Great Model Railway Challenge - Channel 5

[Phil Parker]

Nothing wrong with using non-modelling and recycled materials to build things from, I do it all the time (business cards from people you have no intention of doing business with and name cards from seminars are good sources of high quality card while the cardboard they make wine boxes from is particularly sturdy)  but it did seem a bit odd the other way round. If people enjoyed it fine, but building a complete layout in three days seemed quite enough of a challenge without thinking of ways of making it even harder. Did the teams know about it before the heats or was it sprung on them?

 

I assume so. It was in the details I saw well before the show was filmed. They won't have known the materials they would have been given, although I do remember being told some of the ideas - hence my scepticism.

 

It will be interesting to see if those teams in Series 2 are better prepared.

[steve1]

Call me a purist if you like, but the best model railway layout was the Fawley Flyers entry. I wouldn't look twice at the winning entry at an exhibition but I would look at the others.

 

Couldn't see the point of linking them all together. All it did was add unwanted stress to the build process for little effect.

 

The presenters and their lame 'humour' still irritate me, although I'm fine with the judges. The background music is an unnecessary distraction but virtually every TV programme seems to suffer from the same affliction.

 

Will I watch the second series if it appears? Probably but I would hope for some more sensible presenters. Would I enter a second series? Not a chance!

 

steve

[Marcus-Jay]

<snip> Did the teams know about it before the heats or was it sprung on them?

 

That there was a scratch build challenge based on house hold objects - yes

What the objects were - no

[Marcus-Jay]

Call me a purist if you like, but the best model railway layout was the Fawley Flyers entry. I wouldn't look twice at the winning entry at an exhibition but I would look at the others.

 

Couldn't see the point of linking them all together. All it did was add unwanted stress to the build process for little effect.

 

The presenters and their lame 'humour' still irritate me, although I'm fine with the judges. The background music is an unnecessary distraction but virtually every TV programme seems to suffer from the same affliction.

 

Will I watch the second series if it appears? Probably but I would hope for some more sensible presenters. Would I enter a second series? Not a chance!

 

steve

 

I think there were far better layouts built in the series than Fawleys, but it is a matter of opinion.

 

Linking the layouts together, that adds another layer of tension that separates the final from the heats.

 

I suspect your hopes surrounding the second series will be in vain. I can't see any major changes being required to the format. The viewing figures show the program appealed to over 1 million people. The fact that a few serious modellers are are unhappy will be of little consequence as the program was not aimed at that target audience. Even if it was there would still be a division on how it should be done.

 

Leave television production to TV professionals... After all, the camera man didn't tell me how to lay track!

(ps the comment is not aimed specifically at you Steve, just using your post as an example)

[Huw Griffiths]

Nothing wrong with using non-modelling and recycled materials to build things from, I do it all the time

 

... Did the teams know about it before the heats or was it sprung on them?

 

I assume so. It was in the details I saw well before the show was filmed. They won't have known the materials they would have been given, although I do remember being told some of the ideas - hence my scepticism.

 

That there was a scratch build challenge based on house hold objects - yes

What the objects were - no

 

I seem to recall there being vague mention of toothbrushes and the like.

 

I could imagine this part of the programme concept evolving slightly before the second series - in all honesty, I could imagine much of the programme evolving - but I think the programme concept was fundamentally sound.

 

What I can say, though, is that stuff like this might make some people look at their local pound shops in a whole new light ... .

 

 

Huw.

[joppyuk1]

I've just watched the final on catch up, with MrsJ, we both had the winner picked out. A couple of comments, we thought the judges were annoying by butting in during the builds with comments to the compoetitors; they are there to judge the final results not make suggestions on progress (it's as if Paul Hollywood goes round saying 'I'd take your cake out of the oven now', and we'd like to see more of the builds. In the final we suddenly had a painted backscene going in place and would have liked to see it being painted, for instance.

Will happily watch another series though.

[Coryton]

IWhat I can say, though, is that stuff like this might make some people look at their local pound shops in a whole new light ... .

 

 

Absolutely. 

 

There are some things in pound shops that are not worth buying for their intended use at that price...but have all sorts of other uses...

[SDJR7F88]

Hi all, Captain Callum from the Railway Video Division.

First of all, we would like to say massive well done to all teams in the final (plus the superb team at Fawley) and Congratulations to Team Aberdeen! Their 25th Century Layout was just stunning! (The cameras do not do it justice). 

Here's a few picture of our 1970's Cold War themed Layout "Melton Down". We certainly had fun building it, especially the working Hump Shunt and Cooling Towers (not forgetting the BR Blue Steamer too)! 

Be sure to check out my "Behind the Scenes" video, for a look at our time during the final.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB8ePT00Y2k

Hope they are of interest! 

 

 

 

[rab]

Hi all, Captain Callum from the Railway Video Division.

First of all, we would like to say massive well done to all teams in the final (plus the superb team at Fawley) and Congratulations to Team Aberdeen! Their 25th Century Layout was just stunning! (The cameras do not do it justice). 

