Out of curiosity, my wife looked up the set. They're now out of stock on the full price, and no "scuffed" ones to speak of. That listing is gone. Hornby must have someone monitoring your channel which I find very funny. Keep up the brutal honesty!
@@thedappercook lol. There's a difference between listings out of stock and removed from the site all together. The regular ones were showing as out of stock. If you've watched any of Sam's videos, Hornby is not a company you'd be soon defending.
What's especially frustrating is that the "real" Hogwarts Express was always depicted as having four coaches (except in one film where it had five for no apparent reason), so it wouldn't've even been that difficult to just include two more to complete the set.
With some licensing agreements, there are strict rules about discounting including discounts for end of range, damaged products and customer or reseller returns while the license is live. It could be that non A-1 packaging can be sold at a clearance price and the definition/audit process of non A-1 is loose enough for the supplier to use to clear over stocks without breaking the master agreement.
No , they have discounted Harry Potter product before , but that was before they adopted the anti retailer approach , you should not the most recent Hornby board appointment , a gent with specific specialist internet selling experience.
A way to fix that blue/white LED is to use some "clear orange" paint (Tamiya X- 26). A few coats over the LED tones down the color towards that "warm white" color that most modelers desire. I hate those blue/white LEDs. Several US companies use them, and they ruin what are otherwise beautiful models.
It does have corner scrapes and I'm fairly sure I know at least partly what this stock is about. This is retailer return stock, I saw pallets of this stuff going out to retail pre Christmas including easy build cars from Airfix. Likely returned for credit leaving hornby with B grade stock to shift.
Nonsense. What is described in the vid is the truth. Hornby want to charge stupid money for sub standard stuff. The end of model railways is fast approaching as people stop buying and the next generation stops coming in to it. Hornby etc only have themselves to blame.
I think I know why... I remember reading about this.. When the new owner took over Hornby he said the company was all over the place. He was confused as to why Hornby was even making sets such as Hogwarts and Paddington when it doesn't fit into the company's style. "How is Hogwarts express going to fit into someone's accurate model layout of the 1900's" (he said something like that) So maybe they are finding a way to gradually remove stock such as this?
Yeah it's a good question isn't it? Fair enough if stand-alone train sets were popular among non-modellers, but are they these days? Thanks for watching, Sam :)
That's an awesome idea Robert - thing is, I bet most of the preserved locos have been screen used from one time or another! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I imagine they stuck the LED in the front like that, rather than it in a lamp, so modellers couldn't get a cheap hall class, so Hornby could sell models at higher price. Although conjecture it's probably also why it was a white light as well to make it even more of an inconvenience
Could always just snip the wires and paint /blank it over if you find it a bother, or remount it into a lamp body. Kitbashing is the budget modeller's friend.
@@Shipwright1918 To make it into a Hall in either GWR or BR livery you'd have to completely repaint it anyway so popping out the smokebox door and getting a spare would be a minor inconvenience. If only the Harry Potter film had used an LMS locomotive!!
@@SamsTrains It may not be "cheap Hall class" so much as "legally distinct Hall class" - the licensing agreement will have specified Hogwarts Castle, and under US law there can be legal issues around "confusion" between an IP-linked item and a generic item. The licence might well have demanded all-new tooling (note the Hogwarts Railways logo too) to avoid any suggestion that Hogwarts Castle was the same product as a standard Hall and losing IP protection.
Interestingly, the set is missing quite a bit from Hornbys earlier HP train sets. The Philosophers Stone, Chamber Of Secrets sets also had a trackmat, platform with a platform shelter in it, platform fencing and furniture n that cost around £100 back in the day. Controller wise, ya should have a look at the old school HandM Clipper or Duette controllers, they were and are still awesome kit
I have actually seen the Hogwarts Express when it was stored in London's Clapham Junction, Battersea. It was secretly stored to stop train fanatics knowing where it was. The security gate was about 20 feet high covered in barbed wire Also there which I was allowed to tour through was the Orient Express which was being serviced. I was given a bar of Orient Express soap. 20 years ago, time flies.
I bought one of these a few months ago (due to overly effective Instagram advertising) and mine is also not remotely scuffed, really pleased with it! I got the impression that these sets are all returned from high street retailers like WH Smith and Marks and Spencers etc, and some of them would have spent some time being shuffled around shop floors before being returned to Hornby as unsold, whereas others would have just sat in a warehouse or two prior to being returned. If I was being kind to Hornby I would suggest that they're offering all boxes that have been returned from high street retailers as potentially scuffed wether they are or not, and the unscuffed full price ones have never left Hornby's own premises before, but that's possibly being over generous - your theory also seems plausible. Enjoyed the review, I also feel like this set is great value for money at the reduced price, and it was an easy choice for me to help me get my kids more enthusiastic about (my!) model trains!
Thanks a lot for sharing Nat - it seems as though most of them don't have any scuffing... definitely getting that sense from the comments! That's a good thought - could be right there! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Let's just say that u have been blessed with a magical train in your train collection (and it's making Thomas and his friends jealous). It's an awesome model to have as a modal train from Hornby. The train is perfect, they brought the proper train from RL (real life) into an aweome looking model. I wonder what the next review is going to be that you will be doing Sam.
Lovely looking train set! Looking at hornby's US website, it's one of the few things on there (yes, hornby has a different website for us yanks, with way less stuff). However, the set on their website is $315, or about 245 pounds!! Hornby at this point is the laughing stock of the OO modelling world.
I have been rewatching this religiously for the past 2 weeks I am rewatching Harry Potter and have got back into it. I am waiting for a chance to get this for my layout. Literally just the loco... Maybe a single coach because it looks so good. The led I don't care about being blue.
The Lionel units look very nice. That 3rd rail just ruins it for me though. I have seen setups that have the middle line black but my eye goes straight to it. I like the size of the OO models but the error between track and scale is about 12% in OO and roughly 7% for HO scale. I just don't understand how they didn't engineer this better like....I don't know...a HUNDRED years ago? Joking aside, it should have been resolved accurately 60-70 years ago.
The disappointing thing is I got an original Harry potter set when it first came out years ago, which had a castle class instead of a hall. The one used the horrific ringfield motor. And that came with a specific Harry potter track mat. And definitely looks like the very same mk1s you shown today. I believe it came from toys r us for £80 well over 10 years ago. And if you were to review today that it'd score the same as this new set.
Hey mate I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for these videos I think you do an amazing job and you have inspired me to love trains like nothing else and I have now convinced my parents to give me a corner of my garage to build my own layout so thank you for inspiring me.
It's a pleasure James, thanks so much for your kind words! That's amazing news - good luck with your layout - send me some photos of it!! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I have a theory too: maybe the shipping container was dropped or the delivery truck had an accident, the set were shipped with (or something like that), so by a law (i think GB has a law too for that) they can not sell these as brand new, only as damaged product, despite it got damaged or not. Maybe! Or just there's a printing error on the boxes.
