Appalling Hornby Stephenson's Rocket Flatbeds | Unboxing & Review

[@17473039]

Sam: "Hold on to your hats and swallow your coffee" Me: "Nah he's exagerating" Sam: "£84.99" Me: *chokes on custard cream biscuit*

[@Beatlefan67]

Ditto!

[@timbervalleyproductions]

"I'm going to have a custard cream" - James may. Completely irrelevant, lol

[@Meld61]

Glad I was sat down when you announced the price .Not that I would want them .

[@CymruJedi]

I’m so happy you’re willing to call Hornby out on these things. I have seen many other channels showcase these, and not bat an eyelid at spending this sort of money on this cheap asset flip design.

[@SamsTrains]

haha yeah - bit too much sycophancy going on in this hobby... I can honestly say I take no part in that... and it feels pretty good! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@maringarvanovic8011]

Clearly there are other channels that want to keep in their good books so that they get their freebies. I cannot prove this however, come on!.

[@SamsTrains]

Very much so! Of course you can't prove it... but the evidence is that I find/talk about problems and issues... and they don't!! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@TomDavias]

You know I was really tempted to get a Stephenson's Rocket and all the rolling stock to tag along but you know after seeing the build, the price and quality, yeah I think I'll pass

[@SamsTrains]

haha I can't blame you - we'll wait and see what the next batch cough*excretion*cough is like! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@electrohalo8798]

Mark my words, a 3D printed version would be far superior in build quality and cost!

[@bentullett6068]

@@electrohalo8798 one of the other manufacturers is producing more realistic cauldron wagons from the era Rocket was around and looking at them they look really impressive. I hope someone does some more locomotives from the early days of steam.

[@azuma892]

Aww Sam you should do the history on these. "In 2021, Hornby decided to reuse their Era 1 coaches as flatbeds, subsequently they increased the price to £84.99, none of these ever existed in real life. The end."

[@SamsTrains]

haha fantastic - maybe we should send this to Hornby, and suggest they update their packaging with this backstory?! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@REDARROW_A_Personal]

@@SamsTrains Hornby has dabbled in Alternative History in the past with the Bassett Lowke by taking some random 0-4-0 locos and wagons including a Smokie Joe Engine and slapping some greebling on them from Airfix Kits. I wouldn't be supprised this is another Alternative History Series. They just failed to tell us that.

[@AlanM1966]

This should be your next 3D project.... showing Hornby how it can be done!

[@Anbregour]

That'd be a great watch

[@SamsTrains]

I definitely will do this at some point! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@GrahamFoulston]

I actually hate with a passion the company Hornby and all that it stands for at the moment. I hate the fact that they have diminished a name I cherished for years - if I said model trains years ago I would actually be saying Hornby. I hate the way they are treating our model shops and retailers with their stupid tier system, I hate their complacency of not listening and that they know best, I hate that they think they can sell utter crap at top dollar rates - I just hate everything about them, passionately. 🤬🤬🤬 Nothing would give me greater pleasure (and I really don’t want to admit this but . . .) than to see them go down the tubes, a new management team steps in who not only know about manufacturing but also know about this beautiful hobby of ours and get Hornby back to what we all know and love about that brand. Such a damn shame. Cheers for now Sam and another great video. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻. …………Graham

[@alastairwilson457]

Well said Graham, really short sighted and cynical business practices from Hornby. Others will take their business.

[@joginns778]

Graham Hornby almost did go down the tube if it hadn't been for covid 19 the models there all making are to high tech and cost way too much bachmann are the same fortunately dapol so far have kept there prices down there are also new company coming into the model railways charging the earth it's now turning into a rich man's hobby I for one won't buy Hornby it's utter rubbish,

[@GrahamFoulston]

@@alastairwilson457 👍🏻👍🏻

[@chrisbaines6931]

i'm rapidly becoming an accurascale convert. the wagons i have brought from them have been outstanding. Hornby havn't annonced anything i want to buy for a few years. the Std 2 Mogul is the only pre-oder i have in that Hornby produce and that was annonced how long ago?

[@blatherskite9601]

Say what you mean, Graham. Don't hold back!

[@technoandrew]

I'm usually not too phased by the escalating price of models, but when you revealed the RRP of this wagon pack I actually swore out loud. Still, a very entertaining video Sam, always enjoy a good rant from you. Hope you had a good Easter.

[@SamsTrains]

haha I know - I couldn't believe it either seeing it for the first time! Glad you liked the vid anyway, and hope you had a good Easter too! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@rohanhalle580]

Hornby, what in the honest ***** are you doing? You're going to make AliExpress look premium. Great review as always Sam.

[@CaptainRex501stTorrent]

That's a funny comment my friend but a true one.

[@davidknowles2491]

Hell even WISH is looking more appealing right now!

[@SamsTrains]

haha yeah - I literally just bought some new wagons from Aliexpress for a fraction of the price of these... and they're giant box cars! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@OlivierGabin]

@@SamsTrains An idea for you : comparison with the -least worse- best of Ali Express/Wish and some Hornby products like this one...

