Wright writes.....

[Jol Wilkinson]

Not many, but why not look at how well the kits available already cover the wide range of British prototypes, compared to the RTR manufacturers.

 

One kit supplier will have a new NER/LNER kit available soon. There are a couple of LNWR loco kits on the way (they would already be available had one sub contractor for casting patterns had kept his word), plus a couple of others "under development".

 

If there is a prototype that you want that isn't already available, why not do what most of todays etched kit suppliers did when they started out, design and produce it yourself. These is also now the 3D print option if you prefer that route.

[gr.king]

Sums up contemporary society in many ways then!

Not much hope for the planet then. The oceans will soon be full of our rubbish, the land exhausted by over-farming and extraction of resources, and the atmosphere poisoned by factories engaged in continuous re-manufacture (mis-described as re-cycling) and by mass travel. Unless we strictly control and reduce population, and engage in genuine re-use of durable items rather than the recycling of cheap tat, we are doomed.

[chris p bacon]

 

Perhaps the question is if on-line articles, blogs and forums become the home for this knowledge is how do we fund it?  

 

 

 

That's easy,  If done by word count, some on this thread could easily cover the cost.. . .

 

 

 

Would people here pay the money that they used to spend on physical magazines on supporting this and similar forums through subscription and sponsorship?    .............It is a very difficult balance to manage, because while many would pay for this forum, there may be a lot of people put off by such payments and that could stem the flow of new blood and ideas into the hobby.

 

It used to be the case here with a regular whip round, but there were always those that would say that their contribution of waffle was worth more, or they weren't getting paid for their expertise..... and the internet is free anyway..... 

I think the last year Andy ran independently the costs were between £17-20,000 per year for the forum.

Edited August 31, 2018 by chris p bacon

[Barry O]

Tony,

        The big problem with kits is ??? the lack of anything new coming one the market .

 

 

How many new kits have been produced this year ? anyone know ? I can't think of many .

 

r.t.r far far far more produced, and in many case better detailed as well, than many of what are now very old kits.

 

 

Mick

Judith Edge have produced new kits this year (with three arriving in the next two months), as Jol says LRM have produced new kits this year.. but if you want LINER locos only 1 so far in the comments. I believe Arthur K may also have a new J25 kit this year.

 

So there are new kits.. depends on what kits you want

Baz

[jwealleans]

If Ebay prices are any sort of guide, kits are still sought after, even the very poor ones.

 

That may be an expression of optimism over ability, but it does suggest that some people still want them. Even where there's an RTR offering available or announced, kit prices don't seem to suffer as much as might be expected.

[Chuffer Davies]

Judith Edge have produced new kits this year (with three arriving in the next two months), as Jol says LRM have produced new kits this year.. but if you want LINER locos only 1 so far in the comments. I believe Arthur K may also have a new J25 kit this year.

So there are new kits.. depends on what kits you want

Baz

I am currently about to deliver a new Q1 kit to John Redrup of LRM, and have just received the first test etches for a new J7 kit. Both of these are spin offs as a result of locomotives required for our new Clayton exhibition layout which is still regretfully several years off completion I’m guessing. I still have hopes for producing etches for a J1 and J2 in due course.

 

Regards,

Frank.

[Headstock]

I've built a locomotive, the magazines were irelevant to its construction. The nice people from Archers (purveyers of quality rivets) were very helpfull though.

 

Edited August 31, 2018 by Headstock

[Daddyman]

I've built a locomotive, the magazines were irelevant to its construction. The nice people from Archers (purveyers of quality rivets) were very helpfull though.

Flipping 'eck! That's nice! I think you model in 4mm, but this looks like it's in 7mm. What's your priming recipe, please? 

[Andy Hayter]

Tony,

        The big problem with kits is ??? the lack of anything new coming one the market .

 

 

How many new kits have been produced this year ? anyone know ? I can't think of many .

 

r.t.r far far far more produced, and in many case better detailed as well, than many of what are now very old kits.

 

 

Mick

 

 

I have to disagree, but it might depend on where you draw the line between a kit and a scratch - building aid.

 

On this site alone you will find:

Rue d'Etropal (sp?) metropolitan coaches 

Mike Trice - rake of GNR 6 wheel coaches

Skinnylinney - rake of LBSCR coaches

 

Now these are not of traditional style, nor traditional materials - 3D printing, laser cut card (and soon to arrive laser cut MDF)

 

Maybe that does not count, or maybe we fall into the rtr trap of only being interested in locomotives.

