Model Kits: Am I an oddball?

[tomwatkins]

You are definitely not an oddball, but I think we model builders are in the minority right now. The manuacturers are responding to what they see, probably correctly, as what the market wants. Whether it is a lack of time, or a desire to spend the model railroading time working on the layout or whatever, many people are prefectly willing to spend the money for RTR.

Intermountain's and Red Caboose's web sites bear this out. They are releasing very few kits these days and their kits are among the best that were available.

Fortunately, they can still be found in a lot of shops and swap meets. Branchline is producing some excellent kits. Accurail's kits are simpler but very nicely done. Their 40' double sheathed boxcar is one of my favorites. It's a great starting point to add additional and finer detail to.

The cast resin kits from manufacturers like Westerfield, Smoky Mountain Model Works and Wright Trak Models are another good way to go. Preparing the pieces takes some time, but after that they go together about like any other kit.

The situation could be a lot better, but it could be a whole lot worse too.

[tomwatkins]

You are definitely not an oddball, but I think we model builders are in the minority right now. The manuacturers are responding to what they see, probably correctly, as what the market wants. Whether it is a lack of time, or a desire to spend the model railroading time working on the layout or whatever, many people are prefectly willing to spend the money for RTR.

Intermountain's and Red Caboose's web sites bear this out. They are releasing very few kits these days and their kits are among the best that were available.

Fortunately, they can still be found in a lot of shops and swap meets. Branchline is producing some excellent kits. Accurail's kits are simpler but very nicely done. Their 40' double sheathed boxcar is one of my favorites. It's a great starting point to add additional and finer detail to.

The cast resin kits from manufacturers like Westerfield, Smoky Mountain Model Works and Wright Trak Models are another good way to go. Preparing the pieces takes some time, but after that they go together about like any other kit.

The situation could be a lot better, but it could be a whole lot worse too.

[Anonymous]

This goes back to the makers giving us what we buy rather than what we say we will buy. Polls showed we wanted a cheap fuel effecient car. Detroit built Pintos and Vegas, but we bought Lincolns and Caddys. Same with RTR v kits. We say we want kits but companies sell and we buy RTR. I don't think they will quit selling and making kits, but the increase in RTR is due to that's what selling. Companies would be shooting themselves in the foot if they didn't respond to this trend and supply the market with rtr.

[Anonymous]

This goes back to the makers giving us what we buy rather than what we say we will buy. Polls showed we wanted a cheap fuel effecient car. Detroit built Pintos and Vegas, but we bought Lincolns and Caddys. Same with RTR v kits. We say we want kits but companies sell and we buy RTR. I don't think they will quit selling and making kits, but the increase in RTR is due to that's what selling. Companies would be shooting themselves in the foot if they didn't respond to this trend and supply the market with rtr.

[Martin4]

I'm not against the principle of RTR; they have much better detail than those kits with molded-on ladders and grab irons, but in many cases those newly issued items are not matched with any kit and leave us with only one choice: kitbash or RTR.

Martin
Québec City

[Martin4]

I'm not against the principle of RTR; they have much better detail than those kits with molded-on ladders and grab irons, but in many cases those newly issued items are not matched with any kit and leave us with only one choice: kitbash or RTR.

Martin
Québec City

[Martin4]

I forgot one big point: RTR is almost 3 times the price !

Martin
Québec City

[Martin4]

I forgot one big point: RTR is almost 3 times the price !

Martin
Québec City

[Anonymous]

Posts: 12
Joined: 24 Mar 2002
Location: US As I wander the aisles of the many area hobby shops, I have noticed the diminishing availability of HO RR car kits, particularly Athern, in favor of "Ready-to-Run" models. Upon questioning the hobby shop people, they tell me that Athearn is discontinuing most of their kits because model railroaders don't want to be bothered with having to assemble kits.

I liked the Athearn kits because they were an inexpensive base for becoming a kit bashed more detailed & realistic-looking model. By the time all the extra component [grabs, wheels, decals,etc] are added, the cost has grown to be extensive. Now, it looks like one will have to buy RTR at twice the kit price, and disassemble it to bash it into a realistic-looking model.

