[55 going on 5]

Is it me or does it seem that some of the railroad items especially the stuff for 2008 are the same as the bachmann stuff but not as good
do you want a cheap 37, 20, 47, 9f all of which are in the bachmann range. Is this a ploy to undercut the bachmann market share not in the short term but in the long term?
Or am i just loosing the plot as normal.
I am now going to go and hide with my tin hat on in a very deep hole where no one can find me

 

[poliss]

I think it's just a way to sell old Hornby stock.

 

[80class]

I don't think its quite as cynical as that. I think its about offering a more price competitive product for those that don't want to spend £120 on a 9f. It has the added bonus of very little development work as the models are pretty much the same as older ones. Hornby are just trying to make money out of old items as far as I can see. I doubt there will be too many high end modellers wanting the H 9f but there will probably be a lot of people interested at the toy end.

Also we have reached the stage where most major locos have been made before. So there will be a lot of repetition between companies. It makes more sense for H to release a cheap 9F that a full priced one seeing as B already has that end cornered.

Just a few thoughts...

Rob

 

[Mike Bellamy]

The way that 'Railroad' has been packaged and advertised, I would say that it is to attract newcomers to the hobby who are put off by the comparative higher cost of the more detailed models. Once they get a layout built, read the magazines and join MRF they will then progress onto the more recent highly detailed and more expensive offerings

Mike

 

[Noggins Friend]

Who pays £120 for a 9F? My dealer sold me mine for £85. (32-855)

 

[80class]

QUOTE (Noggins Friend @ 10 Jan 2008, 18:17) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Who pays £120 for a 9F? My dealer sold me mine for £85. (32-855)

Hopefully not too many people! I have a Bachmann price list in front of me for 2007, the three 9f's listed, two are £117.50 and the other is £124.95.

Most retailers apply pretty heavy discounts these days although its rare to see a new 9F mush less than £90 at the minute.

Rob

 

[ozwarrior]

QUOTE (55 going on 5 @ 11 Jan 2008, 01:46) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Is this a ploy to undercut the bachmann market share not in the short term but in the long term?

Manufacturers can't afford to be in the business of being personal.
They are in business to maximise profits and one way to do this is gain market share. With effectively two ranges now I would suggest Hornby will gain market share. No prizes in this case at whose expense.

 

[RikStar]

QUOTE (ozwarrior @ 10 Jan 2008, 21:13) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Manufacturers can't afford to be in the business of being personal.
They are in business to maximise profits and one way to do this is gain market share. With effectively two ranges now I would suggest Hornby will gain market share. No prizes in this case at whose expense.

Ozwarrior sums it up, sometimes we forget that manufacturers such as Hornby and Bachmann are businesses that need to generate profits in order to survive. Just look at what happened with Lima.

Anyway, you can still get some good quality Heljan, Bachmann and ViTrains items at Railroad prices if you shop around. I should know, i'm Scottish and hence my wallet doesn't open that often!

 

[80class]

I think that with the new railroad range Hornby are trying to expand the size of the uk market by appealing to people who wern't interested before due to price. I don't really think the new range is aimed at Bachmann so much, but it may pan out that way.

Rob

 

[RikStar]

One of the things that held me back when i was a kid was the high price of buying a new model, i often had to buy second hand at shows in order to afford anything. If a cheaper range brings new modellers into the hobby then that can only be a good thing, for us and for the manufacturers.

So long as there is a balance between quality models and basic models i don't mind.

Reissuing old models like the class 156 or 73 at quality model prices however is annoying

 

[7113]

I think, having read the previous posts, that Hornby have to increase the Railroad range, and obviously have tooling for older, less accurate models. I don't think it's an attempt to dent Bachmanns sales but more a way of attracting the younger modeller or those on a tight budget into the hobby. If that's the case then I, for one, am all in favour of it. I think we can rest assured that if Bachmann had the tooling to do the same thing they would.

Regards

 

[poliss]

I'm a Geordie RikStar, I wouldn't waste money on a wallet.

 

[spongebob]

hornby used to resurrect their old junk whenever a competitor announced a newer version. The hymek, class 25, even the western got dragged back out of the tool room when they perhaps shouldn't have bothered. I suppose now they can stick them under a new brandname and sell them for a more realistic price there is the chance they might nick a few extra sales off Bachmann.