That's the first step if you're eager for running trains. Next step installing decoders into you 100 engines. :angel: This needs time AND money!
I will wait and see on the quality of the weathering jobs.If you remember Ertl produced some pre-weathered stuff a few years back and the quality was less than desirable.Makes you wonder if mass-produced,"individually "weathered cars will look realistic.
I saw this ad and my response was, "WTH?" If you never could think of trying to paint a model, you could at least learn some techniques by weathering ready to run equipment. The materials are cheap and the experience is relaxing because even if you "screw up" you can easily fix it, or leave it as is. Weathering on the prototype varies between "almost new" to "Southern Pacific" and can be replicated by anyone who can pick up a untensil. I won't hazard to say wether this is just ANOTHER example of American laziness run amuck...or just some clever marketing. I will say I found the fine print in the ad "interesting". From my memory, I read that this weathering was being hand applied by Athearns own AMERICAN crew....meaning those poor folks in Compton, who watched their shop and jobs head over to China a few years ago, will now get to do production work.
I have seen a lot of the weathering done by you guys and everyday I am more and more impressed. I tried it once and lets just say it would need to jump up about 3 rungs on the ladder to just look like crap. Due to medications, I also get the shakes. That is why I went HO over N scale. Weathering is not very easy for me. I must also admit that I don't fully understand the all techniques used to do properly weather rolling stock. With the price of a quality locomotive, I would never even consider trying it on one of them. One thing I would find helpful, could someone start a thread on the various ways, with details, to weather rolling stock.
If done properly I won't have a problem with them even though I too like most of you appreciate doing the weathering myself. verse
Next time you head to a train show, keep an eye under the tables for junk box cars, the train set stuff, and make an offer at a $1 a car to the seller. It doesn't matter if they have trucks or not. Get 3 cars, and then get a bottle of brown, a bottle of black, and a bottle of white paint, (all flat) some thinner (odorless) and plenty of paper towels. You will need a filbert and flat brush. Mid level quality is fine...finer hairs are better than thicker hairs. You can try acrylics if you do not like solvent based paints but make sure to get some drying retarder (I can't think of the brand name), but you need to slow the drying of acrylic paints..and some don't like to be thinned for washes. You now have all you need to begin practicing washes and dry brushing, which are two techniques that will cover many weathering situations. You are correct in not wanting to start off on the high end motive power. I have been weathering for 20 years, taint half bad, IMHO , but have never so much as aimed a airbrush or paint can at any of my Proto 2000's and Spectrums'. After what I did to my Athearn GP9 (The hide is now thick enough to deflect most small arms fire) I would shudder to think off the details I would anihilate on the "good" engines. As for a weathering thread, there may be a few archived around here. I would recommend that you go over to the Model Railroader website and look at what they have archived. There have been several excellent articles the past three years on all types of weathering.
Though I have to agre4e with a lot of what you all have pointed out about varrying skills and interests, I'll play curmugeon. I thought changing car # was tough; how about seeing multiple cars on a layout with IDENTICAL #'s AND WEATHERING! As to time vs money, the idea of the HOBBY was to spend TIME acquiring skills and knowledge in whatever phase you enjoy, but I seem to recall an article (MR or RMC or ?) about a fellow who basically gave a custom-builder (a craftsman and entrepreneur, for sure!) his space measurements and had a LARGE, complete layout built, delivered and installed in his home. Is this a Model Railroader or merely a Curator of a museum piece in which he has no investment but $$$$$. Even if similarly endowed,could you do this and retain the title, Model Railroader ? OUCH !!! Bob C.
A train engineer operates real trains. He doesn't usually build, paint or maintain them (except on some small shortlines) but he is a 'Real' Railroader. Therefore (if you agree with the definition above) someone who operates model trains is a 'Model' Railroader. QED. Of course, if you don't agree with the definition we have a lot more talking to do
A lot of hobbies are heading towards Ready-To_Run, and it was no surprise, to me anyway, that someone would come out with pre-weathered rolling stock. The radio control airplane hobby has seen a similar transition from kits where you had to build the plane, cover it, and install electronics, to Almost-Ready-To-FLY (ARF) which can be assembled in a few nights, and how Ready-To-Fly where you just head outside and go flying. We live in an age of convenience and video games unfortunately.
I take your point Mike but... If everything is built,weathered and ready to go with minimal input from the "model railroader" I would suggest an individual's interest in the hobby would die off real quick. For me it is the whole range of skills required and then using those skills on a variety of different projects that keep my interest in the hobby alive. You need to bond with your hobby on a practical level otherwise model railroading will become boring.
I'm thinking just the opposite - I know a lot of people that want to get involved in this hobby, but with the crazy hours some have to work, and with long commutes, there is not time to do it "the old fashion way". This is such a great help to get those folks up and running - besides - the pre-weathered stuff isn't going to look as good as what some of the old timers can do.