AM I THE ODD-BALL HERE? I thought that was what model RR was all about.
It certainly has been fodder for reams of articles and books. It seems that this is the way things in all walks of life are going. Do People prefer to pay others to do the things that they could often do better themselves, but no longer want to be bothered with it?

Is this hobby, like many others becoming milieu of the well-to do? I'd like to see the thoughts of others on this subject.

Rich

i am aka trucker168 i agree with this i prefer to make the car my self instead of rtr cars i used to like rtr till my roomate got me hooked on kits it is fun to build it then paint it or what ever u wi***o it to make it look more real or how u wish it to look
with the rtr or pre built cars and buildings it takes half of the fun out of the hobby
see i cant put down a layout at moment cus i live in a 1 bedroom appt with a roommate so cramped for space but i use my time to build cars and buildings but it is getting tougher to find kits that are what you want with the limited supply out there now

[Anonymous]

Posts: 12
Joined: 24 Mar 2002
Location: US As I wander the aisles of the many area hobby shops, I have noticed the diminishing availability of HO RR car kits, particularly Athern, in favor of "Ready-to-Run" models. Upon questioning the hobby shop people, they tell me that Athearn is discontinuing most of their kits because model railroaders don't want to be bothered with having to assemble kits.

I liked the Athearn kits because they were an inexpensive base for becoming a kit bashed more detailed & realistic-looking model. By the time all the extra component [grabs, wheels, decals,etc] are added, the cost has grown to be extensive. Now, it looks like one will have to buy RTR at twice the kit price, and disassemble it to bash it into a realistic-looking model.

AM I THE ODD-BALL HERE? I thought that was what model RR was all about.
It certainly has been fodder for reams of articles and books. It seems that this is the way things in all walks of life are going. Do People prefer to pay others to do the things that they could often do better themselves, but no longer want to be bothered with it?

Is this hobby, like many others becoming milieu of the well-to do? I'd like to see the thoughts of others on this subject.

Rich

i am aka trucker168 i agree with this i prefer to make the car my self instead of rtr cars i used to like rtr till my roomate got me hooked on kits it is fun to build it then paint it or what ever u wi***o it to make it look more real or how u wish it to look
with the rtr or pre built cars and buildings it takes half of the fun out of the hobby
see i cant put down a layout at moment cus i live in a 1 bedroom appt with a roommate so cramped for space but i use my time to build cars and buildings but it is getting tougher to find kits that are what you want with the limited supply out there now

[cacole]

I own close to 300 pieces of rolling stock that were built from kits over the years, and they are better than Athearn's new r-t-r items. I made the mistake of purchasing an Athearn flat car with a trailer on it decorated for Coca-Cola. Like everything else today, it was made in China. It has terribly crappy plastic wheels on it that don't roll well at all. I thought I could simply change the wheel sets using Kadees -- but guess what? The Athearn axles are not needle-pointed like they used to be! Their Chinese manufacturer is using a blunt axle that can't be changed out. Your only recourse is to change the entire truck if you really intend to run this car in a train and still be able to pull more than just it alone. I have switched to Accurail for nearly all of my rolling stock purchases now if Athearn is not available in kit form.

[cacole]

I own close to 300 pieces of rolling stock that were built from kits over the years, and they are better than Athearn's new r-t-r items. I made the mistake of purchasing an Athearn flat car with a trailer on it decorated for Coca-Cola. Like everything else today, it was made in China. It has terribly crappy plastic wheels on it that don't roll well at all. I thought I could simply change the wheel sets using Kadees -- but guess what? The Athearn axles are not needle-pointed like they used to be! Their Chinese manufacturer is using a blunt axle that can't be changed out. Your only recourse is to change the entire truck if you really intend to run this car in a train and still be able to pull more than just it alone. I have switched to Accurail for nearly all of my rolling stock purchases now if Athearn is not available in kit form.

