Feb 08 Model Railroader

[cv_acr]

New HO Scale "Totally Wired" Telephone Poles
(sorry - train, landscape, sky, hand and sleeve not included)

Damn. I really wanted a human hand for my collection too...

The poles do look nice though, and Rapido makes the most fantastic passenger car models I've ever seen. (Though I probably wouldn't buy the poles)

[tom mann]

Holy Ready-to-Run Batman!  Check these out!!!

http://www.rapidotrains.com/telepoles.html

If that's not outcome-based, I don't know what is.  Geez.

Hee hee, it may be outcome-based, but 11 poles with 17 wires for $35 is actually a pretty good deal.  Is there anything the Chinese can't do?

[bsoplinger]

Holy Ready-to-Run Batman!  Check these out!!!

http://www.rapidotrains.com/telepoles.html

If that's not outcome-based, I don't know what is.  Geez.

I guess I don't understand what's wrong with this product? I mean lots of folks use the DPM buildings. And they're got tons of the work already done for you. The windows are cast into the sides, the sides are pre-measured and pre-shaped. The sides even already have a brick detail cast into them.

After all a real modeler would start with a plain piece of wood, then cut appropriate sized strips. Then cut walls. Then cut door and window openings, then make the windows from the pieces of hand cut strips. Then cut/model/shape the bricks into the walls. I mean obviously getting all that done for you is outcome based, right?

Heck, a true real modeler would start with a tree and then cut it to make the piece of wood to do the aforementioned strips, right?

Where does buying something change from buying something to outcome based?

[Dave V]

Holy Ready-to-Run Batman!  Check these out!!!

http://www.rapidotrains.com/telepoles.html

If that's not outcome-based, I don't know what is.  Geez.

I guess I don't understand what's wrong with this product?

Where does buying something change from buying something to outcome based?

There's nothing wrong with the product.  It's just funny that this product appeared while we were talking about how MR's projects involve products requiring the least amount of work.  These are prewired line poles.  Seems like it'd be right up MR's alley.

In terms of when something becomes "outcome based" is when it goes way out of the way to do all the work for the modeler.  Yes, we do RTR locos and cars in N scale...  But RTR telephone poles?

Oh, and put me down as a vote against built-up structures.  The few on my layout are there because they were not available as kits.  I painted them anyway.  I feel there's more to modeling than paying extra so you can have someone do it for you.

RTR structures and scenery may work for some.  And that's great.  I won't argue against that.  But they sure ain't for me.

[wm3798]

Them's fightin' words, Dave... well, they are if you post them on Atlas...

It's sort of a mantra around here...
Lee

[lashedup]

Holy Ready-to-Run Batman!  Check these out!!!

http://www.rapidotrains.com/telepoles.html

If that's not outcome-based, I don't know what is.  Geez.

I guess I don't understand what's wrong with this product?

Where does buying something change from buying something to outcome based?

There's nothing wrong with the product.  It's just funny that this product appeared while we were talking about how MR's projects involve products requiring the least amount of work.  These are prewired line poles.  Seems like it'd be right up MR's alley.

In terms of when something becomes "outcome based" is when it goes way out of the way to do all the work for the modeler.  Yes, we do RTR locos and cars in N scale...  But RTR telephone poles?

Oh, and put me down as a vote against built-up structures.  The few on my layout are there because they were not available as kits.  I painted them anyway.  I feel there's more to modeling than paying extra so you can have someone do it for you.

RTR structures and scenery may work for some.  And that's great.  I won't argue against that.  But they sure ain't for me.

I'm probably playing devils advocate here a bit, but I had a few thoughts and your post spurred my brain to have a momentary fart...

I grew up around trains as my father was into them and I think that cursed me for life (in a good way). As I've gotten older and had my own kids I've gotten back into model railroading in the last three years. Obviously in 20+ years a lot has changed and lot remains the same. So I have some perspective as someone that is coming back into this new and also as someone that wants to create very realistic stuff in a small scale.

I think in any hobby like this you start out with big ideas, make some mistakes and scale things back a bit to be more manageable. Model Railroading is a hobby that requires a large number of skill sets - carpentry, electrical, paint, scenery are but just a few. Not everyone is going to be good at everything. Likewise not everyone has the same expectations for what they want to get out of this hobby, be it the level of detail or how big the "layout" is. Some just want to run trains, some want to build a prototypical empire - it is all over the board. Add into this mix the fact that this is a relatively specialized hobby segment that has deteriorated rapidly from where it was 30-40 years ago and you're overall talking about a fairly niche thing.

So if someone wants to get into model railroading, the available ready-to-run products allow someone to do that quickly and without a lot of fuss. From there they can decide if they want to replace some of those pre-built structures with kits or even try scratch building - remember though that a lot of people don't have the skills, patience or time to embark on detailed projects like that. This hobby *needs* new people to get involved in it if we want to continue to have choices in products. Without the simple starters, there is nothing to graduate to. People don't normally jump into this hobby and immediately scratch build structures and weather cars like Tom.

Having said that, I think Model Railroader does have a "duty" of sorts to provide a good mix of starter stuff and advanced stuff to keep the hobby fresh, push the idea envelop and overall ensure that the hobby not only survives, but continues to evolve and advance. I think a lot of us here on Railwire are detailed fanatics and strive to have as much realism as we can within our skill sets, budgets, time and individual levels of what we think is "good enough". It is easy for us to sometimes get caught up in all of it and forget where we started or that some people aren't as goofy as we are about this hobby.

Everything needs a balance and this hobby is no exception.

- jamie

[asciibaron]

i have learned so many skills from model railroads - just wish one were social skills 

-steve