Hornby shopping list

In December, I took the trip down to sunny Margate for Hornby's 2019 product range announcement. Since then, my lips have been firmly sealed as to the models were shown on that day, but now the range has been revealed, I thought you might be interested in knowing what floated my boat.

More to the point, what appealed to me so much I'm willing to spend my own cash?

 You won't be surprised to know that none of the big locos does it for me. Nor do I have any interest in coaches. Maybe the GWR set would be useful for Edgeworth, but this is my money, so I'm spending it on things I like.

First up, the 0-6-0 Peckett. The 0-4-0 version is already on the shelf and I love it, so the larger version was always going to appeal. I've picked Sherwood as, although it's a colliery loco, I reckon it could fit into any industrial scheme I come up with in the future. Those wasp-stripe buffer beams might have to go red, and it definitely needs dirt, but this is a loco I'd have been tempted to build from a kit.

 A loco I have built from a kit is the Ruston 48DS. Rumours of this had been around for a while, but I was expecting the larger 88DS. It's a brave move as while these locos appeal to enthusiasts, in real life they were a bit restricted. There's also the issue of a small and short wheelbase causing an issue with current collection. Hornby supplies a pickup-fitted match wagon to counteract this, but I'm hoping to get away without this.

Choosing a colour wasn't easy, but as I have a green 48DS, the red one is my favourite. I'm not sure this will be so easy to dirty, but perhaps a little grime will bring it alive more.

Both locos have been picked and ordered from my local model shop, based on handling the real models. Finding painted examples to take photos of was a real surprise and an indication of how things are changing at Hornby.

Ordering 2 RTR models in a year is a bit of a departure for me, especially as I can probably wangle some via work, but I really like these and I want them for me. I suspect one of the other colours of 48DS will find it's way into a project layout in time, and possibly even another Peckett, but sometimes it's nice to treat yourself.

Talking of which,  while photographing the trains, I spotted a Post-It note on the wall that said "Wacky Races". Lo and behold, announced for the Scalextric range, we have:

Now, this is a clever move. Kids my age remember the cartoon and we are very much the target market for just this set. We'll probably be willing to buy extra cars too. Add to this the enthusiasm for comic stuff and collectables generally and this could be quite the money-spinner. 

I wonder if Airfix are looking at "Catch the pigeon"?