Will price increase in new and second hand models make people scratch build?

[phil-b259]

On 03/03/2021 at 21:31, Dunsignalling said:

 

Reading contributions to various threads on here leaves an impression that quite a few, presented with the introduction of an attractive new loco, find it impossible to choose and buy all the versions! For them, perhaps, an injection of some focus, be it geographical, historical or both, might even increase their enjoyment.

 

 

Buying more than one version gives opportunities to vary eras.

 

In some cases the infrastructure didn’t change much - e.g. a branch line in the late Midland railway era or early LMS one so you could conceivably have a stub of both Midland and LMS stock and alternate them depending on which era you feel like emulating that day.

 

Another example would be someone modelling a heritage railway - the E4 on the Bluebell has operated in LBSCR umber, Southern Olive and BR lined black so again having a number of livery variants (subject to suitable renumbering) gives similar opportunities to chop and change the era being represented by any particular operating season.

 

Its not confined to the steam era either - with a bit of care its entirely possible to build a layout which could suit both the late BR blue era and the secorisation era. As before it’s the stock in use that defines the era of the model.

[MartynJPearson]

On 04/03/2021 at 01:59, The Johnster said:

As the UK trade went to China 2 or 3 decades ago in order to exploit their low cost, skilled, and adaptable labour force, I have little sympathy with them being somewhat bitten in the *rse now that the Chinese workers are being properly recompensed, and tbh little sympathy with consumers here that complain about price increases; it costs what it costs, and if you can't afford it I'm afraid that's how capitalism works.

 

 

I have a little more sympathy for the consumer as I strongly suspect they saw no decrease in price when production moved over to China to decrease costs. Maybe it staved off price rises, maybe it just lined pockets - but I guess like you say, that's capitalism!

 

Either way, if more people are coming into the hobby that has to be a good thing - if demand rises then production runs are larger and hence unit prices are cheaper. Although I guess I am being too simplistic there, as a run of 5000 vs a run of 5500 probably makes little difference.

[gordon s]

2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Not strictly true regarding kit prices. Kits such as K's, Nucast, GEM and Wills kits were much cheaper than RTR from Hornby, etc. back in the day. I remember them being piled high in model shops and there was always a brisk trade in them. Hardly ever saw people buying RTR locos though. That seemed to be a Christmas thing. Maybe people only bought one or two a year? There certainly wasn't much choice.

 

It's only been in recent times that the prices of kits seem to be more expensive and that is more due to the major RTR manufacturers moving production to cheap Far Eastern countries.

 

Even now Parkside kits at full RRP are a fraction of the price of RTR. A Hornby or Bachmann brake van is about £20-25. 

 

£12 for this. How much for a cheap kit of a mineral wagon? About £7 to £9.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/322402/parkside_models_pc58_lms_20_ton_brake_van_dia_1659_plastic_kit/stockdetail.aspx

 

A Comet coach kit is about the same as a Hornby or Bachmann one at £45. But you can get much cheaper coach kits from Parkside/Ratio.

 

How much for your generic four wheelers from Hattons or Hornby? These are £11.50.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/16474/parkside_models_pc612_gwr_4_wheel_composite_coach_plastic_kit/stockdetail.aspx

 

Paint, adhesives, tools, etc are nominal as you would have them in stock anyway and are a gradually expense bought over years.

 

I just feel that people try and find excuses for not trying kit building. Cost is one that doesn't really add up. Pun unintentional. 

 

Put it this way if you can afford to pay £200 for the latest Hornby LNER Pacific then you can afford to buy kits. I see many on the RTR threads buying several large locomotives. I know, I'm one of them and don't see anything wrong with buying RTR. 

 

At the end of the day it's up to the individual. But I think the excuses for not even trying do get a bit bizarre. It's like asking the kids why they haven't done their homework and they start squirming to find an excuse. 

 

I can understand things like disability or that people might be busy. But most of the time people just don't want to try. Or they have a fear of failure.

 

 

 

As I mentioned above Spitfires and other kits in ALDI for a £5. Complete with everything you need apart from basic tools. Suitable for 8+. If you've never made one, try it. You might enjoy it.

 

https://www.aldi.co.uk/airfix-1%3A72-spitfire-mk-la-/p/086073419998009

 

 

Jason

Not sure where you are getting your prices from, but a DJH Peppercorn Pacific is £214.50 plus another £172 for the motor, gearbox and wheels taking it to £386.

 

The Bachmann model of the same loco is £170.

