Hornby reveals new products for 2016 including kids 3D printers

Hornby has rung in the new year with a slew of new toys and hobby products, including 3D printers for children and wider Airfix and Scalextric ranges.

The AIM-listed hobbies company revealed its new products for 2016 on Thursday, building on some of its most prominent brands and ranges.

"We will be showcasing an exciting array of new products at toy fairs around the world in the coming weeks", said chief executive officer Richard Ames.

"Hornby is developing a really interesting range of new concepts for the next generation of fans, while our core collector market continues to enjoy our well-loved brands", he added.

Among the key product launches were:

Hornby model railways

The company was looking to targer children aged five to eight with a new range of battery-operated trains, scheduled to launch later this year.

It was also hoping to introduce younger children to the world of railway modelling with a range of high-quality wooden toy trains.

Airfix

Airfix's Quickbuild range was the fastest-growing part of the brand in 2015, Hornby said, with the McLaren P1, Lamborghini Aventador and Bugatti Veyron being particularly successful. The company was hoping to build on that success with new categories in 2016 including construction, emergency vehicles and dinosaurs.

The Engineer range from Airfix was also looking to expand, with a new range including an early four cylinder engine, a V8 muscle engine, a steam locomotive, a radial engine, a V12 aero engine and a jet turbine engine.

Scalextric

The classic slot-car brand was being technologically upgraded, with the ARC PRO powerbase connecting to a tablet or smartphone. It would allow races to recreate different weather conditions and race incidents, time their laps, share results on social media, race up to six cars on two lanes at the same time, and create obstacles and hazards for their opponents.

The Pro Chassis Ready product would also allow racers to improve their cars with performance parts from Slot.it, and introducing the ability to 3D print a unique chassis through a partnership with 3D printing firm Shapeways.

Humbrol 3D Printing

This was described as a new-concept brand the company was looking to launch in late 2016, allowing 3D items to be formed from a range of coloured filament.

Corgi

The model brand was set to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2016. It was gearing up to launch a range of specially created models for the occasion, as well as a new Classic Thunderbirds range based on the original TV series.

Pocher

The brand was to launch its first 1:4 motorcycle kit based on the Ducati Superbike 1299 Panigale S. Hornby said it would come ready-painted and consist of more than 600 parts, including functional suspension, wheels and brakes.