[@rohanhalle580]

@@davidknowles2491 A wish model for £10 which is two mismatched halves of a box van hot glued together is probably value for money.

[@Evaunit98]

It’s brilliant, for the same money my model shop was selling a railroad P2, I’d take the Doncaster behemoths over these any day

[@SamsTrains]

haha I would too!! Crazy D:

[@CustomiZe_]

Be careful though, I bought a railroad p2 and when you fit any of the details don't expect it to go round 3rd radius curves 👍

[@datawizard8194]

@@CustomiZe_ Well from what ive seen it does say that on the "instructions" if thats what you want to call them

[@CustomiZe_]

@@datawizard8194 oh really, I didn't see that but the front bogie barely turn with the front steps fitted. Considering its intended market I would say radius 3 would be a minimum though if not tighter.

[@Evaunit98]

@@CustomiZe_ I have the railways version so I’m always careful with it on corners, if you do that and have family generous curves it works well

[@andrewguttry6886]

Fleischmann pricing with 1960s Airfix 'quality'. Outstanding! Hornby are either desperate and in trouble, or they're taking the proverbial, hoping nobody will notice...

[@SamsTrains]

haha very much so! I'm here to make sure the latter isn't the case! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@chrisbarnes3653]

9

[@malcolmlucas6627]

@@SamsTrains Which is the best model between the hideous Coca-Cola bottle lowmac wagon and these dreadful waste of plastics. Hornby could offer both together in a "gift set"!!!!

[@GreatWestern5199]

Such a shame that a wonderful manufacturer like Hornby has been brought down by themselves. I love all my 2010s Hornby models, and I wish they would sort out their commitment and their pricing to become the go-to manufacturer again.

[@diamond_dude1011]

i'll agree that buying models is becoming harder and harder, as their prices are much higher than they used to be. shame that all people care about these days is £££££

[@BattleshipOrion]

@@diamond_dude1011 It depends on the hobby too. I can get a few warships for the price of these flatbeds.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah I love my 2000s-2010s models too - I just hope they don't blow it... they still make decent models, they're just lost in all the rubbish... and hidden behind ludicrous prices :( Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@GreatWestern5199]

@@BattleshipOrion True. I reckon you could pick up 3-4 Airfix Large Prairies for the price of these. I found one for £24 once and didn't hesitate, so I reckon 4 could be bought at a push for the price of the wagons.

[@GreatWestern5199]

@@SamsTrains I suppose, let's hope they see clearly soon.

[@SunnyJohn45]

Sam, I'm an old American who's been a modeler in multiple scales since 1957, but there are things about British prototypes and modeling I don't understand. For example, why 1:76 scale (NOT gauge) on 1:87 track (gauge)? Why hasn't something better than those wretched looking NEM couplings come along in the last half century or so? Given the UK's weather, why did railway companies torture crews with little or no cab for protection? I admire your calling out manufacturers like you did with Hornby in this instance. Americans are used to paying high prices for models, but Hornby seems to have outdone us in this and other cases. Kudos! One last thing about these models: why are the coupling chains modeled in slack? They look ridiculous when the cars are coupled in tension and even more ridiculous if an uncoupled one is hung from the hook and doesn't hang straight down. I enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.

[@timfairweather7568]

In answer to your first question regarding British OO scale being too big for the track gauge. This came about because HO locos were made just large enough for American HO scale locomotives to accommodate the motors of the time. British locos are smaller so they upped the scale to take the same motors. Companies wanted to be able to sell one track etc globally so the track and gauge stayed at HO with OO scale British locos and and stock. Unfortunately, OO became so established that we are now stuck with this odd arrangement unless you model P4 or EM scale which is not available rtr. The same happened with British N gauge. Sigh.

[@SunnyJohn45]

@@timfairweather7568 Thanks for the explanation. I've been watching Sam's videos and they've piqued my interest in learning more about all thing British railways and railway models. I looked up P4 and EM. What did you mean about British N scale/gauge?

[@timfairweather7568]

@@SunnyJohn45 you are welcome. British N gauge is 1:148 American 1:160 both run on 9mm gauge track and this is where the N comes from: N for nine. Again, oversize British locos and stock etc compared to the gauge for the same reasons as HO and OO. The British Ngauge fine scale (em/p4) equivalent is P2 or perfect 2mm to the foot scale. Again, nothing RTR and so we are and will be stuck with the odd arrangement of British N gauge.

[@SunnyJohn45]

@@timfairweather7568 Thanks again, Tim. I never heard of British N. Now I know.

[@phil36310]

Hi Sam, ... and it doesn't end there! Hornby advertises their 'web exclusive range'. Prices at least are 'exclusive' ! No more retailers in the future it seams. That's it for me with Hornby. "Appalling" is the right word Sam. I fully agree with you. Thanks for sharing. Kind regards.

[@mikehall5167]

Sam, interesting as always. Would you consider asking Hornby for an interview, maybe Simon Kohler (or someone similar) could explain to their customers and long term supporters exactly why we are seeing extraordinary prices, especially in comparison to other manufacturers. Doesn’t feel as if many people in the press side of the hobby are asking these questions.