This Sunday on the Antiques Roadshow a guy had the original number of the Hall locomotive. It was valued at less money than if it had been a fake one from the film! I think you are right about why Hornby were offering a cheaper version of the set. Younger fans of Harry Potter would have a job convincing parents to fork out over £200 for Christmas or birthday presents!
This is one of the only Hornby train sets continuously available in the US, for around $200. I had a Bachmann Hogwarts when I was a kid, sadly it was quite fragile and only the coaches survived to this day. I look forward to actually buying one of these and and add my old coaches.
Hi Sam, after seeing the review I had to check my Harry Potter train set; first one the philosopher stone. It to only had two coaches and I added to it another two to give it some truth. The reason I checked the box was it came with a very special track mat. Background of stars etc. Never used it but knew I had had seen something so out there, there must be others. I did get a dcc version with the lamp but it’s not great on dc… well done hornby. Anyway great review and hoped to help re the special HP track mat.. keep the review coming, all best Marc
The 1st set released by hornby was Harry Potter and the philosiphers stone set....this was a decent set, as the loco had metal whistles, sprung buffers and a push together connection between loco and tender. The set came with 2 coaches, oval of track with siding, a track mat and a station for the siding...so seems to me the value has gone down but the price has gone up...
I thought you gave a very fair review. It inspired me to " Look through my Hoard ". I have a Mint Boxed R1048 set with a Cadbury Castle from 2004. Apparently the 4 coaches are from the Railroad Range. It seems to me there was much better value for money then. The Loco is really nice with brass chimney, whistles, etc. I have no idea what it cost originally and would be intrigued if someone new what it would be in 2022 adjusted for inflation. Great Video by the way 👍
Interesting review and a good train set….for the cheaper price! What on Earth Hornby think they are doing with the “scuffed box” business, but it’s yet more strange shenanigans from the so called biggest name in the business!
could be related to the licensing deal. maybe that deal doesnt allow them to sell at a lower price (== lower license payments!) without permission. Writing it off as B stock could be a workaround there
@@marks.6480 That's what I was suspecting as well, as Terf Castle Lady seems to be pretty picky when it comes to the license of her franchise, given how she's acted over the years towards people who are/were fans of her series, especially those who were fanfic writers.
Part of me suspects that they started off with a good amount of scuffed ones. Put those on the site to sell them, thinking they wouldn't sell as the full price ones weren't really selling, and then the cheaper ones sold better than expected, and they would rather make some money than new money so they've kept the listing up and are just filling the orders from the main stock.
I got this set for Christmas last year based on information I gathered from your reviews, which continue to influence my choices in locos/stock to expand. Thanks very much for reviewing it
I’ve had that set for a few years and have outfitted it with DCC Sound using a Soundtraxx Econami UK steam sound decoder with a GWR exhaust chuff sound with the Gresley A4 whistle for a more movie accurate sound than the TTS sound fitted version of the engine.
Thank you I have been wanting a train set like this and I have not had one and I decided to get one, but I wanted to make sure that this was good, and I think you approve of it as a beginner in the train community and I can't wait to play with it
Excellent video Sam. I may get one of these myself. It's no King class, but I will admit that I do like the Halls, especially when it is considered that a red Great Western engine isn't exactly a one-off thing... Also, Congratulations Sam! Gladstone is officially out of the worst five! Woo-hoo!
How very odd! Even the “named” sets - “Half Blood Prince” etc, came with additional accessories, platforms, overall roof, for example and they were cheaper than £241 - which,incidentally, I think is wholly extortionate. It’s just a very cheeky “try out” to sell what they have left.
As for the scuffing: If a container was damaged during transport they can get an insurance payout. They would also be able to sell the remaining sets, but only at a reduced price, otherwise they would have to have their insurance claim re-evaluated. So... yeah, they probably had some really damaged sets, but luckily for us customers that means that they also had to sell the surviving sets at a good price.
They've cut back a lot on this set. About 20 years ago I bought the Hornby Hogwarts set and it was a lot better than this. It *did* have a trackmat, and a station platform. The buffers on the locomotive were sprung, and I was quite stunned by the level of detail. The box had a proper lid, and a polystyrene base (instead of that horrible "eggbox" packaging). The basic set cost about £100 as I recall, though I must have spent at least that much again on extra track and accessories. (Eventually I had 3 concentric ovals linked by points, with two separate sidings, and a second locomotive - though when I got married I gave it all away to my nephew.)
I remember getting a dirt cheap Nintendo DSi (old at the time, but not that old) because it was "scratched". The bloke had to keep turning it over in the light to even make the "scratch" visible!
I worked warehouse for microcenter (American computer & computer parts retailer) and I bet these are either new old stock sets or an entire trailer/cargo container was damaged and they marked down everything in the trailer regardless of condition. We had 2 skids of printers that was found 2 years later. They were sold for 50 bucks a pop (bargain pricing, they were the fax, scanner printer combo inkjets.)
I’m thinking that the packaging might have been different. When it comes to expensive action figures, sometimes, there is different levels of packaging. These being something near the lines of “standard” and “collectors.” (The collectors being at a higher price) If I understand correctly, this is because some people never take the figure out of the box, and hence the box being in perfect condition is vital. But to those who don’t care about that, they don’t have to pay that price for extra protection, but run the chance of damage occurring through shipping.
Also on June Im being the engineer,I'm getting my first train set on the 10th nothing big it's the red tank engine coach and wagon,but you have to start somewhere,I can't wait,the start of the train,the start of the journey I'm going to get a ton of model railway stuff also maybe a small table for it,deffiently going to get the bachman Irish steam set,I live in Ireland keep up the videos,
Interesting 🤔 I myself have spotted this set in a local Hobby shop close to our new farm we recently moved to. Considering the fact that I’m in a need for some track because my old layout sadly got destroyed last year due to a collapsed ceiling making the buildings and track all rotten when recovering it, I only saved my locos and coaches from that layout, depending on the price this might be a good set to get me started again and will fit the bill for our interest in Harry Potter in the family too.
£242.99 is nothing if you are a train enthousiast in europe, i have Marklin and some of those trains are €500 easy but the quality of those loco's is really top notch they are really on a different level
I've go one of the older ones, but mine has a warm white light, sprung buffers, metal funnel and whistles, it also has the cylinder drain pipes fitted but they are black not painted copper. My train pack also came with a track mat too, the coaches are exactly the same though.
@@SamsTrains i don't understand it either, mine was the order of the pheonix set. Basically they are all the same but it seems that the loco in my set was better quality, she is also one hell of a puller! Insanely powerfull.
