HORNBY 2023 RANGE
Hornby has outlined its plans for its 2023 range. During its annual presentation to the model press last December, its plans for the year ahead were laid out - this time, in addition to its TT:120 range announced in September, 2022.
With numerous issues affecting manufacturers in the Far East recently, from a shortage of electronic components used in the printed circuit boards of models to the many lockdowns during 2022 in China, Hornby's supply chain has also had to ‘weather a storm’, and the manufacturer's Marketing and Development Director Simon Kohler led the presentation with a round-up of projects that have been delayed. These include its BR Class 2MT, Industrial 88DS, 4-VEPS, Turbomotive, Trans Pennine Class 802/2, Lumo Class 803, Class 755/3 - 4, LNER Class P2 and LMS/BR ‘Black Five’.
From the presentation, Simon Kohler emphasised that Hornby intends to return to announcing models that it can deliver within a year. “2023 is the year to press the reset button”, he said, adding, “customers can get tired of waiting long for products”.
Though at first glance, Hornby's 2023 range might appear streamlined - indeed, some of its chosen model prototypes are - taking into account the many variations of tooling on its newly-announced products, combined with its recently-launched TT:120 range sees Hornby's design team kept more than busy. “We've recruited many new designers” said Simon, adding, “we've kept the design team working on TT:120 separate from those working on the OO gauge range, so that capacity isn't reduced.”
We've listed the complete range of Hornby 2023 products on our website, World of Railways, which includes video footage of a new Hammant and Morgan Bluetooth control system, as demonstrated by the manufacturer. You can also view slides from the Hornby presentation on our forum, RMweb.
The newly-tooled highlights from the main range are as follows:
New Steam (OO)
(R30137) LNER Class B17/5 Era 3 (R30136) BR Class B17/5 4-6-0 61870 Era 4
