Model Railroading > Changes in the Model Availability that we Missed!

I mean this in fun, but I'm referring to timing. 

How many of you have scratchbuilt something, kitbashed a loco or car, or purchased an expensive brass version not to be found in any other form, only to find it coming out in RTR afterwards? LOL A model railroader some years ago in RMC said it was a curse. <G> It seems every time he kitbashed a loco, it would soon be announced available in RTR!

I have a few  examples: I bought a number of Stewart F units right before Athearn Genesis came out with its F units. The Stewarts are great and run well, but not as good as the Genesis in detail with see through screens and grills and detailing to match the particular prototype. The Stewarts were undecs and would have required extensive details added, paint and decals. I sold off the Stewarts on Ebay at a discounted price.

Here's another example: When I was making much more money than I am now and would often receive a four digit, annual bonus, I bought an Overland brass, double-track, camel-back bridge for $1400. Though not the same, exact bridge but nice, along comes Central Valley's double track, camel-back bridge in a plastic kit. I'd be lucky if I could get $800 out of the brass bridge now. I will keep the Overland Model as it has been painted and installed on the layout anyway (with scratchbuilt abutments and other details). As it turns out, the CV bridge would have been easier to lift for the lift-out on the current model railroad too...

And then we have a number of unique, resin kits or 3D shells that are slowly being released in RTR plastic. Whenever, someone comes out with the RTR version, I see a bunch of the resin kits dumped on the market. LOL Even the low number of EMD SDL-39s built will be reproduced in RTR plastic.

Don't get me wrong, I like to build kits and have become an avid scratchbuilder (with great satisfaction from that), but those kinds of RTR items allow me to have time to work on other projects on the model railroad. And not buying a brass version could have saved me some $$$.

Of course, it's what you know too. Some folks are faster at knowing what is coming out and are able to dispose of their out-of-date models at a decent price before everyone catches on.

But it's still a fun hobby, IMO, and other hobbyists would be happy to have these kinds of problems. And we can't put our modeling on hold either... I think who we should feel for are the manufacturers and hobby dealers that find their products suddenly out of date.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/21 10:41 by wabash2800.

wabash2800 Wrote:
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> How many of you have scratchbuilt something,
> kitbashed a loco or car, or purchased an expensive
> brass version not to be found in any other form,
> only to find it coming out in RTR afterwards?
>
> Victor A. Baird

Isn't there a name for that?

Jim:

I dunno... It certainly isn't serendipity.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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>
> Isn't there a name for that?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/21 12:20 by wabash2800.

I don't know Victor, I think the hobby as a whole owe us gratitude for what we have done. I remember filling in a bunch of holes in Athearn Funit nose doors only to have Athearn release a single headlight unit. Then I moved on to overhaul an Athearn F7B to a F3B with see through Chicken wire and radiator louvers only to have Highliner come out with the best B Unit to date. Then all the work to make a GP40-2 only to have Atherarn make one before I got mine decaled. Its funny how those things end up in a box as just another parts source for another day.

I had no more than finished and painted a scratchbuilt Frisco 1306 class 2-8-0 when Hallmark advertised theirs from GOTO.  Time I'll never get back LOL.  Looking at the photo, I put Baldwin plates on it instead of American.

---

Back in the 1970s and 80s, everyone lusted after a mass market SD40-2 (only the most popular loco on the prototype market), but there wasn't any until the early 1990s, when Athearn and a couple other makers finally released HO models within a few months of each other. A few master modelers had cobbled together pretty good kitbashes, but there really wasn't an easy path to that. It's always puzzled me how some models get produced over and over, while others are neglected year after year. [Fill in your own pet peeve.]
Winston Hill

> Isn't there a name for that?

Back in the heyday of rec.models.railroad we called it "The Dabney Effect" for prolific poster and Santa Fe modeler, Fred Dabney of Public Radio. Folks with roots to rmr are fading away and the "joke" is lost.

Just a couple years ago, I kitbashed a pair of Conrail B36-7's out of Atlas B23-7's.  I was 90% complete when Rapido announced theirs.  No worries, I bought a couple of those too!  Taking advantage of this particular incarnation of Murphy's Law, I thought that I could encourage more Dash 7 RTR releases: After sitting on parts for a few years since I've started a C36-7 and C30-7A as well, figuring that my efforts could help prompt someone to announce those models in the coming weeks.

CR 6633 is in-progress C36-7, and behind is C30-7A 6560.

---

Reverse Psychology? <G>

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

JUTower Wrote:
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> JI thought that I could encourage
> more Dash 7 RTR releases: After sitting on parts
> for a few years since I've started a C36-7 and
> C30-7A as well, figuring that my efforts could
> help prompt someone to announce those models in
> the coming weeks.
 

Years ago I kitbashed a GP60 from a Athearn GP50, Athearn then announced their GP60 a month later.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

My basement model train storage area is loaded with cars and locomotives that were for projects that have been superceded by a RTR model being released.  Sometimes I stayed with the project, but most of the time if I really needed it I got the new RTR.  Time is worth something.

Happens in a lot of hobbies - just have to grin and bear it!

Victor
I was kind of wishing for something like this with 4 compartment tank cars.  I really would like
some in HO scale. I was poking around on Flee-bay and saw that MTH did exactly what I want
in HO scale. Maybe Scale Trains will pick up on the need and copy that to HO. I know they
bought the HO and S product line; not O scale but where did the artwork and drawings go?

Just whistling and wishing, cheers