Quote from: Newportnobby on Today at 10:58:07 AM

Quote from: chrism on Today at 10:51:34 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on Today at 09:43:34 AM

Quote from: chrism on Today at 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is.

It's called "fun time", no charge 

It wouldn't be for you, of course, because it involves, ahem, soldering 

 

But then the comparison is wrong because Gaugemaster don't do it for fun. They do it for commercial gain

Which is, of course, why they charge what they do.

Quote from: chrism on Today at 10:51:34 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on Today at 09:43:34 AM

Quote from: chrism on Today at 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is.

It's called "fun time", no charge 

It wouldn't be for you, of course, because it involves, ahem, soldering 

 

But then the comparison is wrong because Gaugemaster don't do it for fun. They do it for commercial gain

Quote from: Newportnobby on Today at 09:43:34 AM

Quote from: chrism on Today at 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is.

It's called "fun time", no charge 

It wouldn't be for you, of course, because it involves, ahem, soldering 

Quote from: chrism on Today at 09:24:34 AMIndeed, making things yourself can save a lot of money - granted not if you cost in your time, but making things yourself is surely at least half the fun of the hobby.

Why would you cost in your time when working on your hobby? That'd be like costing your time to read a book, watch a TV programme or undertake any other enjoyment pastime. If modelling is your hobby you'll no doubt find time spent on it rewarding and fun.

IMO costing and charging for time would be for business activity if undertaking your hobby on a commercial commission basis to generate revenue.

We pay extra for factory weathered models so if we, at some point in the future, sell them on (for whatever reason) can we expect their residual value to be a little more than pristine ones?

And what about aftermarket weathering? Rails, TMC, Grimy Times etc offer weathering which is a cost over and above the standard model but does that increase the value?

Personally I perceive a certain @Ensign Elliott weathering to be superior to all the above. Likewise, I've had some great weathering done on rolling stock by @mk1gtstu . But can it then be claimed they have been professionally weathered as per the companies in the second paragraph? Sadly, I think not.

I wouldn't even consider my own weathering efforts on an expensive loco but am happy to attempt weathering on rolling stock in the belief freight/parcels stock was rarely, if ever, cleaned. My perception is the residual value of that rolling stock is lessened by my own efforts if it came to selling that stock.

I'd be interested to hear the opinions of others.

Quote from: chrism on Today at 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is. Does it still come out cheaper, and Gaugemaster have a lifetime warranty?
Just acting Devil's advocate

Quote from: Bazza on Today at 08:40:09 AMEverything is expensive these days and/or is getting more so, but you can contain you outlay by not purchasing very new product that is launched, making things from cheaper materials

Indeed, making things yourself can save a lot of money - granted not if you cost in your time, but making things yourself is surely at least half the fun of the hobby.

For example, by using our 3D printer I've made coaches for the club (and for me) for around £15 a pop, wagons for £8-9 and locos for around £70-80 - all models that cannot be bought off the shelf anyway.

Another example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

I'm with @maridunian on this one.

Apart from Peco and Kato products, I don't buy new nowadays.

Instead, my Imaginary Friend, Bertie Poppingham, and I founded SPAM - the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Models. We try to buy old models on the cheap by 'bottom-feeding' on ebay and the like. Bertie, being Lord Pandaford to all but his family and close friends, has a more aristocratically polite term for this - 'floundering'.

Unloved model purchased and then agreeable time spent escaping from the world refurbishing it. Pure joy!

And then the, by now, much-loved and SuperSpiffing model can be played with on the Table-Top Railway. What a wonderful hobby.





You see...

...'N' Gauge is Such Cheap Fun!

With all good wishes.

John

I'm glad here in the UK we had Kames Burke

I agree that prices of new locos and rolling stock are utterly staggering.

I am lucky, in that I probably could afford to buy new wagons for 2-3 hours' minimum wage or locos for 15-20, but I refuse to.

The vast majority of my collection is (at least) second hand, and I enjoy customising it all the more because it's old, worn and cheap (like me!)

Mike