The boxes possibly may not necessarily have damage but the box may be missing a print, text, or somthing that wasnt to the original design that the franchise and hornby agreed on
I have a theory as to the "scuffed but not" boxes. There likely were/are some scuffed boxes in the warehouse, but when invoice/order goes through to warehouse, pickers see "harry potter train set" and just pick from the location that has the most of them, and send it out. I did also see some very minor dents on the lower front edges, not really damage per say but not pristine. So I also suspect an entire pallet/container was damaged, and so they've discounted the lot rather than sort through. They've certainly done some questionable practices of late, but there are some reasons that would offer a little less shady approach to them.
I brought that train.set here in New Zealand it cost me $504 plus I brought extra 5 coaches two of them with free the rest cost me 40 New Zealand dollars and then I decided I wanted a sound chip but they didn't have it so I bought the engine with the sound chip and dcc in it and that cost me another 300 New Zealand dollars so I have both the analogue and digital one so it was quite expensive but I liked it. Both engines have a lot of grunt pulls very well and smoothly.
I'm in contact with someone who's essentially a Hornby-licensed repairman. He had a Hogwarts Castle loco that was sent in for the LED fault (which I found hilarious), and as the customer had received a new one already, he fixed it and put it up for sale. I bought it off him for $25/£12.50. So I can't really complain about it given the price. It seems alright.
What further complicates the Hogwarts Express market is that the Bradford Exchange also sells a Hogwarts Express train set for three installments of $30, at least in the U.S. It has the Bachmann track and transformer, and comparing it to the Hornby locomotive in your video, I am almost certain it is the Bachmann train set as well. The engine has a light in the smokebox as well, and the coaches are lit. It does come with Harry Potter pewter figures, but they are more like O Scale than OO Scale; I gave mine to a family member. It is also a smooth runner. I only received the engine, tender, and trackwork so far. I made a short video, search for Bradford Exchange (Bachmann) Hogwarts Express. This inexpensive train set may also be forcing Hornby to dump theirs at a reduced price.
I bought this train set a couple years ago and I was pleasantly surprised by its quality, my only complaint is that I would have preferred a third coach over the switch and spur track.
Hi there Sam ,, If they call it damaged or scoughed box hornby can still keep the price of the RRP & still get more than the cost of the build and a 92 pound damage incurrance or tax refund or write it down so hornby gets a tax credits for the reduction of "damaged stock" (that pays some of the tax bill) and still gets there model across the line of success or failure. I have one of these but an earlier version with the styrofoam packaging and the really decorated box and i have run it and its an absolutely gorgeous and i luv luv luv it and even for just the loco and the 2 carriages as im not into horry patter that much so I just luv it for what it is.. Anyhoo keep the good work and gr8 video there sam. Cheers from John in Australia
my local model shop has a couple of these sets for $150-ish, as well as a Hornby Christmas set, Hornby Coca-Cola set, and some other Hornby and Oxford items. But I've never seen this set outside of a model train shop, but I have seen the Corgi model of the Hogwarts Express in Target. 1:44 I see one tab that's a bit weird, but maybe a majority of a pallet or shipment had significant damage to warrant being returned to Hornby. 6:18 I'm surprised they didn't make wagons for each Hogwarts house like Lionel did, or included non-railway buildings from the Wizarding World. 19:26 I think they should've done a new trackmat too to place the stations and other Wizarding World Buildings and maybe a couple of the track extension sets (but not all of them) 21:44 probably because the lamp on the real Olton Hall was a modern LED lamp. I think other mainline steam engines in the UK have similar headlights
I managed to get this set for £100 (back when Hornby’s RRP was £200) in the January sale at Hawkins Bizarre 2 years ago. I think they were closing down and selling everything at 50% off. Got a good deal I think! I love the set, it’s my favourite model. I love Harry Potter which I think biases me! However agree that there’s no way it’s worth £200+. £150 is more reasonable. The price increases from Hornby are awful, as so many have said.
I managed to get the actual Castle Class version for a Harry Potter loving friend, from Hattons pre owned, for £60. It compares well as it has sprung buffers etc. But it doesn't have the large headlight. I also individually got 2 HP coaches, one brake, one standard, £20 each, also from Hattons pre owned.
Hornby doesn't have the staff anymore to scuff boxes. I believe that the only person who could have scuffed those boxes professionally now works in the repair department of Martin Mart-Martinsson.
I think you are right. My contact told me he even had a written recommendation from Hornby to take the other job while he was still working for them. I guess Martin saw an opportunity and didn't even bothered about doing an interview before he hired him.
Over here in America I saw a Harry Potter set and an individual engine at a train show several months ago. I don’t remember the price of the set but it wasn’t scuffed in any way. I ended up paying for the engine for about $130 (which was a discounted price) so idk if that’s an average price in pounds but hopefully this helped give some insight on the matter overseas.
The half blood prince set hall class had sprung buffers but mine had been over tightened screws that held the body on so the fit was loose but i liked it
Oh really? Might have been the old Castle version - surprised they were still using that for half blood prince though... pretty sure the Hall never had sprung buffers! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam, the original HP train set, the one with the Castle class loco, only had two coaches also in it, but it did have a HP track mat with it. Regards, Alan.
Thanks for sharing Alan - yes I know the one! Can't believe they're not including mats with the latest sets - seems very stingy! Thanks for watching, Sam :)
with hornby, it's very weird because something like the class 56 is definitley worth all of those £150 but the class 66 litterally fell apart in my hands as I got it out of the box. It's weird because with hornby it's like one of those pick a random card choose your fate kind of games. Since when did gambling come into the model railways?!
Could be they were stock that they had shifted as Sale and Return to retailers and then had shipped back, the issue is that having had them on shelves and pallets in this process they can't be sure of the quality of packaging so they say "scuffed" and knock some money off, as you say to protect their RRP.
Great review as always Sam! Strange how the newer set is worse than the old version. I have one of the early sets it came with a Harry Potter themed track mat, a proper controller and hogwarts station (basic hornby station building and platform but the building was painted red) Seems the older set was better value for money a well as better play value.
Had an old Santa Fe freightliner engine as a kid and it had a highly responsive motor and controller..... The thing literally exploded when I bought a hornaby controller that I was told was compatible by a hornaby employee, I don't trust them anymore and I don't recommend anything from hornaby unless you rebuild it yourself
Couple more comments... Does it use NEM pockets so the British couplers can be replaced with Kadee couplers (I'm an American)? *_YES_* For people who already have a layout, can you buy just the train without the track? Can you get it DCC fitted, or at least DCC ready? *_Has a socket in the tender._* What size decoder does it take?
The locomotive and coaches do have NEM pockets. There is a detail part above the coaches' NEM pockets which interfere with Kadee NEM couplers. Kadees should work okay if the detail is trimmed/cut off. There is an eight pin socket in the tender and sufficient room for a decoder and speaker. I installed a Soundtraxx Econami (UK ECO series) sound decoder and speaker in mine. The headlight is not wired to the 8-pin socket therefore will not respond to a decoder unless wires to the light are added.