[@andrewcharlton4053]

Coming back into the hobby as an adult in shocked by the amount of abuse from manufacturers that modellers will put up with. My interest in the PC enthusiast space obviously spoiled me, with Media genuinely getting angry at scams similar to this. And to me, this product absolutely is a scam and should be labelled such. Its a disgrace

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks Michael - yes you're right, we should be asking those questions! And I feel you Andrew - the PC tech press are the best of any industry, take LTT - just the gold standard! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@andrewcharlton4053]

@@SamsTrains LTT are definitely the most popular but I'd say Gamers Nexus are probably more what I was thinking of. I just really cannot see how Hornby expected to get away with this. Even if they do make sales, who's going to be happy and are you going to return to make another purchase anyway. I'll be staying away until it changes, plenty of good models from other brands or Ebay/Hattons

[@lapiswake6583]

These wagons look absolutely fantastic, wtih excellent value for money. I can't wait to go and buy a whole rake of 20+ of these wagons! Haha nope. I hope you're gonna buy a pack of the Accurascale Chauldrons, 3 realistic wagons based on preserved prototypes for about £45, and do a harsh comparison...

[@pettra1]

Good idea!

[@SamsTrains]

haha... you mean the properly researched, accurate, realistic yet ultimately cheaper Chaldrons?! Sounds like a top idea! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@rupertchappelle1089]

Excellent Chaldrons. I want more.

[@joginns778]

Here's one for you Sam did you know in 1998 the rocket loco travelled at over four Hundred miles an hour?,yes that's right when she went to Japan my husband jack was one of three entrusted by the science museum to look after her she went by jumbo jet out of Heathrow,

[@SamsTrains]

Wow no I didn't know it went by plane - shocking! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@rochmel1409]

Thanks Sam. At the beginning I had assumed the steps were part of a one piece moulding hence why they were present but they are actually glued on? Why? Surely that is a cost that could have been avoided unless the whole design process was a single e mail from Margate to China saying 'take the coach chassis and stick some planking on it' which of course means that there is no contribution towards research and development contained within the £84 (which makes it even worse). I would love to see an interview with Hornby justifying their pricing policy. I am sure it would be entertaining.

[@timtheeagle1]

I'm becoming quite a fan of your brutally honest reviews! Call them out!

[@garystephen8718]

I don't have a train set nor do I intend to get one, but enjoy these videos as a look into something I know nothing about. I'm no stranger to expensive hobbies (I play Warhammer) but even so, some of the costs companies are charging you for these models are insane. I hope these videos get the views needed to switch people off of buying from the bad eggs ruining it for you all, force them to revise their pricing strategy.

[@joncrawford3485]

I'm wondering if Hornby is branching into mortgage services; cos the way they're going modellers are going to have to mortgage stuff to be able to pay for their items!

[@SamsTrains]

haha you could be right Jon - this reeks of desperation doesn't it?! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@Loweko1170]

It says all you need to know that Hornby now advertise personal finance and loan services as part of their online shopping system.

[@malcolmloud9389]

I would like to see other pioneer era locomotives like fowler's ghost, iron Duke, or maybe one of the the locomotives from the rainhill trials.

[@marrrtin]

I would like to see the Planet, the service loco which resulted from Rocket, with smokebox and inside cylinders, and its immediate descendants such as Patentee or Lion (of Titfield Thunderbolt fame), or the many eccentric-looking machines by the likes of Crampton or Hackworth from the height of Railway Mania, so wonderfully modelled by Mike Sharman.

[@SamsTrains]

I'd love to see some of those too - Iron Duke and Planet would be amazing! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@OlivierGabin]

Just an idea, that would be great to have such rolling stock from this period in O scale. The size of the prototypes matches what you can get in O scale, and I think that would gives better models overall, in terms of details, functionality, aspect, without being too cumbersome compared to OO gauge.

[@urbancohort9145]

Great, honest review delivered in a dry sardonic way. I have a desire to model the early days of the railways, and limited skills at scratch building and less confidence. I would love there to be a RTR version that was reasonably accurate and reasonably priced… I guess my wait goes on! Thank you Sam. Wish all reviews were as candid.

[@paulsngaugechannel]

Hi Sam, I thought I was watching a belated April fools video, but then I realised that it is the middle of the month. No doubt the retort from the few who think that Hornby is just doing normal business and we should be grateful for the little rubbish that they produce ( by mistake) , but even the WTF products bring a time honoured manufacturer to disturbing new levels of complacency. Hornby can still produce great products, and as you often comment, huge prices bring huge expectation. Unlike some of the models, not just Hornby, there is less quality control now than ever before. And the QC does not appear to be done by the companies, Bachman, dapol, Hornby, graham Farish, etc , but at the factory producing the products for these companies. If the hobby is to survive, more people need to send back the faulty models and get refunds, the shops and distribution outlets need to return to the model companies, and then the companies will see what is happening. Accept a faulty, substandard product only gives the false impression to the companies, and they have only seen small returns from the public. For the price they are asking for, the model should have no defects and be worthy to be called a model. We know some people think replacing the bit that fell off, straighten out the bent piece and clean off the glue or bad paint job is part of the hobby, but only if you are building it yourself. I pay for a train model because I don’t have the skills to build one, I have tried and ended up with a bad model. Houses, scenic items I can do, but trains are always my downfall. And £230 for a model that is not completed correctly or has problems, is not what I paid for. Regardless of the manufacturer.

