Informal Poll: Current generation of modelers, competent?

[CNJ831]

A very difficult question even to assess. Posters keep stating how good layouts look today but, in the great part, these are being built by individuals who have long been in the hobby...not the relative newcomers of the current generation. One sees very little in the hobby magazines regarding what the current generation of modelers is doing or is cabable of, so how can anyone possibly pass any valid judgement?

I will say that if one goes simply by logic, than the modelers of past generations would have to have been better, hands down, as they needed far greater modeling skills than today's hobbyists just to get a layout to a near-complete, operating, state. Kit building, kit-bashing, scratchbuilding, airbrushing, et al., required a lot more raw talent and creativity than what is necessary today to accomplish about the same ends.

CNJ831

[Javern]

seems to me a matter of competancy is very judgemental, while I may think my work is perfect another member of the hobby may think my work is lacking. I feel if the individual is content with his or her work that is the important thing.

[Anonymous]

It may not be a fair statement to say that today's generation of modellers is less competent the yesteryear's generation. It would be fair to say that we certainly get less practice than the preceeding generations. But that's not our fault.

There's a double standard in in the way this is perceived. We don't have to scratch build everything because of advancements in manufacturing fought for and devoloped by the preceeding generation of modellers, who were themselves looking for easier ways to do things in the hobby. Because of their labours we no longer have to sweat all the details. And for some reason this is frowned upon by a group of purests.

If somebody wants to have all of their structures, loco's, and freight prebuilt R-T-R, so be it. Who's to say it's right or wrong? Neither is the correct answer. To be honest with you I have bought built-ups and kits. I was left feeling kind of flat after I received my built-ups in the mail. Open the box and it's done. Where's the hobby in that? Personally I prefer kits for my structures and freight, but not my loco's. I'm glad some one else sweated the details in making these things for me. Now I can get on which running trains.

Trevor [2c]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45

I bring back interesting topics whenever I see that we have a batch of new members on the forum. They, IMHO, may find the topics interesting. So rather than posting a new topic repeatedly, it's easier to have them look at one that was posted already.

OK, I'll happily accept that different people have different views of appropriate forum etiquette.

On many other forums (not necessarily railroad related), it's considered courteous to accompli***he same thing as follows

(begin example post)

A year ago we had an interesting conversation about the competency of modelers
[insert link here]

I've been thinking more about this and I believe that the competency of modelers is going downhill because of the Union Pacific, Wal-mart, the failure of network TV to move beyond the banality of reality programming .... etc., etc.

(end example post)

An alternative way of doing the same thing, for what it is worth.

Jon

[Anonymous]

Yes, The new ways of EZ trains is for the new comers (mostly small children). The more interested we get in this hobby the more detail we start to want in our layouts.
We all were new to this hobby at one time or another.I am thankfull we all can learn from others in the hobby from forums like this one. I am getting to the point now where I am willing to try new (or old) ways of building items for my layout.
The main thing is we are all trying to injoy the hobby of watching and controling trains.
I am very glad that I came across this hobby and this website, it has help build up my confedence to the point that I will have a nice layout when come pleated (Some year).
ennout

[selector]

Each hobby's members are AS competent, generally (no more, no less, as a group) than the ones that came before. By what other standard do you evaluate them except that each generation deals with the tools of the trade, and with its materials and concepts.

For example, very few of us ever change a belt in a loco..right? But you could argue that it was a skill, or at least a task, that 'competent' modelers performed. On the other hand, how many of the old-timers (hats off, please) spent their time intalling decoders or scuplting foam?

We still have folks scratchbuilding whatever they need that isn't readily available for a very few dollars. They still insist upon detailing and weathering. Some do, some don't, just like 60 years ago.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CNJ831

One sees very little in the hobby magazines regarding what the current generation of modelers is doing or is cabable of, so how can anyone possibly pass any valid judgement?

You must have missed all those articles on what the Railroad Prototype Modelers (RPM) folks are doing. Many of these are relatively young (20s to 40s) and are doing work that far surpasses the old-timey "let's use an office staple for a stirrup" modeling, IMHO.

Jon

[Anonymous]

Forty years ago, craftsman kits,were quality craft,silver streak ,ulrich, I've probally left out others,athearns bb are hardly kits compared to those, but if you look back at older model mags a lot of layouts were snap track on unballasted cork roadbed going in circles. Each generation has had significant improvements in modeling, as each person developes in the hobby they get better at what they do, some people never weather because they're either affraid of ruining the model or it losing value> This hobby is to diverse to speculate competency,what's the bar to measure from?

[Pruitt]

I think current modelers are competent in different areas than past modelers. While scratchbuilders are perhaps more rare, and "out-of-the-box-right-onto-the-layout" modelers are certainly more prevalent, very few of the past modelers would be as ready to deal with the higher-tech end of the hobby than there are now.

As the state of the art shifts, there are corresponding shifts in comptentcies in any field. For example, there are fewer folks competent to drive a horse-and-buggy around than there were a hundred years ago, and far more who are competent to drive cars now than there were back then (although when I get stuck in rush hour traffic I wonder about that last part! [:)]).

[Rotorranch]

JMHO....I think the current generation of modelers is at least as competent, if not more so, than the older ones. There are some younger folks out there doing great modeling work.

That being said, there are far less modelers in the current generation. I sell very few kits at my store, and mostly to older customers. Very few of the younger generation are into building things. Most are into "instant gratification", that is, take it out of the box and play with it.

Rotor

[grayfox1119]

This is a loaded question. In days of old, there were not the array of hand tools, or handy portable electrical tools that todays modelers have, making the job faster and neater. I don't feel that todays modelers are any better, or skilled than those of yester year. The ability of any modeler is comprised of several factors: Inate abilities, dexterity, creativity, financial situation to a degree, ability to use tools, time, experience, and I am sure that I could list more, but you get the point.
All things being equal, a young modeler possessing all the attributes listed above, going head to head with an older modeler having the SAME attributes, I would expect the same results.

[AntonioFP45]

Alco_fan (Jon)

Thanks, No problema!

I reacted in a "knee jerk" fashion and should have used common sense. I went back and deleted that particular reply to you.

High Greens!

[SpaceMouse]

I thought I'd give a rookie's evaluation.

I have not seen a lot of work except in photos and magazines.

I would say that the vast majority of the photos I've seen are or plastic kits that are unaltered or even painted let alone weathered. But that is the type of kit/ RTR structures that are being offered. Occasionally I buy form estates sales through eBay and I find the stuff to be sub-my-standard in terms of the quality of workmanship. Either there is no paint and bad gluing or it is painted badly. I think that the majority of model railroaders just want to run trains and to heck with the fine details.

These train runners are where the kits are geared for the most part.

On the other hand there are a minority of model railroaders that are "modeling" as specific era and local. The available kits are generic and there really isn't what the modeler needs for his layout. This forces the modeler to be a kitbasher or scratch builder. And usually if the the person is confident enough to give it a shot, he is also competent.

Like for me. I need 3 2-6-2 Baldwin Saddle tankers, because that's what the California Western ran. No one makes them. What I feel is my best shot is to go with old 0-6-0 MDC kits off of eBay and add front and rear trucks. I can't use the Spectrum 0-6-0 because it is an Alco.

So I am forced to become a kit basher. No one makes a sawmill like I need so I will have to scratch build that. I think I'm going to have to scratch build figures like John Allen did, because there's just nothing like what I need available. (If you've got any ideas I'm open. The idea of using wax, well there has to be better materials available these days.)

So to answer your question. I agree with Crandall. The more things change the more the stay the same.

[Anonymous]

Tony,

Likewise -- thansk for being gracious.

Jon