James May's Big Trouble in Model Britain

[Kestrel]

Two-part documentary, introduced and narrated by model train enthusiast James May, that follows a year inside Hornby Hobbies - an iconic British toymaker on the brink of collapse. But this is no ordinary business series - this is a series about model train and plane obsessives, both inside and outside the company, all of whom desperately need the company to survive.

In episode one, we join Hornby as they face their biggest crisis in a generation. The company has lost £30M in the past five years and sales across all three of their major brands - Scalextric, Airfix and Hornby Railways - are down.

A new boss, Lyndon Davies, has been appointed to turn the company’s dismal fortunes around and he has brought back some company veterans to help in the fight for survival.

Simon Kohler, known affectionately as ‘Mr Hornby’ has been brought back after a four-year absence. He assesses the decline of his beloved company and attempts to reconnect with Hornby’s dissatisfied customer base and retailers.

Meanwhile, in a bid to revitalise Airfix, Lyndon tasks a master amateur model builder, Jim Bren, with the biggest build of his model-making life – the largest reconstruction of the Hellcat plane ever attempted by the company.

We get the opportunity to delve into the highly secretive world of the company’s design and development process. We meet Ken, head of the audio research laboratory, as he struggles to find the perfect cat sound, as well as other veterans like head of archives Peter, who has some very strong words on how he feels the company has been managed.

We also meet the people whose pastimes are at stake, such as the members of the Double O Gauge Association. We follow them as they prepare for one of the biggest events in the model railway enthusiast’s diary – The Great Electric Train Show in Milton Keynes – where their fictitious village of Batcombe is ready for its unveiling to the public.

Part 1 available for 26 days on BBC I-player
Part 2 is on BBC4 on Wednesday 13th March at 9:00pm.

[Atlantic 3279]

I'd love to hear the unedited version of the interview with the long-serving Hornby employee.

[Paul_sterling]

I'd love to hear the unedited version of the interview with the long-serving Hornby employee.

Did I hear right that even the presented version was quite 'blunt' ?

I've not seen the program as yet, I was a little put off by two of James May's previous programs on model railways, one, where he got very emotional over the cleaning of a motor (eh?), and two when he threw the box of a vintage train set in the bin. Generally liked him on Top Gear mind, my dislike on that program was always reserved for Hammond.

Paul.

[RayS]

For my taste dwelt too much on Airfix, not enough on Hornby - Scalextric never got a mention.

Previous management sounds disastrous - junking old moulds etc.

Best news is the return to Hornby of Simon Kohler; not sure about how LD will combine running his own Oxford Rail in competition(?) with Hornby, but let's hope for better things. Wonder how Hornby's continental subsidiaries are performing - their prices seem way above UK levels?

Anyhow, look forward to part 2 on Wednesday.

[Horsetan]

...Previous management sounds disastrous ....

[majormagna]

I've not seen the program as yet, I was a little put off by two of James May's previous programs on model railways...

Don't worry too much about that, all May really did was narrate and bookend the start and end of the first programme.

I assume the second part will still focus on the "Hornby Railways" side, but may touch on the other subsidiaries; I think there was about enough of Airfix in the first programme.

[Hatfield Shed]

At only 12% of the Hornby group not only did it get disproportionate airtime, it revealed that Airfix still indulges in the poor fit kit problem. Their volunteer kit builder was shown busily modifying parts to make a go of the built display version. We were complaining about that - and moving on to the likes of Revell and Tamiya whose kits actually fitted together well - before all my adult dentition came through.

[65447]

At only 12% of the Hornby group not only did it get disproportionate airtime, it revealed that Airfix still indulges in the poor fit kit problem. Their volunteer kit builder was shown busily modifying parts to make a go of the built display version. We were complaining about that - and moving on to the likes of Revell and Tamiya whose kits actually fitted together well - before all my adult dentition came through.

That's rather harsh in that it was made very clear that it was a test build to qualify the fit of the parts and with only skeleton assembly instructions. If Airfix subsequently fail to make corrections in the light of feedback then your complaint might be considered valid.

All moulded and etched kits require some fettling simply as a consequence of the parts being attached to the moulding sprue or larger etched sheet.

[Hatfield Shed]

That's rather harsh in that it was made very clear that it was a test build to qualify the fit of the parts and with only skeleton assembly instructions. If Airfix subsequently fail to make corrections in the light of feedback then your complaint might be considered valid...

What I heard was that the build was to provide the display model for the launch event, with just two months for the build. I didn't pick up anything about a feedback loop to make tooling corrections?

All moulded ... kits require some fettling simply as a consequence of the parts being attached to the moulding sprue ...

