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Model Forum / General / Railroads / January 2010Thomas going Downhill?
I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT Entertainment seem to have done a good job of upsetting a lot of people. > I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being > discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT > Entertainment seem to have done a good job of upsetting a lot of people. I think the demographics indicate a decline in market. "Demographics doesn't explain everything, only about about 2/3rds of everything." (David Foot, Boom Bust Echo) cheers, wolf k. >> I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being >> discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > "Demographics doesn't explain everything, only about about 2/3rds of > everything." (David Foot, Boom Bust Echo) Now Thomas is all CGI, it's just the same as everything else on kids' TV.  SignatureMartin S. >>> I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being >>> discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Now Thomas is all CGI, it's just the same as everything else on kids' > TV. I have to agree there - I think kids (of all ages!) respond to the models in the original TV series as much as the stories themselves. Witness the popularity of Thunderbirds et al, still in there years after contemporary cartoons have been long gone. Cheers Richard SignatureI have become...............comfortably numb >>>> I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being >>>> discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Cheers > Richard Had to see chugthing today, not a patch on proper Thomas, even had a tender on a tank engine - dont they realise some of us children notice these things ! Cheers, Simon I thought this was going to be a story about some Troublesome Trucks G.Harman > I thought this was going to be a story about some Troublesome Trucks Well look what they did to James The Engine... http://www.flickr.com/photos/roybrown/4254239451/in/set-72157623016505969/ Fred X > I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being > discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT > Entertainment seem to have done a good job of upsetting a lot of people. Hornby have pushed the TTTE prices so high that I suspect there is some market resistance to the increased prices. John. >> I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being >> discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT >> Entertainment seem to have done a good job of upsetting a lot of people. > > Hornby have pushed the TTTE prices so high that I suspect there is some > market resistance to the increased prices. So, now a it's a case of, "Womas the w.nk Engine"? >> I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being >> discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > John. Tomy made some toy Thomas trains, they were not as detailed as the Hornby models, were battery powered, and ran on simple grooved track (nothing like real track). However, they were much more robust, and cheaper. > > "Gerald H" wrote > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > models, were battery powered, and ran on simple grooved track (nothing > like real track). However, they were much more robust, and cheaper. Yeah, much better value, my son's got a couple of Tomica World sets;one was about 30 quid, it includes a big oval of track with a bridge and station, an oval of road with a bridge for the working Bertie bus, plus a working dock crane and barge. I notice post Xmas both Sainsbury's and Argos have been reducing T&F* sets from over 100 quid to about 50. * Hit Entertainment rebranded TTTE as 'Thomas and Friends' some time back >>>> I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being >>>> discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > bridge and station, an oval of road with a bridge for the working > Bertie bus, plus a working dock crane and barge. I mentioned here some years ago I thought Tomy were more suitable for the youngest age groups. (kim) >> I've noticed lately more and more Thomas model railway stuff being >> discounted. Is the Thomas boom over I wonder? Those folks at HIT [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > John. Wonder if Hit have increased their slice of pie so push up cost of TTTE, isnt that what they did to preserved railways ? Cant have helped that a few have stopped doing Thomas events. Cheers, Simon > Wonder if Hit have increased their slice of pie so push up cost of TTTE, > isnt that what they did to preserved railways ? I'd have assumed that Hornby had the costings tied up in a long-term contract. The 20-25% hike in TTTE prices was much in keeping with the general increase in all their train prices, but bearing in mind the lack of significant tooling costs (in the main all TTTE items are just minor rejigging of old tooled models) low levels of detail & simple liveries, I think they've just pushed the prices out of reach of many of their customers. John. >> Wonder if Hit have increased their slice of pie so push up cost of TTTE, >> isnt that what they did to preserved railways ? [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > John. Depends on how long term, could have now been up for renegotiation, didnt the plastic one move companies recently ? Cheers, Simon > Depends on how long term, could have now been up for renegotiation, didnt > the plastic one move companies recently ? Whether that was the case or not, Hornby were able to offer some severe discounting on some TTTE products when sales presumably stalled. John. >> Depends on how long term, could have now been up for renegotiation, didnt >> the plastic one move companies recently ? > > Whether that was the case or not, Hornby were able to offer some severe > discounting on some TTTE products when sales presumably stalled. There's a new TTTE TV series due out now (with even more locos), and a new movie coming soon, which will add up to free marketing for the toys. > > "simon" wrote > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > There's a new TTTE TV series due out now (with even more locos), and a new > movie coming soon, which will add up to free marketing for the toys. This re-branding as " Thomas and Friends" isn't succeeding too well judging by this thread is it :-) >> > "simon" wrote >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >This re-branding as " Thomas and Friends" isn't succeeding too well >judging by this thread is it :-) That's the name of the series in the USA. >>> >> Depends on how long term, could have now been up for renegotiation, >>> >> didnt [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > That's the name of the series in the USA. Has anything gone well since Hit took over ? Cheers, Simon >>>> >> Depends on how long term, could have now been up for renegotiation, >>>> >> didnt [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >Cheers, >Simon It started going downhill with Britt Allcroft. And has been getting less and less railwaylike since then. Although I can't blame the late Wilbert Awdrey for selling it, it gave him the comfortable retirement he deserved. The early Britt Allcroft series were great. No fancy CGI or simple animated faces just a storyteller who could do voices and sounded liked he was enjoying himself. You could listen to the story unfold like reading a book. I fear Thomas and friends will go the same way as The Power Rangers i.e. the same story over and over again. Perhaps HIT would have been better creating a new 'area' with diesel / electric power and leave the old steam trains on a preserved railway. Once the ability of Thomas to pull in the $'s fades they will fall out of existence. HIT have no real idea of how the 'magic' of Thomas works do they ? The yanks produce & watch any rubbish ! With the UK in the depths of a recession the RRP of all model loco's are too high but when prices get reduced who's left with 'overpriced' stock ? >The early Britt Allcroft series were great. No fancy CGI or simple >animated faces just a storyteller who could do voices and sounded >liked he was enjoying himself. Until she started doing her own stories. > On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:12:15 -0800 (PST), airsmoothed > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > That's the name of the series in the USA. and the UK, if you got to the old TTTE site it redirects to T&F even for the UK :-. http://www.thomasandfriends.com/uk/Thomas.mvc/ > > On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:12:15 -0800 (PST), airsmoothed > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > http://www.thomasandfriends.com/uk/Thomas.mvc/ whoops premature 'send' key ;and for that matter all recent Hornby sets are branded T&F. |
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