[@OlivierGabin]

Agreed for the same reasons. I'm more radical: if it's junk on a testbench, I don't buy at all, period. Even if the model teases me, or is on my shopping list. I'm also buying N US, N Japanese and N plus HO continental models and this level of utter contempt for the customer is only seen within the UK market models. If I would start modelling today, I would ditch UK models from my shopping list and go full continental due to the complete joke that those kind of models are.

[@SamsTrains]

haha yep - I wish this was another April fools too... better than my twisted idea of comedy! Nope, not even the Hornby brown-noses have got an excuse for this one... at least none of them have dared post it here that I've seen so far! You're absolutely right of course - we buy pre-built as an alternative to building them ourselves (which is dirt cheap, I've done it)... if we're paying the money, they should be right! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@James-Railyard]

And here I thought Bachmann USA’s MSRP numbers were outrageous! At least the smart hobby shops heavily reduce the price. However £85 ($110) for THREE tiny flat cars? No. Flat no. Great video Sam. I’d love to see more USA train reviews. If you’re looking for sturdy and cheaper USA rolling stock I recommend finding old Athearn Blue Box kits. Easy to build or modify.

[@modelrailpreservation]

For newly produced kits, I have to say Accurail has been filling the void left when Athearn discontinued Blue Box kits.

[@michaelmckinnon7314]

Yes the steps on the flatbed wagons are historicly correct because the originals were taken from the passenger coach production line and they were left there because it made for easier loading. The replica that's "inaccurate" is based on the blueprints, technical drawings and technical specs.

[@davidhinks8384]

Thanks Sam, I think I am genuinely sad that Hornby think this is acceptable or indeed ethical (do they?). So glad that there are other manufacturers coming through. I only hope Hornby wake up to themselves before it is too late.

[@SamsTrains]

Cheers David - that's assuming they're thinking at all these days... doesn't seem like it? Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@benbobbb]

no matter how terrible the product may be, i always love a review by sam. always honest and always funny!

[@SamsTrains]

haha thanks so much Ben!

[@samspade5962]

It’s up to you guys,if you don’t buy these expensive monstrosities then the company will either shape up or go under,personally I’d prefer the latter

[@kymnorley8657]

Thanks Sam. I appreciate your honesty. I bought mine at the old price but even that was expensive. And one of the buffers fell off before they came out of the box. After my initial enthusiasm I'm beginning to think that this era 1 stuff is too much trouble. Hornby has this fiddly non-standard coupling, Accurascale has added a new magnetic coupler to the mix, but at least it fits the NEM 362 mounts, and Rapido is using the NEM 363 mount on its SECR Brake van and Lion just to complicate matters. Oh dear!

[@SamsTrains]

No problem Kym - ahh sorry to hear that - it is certainly a lot of trouble... and you're right, even the old price was pushing it! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@tenterdentown2452]

Hi Sam, I have had to have an operation on my eye for a detached retina so I can't do anything on my layout. However, I can see sufficiently to watch Sam'sTrains videos on the subject. For a visually challenged person, the good thing about your videos is the laconic commentaries that always keep me amused! The only explanation I can think of for Hornby's surreal pricing strategy is that their financial backers are being very strict with them and are forcing them to comply with a business plan. As I understand it, the modern Hornby Hobbies was created by a management buy-out of the earlier Triang-Hornby firm that went bust. According to this analysis, city money was used to finance the buy-out and the more the stock market goes down, the more Hornby's prices must go up! From a Sam's TTrains point of view, the prices make no sense! I think I would advise you not to pay these prices. Instead, I would review earlier Hornby and Triang-Hornby items as that will make just good a video for a fraction of the cost! Thanks for all your effort in making these videos!

[@SamsTrains]

Ahh that's a truly horrible thing - I know somebody with the same problem - really sorry to hear that, truly hoping it all heals up nicely for you... know it's a horrible recovery, so thinking about you! Yes I think the almighty pound is definitely forcing their hand - it does make sense - but I just think that if you put customers first, the money will come! I'm no expert though... I hope for their sake that they know best and their strategy is the right one! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@jonny_vdv]

Sam's Trains: these Rapido wagons are quite expensive Hornby: hold my beer

[@grahamclayton675]

Why not have a go at 3D printing a better product?? Looks easy enough to take the dimensions of Hornbys bodge . Then sell them at s as realistic price !! Just a thought.

[@sturmtigerking4263]

HOLY MOLY!!!! 84 quid!!! That's taking the mick. They are literally just flatbeds. Wow that's blown my mind. Hornby need to rethink things.

