04-24-2014, 07:00 AM
Charlie's right, it's not about the banks and financing.
A lot of people in this hobby also want quality models. Model power rolling stock was entry level and toy-like to many modellers. A lot of manufacturers have gone and improved their designs (for example, compare what Bachmann offered before and what they have now).
Kato set the bar pretty high when they started putting out rolling stock that ran flawlessly and looked amazing compared to other offerings. Hand rails were closer to scale than the 6 inch wide scale handrails. My Kato NW2 still runs better than some of the current offerings.
If you wanted to improve on the detailing, it often included repainting the model or at the very least, touchups (hello weathering).
Although some of the Mantua offerings weren't half bad, Model Power's stuff was very toy-like to me. While you could argue that stuff like Model Power was a good starting point for kitbashes, the detail parts needed, painting, and hours put in can just as easily be spent on a craftsman kit.
The internet is also dictating the flow of the hobby. Local hobby shops are stocking their shelves with whatever sells fast (and very often have their own internet business as well). They have rent & bills to pay. Remember how every hobby manufacturer had to put their offerings in the Walthers catalog if they wanted to succeed in the hobby? Now many of Walthers' biggest advertisers have gone internet only. Don't believe me? look at the old catalogs where Athearn took up the most pages. Now try to recall the last time that Athearn was in the Walthers Catalog (2004).
With the internet and technology accelerating exponentially, 3D printers will soon replace manufacturing (when's the last time that you saw factories on Star Trek) and many more manufacturers will succumb to closure. While people will argue that last point, just remember that the technology used for a basic calculator took up an entire city block; to the size of a room; to the size of a brick; to the size of a watch (in fact I had a Casio touch screen watch with a calculator on it 30 years ago in 1984); to a free app for smart phones. We are seeing 3D printing in it's infancy. Sci Fi movies refer to them as replicators.
The next step is organic 3D replicators so you can make hamburgers or Pasta Primavera (they are in development). Remember how Bugs Bunny had dehydrated meals where he just added a drop of water and it became a 7 course meal? Coming Soon.
Current technology is always old technology later.
A lot of people in this hobby also want quality models. Model power rolling stock was entry level and toy-like to many modellers. A lot of manufacturers have gone and improved their designs (for example, compare what Bachmann offered before and what they have now).
Kato set the bar pretty high when they started putting out rolling stock that ran flawlessly and looked amazing compared to other offerings. Hand rails were closer to scale than the 6 inch wide scale handrails. My Kato NW2 still runs better than some of the current offerings.
If you wanted to improve on the detailing, it often included repainting the model or at the very least, touchups (hello weathering).
Although some of the Mantua offerings weren't half bad, Model Power's stuff was very toy-like to me. While you could argue that stuff like Model Power was a good starting point for kitbashes, the detail parts needed, painting, and hours put in can just as easily be spent on a craftsman kit.
The internet is also dictating the flow of the hobby. Local hobby shops are stocking their shelves with whatever sells fast (and very often have their own internet business as well). They have rent & bills to pay. Remember how every hobby manufacturer had to put their offerings in the Walthers catalog if they wanted to succeed in the hobby? Now many of Walthers' biggest advertisers have gone internet only. Don't believe me? look at the old catalogs where Athearn took up the most pages. Now try to recall the last time that Athearn was in the Walthers Catalog (2004).
With the internet and technology accelerating exponentially, 3D printers will soon replace manufacturing (when's the last time that you saw factories on Star Trek) and many more manufacturers will succumb to closure. While people will argue that last point, just remember that the technology used for a basic calculator took up an entire city block; to the size of a room; to the size of a brick; to the size of a watch (in fact I had a Casio touch screen watch with a calculator on it 30 years ago in 1984); to a free app for smart phones. We are seeing 3D printing in it's infancy. Sci Fi movies refer to them as replicators.
The next step is organic 3D replicators so you can make hamburgers or Pasta Primavera (they are in development). Remember how Bugs Bunny had dehydrated meals where he just added a drop of water and it became a 7 course meal? Coming Soon.
Current technology is always old technology later.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines
" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
Port Able Lines
" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.