Hot and Bothered in Milwaukee ...

[nachoman]

The one that seems to crop up continuously is "if you don't (xyz), you aren't a real modeler". "xyz" has been a number of things over the years. In the 1950s it was "scratchbuild" or "lay your own track", and now it is "if you buy RTR..."

But the argument has been used at any given time in this hobby and in every model railroad circle to determine what is a true model railroad and what isn't. At certain times and places, a 4x8 is not a "layout", and anything with a continuous loop is not a "serious layout". Sometimes such arguments are printed in the letters section of Model Railroader, and are good for a few laughs when read a decade or more later.