[@captainfantastic9238]

Your can buy them for around £62 retail, but that's still about £30 too much!

[@mintyicecream44]

THE BLUE WAGON HAS THE SAME COACH CHASSIE AS WELL🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@emilioi.valdez6680]

You want horrid, try the Rocket coal wagons by Hornby. They're essentially the Rocket's tender without the barrel and painted a different color.

[@SamsTrains]

haha yeah I've seen those - definitely ordering a set ;) Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@johndelaney5197]

Thanks for this review, I was going to have a look at some of the Hornby Rocket merchandise for my "The Great train Robbery " (1978) model as it was made here in Ireland, but if it's all like this I think I'll pass, Thanks Sam

[@SamsTrains]

No problem John - not one I can recommend! If these were going for £30 or less, then they'd be just the job! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@OlivierGabin]

the Great Train Robbery, it is the new salespitch for Hornby nowadays !

[@johndelaney5197]

@@OlivierGabin So true my friend, So true..........😔

[@nfordf450]

Yes it might seam pricey. I’m a modern era American modeler in N scale. But there’s one thing you need to think of when it comes to early railroad modelers. At least in the states. Are very small numbers. I would love to have some in my scale just to display from time to time. But as it won’t be a high demand product. Hornby knows a lot of these models probably won’t sell right away. And the ones that do have to pay for the warehousing of the ones they will be holding onto for years now. That’s one effect of price in marketing that is driving that price. The other is the cost of manufacturing. Small runs cost more from the tool and die price that’s often lower over a larger run. So it’s a careful balance. Make enough for demand so your not warehousing a ton of models. And making enough sales to pay for the tooling cost.

[@raymondwilson2933]

Mainline wagons. That’s what I would invest in. Easy to work on, detail and improve. How many would I get for £84.00. I would say around about 10 wagons.

[@JackMitchell404]

I wonder whether Hornby is in a pricing death spiral where the prices have gone up such that the volume's collapsed which has eliminated revenue, forcing the prices up further.

[@MarcusWhitelam]

Hornby: another satisfied customer, we are definitely doing well. 🤣

[@SamsTrains]

haha yep - the perfect delusion! ;D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@Noodlewerfer]

Not gonna lie, I was expecting to see it get negative stars in the value rating after you showed the build quality and the wagon just being a coach chassis. Still an entertaining video, though! Can they even be coupled to any era 1 locomotive other than the rocket with that type of coupling system?

[@Valleys56xx]

Please Oxford, make some Era 1 rolling stock! And Oxford Diecast, make some horse drawn carriages and goods loads to put on the top... Hornby's management, quality control and accounts can just do one, I'll not be bothering paying any attention to their offerings in the future. Good review, Sam, thanks :)

[@SamsTrains]

Wouldn't that be something? Knowing Oxford, they could've done something like this for £2.50 each... but they're sadly not a competitor to Hornby any more now that they're owned by Hornby... still not clear how the acquisition will change Oxford :( Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@michaeldavies9600]

Nice review Sam,surely Hornby would have known that someone (like you) would do a review on these wagons? I think Hornby have lost the plot on pricing,i wouldnt mind so much if it was top notch quality but it isnt.

[@SamsTrains]

haha yeah - it just makes no sense does it? Are they even bothered any more? :/ Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@michaeldavies9600]

@@SamsTrains Probably not ! The only Hornby items i buy now are pre owned.

[@DavidScholz-bu1ix]

BLIMEY, WHAT A SPECTACULAR REVIEW DESPITE SOME ISSUES THAT YOU'VE SERIOUSLY POINTED OUT!!!

[@fenman1954]

I stopped buying from Hornby a long time ago.

[@rjds1800]

Sam, I'm struggling to keep my reaction and comment PG but I would strongly suggest that Hornby are taking the Mickey! Now I appreciate that a manufacturer would opt to use common tooling in products. Also the cost of materials and production etc are now expensive due to circumstances beyond most people's control. That however doesn't excuse this blatant rip off. Then Hornby wonder why there business is stalling...? Maybe supporting the hobby and their customers instead of causing people to walk away might be a start?

[@rodsmith3911]

A bit of a change since the original Jinty tank loco cost 33/6d (£1.67p) and open wagons 3/6d (17 1/2p) when I began with OO trains in 1958! They were quite a reasonable price even then so today's prices are just a rip off.

[@thediamondtank]

Heljan is looking at Hornby and pointing and laughing at this point. You’ve got to laugh because otherwise you’d probably cry.