 

I’m not sure if you can buy a loco kit including the motor, wheels and gearbox for £170, but certainly not on a like for like basis.

 

Even my simple 0-6-0 J50 is now £230 versus RTR at £69. 
 

I’m sure loco kits can provide hours of pleasure (or in my case anguish), but they certainly don’t make a lot if sense financially unless no RTR model is available of the particular model you require.

Edited March 5, 2021 by gordon s

[Dunsignalling]

2 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

Buying more than one version gives opportunities to vary eras.

 

In some cases the infrastructure didn’t change much - e.g. a branch line in the late Midland railway era or early LMS one so you could conceivably have a stub of both Midland and LMS stock and alternate them depending on which era you feel like emulating that day.

 

Another example would be someone modelling a heritage railway - the E4 on the Bluebell has operated in LBSCR umber, Southern Olive and BR lined black so again having a number of livery variants (subject to suitable renumbering) gives similar opportunities to chop and change the era being represented by any particular operating season.

 

Its not confined to the steam era either - with a bit of care its entirely possible to build a layout which could suit both the late BR blue era and the secorisation era. As before it’s the stock in use that defines the era of the model.

I'd fully agree, but I think there are many who don't exercise even that much self-control, and they are most likely to feel under pressure from rising prices. Once you cross the line into unfettered collecting, even unintentionally, expenditure becomes potentially limitless. 

 

A train set upon which Rule One trumps all others, all the time, is everybody's right, so long as their pockets are deep enough, and they aren't bothered by obvious anachronisms. However, if one wishes to have a plausible model railway, picking a theme and sticking to it (even with some elasticity), both saves money and results in a more convincing whole.

 

Of course, that requires the possession or acquisition of some prototype knowledge, in order to know what goes together (and, more to the point, what doesn't and/or when it shouldn't). The summaries in manufacturers' catalogues and websites can only take one so far. 

 

Less expenditure and greater authenticity, what's not to like? Obviously, there will always be the "off-topic" model that one just can't resist. In my case, most of those end up in the the back of the cupboard via the display cabinet. When I stumble across one and can't remember the last time it was out of its box, it'll get a few more "Rule 1" runs and another stint in the display cabinet, followed by a decision on "back in the cupboard" or "trade-in"!  

 

The essential point, though, is that if you decide what you really like, and even try to stick with that, it's much easier to resist hitting "Buy Now" too indiscriminately.... 

 

John

Edited March 5, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[PatB]

7 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Not strictly true regarding kit prices. Kits such as K's, Nucast, GEM and Wills kits were much cheaper than RTR from Hornby, etc. back in the day. I remember them being piled high in model shops and there was always a brisk trade in them. Hardly ever saw people buying RTR locos though. That seemed to be a Christmas thing. Maybe people only bought one or two a year? There certainly wasn't much choice.

 

It's only been in recent times that the prices of kits seem to be more expensive and that is more due to the major RTR manufacturers moving production to cheap Far Eastern countries.

 

Even now Parkside kits at full RRP are a fraction of the price of RTR. A Hornby or Bachmann brake van is about £20-25. 

 

£12 for this. How much for a cheap kit of a mineral wagon? About £7 to £9.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/322402/parkside_models_pc58_lms_20_ton_brake_van_dia_1659_plastic_kit/stockdetail.aspx

 

A Comet coach kit is about the same as a Hornby or Bachmann one at £45. But you can get much cheaper coach kits from Parkside/Ratio.

 

How much for your generic four wheelers from Hattons or Hornby? These are £11.50.

 

https://www.hattons.co.uk/16474/parkside_models_pc612_gwr_4_wheel_composite_coach_plastic_kit/stockdetail.aspx

 

Paint, adhesives, tools, etc are nominal as you would have them in stock anyway and are a gradually expense bought over years.

 

I just feel that people try and find excuses for not trying kit building. Cost is one that doesn't really add up. Pun unintentional. 

 

Put it this way if you can afford to pay £200 for the latest Hornby LNER Pacific then you can afford to buy kits. I see many on the RTR threads buying several large locomotives. I know, I'm one of them and don't see anything wrong with buying RTR. 

 

At the end of the day it's up to the individual. But I think the excuses for not even trying do get a bit bizarre. It's like asking the kids why they haven't done their homework and they start squirming to find an excuse. 

 

I can understand things like disability or that people might be busy. But most of the time people just don't want to try. Or they have a fear of failure.

