State of the Hobby

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

With the unprecedented rise in the cost of living internationally, especially with energy costs, I initially wondered if it would harm the hobby, But was surprised, as far as my own activities are concerned, to see a revival of interest. Looking for reasons on the internet, I came across this – Very interesting!

https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-many-people-build-model-kits-any-more

[harry smith 1Participant @harrysmith1]

Hi Bob

Our club has a small come and try boat which we got from a decease members estate.

Drop in another brush motor and ESC with a 7.2volt Lipo battery.

The radio is an old 29M two channel set which I drill a hole in the front for the throttle max speed control.

This is a screw into the throttle stick !!!

Its slow, but has good turning circle.

We have had six year olds to eighty year olds have a go !!!

A hobby does not have to be super expensive, but, if can be.

That six year old may never have a boat, but the idea is planted !!!!

Harry

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

While cost seems to be a frequent complaint as regards the modelling hobby I would like to see a genuinely objective comparison not only between related costs of things taking inflation into consideration but also the average percentage of disposable income available to the average modeller nowadays.

It always makes me smile to see complaints about the cost of a model kit and materials then no-one thinks twice about the cost of various TV channel subscriptions, mobile phone subscriptions etc..etc.. that so many don't seem to be able to live without.

Priorities and attitudes are now totally different to what they were when we were young, which affects everything in life, not just modelling.

I've never heard of the Quora site before but, having expanded a couple of posts, there seems to be some seriously out of control egos on there!

 

I think Harry has it spot on, the best we can do is to try to encourage youngsters to get the bug by simply exposing them to various forms of modelling and encouraging them to have a go.

Edited By Richard Simpson on 09/04/2022 09:24:26

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I have come across the Quora site several times, but in this case, I was led there when looking into the price of model kits (Not that I wanted one, just curious!)

When prices skyrocketed, especially energy, I really felt that my sales would suffer, but they have actually increased. A total stranger contacted me by e-mail a couple of weeks ago, and asked if anything was available, and I said yes, a model cargo liner for several hundred pounds. He said he would collect it the following week, and turned up on time, paid cash and departed. My writing sales (scratchbuilding static merchant ships) have also shot up when I was least expecting it.

On the other hand, ALL the model shops in this area have closed down, as have the long-established tool shops. That has saved me money though, because items that I used to get off them quickly, for convenience, I now get from Ebay, and it is far cheaper, and normally only takes a couple of days to arrive.

Gas and electricity for us is now between £10 and £12 a day! – roll on summer, so it is handy to have a self-financing hobby!

 

 

 

Edited By Bob Wilson on 09/04/2022 09:40:37

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Yes costs always seem to rise as they always have, but so do wages and salaries, the simple gauge is the market for plastic kits which seems as strong as ever. I should know I have 300 + up the loft

Interestingly the skill balance has changed back from IT being a good job back to Plumbing and practical skills being worth £1500 a week as all the kids know how to use a computer, but not how to cut a piece of wood or solder a pipe

Following on from Bob's comment I try to support the local model shop, but I ordered some ply from SLEC at 3.00pm Thursday, It arrived at 9.30 on Friday

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 09/04/2022 09:45:33

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

We had a plumber in three days ago to fit two new taps. It took three hours, and he did a good job, but the labour costs were £75. I couldn't do it myself because they were in a very awkward position and I am not as supple as I used to be. Since quitting the rat race in late 1992, I have seldom made anywhere near the minimum wage, apart from my writing activities, that were more like £50 an hour before the quarterly journal I wrote to for years ceased publication in 2013. I have just increased my model ship prices to the minimum wage, plus expenses, and so far, no-one has complained. I don't take private commissions, so they only have an option on whatever I have completed., and even so, I never build warships!

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Ray,

I had never heard of SLEC, but just looked them up. Fantastic stock and good prices. I have added them to my suppliers list, and will certainly be going there next time I need some thin plywood.