[CG9602]

I should think not. Some of the models that I'm working on right now are available only in kit form. Plus for me, I enjoy putting something together, so the assembly of the kit can be a mandatory part of the experience. It takes a certain level of skill to be able to assemble and run a HO scale Beyer Garratt, and have the other modelers say "Wow! Where did you come across that? A 4-8-2+2-8-4?"
I think that the assembly also gives the modeler pride of ownership. Assembling a kit enables the modeler to say "I did this."

[CG9602]

I should think not. Some of the models that I'm working on right now are available only in kit form. Plus for me, I enjoy putting something together, so the assembly of the kit can be a mandatory part of the experience. It takes a certain level of skill to be able to assemble and run a HO scale Beyer Garratt, and have the other modelers say "Wow! Where did you come across that? A 4-8-2+2-8-4?"
I think that the assembly also gives the modeler pride of ownership. Assembling a kit enables the modeler to say "I did this."

[Anonymous]

An Athearn or Walthers Kit? Think yourself lucky. theyre ready painted and lettered , with couplers and wheels included. 'Bl**dy luxury'. I've just been into US outline for a couple of years and find these 'kits', especially the Athearn, just unmade ready-to-run models.
For My other layout (North Eastern Railway, England) the only models are kits, either in white metal or brass for the most part. You have to solder or glue them together, paint and letter them, and whats more the wheels and couplings don't come with the kit.
hurrah for the American scene in whatever form.

[Anonymous]

An Athearn or Walthers Kit? Think yourself lucky. theyre ready painted and lettered , with couplers and wheels included. 'Bl**dy luxury'. I've just been into US outline for a couple of years and find these 'kits', especially the Athearn, just unmade ready-to-run models.
For My other layout (North Eastern Railway, England) the only models are kits, either in white metal or brass for the most part. You have to solder or glue them together, paint and letter them, and whats more the wheels and couplings don't come with the kit.
hurrah for the American scene in whatever form.

[on30francisco]

I enjoy scratchbuilding 0 freight cars and structures but I am glad there are RTR locos available. I model in On30 and I think Bachmann's Spectrum line of RTR On30 locos run great, look good and are very affordable. (compared to most O scale and narrow gauge motive power) I believe because of this more people are trying out this hobby; both in O scale narrow gauge and other scales. As my skills improve I would like to kitbash On30 locomotives from the vast selection of great running HO locos that are available

[on30francisco]

I enjoy scratchbuilding 0 freight cars and structures but I am glad there are RTR locos available. I model in On30 and I think Bachmann's Spectrum line of RTR On30 locos run great, look good and are very affordable. (compared to most O scale and narrow gauge motive power) I believe because of this more people are trying out this hobby; both in O scale narrow gauge and other scales. As my skills improve I would like to kitbash On30 locomotives from the vast selection of great running HO locos that are available

[CJBeard]

okay, its
november.

When I go to trains shows I see many dealers with cars and engines for sale. nearly all are plastic wrapped so you can not inspect the box. I can count on one finger the amount of undecorated kits I have found.

We, as a group, must not forget our history. we didn't used to have much of a choice when it came to roadnames. We can all stripped and redid. It was fun, it was educational, and it let us personalize our equipment.

How many of you out there still bother to weather you equipment? We are getting so lazy. Is it any wonder we can not get kids into this hobby? What do we offer them?

I would like to carry this on further with anyone who cares to respond.

Chris B


























when

[CJBeard]

okay, its
november.

When I go to trains shows I see many dealers with cars and engines for sale. nearly all are plastic wrapped so you can not inspect the box. I can count on one finger the amount of undecorated kits I have found.

We, as a group, must not forget our history. we didn't used to have much of a choice when it came to roadnames. We can all stripped and redid. It was fun, it was educational, and it let us personalize our equipment.

How many of you out there still bother to weather you equipment? We are getting so lazy. Is it any wonder we can not get kids into this hobby? What do we offer them?

I would like to carry this on further with anyone who cares to respond.

Chris B


























when

[Anonymous]

I hate Ready To Run. I don't know about other people, but every Ready to Run piece of rolling stock I have purchased have been a piece of junk requiring near total disassembly to correct. I would just assume savethe money and go with kits that get assembled right the first time.

