Carltonf

I'd love to see manufacturing back in the UK for Hornby, and others manufacturing. But, there is one thing that is 100% certain - there is no way mouldings and presses will ever be allowed to leave China. Even when companies look to diversify to other geographical locations, I believe China exerts considerable pressure to dissuade such moves, protecting their interests. I do wonder if Hornby considered setting up the brand new TT moulds in the UK, but even that could have jeopardised the Chinese contracts.

I’ve stopped visiting his channel. He’s like a lot of social media “experts” - more often than not he hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about.

If you have access to (or friend with!) a 3D printer, there's this - https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/art/the-fat-controller-from-thomas-the-tank-engine Looks like it's 50p to download the STL file which could be scaled to be correct for oo. Another alternative is the old Subbuteo figure of Ken Bailey (England mascot?) - with a bit of work with model filler for the belly, and knife to repose his arm, that might fit the bill?

Yes, I saw that too. I am so impatient I just did the five mile round trip to Tesco on foot to save the £4 extra WHSmith were charging!

If anyone is looking for Hornby magazine/Hornby catalogue bundle deal, it doesn’t appear that WH Smith are taking part in the deal this year. Tesco are once again doing it at a combined £4 discount, but only to Clubcard holders. Which, thankfully, I am!

I think a moderator should add a caveat to the (otherwise excellent) guide to getting started with sets and track extensions; pinned to the top of this forum. There are a few sets in the range that don’t come with the 3rd radius starter oval, so adding the track packs in order will probably lead to disappointment and frustration for someone starting out in this hobby. Whilst looking into this for someone, I also think hornby should be consistent in the starter set information. Most sets clarify they include the 3rd radius, but two don’t make it clear at all, and one says 6xtrack pieces in the “what’s included”!

Thanks both. I’ll give it another go with those tips in mind. cheers.

Hi. Just wondering if anyone has managed to get the Class 73 sound installed on an 8 pin decoder yet? I e followed all of the advice, and belt&braces guide, but without success. The default sound works ok, the class 08 was fine too, and I eventually settled on the A4 profile and will transfer the chip across to that instead. But if there is a specific knack to the 73 profile I’d like to revert at some point.

An option for the pre-order problem could be to have a check-box to deliver all items into one delivery. Amazon have this option and it would negate this issue as the final payment (including postage) is worked out at the time of despatch. Personally, I’d also be prepared to pay up front to have the comfort of knowing the pre-orders are secured.

So I wasn’t sure which forum to post this in, but…..I wonder if Hornby have considered licensing Thomas the Tank for their forthcoming TT:120 range. That would be interesting…

It does say era 7 for the mainline express, so won’t be the 800. You may get your wish! However, the “electric” I think refers to the power for the train set, as the steam sets also have that in their descriptions.

Track Pack 1 Price updated! But like I say, with the train sets, you won't need it to make the track pack layout plan.

As it turns out, track pack 1 isn’t needed with either of the available starter sets, which (according to the brochure) contain an oval plus track pack A. So that’s £20-55 saved! (Hornby still need to correct the price though imo!)

I think there is a huge price fault with the Track Pack 1. The components add up to £23.40, but it is listed at £57.30. The other track packs offer savings of between 14%-20%. I've contacted Hornby for clarification as I would be keen to order the packs to make a nice circuit.

“personally I still think you are wrong.” … In what respect? In my wondering why my post was deleted? Or that I contacted Mr Kohler? I think I have every right, considering one of you deleted two of my posts today, without explanation, and it being in response to one of you deleting another post by someone else because you thought it trivial. No, I don’t expect him to tell me how many moderators there are (and I still have no idea how you counted 5 - whilst I appreciate the moderator badge under a name, I am not sure where there is a list of all members?) But I do expect him to have a view on volunteers having a direct influence on the reputation of the Hornby brand, and look forward to his response. I understand and appreciate the role you moderators play, but when you are basing your decision making on your own pov, you’ve crossed a line, why not really-instate the posts and let people read and comment if they like. There was nothing inflammatory or libellous in it. You were just irritated by the trivial nature.

Please don’t accuse me of having no common courtesy 96RAF - I posted a new thread suggesting unfair treatment of a poster on the general discussion forum. My post was deleted with no contact made to explain why. so I posted again asking moderator who deleted it to please message me. That too was deleted. I will show reciprocal courtesy to anyone. whilst the caveat says they reserve the right to remove content, it also says EVERY EFFORT will be made to contact the poster first.

I have to agree here. It is the same on Facebook mind - they virtually never respond to comments on their posts. Oftentimes an official response from Hornby is all customers want - a update on deliveries, an explanation on price rises (which, having received an honest response would shut quite a few people up). People respect openness and honesty. I remember back to when this forum was ran by a Hornby employee. It was a smaller community back then, and whilst I appreciate the need for moderators, ultimately this is a Hornby site and resource, and should be overseen by a paid employee who has the full interest of Hornby at heart.

Hi. How many moderators are in this site? How were they appointed? Are they assessed for doing a fair job? These are questions I have also put to Simon Kohler. Will keep you abreast of the response!

So when my Azuma arrived, I wrote a detailed complementary review. Still not published. Last time I reviewed something, it was sold out before the review appeared. Wondering if it’s worth putting fingers to keyboard anymore. customer services don’t seem to bother responding to emails either at the moment. Yet they expect us to keep supporting them!

Delighted to say my Azuma arrived this week and I’ve had a chance to get it on a test circuit (it’s not going to work out on my Mallaig layout!). Its brilliant and will be the catalyst to start work on a new layout! Looks superb, runs beautifully and smooth out of the box. And the DCC provision is excellent. I have one minor complaint - light bleed through the cab door, which is a shame, as the coach lights are a beautiful shade. Hope the rest of you are just as happy with yours when they arrive.

As has been commented on within another post (General discussion), some of the reviews on the Hornby site are really detracting from their purpose. Having just posted a review of the Azuma, it obviously goes through some content moderation; so how do those ridiculous ones get through? Is it because they have given it a 5 star rating? Do the moderators not check the content? You cannot review something you haven’t received! Fake and irrelevant reviews are spoiling a number of online shopping sites, so I wish Hornby would nip these in the bud.

I noticed a couple of days ago, the bullet point for free loco had gone, but it was still referenced in the paragraph higher up the page. Today, when I checked back, reading this post, I see they have updated that paragraph too. So no free loco, which is a shame as the 2022 retro loco looked very nice. They have gone back to offering 10% discount, which I was surprised when the ditched a couple of year back. I've pre-ordered the Black 5 with steam - if I don't renew membership will I lose out on the discount when it comes to completing the order?

I notice Hattons don't appear to have anything about the Hornby 2022 range on their site. Maybe just pulling it all together, but others have managed it already. Or is it another fall out with a major box shifter?

subscribers to Hornby Magazine can also order the catalogue direct from Key publishing with a £4 saving too.

It is interesting how Hornby have worded their pack "Trains on Film as seen in 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' Train Pack". And on the box artwork, it says "inspired by the film". I'm no legal expert, but can't see how Rapido can do anything about that.