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

SLEC are top rate. Very good quality wood, huge selection and they pack it very securely for transport.

Colin

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Bob

Your own experience probably isn't indicative as those who buy your models are probably better off than many and are collectors rather than modellers and are maybe less affected by the increase in the cost of living.

I've spent quite a lot of money on my model boats since taking up the hobby 4 years ago, but a lot of that was start up costs, and the fact I'm building 5 at once so there has been a lot of expenditure on the electronics, motors, prop shafts etc. In the future my expenditure will drop considerably due to less builds and not having to buy as much stuff.

It's not a cheap hobby but has cost me a lot less than my other hobbies of motorbikes and photography.

Chris

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Chris,

I wasn't really thinking about the models. What you say is quite correct, those who want them have lots of money. For years, I have been producing low-cost downloads (often less than £2 each on scratchbuilding miniatures). They have usually trickled out at a satisfactory rate, but at the start of the pandemic, sales soared. Then they fell back to normal again when restrictions were lifted on going out, but since the gas an electricity prices went up, so did my download sales, and I am getting a lot of comments from model shipbuilders (world-wide) on how kits are too expensive, and wanting to try building their own for next to nothing. That is what prompted me to Google whether kits were still popular.

I do a lot of photography as well (model ships mainly)   But I rejoiced when conventional photography with chemicals, paper  and enlargers went out of the window.   The digital camera age is fantastic, and has reduced the cost of photography by over 75% for me,

Bob

Edited By Bob Wilson on 09/04/2022 13:55:13

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Most of the people in the Quora dialogue appear to assume that models=plastic kits…

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

And they are finding them too expensive! But lots of kits I see are hundreds of pounds, and a lot of folk just can't afford that much in the present climate –

Bob

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

The trouble is with model ship kits that a lot of them are invariably produced by very low volume manufacturers who cannot get their production costs down. Having said that even the Graupner and Robbe offerings were not cheap.

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Bob

What you say about photography is very true. I hadn't really thought about the costs I used to have in buying rolls and rolls of film, often slide, and getting them processed etc. I still have 2 Minolta 35mm cameras, 3 lenses plus accessories, gathering dust. I did dabble in B&W printing but didn't fancy tackling colour.

I lost interest for quite sometime due mainly to work and family, though I did use digital compacts for work, which was great, as no processing required and I could use them on the PC.

Funnily enough when I started to think about a DSLR I was put off because most images in photographic magazines were "doctored" unlike my slides which were "you got what you took". I did buy one though and then saw the light (pun intended!) as far as photographic software is concerned. The expense for me has been the cameras and lenses, particularly a long zoom, which was quite expensive, but pretty much essential for bird photographs.

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Bob,

Expense in the hobby is all relative I suppose, I like plastic kit building, and pride myself with having bought the Airfix 1/24th Mosquito kit when it came out a few years back at over £100.00, now I have just seen new kits for the Lancaster & B17 at 1/32 scale at circa £400.00 to much for me to justify buying but I have the 1/72nd & 1/48th kits which were much cheaper

Regards Ray

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

With cameras and computers, I always purchase 2nd hand, usually from Cash Converters. That way, I can end up with a £700 camera or PC for less than £100, and as they are all refurbished, I have never had any trouble with any of them. I did try a DSLR, but didn't like it as I couldn't manage to get the settings correct. Neither could the shop when I asked them to prove it was OK, so they gave me a full refund. I then got a 2nd hand Fujifilm Finepix S200 EXR Bridge camera, and it is excellent. It cost less than £100.

My shipbuilding must be self-financing, or I would stop building them. I hand over ALL the profits to my wife for housekeeping etc and we both have a fixed sum of spending money each month. Consequently, I never get any complaints about building models. She even helps by painting the seas where necessary.

