Hi all, and first off let me say yes i did use the search feature but did not find the answers there so…does any one know how many of these dvd’s have been produced so far? i got the initial one in the mail the other day and am wondering about them, seems like a lot of bad reviews, some good and some good but not worth $24 a volume, so am not sure about that, the one i got is titled “Layouts,Modeling Tips & Prototype Railroads”, is that considered volume 1? or is there one marked volume 1?, also how many dream plan build series are out there?, i saw a set marked as “Real Rails Edition” i am going on the assumption that that is about prototype trains, correct?,thanks for any info.
The title you have is indeed Volume 1. I just received Volume 12 yesterday, so there are 11 more for you to preview. I also have 4 Real Rails Edition DVDs, 2 Industries in Action, 2 Rails Across America and 1 Special Project Edition DVD.
Don Z.
I received eight DVD’s before they stopped coming which was about six months ago so I presume at the present time that is the total number produced. To me, they are way overpriced and 75% of the features had little or no interest to me. However, they came out just after I retired and started building my “dream” layout after decades of armchair model railroading. I found that the two or three features on each DVD that had an interest to me were far more informative and inspiring than my collection of several hundred model railroad magazines. Maybe I just have a visual sort of mind but actually seeing something done helped me greatly. I usually came away with the thought that “hey, I can do that it doesn’t look that hard” and would give it a try. Reading a magazine article I would usually file it away in my mind with the idea that some day I would try that technique but then I never would.
I don’t regret buying the series, I still pull them out and rewatch a feature now and then when it pertains to something I’m starting to do. But, if I had it to do over again I would probably take the same amount of money and instead buy a half dozen of the 1 or 2 hour instuctional DVD’s available on the market which go into subjects to a much greater depth i.e. Paul Scoles Advanced Techniques for Realistic Scenery and David Frary’s Painting Model Structures. I think these type DVD’s provide a lot more “bang for the buck”.
Mike B.
So are those all considered seperate series? the real rails industries ect?, and why did they title them dream plan build then?, i mean yeah sure i would really like to build a full size prototype but…, well so some are about prototype railroads and industries and the others are about how to model same then?, thanks.
Dream Plan Build was about 12 DVD’s I believe
Special Industry Editions
Real Rails Editions
Special Project Editions
Special Big power editions.
All were additional DVD’s. I dont know of any other editions; maybe that is all that is.
It would be most helpful if Kalmbach hosted a section to show all of the previous and current DVD’s issued under the DPB Series so that we can keep track of which title or DVD was in which.
[#ditto] Yes that would be really nice, the whole thing is a tad confusing, and it would seem like they would actually make more money if they had a list of the videos and contents availible and you could choose that way, i wonder how many people started this, got #2 and 3, did not like them and returned them and got removed from the list and would have ended up buying #'s 4 5 6 & 7 or some such, oh well still not sure what i am going to do, i will say this though, for what its worth about a month ago i got a dvd from the NRA on self defense with a handgun, and it came with a nice little offer for more unspecified titles at an unspecified price with a nifty little coin, looks like it was struck at the same place out of the same metal, coincidence? i think not.
My guess as to the reason for all the lack of information, info on how to get “in” on the DPB videos, etc is because Kalmbach wants it to be a bennie of being an MR subscriber. They’re hoping word would get around that to get these cool DPB videos you need to subscribe to MR.
Putting up info on the videos, etc would make them seem like separate products and then people would want to buy them separately from getting a subscription to MR.
While this might make some marketing sense if your goal is to beef up MR subscription sales, it sure muddies the waters to not consider these videos to be a full-fledged product in their own right. It would be wonderful if the DPB videos had their own information pages, ability to buy them online, etc.
Oh well …
Well at $24.95 a piece i don’t really see that as much of a bennie, now if they sold them for that price to the unwashed masses as it were and to us subcribers for oh maybe $5-10 less now that would be a bennie!, it’s like their books, i have 5-6 of them now and will likely have more in the future but it would not sit well with me to have to pay for the book on pre war lionel and DCC to get the one on N-scale modeling, call me crazy but…[2c].
I was going to start a new thread regarding this topic, but decided to use the search function first, and it led me to this topic.
I recieved my first DVD the other day and my initial thoughts were “I can’t afford a series, I’m going to mail it back.” Being a Nascar enthusiast, I have already had one of these types of DVDs mailed to me in a similar format.
I hence decided to watch the DVD before mailing it back. I was impressed with the amout of information in it, as well as the demonstrations on modeling that sometimes are unclear to me when reading them or seeing the product in a store.
I see that if I keep the DVD it is only 9 95.
BUT
I don’t think all of the DVDs in the series will be that same price.
The more I read about it on this thread it seems like they are more expensive (the 9.95 could be an introductory price).
What does anyone else know about this series? Are all of the DVDs 9 95 and is it worth the offset cost of purchasing them? From this I mean I can obtain knowledge via MR magazine, the forums, as well as the online bonus subscription stuff from MR.
The DVD is packed with info, but not enough for me to be 100 percent certain on if I would like to spend the money or if I should save the little I make in this wonderful state of economic times that we are in for something else (like more modeling stuff!)
Thanks
Hey Don, get outta my crew lounge!!!
My DVD collection is now one half DPB vids. Train videos hold my son’s attention longer than regular TV, so they are all welcome at my house. Alot of the segments are from other TV programs anyway. They aren’t cheap, but then again, what really is these days? I just wish they’d space them apart a little longer as I often find myself with one unviewed when the next arrives. Yuppers, I do get busy at times. My viewing room is open, please keep your beverages on the provided coasters and remember to tip your waitress.
Tattoguy67,
Here’s a link to the Table of Contents for this series that I’ve been maintaining here as they come out. http://www.trains.com/TRC/CS/forums/1351773/ShowPost.aspx
I have two additional volumes I haven’t had time to append to the list yet:
Volume 14 and the just received a couple of days ago: Special Projects: Painting Backdrops
Hope this helps answer some of your questions. Ken
I have found useful information in these, and enjoy seeing some of the featured layouts, but agree that they arrive too frequently.
I talked with someone at the company about this (when I got a duplicate) and they suggested I delay payment a couple weeks after receiving…that would slow shipping the next one…they start processing the next one when payment is received.
I have all 12 of the “Dream-Plan-Build” series, plus a few of the Specials. Parts of each one have something of interest, but not worth the $300+ that I have spent on them. I am glad to see that Joe Fugate added his comments to this thread. Personally, I feel that the $100 that I spent on Joe Fugate’s series of 5 DVDs was the best $100 that I have spent on model railroading. One can buy individual volumes or individual chapters of Joe’s series. Click on his comments on this thread, to preview any or all of his DVDs. Bob Hahn