@@bradfordsmith3030 Thanks for the info! I can cut that trim off to fit the Kaddee coupler. I tried to find a Hornby TTS decoder for Hall locomotives, but everyone is out of stock. I'll buy a generic 8-pin decoder with steam sounds which should be good enough for this. Thanks again!
Yourecright about the controller. I've got one of those Gaugemaster ones with the plug in the back for an auxiliary handset too. The loco and coaches don't look too bad for a train set to be fair. Nice to see separately fitted bits and a fall plate. Completely let down by that light though. Perfect for kids I think.
It’s nice to see that Hornby has the position of the Harry Potter license after 20 years, the Thomas range lasted longer though, let’s see if Harry can do the same?
I doubt Harry Potter will spawn a large range of train stuff like Thomas did, because there's really only one train in the HP universe. As far as I know, Hornby already makes pretty much everything Hogwarts Express-related that one could think of in OO scale.
It seems a good buy for the price you paid. The big question is, have you pre-ordered the SVR/Hornby Queen Elizabeth II in purple? I can imagine your comments on the price. I am about to fit two sound cards to the underside of my exhibition layout: one for diesel sounds and one for steam. The chuff can be modified and freewheeling programmed in. The are different diesel engine sounds and steam whistles via a remote control. Speakers will be above to give DC locos the appearance of sound. It's an experiment. I already have signal box and farm ambient soumds on the layout.
Sure, it's spot on for what I paid! And no I haven't... your imagination will be 100% accurate, lol! Good luck with the sound cards - that sounds very cool :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi I think that you are a real genuine guy unlike so many of the others on here who get free models from manufacturers to lie. In reality Hornby Bachmann and now Heljan are ripping us all off. Accruscale produce exceptional models all day long and charge the right price that reflects this. Basically if Bachmann made a class 31 to the same standard as Accruscale are now making they would charge around the £200 mark just like they are with their new class 47. Also Bachmann VEA is £33 each but if Accruscale made this they would sell three for £75. Its a joke and I no longer buy anything from them. Rapido, Calvex etc also charge a real high price as well for what they do and as a result I can not justify any purchases from them either. Its a disgrace and its about greed and one or two getting themselves out of financial trouble due to various mistakes they made.
You can see the scuffed box look, there is a rip right through the box near the top above the hogsarts express picture and has Harry Potter printed over the top of the rip lol. Plus there's loads of golden splodges all over the box haha 😄 😆
we will have to get a tutorial on how to service this loco, there was one ive seen from about 5 years ago on this channel but thats the older castle class
I'm in shipping and a lot of the time companys will declare a intire case will be declared damaged instead of individual packages within a case saves time for there staff
The price maybe ridiculous but somehow the product is kinda worth it...well obviously harry potter but at the same time it's not the normal/ usual set you can buy...They should add like 5 more coaches to the the 2 that was included in the set for a more realistic look. Cheers!
.Hi Sam. I have the original Harry Potter train set. It comes with a Harry Potter-themed trakmat! The loco has traction tyres that make it a poor runner! Interestingly, the old version of the loco with traction tyres has a bulb in the front and not an LED. There is a DCC socket in the loco. Under DCC the light is on all the time, but there is a mod you can do to turn the light on and off. How about that? Thanks for doing the review.
not into train sets, and really don't want a Hornby HP one, but this video might encourage me to get a railroad hall to replace my late '60's one... maybe..
Just found your channel, thank you got so much to look through. Interesting fact as i understand it. the Hogwarts Express was always meant to be a Castle Class but they couldn’t get use of one for the film
Great review there Sam looks like a really good set, it’s good to see the front light on the front, I have an old version of the Harry Potter train set which had the castle class version of the locomotive. A bit of topic here though but I managed to pick up an excellent heljan locomotive this week, the loco is the DP2 and I picked that up for £99.99
Thanks David - yeah the light is a nice inclusion, even if it's cool white! Oh wow sounds awesome- hope you enjoy your new loco! :D Thanks for watching, Sam :)
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Out of curiosity, my wife looked up the set. They're now out of stock on the full price, and no "scuffed" ones to speak of. That listing is gone. Hornby must have someone monitoring your channel which I find very funny. Keep up the brutal honesty!
Maybe they tipped over on Forest Gate Triangle?
I wish my wife looked up train sets.
@@Nathan93Baker same
Probably just sold out. Don't go down some conspiracy rat hole
@@thedappercook lol. There's a difference between listings out of stock and removed from the site all together. The regular ones were showing as out of stock. If you've watched any of Sam's videos, Hornby is not a company you'd be soon defending.
What's especially frustrating is that the "real" Hogwarts Express was always depicted as having four coaches (except in one film where it had five for no apparent reason), so it wouldn't've even been that difficult to just include two more to complete the set.
They have other coaches for sale (selfish money loving sods…
Anyway
With some licensing agreements, there are strict rules about discounting including discounts for end of range, damaged products and customer or reseller returns while the license is live. It could be that non A-1 packaging can be sold at a clearance price and the definition/audit process of non A-1 is loose enough for the supplier to use to clear over stocks without breaking the master agreement.
No , they have discounted Harry Potter product before , but that was before they adopted the anti retailer approach , you should not the most recent Hornby board appointment , a gent with specific specialist internet selling experience.
Interesting - thanks a lot to you both for sharing the info!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
A way to fix that blue/white LED is to use some "clear orange" paint (Tamiya X- 26). A few coats over the LED tones down the color towards that "warm white" color that most modelers desire. I hate those blue/white LEDs. Several US companies use them, and they ruin what are otherwise beautiful models.
It does have corner scrapes and I'm fairly sure I know at least partly what this stock is about. This is retailer return stock, I saw pallets of this stuff going out to retail pre Christmas including easy build cars from Airfix. Likely returned for credit leaving hornby with B grade stock to shift.
Ah, that does make sense. So they have to clear their stock then which is mostly B now.
It really didn't - it's quite normal to have the odd soft corner like that! Ahh interesting - could be right there!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Nonsense. What is described in the vid is the truth. Hornby want to charge stupid money for sub standard stuff. The end of model railways is fast approaching as people stop buying and the next generation stops coming in to it. Hornby etc only have themselves to blame.
Send it back for a full refund.
I think I know why...
I remember reading about this.. When the new owner took over Hornby he said the company was all over the place. He was confused as to why Hornby was even making sets such as Hogwarts and Paddington when it doesn't fit into the company's style. "How is Hogwarts express going to fit into someone's accurate model layout of the 1900's" (he said something like that)
So maybe they are finding a way to gradually remove stock such as this?
