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British Railway Modelling Awards 2019 - The results


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Hello everyone

 

I can only comment on 00, but well done to Hornby on these well-deserved results.

 

Compliments also to Bachmann on the Ransome & Rapier Crane award and to Adrian Hall at UK Model Shops.

 

Good to see the Bournemouth West layout coming in high.

 

Brian

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Just want to say thank you to everyone who voted for the UK Model Shop Directory as Website of the Year.

This reflects on all the many friends I have out there in all the Clubs, Societies and Businesses who support my work by sending in the information that keeps this hobby alive.

 

Many thanks and support our great hobby by keep on modelling.

 

Best Regards,
Adrian Hall
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THE UK Model Shops Directory
**British Model Railway Awards**
**Website of the Year 2019**
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http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk
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Edited by ukmodelshops
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I'm absolutely gobsmacked; a huge thank you to everyone who voted for me as modeller of the year! Everyone shortlisted alongside me are absolutely fantastic modellers, so to scoop the top prize is unexpected, but I'm incredibly grateful. It's really nice to have my efforts appreciated, and by so many people. I'm also glad that there appear to be many who seem to enjoy my work, and given that RMweb was where my modelling started all those years ago, I can only thank you, the community, for helping to shape me from my fumblings in the early days, to what has been achieved now.

There should be a lot more to see from me again this year, not just on personal layout projects :wink_mini:
Finally, congratulations to all of the winners in every category; there have been some outstanding advancements in the quality of models and layouts in recent years, and it's a testament to the fact that this hobby is only getting stronger and stronger.
 

Edited by SouthernRegionSteam
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20 hours ago, ukmodelshops said:

Just want to say thank you to everyone who voted for the UK Model Shop Directory as Website of the Year.

This reflects on all the many friends I have out there in all the Clubs, Societies and Businesses who support my work by sending in the information that keeps this hobby alive.

 

Many thanks and support our great hobby by keep on modelling.

 

Best Regards,
Adrian Hall
----------------------------------
THE UK Model Shops Directory
**British Model Railway Awards**
**Website of the Year 2019**
----------------------------------
http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk
----------------------------------

Adrian , you do a great job. Not only do you provide excellent information for our hobby but you also go the extra mile to ensure the information you present is as accurate as possible. I say that as someone who has benefitted from you site and your careful checking of information.

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What follows relates to OO.

Steam locos, all small types except the ROD, which happily meant it wasn't glamour led for once. I feel Oxford can take some pride in the N7 placing within a hairsbreadth of the very fine J36 in the Hornby 'podium lockout'.

D&E, that's unexpected: a tiddler takes on a field of larger types and comes away ahead.

Wagons looked like two separate events! BIG stuff / small fry : the votes in the 'B' category well distributed over the large field.

 

Overall, this year's result argues strongly for novelty / the more unusual. (Consequently, a certain centenary celebration's offerings look to be right on target.)

 

And as others have already observed, that's solid work by Hornby over 2019, and I hope that the commercial result is on the same trend.

 

General: Congratulations to all that obtained votes, and thanks to the RMweb team for providing this input opportunity and the subsequent information digest.

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Rather disappointing that the kits and bits suppliers are largely ignored. Even those who rely on the RTR producers still benefit the likes of Phoenix Precision Paints, Eileens Emporium, Hobby Holidays. Langley, Springside, etc. even if they don't go in for making their own models from kits.

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39 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Rather disappointing that the kits and bits suppliers are largely ignored.

 

If more of them communicated with the media about what they are releasing then they'd stand a chance. Bear in mind this is for new products; we don't hear much from them.

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Probably true Andy, but perhaps they have largely given up on the mainstream modelling media. Looking at the new products and reviews pages of the magazines it does seem that there is a strong concentration on RTR items.

 

It may also be relevant that many of the Small Suppliers don't have a PR department or may not be very skilled at marketing.

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4 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Probably true Andy, but perhaps they have largely given up on the mainstream modelling media. Looking at the new products and reviews pages of the magazines it does seem that there is a strong concentration on RTR items.

 

It may also be relevant that many of the Small Suppliers don't have a PR department or may not be very skilled at marketing.

 

Given up or can't really be bothered to get the maximum exposure?