 

 

 

As I mentioned above Spitfires and other kits in ALDI for a £5. Complete with everything you need apart from basic tools. Suitable for 8+. If you've never made one, try it. You might enjoy it.

 

https://www.aldi.co.uk/airfix-1%3A72-spitfire-mk-la-/p/086073419998009

 

 

Jason

Then you were lucky in your local model shop. I've just picked up, at random, the December 1962 issue of MRN. K's have a full page ad for their new GWR 63xx Mogul kit, with a price of £7.10s.6d. Elsewhere in the same issue Hattons are advertising 2-rail Castles for 65s, or £3.5s.0d. 

 

As a more direct comparison, one retailer is offering K's 57xx kit for 98s and Graham Farish's 94xx RTR for 45/6, or less than half the price. I can't face digging for more recent ads, but distant memory tells me that things didn't change much over the next 30 years. 

 

I agree that rolling stock is a bit different, especially for stuff like the Ratio 4-wheelers whose tooling costs were amortised 40+ years ago. 

[Jeff Smith]

I just recently bought one of each of the ex-Ratio, now branded as Parkside, GWR 4-wheel coaches.  The molds still show 'Ratio' but may well have been revised or repaired as there is no significant flash and the detail is crisp.  The design is perhaps showing it's age, for example the end hand rails are molded on and the end/side joints are overlapped rather than 45° bevelled.  However they are supplied with nice metal tyred OO pinpoint wheels.  Good value kits just requiring partitions and seats, paint, glue and transfers to complete.  Also some ballast for better running.

[Steamport Southport]

8 hours ago, gordon s said:

Not sure where you are getting your prices from, but a DJH Peppercorn Pacific is £214.50 plus another £172 for the motor, gearbox and wheels taking it to £386.

 

The Bachmann model of the same loco is £170.

 

I’m not sure if you can buy a loco kit including the motor, wheels and gearbox for £170, but certainly not on a like for like basis.

 

Even my simple 0-6-0 J50 is now £230 versus RTR at £69. 
 

I’m sure loco kits can provide hours of pleasure (or in my case anguish), but they certainly don’t make a lot if sense financially unless no RTR model is available of the particular model you require.

 

My point is if you can afford £200 for a Hornby A2/3 then you can afford to buy kits.

 

Why use the DJH expensive route though? The extras would be less than £100 if you bought sensibly.

 

DJH are recommending a very expensive motor/gear box and very expensive Markits wheels.

 

Gibson driving wheels are £6.20 per axle. You can get motors and gearboxes for less than £30 that are much better than the DJH version. Try Branchlines or High Level.

 

But why buy the DJH kit anyway? PDK do most of the Pacifics for £123.

 

http://www.pdkmodels.co.uk/PL 2.htm

 

 

Jason

Edited March 5, 2021 by Steamport Southport
Wheels have gone up by about 50p

[Steamport Southport]

4 hours ago, PatB said:

Then you were lucky in your local model shop. I've just picked up, at random, the December 1962 issue of MRN. K's have a full page ad for their new GWR 63xx Mogul kit, with a price of £7.10s.6d. Elsewhere in the same issue Hattons are advertising 2-rail Castles for 65s, or £3.5s.0d. 

 

As a more direct comparison, one retailer is offering K's 57xx kit for 98s and Graham Farish's 94xx RTR for 45/6, or less than half the price. I can't face digging for more recent ads, but distant memory tells me that things didn't change much over the next 30 years. 

 

I agree that rolling stock is a bit different, especially for stuff like the Ratio 4-wheelers whose tooling costs were amortised 40+ years ago. 

 

But that is when you had no choice. Look at the 1980s prices instead.

 

My local shop was and still is Hattons.

 

 

Jason

[Phil Parker]

15 hours ago, The Johnster said:

It is difficult to fault current RTR;

 

Can I refer you to the rest of RMweb, where people seem to manage...

[Phil Parker]

11 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

It's only been in recent times that the prices of kits seem to be more expensive and that is more due to the major RTR manufacturers moving production to cheap Far Eastern countries.

 

In my experience of several dozen small shunter kits, the cost of those exceeded even a large RTR loco back in the 1990s by the time you added all the motor, wheels, gears etc. I didn't mind, because I could have the loco I wanted, well, I didn't mind much.

[Steamport Southport]

2 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

In my experience of several dozen small shunter kits, the cost of those exceeded even a large RTR loco back in the 1990s by the time you added all the motor, wheels, gears etc. I didn't mind, because I could have the loco I wanted, well, I didn't mind much.

