What happened to all of us?

[BRAKIE]

While I quit building car kits(even the Blue box kits) and more into RTR cars and engines I an still building other things such as buildings and I am more into detailing my layouts as much or better still, as far as I want to take them..
Down deep,I have this desire to build a old Hobbytown of Boston(Now Bear Locomotive Co.) RS3 or a Penn-Line(now Bowser) locomotive kit...Its a old time thingy of mine since I have.not built any of these kits in many years..[:D]

[Anonymous]

Since 1952 I've built my fair share of car and building kits. A Silver Streak kit used to be a starter kit, only the newbies built BB's. Model Railroader had one of their Christmas layouts with a Central Vally caboose on the list. Now mind you this was for the beginner on his first layout.

I must admit that when I place a Proto Mathers stock car next to my old Ambroid or scratch-built, my old one doesn't look as nice but I sure have more pride in them. And look at the pleasure they gave me in the construction time.

I can't build a structure according to the instructions, it just doesn't happen. I can't even build a Walthers kit with out doing something extra, and Lord help a Campbell kit because the ideas and possablities are endless. I cut my teeth on Suydam kits and they begged to be altered. Why have a building that looks like eveyone elses?

I've super detailed the older brass locos but haven't messed with the newer stuff. My Overland's just have decoders and sound added but I don't add detail parts anymore. I'm like the old Optiviser ad - "been wearing these for over ten years and still enjoy the hobby". For the rivet counters - the ad went something like that.

Bob

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jdolan

Scratch building and kit bashing are fun and good for a person to use his head.

[#ditto][#ditto] I have and always will be building kits,adding interior details to buildings,the lights that are to be inside them, the people,etc. The freight cars that I have are kits,I will never buy or have any type of "modern" ready-to-run locomotive or freight car on my layout,unless it is of a past manufacturer like Tyco,Bachmann,Roco,Life-Like,that made freight cars that you cant find anymore in a hobby shop. Someone had said in another post that YOU are not a model railroader unless you "model " something,using your hands,mind,and imagination. Im glad that I got what I wanted for Christmas and more,which was freight car and locomotive kits,and tools of an X-acto set, to the cold heat solder set[8D][bow] Its a dirty shame to see people buying the RTR and they claim to be a modeler of trains.[banghead] As far as Im concerned they can take that [censored] RTR stuff and burn it.[2c]

[Anonymous]

cnwfan11, You hit the nail square on the head!

[Big_Boy_4005]

Personally, when it comes to my trains, the most I will consider doing is paint and detail for cars and engines. When it comes to structures, I expect most to be scratch, since my layout is following the prototype closely, and kits aren't really available for much of what I want to do.

[Anonymous]

I don't do much scratchbuilding of rolling stock, but everything is still a kit! If I don't get to put it together, it isn't fun to me. Even the RTR stuff needs to be disassembled to change out couplers, add details, etc.

I do kitbash and scratch together some MOW equipment, which really is what the 1:1 railroads do to theirs too, when you think about it.

And looking at the structures on my layout, I don't see a single one that was built according to the instructions LOL!

One thing I haven't done and probably won't is hand-lay track or build my own turnouts.

But at least in my little rail empire, building, scratching, and bashing are still alive and well!

[Cox 47]

WOW thanks for all the posts. At least there is 35 of us left! Xactos balsa card stock Elmer's Forever!! Thanks Cox 47

[Ibflattop]

Instructions: There are instuctions in kits? Oh thats the paper that takes up the room in the box and keeps the content from slipping around in movement! Heck, I just throw the instructions out and get the extra cardstock out and wing it sometimes. I would rather kitba***han scratchbuild. Its just more personal for me. It kind of bums me out when you go to 3 or 4 of your buddies layouts to run and you see the same old structures. Kevin

[leighant]

Did somebody say cardstock? I am in the process of completing a cardstock "mocup" for a future project. Don't know when I'll ever get around to "actually" building the finished scratchbuilt project, but I had to see the size and feel of the project in order to see how it fit in a proposed trackplan.

My project? An old-time wooden ROLLER COASTER to give the feeling of an early to mid-20th Century amusement district in a seaside town. These were already starting to be a bit passe in 1950 before a late 20th century revival, "theme parks" etc. How "scratch" is this project? Went to a historical archive library in my prototype target city, signed user agreement and wore white cotton gloves to look through archival photos and got some photocopies of the roller coaster I saw when I was 10 years old. Also went to my university's access of Sanborn's Insurance Maps to get some outline plats of roller coasters. Drew rough plans.

Current stage of project is/was making a cardstock mockup with sections of roller coaster rendered in Photoshop and printed out on computer printer. 97% assembled, one last sheet to print and my printer went !@#$#%^&*. I have been going to the printer manufacturer's customer help website, trying to figure out problem with little success. To rest and relax a while, I came to www.trains.com website.

I generally think of RTR rolling stock as ready-to-rebuild. 95% of structure kits are "kit-bash fodder." Designing and imagineering is fun!