Here's a few picture of our 1970's Cold War themed Layout "Melton Down". We certainly had fun building it, especially the working Hump Shunt and Cooling Towers (not forgetting the BR Blue Steamer too)! 

Be sure to check out my "Behind the Scenes" video, for a look at our time during the final.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB8ePT00Y2k

Hope they are of interest!

 

I did like the blue liveried steam loco

.with yellow front end

[Nimbus]

I see you incorporated the Strategic Reserve storage facility too!

 

The Nim.

[theonlyadsrulz]

Someone was asking who came second, it was in fact us, The Railway Video Division! Kathy does mention us giving Aberdeen "a run for their money" in her sum up at the end. We were told after the result was announced that we had come second, which was a little disappointing at the time, but we were certainly extremely proud to make it to the final, let alone come second! 

 

A couple more photos in addition to Callum's above, include our wagon which was ably produced by our other Callum! The wagon shows four "trainspotters" each representing the four in our team who have YouTube channels, and our logos feature on the sides of the wagon next to whose channel it belongs to. It also features a real working micro camera, which might be being used for nefarious means...could they be spying? It is the Cold War after all! It was also a very proud moment getting the hump yard to work properly! We fettled with the height, distance, and uncoupler for what seemed like hours to get it working just right! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MarkSG]

Call me a purist if you like,

OK, you're a purist

 

but the best model railway layout was the Fawley Flyers entry. I wouldn't look twice at the winning entry at an exhibition but I would look at the others.

Playing devil's advocate a bit here, I think the Fawley team did a good job of making a layout that would appeal to purists, at least of a certain ilk, but not necessarily to the wider modelling public.

 

Why not? Because what they made, both times, was, essentially, an MPD. Certainly, the modelling itself was top notch. But even without the gimmicks necessary for GMRC, an MPD is, in my opinion, a little bit of a lazy option. It's easy to make it look good just by packing it with locos, but at the expense of operational interest.

 

Now, before everyone screams at me for dissing MPDs, I should point out that that's purely a personal opinion, and I'm well aware that others will differ. I've never really found MPDs all that interesting, but I know that some people really love them.

 

However, in the wider context of what appeals to the show-going public, I'm not sure that MPDs are the big hitters. To be sure, they will appeal to some. But they don't tend to attract the big crowds of, say, a Gresley Beat, a Penhallick or a Burntisland. Operational interest and a lot going on is what creates a crush at the barrier, just as much as detailed modelling.

 

(Incidentally, although GMRC is a world away from the finescale approach of Burntisland, I think that Burntisland is, in many respects the type of layout that lovers of GMRC would also love. Because it has plenty going on, not just trains moving but also, in the lingo of GMRC, animations. And it also demonstrates that finescale modelling and an eye for putting on a show are not mutually exclusive. Which, I think, is precisely the point that GMRC is trying to make).

['CHARD]

Someone was asking who came second, it was in fact us, The Railway Video Division! Kathy does mention us giving Aberdeen "a run for their money" in her sum up at the end. We were told after the result was announced that we had come second, which was a little disappointing at the time, but we were certainly extremely proud to make it to the final, let alone come second! 

 

 

Great to see these stills, the programme tempo made it very difficult to take in the details of design, composition and execution.  With chance to study it more closely, the cold war atmosphere really comes through.  The split level reminds me of Tinsley reception yard in the cold war eighties, it is a great piece of work, credit to you lads; well done!

[RJS1977]

TBH I prefer yours to Aberdeen's, especially now I've had time to see the photos. It manages to straddle the line between traditional model railway and imaginative theme without being 'just another model railway' on one hand or completely off the wall on the other. It's something that traditional modellers can look at and appreciate whilst those of a non-modelling bent can also enjoy.

[Coryton]

Someone was asking who came second, it was in fact us, The Railway Video Division! Kathy does mention us giving Aberdeen "a run for their money" in her sum up at the end. We were told after the result was announced that we had come second, which was a little disappointing at the time, but we were certainly extremely proud to make it to the final, let alone come second! 

 

 

I think coming second overall was really quite an achievement.

 

All five layouts in the final were excellent in different ways.

[Ian Morgan]

Because so little of the layouts was shown, or explained, in the final TV show, I have set up a thread for the Basingstoke Bodgers' tribute to Brunel layout with photos and descriptions of the various cameos, etc.

 

Perhaps we did set out to do too much, and paid the price, but we had fun trying. Well done to all the teams for putting on a great show.

[john new]

I think coming second overall was really quite an achievement.

 

All five layouts in the final were excellent in different ways.

As was also the 16th layout, the Basingstoke built layout for Radio Times. To be honest I took that as spoiler for the winning team but no to be.

[Hobby]

However, in the wider context of what appeals to the show-going public, I'm not sure that MPDs are the big hitters. To be sure, they will appeal to some. 

 

And also rather over-represented at many exhibitions... (I'm not a fan either!)

 

 

Aberdeen were very worthy winners, well done folks!

[TheQ]

GET YOUR HAND OUT OF YOUR POCKET YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE MAN!!!