 

Depends on what it is though.

 

How much is the new Rapido Hunslet 16" 0-6-0ST going to be? About £130 ISTR

 

JE do one for £53. Plus about £50 for motor/gears/wheels. Works out about the same price when everything is taken into account. But they also do the 14" and 15" versions.

 

I just feel that some are still finding excuses by purposely looking for very expensive kits and very expensive additional parts. DJH were never cheap, not even in a Stella Artois way. Some of them were awful if truth be told, ISTR the SR E1 4-4-0 had the wrong size boiler.

 

There are loads of bargains if you look at the second hand market. Especially if there is a RTR version of the same prototype.

 

The hobby can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be. A DJH J50 or a Hornby version in the bargain bins for less than £60? Make you own choice.

 

 

Jason

[gordon s]

Strange thing to say about finding excuses not to build a kit. I hadn’t appreciated it was compulsory.....

 

I bought a kit simply as a challenge to see if I could build one and at that time a J50 wasn’t available. 

 

Have I enjoyed building it? I love to be able to say yes, but if I’m honest it is not as satisfying as building my own track. I’m not knocking it as we all have different skills, but happy to spend hours on woodwork and track laying whereas kit building hasn’t really hit the spot so far. It may be I’ll feel different once it’s finished.
 

It’s good for the hobby we are all free to make our own choices of where to spend our time.

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by gordon s

[eldomtom2]

On 03/03/2021 at 18:15, Robert Shrives said:

A forgotten level of modelling is the almost right body on a already available chassis - this half way house gives a modeller a body to build as a superannuated airfix kit knowing it will run well on a factory chassis.

Surely this is alive and healthy in the 3d printing scene?

[njee20]

I 3D print (modern N gauge) wagons, and have built up a fair arsenal now. I would say it’s never been a substitute for RTR, but actually I’m dithering a bit on the new Revolution MMAs, as, whilst they’ll be a stunning model, at £36 for a box wagon a rake risks costing £700, and I’ve already got a rake of RTR MJAs and 3D printed MWAs. So a more modest rake looks likely. I’m also looking at duplicating a few RTR models basically because I don’t want to pay full price for them!

 

Just another string to the bow though, frankly. I’ll never not buy RTR, because the quality is superb, and I can’t be bothered faffing with chassis etc for locos!

[Ravenser]

I'm struck by the fact that most people seem automatically to be assuming that "a kit" means " a locomotive kit"

 

The vast majority of kits built in the hobby were and are not for locos. 

 

We have definitely reached the point where it is significantly cheaper to buy and build a wagon kit than to buy RTR .

 

Late last year I decided it was high time the Boxfile finally got a Southern van. I could have bought a Bachmann RTR model Bachmann SR van  for around £20 (Rails - £18.95 + postage;  local model shop possibly more but no postage}. Instead I bought a Ratio kit, built it as a fitted conversion with som,e Oleo buffers and a brake cylinder from the bits boxes, and painted it . That cost just on £10

 

Comet and other metal coach kits come out at around £45, then paint transfers and sundry bits must be added. A modern RTR coach currently costs about £45, and is finished to a high standard.

 

On the other hand Ratio coach kits cost £15-£20, and Dapol CKD coaches are similar. Some judicious choices among Dapol's offerings, some flushglaze and upgrading bits and for no more than about £25 a very presentable ex LMS coach, rather better than supplied, can be produced. (I've done the non-gangway Brake Third and the 60' Stanier Composite. A Bachmann Porthole is more refined, but twice the money)

 

And I'm currently upgrading an old Lima  Mk1 TSO I've had for years. As I had all the bits , cost - nowt . More cautiously, a Triang Hornby Mk1 can be had for a tenner, and MJT bogies and sundry  items to upgrade should come to about £20. I'm currently doing an NNX Courier van - something not available RTR - by that route.

 

With the possible exception of Mk1s, Mk3s and Mk4s  there are lots of coach types not avai;lable RTR, and kit building still makes sense ther. And there is certainly reasonable scope for cheaper kit builds. If RTR perices conmtinue to rise then coaches from kits would start to hold their own in price terms.

 

It's locos where kit-built is really at a disadvantage.

