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Introduction |
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This page contains my personal views on Model Railways and related topics. Any views expressed here are purely my own. |
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Kit-maker Bashing |
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Complaining about the quality of kits and other manufactured items seems to be a favourite pastime for many people in this hobby. I suppose we all do it from time to time, particularly when things aren’t going too well. Whilst it is true that there are some manufacturers who are better than others, let us consider the alternatives before we complain too bitterly. How would the majority of people (myself included) manage to scratch build even something apparently simple – for example, a hornblock? And the thought of fretting out all that brass sheet, pushing out hundreds of rivets or scratchbuilding wheels – well it just doesn’t bear thinking about.
I also wonder how often is the criticism rather misplaced, perhaps being better directed at our own incompetence or impatience because things don’t work out straight away? The real worry is when a reviewer slags off a kit and puts off potential purchasers as a result. I can think of instances (the Mitchell Water Tank and Comet Coaches spring readily to mind) where there have been scathing reviews but I have produced excellent models and have nothing but praise. At the extreme, the “knockers” drive people out of business – remember ProScale? I built two of their kits and thought they were excellent.
Personally I am rather grateful for people who save me an enormous amount of time and effort even if I still have to put in work myself. In any case, if all I had to do were “shake the box” for a perfect model then where would be the enjoyment and the challenge? |
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