I totally disagree with a lot of what is being said in this discussion. I do not think that the RTR craze that is sweeping our hobby is bad at all and I do not think that it will kill it off. Quite the contrary, I believe it will attract some folk that otherwise might not have the time or patience to start in a hobby. Just look at EZ-track. This was taboo a few years ago but now I know quite a few layouts that use nothing but. Likewise, if a newcomer to the hobby purchases a few of these preweathered cars they might eventually come to the conclusion (via fellow hobbyists no doubt) that you can buy 3 times as many non-weathered cars for the same price and do it yourself. Just my take. Russ
Opps, I just realised the way my post reads is that I am suggesting the RTR pre-weathering thing will kill the hobby. Sorry but what I ment was that an individual will lose interest if there is no real connection to the hobby.
Can I just say something? I've been in the hobby since I was a teen in the 1970's. I've built a couple of decent sized layouts before having to move, or move out (divorce) and am no stranger to the hobby. I see it here and in other forums how people pontificate and look down their noses at the idea of the HQ RTR stuff, and now the weathered out-of-the-box stuff. Can I just say, poo on you! Model railroading is supposed to be fun, and I'm not going to allow the high brow folks ruin my fun. I don't mind the weathered stuff coming and I might even get a few. With jobs, kids and family, there is alot to compete with our time. Model Railroads take alot of time to build and some of these time saving things are totally fine. Sad? I'll be sad if thats the definition placed on it.
If you dont like what you see on the shelf...don't buy it! I like the idea of pre-weathered cars, as I am interested if I run across a few from my era that are in my price range....I'm also the type of modeler who enjoys Branchline's Blueprint series and is preparing to purchase a Westerfield kit or two.
Personally, i'm with you on this Frisco. I would rather weather my own. But everyone has their comfort zone with model railroading. Many people are afraid to install a decoder for instance. Is a O scale three railer not a model railroader with all his RTR accessories and prebuilt everything? If you like trains and happen to have some toy trains, well then you are a model railroader in my book. I have a friend who collects diecast car models in O scale. He just buys them and places them on display on shelves. He goes with me to train shows sometimes to shop for Die cast cars. A few years ago he pointed out the new trend of pre weathered die cast cars. He thought it looked great, I thought it looked shoddy. But the main thing is, he's the collector and he liked it. FYI, said friend is a prolific model builder and can scratch build pretty much anything. If any of you saw the Adventures in Willowby O scale layout featured in MR years ago, many of the structures were built by this guy. He just likes his toy cars in mint condition. Many people thought the Walthers built ups we're a cop out for model railroaders. Using pre fabbed structures being not model railroading, etc. I pretty much hate building structures. I'm really pleased to see the Walthers built ups. A little "weathering" and they should look good on my layout.
I'm not against this kinda product being out there. Heck, it may be an impetus to get new modelers to try weathering when they have one of these and dozens of unweathered cars. What does concern me is availability and cost of entry. The biggest problem to me that the push to RTR has caused is how expensive everything has gotten. Much faster then inflation. And sure, you all can pull out the list of Athearn blue box kits being produced and the low priced Bachman DCC stuff and that's all good, but that doesn't translate to stock on shelves. The Blue box shelves at my local hobby shops offer nothing but the same transition era kits that have been there since the 80s and maybe there's a blue box engine or two, but the vast majority of the space us being taken up by $80 and up rtr engines and $30 rtr cars. When I was a teenager and started spending my own money on this hobby, my typical hobby costs were between $20-$40 an engine for a nice Athearn and between $3-$10 for a kit car. And the selection was huge. Now, a new Modeler sees a lot of expensive (and Nice) RTR that they probably have trouble affording. So again, I don't mind this product, as long as more basic products remain.