[Headstock]

Flipping 'eck! That's nice! I think you model in 4mm, but this looks like it's in 7mm. What's your priming recipe, please? 

 

Good morning Daddyman,

 

 

the locomotive is 4 mm scale. I have always used Simonez car primer, right back to the days of cellulose. However, their acrylic is vey good, either red oxide or grey. I don't like certain brands popular in model railways, not good enough in my opinion. As far as recipes are concerned, clean, clean and clean again and then shake, shake and  shake again.

[t-b-g]

I tend to agree with this view on magazines, however it doesn't mean that the future only holds light weight fluff.

 

The existence of this forum and the wealth of very in-depth knowledge shared here shows that it is possible that the internet is becoming the new home for deeper reading and learning about the hobby.

 

Perhaps the question is if on-line articles, blogs and forums become the home for this knowledge is how do we fund it? Would people here pay the money that they used to spend on physical magazines on supporting this and similar forums through subscription and sponsorship? Are advertising revenues from the banners on these pages enough to support the forum in the long term if there is a serious decline in the funds generated through the physical BRM?

 

It is a very difficult balance to manage, because while many would pay for this forum, there may be a lot of people put off by such payments and that could stem the flow of new blood and ideas into the hobby.

 

This is certainly becoming an issue with news and current affairs, and over the last 20 years we have seen the music industry change hugely from albums, CDs, etc. being the main generator of income to them being a ‘loss leader’ for artists to generate income from tours and merchandise.

 

The huge success (in knowledge and access terms) of Wikipedia is perhaps also a positive example.

 

We live in changing times, but I suspect that not getting something for nothing is something that will remain a constant.

 

Jamie

 

I don't think, or at least I hope, that anybody wants "something for nothing".

 

MRJ is the last bastion of "in depth" articles. Ones where you can actually take a few minutes out of real life and read them.

 

Even on RMWeb, the truly "in depth" writing is a rarity. Most posts are short and the longer ones are usually long because they are full of photos.

 

That is neither a good thing or a bad thing, it is just the way it is and on the web, I don't think I have the attention span to scroll through lots of pages of text. I dislike too much reading on a screen and much prefer to have a paper book/magazine but I know that the world changes constantly and will always do so.

 

I am not against change or new experiences at all and I find that unless I am learning new things I can get quite stale.

 

Which is why I am dabbling in scales and prototypes that I don't usually get involved with.

 

I just want to be treated like a mature (questionable - I know!) adult, which is what I am sure the vast majority of magazine readers are, rather than a teenager.

[t-b-g]

I've built a locomotive, the magazines were irelevant to its construction. The nice people from Archers (purveyers of quality rivets) were very helpfull though.

 

Lovely!

[ArthurK]

Tony,

        The big problem with kits is ??? the lack of anything new coming one the market .

 

 

How many new kits have been produced this year ? anyone know ? I can't think of many .

 

r.t.r far far far more produced, and in many case better detailed as well, than many of what are now very old kits.

 

 

Mick

 

I was inactive with my kits for the virtually the whole of 2017 after my wife died at the end of 2016. However things are beginning to move again. The J71 Is almost ready, just awaits new and updated brass castings. The two versions of the J72 will follow soon afterwards. The J25 etches are ready but again some castings are missing.

 

I am currently working on the internal valve gear for the Q7 which is all too visible from above due to the highly pitched boiler. The C6 is still progressing I hope to get new test etches during September/October. There may also be a surprise announcent within the next couple of months.

 

Surry that some of you have been waiting so long. Thankyou for your patience.

 

ArthurK

Edited August 31, 2018 by ArthurK

[Headstock]

I tend to rely on Tony for the longwinded posts. I have always found his writing style rather entertaining, usually interesting and  occasional inspirational, even if I don't always agree with everything. There is nothing wrong with driving of the rear axle or jointed coupling rods Chief.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Headstock

[Daddyman]

Good morning Daddyman,

 

 

the locomotive is 4 mm scale. I have always used Simonez car primer, right back to the days of cellulose. However, their acrylic is vey good, either red oxide or grey. I don't like certain brands popular in model railways, not good enough in my opinion. As far as recipes are concerned, clean, clean and clean again and then shake, shake and  shake again.