 

The majority of the market is RTR so magazines reflect that but we will always print/publicise something interesting.

 

That may be the case but it's unfair to blame the mags for their shortcomings.

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1 hour ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Probably true Andy, but perhaps they have largely given up on the mainstream modelling media. Looking at the new products and reviews pages of the magazines it does seem that there is a strong concentration on RTR items.

 

It may also be relevant that many of the Small Suppliers don't have a PR department or may not be very skilled at marketing.

 

So small suppliers don't send details to magazines because magazines don't print stuff from small suppliers? A bit of a chicken and egg situation there - but not accurate if you look at the latest BRM. Omen paints, Skytrex container are the ones I can remember off the top of my head. However, I got the details of those at Stafford show, no-one told us. We'll print it, but we aren't psychic. I know both RM and HM do the same, so it's not a lack of desire of magazines to bring people interesting new products.

 

My experience with Garden Rail is that information has to be dragged out of many suppliers. I chase things down on Facebook and other forums. All it takes is an e-mail and free publicity is guaranteed, but apart from a few honourable exceptions (For BRM, Narrow Planet, ModelRailwayScenery etc.) some simply aren't interested. This has been the case for well over a decade too. You don't need a PR department or be good at marketing to know that if you don't tell people about your products, you aren't going to sell many.

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I wonder whether part of the reluctance to  send information to the mainstream magazines is, in my experience, that relatively few "model makers" read them but you might reply that I should get out more. MRJ and the Scale Society magazines appear to get a reasonable amount of new product information from the small suppliers.

 

 

 

I think it is simply an indication of the separation within the hobby between those that  generally like to build their own models and those that prefer to buy them already assembled and painted, which is evidenced by the concentration on the latter in the major magazines and RMWeb. Would a category for most interesting new kit, most innovative small supplier or similar attract any interest? Perhaps not, so I'll leave it at that.

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On behalf of NGRM-Online, We would like to thank all whom nominated and voted for us, it truly is an honour to be  listed among some amazing websites.

 

Huge Congratulations to @SouthernRegionSteam, you deserve it, as a regular on NGRM we have watched you become a very talented modeller and it’s great to see you have been given the recognition you truly deserve. 

All the best,

Matt,

Chief button presser @ NGRM-Online.

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10 hours ago, AY Mod said:

Given up or can't really be bothered to get the maximum exposure?

I know in one case it’s because the maker doesn’t want to create a huge market and the inevitable flood of queries that never become orders. He’s quite happy with the level of business word of mouth and photos of his models create and those who are serious easily find him via the net. 
I agree with your points though I think it’s more they don’t think of it or think they have to send a model while they could send a press release with decent photos. When you see the effort the mags put in at shows to borrow items for a quick photoshoot it would be quite easy to get publicity if you exhibit at, or even visit, those shows by just taking a model over and asking if they are interested. Note that specialist scale shows rarely seem to have the mainstream mags as they prefer to invite the specialist mags. It’s two halves created by the organisers I suspect with some cross fertilisation as many of us quite happily dip a toe in the other half at times ;) Just people being unique. 

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The discussion on small kit manufacturers vs rtr goes on and I’ve seen it in old mags bemoaning Triang so I’m not worried about it.

It’s just part of setting up any business that if you start small with little money you are going to compete with the big boys at some level. It’s now easier than ever to publicise your product on here, in the printed media and at shows so maybe small kit manufacturers need to think more like a little tech start up than just model railways?

 

I have such broad interests in railways that I ’model’ in several scales and gauges. I would consider my German HOm and Nm9 RhB as my most ‘serious models’ in detail and trains although both are what ifs rather than a studiously executed replica of a real place. Second would be my Modular 009 and US Freemo modules which try to capture the essence of the bigger railway but with realistic track layouts and scenery even if the stock isn’t specific to one railway. 

Then there’s my OO where I used rtp buildings and rtr stock, I run it fairly realistically at shows but at home Metropolitan BoBo’s run with teaks from the LNER and my Coal tanks will run with Hattons generic coaches. They give me the much broader impression of something I like but don’t have the inclination to exhibit so I’m not doing the research to get it right as I choose to spend that time on my other layouts.

