Bassett-Lowke

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Nigel Graham 2 on 18/04/2021 19:59:38:

[…]

It looks as if whoever owns the Hornby name now has applied what had been an honourable rival name in model railways in the past, and written that sneering web-site, a way calculated to cheapen and denigrate it.

They introduced a range of new models to their own designs, with only the most tenuous relationship even to Hornby let alone Bassett-Lowke, but lack the courage to invent their own brand.

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The awful truth is pretty clear from the Wikipedia page:

[quote]

In October 2017, PAM announced their new management team who would join the company and steer through the turnaround.^[16]They were Lyndon Davies, former Mettoy employee and owner of Oxford Diecast.^[17] Simon Kohler, ex Hornby marketing manager ^[18] and Tim Mulhall, also from Oxford Diecast and credited with knowledge of the International market, having been the former importer for Hornby International brands in the UK.^[19]

The trio proposed a turnaround plan to reengage with the market, make products which were more appealing to customers, clamp down on rising overheads and recover first sales and then move the company back into profitability. The outcomes were not expected to bear fruit for 3-5 years.

[/quote]

MichaelG.

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Ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornby_Railways#Financial_troubles,_PAM_takeover

 

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 18/04/2021 22:06:00

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

I'll have to read the thread in more detail, but a few things've struck me.

They're calling it 'Brickpunk',not 'Steampunk', so perhaps they're not trying to link themselves so explicitly to an existing subculture.

The use of set kits may be recent-ish for Lego and the like, but plastic model manufacturers like Airfix, Revell and many others have been doing it since the 50s – and their usefulness in teaching young minds is not to be sneered at. Airfix written instruction sheets (sadly long superseded by picture strips) taught me the basics of an economical, technical English that proved useful at several stages in an engineering and computer-implementation career. Plus a lot about the construction and design constraints applying to aircraft, vehicles and ships. Lego teaches none of this, and neither did Bayko, because the composition of their construction has little relationship to real equipment, vehicles or buildings.

I'm sure I'm not alone in being quite impervious to attempts to use branding to give a spurious desirability to products with no connection to the originals familiar from youth. Many or most brand names from my chidhood and young adulthood mean nothing now – there are exceptions, but many are just badges bought and sold for their marketing value between businesses with no relation the original design and manufacture teams. And everybody knows this, but some pretend it isn't so.

Edited By Mick B1 on 18/04/2021 22:51:39

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Michael –

That paragraph alone really only shows the company is trying to survive by forming a management able to develop products that they hope will sell well. There is nothing wrong with that; and the country's trade history is a graveyard of companies that failed to do so. If nothing else they have their livelihoods to consider, maybe even those of their employees. The problem is how they do that.

–

Mick –

Brickpunk is the company's brand for a literally brand-new architectural model range. I don't think they are trying to pass it off as Bassett-Lowke.

'

I doubt most construction kits were ever intended by their designers to teach how the full-size things were constructed, only what they looked like; though I accept the Airfix and similar plastic kits were not frightened of the proper names for components. The exception is Meccano, helping its users understand simple mechanisms.

Bayko was far more realistic than Lego in representing real buildings; but of course no such kits can bear any relation to the construction of the real buildings, only to their appearance. Of the three big-name universal construction toys that have to compromise realism for flexibility – Meccano being the other – a Bayko model most closely resembled what it represented. In some respects though, Bayko's kit-system faintly presaged modern house-building techniques!

Besides, we frequently deviate widely from construction materials and methods for functional reasons, while being as faithful as possible to outwards appearance, in our model-engineering.

Airfix is by no means unique in replacing proper words with pictures, but I assume to consider those who read little or no English in a world with a huge number of very varied alphabets and languages. Seems to work for Ikea!

'

You are right about the way brand names are traded as mere commodities, but while you may not care that it happens, I do not believe that excuses what in this case appears part of a very cynical and negative cheapening of the original name and person.

Basset-Lowke and Hornby were rivals when trading separately, and this may partly explain the modern firm's internal politics.

The present company invented a range of models in what it claims to be steam-punk style … Right, fine, not to my taste but that does not matter. I believe though it should have the honesty and guts to invent a brand name for them. I also object to its advertising, apparently intended to trap the unwary into thinking this modern art-fad genuinely represents late-19C / early 20C engineering.

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

I know this started with Bassett – Lowke BUT as to comments about teaching our youngsters, LEGO brought out a range of TECHNIC kits to build specific machines. About 25 years ago I bought the 360* tracked digger, for myself. All the movements of the machine were operated by a manual air pump and 3 air cylinders and a 3slice valve to select which ram you wished to move. If this didn't teach how a digger worked, I'm a dutchman. Noel

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Nigel Graham 2 on 18/04/2021 19:59:38:

…

They introduced a range of new models to their own designs, with only the most tenuous relationship even to Hornby let alone Bassett-Lowke, but lack the courage to invent their own brand.

Despite Nigel's eloquence, I'm with Mick B1 in believing Brand-names and Trade-marks are almost 100% marketing. Mr Rolls of Rolls-Royce fame was a car salesman, not an engineer.

