It is highly unlikely that MR is going to change its current content any time soon. If you like scratchbuilding, subscribe to RMC, which has a regular monthly column devoted to the subject, along with additional articles addressing different projects. Other of the specialty magazines also cater far more to real model railroading and less to simply buying your way into the hobby.
CNJ831
I sure would. Practically all of the buildings on my HO scale home layout are scratch built because I wanted a rustic, rundown western ghost town.
I don’t see Model Railroader changing, though. Most readers today want to purchase a Woodland Scenics Built-Up or shake-the-box plastic kit structure that only takes 5 minutes to assemble, and then say that they are a modeler.
I subscribe to Railroad Model Craftsman but don’t find the scratch building articles in it to be of much value because they seem to always be geared to the east coast structures and railroads.
Can’t build much for a dollar today. Maybe a $20 corner?
My point in bringing up the dollar projects wasn’t necessarily that things could be done for a dollar but it isn’t out of the question. The ability to scrounge good materials instead of buying them at a hobby shop can substanially lower the intial cost of a project. Tips that make things easier to do like filling a piece of brass tubing with salt or sand before bending will prevent kinking don’t have a large cost associated with them and make scratch building easier to do. Unfortunately the generations behind mine seem to have a mindset of throwing money at everything for instant gratification instead of ingenuiuty and the satisfaction of building a one of a kind. I have done many projects that when I began I had no idea of what methods and materials I would ultimately use or need. When done (and some took years) I was often surprised at how well they turned out and at how good they looked. And the ultimate pride which as the commercial say’s is “priceless”.
I subscribe to Railroad Model Craftsman but don’t find the scratch building articles in it to be of much value because they seem to always be geared to the east coast structures and railroads.
Primarily, perhaps, but not always. Although not scratchbuilding, that 2 parter by Tom Dill on creating an SP ex-SSW Consol from a Spectrum 2-8-0 was pretty good. And then there was an article a few years ago on scratch-building a NWP station. By and large, however, RMC does concentrate on the East Coast.
Andre
Well that’s a bit of the problem isn’t it? If I go to RMC, then MRR looses me as a customer. I currently been going to the news stand and buying the issues on a month to month basis.
If MRR loses you as a customer because your interests are not being met, then so be it. RMC has a nice article with plans for scratch building a barn this month. I think that MRR and RMC are very complimentary publications. I get both of them. If I had to choose one, it would be RMC in a heartbeat.
First of all. I’d like to see scratch building articles and scratch building supply ads. I don’t mind that the articles are not what I need to scratch–because how many people model ornate brick buildings in my hometown. But still, I get ideas from their techniques even when I think there are better ways.
As for the ads, I read them before the articles. I start with the front of the magazine thumb through until I hit the meat, then start at the back and go forward. I prefer RMC ads because they tend toward the higher end craftsman stuff while MR pushes the generic commercial.
I’d love to see it again. I have a years worth of MR dated 1992 that I borrowed from a friend at there is at least one scratchbuilding project each month. I have noticed an occasional project in current issues but like everyone else would like to see more. Bob