HORNBY WINS OLYMPIC GOLD

London is the scene for the 2012 Olympics, and Hornby has just received a three-year licence to produce models and collectibles linked to the event.

The souvenir market is expected to be a money-spinner in the run-up to, and during the Games, so it’s certainly an important development for Hornby. Chief executive Frank Martin declared that it is a “great honour” for the company.

Products in the 2012 pipeline are likely to appeal to serious collectors and souvenir hunters alike. Hornby will produce Corgi versions of London taxis and buses, and collectible figurines, which should be on sale by the end of this year. Following on in 2011 will be Hornby Olympic-badged electric trains, an Airfix kit of the Olympic Stadium, and Scalextric version of the Velodrome.

So we’re likely to see miniature 2012 logos (main variations shown above) decorating the Hornby model souvenir-world over the next few years. It’s a pity the logo’s not the most elegant Olympic badge ever designed (it scored poorly in news polls when unveiled) but we’ll all be seeing a lot more of it, that’s for sure.

And talking of Hornby, its YouTube channel is growing nicely. The 00 (1:76) gauge Class 43 locomotive shown here is a recent addition, and very good it looks too, even if (like me) you ache for Brit trains to be produced to an international common scale.

Visit Hornby here.