[@SamsTrains]

haha very much so!! ;D

[@sirrliv]

I've found a solution to Hornby's gross negligence for historical accuracy (if not their extortionate pricing): These are not actually Liverpool & Manchester rolling stock at all, but rather from the Ankh-Morpork & Sto Plains Hygienic Railway, a tribute to the late great author Sir Terry Pratchett and the penultimate entry in his iconic Discworld series "Raising Steam". Rather than being Stephenson's Rocket, the locomotive is now Ned Simnel's pioneering creation Iron Girder. The enclosed coaches are 1st Class carriages of the AMSPHR, and the blue open cars are the early 3rd Class stock prior to company director Moist von Lipwig's near untimely demise when saving some children from being run down by the demonstration engine and his subsequent insistence that all passenger stock have roofs, and that 2nd Class be introduced to encourage passengers to aspire to better things. The red carriage included in some sets is now a postal wagon for the Ankh-Morpork Post Office, with Moist von Lipwig as Postmaster General. And here's the best part: Rather than being gross mockeries of historical accuracy and frankly a barefaced insult to their customers for the sheer laziness of their design, these green flat wagons are now special passenger carriages for oversized beings like trolls, who don't mind the wind and rain since they're made of stone. Likewise, the brown repurposed tenders, er, that is, "open goods wagons" are now accommodation for goblins and other small creatures who are used to rough treatment. Even the sheep wagons (not yet shown on this channel) are now special double decker coaches for dwarves, gnomes, and others who take pride in their low stature. So there you are, Hornby's naked bare faced cash grab transformed into a heartfelt tribute to one of Britain's greatest modern authors. And if anyone from Hornby stumbles across this, 10% royalties, yeah? P.S. My gods, I never thought I'd see the day. A 1 on Sam's rating chart. I didn't think you had it in you, Sam. In an attempt at fairness, I can think of 2 positives to these pieces of tat: 1. Though not even remotely realistic or accurate in design, wierdly they're probably the most accurate in function for Rocket to be pulling. By the time the Liverpool & Manchester Railway actually opened in 1830, Rocket was already basically obsolete; the Stephensons had already produced the larger Northumbrian Class, which were basically the improved production model to Rocket's prototype, and before the year was out would introduce Planet, a truly revolutionary 2-2-0 with horizontal cylinders mounted under the smokebox driving inside cranks on the drive axle, the true first modern steam locomotive from which all others would be derived from for the next 200 years. Rocket meanwhile was almost immediately downgraded to a "ballast engine", effectively used for little more than maintenance trains, until 1836 when it was sold to the Brampton Railway in Cumbria and was retired from service in 1840. So in that very limited way, it actually makes more sense for Rocket to be hauling flatbeds than coaches since that's what she did in service as she wasn't much use for anything else. 2. If one is skilled with a screwdriver and the build quality inside isn't as bad as outside, one could make some rather interesting fictional livery by swapping the yellow coach bodies onto the green chassis. A small change, but maybe more to someone's taste than plain colors all around.

[@GelatoTaco]

At this point Hornby needs to fail or get extremely close to it in order to snap the hell out of whatever they're doing. This is getting absurd.

[@johnblair8146]

A few years ago they were nearly wiped out by an overly generous warranty program. Jacking their prices was their answer.

[@9501599]

Hi Sam 👋another good review, I would have given for quality 1 star, detail 1.5 and value half a star. I think you were generous. You know it's disappointing 😞that a top manufacturer like Hornby cuts corners this just isn't good enough. 😕. Nice of you to call them out on this one👌

[@SamsTrains]

haha thanks Guy - yes I had to calm down a bit before writing the scores, haha! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@warrenjohnknight.9831]

I purchased a new engine and carriages last month and receive a 30 % discount, it saved me $45 , it definitely made me smile on the trip home to unpack and run the track's, 😆.

[@Dave_at_Its_My_Model_Railway]

OMG how much are they now ? I bought mine for £47.50 from Colletts Models and they still have some left at that price !

[@stevenperry7493]

Thanks for the review Sam ,,I think I’ll be saving my money .

[@johnjephcote7636]

They are called 'Carriage trucks'. Only later on did they acquire the soubriquet 'flatbed' as a multiplicity of other uses was found for them. The design remained basically unchanged until BR phased out such vehicles. Originally designed to carry private persons' horse-drawn carriages.

[@badlyfilmedproductionspres8022]

Ive just been looking at Accurscale caudron waggons, three pack £45 approx.. And there is a whisper it a Hornby magazimne videos with grain wagons.. three pack for £84 (i Think) and theyre three times the sze

[@thegreatwesterner9481]

84.99 for 3 flatbeds that are terrible built what a joke great video sam

[@SamsTrains]

haha it's crazy isn't it?! But thank you! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@stephenarbon2227]

One point missed, is that in real life, the early wooden passenger bodies would have a working life far shorter than their chassis. The chassis, might then have been cascaded down to slower freight use, and then per way, while the body ended up as staff accommodation etc. So it might have been very possible that a former passenger chassis came to be modified with another leaf of springs, timber buffer, and so and remained in service for decades. In any case, the Rocket locomotive was an experimental prototype, and rarely saw commercial use in its original form, if at all. The original design didn't have the traction to pull a worthwhile load of freight and was too unstable for high speed px use and soon after rebuilt with near horizontal cylinders, a front buffer, a blast pipe etc, in which form the original still has in the [Science?] Museum. The quality of the model is another issue, and as the price is so high, it would be cheaper to obtain some relevant parts, & wood/balsa and make your own. I don't think they would have used axle-boxes, and wheels used from coal mine wagons are available and might be more accurate.