True indeed, but what amazed me on my first Tamiya kit build was that all you had to do was clean off the connections to the runner or sprue: and the pieces then fitted so closely that Slater's recommended technique with mekpak of applying a drop of cement to the concealed side of the joint line of the parts to be bonded really worked. No huge gaps so that the cement leaked out all over the place. No need for filler for the gaping joints. (These were kits I built for my war-gaming younger brother, and I told him after that single experience of Tamiya's product that he shouldn't expect me to ever look at an Airfix kit again.)

[65447]

That's rather harsh in that it was made very clear that it was a test build to qualify the fit of the parts and with only skeleton assembly instructions. If Airfix subsequently fail to make corrections in the light of feedback then your complaint might be considered valid...

What I heard was that the build was to provide the display model for the launch event, with just two months for the build. I didn't pick up anything about a feedback loop to make tooling corrections?

As I understood it this retired local government officer is the 'go-to' individual engaged by Airfix to test build new kits in their final development form. In this instance completing the Hellcat in time for that show was a significant added pressure, the effects of which were amply illustrated during the programme. Let's face it, as he spends his modelling time test-building for Airfix he has yet to start on his 'STABLE' of well over 100 kits of his own - but he does have an inventory listing the contents of each of the large cardboard boxes in his garage/shed!

[Hatfield Shed]

It was the SABLE acronym that made me laugh (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy) and the thought that came to me was that possibly it's only with a deadline from someone else that he actually gets going on building a kit. Might we take a guess that the Bisleship Battmarck kit has been in storage in his garage longer than the real one was afloat?

[Chas Levin]

Have to say I found it highly enjoyable telly - though I'd certainly agree with some of the comments made here too (not to mention the multi-page thread on this 'elsewhere'...).
I too particularly enjoyed the edited views of the long-serving employee who runs the Visitor Centre. The 'editing' was done in an entertaining way in itself (watch it and you'll see) and still left the overall gist of what he was saying perfectly clear (sorry, BBC lawyers, but it did, you know!).

A lot of people 'elsewhere' commenting on this program thought it showed either railway modellers, Airfix-type kit constructors or both groups in a poor light in various ways: things like being unsociale, old, boring etc - the usual clichés really. I'm as sensitive to this as the next person but I actually came away from this prog feeling pretty positive about the scene and the people generally.
Let's face it, we're not exactly at the cutting edge of trend-setting youth culture here but this program gave a picture of a lot of people having a great time doing what they love and getting excited by their favourite new things, with very little back-biting or unpleasantness.
I'm not sure, if I were Simon Kohler, that I would have chosen to be quite so candid about my daily medication regime, but perhaps that's just me.

I'm very much looking forward to the second episode, though I'll have to watch it on Thursday on iPlayer as its timeslot tonight clashes with some new Richard Gere thing my wife's watching on BBC2...

[Horsetan]

.... some new Richard Gere thing my wife's watching on BBC2...

Seems Mr. Gere didn't enjoy doing MotherFatherSon either, so you're in good company.

[Atlantic 3279]

I enjoyed as much honesty as was allowed to appear in the two programmes, including the long serving employee's severely edited honest opinion of previous management and SK's honesty about his medication.

Perhaps laws on defamation are too oppressive at times. Should one really have to refrain from comment at all or bend over backwards to use language that makes it clear that comments are only a "personal opinion based on personal perception and without any claimed factual basis" in order to avoid a law suit, or should the emphasis instead be on the "insulted" party to prove that the accuser really intended to make a formal, serious and damaging accusation?

Why should SK keep his medication a secret? To deceive employers, family and maybe insurers into thinking he is in A1 health? The truth tends to find its way out anyway, and those who have been trying to hide it are then in a worse position than if they'd been honest. At least it is treatment in this case for a common medical condition that may not be the fault of the sufferer in any way, so it's not as if he has some condition acquired as a result of behaviour that is widely seen as disgusting and immoral.

As to the impression the programmes give of modellers in general - do I care whether I'm in a fashionable or "cool" hobby? I think not.

[RayS]

I just watched the second episode. At least some more time was allocated to Hornby, supposedly the subject of the programme. There seemed to me there was a bit of an edge to the Class 66/Terrier wars with Hornby using its muscle to push Hattons/Rails of Sheffield-Dapol back into being retailers not producers. Given the disappointing productions from Hornby in the last couple of years one cannot blame others for moving onto Hornby turf, but long-term does it make sense to have two producers of the same loco - ignoring the level of detail? More dialogue should avoid similar overlaps/clashes in future.

There seems to be a feeling that the generally warm reception to SK's 2019 range can lead to a corner being turned, even if there is precious little in 2019 for modellers of our area; hopefully a strong base in the mass market will allow more specialist models in the future?