Many thanks for that. I've had a quick google and it seems to be called Simoniz. Is it a etching primer? 

 

Re the Archers, you do put these on with the thin film that links the rivets together, right? No one would be mad enough to put them on individually? It's just that I can see no sign of the film on your model. And do you put the rivets on to bare metal or between coats of primer? 

 

Thanks, 

David. 

[Headstock]

Many thanks for that. I've had a quick google and it seems to be called Simoniz. Is it a etching primer? 

 

Re the Archers, you do put these on with the thin film that links the rivets together, right? No one would be mad enough to put them on individually? It's just that I can see no sign of the film on your model. And do you put the rivets on to bare metal or between coats of primer? 

 

Thanks, 

David. 

 

David,

 

I think I've been auto corrected. Simoniz is the brand, beware some of the cheap ebay deals, some of this is old stock and poor. A combination of strips and individual rivets were applied as required over the first coat of primer and then lightly brushed over with Revell Decal soft. When dry and any detritus removed, another coat was added sealing it all in. I cut very thin strips, not much more than the thickness of the rivets, that said I have seen evidence of the strips being visible after priming with other car paints but I could not say if there is a connection.

 

With regards to etch primers, I recently bought quite an expensive brand with 8 in the title from our local car thingy shop. I don't know if it was faulty but it had very poor spray characteristics and what came out looked unpleasant to my eye. I wouldn't let it in the same room as a model. Hope that is of help.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Headstock

[Daddyman]

David,

 

I think I've been auto corrected. Simoniz is the brand, beware some of the cheap ebay deals, some of this is old stock and poor. A combination of strips and individual rivets were applied as required over the first coat of primer and then lightly brushed over with Revell Decal soft. When dry and any detritus removed, another coat was added sealing it all in. I cut very thin strips, not much more than the thickness of the rivets, that said I have seen evidence of the strips being visible after priming with other car paints but I could not say if there is a connection.

 

With regards to etch primers, I recently bought quite an expensive brand with 8 in the title from our local car thingy shop. I don't know if it was faulty but it had very poor spray characteristics and what came out looked unpleasant to my eye. I wouldn't let it in the same room as a model. Hope that is of help.

Good to hear that I'm applying the rivets in the right way, then - and also to hear that it's not just me who finds the etching primer with the "8" in the name useless. Thanks a lot! 

 

One final thing: where do you get Simoniz from? 

[Tony Wright]

Tony,

        The big problem with kits is ??? the lack of anything new coming one the market .

 

 

How many new kits have been produced this year ? anyone know ? I can't think of many .

 

r.t.r far far far more produced, and in many case better detailed as well, than many of what are now very old kits.

 

 

Mick

Mick,

 

I agree that there's nowhere near the proliferation of (loco) kits there used to be, but new ones are out there; SE Finecast's released ex-Nu-Cast J6 for instance - with more on the way from the same stable. 

 

I also agree that there's far more RTR being produced these days than kits (a reversal of what used to be?), and, in many (most?) cases it's more detailed and better-looking than many locos produced from, particularly, older kits. I have to say (on a personal level, of course), so what? What the RTR boys/girls produce is of little interest to me, and, even though there might be an RTR equivalent, I'll still build a kit. As I've said before, I do tire of seeing layout after layout stocked with RTR locos/stock, even when things have been done to them by way of (personal) improvement. I know it's an old chestnut with you, but so many RTR locos (LNER/ex-LNER specifically) still have their original bogie/pony wheels, smokebox pipework in the wrong place (Hornby's A3s), anorexic valve gear, return cranks leaning the wrong way, two sets of guard irons on a post-'51 Pacific (Hornby's A3s and A4s), footplates and tender soleplates which don't line up (Bachmann's A1s and A2s), wrong tenders (Bachmann's A4s), lack of wiggly pipes on the smokebox (Bachmann A1 and A2) and, as for robustness and long-term reliability, think again. There's no doubting much of what's available RTR is excellent (despite my list), but, at source, it just represents purchasing-power, and that's not how I view my interest in railway modelling. 

 

Again, a personal point of view.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

[thegreenhowards]

I have to disagree, but it might depend on where you draw the line between a kit and a scratch - building aid.

