As I wander the aisles of the many area hobby shops, I have noticed the diminishing availability of HO RR car kits, particularly Athern, in favor of “Ready-to-Run” models. Upon questioning the hobby shop people, they tell me that Athearn is discontinuing most of their kits because model railroaders don’t want to be bothered with having to assemble kits.
I liked the Athearn kits because they were an inexpensive base for becoming a kit bashed more detailed & realistic-looking model. By the time all the extra component [grabs, wheels, decals,etc] are added, the cost has grown to be extensive. Now, it looks like one will have to buy RTR at twice the kit price, and disassemble it to bash it into a realistic-looking model.
AM I THE ODD-BALL HERE? I thought that was what model RR was all about.
It certainly has been fodder for reams of articles and books. It seems that this is the way things in all walks of life are going. Do People prefer to pay others to do the things that they could often do better themselves, but no longer want to be bothered with it?
Is this hobby, like many others becoming milieu of the well-to do? I’d like to see the thoughts of others on this subject.
I model in N-scale, and that has mostly been RTR from the beginning. However, there have been some kits available from time to time over the years.
When I came back into the hobby a couple of years ago (after a 15 year break), I was astonished over the leaps in quality and availability. However, I was also astonished (more so) over the increase in prices. Not having much in the MRR budget, I hunted around for the best values. One of these was the older Roundhouse/MDC kits. They are simple to put together, nicely detailed, and currently going for clearance prices. Other than the poor trucks & couplers (which are easily replaced), I can’t figure out why these apparently fizzled out.
Needless to say, most of my current fleet consists of these cars.
I suppose people would rather purchase $15 (and up) RTR’s rather than spend a few minutes to assemble a $5 (and lower) kit. Perhaps this hobby is attracting a more affluent clientele?
Yes you are but you’re not alone.I used to be in R/C flying models and I can say that the situation is the same in this great hobby too.For different reasons,true modelers are getting fewer,wether it is lack of time,skills,space,tooling or simply because people don’t want to invest the extra effort needed to create something real special.
The key words in our fast pace life today are quick,cheap and easy,which means that very little consideration is given to craftsmanship or the special character obtained by the painstaking work involved.
I’m no better in a way.I can’t find the time to build a satisfying layout right now and I will obviously have to cut some corners,make some choices.I understand your point however.Manufacturers have one goal…staying in business and making $$$…so that they offer what has selling potential thus dropping production of goodies that have lesser demand.It’s a shame but it’s the law of business.
I don’t think you are an oddball unless you are a relatively young model railroader. Being “older,” I still prefer to buy kits and build them myself, particularly advanced kits from manufacturers such as Red Caboose or even strach-building. However, I think we are in the age of “immediate gratification” combined with long work weeks which leads many folks to try to optimize their time. So, ready-built, highly detailed kits are probably preferred my many modelers. And between Kadee, Walthers and others plus Proto 2000, Steward and Athearn, there is a lot of very good running, superbly painted and highly detailed ready-to-run models to buy. While I still like to build rolling stock, I can’t see ever building another Hobby Town diesel, much less a steam locomotive.
It took me 5 years to build a meidum size layout (12x27 room) while working roughly 50 hours a week plus high travel and keeping a marriage stable. And then another year to fini***he scenery. That’s a lot of time in today’s busy world. So, I can understand the desire for buying completed models.
Your question coincides with some recent thoughts about how the NMRA will change its Achievement Award criteria for engines and cars - both of which require substantial scratch-building. Further, to be an MMR requires one of these two awards.
Sign of the times,I guess. Athearn R-T-R? Your kidding!!! The 1 1/2 minute to build kit!
Walthers now ONLY offering certain buildings ready to place! To me ,building is what it’s all about. Nobody will ever convince me they don’t have time. It doesn’t have to be done in an hour,a night,a week,do it as time permits,the rewards are great! Whats next?,instant layout,just add water.Hmmmm!,interesting question,if you can’t find time for a simple kit,where oh where are you ever going to find time to build the layout to run that R-T-R car.Odd ball?,not on your life,There’s a lot more of us than you think,we’re just spread a little thin.I think I see the making of a poll here.
