is still in its infancy, you guys like it so that is great, OO has been around longer than I have been on this earth. TT will only take off when other manufacturers join the party. I notice already there are moans about Hornby hiking the price which they will do, seeing as the majority of the cost of a model railway is the design and manufacture, which will be roughly the same be it OO or TT. Sam is allowed his opinion last time I looked we still live in a democracy, it is entirely up to you whether you watch his channel or not.

[Moccasin]

TT failed years ago and what else can one say about Steampunk - a load pf total rubbish.

 

 

TT might have been unsuccessful a few decades ago, but it seems to be doing well this time around as has been outlined in this thread.

Steampunk may not appeal to traditional modellers and may not have caught on as much as Hornby had hoped, but I suspect it has a wider appeal than the railway model community think. A venn diagram of steampunk fans and traditional railway modellers probably has a very small overlap, but it's about appealing to that wider audience than traditional railway modellers who seem to rubbish anything that isn't their own scale/era/Big 4 railway company. I've been quite surprised at how narrow-minded many in this hobby can be.

[Peachy]

Sam…

Laugh or cry, click or scroll on…

I doubt very much that his throw away comments will have a lasting impact.

For me it’s just something on whilst ironing. 😁

[Moccasin]

You are missing the point 96RAF part of his YouTube reviews is he buys the loco with his own money and does a review. That is the way you are supposed to do a review. We have been through this before, once you start getting favours from Manufacturers it taints your view. Even in my old job if a Supplier takes you out to lunch you feel very guilty if you have to say something nasty about their product. TT100 is still in its infancy, you guys like it so that is great, OO has been around longer than I have been on this earth. TT will only take off when other manufacturers join the party. I notice already there are moans about Hornby hiking the price which they will do, seeing as the majority of the cost of a model railway is the design and manufacture, which will be roughly the same be it OO or TT. Sam is allowed his opinion last time I looked we still live in a democracy, it is entirely up to you whether you watch his channel or not.

 

 

Having your own opinion is to be welcomed, as long as it's sufficiently well informed. It's when that opinion is based on ignorance and laziness (not checking facts) that manufacturers can be justified in being annoyed by clickbait like this.

Incidentally, Peco, Tillig, Roku , Roco, Arnold and others were already at the party when Hornby joined.

 

 

Edit - note to self that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Corrected for accuracy.