Do loose rivits count???[%-)][%-)][%-)]
well said all!
having read the posts I must confess that I am as well becoming Rivet Counter !
I took a look what is on my shelves and ndbprr is right, along the tracks you get more critical in what you buy.
As I compare what I bought a few years ago: Walthers Trainline, I thought it looked good, THEN,
and what I buy now: Genesis, P2K or Intermountain I think it looks ok NOW
but the temptation of brass . . . . . .
I saw the AA come up in Jetrocks post, maybe there is room for me with the RCA ! ( Rivet Counters Anonymous )
I count my own rivets, some of which I am told are loose. It is fun to build a totally accurate model now and then, but I do ot have time to build an entire fleet of freight cars to exact standards. Is it fun to build a near perfect model? Absolutely, at least for me. Is it fun to count someone elses rivets? No, I have enough trouble with my own.
Keep the steam up.
Tom
Just cause they’re hanging aound in bars and such doesn’t make them bad rivets
Although it’s been alluded to in several posts I think we need to get specific here. I have always heard the “rivet counter” term applied to those guys who inform you that your model is a scale three inches too short, or “The Pennsy never had a caboose with that number”, etc. The guys who strive to build dead on accurate models aren’t rivet counters, they are excellent modelers. Most of those guys don’t criticize the work of others, they help when they can and share when you ask.
If by rivet counting you mean trying to learn a lot about locomotives, rolling stock, etc. Then yes, it’s a lot of fun. It’s not fun when a guy comes up to you and says “you got the proper layout and equiptment run that engine with?” then no, it’s evil. We should be able to model what we want. If they want everything to be exact, they can do it on their own layout.
True, the vast majority of prototype modelers won’t criticize someone else’s modeling TO THEIR FACE, but most DO criticize bad modeling. And most proto modelers actually like the term rivet counter. The diehard proto guys are starting to call themselves Proto Police!
I have no problem with any of this, since I proudly call myself a proto modeler (I’m not quite really, but close enough).