Coalfired, you are absolutely correct and I think you are right about the poll, do it. Everything on my layout is built or will be built by me. So maybe I take a few kits and styrene to get what I want, model railroading is supposed to be fun isn’t it. It is not a job. So rrwitt if you are an oddball, you have a lot of company.
We are oddballs. RTR or close to it is the way the industry is going. There will always be room for the boutique kit provider (F&C comes to mind, Westerfield, others). give them your patronage. Scratchbuild or kit bash. Hit the flea markets. Have fun. When the hobby starts to quiet down a bit (and it will!! the Boomers will finally have some time!!) you will see kits and scratchwork coming back.
ok, I have read Athearn’s news releases, right from Athearn. They are not discontinuing all the kits. They are mostly retiring the non-powered locomotives.
Check out Athearn.com for yourself.
I too, was worried about the kit’s disappearing. It’s not going to happen. My local hobby shop has at least 200 kits on his shelf.
If your local hobby shop says the kits are disappearing, find another shop, as he’s just trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
Don’t forget Accurail!!! I’ve recently discovered these kits at my local hobby shop.
I haven’t seen these in RTR yet.
I am also dismayed with the abundance of R-T-R models. In most cases I would much rather have to pay less for a kit and assemble it myself than pull a finished car out of a box. When I assemble a kit, I often make minor improvements (grab irons, weathered trucks, etc) that I would tend to skip on R-T-R car.
However, there are a few examples of R-T-R cars that I just love:
Walthers tank cars (Is it me, or do the older kits tend to come apart when handled too much?) All I do to these is add a little weight, metal wheels, kadee couplers, and add the included grab irons.
Athearns RTR 28’ trailers (Id rather spend my time painting locos and rolling stock than those Rail Power trailer kits)
I love Life Like’s Time-Saver Kits, I can recieve the satisfaction of assembling a highly-detailed car without worrying about losing the tiny detail parts. I also enjoy assembling Kato locomotives. I find it fun adding all the detail parts on their locomotives, and again, I get the satisfaction of finishing a project that looks and runs great.
I’m sad to see the end of Rail Power Products undecorated shells. I was only able to make one custom loco from their shells, and it turned out great. By myself, I was able to create a well-detailed model of a uinique prototype that is now a ‘fallen flag’ I am truly proud of that engine, and would do another in a hearbeat if I could get my hands on another RailPower shell.
I encourage everyone to go and build a kit. It doesnt matter if it doesnt turn out perfect, or the details may be simplifed. When you assemble a kit, you invest a part of yourself in that model, and the satisfation is beyond compare.
I also enjoy the kits.I still search for the kits to build myself.I was looking at the 6 pack of Athearn quad hoppers last night.A little pricey I think.80.00 for the same kits assembled.They do look nice though.As far as time constraints go,I am an HVAC technician so I know the meaning of no time.I still prefer the satisfaction of building it myself.It gives me a sense of accomplishment.Dan
I think this has been an untapped market and what we are seeing is an initial lot of buying by people that might otherwise not be in the hobby. Once this bulge passes I think we will see more balance between the two. But rtr is here to stay. It does allow you to get into the layout phase faster. I know in my case when I switched to S a few years back RTR allowed me to concentrate on getting the layout started and running trains more quickly than I could have otherwise. But I am still collecting kits and building them. In S scale the hi rail market dominates, but the kits are there. Scratchbuilding supplies are harder to come by, but there is always mail order.
Enjoy
Paul
I’ve been away from the hobby for 15 years. Upon my return, I was dismayed by the drift away from kits of all types, and the pricing of what is out there, both ready to run and kits. A decent steam loco was barely affordable in kit for when I left the hobby. Today, the very nice looking ready to run locos are just as unaffordable, the kits have trippled in price, and my budget still crys when I go shopping. I am trying to resurect some old steam kits by Mantua and Model Die Casting, kits I PATIALLY assembled many years ago. It took 5 months, 4 emails, and a written letter to get a parts diagram from MDC. The new owners of the Mantual line gave me an 800 number to call. After 7 calls, I finally got an answer, only to find out the man I needed to talk to was not in.
