Model Kits: Am I an oddball?

[sparkingbolt]

I asked my long time fave hobby shop owner about this, sez yes Athearn is cutting back, or eliminating kits. Looks like the end of an era. Enjoy what's left of it while it lasts. Dan

[sparkingbolt]

I asked my long time fave hobby shop owner about this, sez yes Athearn is cutting back, or eliminating kits. Looks like the end of an era. Enjoy what's left of it while it lasts. Dan

[Anonymous]

Kit building and kit bashing will never die! There are to many of us oddballs out here that enjoy the modeling aspect of MRR.

There are 2 definitions for R-T-R: 1) the manufactures definition, Ready-To-Run. 2) the modelers definition, Ready-To-Rebuild. [:O]

[Anonymous]

Kit building and kit bashing will never die! There are to many of us oddballs out here that enjoy the modeling aspect of MRR.

There are 2 definitions for R-T-R: 1) the manufactures definition, Ready-To-Run. 2) the modelers definition, Ready-To-Rebuild. [:O]

[areibel]

You should all start modelling in TT scale!
Then you wouldn't have to worry about too much RTR- There isn't any!!

[areibel]

You should all start modelling in TT scale!
Then you wouldn't have to worry about too much RTR- There isn't any!!

[Anonymous]

I guess I'm an oddball too. I was at a hobby shop also and the only kits I could find were boxcars. I have enough boxcars, everything else was ready to run. I can't afford the rtr kits. To me this hobby is becoming a white collar hobby. The RTR does seem to be taking over the hobby. I'm afraid that this will happen because if it does I won't be able to afford it anymore. It is obviously a sign of changing times and ways of thinking. I'm a 60 hour a week employee with a wife and three kids and a mortage and I still find time to work on my trains. We as a people just want to be too busy. I want to enjoy life while I have it, so I would rather sit down and build a kit instead of buying a RTR, pulling it out of a box and setting it on the track. There's no sense of of pride and accomplishment in this. It does make me wonder if the world is becoming a RTR world, what are our grandchildren going to be like.


just my opinion,

Jeremy

Go Packers!!

[Anonymous]

I guess I'm an oddball too. I was at a hobby shop also and the only kits I could find were boxcars. I have enough boxcars, everything else was ready to run. I can't afford the rtr kits. To me this hobby is becoming a white collar hobby. The RTR does seem to be taking over the hobby. I'm afraid that this will happen because if it does I won't be able to afford it anymore. It is obviously a sign of changing times and ways of thinking. I'm a 60 hour a week employee with a wife and three kids and a mortage and I still find time to work on my trains. We as a people just want to be too busy. I want to enjoy life while I have it, so I would rather sit down and build a kit instead of buying a RTR, pulling it out of a box and setting it on the track. There's no sense of of pride and accomplishment in this. It does make me wonder if the world is becoming a RTR world, what are our grandchildren going to be like.


just my opinion,

Jeremy

Go Packers!!

[CP5415]

No, I prefer to build the kits over ready-too-roll.
I have over 90 pieces myself that I've collected in the past 6 years.
My local hobby shop as at least 150 Athearn kits, 50 Roundhouse & 25-35 Accurail kits in stock at all times as well as the RTR stuff.

Gordon [8D]

[CP5415]

No, I prefer to build the kits over ready-too-roll.
I have over 90 pieces myself that I've collected in the past 6 years.
My local hobby shop as at least 150 Athearn kits, 50 Roundhouse & 25-35 Accurail kits in stock at all times as well as the RTR stuff.

Gordon [8D]

[Anonymous]

No, you are not the oddball - the model manufacturers are. I got into model rairoading when my father gave me a Marklin HO set right after WW-2. It was all R-T-R, and while I had loads of fun with it, I didn't nkow what I was missing until one day Pop came home with a Roundhouse caboose KIT for me. It was unbelievable for a young teen-ager used to RTR trains - even the trucks were kits, articulated and with working springs. The kit had operating scale knuckle couplers and a tiny working door on the toolbox, with everything done in die-cast metal. I've been building kits ever since, with the bulk of my fleet coming from Athearn (both wood and plastic), Ulrich and MDC. My little brother became the family scratch builder after being exposed to a Red Ball kit. He still has an On3 layout in his basement that's completely scratch-built, so it doesn't bother him if all the kits go under. But it bothers me. I always enjoyed throwing an Athearn kit together after dinner, and would often pick up a kit or two on the way home from work. Obviously, that won't work with Athearn RTR. Why are Athearn kits so important to me? Because they are rugged, last a long time, and they were CHEAP. Not much else in the hobby comes even close to this combination. Oh, I'll probably get a few of the new RTR cars just out of curiosity, but at around $16 a pop, that will be it. Fortunately, I have a nice stockpile of Athearn kits still waiting to have their "boxes shaken". Gimme 99-cent Globe diesels and car kits any day and I'll keep buying. Maybe Bachman will buy up all those Athearn dies and re-issue those kits.