Anyone actually remember when REAL "Ready-to-Run" engines and cars came out? Back then for a very short time, the item really was 'finished' enough that you could remove it from the box, put it on your track, and actually run it around. Lionel was a good example. Then the "Educating" began. You have grown up to expect a high priced so-called RTR item to arrive in a box in a condition that requires you to almost totally re-build it before it is acceptable to be run! You are happy as clams believing you are no longer buying a "Kit" that has to be assembled! Well guess what? Advertising and articles on "How-To" have brain washed us all as we grew up to believe we can not enjoy our hobby unless we pay exorbitant prices expecting to spend even more to make it acceptable to run on our layouts, or to suit some one else's approval! When did we fall off the wagon? Maybe we are second class citizens because we don't really measure up to what is approved? Who's approval? So who died and made them GOD? Our hobby was once noted to be the hobby where we could actually 'Go Somewhere and Do Something" besides just watch it fly, sail, or run in a circle. Remember? There is nothing WRONG with a person who totally enjoys running engines, switching cars, operating cranes, keeping traffic on a schedule, and not having to stop to make or build something before continuing to operate his railroad as he sees fit. Ready-To-Run...rubbish! It should be "Ready for-you-to-make-something-out-of-it-so-they-can-make-more-profit-off-you"! Go buy a new car. Its "Ready to Run", right? It had better be! Yeah its high priced for all the same reasons our trains are, but do you expect to have to change wheels, motor, paint, and add electronics and better bumpers before you can drive it? Believe it or not, we had just as much fun running an 0-4-0 Dockside engine pulling our three wood and paper box cars as you guys do today, because we had the same fully detailed and weathered rolling stock in our 'mind's eye' for pennies, that you have to fork over many dollars for today, (and still aren't satisfied)! We were 'one up' on you, because we could have a different engine every day, and our engine would actually run for 30 or more years and not wear out, and still pull all the cars it was supposed to! I am on the side of the 7 year olds who are ashamed to try posting a photo of their rolling stock because they are not encouraged to "do what they can" and it is good enough. I enjoy seeing the efforts of a youngster who mowed lawns to get his first engine, or has put new decals on, or has just taken a photo of his first paint job, or laid his first turnout! Its a milestone in his life, and I would enjoy sharing in his joy! Just because they can't afford to buy all the fancy DCC stuff, or don't have the skill or tools to scratch build, or paint and weather, or don't have the space for a big layout, or don't have a parent that can or is willing to spend much money or time with him on it; doesn't mean he shouldn't enjoy what he can for now. How about encouraging the youngsters to ask questions, then provide them answers in normal language they can understand? It seems to be that most of the discussions tend to "talk down" to us 13 year olds trying to learn and keep up with schoolwork too! Yeah we all would like to have a model that looks like the 'real thing', and some of us have other interests in our hobby. Wake up guys! You have lost "IMAGINATION"! So what if I made an extra rivet? (I put it there to plug a leak!)
I like your take, Watash. As a society we're persuaded by advertisers that we need 'things' and those 'things' are becoming more expensive.....suddenly it's not enough to have a TV you need a big screen plasma TV....it's not enough to have a car-- you need the 'ultimate driving machine' which happens to be $40,000 more than the Subaru that will get you there just as well....... It's no different with model train companies....If you look at the ads in MR, you'll see page after page of high end locos costing $200 to $600 or sometimes thousands....rolling stock costing $30 or more...kits costing over $100.....why? Because people are being convinced that they need these things. I'll admit, I've purchased a few high end items and I like them but lately have found myself reminding myself that money spent does not equal pleasure or satisfaction in this hobby.. To each his own.....but Watash is right........Imagination is key. And beware of what you're being convinced that you need and by whom....
I Guess I'm a Feux-Model Railroader Then OK, I'll pose some questions back to you... -Whatever happened to a 40-hour work week, or even a 60-hour work week? -Whatever happened to not having to spend 10 hours a week fighting with health insurance companies, phone companies, utility companies, and just about any other major provider of services to actually perform contracted duties? (i.e. quit ripping you off when nobody's looking) My point is, many people live a much different life than they did even 15-20 years ago. There are many more things to occupy time (as I sit here at my keyboard!) and you have to "pick your battles" so to speak. I much prefer weathering cars and working on DCC than other things like track laying or building structures and if I don't have to build a kit to get a car or locomotive on the track then SIGN ME UP. If I could afford to have a layout built, I'd plunk down the cash so fast it'd make your head spin. I don't even have as much time as I'd like for my favorite hobby activities so if a weathered car comes around and looks decent I might be the first in line. I especially would be interested in pre-faded paint jobs. That's a surpising statement, really. Who are you to judge who exactly is a model railroader? There are so many aspects of this hobby that people enjoy but may simply just not have the time or "efficient" skill to complete in a timely manner. (for example, I could probably do a fantastic job of handlaying track at the rate of 1ft per year! Other guys can probably handlay track faster than they could lay down flextrack. Skill is one thing, being efficient at it determines whether you farm it out or not) I think you would be SHOCKED if you knew how many layouts in MR have owners that never turned a screwdriver during construction, and perhaps only focused on the historical research, design, operations, or some of the many other aspects of the hobby. I don't know the figure, but based on things I've read, heard firsthand, plus personal insight on the method by which many local layouts "get done" I have a pretty educated guess. I think it's great, layouts get built, people enjoy them, the hobby is better for it. It's all about fun, whatever the means. If you have the "means" (time) to build it yourself, then you're probably gonna have a little more pride in a job well done then "Mr. R-T-R", but I bet you both have fun running trains and enjoying the fellowship of the hobby. Well, that's certainly your perrogative, but this hobby is supposed to be fun and I think a lot of people are enjoying it a different way than you are, but they are STILL MODEL RAILROADERS. :embarassed:
