As a complete novice to 009 I am finding the range and availability of kits a little bewildering.
Is a publication available where allkit manufacturer's and their products are listed?
Additional headings for each kit could be:-
Level of difficulty/skill level required.
Sizes
Materials used
Chassis/motor supplied
Suggested chassis
Adhesives or soldering reqired
Suggested DCC decoder
etc, etc,
I dont want to take the fun out of hunting around, but sometimes it seems just to know what to hunt for is a black art
I don't think theres a book or catalogue where everything is listed.
Parkside Dundas have probably the largest selection I have seen on their website or printed catalogue.
The Parkside Dundas website / catalogue is indeed a good place to start as that will list most of what is in production. Off the top of my head they don't do Backwoos Minatures kits, or those from Worsley Works but both of them have websites (though the rate at which Worsley Works produce their scratch aid kits means the website is not always bang up to date). Chris Ward's 3D range is shown on his website as are the Narrow Planet kit(s), but other 3D stuff is a bit harder to find on Shapeways.
From what I recall there were lists published in 009 News many years a go, and one (if not both?) of the editions of the 009 Society handbook had a list...
BUT the problem with producing a list as you suggest is that someone needs to do it and then also needs to keep it up to date.
Whilst most of the information you suggest is strait forward the "Level of difficulty/skill level required." is somewhat subjective (and a little problematic), and DCC information is a bit meaningless as these would need to be hard weired (no NEM / NMRA sockets) into most of the chassis we use, and with new chips coming along all the time and new N gauge chassis available with pre-fitted chips (the future of 009?) again it is info that would rapidly date.
That being said I have a couple of spreadsheets here on the computer. One lists all the 009 (and 00n3) loco kits I could find / remember and the other all the rolling stock kits. The first one was updated about 6 months ago but the other is a few years out of date. I have given the materials used (this suggests whether to solder or use adhesives), suggested chassis(if needed) and production status, and if you'd like copies then please send me a PM with an e-mail address, or have a look in the Branchlines section of 009 News for the West Midlands Group reports where you'll find my e-mail address.
Julien Webb
Thanks very much for the pointers.
Perhaps its something that kit manufacturers should look at - an annual catalogue.
I think most of them generally do produce catalogues annually, if only to reflect the inevitable increase in postage costs...
Stuart, I tried to get such a list up and running on the NGRM forum but it was poo-poo'd by many on there as being impossible as everyone's skill levels are different. There are ways round that but again my suggestions were again put down.
If it's any consolation i think it's a good idea, but I think you'll find that everyone has a reason why it won't work and it will be talked down.
Best of luck!
I think the one thing that you have to remember with many 009 kit manufactures is that they are almost all very small one man operations run as a sidelines and not as a primary source of income.
As Blair mentioned it is very difficult to quantify the difficulty in a kit.
Take a white metal body kit for example. Most will go together very easily, but to make them up into a good looking model with no nasty joints between the mouldings, no visible moulding marks and all the extra detail, pipes and fittings is more difficult.
But let
Quote from: B.Meldon on February 18, 2014, 14:09
As Blair mentioned it is very difficult to quantify the difficulty in a kit.
Actually Brian I didn't. I suggested ways round that issue, but due to a lot of negative comment by others it was stopped. Whilst everyone's skill levels are different it is quite possible to quantify the difficulty rating of kits, several plastic kit manufacturers do that with designated "starter" kits and so on. To take your example, you would have two marks, one for ease of assembly (i.e. how easily it goes together) and one for "finish" (i.e. does it need a lot of filling to make it look good)... However after my experience on the other forum that's as far as I am going, I just can't be bothered with negativity, it's lucky some people weren't around in the early days of the Industrial Revolution or we'd have never got anything done...
I offered to take it forward on NGRM but due to other people's comments it was knocked on the head. We did manage to set up a list of kits over there but even that too a lot of pushing against the negativity of others.
Hence my comment to Stuart, it's a good idea and would work, but overcoming opposition to it will be the biggest hurdle.
Perhaps Blair the way forward would be for you to just do it anyway.
I know it would only be one person
A good starting point would be the list in the 2000 edition of 'The 009 Handbook'.
Roger
I find google and bookmarks are the best. To be honest even if they are one man bands a company should have a web-site these days....
The difficulty level is indeed a problem, hence I'm going to attempt my Worsley Works (rebuilt) Funkey diesel before even remotely attempting the Backwoods Taliesin! Even though I really want to be build the latter first...
Quote from: B.Meldon on February 19, 2014, 15:47
Perhaps Blair the way forward would be for you to just do it anyway.
No Brian, I had enough of the grief I got for suggesting it in the first place, I'm not setting myself up for that again. I don't even model 009 but was willing to help, in view of what was said it's the last time I'll ever offer to help.
As I first suggested I thought that "maybe" the manufacturers would be already doing it, for the benefit of sales and therefor the benefit of the manufacturer.
If they'r not to bad - Its not worth getting upset over!!!
There is a list of 009 kits, which is updated from time to time, on the NGRM Forum, which Julien kindly set up, there is also one for HO scale as well which I set up, both are at the top of the 4mm and 3.5mm sections. You may want to go over there and have a look!
Thanks all for the input - Thanks for the email Julien much appreciated..
You're welcome Stuart.