Most brands are long forgotten and have zero emotional impact. Others change over time, up or down, consider Volkswagen:

1. 'Peoples Car', representing National Socialism, a far-right political movement violently opposed to all forms of Socialism. (Propaganda: money taken, and hardly any delivered to the people. )
2. Post-war, German engineering applied to produce a reliable small car, hugely successful, moving on to create a range of likeable modern cars. The Volkswagen brand was respected world-wide.
3. Spectacular fall from grace when the Company was caught misleading customers and authorities over emissions. Liars! Untrustworthy, and incompatible with the firms image. Fortunately for the brand, other makers were found to have done the same thing, which deflected attention from Volkswagen in particular.
4. Recovery., almost respectable again today, partly because people have short memories, and partly because Volkswagen do make good cars.

Despite being unpleasant animals in real-life with no connection to Russia, or insurance, fake Meerkats have achieved National Treasure status. Millions of people have fallen in love with them, and there would be trouble if anyone pinched the brand. On the other hand, hard to imagine anyone being upset by cynical modern revivals of Stephen's Ink and Izod's Corsets.

Time for some fun. Rising to Nigel's they 'lack the courage to invent their own brand' challenge, we can all have a go at inventing brand-names, I offer these lathes:

• Mybridge (made from recycled prams by Messrs Backward and Bodge of Chad, using child labour.)
• Winchester Bereaver (perished rubber insulation a speciality)
• Crabapple LathePad, a CNC prototype with a special operating system called Demented-Leopard.
• Ruckus Retro-turner. For real-men only – guaranteed to have no safety features.

And for cutting stock, the Turbo-Chopsaw-XL. These are painted Crimson by the Reckless Tool Company to hide bloodstains…

Dave

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Nigel Graham 2 on 19/04/2021 09:31:15:

Michael –

That paragraph alone really only shows the company is trying to survive by forming a management able to develop products that they hope will sell well. There is nothing wrong with that; and the country's trade history is a graveyard of companies that failed to do so. If nothing else they have their livelihoods to consider, maybe even those of their employees. The problem is how they do that.

.

Quite so, Nigel

What I considered the ‘awful truth’ was not that the brand has been grabbed by an asset-management company, but the backgrounds of the trio leading the turn-around.

MichaelG.

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Compare: https://www.engino.com/w/index.php/products/steamxf

https://www.engino.com/w/index.php/about

 

with: https://uk.bassettlowke.co.uk/products/difference-engine-factory-coach-bl4002

or: https://uk.bassettlowke.co.uk/products/dinosaur-hatchery-wagon-bl6001

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 19/04/2021 10:16:14

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Mick B1 on 18/04/2021 22:49:25:

They're calling it 'Brickpunk',not 'Steampunk', so perhaps they're not trying to link themselves so explicitly to an existing subculture.

It's pretty explicit here:

What is SteamPunk?

Welcome to the world of SteamPunk, a world of war between empires and those eco warriors that despise them. During this never-ending fight for justice, we invite you to enter this land of madness to help our seasoned owner of the best tea construct steam machines fit to deliver some of his best tea crop across the world, whatever the cost. Designed in conjunction with Bassett-Lowke SteamPunk Models, we are thrilled to be presenting BrickPunk- the new construction brick range of 2021, but taken to a whole new level…"

Following on from the Steampunk 2020 model range, BrickPunk offers an extensive range of colour and character variation in each design at an unbeatable starting price like no other. If that wasn’t enough, a compact launch range is also up for grabs. With so much to offer, it’s no wonder model makers of all ages are keen to get their hands on the new BrickPunk range and take their construction to new heights- the SteamPunk way!"

uk.bassettlowke.co.uk/catalogue/brickpunk

@S.O.D. – don't forget the Flagellator…

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Michael –

I see what you mean…. I soon gave up trying to decide what Charles Babbage's mechanical computer had to do with processing tea-leaves – and where all that "eco-warriors" tripe comes in. I doubt the "asset managers" responsible would know either. Could be worse I suppose – they could be just "asset strippers."

It looks as if Engino has combined the concepts of Meccano, Lego, K-nex et. al. (though they carefully avoid any such hints so you think it's all their own original idea) – but why the Hell has Hornby so run itself into the scrapyard it failed to spot the opportunity that was so clear to Engino?

'

Neil –

So not content with rubbishing an old brand, they also highjack an art genre's name with purely peaceful associations, to present it as a bizarre and aggressive invention of their own.

Cheapskates…

Edited By Nigel Graham 2 on 19/04/2021 22:16:49

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Nigel,

If you happen to have an iOS device … take a look at the Engino Apps

… very impressive

kidCAD is the ‘assembly instruction leaflet’ taken to a whole new level.

MichaelG.

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Edit: __ also available on  Google Play

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mdl.engino&hl=en_GB&gl=US

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 19/04/2021 22:55:53

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

For another name what about Hamblings in Cecil Court off the Charing Cross Road. The smallest shop I have ever been into in my life!

They reckoned they were the home of scale 00 railways and sold strange things like lithographed sheets that were cut out and stuck onto a suitably shaped block of wood to make a 00 scale coach! Their catalogue was a good read to a teenaged railway modeller – but what they sold was old fashioned by the sixties.

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

…

Mick –

…

I doubt most construction kits were ever intended by their designers to teach how the full-size things were constructed, only what they looked like; though I accept the Airfix and similar plastic kits were not frightened of the proper names for components. The exception is Meccano, helping its users understand simple mechanisms.

…

Perhaps, but anyone building, say, 1/32 or larger aircraft kits would have to be of an extremely unenquiring nature to avoid learning quite a bit about engine- and nose armament mounting structures, cockpit interior controls and seating, etc. – even if later kit manufacturers didn't bother with proper Naming Of Parts…

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