Yeah it's a good question isn't it? Fair enough if stand-alone train sets were popular among non-modellers, but are they these days?
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
You should do a running session where you show models of trains that have been used in movies and TV shows
Are you sure you want to watch Underground Ernie on the layout again?
That's an awesome idea Robert - thing is, I bet most of the preserved locos have been screen used from one time or another!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I imagine they stuck the LED in the front like that, rather than it in a lamp, so modellers couldn't get a cheap hall class, so Hornby could sell models at higher price. Although conjecture it's probably also why it was a white light as well to make it even more of an inconvenience
haha very cynical, but you could be right, lol! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Could always just snip the wires and paint /blank it over if you find it a bother, or remount it into a lamp body.
Kitbashing is the budget modeller's friend.
And? Take it out, and plug with some plasticard and filler... Then paint! 🤷♂️
@@Shipwright1918 To make it into a Hall in either GWR or BR livery you'd have to completely repaint it anyway so popping out the smokebox door and getting a spare would be a minor inconvenience. If only the Harry Potter film had used an LMS locomotive!!
@@SamsTrains It may not be "cheap Hall class" so much as "legally distinct Hall class" - the licensing agreement will have specified Hogwarts Castle, and under US law there can be legal issues around "confusion" between an IP-linked item and a generic item. The licence might well have demanded all-new tooling (note the Hogwarts Railways logo too) to avoid any suggestion that Hogwarts Castle was the same product as a standard Hall and losing IP protection.
Interestingly, the set is missing quite a bit from Hornbys earlier HP train sets. The Philosophers Stone, Chamber Of Secrets sets also had a trackmat, platform with a platform shelter in it, platform fencing and furniture n that cost around £100 back in the day.
Controller wise, ya should have a look at the old school HandM Clipper or Duette controllers, they were and are still awesome kit
I have actually seen the Hogwarts Express when it was stored in London's Clapham Junction, Battersea. It was secretly stored to stop train fanatics knowing where it was. The security gate was about 20 feet high covered in barbed wire Also there which I was allowed to tour through was the Orient Express which was being serviced. I was given a bar of Orient Express soap. 20 years ago, time flies.
I bought one of these a few months ago (due to overly effective Instagram advertising) and mine is also not remotely scuffed, really pleased with it! I got the impression that these sets are all returned from high street retailers like WH Smith and Marks and Spencers etc, and some of them would have spent some time being shuffled around shop floors before being returned to Hornby as unsold, whereas others would have just sat in a warehouse or two prior to being returned. If I was being kind to Hornby I would suggest that they're offering all boxes that have been returned from high street retailers as potentially scuffed wether they are or not, and the unscuffed full price ones have never left Hornby's own premises before, but that's possibly being over generous - your theory also seems plausible.
Enjoyed the review, I also feel like this set is great value for money at the reduced price, and it was an easy choice for me to help me get my kids more enthusiastic about (my!) model trains!
Thanks a lot for sharing Nat - it seems as though most of them don't have any scuffing... definitely getting that sense from the comments! That's a good thought - could be right there!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Let's just say that u have been blessed with a magical train in your train collection (and it's making Thomas and his friends jealous). It's an awesome model to have as a modal train from Hornby. The train is perfect, they brought the proper train from RL (real life) into an aweome looking model. I wonder what the next review is going to be that you will be doing Sam.
haha I sure have Paul - and maybe Thomas and his pals is jealous... I'll have to have a word!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains OK Sam.
Lovely looking train set! Looking at hornby's US website, it's one of the few things on there (yes, hornby has a different website for us yanks, with way less stuff). However, the set on their website is $315, or about 245 pounds!! Hornby at this point is the laughing stock of the OO modelling world.
It is actually! Ahh it's still on there in the US? They say it's now gone from their UK site!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I purchased mine for $209
I have been rewatching this religiously for the past 2 weeks I am rewatching Harry Potter and have got back into it. I am waiting for a chance to get this for my layout. Literally just the loco... Maybe a single coach because it looks so good. The led I don't care about being blue.
I just got the Lionel hogwarts express and that came with three coaches that light up and it is stunning.
Very awesome Johnn - I've never seen that one myself! :O
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
And you get a bell.
The Lionel units look very nice. That 3rd rail just ruins it for me though. I have seen setups that have the middle line black but my eye goes straight to it. I like the size of the OO models but the error between track and scale is about 12% in OO and roughly 7% for HO scale. I just don't understand how they didn't engineer this better like....I don't know...a HUNDRED years ago? Joking aside, it should have been resolved accurately 60-70 years ago.
The disappointing thing is I got an original Harry potter set when it first came out years ago, which had a castle class instead of a hall. The one used the horrific ringfield motor. And that came with a specific Harry potter track mat. And definitely looks like the very same mk1s you shown today. I believe it came from toys r us for £80 well over 10 years ago. And if you were to review today that it'd score the same as this new set.
Hey mate I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for these videos I think you do an amazing job and you have inspired me to love trains like nothing else and I have now convinced my parents to give me a corner of my garage to build my own layout so thank you for inspiring me.
It's a pleasure James, thanks so much for your kind words! That's amazing news - good luck with your layout - send me some photos of it!! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Your welcome Sam, how would I send you photos?
I have a theory too: maybe the shipping container was dropped or the delivery truck had an accident, the set were shipped with (or something like that), so by a law (i think GB has a law too for that) they can not sell these as brand new, only as damaged product, despite it got damaged or not. Maybe! Or just there's a printing error on the boxes.
Thanks Tom - yes that's being suggested quite a bit - could be - we'll never know for sure!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
This Sunday on the Antiques Roadshow a guy had the original number of the Hall locomotive. It was valued at less money than if it had been a fake one from the film! I think you are right about why Hornby were offering a cheaper version of the set. Younger fans of Harry Potter would have a job convincing parents to fork out over £200 for Christmas or birthday presents!
I looked at this set last year, when it was £180. I bought a ‘scuffed box’ version when it came out in November 21. Thanks for the review Sam
It is also possible that the lower price for scuffed packaging is to offer the product for cheaper to people who won't keep the box on display
This is one of the only Hornby train sets continuously available in the US, for around $200. I had a Bachmann Hogwarts when I was a kid, sadly it was quite fragile and only the coaches survived to this day. I look forward to actually buying one of these and and add my old coaches.
Hi Sam, after seeing the review I had to check my Harry Potter train set; first one the philosopher stone. It to only had two coaches and I added to it another two to give it some truth. The reason I checked the box was it came with a very special track mat. Background of stars etc. Never used it but knew I had had seen something so out there, there must be others. I did get a dcc version with the lamp but it’s not great on dc… well done hornby. Anyway great review and hoped to help re the special HP track mat.. keep the review coming, all best Marc
The 1st set released by hornby was Harry Potter and the philosiphers stone set....this was a decent set, as the loco had metal whistles, sprung buffers and a push together connection between loco and tender. The set came with 2 coaches, oval of track with siding, a track mat and a station for the siding...so seems to me the value has gone down but the price has gone up...
