Hornby: A Model World

The Hornby team go back to their illustrious past when they decide to launch a metal diecast replica of a 1940's steam locomotive, the Merchant Navy, General Steam Navigation. It's a passion project for Development Director Simon Kohler who fondly remembers his brother getting one for Christmas as a child, it's a bittersweet moment as his mum could only afford one set for the children since their father died. And enthusiast Callum Willcox recreates in perfect miniature, part of the now defunct Somerset and Dorset railway line, using loft insulation and a lot of patience.

Experienced designer Carl has a challenge on his hands attempting to recreate a world war one biplane as a 1/48th scale Corgi model.

In Bexhill-on-Sea a team of volunteers are working hard to shrink the seaside town into a huge 10 metre square model in time for Christmas. Behind the scenes the whole project is the brainchild of their celebrity benefactor, actor and performer Eddie Izzard.

Designer Sam, fresh from University, has a challenge designing a model of Winston Churchill's funeral wagon. And first time modeller Simon is building Britain's biggest model railway layout based on his childhood memories of 1983.

Record Producer Pete Waterman has been commissioned by Chester Cathedral to construct a monster layout in tribute to the unsung 19th century Railway builder Thomas Brassey.

The team at Hornby are creating a replica of the West Coast Mainline train the APT to top speed. The 155 mph tilting train was scrapped after only a few years of service, but Hornby hope the 80's icon, a forerunner of today's Pendolino, will prove popular.

Hornby's young designer Paramjit Sembhi takes on the challenge of building a new version of the iconic RAF fighter of World War II, the Spitfire.

After visiting an original Mosquito at the de Havilland aircraft museum, Airfix designer Paramjit attempts to shrink the wooden wonder to 1:72 scale.

A vintage car restorer and railway layout builder adds to his gritty Eighties themed model complete with car scrapyard and graffiti and reveals the secret of how he ages his railway locos and carriages to give them an authentic looking layer of dirt.

The Intercity 125 gets an overhaul and the pressure is on to design two quick build models of the Ford Mustang in time for the summer holiday.

Hornby Marketing Manager Montana hopes to persuade boss Simon to invest in a new product designed to attract the next generation of customers. Young designer Tom has his work cut out creating a new model of the record-breaking British jet the Vampire with its unusual space age look.

Two railway enthusiasts work together to extend a steam locomotive layout. They are passionate about the detail, so every brick and blade of grass needs to look just right.

The Hornby team complete a model of the giant LNER P2007, The Prince of Wales, encountering problems replicating tiny details.

Near Hull, one of Britain's most accomplished layout builders has spent five years painstakingly recreating the Staffordshire breweries of the nineteenth century.

And enthusiast Sam Turner from Sam's Trains puts Hornby trains to the test in his Nottinghamshire loft and attempts to discover the steepest gradient he can persuade a locomotive to climb.