Rapido Trains UK is delighted to reveal a range of models inspired by The Titfield Thunderbolt that will be available in time to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the film’s release in 2023. No doubt money will sort out the situation, but I agree that whilst we need Hornby to be successful, we don't need them to be the bully in the playground or act as a petulant child, which it has appeared as a number of times recently. It all seems a bit of a strange one by Hornby, especially if they’ve wasted time, money and effort on the early stages of development and all they’ve gained from it is reputation damage. Whatever, the fact is that when Hornby finally got around to enquiring of Studiocanal about a TT licence they discovered that Rapido had beaten them to it months before. Therefore their range was being developed before the Rapido intervention and Hornby are not copying Rapido.

Hornby won’t let the finer detail of this get on the tv programme, they’ll demand it doesn’t as part of the filming as it would be so potentially damaging to image. So, possibly Rapido had decided to get the licensing issue nailed down *before* starting development work and publicity, whereas Hornby started development and then only belatedly thought to do their legal homework. As well as having the benefit of most likely being the first to market, with their ‘Lion’ and ‘Thunderbolt’ models. Hornby also acknowledges and accepts that Studiocanal own the title rights to the films ‘Titfield Thunderbolt' and ‘The Lady with a Lamp'.Do you think Hornby has finally come up against someone and a studio that’s willing to defend their copyright? Indeed might xyz arrive first, eat your balance sheet and find abc are canceled later down the road ?

An awful lot of the complaints about Hornby copying people are very dubious as are complaints from people who don't understand the Tier System for retailers. As ever, I tend at these moments to feel most sympathy for all those talented and well-meaning folk who work for the brand.i’ll believe it when I see evidence of real investment into it… to be fair to Hornby I think a couple of models from a few companies are looking aspirational at the moment… thing is to get money you need results. Suffice it to say it's a Downing Street-level unnecessary own goal, by what alchemy of incompetence, hubris and lack of standards I cannot say and don't much care!