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I have had two DSLRs. The current one is a Canon EOS 600D which I bought in 2011 prior to our transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2 and have had ever since. It is a superb camera and does everything I want. I have several lenses but normally use the Canon 18-135 stabilised zoom which covers most of the situations I need it for including holidays and articles for the magazine. A key accessory is a circular polarizing filter.

Most of the time I just leave it on the automatic setting and sometimes tweak the images in Photoshop Elements if necessary.

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Mine was a Nikon D5100 – Worst camera I have ever had. – No doubt the fault lay with me in not being able to manage the settings, a bridge camera is ideal for my limited capabilities in that direction –

Bob

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Posted by Colin Bishop on 09/04/2022 18:47:10:

I have had two DSLRs. The current one is a Canon EOS 600D which I bought in 2011 prior to our transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2 and have had ever since. It is a superb camera and does everything I want. I have several lenses but normally use the Canon 18-135 stabilised zoom which covers most of the situations I need it for including holidays and articles for the magazine. A key accessory is a circular polarizing filter.

Most of the time I just leave it on the automatic setting and sometimes tweak the images in Photoshop Elements if necessary.

Colin

Having had a couple of Canon compacts it was only natural for my first DSLR to be a Canon. Can't remember exactly when I bought it, though more recently than your last one Colin, and it is a 650D so I assume a similar spec. It's a great all round camera and is my go to for walks and National Trust visits. And like you it usually has a 18-135 zoom with a polarizing filter on it. Took it to New Zealand a few years ago and got some superb shots. Difficult not to!

I've got a 70-300 that I used on it but found on canal walks etc. it hadn't got enough reach for birdlife so eventually got myself a 100-400 which is a great lens. The 650D didn't get the best out of it though so I added an 80D. Best to leave that lens on all the time anyway.

In my 35mm days I mainly did landscapes, which I keep meaning to get back into. Trouble is NZ spoiled me!

Chris

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Ah yes, NZ! We spent a month in 2013 touring both islands, probably the best holiday we ever had,. I have never enjoyed driving so much. The scenery was incredible. Even saw Milford Sound in bright sunshine! Came back with a wonderful set of photos which went into Photo Books.Just so much to see.

The Canadian Rockies were great too, but NZ aced it.

Colin

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

We did the same and agree with everything you say. Fabulous place. Two nieces and a nephew are now lucky enough to live there.

Chris

[Andrew BiggsParticipant @andrewbiggs29914]

As someone new to model boat building, just over a year, I’d say costs are not particularly an issues and certainly modern RC equipment seems reasonably priced and reliable. The high street model shop has gone, as has the local camera shop plus lots of other specialist shops. Mail order is fine, if you know what you want but at times it’s useful to look through things, such as materials. Did attend the Blackpool show and managed to pick up a few things., however I do live locally.

However my disappointment is the low number of articles and general interest in making non racing sailing boats. MYA seem to do a good job but if you are into traditional sailing craft you have to search hard on this and other forums to find modelling in this field. Although I occasionally flick through Model Boats magazine in the supermarket, I very rarely buy it.

As for cameras I’ve found a second hand Fuijifilm X20 is still giving very good service. Also NZ is a fantastic place, especially the South Island.

Edited By Andrew Biggs on 11/04/2022 07:14:39

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Andrew,

If you let the editor know what you would like to see design wise in the magazine, I'm sure she could sort something out

Out of interest what type of non racing yachts would you like to see designs for ?

BTW you recent Moonbeam build would make a super article for the magazine, you already have the photos

As the saying goes the more you put in the more you will get out ??

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

I suppose that unlike in the heyday of model boats there are fewer designers nowadays and hence fewer new designs for both yachts and powerboats. And fewer folks who can draw up their own plans and even scratch build.

As has been said before, the model boat world is quite small and getting smaller and the impetus for anyone to design yachts and any other type of boat isn't that great.

There has been an increase in plastic RTR and ARTR in recent years (I have a few for general boating and racing) and of course 3D printing is increasing as well, but you can't beat building your own from timber.

Chris

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