Yes I know of those older sets - different loco altogether of course though!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I thought you gave a very fair review. It inspired me to " Look through my Hoard ". I have a Mint Boxed R1048 set with a Cadbury Castle from 2004. Apparently the 4 coaches are from the Railroad Range. It seems to me there was much better value for money then. The Loco is really nice with brass chimney, whistles, etc. I have no idea what it cost originally and would be intrigued if someone new what it would be in 2022 adjusted for inflation. Great Video by the way 👍
Interesting review and a good train set….for the cheaper price! What on Earth Hornby think they are doing with the “scuffed box” business, but it’s yet more strange shenanigans from the so called biggest name in the business!
Thanks Adam - haha I don't know - it's very strange isn't it?!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
could be related to the licensing deal. maybe that deal doesnt allow them to sell at a lower price (== lower license payments!) without permission. Writing it off as B stock could be a workaround there
@@marks.6480 That's what I was suspecting as well, as Terf Castle Lady seems to be pretty picky when it comes to the license of her franchise, given how she's acted over the years towards people who are/were fans of her series, especially those who were fanfic writers.
@@freebrickproductions im pretty sure she is not involved in the licensing deals. that is usually farmed out to a marketing team.
Trust me stranger shenanigans have happened at Goodmayes.
Part of me suspects that they started off with a good amount of scuffed ones. Put those on the site to sell them, thinking they wouldn't sell as the full price ones weren't really selling, and then the cheaper ones sold better than expected, and they would rather make some money than new money so they've kept the listing up and are just filling the orders from the main stock.
I got this set for Christmas last year based on information I gathered from your reviews, which continue to influence my choices in locos/stock to expand. Thanks very much for reviewing it
Ahh fantastic! Yeah overall it's a decent quality set - one of the better ones I'd say!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I always love that scene with the flying car while the train is behind Ron and Harry! 😂
haha I know - classic! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
First train i had and still runs beautifully especially with a small rake of coaches
They do run very nicely, that's for sure!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
4:08 "Nice" Another man of culture!
I’ve had that set for a few years and have outfitted it with DCC Sound using a Soundtraxx Econami UK steam sound decoder with a GWR exhaust chuff sound with the Gresley A4 whistle for a more movie accurate sound than the TTS sound fitted version of the engine.
21:35 The headlight is magically enhanced, which turns it blue.
Ahh of course - silly me! ;D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Thank you I have been wanting a train set like this and I have not had one and I decided to get one, but I wanted to make sure that this was good, and I think you approve of it as a beginner in the train community and I can't wait to play with it
Excellent video Sam. I may get one of these myself. It's no King class, but I will admit that I do like the Halls, especially when it is considered that a red Great Western engine isn't exactly a one-off thing...
Also, Congratulations Sam! Gladstone is officially out of the worst five! Woo-hoo!
Thanks a lot David - yes I love the Halls too, and decent models too! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hi Sam. Great video. I am pretty sure that the brake coach might be the prefects compartment
haha yeah you could be right - that's where Percy goes!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
How very odd! Even the “named” sets - “Half Blood Prince” etc, came with additional accessories, platforms, overall roof, for example and they were cheaper than £241 - which,incidentally, I think is wholly extortionate. It’s just a very cheeky “try out” to sell what they have left.
As for the scuffing: If a container was damaged during transport they can get an insurance payout. They would also be able to sell the remaining sets, but only at a reduced price, otherwise they would have to have their insurance claim re-evaluated. So... yeah, they probably had some really damaged sets, but luckily for us customers that means that they also had to sell the surviving sets at a good price.
They've cut back a lot on this set. About 20 years ago I bought the Hornby Hogwarts set and it was a lot better than this. It *did* have a trackmat, and a station platform. The buffers on the locomotive were sprung, and I was quite stunned by the level of detail. The box had a proper lid, and a polystyrene base (instead of that horrible "eggbox" packaging). The basic set cost about £100 as I recall, though I must have spent at least that much again on extra track and accessories. (Eventually I had 3 concentric ovals linked by points, with two separate sidings, and a second locomotive - though when I got married I gave it all away to my nephew.)
I remember getting a dirt cheap Nintendo DSi (old at the time, but not that old) because it was "scratched". The bloke had to keep turning it over in the light to even make the "scratch" visible!
I worked warehouse for microcenter (American computer & computer parts retailer) and I bet these are either new old stock sets or an entire trailer/cargo container was damaged and they marked down everything in the trailer regardless of condition. We had 2 skids of printers that was found 2 years later. They were sold for 50 bucks a pop (bargain pricing, they were the fax, scanner printer combo inkjets.)
9:16 seems like the livery is post-preservation since it has the orange cantrail stripe below the roof gutter
Ahh very interesting!
I’m thinking that the packaging might have been different. When it comes to expensive action figures, sometimes, there is different levels of packaging. These being something near the lines of “standard” and “collectors.” (The collectors being at a higher price)
If I understand correctly, this is because some people never take the figure out of the box, and hence the box being in perfect condition is vital. But to those who don’t care about that, they don’t have to pay that price for extra protection, but run the chance of damage occurring through shipping.
Ahh interesting - thanks for sharing Elliott, appreciate it!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Also on June Im being the engineer,I'm getting my first train set on the 10th nothing big it's the red tank engine coach and wagon,but you have to start somewhere,I can't wait,the start of the train,the start of the journey I'm going to get a ton of model railway stuff also maybe a small table for it,deffiently going to get the bachman Irish steam set,I live in Ireland keep up the videos,
Interesting 🤔 I myself have spotted this set in a local Hobby shop close to our new farm we recently moved to. Considering the fact that I’m in a need for some track because my old layout sadly got destroyed last year due to a collapsed ceiling making the buildings and track all rotten when recovering it, I only saved my locos and coaches from that layout, depending on the price this might be a good set to get me started again and will fit the bill for our interest in Harry Potter in the family too.
Ahh sorry to hear about your layout - but sure, train sets are a great way of getting everything you need! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
£242.99 is nothing if you are a train enthousiast in europe, i have Marklin and some of those trains are €500 easy but the quality of those loco's is really top notch they are really on a different level
I've go one of the older ones, but mine has a warm white light, sprung buffers, metal funnel and whistles, it also has the cylinder drain pipes fitted but they are black not painted copper. My train pack also came with a track mat too, the coaches are exactly the same though.