Also, my skills have developed past Athearn, MDC, and Walthers kits as I am now scratch building and building craftsman level kits. I still buy several if the lower level kits to chill out with after a long and frustrating day. But they are no longer the main contribution to my rolling stock roster.

[Anonymous]

I hate Ready To Run. I don't know about other people, but every Ready to Run piece of rolling stock I have purchased have been a piece of junk requiring near total disassembly to correct. I would just assume savethe money and go with kits that get assembled right the first time.

Also, my skills have developed past Athearn, MDC, and Walthers kits as I am now scratch building and building craftsman level kits. I still buy several if the lower level kits to chill out with after a long and frustrating day. But they are no longer the main contribution to my rolling stock roster.

[DSchmitt]

I'm mainly in N scale with cars dating back to 1968. Most of my equipment is RTR or simple kits like the Roundhouse, but a lot of it has been repainted and decaled to represent prototypes that weren't available. I've built some Fine N Scale Products kits ( they are pretty simple) There haven't been a lot of kits offered in N scale.

I also have built some Intermountain kits (box cars and reefers), but had to give up on the tank cars. As Ive gotten older my vision has gotten dimmer and my fingers seem to have gotten thicker.

I build an O scale kit once in a while Intermountain, Red Caboose and old wood and metal kits I pick up at train shows.

For structures I prefer kits. The few built up structures I bought over the years have usually been taken apart tou se as pieces in a custom structure.

[DSchmitt]

I'm mainly in N scale with cars dating back to 1968. Most of my equipment is RTR or simple kits like the Roundhouse, but a lot of it has been repainted and decaled to represent prototypes that weren't available. I've built some Fine N Scale Products kits ( they are pretty simple) There haven't been a lot of kits offered in N scale.

I also have built some Intermountain kits (box cars and reefers), but had to give up on the tank cars. As Ive gotten older my vision has gotten dimmer and my fingers seem to have gotten thicker.

I build an O scale kit once in a while Intermountain, Red Caboose and old wood and metal kits I pick up at train shows.

For structures I prefer kits. The few built up structures I bought over the years have usually been taken apart tou se as pieces in a custom structure.

[Anonymous]

I agree that the diminishing numbers of Kits are a worry. Some of the discontinued kits are not being replaced by RTR versions, and the loss of Athearn's dummy locos is a bit of a nuisance (I tend to run one powered and one dummy loco when I operate carbody units like Fs or C-Liners, as I use Kadee permanent magnet uncouplers and using two powered units tends to result in one escaping!). At the moment, I'm frantically buying up the last few Athearn kits I need to complete my fleet before they go the way of the dodo. Units like their Dash 9 and AC4400 seem to be becoming the hardest to find in kit form - I spent a good few months searching for a CSX Dash 9 recently (finally found one last weekend).

I'm not against RTR stock, Indeed, I have a few RTR items. However, for those of us on limited budgets kits make far more sense. For example, the Athearn Gunderson Maxi-3 5-unit double-stack container cars were priced at around £30 when they were last available over here. I've seen the info on their website regarding the RTR versions of the same model, which will supposedly be priced at about $80 - this will probably translate to about £70 over here. I'd rather have the kit and spend the money I save on containers to load it with!

A tip for the person having trouble with the lack of pin-point bearing wheelsets in a RTR car - try squirting a little silicone spray lube into each bearing hole (you might want to disassemble the car to avoid getting it on anything else). This seems to help in similar situations, and it's cheaper than buying new trucks!

[Anonymous]

I agree that the diminishing numbers of Kits are a worry. Some of the discontinued kits are not being replaced by RTR versions, and the loss of Athearn's dummy locos is a bit of a nuisance (I tend to run one powered and one dummy loco when I operate carbody units like Fs or C-Liners, as I use Kadee permanent magnet uncouplers and using two powered units tends to result in one escaping!). At the moment, I'm frantically buying up the last few Athearn kits I need to complete my fleet before they go the way of the dodo. Units like their Dash 9 and AC4400 seem to be becoming the hardest to find in kit form - I spent a good few months searching for a CSX Dash 9 recently (finally found one last weekend).

