The NOCH company is known for its high-quality model railway products, which are characterized by a truly detailed design and realistic landscaping. With a wide range of accessories, such as trees, figures and buildings, NOCH offers model train enthusiasts the opportunity to enrich their layouts with authentic and lively elements.
We are visiting NOCH Modelleisenbahnen. Originally founded in Glauchau in 1911, the company has been based in Wangen im Allgäu since the 1960s. As specialists in the field of model landscaping, NOCH will be presenting innovations such as our Easy-Track system at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. The system has prefabricated supports and routes that considerably simplify the construction work. Instead of laboriously drawing up plans for tracks and gradients, sawing timber or constructing frames, Easy-Track makes handling much easier. Customers can now design their own model railroad landscape without much effort.
Easy-Track includes height-adjustable supports that make it possible to realize a wide variety of inclines and declines. This flexibility not only simplifies planning and construction work, but also increases operational safety. The predefined gradients guarantee that trains can climb up and down hills without any problems. Optimally matched to the Märklin C track system, Easy-Track also offers beginners the perfect basis for immersing themselves in the world of model landscape construction and creatively designing their own landscapes and layouts.
With the Individual series, each element can be designed separately. However, the complete kits, which are perfectly matched to the track plan, offer customers greater convenience. The aim is to make building a model layout as easy as possible for customers. Many model building enthusiasts are excited by the idea of creating their own landscapes, but are then faced with many questions. How do I get started? How do I lay the tracks? How do I design routes? This is exactly where Easy-Track comes into play. Customers have the freedom to decide for themselves whether they want to run through a tunnel, build a bridge or design an open station area. The flexibility of the system gives room for ideas and suddenly there may be a mountain in the middle of the layout without any tracks to be seen. Whether landscapes with a classic structure or layouts that are supplemented with background images, there is something for every taste. The biggest challenge is often getting started. With the system, NOCH wants to make it as easy as possible to get started. As soon as the first step has been taken and the layout has taken shape, customers can draw on the entire NOCH system and expand and design their landscapes as they wish.
NOCH focuses on diversity when it comes to figures. The model making supplier offers traditional models that are handmade by modelers on a larger scale. These designs serve as templates for injection molds, from which the figures are produced in series and then painted by hand. This method is still used for the majority of the figures. However, advances in modern technology have opened up new possibilities. In particular, the introduction of 3D designs and currently also H0 designs makes it possible to produce figures using 3D color printing. The figures come directly from the printer and impress with their exceptional attention to detail, which goes beyond what would be possible with conventional hand-painting. At present, these individual figures are still somewhat expensive. Prices start at 4.99 euros per piece. The price can also be somewhat higher for sets with several figures. However, for around 5 euros, customers receive figures of outstanding quality and attention to detail. NOCH relies on various production technologies that integrate both classic techniques and modern approaches. The focus is not only on the variety of technologies, but also on the special potential of 3D color printing, which is seen as an important part of future developments.
As a concrete example of our vision for the future, NOCH is presenting the jousting tournament project at this year's games fair. This project is known as Micro-Motion, as it integrates dynamic movement sequences and authentic sound effects. Visitors can almost feel the clatter of horses' hooves and the cheers of the spectators as they witness a medieval market where two knights compete in a tournament for the hand of a lady next to the king. The winner receives the honor of marrying the lady. The highlight of this scenario are the 3D-printed figures, which are characterized by a level of detail that could hardly be achieved with conventional hand-painting. This jousting tournament not only reflects an element of the model railway world, but also a deeply rooted tradition in the Allgäu region, where medieval markets with their jousting, bratwurst and beer are an integral part of cultural life. It illustrates how such experiences can be integrated into the model world, an idea that always meets with great interest from customers and gives them pleasure in expanding their collections.