John-L

Then another 15 days of ‘told you so’ and ‘why…’ and ‘but…’ 😉

It’s all part of the fun. 🙂

I thought that at first, and it would be awesome if it turned out to be the case, but I”m sure I read somewhere more recently that it was era 6? So green A1 loco and blood and custard MK1s would make sense as a ‘transposed content’ set swap (given that the British Pullman is an A4 and Pullmans). Obviously if it was an early BR set with a 47 and some blue & grey MK1s that would be fantastic. Fingers crossed.

Yes that seems most likely Peachy. The new sets being content swapped versions of the existing sets, meaning mainline express is BR green A1 with MK1’s and British Pullman is LNER Blue A4 with Pullmans. I was hopeful for a duchess set with 57’s but it’s not looking likely.

We seem to be in the shipping stage for Phase 2 so giving release dates and prices for Phase 3 would seem logical? We already know the Class 37 sound files suggest an early 2025 release date so preorders for products due within the next 12 months isn’t uncommon?

Well the announcement does specifically mention ‘adding to the range’ so that strongly implies some new announcements? Fingers crossed for some more early blue diesels and some BO-BOs 🙂

It’s really interesting that the TT models all scored so highly, hopefully that success is mirrored in the sales figures too. We could definitely use more vehicles. The new Routemaster and Tractor look promising too.

Double points are only on in stock items, so you would have to be quick. Not sure the double points are better than the 15% plus points you already have on those orders?

Don’t forget to share some pics 🙂

Nice! You’ll be one of the first to get one. Any word on the MK3’s to go with it?

YouTube pays per view over a certain amount. So he should get something like £1 per 1000 views, or something like that. He will be making a couple of hundred quid from each video. Honestly his subscriber numbers and viewing figures don’t seem high enough to generate a full time wage, so I’d suggest he is not having to pay for a mortgage or council tax etc. He shoots his videos in the attic of his parents house (based on what was shown on the TV show) so I guess he just needs to earn enough to pay them digs money? That could be achievable with his viewing figures?

Perhaps. But it doesn’t seem unreasonable to expect firm release dates for phase 3 locos. They are supposed to be available within the following twelve months.

Just watched the ‘mistake’ video. He really bases a lot of his assumptions on that poll doesn’t he? He actually states at one point that 90% of railway modellers have no interest in the scale, as if his poll somehow represents all of the market? Theres no doubt Hornby are behind schedule, and the lack of new info and new locos is frustrating, but to claim it’s a mistake or failure is to ignore the sheer number of A1s and A4s Hornby have shifted since the launch. We know that they’ve restocked numerous times, and if the batch numbers are to be believed then they’ve sold somewhere near 10,000 of these locos between the sets and the individual locos. That’s pretty impressive! Id say the April announcements will be the true test of how successful the range has been so far. If April brings new model announcements and firm dates for the roll out of the phase 3 locos (especially the 0-6-0 and class 37 / class 47) then naysayers like Sam will not have a leg to stand on. April will either be the boost that gets things into high gear or a red flag that Hornby are pulling back from the scale. My money is on the former.

Been looking forward to these livery variants, especially the green landrover.

Very true. Perhaps they will start offering wagon packs in the next round of pre orders. A wagon pack would meet the minimum for free postage? I'm still looking forward to Phase 3 & 4 but it's a shame to lose the discount! :)

My memberships ended now. I’ve moved onto the 2024 no discount version. It’s definitely going to change my spending as I move forward. The first year has been very pre-order heavy!

My Arnold VTG Cereal Wagons arrived. Haven’t had a chance to run them yet but they look fantastic. Not wagons that run over here but really too nice to pass up. Hopefully we get models of some UK loading gauge versions at some point.

We will also need a source for the Hornby nem pockets. I lost a coupler from one of my coaches, so I ordered a packet of spares from Hornby only to realise they don’t include the clip on pocket! Luckily I found the missing coupler and pocket in the end, but I would have been unable to use the coach if I hadn’t. Surely there must be a way to get replacements?

Have you tried contacting Hornby customer service? I’ve always found them to give excellent after sales support. They might be able to help solve your problem.

Nice. It’s a beautiful model. I couldn’t justify getting one, but I was very tempted. The detail on them is incredible, and seeing one running on the display layout at Warley was very impressive.

Thanks for the heads up on this power supply. I grabbed one from Hatton before they closed. My last order from them.

It’s possible the two launch sets are about to be replaced by the British Pullman and the Mainline Express (both of which appear to be the same locos/carriages but swapped around and with different liveries). So Green BR A1 with MK1s and Blue LNER A4 with Pullmans.

Stick it on eBay. Someone somewhere will be missing that bit.

Who’s being held back? I’ve not seen any complaints beyond an impatience for the future phases. The next year or so should see 0-6-0 tanks, classic mainline diesels and the first modern image stock. Seems like more than enough to tempt anyone who’s currently on the fence.