"We are all Different" so "What kind of Modeller Are You" ?

longbridge · March 19, 2013, 10:48:42 PM

There are all types of Railway Modellers out there, some love super detail others are quite content to buy ready made models and leave then as they are so what kind of modeller are you?

Because N gauge is so small and my eyesight is not what it used to be I use the word represent as a guideline to my layouts, so long as things look something like what they are supposed to I am happy.

I used to model with more accuracy when I was into OO Gauge but not so with N, if I cant see it properly I don't worry about it.

I believe the word represent could also be applied to manufacturers particularly those that manufacture Locomotives, one example is the front bogie on the Farish BoB which is nothing more than a rectangular piece of steel with 4 wheels sticking out of it.

Having said that I respect everyones right to model at a level that they are happy with, I enjoy layouts that are super detailed but at 70 years of age this year I doubt I will have the time to be spending hours on a small section of a layout.

scotsoft · March 19, 2013, 11:00:27 PM

At the moment I have a few buildings I have bought second hand and they are plonked down.

However I do keep trying to make small dioramas, so far still very badly, but if you don't practice you won't improve.

cheers John.

OwL · March 19, 2013, 11:01:50 PM

Iam alot like you Dave. I enjoy RtR models and tend to leave things at that.

I must confess that im not one for kits, due to time more than anything else. I like everything ready to run and out of the box, including scenery. That way i can plonk stuff where i want it and then get on with what i like best......

Playing Trains. At the end of the day thats what we all do

All the best Dave,

Dave

Sprintex · March 20, 2013, 05:32:25 AM

With regard to rolling stock I'm firmly in the RTR 'box' and will gladly wait for a particular version of a loco or wagon to be released rather than kit-bash or repaint. The only exception so far has been my rake of Ford livery VGAs that there's probably no hope of ever seeing as a RTR model, and come on it's ME so had to have Ford wagons somewhere!

Scenery and buildings are different though as I have a mixture of ready-made, kit and scratch built and I look at each one for ways to detail and improve it so it 'looks right'.
Same with trackwork which is why I have gone to the trouble to install cable trunking, orange ducting and check rails

To me it's the tiny details that make the difference, but I'd also add that a lot of it depends on whether the model is intended to be exhibited or just for your own personal satisfaction

Paul

davidjhope · March 20, 2013, 08:27:18 AM

I tend to spend all of my time creating the layout rather than running it.
Due to space I'm only able to have very small layouts which are to small to be roundy roundy ones.
I enjoy creating scenery and scratch building generally avoiding ready made buildings.
i would love to have the time and the money to have a large roundy, roundy layout. Who knows maybe one of the kids might leave home and free up a room for me.

Geoff · March 20, 2013, 08:42:45 AM

As you know I am building a new layout but as far as fine detail that might send me over the edge but will see, I have bought some ratio buildings and also a metcalfe station, for the platforms not sure what I will use or if I will profile them myself from balsa wood, but I do want the layout looking realistic as much as possible. I have bought some trees in and I will have to buy some more yet, I do not want the layout looking to plasticy.

Belated · March 20, 2013, 08:53:58 AM

Sticking my oar in . . .

I'm with most of the subscribers to this thread so far. At the same age as Dave in Oz (Longbridge), I can't see most of the fine detail on many of the latest locos and other rolling stock. I have nothing but admiration for those who can scratchbuild ar kitbash to get what they want - my feeble efforts have produced only horror stories! As someone said in a post I read yesterday, I have 00 fingers working on N gauge models. I do have a fair number of plastic kit buildings which I have managed to insert into their surroundings a bit on previous layout attempts and now am trying to fit into the current effort. Like most modellers, I believe, I hate throwing things away, lol. "That will come in useful on the railway someday . . ." is almost a password in our house.

The modern rolling stock is far better than it was back in the 70's when I returned to the hobby and started buying trains. Certainly I can't improve on it - and I've tried in the past.

The word 'represent' applies to my modelling in spades - I can run a box on wheels round the track and call it a train - only I will see it, apart from my indulgent family, so why should anyone else care. If I can get a better box which looks more like a train, even to me, so much the better. I'm not even panicking about small details or procedures, though I am doing my best to get such things right. I don't have time anymore to spend on infinite detail so just let me be happy with what I've got and I'll let you continue with whatver it is YOU like about modelling.