 

But there is another consideration. Modern RTR is produced in batch form , and most of the time , most things are not actually available in the shops. Kits are normally available all the time. Just because modern RTR tooling exists in someone's tool bank doesn't mean you can actually buy something as new RTR. Availability may also work in favour of kitbuilding

[Sasquatch]

Just thought I'd agree with the OP. I for one really don't have money for anything right now.  (If I did I'd buy some Peco points but there's none available so no loss).  My situation has not been affected by the pandemic but my wife is down to one day a week. I'm truly stuck at home so my first thought was to put all this time to good use and turn to modeling! Like most modelers I have a few boxes full of kits saved for a rainy day. There's even a DJH kit in there somewhere.

 

Mostly I have been using the time to make up old Ian Kirk kits, also refinishing some. Whilst not brilliant they certainly give the Hornby ones a run for the money.

   My reasons for turning to scratch building however is that the prices of RTR and preowned items have become ridiculous. I almost brought an empty box for 50 quid the other day thinking that at that price it came with the locomotive !!!!!    If an empty box is worth 50 quid, I'll include the LNER BCK I have just finished scratch building before I lock it away in the safe.

Now I'm scratch building a castle for the layout from foam which someone rescued from a skip! Times are starting to get desperate. So yes I think we will see a trend towards  scratch building whether it be foam structures or plastic card bodies on older RTR chassis'.

 

Regards Shaun.

[Ravenser]

18 minutes ago, Sasquatch said:

If an empty box is worth 50 quid, I'll include the LNER BCK I have just finished scratch building before I lock it away in the safe.

Now I'm scratch building a castle for the layout from foam which someone rescued from a skip! Times are starting to get desperate. So yes I think we will see a trend towards  scratch building whether it be foam structures or plastic card bodies on older RTR chassis'.

 

Regards Shaun.

 

Minor point - that's not a BCK  (Corridor Brake composite).  It's a very nice bogie parcels van of a type I don't recognise, but emphatically NPCCS not a passenger vehicle

Edited March 5, 2021 by Ravenser

[Sasquatch]

3 minutes ago, Ravenser said:

 

Minor point - that's not a BCK  (Corridor Brake composite).  It's a very nice bogie parcels van of a type I don't recognise, but emphatically NPCCS not a passenger vehicle

We think BCK stood for bogie carriage "K" way back in NER days!

[Ravenser]

1 minute ago, Sasquatch said:

We think BCK stood for bogie carriage "K" way back in NER days!

 

 

I gather it's ex NER but it looks a lot more like a bogie CCT [Covered Carriage Truck].  End doors for loading vehicles would be the indicator for a CCT

[PatB]

If people want to make stuff in order to save money, which, after all, was the original subject of the topic, perhaps the greatest scope exists in the field of scenics and structures. No specialist materials required (though some can be useful). Thanks to the likes of Scalescenes and the availability of cheap printers and the software to run them, vastly superior results from those of 50+ years ago can be achieved by the modeller of limited skill. And you end up with a more interesting variety of buildings than can be achieved with rtp or kit buildings, at a fraction of the price. 

 

Similarly, there's a vast gulf between virulently green dyed sawdust and a landscape made from lovely (but expensive) Woodland Scenics materials. Somewhere in that gulf I'm sure most can find a means of achieving an appearance acceptable to them at very low cost. 

 

Then the savings can be spent on the bits where results equal to, or better than, RTR at lower cost are harder or impossible to achieve. 

[Sasquatch]

18 minutes ago, Ravenser said:

 

 

I gather it's ex NER but it looks a lot more like a bogie CCT [Covered Carriage Truck].  End doors for loading vehicles would be the indicator for a CCT

Yes it does have end doors. These vans were built by the LNER to a modified NER drawing. They differ by way of roof profile, window positioning and Tongue & Groove style. Both types of van were lettered BCK by the LNER and used by Cheshire Lines Committee.

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by Sasquatch
To include link.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

 

I shall continue to please myself with what I do and how I do it when ever I am inclined, my options are:

• Scratch build, mostly plasticard.
• Kit build, Parkside, Dapol, Cambrian, DC Kits, &c.
• Kit bash, as above.
• RTR bash, second hand form eBay, Hornby, Lima, Mainline, and Airfix.
• Adapt and bash 3d prints, all sorts of stuff on Shapeways.

Any and all of the above are available to me from my stash of un-started and nearly started stuff although I shall probably buy some more stuff that I do not need to clutter my bench up al the same.

 

Gibbo.

[The Johnster]

7 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Can I refer you to the rest of RMweb, where people seem to manage...

To rephrase, it is difficult for rationally motivated people to fault current RTR...