Very interesting - so why did they change it to cool white?!? :(
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains i don't understand it either, mine was the order of the pheonix set. Basically they are all the same but it seems that the loco in my set was better quality, she is also one hell of a puller! Insanely powerfull.
always great to make a cup of coffee and chill with a video of yours Sam
The boxes possibly may not necessarily have damage but the box may be missing a print, text, or somthing that wasnt to the original design that the franchise and hornby agreed on
Could be! The point is though that the description said "scuffed box", and there was no damage at all!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
I have a theory as to the "scuffed but not" boxes. There likely were/are some scuffed boxes in the warehouse, but when invoice/order goes through to warehouse, pickers see "harry potter train set" and just pick from the location that has the most of them, and send it out. I did also see some very minor dents on the lower front edges, not really damage per say but not pristine. So I also suspect an entire pallet/container was damaged, and so they've discounted the lot rather than sort through.
They've certainly done some questionable practices of late, but there are some reasons that would offer a little less shady approach to them.
I just got this set recently, and it shows signs of struggling with 4 coaches on my layout I'm currently working on.
The railer/re railer thing is very useful, I have one and use it most of the time to get locos on the track, mostly steam lococs.
It is very handy - makes things much easier!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Nice! I love the GWR hall locomotives
I do too! :D
I brought that train.set here in New Zealand it cost me $504 plus I brought extra 5 coaches two of them with free the rest cost me 40 New Zealand dollars and then I decided I wanted a sound chip but they didn't have it so I bought the engine with the sound chip and dcc in it and that cost me another 300 New Zealand dollars so I have both the analogue and digital one so it was quite expensive but I liked it. Both engines have a lot of grunt pulls very well and smoothly.
I'm in contact with someone who's essentially a Hornby-licensed repairman. He had a Hogwarts Castle loco that was sent in for the LED fault (which I found hilarious), and as the customer had received a new one already, he fixed it and put it up for sale. I bought it off him for $25/£12.50. So I can't really complain about it given the price. It seems alright.
What further complicates the Hogwarts Express market is that the Bradford Exchange also sells a Hogwarts Express train set for three installments of $30, at least in the U.S. It has the Bachmann track and transformer, and comparing it to the Hornby locomotive in your video, I am almost certain it is the Bachmann train set as well.
The engine has a light in the smokebox as well, and the coaches are lit. It does come with Harry Potter pewter figures, but they are more like O Scale than OO Scale; I gave mine to a family member. It is also a smooth runner.
I only received the engine, tender, and trackwork so far. I made a short video, search for Bradford Exchange (Bachmann) Hogwarts Express. This inexpensive train set may also be forcing Hornby to dump theirs at a reduced price.
I bought this train set a couple years ago and I was pleasantly surprised by its quality, my only complaint is that I would have preferred a third coach over the switch and spur track.
Hi there Sam ,, If they call it damaged or scoughed box hornby can still keep the price of the RRP & still get more than the cost of the build and a 92 pound damage incurrance or tax refund or write it down so hornby gets a tax credits for the reduction of "damaged stock" (that pays some of the tax bill) and still gets there model across the line of success or failure.
I have one of these but an earlier version with the styrofoam packaging and the really decorated box and i have run it and its an absolutely gorgeous and i luv luv luv it and even for just the loco and the 2 carriages as im not into horry patter that much so I just luv it for what it is..
Anyhoo keep the good work and gr8 video there sam.
Cheers from John in Australia
Hi Sam on the early sets it came with 3 coaches and also sprung buffers but no light and front name plate and a heavy chassis
Great vid Sam since I love Harry potter my heart kept when I was this on my notifications great work Sam keep it up
Awesome. Bachmann made this famous train set some years back.
I have this! It was the first Hornby set I got for Christmas
my local model shop has a couple of these sets for $150-ish, as well as a Hornby Christmas set, Hornby Coca-Cola set, and some other Hornby and Oxford items. But I've never seen this set outside of a model train shop, but I have seen the Corgi model of the Hogwarts Express in Target.
1:44 I see one tab that's a bit weird, but maybe a majority of a pallet or shipment had significant damage to warrant being returned to Hornby.
6:18 I'm surprised they didn't make wagons for each Hogwarts house like Lionel did, or included non-railway buildings from the Wizarding World.
19:26 I think they should've done a new trackmat too to place the stations and other Wizarding World Buildings and maybe a couple of the track extension sets (but not all of them)
21:44 probably because the lamp on the real Olton Hall was a modern LED lamp. I think other mainline steam engines in the UK have similar headlights
My parents got my son this set two Christmases ago, paid around £150 for it. It's literally the quietest running loco I've ever had on the track!
I bought this new, No where near the price Sam said.
I managed to get this set for £100 (back when Hornby’s RRP was £200) in the January sale at Hawkins Bizarre 2 years ago. I think they were closing down and selling everything at 50% off. Got a good deal I think! I love the set, it’s my favourite model. I love Harry Potter which I think biases me! However agree that there’s no way it’s worth £200+. £150 is more reasonable. The price increases from Hornby are awful, as so many have said.
I managed to get the actual Castle Class version for a Harry Potter loving friend, from Hattons pre owned, for £60. It compares well as it has sprung buffers etc. But it doesn't have the large headlight. I also individually got 2 HP coaches, one brake, one standard, £20 each, also from Hattons pre owned.
I did the same thing and bought a ‘scuffed packaging’ hogwarts express set for £100!!! Absolutely no scuffs at all
It's very strange isn't it? Thanks for sharing! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
@@SamsTrains Honest, Maybe they tipped over on Forest Gate Triangle?
Centre of the Omniverse Nd all that!
Hornby doesn't have the staff anymore to scuff boxes. I believe that the only person who could have scuffed those boxes professionally now works in the repair department of Martin Mart-Martinsson.
I think you are right. My contact told me he even had a written recommendation from Hornby to take the other job while he was still working for them. I guess Martin saw an opportunity and didn't even bothered about doing an interview before he hired him.
@@leewaymodels Yeah, grab the talent when you can.
Over here in America I saw a Harry Potter set and an individual engine at a train show several months ago. I don’t remember the price of the set but it wasn’t scuffed in any way. I ended up paying for the engine for about $130 (which was a discounted price) so idk if that’s an average price in pounds but hopefully this helped give some insight on the matter overseas.
The half blood prince set hall class had sprung buffers but mine had been over tightened screws that held the body on so the fit was loose but i liked it
Oh really? Might have been the old Castle version - surprised they were still using that for half blood prince though... pretty sure the Hall never had sprung buffers!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
This set was up on WHSmith for £150 about a month ago, so I grabbed it then after watching your review of R1234
Hi Sam, the original HP train set, the one with the Castle class loco, only had two coaches also in it, but it did have a HP track mat with it. Regards, Alan.
Thanks for sharing Alan - yes I know the one! Can't believe they're not including mats with the latest sets - seems very stingy!
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Hornby should have included some chocolate frogs, or a bag of Betty Bott’s All-flavor beans. It IS a Harry Potter themed train set, after all!