I have occasionally built a board by board structure to suit the nitpickets.
(Nit Pickers' Union Hall, Local 257:
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/acn.jpg )

But mostly, I try to do something interesting, a little different, something to create the feel of the prototype or near-prototype I have picked.

[JPowell]

Can't say that I'm 'new' to the hobby, but I am very inexperienced when it comes to 'building' anything. I've started building my own layout, and am having fun doing so. If I ever buy a 'built-up' structure, I'm sure I'm going to detail and weather it so as to not look all 'new'. Once I get my 'feet wet' with that, I'm sure I'll love to do kitbashing and maybe even scratch building. But, since I'm married w/ a kid (7-yr old step-son), I have to divide my time between family, work, and hobby. I've read a book I got from the library on kitbashing, and once I find it, I'm going to buy it as I had lots and lots of ideas running through my mind while reading it.
JP

[Anonymous]

As far as structures are concerned, from the number of kits and detail parts I can find in just a few minutes of online browsing, I don't think the sky is falling for scratchbuilders or kit builders.

As I said in another, similar thread, RTR is what attracts new modelers to the hobby, and without new modelers, the hobby will die.

Wayne

[camarokid]

I could be classified as an inbetweener or maybe not at all. I have a Suydam roundhouse I soldered up 25 years ago and still don't have the roof on. I have a Heljan roundhouse that will eventually be 8 stalls, but it only has two sides up and it's been that way for at least 15 years. I don't believe I could scratch build or even kit bash as my imagination is very limited in this phase of the hobby. Perhaps when I retire I will have more time to pursue this as I won't be going to far from home while my wife works. I do have some Silver Streak car kits still in the box.
Archie

[Anonymous]

I've only been doing theis for a couple of years, but I don't believe in buying something you can find or make yourself. Car loads and junk yards can be easily made from layout scraps. As far as buildings go, I pretty much buy kits, they're usually cheaper than the other way with the cost of materials now. Scenery is a different story though, I make my own molds and carvings, to save money and keep from having repeating forms. There are still several ways of doing things yourself, instead of buying, and you'd probably be surprised at some of the stuff you do yourself without thinking about what you're doing.

Greg

[Anonymous]

I love building kits. I have a few RTR and don't hate it but I do prefer kits as they're just plain, flat out more fun. I haven't tried scratch building or kitbashing yet. I am getting ready to super detail a locomotive, though. I'm going to buy an undecorated Athearn FP45, detail it so it looks like ATSF #92 in the 1990s (I'm even adding the amber warning light [8D]), and send it to a painter so it can be dressed in the "Super Fleet" scheme. After that I may drop a note to Tony's Train Exchange to see about DCCing it.

[ksax73]

I came into the hobby just before all this RTR stuff started coming out but I still like kitbashing things. This RTR stuff makes it hard sometimes. I guess the reason why manufacturers do this RTR stuff is that they figure modelers want to spend more time putting their layout together. One of my friends feels that way for the most part as he has no time to assemble some of the kits he has.

Check out one of my pages to my website,

on the left side go to the link that says "Rebuild Projects"

www.marylindsayrr.vze.com

[on30francisco]

I enjoy scratchbuilding structures and rolling stock out of wood. I have tried assembling craft train kits but do not enjoy them very much. I find it much easier and less frustrating to scratchbuild because I'm in control of the project. I also enjoy building plastic structure kits, however, I prefer RTR for locomotives. I believe there are many more supplies and detail parts available today for scratchbuilders than there was in the past. I buy most of my supplies at Pearl and Michael's which are two large discount arts and crafts stores. They have a much better selection than the LHSs and their prices are much more reasonable. I also buy a lot of supplies on line.

[Anonymous]

I've found that the older I get (and I just turned 30) the more interested I am in scratchbuilding. When I was younger I was happy to have a working layout at all but now I find that I'm more interested in creating a "slice of life" so to speak and I can't do that with generic kits. Besides building things is fun!

I don't have a layout in the conventional sense right now but I have been hard at work on a small amusement park diaroma. And because of my interest in older traditional parks as opposed to the big "theme parks" and my penchant for antique amusement park equipment I had to scratchbuild about 80% of it.(very few of the available amusement ride kits fit my theme or are realistic enough). I currently have 9 rides along with a host of supporting structures and I'm working on motorizing everything right now (which is quite a project all by itself).

And leighant, I plan to eventually build a wooden roller coaster as well so please keep us updated on your project!

Check out my efforts so far at:
http://community.webshots.com/album/81927695RCObhy

And be sure to check out what may be the ultimate in a scratchbuilt wooden roller coaster:
http://community.webshots.com/album/124266002bOUWQJ

[SilverSpike]

I do enjoy building both from scratch and from kits, though I have done more kits than scratch. I enjoy reading the MR articles on scratch building, and wi***hey had more to offer in the way of structure, bridge, and rolling stock scratch plans. The other factor as mentioned above is time! When I retire then scratch will be the focus, but for now kits and kit bashing will have to be the main event.

Ryan