[PatB]

If I were seeking to build a reasonably "scale" model railway for no, or next to no, money, and had the motivation and attention span to carry a significant project through to completion, I'd personally adopt the following approach. Other strategies are available. 

 

4mm scale, standard gauge prototype, to take advantage of the vast pool of resources that has developed around the scale over the past 75 years. 

 

Small, to keep the scope of the project manageable and make exclusively small locos plausible. A prototype likely to have deep, ash ballast would be good as it will help to disguise... 

 

... Hand-built track, using Code 100 FB rail salvaged from scrap Peco/Hornby/Lima products soldered to small nails through card or wood veneer sleepers. 

 

As the track is going to be hand-built anyway, might as well go for a finescale standard. My choice would be EM, gauged using wooden blocks and bits and pieces of shim, per CJ Freezer, to avoid buying commercial gauges. 

 

In turn, EM allows the use of 00 wheelsets, either in their original stock, or salvaged and used in scratchbuild, pulled out to the appropriate back-to-back. 

 

EM also allows use of Alex Jackson couplings, which cost almost nothing in materials and can be made without bought in jigs. 

 

Locos are an area where I'd spend a little bit. Hornby's 0-4-0 chassis run pretty well these days, and I understand their basic 0-6-0 is similarly useful. Both chassis are cheap and should be regaugeable with a small levering tool. Either offer a "close enough" chassis solution for a wide range of small locomotives, for which more or less accurate and detailed scratchbuild bodies can be created from the usual assortment of cheap(ish) materials. 

 

Basic chassis should work well with a homebrew DC controller, built for pennies from Ebay components and powered from a redundant wall wart. 

 

Stock would be an assortment of cheapo RTR worked up a bit, bargain basement kits, and scratchbuild from styrene or card. Wheelsets salvaged from scrap RTR. If bearings were needed, an adequate one for RTR pinpoint axles can be made with a centrepunch on thin metal. Brass for preference, but I'm willing to bet that steel, aluminium or tinplate, appropriately lubed, would work quite adequately at shunting plank loads and speeds. 

 

Probably an urban, industrial setting, to avoid the temptation to use too much dyed sawdust. Digitally drawn or downloaded card/paper buildings. Even using decent, paid for materials doesn't cost a lot in the greater scheme of things, and is probably worth it to avoid struggling with the vagaries of cornflake packets. 

 

Baseboards? My hypothetically chosen track construction method dictates wood of some kind. Keeping the whole thing small makes the use of offcuts and skip finds feasible. 

 

So, all eminently doable, given a degree of commitment, and the most specialist tool actually required would be a soldering iron. The downside is that I'd estimate it would take at least a year of steady effort to bring something like an Inglenook to a presentable level of finish, given a reasonable assumption that most modellers will have other calls on their leisure time. That's also assuming a start from a blank sheet and needing to obtain/construct everything. Even a small project such as this would definitely require a mindset that the building is an end in itself. If regarded simply as a means to the end of a running model railway, I suspect it would be much harder to sustain the required motivation. The old advice to get something running as quickly as possible to maintain interest is as valid now as it ever was. 

[Jol Wilkinson]

This subject has arisen before and despite concerns over the increase in price of new and S/H RTR models, the status quo remains.

 

A look at the Product and Trade area of RMweb shows that there is  strong enthusiasm for buying the RTR manufacturers products. Frothing abounds when a new model is announced, usually followed by the "why don't/didn't they?" phase. Wish lists are all about getting the RTR manufacturers to make the models that people want but aren't interested in making for themselves by kit building, kit bashing  or scratch building. The RMweb Poll  (and others) are a good indicator of the enthusiasm for RTR products but never, AFAIK, include any kit built models.

Since the greatly improved quality and detail of RTR models has come about and the range of prototypes has increased compared to what was available when most of us were much younger, then the perceived need to make your own has diminished. Unless that is you are interested in modelling a period, area or railway company that is generally not catered for by RTR. Pre-group and early Big Four is the obvious area. However, the kit manufacturers do provide a wide range of kits that cover these areas.

 

While things will change over time, I believe the hobby will still be largely divided into those that build their layouts using ready to use products (the great majority) and whose modelling is therefore dictated by what arrives in containers from overseas, or those that choose to create a layout that fits the criteria (period, location, railway company) in which they are interested, by building from kits, etc. This group is (and always has been) in the minority.  Is that likely to change?. I don't think so.