[swisstrains]

Dario,
It certainly seems that Hornby International have failed the Italian modeller if, as you say, re-introduced models are actually worse than the original ones.
As there are no faults with models based on the prototypes of other countries (Germany, Spain, France) I am tempted to agree that the problem probably lies within the Italian part of the company and would hope that Hornby International are doing something to correct the matter. I have not studied the history of the Rivarossi/Lima collapse in any detail but from what I can gather many of the problems were caused by incompetency so perhaps there is still some element of this within the Italian sector of Hornby. I hope this matter can be resolved quickly to the satisfaction of you and the other Italian modellers.
The way Hornby portray the models in side-view on their website does not always give a true idea of their realism and quality. In fact, to me, many of them appear to be computer generated images and not photos of actual models. Although I am sure that they are not all perfect I think you should look at the real models "in the flesh" before condemning them completely.
Still on the subject of British Hornby I have to agree that the couplings used are not very realistic but they are reliable and robust. They have been around for many years and I think it would be very difficult for Hornby to introduce something completely new without upsetting a lot of established modellers. They appear to be acceptable to most and any modellers who prefer something better will fit their own preferences (e.g. Kadee's) irrespective of what Hornby offer as standard. It is ironic really because the original Hornby Dublo company used a coupling very similar in design to the Kadee one more than 50 years ago.
John.