Bachmann mid year release 2022

[mmie353]

Looking at the new Bachmann mid year release over here - 

 

[Branchline121]

I think I recall Hornby making a HO Avelia Liberty model too — It seems the Hornby-Bachmann rivalry extends out of GB.

[Mayner]

On 15/8/2022 at 8:46 AM, Branchline121 said:

I think I recall Hornby making a HO Avelia Liberty model too — It seems the Hornby-Bachmann rivalry extends out of GB.

It probably goes a bit deeper than simple rivalry Kadar (Bachmann parent company) have a pattern of taking over established but financially weak companies with strong brand names including Bachmann Bros, Williams Trains, Graham Farish, Liliput, Trix which would make Hornby Hobbies with its wide product portfolio target for takeover.

Kadar took over Sanda Kan the company that manufactured model trains for Hornby and several European and American brands before shutting down OEM manufacture for these companies https://jnsforum.com/community/topic/2747-sanda-kan-shake-up-affects-model-trains/.

Sanda Kan pioneered the current generation of highly detailed Chinese rtr models during the 1990s with the Proto-2000 range of HO locos for Lifelike which were groundbreaking both in terms of running quality, fine detail and finish in a similar manner to current IRM, Accurascale models. 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by Mayner

[BosKonay]

9 hours ago, Mayner said:

It probably goes a bit deeper than simple rivalry Kadar (Bachmann parent company) have a pattern of taking over established but financially weak companies with strong brand names including Bachmann Bros, Williams Trains, Graham Farish, Liliput, Trix which would make Hornby Hobbies with its wide product portfolio target for takeover.

Kadar took over Sanda Kan the company that manufactured model trains for Hornby and several European and American brands before shutting down OEM manufacture for these companies https://jnsforum.com/community/topic/2747-sanda-kan-shake-up-affects-model-trains/.

Sanda Kan pioneered the current generation of highly detailed Chinese rtr models during the 1990s with the Proto-2000 range of HO locos for Lifelike which were groundbreaking both in terms of running quality, fine detail and finish in a similar manner to current IRM, Accurascale models. 

 

They did indeed. What’s more the current raft of such factories are all owned or run by ex Sandakan employees too. The former Director of operations also now works with us as our ‘man on the ground’