 

If I were to exhibit the models usually run only at home I would want the stock to be right but at what stage is it right? At what point have I done enough research to capture it to a level that’s acceptable? I solve both of those with my personal choice of when it’s good enough ;) I can’t please all the experts, real or armchair, but while I seem to be becoming considered an expert in RhB and HSB I find it quite amusing as there’s lots I still don’t know!
 

So bouncing back to the thread point these surveys are a limited slice of a few people’s opinions based on what caught the eye of BRM and people here. Any manufacturers basing their plans solely on that are blinkered, that’s why Modelrail’s version of this is also useful on top of their own sales data. Maybe small kit manufacturers need to look at advertising on craft websites and forums where there’s a fascination for all these restoration shows?

 

No doubt many ‘serious proponents’ look down on that ‘dumbed down’ tv much like they did in other fields on Time Team and The Great Model Rly challenge ;) 

 

The world keeps turning, the same worries come up about the next generation so just do your bit and all will actually be ok. 

Edited by PaulRhB
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On 25/02/2020 at 12:15, Jol Wilkinson said:

Rather disappointing that the kits and bits suppliers are largely ignored. Even those who rely on the RTR producers still benefit the likes of Phoenix Precision Paints, Eileens Emporium, Hobby Holidays. Langley, Springside, etc. even if they don't go in for making their own models from kits.

A few kits and bits suppliers don't respond to inquires about stock levels despite their websites telling you to email them before ordering.   You are expected to turn up at a show they are and hopefully they'll have the bits you want.  

 

I done just that for a supplier, they didnt have what I was after on their stand.  They told me to email them after the show, which I did, and never heard a thing.

 

Then they complain that no-one buys anything from them!!!

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9 minutes ago, Half-full said:

A few kits and bits suppliers don't respond to inquires about stock levels despite their websites telling you to email them before ordering.   You are expected to turn up at a show they are and hopefully they'll have the bits you want.  

 

I done just that for a supplier, they didnt have what I was after on their stand.  They told me to email them after the show, which I did, and never heard a thing.

 

Then they complain that no-one buys anything from them!!!

Tarring them all with the same brush is simply wrong. While there will always be some traders - large or small - that don't offer an acceptable service for whatever reason, most of them do provide a prompt efficient service to their customers. In over thirty years of buying from kit or bit and pieces producers I have only once experienced poor service and a bad response when I queried it.

 

Do they complain that no-one buys from them? Who says so? 

 

 

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On 25/02/2020 at 19:51, Jol Wilkinson said:

I wonder whether part of the reluctance to  send information to the mainstream magazines is, in my experience, that relatively few "model makers" read them but you might reply that I should get out more. MRJ and the Scale Society magazines appear to get a reasonable amount of new product information from the small suppliers.

 

For us it's not reluctance but time - with limited time to administer a hobby business keeping the wheels turning (making and shipping products) has to be the priority. Maybe opinions differ here but "marketing" is also more than just emailing a press release; you need a presentable example of what you're selling, a decent photo set up to take pictures of it, etc etc. The distributed nature of the NP team can make it difficult to get all the bits in the right place at the right time, too.

 

We are trying to make inroads into being more consistent about marketing - James is putting a lot in to getting the word out for Planet Industrials and it's gratifying to see that Phil notices!

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2 hours ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Tarring them all with the same brush is simply wrong. While there will always be some traders - large or small - that don't offer an acceptable service for whatever reason, most of them do provide a prompt efficient service to their customers. In over thirty years of buying from kit or bit and pieces producers I have only once experienced poor service and a bad response when I queried it.

 

Do they complain that no-one buys from them? Who says so? 

 

 

Im not tarring them all with the same brush, however there are a few I've tried to purchase items from, and a read through the smaller suppliers section will highlight some of the small traders that don't respond.  Im not going to name name's as this isn't the thread for it, again the smaller suppliers section will show those people arent happy with.

 

It's a shame as I do enjoy modifying and kit building.

 

On the other side of the coin, there are small traders who have the tiniest online presence, yet give outstanding service

 

Back on topic, Its good to see the newer market entrants having a good show in the results.  It'll be interesting to see how Accurascale fare in next years poll, once they start delivering their announced locomotives.

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