 

[Robin Brasher]

As a member of the Hornby Railway Collectors Club I have found that the Hornby 0 gauge clockwork and electric trains have attracted most people at model railway exhibitions. Lots of people came to see our layout at Modelworld at the Brighton Centre and at Blandford the female Mayor spent the whole afternoon watching our clockwork trains after she had toured the exhibition.

 

I think it is a good idea to have plenty of trains running at a reasonable speed at an exhibition or a TV programme.

 

Our club took part in the TV programme Toy Trains, the History of Model Railways and I think you may see a similar TV programme in the near future.

[iL Dottore]

Firstly, well done to all: production company, participating teams, judges and presenters. It's also good news that a second series has been commissioned, given the drivel that has lower viewing figures and still gets re-commissioned, I am pleased that the viewing figures were more than robust enough to support a second season.

 

Given these robust viewing figures, and knowing that the production team, presenters and judges have all "popped in" to RMWeb, I'd like to suggest some changes (improvements? refinements? make of it what you will) that could be taken on board:

1. Perhaps less emphasis on the gimmicky. Having been to numerous model railway shows - from local affairs, to finescale society meetings to Warley - I have the very distinct impression that - on the whole - railway modellers are fairly conservative (whether modelling the Big 4, BR 70s or the railways today). This may come as a big surprise to a neophyte railway modeller when he/she turns up at his/her local model railway club expecting to see lots of the sort of animations featured on the programme.
2. Yes to a scratch-build challenge - but make it based on those things that are frequently sourced for scratch building: teddy bears (for fur); hard, clear, plastic wrapping (for windows and the like), offcuts of plastic, metal and wood, knackered toys (for motors, wheels, wiring, etc.).
3. Don't underestimate the intelligence of the viewers. It wasn't quite "Jackanory - The Railway Version", but at times I felt that it was far too simplified, fortunately without tipping over into condescending (but having said that, it does seem that much of current programming today- of all types - does, too often, veer into what could be called "CBBC Territory"  ["can you say ecosystem?" "Good! That's a big word, isn't it?"]). I don't envy the production team one bit in trying to walk the fine line between being incomprehensible to "outsiders" and simplifying to the point of "dumbing down". But I think that perhaps for season the producers could "up the complexity".
4. Revisit the cinematography, I don't think that it does the modelling justice. I would assume that digital cameras are being used and digital camera closeups are incredibly cruel to models. Things that look good "in the flesh" or at normal viewing distances, look horrible in extreme digital closeup. I noted, on more than one occasion, the judges were saying things along the lines of "that's great modelling" whilst what they were admiring looked incredibly crude on close up (as viewed on a home cinema screen), yet when presented at normal viewing distances (as posted on RMWeb by some of the participating teams) looked very, very good indeed.
5. With such robust viewing figures, perhaps the production company will now be able to jettison the numerous "filler" shots and exclusively focus on the modelling.

Finally, I do hope that the RMWebber's comments and contributions (whether critical and curmudgeonly or upbeat and pollyannish - and everything in between) will be source of knowledge, inspiration and support for the production team in making the next series of GMRC even better than the first.

 

iD

Edited November 12, 2018 by iL Dottore

['CHARD]

Well, every day is indeed a school day!  

 

'Pollyanna syndrome, the name being taken from a book of the same title, means “an excessively or blindly optimistic person.”'

[Phil Parker]

Revisit the cinematography, I don't think that it does the modelling justice. I would assume that digital cameras are being used and digital camera closeups are incredibly cruel to models. Things that look good "in the flesh" or at normal viewing distances, look horrible in extreme digital closeup. I noted, on more than one occasion, the judges were saying things along the lines of "that's great modelling" whilst what they were admiring looked incredibly crude on close up (as viewed on a home cinema screen), yet when presented at normal viewing distances (as posted on RMWeb by some of the participating teams) looked very, very good indeed.

iD

 

You do realise that ALL cameras used on TV shows are digital? If the production team want to borrow some Super 8 cameras to replace their digital ones, I know my Dad as a few old Bolexes he would hire to them. Getting the film isn't easy nowadays though, which is why the shots taken by RMwebbers were also digital.

[daltonparva]

 I know my Dad as a few old Bolexes he would hire to them. 

Is that a name, or just your impression of them?

[iL Dottore]

Hi Phil

You do realise that ALL cameras used on TV shows are digital? If the production team want to borrow some Super 8 cameras to replace their digital ones, I know my Dad as a few old Bolexes he would hire to them. Getting the film isn't easy nowadays though, which is why the shots taken by RMwebbers were also digital.

Well, that's what I assumed (although isn't Betamax [and the cameras?] still used a lot at the professional level?), However, the point is that digital camera closeups are not very kind to modelling (scratch building a lot myself, I often take close-up digital photographs of what I am working on to show me what I can't see is wrong with the model..) and there must be ways - lenses? filters? digital de-enhancement? - to better present a model in close-up? Of course, as you have rightly pointed out, even the long and medium-shots of the layouts - taken by team members - are taken on digital cameras. I think that that is the paradox of digital photography: in medium and long shot - things look better than they are "in real life"; whilst in close up - things can look worse than they are "in real life"