[@SamsTrains]

That's a good thought Stephen! If they'd been smart enough to include this on the back-of-the-box description (instead of the info that conflicted with their models), that excuse might have stuck! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@davetube7362]

I'm surprised they didn't get half a star for value!

[@SamsTrains]

haha I've always considered 1 star to be the lowest possible score... maybe I should rethink?! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@joshmason6177]

No Sam I think you must have got it wrong. £85 was Hornby’s budget for researching, designing, tooling and buying the whole team a Greggs.

[@rickybrett6846]

As well as railway modelling I also build aircraft kits. Now airfix have a bad reputation in kit building circles for quality but in the last couple of years they have started re-tooling some of their kits and they are excellent and still charge a fair price compared to other manufacturers. Guess what...airfix are owned by Hornby and the kits are manufactured in India !

[@billmmckelvie5188]

Oh dear, oh dear! So sad. I have put to put something positive in here, that the concept was good and from a railway nostalga perspective too. However, I am so glad I didn't go down the Rocket route! I know how I feel about the model railway industry and I have said it before on this channel, it is time for the market to wag the manufacturers' tail and not the other way around until we do so, this will sadly repeat itself!

[@FerroequinologistofColorado]

Hey Sam, I think the blue open air coach is supposed to be between the rocket and the enclosed yellow coaches.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah you're probably right! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@kellyashfordtrains2642]

The flatbed wagons are nice. I don't see anything wrong with them. OK, so the price was a bit steep, but you're happy with them and that's what matters.

[@ianturvey3894]

Well, I can’t see these flying off the shelves! Really are shoddy. I’m with you on this product Sam.

[@SamsTrains]

haha certainly not - they'll be in the bargain bins provided no clown keeps buying them (ahem!) Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@656hookemhorns]

If costs more than £10 to produce the lot of them, I'd be surprised. This is why I don't think I'll be getting back into a childhood hobby of mine.

[@dafyddthomas7299]

some very good second hand models on ebay - at a fraction of the new prices

[@louisbuscarino7330]

Good review as usual Sam but I feel So very disappointed in Hornby. I use to Bragg to people here in the USA about the Hornby trains I bought from the UK . Now I am embarrassed to say anything about them not just the price but the quality.

[@SamsTrains]

I agree Lois - I spent years saying how good Hornby's models were... I feel a fool now too! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@OlivierGabin]

@@SamsTrains My first Hornby models three years ago were ranging from good to excellent (J50 for instance, one of my first). Now, I avoid their new productions as far as I can. I hope their 9F and their Black Five won't be a piece of garbage, but I might be dreaming...

[@Hydro_J]

At the point where i see the price now £84. They better be the most detailed and the best qualitty ive ever seen.

[@graymichael09]

Yet you look on Hornby website and they get great reviews. Wonder how many of the reviewers are their staff!

[@cwilliams9635]

I pre-ordered the pack when they were announced. I purchased mine as collectables but, I'm doubtful they'll ever be collectable or valuable in future. Flatbed wagons certainly aren't shelf-queen material either.

[@georgebottarini1788]

I bought them last year and an sorry. I have stop buying the rocket series, even cancelled the mail version, cannot deal with the coupling. Thanks Sam.

[@DigitalDavis16]

Even some of the Accurascale 3 pack wagons - bigger, sturdier, better built wagons of the modern era - at 70-75 pounds per pack are so much better value. I understand the Rocket tag, but not to the point where it’s this expensive. Even a similar 3 pack of wagons in Australia is a decent amount cheaper!

[@DevilsEyeCT]

If I remember rightly, with the Rocket set, you got 3 small coupling for display and 3 longer ones for running. I assume they are still doing this for them.

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah you could be right... but I've always found both sizes worked fine.. so I just use whatever I grab first! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@lastationproductions]

I want the rocket lol I love the design of the loco and coaches

[@Rule1ModelRailways]

Those look incredibly easy to 3D print... for the grand total of about 50p in costs in plastic, plus some metal wheels...

[@SamsTrains]

Absolutely - and much less than 50p too! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@SeatedViper]

@@SamsTrains Sam, I think our friend at Rule 1 probably had the set of three in mind.

[@insomniacbritgaming1632]

the pricing for this line is probably done because of how Niche this era of railway is to model, steam peaked in the 1890's-1920's

[@Onthemainline]

Oh no Doc, it's another terrible case of price up quality down! I don't think we can save this one, say our salty goodbyes now! Seriously, did the Hornby CEO get a glass bottle smashed on their head or something..

[@andrewblades8368]

So Hornby’s own info says these vehicles either had no buffers or dumb buffers. But this model has (non working) sprung buffers. And that price? For unrealistic tat? I bought the Hornby Rocket, it did one lap of my layout and then the poor quality soldering on the tender wiring failed and it’s not moved since. The DCC socket is a joke and doesn’t even match up with what’s shown in the instructions. But why an I surprised? It’s Hornby and that no longer means either affordable or quality. They need to be at least one of these things if they want to last much longer

[@dafyddthomas7299]

agree my two last horrors; class 87 (good model overall; price max reasonable at £169 but let down by the plastic fisher price pantograph, the final straw mk 3 DVT (Interciy Exec) £75 now £85, grey windows (wrong), loose wheel, wongy livery app on one side but major one was light bleed and hornby silly price of charging £75 (now £85) for a defective product. Never again - have gone and brought Heljan (86) and Bachmann - Class 47, 25's - excellent models no defects but bit expensive now.

