As Bob observed scratch building is alive and well but  perhaps not  at the level  it may once have been. Interestingly this very topic regarding the strengths   or otherwise of scratch building within our hobby was indeed a point that was raised on more than one occasion over the resent weekend at  Ellesmere Port.  On this subject   competition could be regarded as one of the great engines of scratch building ,   broadening  the skill base ,  increasing the value of  genuine research and  encouraging  a wider  choice  of subjects  for modeling .I  know from personal experience that  this  topic  has at  times  divided modelers in their opinions as to the value of  competition at any level.  Yet  competition was one of  the  major corner stone of the hobby  either at club level or internationally at   Naviga . In the UK national events  such as   The  Model Engineering Exhibition, the MPBA scale championships , and   shows  like the  Windermere weekend ,  The David E Owen competition , which was part of the old convention ,   promoted , attracted  and encouraged  scratch builders in   large numbers . Unfortunately over the years attitudes towards competition have changed from the grass roots up  and perhaps this is reflected in the numbers prepared to embark on projects that require, good levels of research in every aspect of the build. Add to that the skills required and the desire to learn such skills then perhaps there are good reasons to understand why attitude and needs have evolved to fit different requirements. As Colin has said   you really can’t turn the clock back but you can adapt and make the best of what you   have.

Dave Wooley >>

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You cant buy things like rubber band boats, Sunderlands or Biplane flying boats, not to mention Eckranoplans (later)   without scratch building!!   Ashley