It seems that the industry wants to sell only RTR merchansise, ignor requests for help with older lines, and operate without contact from us who they expect to buy the nice looking but pricey models. I’m glad I developed SOME scratchbuilding skills. Basswood, rocks and dirt are still affordable. And lichen still grows in the woods.
I suppose I must be half an oddball in that I prefer my loco’s and freight cars to be RTR but I enjoy kit-building structures. Its easier to stamp your own style on a structure whether its by simply repainting or altering it to fit the available space.
Brian
To be fair to Athearn their latest RTR stuff is nicer looking than just an assembled version of their kits. (where the fact that the frames and coupler pockets and brake wheels were not painted to match the cars is a minor annoyance but is addressed in the RTR line). Better paint and lettering for one.
If it is kits you want I would suggest trying the Accurail line, which are nicely designed. The P2K kits are more challenging and demand more care. The work is not “difficult” per se there is just a lot of it.
Dave Nelson
You are definitely not an oddball, but I think we model builders are in the minority right now. The manuacturers are responding to what they see, probably correctly, as what the market wants. Whether it is a lack of time, or a desire to spend the model railroading time working on the layout or whatever, many people are prefectly willing to spend the money for RTR.
Intermountain’s and Red Caboose’s web sites bear this out. They are releasing very few kits these days and their kits are among the best that were available.
Fortunately, they can still be found in a lot of shops and swap meets. Branchline is producing some excellent kits. Accurail’s kits are simpler but very nicely done. Their 40’ double sheathed boxcar is one of my favorites. It’s a great starting point to add additional and finer detail to.
The cast resin kits from manufacturers like Westerfield, Smoky Mountain Model Works and Wright Trak Models are another good way to go. Preparing the pieces takes some time, but after that they go together about like any other kit.
The situation could be a lot better, but it could be a whole lot worse too.
This goes back to the makers giving us what we buy rather than what we say we will buy. Polls showed we wanted a cheap fuel effecient car. Detroit built Pintos and Vegas, but we bought Lincolns and Caddys. Same with RTR v kits. We say we want kits but companies sell and we buy RTR. I don’t think they will quit selling and making kits, but the increase in RTR is due to that’s what selling. Companies would be shooting themselves in the foot if they didn’t respond to this trend and supply the market with rtr.
I’m not against the principle of RTR; they have much better detail than those kits with molded-on ladders and grab irons, but in many cases those newly issued items are not matched with any kit and leave us with only one choice: kitbash or RTR.
Posts: 12
Joined: 24 Mar 2002
Location: US As I wander the aisles of the many area hobby shops, I have noticed the diminishing availability of HO RR car kits, particularly Athern, in favor of “Ready-to-Run” models. Upon questioning the hobby shop people, they tell me that Athearn is discontinuing most of their kits because model railroaders don’t want to be bothered with having to assemble kits.
I liked the Athearn kits because they were an inexpensive base for becoming a kit bashed more detailed & realistic-looking model. By the time all the extra component [grabs, wheels, decals,etc] are added, the cost has grown to be extensive. Now, it looks like one will have to buy RTR at twice the kit price, and disassemble it to bash it into a realistic-looking model.
AM I THE ODD-BALL HERE? I thought that was what model RR was all about.
It certainly has been fodder for reams of articles and books. It seems that this is the way things in all walks of life are going. Do People prefer to pay others to do the things that they could often do better themselves, but no longer want to be bothered with it?
Is this hobby, like many others becoming milieu of the well-to do? I’d like to see the thoughts of others on this subject.
Rich
i am aka trucker168 i agree with this i prefer to make the car my self instead of rtr cars i used to like rtr till my roomate got me hooked on kits it is fun to build it then paint it or what ever u wi***o it to make it look more real or how u wish it to look
with the rtr or pre built cars and buildings it takes half of the fun out of the hobby
see i cant put down a layout at moment cus i live in a 1 bedroom appt with a roommate so cramped for space but i use my time to build cars and buildings but it is getting tougher to find kits that are what you want with the limited supply out there now