John

Oldman · March 20, 2013, 09:47:03 AM

Not a very good modeler at all.
Can cope with small spaces but go to pieces on anything bigger than a square foot.

Have great ideas but cannot transform them into anything I am happy with.
Love doing different things but not over interested in running the trains.

red_death · March 20, 2013, 09:59:48 AM

I like to tinker and improve things. Most of the things are simple to do - a bit of detailing, the odd re-paint, basic weathering etc. But I still have some horrors both old and recent and I am still learning better ways to do things.

I like kit building or scratch building stock and buildings. More interested in freight stock than passenger.

Not that interested in playing trains at all. Much more interested in the research, design and building.

I find it frustrating when people complain about "rivet counters" or complain that the class 96 in Netfreight livery from 1 April 2001 isn't available but shoot you down when you try to suggest solutions. As the thread title says - we are all different and have different interests, none more valid or "better" than any others.

Cheers, Mike

1936ace · March 20, 2013, 10:05:00 AM

I'm a br blue guy because I like them. I just play trains and run anything so the purists would most likely not be happy.
I do rtr but would love to have the time and skill but don't and the same goes for weathering. I'm just coming to tems with weathering and are buying rtr locks and wagons.
I love the hobby and reckon everyone's layouts or efforts are fantastic.
I love the ones that a so real it's mad but I know I will never have the skill knowledge or time so I'm happy playing trains
Bart

Newportnobby · March 20, 2013, 12:51:16 PM

I am firmly in the camp of "if it looks OK, it is OK" and am grateful we are getting more and better details on models.
I have no clue about specific carriage identities, but as long as I have a rake of Mk1's in the right colour scheme with a brake at the end and behind a loco I know would be found in the area I'm modelling, I am a happy bunny

Not exactly Rule 1 as I am fairly strict on that (except for the BP)

When I have more time later this year I have a multitude of kits to make and have bought an airbrush kit so all hell will break loose then

If someone sees my layout and starts making comments about what should and should not be seen, they can just bog off and do their own thing

PaulCheffus · March 20, 2013, 03:33:10 PM

Hi

I enjoy scratch and kit building as I enjoy the challenge but I do get annoyed when I complete something only to have one of the manufacturers announce it as their next model.

Cheers

Paul

MinZaPint · March 20, 2013, 05:02:46 PM

For me it's mainly RTR although I did build a kit loco years ago, I have some wagon kits to build later on but the main task is to get something running! I'm trying to keep to pre 1947 SR & GWR and for looks it's going to be done on the cheap, hopefully realistic enough to please me

I do admire the detailed work that some on the forum achieve but beeing of the same vintage as Longbridge I shall be happy with the 3' rule. That's one of the great things about this forum we all model to our own levels and as long as we enjoy ourselves that's fine with me.

Mustermark · March 20, 2013, 06:26:57 PM

I'm at one end of the spectrum I think... N Gauge brings out my OCD!

I love all the tiny details. from putting on the bits out of the bag on my brand new loco, to detailing scenery. I'm either dry brushing tree trunks to make the bark show, or I'm putting "overhead wires" transfers on a loco. None of which you can really appreciate from more than a few feet away.

One extreme is when I put tiny billboard ads and station signs in the subway at "Reading General". Not only are they hard to see close up with it in front of you, they are physically impossible to see when in place, and then the subway itself is hard to see with the station canopy on top. So, why bother? Two reasons... I enjoy the detail modelling bit, and even though I can't see them, I know they are there. Given the size of my layout, I think 10 years might be an underestimate of the time to completion!

Mind you I didn't bother with the brake discs on my MkIIIs yet...

GlenP · March 20, 2013, 06:45:25 PM

I'm currently a slightly confused modeller as I've started a second layout whilst only having the basics sorted on the first!

I don't claim to be a brilliant modeller, so stock, etc. is all RTR. I am working on card buildings (see posts elsewhere) with varying degrees of success.

A lot of my interest is in the automated control and producing realistic operation rather than a finely detailed model. That's partly why I started the second layout as I'm using Setrack and it's all going together a lot more quickly.

Glen

PS I shall plead guilty to the "O Gauge Fingers" comment mentioned above!