[@richardclowes6123]

Hornby have "really extracted the urine" on this set haven't they !!! Like you Sam, I tend to be a bit pro Hornby, but certainly not in this case. Question: Would the loco make it up a 3% incline, in your opinion. Glad you did this video and saved lots of disappointment and frustration the world over before people went out and bought them !!!

[@Foxx_modelling]

You should do another O scale review, maybe of the Dapol 57xx in Great Northern and southern railway ochre or "The railway children" livery they sell them on Hattons and it's a very pretty loco

[@petersmith4455]

hi sam , i am sticking with my triang-hornby collection of wagons.thank goodness i got them years ago, hornby are taking the P,

[@SamsTrains]

haha can't blame you for that Peter- much less trouble!! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@exarkun42]

If I want Era 1 stuff I'll stick with the Rapido Lion lol Keep up the good work! P.S. the P class from the stream arrived yesterday. A cute engine with great running and performance. Would have happily paid the RRP for it. Thanks!

[@chrisjackson6582]

Think I might wait for the rapids lion for my fix

[@SamsTrains]

That's smart!!

[@dafyddthomas7299]

Great video - some say these hornby products and pricing are bit of joke now - this product is; numerous mistakes / sloppy build and you should return it for full refund. Wouldn't give this any where near 4.0 / 10; especially for full RRP Hornby is charging for. The Rocket model does look good along with the coaches and blue passenger wagons but not keen on the fiddly couplings and some say price is very exclusive.

[@paulc9588]

Maybe this is the reappearance of Hornby's infamous 'design clever' (aka design stupid) for the 2020s? Thank you for being honest. Many reviewers are happy to mislead by heaping undeserved praise on overpriced junk, particularly if it comes in a red box.

[@SamsTrains]

Oh god don't say that Paul - then again, the design of this is even "cleverer" than their design clever stuff... so maybe?! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@stuartburton1167]

Chinese made products have taken a noticeable dive in quality recently. I don't know why maybe production costs and staff wages have shot up. I recently bought a mid range android smartphone and the soldering on the circuit boards looks like a pigeon crapped the solder randomly.

[@metalstorm242]

Fantastic review. The Hobby- You can't give them cheap remakes and sell 'em at eye-watering prices! Hornby- Hold my beer...!

[@davidstrains4910]

Decent review there Sam I saw a video a few months ago that stated some of the rolling stock is using items from the rocket itself, some good examples are these wagons which use the base of the coaches and another one was the rocket tender being used as a wagon.

[@SamsTrains]

Thanks a lot David - yeah I've found much the same too - very lazy! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@JAFKARNAT]

If you took the yellow and blue coach tops off then you could have flatbed trucks, a bit of thin balsa for planking would be an option.

[@bjmorley]

The front wheel on Rocket's Tender is always jamming on your model!

[@SamsTrains]

Yeah... no weight on them, yet they have pickups.. just the nature of the design really! Could adjust the pickups, but I'd rather have the wheels stick than have the loco stall due to bad connection! Thanks for watching, Sam :)

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

Sam enjoyed your latest video thanks for sharing DD.

[@bentullett6068]

I got these pre price hike last year and they seem to be ok. I was speaking to a model shop owner (not mentioning names as they are one of their stockists) on the weekend and he has mixed feelings on the management at Hornby and he thinks the finance people have more control of the company than the actual managers of each department their. Pretty much like all big manufacturers driven by money rather than customers. Hornby need some other relevant locomotives to haul these wagons as the Rocket only did freight late in life, locomotives like Puffing Billy or Steam Elephant were mainly the freight locomotives at the time.

[@mattbarker581]

The underside that we don't really see is better detailed than the sides and tops🥴 Good video as always!

[@paulweston8755]

Another fab review as always, nice one Sam 👍😁

[@radioflowers]

I bet you can 3d print these with relative ease lol

[@aaroncurtis7116]

Wow so about €100+post to ireland would be about €120ish...irish railway models made a three pack of the IR cement bubbles and it was only €125 but there a tiny organisation and they had to be designed and manafactured from scratch

[@SuperJohnmu]

Hornby are at it again! Announce a limited edition, then increase the number produced in that limited edition

[@thebritfarmer]

For £17.23 you could buy 27 grams of Silver and cast them in that so where is the value? Does make you wonder. I find it hard to believe that plastic is that expensive.

[@richardsinger01]

Well, silver is 10 times more dense than polystyrene, so you’d need around 270 g of silver to make these from solid silver - but I see your point.

[@pja-ok4714]

I just received these flatbeds (shipped to Canada) which I had pre-ordered from Hornby and I have not even opened the box yet. Now I don't want to....