I'm not against RTR stock, Indeed, I have a few RTR items. However, for those of us on limited budgets kits make far more sense. For example, the Athearn Gunderson Maxi-3 5-unit double-stack container cars were priced at around £30 when they were last available over here. I've seen the info on their website regarding the RTR versions of the same model, which will supposedly be priced at about $80 - this will probably translate to about £70 over here. I'd rather have the kit and spend the money I save on containers to load it with!

A tip for the person having trouble with the lack of pin-point bearing wheelsets in a RTR car - try squirting a little silicone spray lube into each bearing hole (you might want to disassemble the car to avoid getting it on anything else). This seems to help in similar situations, and it's cheaper than buying new trucks!

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrwitt

As I wander the aisles of the many area hobby shops, I have noticed the diminishing availability of HO RR car kits, particularly Athern, in favor of "Ready-to-Run" models. Upon questioning the hobby shop people, they tell me that Athearn is discontinuing most of their kits because model railroaders don't want to be bothered with having to assemble kits.

I liked the Athearn kits because they were an inexpensive base for becoming a kit bashed more detailed & realistic-looking model. By the time all the extra component [grabs, wheels, decals,etc] are added, the cost has grown to be extensive. Now, it looks like one will have to buy RTR at twice the kit price, and disassemble it to bash it into a realistic-looking model.

AM I THE ODD-BALL HERE? I thought that was what model RR was all about.
It certainly has been fodder for reams of articles and books. It seems that this is the way things in all walks of life are going. Do People prefer to pay others to do the things that they could often do better themselves, but no longer want to be bothered with it?

Is this hobby, like many others becoming milieu of the well-to do? I'd like to see the thoughts of others on this subject.

Rich

Yup!...sadly IMO.

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrwitt

As I wander the aisles of the many area hobby shops, I have noticed the diminishing availability of HO RR car kits, particularly Athern, in favor of "Ready-to-Run" models. Upon questioning the hobby shop people, they tell me that Athearn is discontinuing most of their kits because model railroaders don't want to be bothered with having to assemble kits.

I liked the Athearn kits because they were an inexpensive base for becoming a kit bashed more detailed & realistic-looking model. By the time all the extra component [grabs, wheels, decals,etc] are added, the cost has grown to be extensive. Now, it looks like one will have to buy RTR at twice the kit price, and disassemble it to bash it into a realistic-looking model.

AM I THE ODD-BALL HERE? I thought that was what model RR was all about.
It certainly has been fodder for reams of articles and books. It seems that this is the way things in all walks of life are going. Do People prefer to pay others to do the things that they could often do better themselves, but no longer want to be bothered with it?

Is this hobby, like many others becoming milieu of the well-to do? I'd like to see the thoughts of others on this subject.

Rich

Yup!...sadly IMO.

[Hawks05]

since i'm just beginning i'm trying to find used stuff that is in decent condition to start with for cheap prices. right now it doesn't matter what they look like as long as i can see the road name and numbers and they run well. i'm bidding on some kits on ebay tonight to hopefully get started with. they are of the Roundhouse make. which i've heard are good for beginners. for me its easier to get stuff that is RTR because being in high school having the homework then trying to work after school i don't have a lot of time after school to work on stuff then except on weekends.

down the road though i think i'll turn to more kits as i find them at shows and on ebay.

[Hawks05]

since i'm just beginning i'm trying to find used stuff that is in decent condition to start with for cheap prices. right now it doesn't matter what they look like as long as i can see the road name and numbers and they run well. i'm bidding on some kits on ebay tonight to hopefully get started with. they are of the Roundhouse make. which i've heard are good for beginners. for me its easier to get stuff that is RTR because being in high school having the homework then trying to work after school i don't have a lot of time after school to work on stuff then except on weekends.

down the road though i think i'll turn to more kits as i find them at shows and on ebay.