[Anonymous]

No, you are not the oddball - the model manufacturers are. I got into model rairoading when my father gave me a Marklin HO set right after WW-2. It was all R-T-R, and while I had loads of fun with it, I didn't nkow what I was missing until one day Pop came home with a Roundhouse caboose KIT for me. It was unbelievable for a young teen-ager used to RTR trains - even the trucks were kits, articulated and with working springs. The kit had operating scale knuckle couplers and a tiny working door on the toolbox, with everything done in die-cast metal. I've been building kits ever since, with the bulk of my fleet coming from Athearn (both wood and plastic), Ulrich and MDC. My little brother became the family scratch builder after being exposed to a Red Ball kit. He still has an On3 layout in his basement that's completely scratch-built, so it doesn't bother him if all the kits go under. But it bothers me. I always enjoyed throwing an Athearn kit together after dinner, and would often pick up a kit or two on the way home from work. Obviously, that won't work with Athearn RTR. Why are Athearn kits so important to me? Because they are rugged, last a long time, and they were CHEAP. Not much else in the hobby comes even close to this combination. Oh, I'll probably get a few of the new RTR cars just out of curiosity, but at around $16 a pop, that will be it. Fortunately, I have a nice stockpile of Athearn kits still waiting to have their "boxes shaken". Gimme 99-cent Globe diesels and car kits any day and I'll keep buying. Maybe Bachman will buy up all those Athearn dies and re-issue those kits.

[Anonymous]

oddball no way. I like the athearn kits becuase i don't have a lot of money i they are always cheap.

[Anonymous]

oddball no way. I like the athearn kits becuase i don't have a lot of money i they are always cheap.

[BRAKIE]

I also like to build the Athearn kits..I like the RTR cars but still prefer to build my cars from a kit..You see for me I love painting the trucks,frames ,weight and tweaking the car where it will give me trouble free operation..To bad the "I want it now" modelers can't take the time and build a simple car kit...Of course I have read on some forums that some modelers stumble and trip all over their selves building these kits...(LOL) To my mind those are the very ones that needs to gain modeling skills by building car kits..Of course if they would build some locomotive kits like Bowser or the Old Hobbytown of Boston locomotives then they would learn the basic skills needed to fix any given problem with a locomotive or car.

[BRAKIE]

I also like to build the Athearn kits..I like the RTR cars but still prefer to build my cars from a kit..You see for me I love painting the trucks,frames ,weight and tweaking the car where it will give me trouble free operation..To bad the "I want it now" modelers can't take the time and build a simple car kit...Of course I have read on some forums that some modelers stumble and trip all over their selves building these kits...(LOL) To my mind those are the very ones that needs to gain modeling skills by building car kits..Of course if they would build some locomotive kits like Bowser or the Old Hobbytown of Boston locomotives then they would learn the basic skills needed to fix any given problem with a locomotive or car.

[Anonymous]

For me, it's not a matter of kit vs R-T-R, but a matter of first accuracy and then availability.

Some of the Athearn kits (and some R-T-Rs) have incorrect markings or, worse, detail. The same true of in-Accurail and especially Roundhouse (at least, as far as RI models go - can't speak about their other roads). So I have started to avoid these brands, unless a certain car is only available thru them.

I have a relatively small layout, that will run five trains at most, so I feel I can be "choosey" about getting quality rolling stock.

For kits, I like Branchline and P2K.
For R-T-R I like Atlas and Kadee.

Even if they cost more, I feel I am getting my money worth.

[Anonymous]

For me, it's not a matter of kit vs R-T-R, but a matter of first accuracy and then availability.

Some of the Athearn kits (and some R-T-Rs) have incorrect markings or, worse, detail. The same true of in-Accurail and especially Roundhouse (at least, as far as RI models go - can't speak about their other roads). So I have started to avoid these brands, unless a certain car is only available thru them.

I have a relatively small layout, that will run five trains at most, so I feel I can be "choosey" about getting quality rolling stock.

For kits, I like Branchline and P2K.
For R-T-R I like Atlas and Kadee.

Even if they cost more, I feel I am getting my money worth.