[JETFAN]

The following was released by Hornby in reference to Corgi yesterday:-Hornby on track for more growth Toymaker Hornby has seen annual profits jump by 17% and said plans to revive the die-cast model car company Corgi were going well. The model train firm, which also makes Scalextric toy car racing and Airfix models, made £9m in the year to 31 March, while sales rose 19% to £55.7m. And despite a slower economy, it said it was confident of further growth. Earlier this year it bought Corgi for £7.5m as it expanded into the hobby and collectibles market. Plans for relaunching the brand were well advanced said Hornby chief executive Frank Martin. "Corgi retailers and collectors are delighted that Hornby has taken over. We are confident that we will quickly rebuild sales, profits and market share." Hornby plans to build on Corgi's core market of adult male collectors in Britain and attract younger and more international customers. It plans to do this through licensing deals, in the way it has broadened the appeal of its Hornby trains with Harry Potter and Thomas the Tank Engine licensing agreements.

[mikeb1958]

Still waitin' for my promised Halifax for the 6 blue tokens....

[Gambit]

Originally Posted by mikeb1958

Still waitin' for my promised Halifax for the 6 blue tokens....

Me too!!

[Cruver Collecter]

I did not send any tokens in, but I sure hope that those of you that did, do get something for your efforts.

[mapleflag]

Oh good, now we can look forward to the Harry Potter Halifax, the Thomas the Tank Tornado and other outstanding historical pieces!

[SkyBuffalo]

Don't forget the Heinkel He-111 from the beginning of "Chronicles of Narnia : Lion, Witch and Wardrobe"! and all those nifty planes from "Pearl Harbor"! Yeah!


I'd definitely go for a "Bananas in Pajamas" DeHavilland Mosquito!

[Celtic]

I'm encouraged. For me, the hobby just isn't the same without Corgi. I'm not saying they're the best, just that I like the brand, and am suffering from quite a bit of home sickness for the pooch.

With rising prices in general, and higher prices for diecast in particular, I'd be tempted to collect just ships and airliners if Corgi does finally drop out of AA. Right now, with gas prices exploding (!), I'm feeling pretty stretched anyway. I like HM and GeminiAces, and some of Witty's stuff, and would continue to get copies of certain releases like Japanese or Soviet WWII types. However, if we end up not having Corgi AA, I'm going to leave my collecting options open. On the other side, if Corgi AA returns full force, I may collect that brand exclusively (with the aforementioned exceptions) because their prices are bound to go up, and the resulting budget squeeze could limit me to the brand I want the most (irony, irony).

We'll see. It really depends on the planners at Hornby. I wish them all the best!

[Celtic]

Lifted this line from the current The Flying Mule newsletter:

We know many of you have been wondering about the status of Hornby's Corgi acquisition. The news this week is that Corgi has recently completed its move to Hornby's West Coast warehouse and has begun shipping its current stock of previously released inventory. Please check this newsletter for further updates from Corgi. We hope to soon have news about the status of yet-to-be-released items from the 2007 and 2008 catalogs.

Sounds hopeful, and looking forward to seeing what comes out of the warehouse! (If I'm right, this is the second warehouse change for these poor models this year. They're probably exhausted!)

[Hornchurch]

Originally Posted by Celtic

I'm encouraged. For me, the hobby just isn't the same without Corgi. I'm not saying they're the best, just that I like the brand, and am suffering from quite a bit of home sickness for the pooch.

With rising prices in general, and higher prices for diecast in particular, I'd be tempted to collect just ships and airliners if Corgi does finally drop out of AA. Right now, with gas prices exploding (!), I'm feeling pretty stretched anyway. I like HM and GeminiAces, and some of Witty's stuff, and would continue to get copies of certain releases like Japanese or Soviet WWII types. However, if we end up not having Corgi AA, I'm going to leave my collecting options open. On the other side, if Corgi AA returns full force, I may collect that brand exclusively (with the aforementioned exceptions) because their prices are bound to go up, and the resulting budget squeeze could limit me to the brand I want the most (irony, irony).

We'll see. It really depends on the planners at Hornby. I wish them all the best!

Interesting post, Celtic - & I certainly agree with the 1st paragraph & indeed, most of the 2nd (although I wouldn't collect Corgi exclusively, but it would be 'staple-diet' for 1/72 big-stuff, from Swordfish to Catalina's)

The takeover by Hornby can be nothing but good news for the Company's future -- maybe not quite so great for those of you (like me) in the past who've managed to pick up some cheap 'overstocked' & 'dumped' priced models at daft prices.

Words I've heard on the dealer grapevine is that they'll finally tighten the drawstrings, so that the 'Leakages' of old, WON'T re-occur (i.e. no more dumping) & exclusive will mean just that.

You can expect 'rarity' factor like the Desert Halifax, as the numbers released were minimal, so the Friday the 13th model should shift in no-time (if & when they get to releasing it ?)

The best news from my perspective, is that it (certainly) keeps the "dream" alive of having a 1/72 Short Stirling (possibly) released by them, as NO-ONE else is likely to do one in that scale, in a big-hurry.

The demand for a 1/72nd scale Short Stirling is there, alright & if it comes out (even) 1/2 as good as their Lancaster, they'll sell like 'Hot-Cakes', so for me, the 'Hornby' takeover is good news.

[Gambit]

Originally Posted by Hornchurch

.....Words I've heard on the dealer grapevine is that they'll finally tighten the drawstrings, so that the 'Leakages' of old, WON'T re-occur (i.e. no more dumping) & exclusive will mean just that.....

They have said that for years.

Will have to wait and see what's offered and at what price.

I am hoping they'll continue the WW1 planes and some of the heavies.