 

On this site alone you will find:

Rue d'Etropal (sp?) metropolitan coaches 

Mike Trice - rake of GNR 6 wheel coaches

Skinnylinney - rake of LBSCR coaches

 

Now these are not of traditional style, nor traditional materials - 3D printing, laser cut card (and soon to arrive laser cut MDF)

 

Maybe that does not count, or maybe we fall into the rtr trap of only being interested in locomotives.

You've missed the most obvious new kit for this thread - namely the J6 from SE Finecast. It's sat on my workbench right now and I'm rather enjoying it.

[Headstock]

Good to hear that I'm applying the rivets in the right way, then - and also to hear that it's not just me who finds the etching primer with the "8" in the name useless. Thanks a lot! 

 

One final thing: where do you get Simoniz from? 

 

David,

 

up until about a year ago, I was able to get it locally, from a local motor trade supplier. Unfortunately, I now have to get it mail order. I don't have a particular supplier. Two things that you may find of use if you want to try it. The spray pattern is relatively strong, so fast  movements across the target are the way to go. Secondly, I never spray a model directly from a new can, preferring to spray out a reasonable amount of paint before I am ready to go. I would also add that top coats are generally added by airbrush, so I have little experience of how other manufactures aerosols  would sit over the undercoat.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Headstock

[Tony Wright]

You've missed the most obvious new kit for this thread - namely the J6 from SE Finecast. It's sat on my workbench right now and I'm rather enjoying it.

Sitting!

[Headstock]

I was inactive with my kits for the virtually the whole of 2017 after my wife died at the end of 2016. However things are beginning to move again. The J71 Is almost ready, just awaits new and updated brass castings. The two versions of the J72 will follow soon afterwards. The J25 etches are ready but again some castings are missing.

 

I am currently working on the internal valve gear for the Q7 which is all too visible from above due to the highly pitched boiler. The C6 is still progressing I hope to get new test etches during September/October. There may also be a surprise announcent within the next couple of months.

 

Surry that some of you have been waiting so long. Thankyou for your patience.

 

ArthurK

 

It's funny that when you build a locomotive you fall in love with it a little. My first NER locomotive a B16. NER locomotives have a charm all of their own, I shall very much look forwards to seeing your C6 Atlantic, they were rather smashing looking locomotives.

[Daddyman]

David,

 

up until about a year ago, I was able to get it locally, from a local motor trade supplier. Unfortunately, I now have to get it mail order. I don't have a particular supplier. Two things that you may find of use if you want to try it. The spray pattern is relatively strong, so fast  movements across the target are the way to go. Secondly, I never spray a model directly from a new can, preferring to spray out a reasonable amount of paint before I am ready to go. I would also add that top coats are generally added by airbrush, so I have little experience of how other manufactures aerosols  would sit over the undercoat.

Thanks very much for this. I'll give it all a whirl. 

[micklner]

I have to disagree, but it might depend on where you draw the line between a kit and a scratch - building aid.

 

On this site alone you will find:

Rue d'Etropal (sp?) metropolitan coaches 

Mike Trice - rake of GNR 6 wheel coaches

Skinnylinney - rake of LBSCR coaches

 

Now these are not of traditional style, nor traditional materials - 3D printing, laser cut card (and soon to arrive laser cut MDF)

 

Maybe that does not count, or maybe we fall into the rtr trap of only being interested in locomotives.

 

Re your list

 

No 1 , I have never seen a photo of anything actually made that he has listed, so far, I therefore cannot make any comment re the quality.

 

No 2 Mike GN coaches look excellent, sadly only viable for GNR and local LNER modelling unless they travelled further in LNER?BR days as Dept vehicles?

 

No 3 never heard of make (sorry).

 

 

3D no doubt is something for the future , from what I have seen it needs to advance considerably, before it is a challenger to the quality of current etched brass kits.

 

Scratchbuilding is a far more specialised area for a small number of modellers these days. Cameo cutters etc, may change that in the future.

 

Whitemetal kits to at least to me are becoming a thing of the past , battleship thick sides to Cabs and Tenders and poor castings being a good reasons, some kits  are made mixed media e.g brass cabs and Tenders. DJH do some this way as the LNER A1 and A2 , however most of their older kits have never been updated, e.g C7 and D20 (which I have) with slab sided chassis and poor quality castings and low level of detail (for the price ) .

[thegreenhowards]

Sitting!

Sorry Sir. I'll retreat to the corner of the classroom!