As soon as I saw the thumbnail I clicked on the video in a heartbeat ( and yes I'm a harry potter fan )
with hornby, it's very weird because something like the class 56 is definitley worth all of those £150 but the class 66 litterally fell apart in my hands as I got it out of the box. It's weird because with hornby it's like one of those pick a random card choose your fate kind of games. Since when did gambling come into the model railways?!
Could be they were stock that they had shifted as Sale and Return to retailers and then had shipped back, the issue is that having had them on shelves and pallets in this process they can't be sure of the quality of packaging so they say "scuffed" and knock some money off, as you say to protect their RRP.
Great review as always Sam! Strange how the newer set is worse than the old version. I have one of the early sets it came with a Harry Potter themed track mat, a proper controller and hogwarts station (basic hornby station building and platform but the building was painted red) Seems the older set was better value for money a well as better play value.
Had an old Santa Fe freightliner engine as a kid and it had a highly responsive motor and controller..... The thing literally exploded when I bought a hornaby controller that I was told was compatible by a hornaby employee, I don't trust them anymore and I don't recommend anything from hornaby unless you rebuild it yourself
Couple more comments...
Does it use NEM pockets so the British couplers can be replaced with Kadee couplers (I'm an American)? *_YES_*
For people who already have a layout, can you buy just the train without the track?
Can you get it DCC fitted, or at least DCC ready? *_Has a socket in the tender._*
What size decoder does it take?
The locomotive and coaches do have NEM pockets. There is a detail part above the coaches' NEM pockets which interfere with Kadee NEM couplers. Kadees should work okay if the detail is trimmed/cut off.
There is an eight pin socket in the tender and sufficient room for a decoder and speaker. I installed a Soundtraxx Econami (UK ECO series) sound decoder and speaker in mine. The headlight is not wired to the 8-pin socket therefore will not respond to a decoder unless wires to the light are added.
@@bradfordsmith3030 Thanks for the info! I can cut that trim off to fit the Kaddee coupler. I tried to find a Hornby TTS decoder for Hall locomotives, but everyone is out of stock. I'll buy a generic 8-pin decoder with steam sounds which should be good enough for this. Thanks again!
Yourecright about the controller. I've got one of those Gaugemaster ones with the plug in the back for an auxiliary handset too. The loco and coaches don't look too bad for a train set to be fair. Nice to see separately fitted bits and a fall plate. Completely let down by that light though. Perfect for kids I think.
It’s nice to see that Hornby has the position of the Harry Potter license after 20 years, the Thomas range lasted longer though, let’s see if Harry can do the same?
I doubt Harry Potter will spawn a large range of train stuff like Thomas did, because there's really only one train in the HP universe. As far as I know, Hornby already makes pretty much everything Hogwarts Express-related that one could think of in OO scale.
@@michaelramsey82 the Harry Potter range did have buildings
This was my first hornby set!
It seems a good buy for the price you paid. The big question is, have you pre-ordered the SVR/Hornby Queen Elizabeth II in purple? I can imagine your comments on the price. I am about to fit two sound cards to the underside of my exhibition layout: one for diesel sounds and one for steam. The chuff can be modified and freewheeling programmed in. The are different diesel engine sounds and steam whistles via a remote control. Speakers will be above to give DC locos the appearance of sound. It's an experiment. I already have signal box and farm ambient soumds on the layout.
Sure, it's spot on for what I paid! And no I haven't... your imagination will be 100% accurate, lol! Good luck with the sound cards - that sounds very cool :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
Another fine video, thanks Sam 👍😁
Hi I think that you are a real genuine guy unlike so many of the others on here who get free models from manufacturers to lie. In reality Hornby Bachmann and now Heljan are ripping us all off. Accruscale produce exceptional models all day long and charge the right price that reflects this. Basically if Bachmann made a class 31 to the same standard as Accruscale are now making they would charge around the £200 mark just like they are with their new class 47. Also Bachmann VEA is £33 each but if Accruscale made this they would sell three for £75. Its a joke and I no longer buy anything from them. Rapido, Calvex etc also charge a real high price as well for what they do and as a result I can not justify any purchases from them either. Its a disgrace and its about greed and one or two getting themselves out of financial trouble due to various mistakes they made.
You can see the scuffed box look, there is a rip right through the box near the top above the hogsarts express picture and has Harry Potter printed over the top of the rip lol. Plus there's loads of golden splodges all over the box haha 😄 😆
we will have to get a tutorial on how to service this loco, there was one ive seen from about 5 years ago on this channel but thats the older castle class
I'm in shipping and a lot of the time companys will declare a intire case will be declared damaged instead of individual packages within a case saves time for there staff
i got this model for christmas i think its very good first engine with a light as well
the older Hogwarts Express had a Trak mat and a Station Halt with it more cost cutting by Hornby?
The price maybe ridiculous but somehow the product is kinda worth it...well obviously harry potter but at the same time it's not the normal/ usual set you can buy...They should add like 5 more coaches to the the 2 that was included in the set for a more realistic look. Cheers!
Hogwarts castle will forever amuse me, it’s a Hall class pretending to be a Castle class, that just seems funny to me
I'm pretty sure the break down of the multiverse has something to do with that.
Its like a Class 31 thinking its a toffee apple? Or is it the other way round?
I got one of the "scuffed boxes" there was no damage but I did notice a mis print as it said dcc fitted when it's dcc ready
In case you are wondering this is viable in the video (back of the box in front of the engine)
Will look good with my 1950s SR fleet. You should have rated it as 9 and 3/4 Sam
4:06 Looks like Sam is getting into some memes now
I bought a DC version of this set several years ago for a lot less: under £50.00. Runs great.
Wow! That's a stunning price! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)
.Hi Sam. I have the original Harry Potter train set. It comes with a Harry Potter-themed trakmat! The loco has traction tyres that make it a poor runner! Interestingly, the old version of the loco with traction tyres has a bulb in the front and not an LED. There is a DCC socket in the loco. Under DCC the light is on all the time, but there is a mod you can do to turn the light on and off. How about that? Thanks for doing the review.
not into train sets, and really don't want a Hornby HP one, but this video might encourage me to get a railroad hall to replace my late '60's one... maybe..
Just found your channel, thank you got so much to look through. Interesting fact as i understand it. the Hogwarts Express was always meant to be a Castle Class but they couldn’t get use of one for the film
Great review there Sam looks like a really good set, it’s good to see the front light on the front, I have an old version of the Harry Potter train set which had the castle class version of the locomotive.
A bit of topic here though but I managed to pick up an excellent heljan locomotive this week, the loco is the DP2 and I picked that up for £99.99
Thanks David - yeah the light is a nice inclusion, even if it's cool white! Oh wow sounds awesome- hope you enjoy your new loco! :D
Thanks for watching, Sam :)