Why is the hobby in trouble?
- Thread starter crook
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Beachbum
Member
That would be covered under your homeowners insurance (I think) or your blanket liability policy if you had one.
I used to work with a guy who had permanent leg damage from flying his RC helicopter into the back of his leg. Severed a tendon or something - which you wouldn't think was possible with a "toy" but the man used a cane and said it was his RC chopper that did it (unless he was pulling our legs
).Lester Perry
Member
That is why there are clubs. Most of us don't have the money, time or space for large exciting layouts. Go join it and try to stay out of the politics.
Lester Perry
Member
That would be covered under your homeowners insurance (I think) or your blanket liability policy if you had one.
I used to work with a guy who had permanent leg damage from flying his RC helicopter into the back of his leg. Severed a tendon or something - which you wouldn't think was possible with a "toy" but the man used a cane and said it was his RC chopper that did it (unless he was pulling our legs
A friend of mine used to be into R/C planes and he told me that most people don't have the insurance due to ignorance. (not meaning derogatory but lack of knowledge) Only to find out to late after hitting a person, car, house or what ever it might be.
Most of us don't have a good place to fly one without joining a club. I have 5 acres for a yard. I scalped part of my lawn for a 4 foot by 100 ft runway when my youngest son (30 at the time) wanted to try R/C airplanes. 4 feet was to narrow but he got it airborne for one flight before he hit a tree top 1500 feet away on the back of my property.
The most damage my railroad can do is fall on your foot at which point I would be more concerned about my train than you foot.
jdetray
Well-Known Member
The model aviation hobby has very inexpensive insurance available through the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). When you join AMA, you get a nice monthly magazine, plus the insurance and other benefits. Your AMA insurance is not valid if you are flying in a dangerous manner or location.
Large R/C planes and helicopters are quite capable of injuring or even killing someone. The larger planes routinely weigh in excess of 50 pounds and have 10-foot wingspans. If you are hit by one of them traveling at 60 MPH, the consequences will be severe. Bad accidents are rare, thankfully, and are usually caused by irresponsible pilots.
- Jeff
Large R/C planes and helicopters are quite capable of injuring or even killing someone. The larger planes routinely weigh in excess of 50 pounds and have 10-foot wingspans. If you are hit by one of them traveling at 60 MPH, the consequences will be severe. Bad accidents are rare, thankfully, and are usually caused by irresponsible pilots.
- Jeff
eTraxx
Member
I goto my local Walmart/K-Mart. No trains .. also .. no plastic kits of any kind or description.
Gary B
The Fox Valley Railroad
The days of 'hobby' departments in department store are long gone. I think this is one of those things that feeds off itself. Not enough money being made to sell it, so then people don't see it to buy it. The casual buyer is lost. But this is not just model railroading and this has been true for quite sometime now. The hobby survived that change, so far.
Does running into something or someone automatically qualify as "flying in a dangerous manner?"
Lester Perry
Member
The only MRR insurance I know of is for fire & theft. Is there a liability? My home owners covers mine up to $10,000. I hope that is enough just in case. Back to the topic I feel that all hobbies are suffering except maybe games. I think it is as much the economy as anything.
kbkchooch
"retired" conductor
Depends on what it is. A house is one thing, a stray Canadian Goose is a another. The neighbors obnoxious kid is yet another.
S
shivam
Guest
hi.......
actually i also haven't seen that........
so hw should i???
actually i also haven't seen that........
so hw should i???
Umm...Huh?
Every one of your posts seem to make no sense. Are you a native English speaker? If so, you should be able to put together a complete sentence. If you're not a native English speaker, please let us know your native language, since we have people here who speak many different languages. One way or another, you need to find a way to post a clear question or response
S
shivam
Guest
okay.............
i will take care of this.............
i will take care of this.............
Lester Perry
Member
If that is the problem try writing in your native tongue. I have a translator program I can use then repost it for you. Might work?
iomalley
Barely-employed Brakeman
I dissent the 'kids' comment. When I was 16 I was more interested in chasing tail that trains. It wasn't til I made roots in my early 30's that my modeling took off again. I always had some token pieces squirreled away from my teen years, but having some discretionary income helped. And lets face it, boomers hold the biggest share of discretionary income...and they're old.
Modeling is not geared for 'kids' in their twenties. Being in your 20's is a social, career-focusing time rather than pursuing a sedentary hobby. I model after my 2 year old goes to bed in the evening, cuz frankly I can't take off with a little one to take care of.
Modeling is not geared for 'kids' in their twenties. Being in your 20's is a social, career-focusing time rather than pursuing a sedentary hobby. I model after my 2 year old goes to bed in the evening, cuz frankly I can't take off with a little one to take care of.
Cjcrescent
Master Mechanic
Why not?? Thats the time when I got a lot of work done in the hobby. The hobby was the only thing that kept me sane during those stressful times. The hobby, or any hobby, is especially needed during this times to help relieve stress from school, or career. I believe that trying to put an age limit on when a person can "be in" this hobby IS one of the reasons this hobby has dwindling numbers of followers. There should be NO age limit at all.
It's not so much an "age" limit as a disposable cash limit. Middle school through mid-30s are typically cash limited due to numerous competing demands. School, pay back student loans, wives, house mortgages, kids.. These are big ticket items.
The financial speculators that came to dominate model railroading in the second half of the 20th Century well understand these age groups have little spare money. And they know they have less every year as the effects of offshoring and outsourcing manifest themselves back in the USA.
What's worse is what these Low Money High Energy age groups might do. For the price of just one Chinese made RTR loco an entire small CNC flatbed router can be built. A dam break of horrors lies in that direction. With the internet and computers it'll be 100 times worse than the early 20th Century when Popular Science and Popular Mechanics covered model railroading as a pure DIY hobby.
Happily the dinosaurs cannot stop progress. Future Shock is here, now.
I can't say you are wrong.
But I was under the impression that the demographic group targeted by marketers was the young adults precisely because it was they who have the most disposable discretionary income.
Witness the tv networks primetime program lineup. It most certainly does not cater to middle and older adults precisely because the advertiser/sponsors tell the networks which programs they are willing to buy more expensive commercials for. Sponsers target young adults.
Go back in history, Elvis Pressley replaces Bing Crosby on the hit parade when more and more it is younger people doing the buying. At the turn of the 20th century operas singers sold the most records. Today older adults cannot even recognize the biggest selling music artists in the world by name!
But I was under the impression that the demographic group targeted by marketers was the young adults precisely because it was they who have the most disposable discretionary income.
Witness the tv networks primetime program lineup. It most certainly does not cater to middle and older adults precisely because the advertiser/sponsors tell the networks which programs they are willing to buy more expensive commercials for. Sponsers target young adults.
Go back in history, Elvis Pressley replaces Bing Crosby on the hit parade when more and more it is younger people doing the buying. At the turn of the 20th century operas singers sold the most records. Today older adults cannot even recognize the biggest selling music artists in the world by name!
jdetray
Well-Known Member
The key demographic for prime time TV advertisers are persons between the ages of 18 and 49. Why? Because there are lots of them, and they spend money!
Advertisers want the lower end of this age range because it's a chance to capture the brand loyalty of young people who are out from under their parents' influence for the first time. If you can get them as customers when they are young, you have a chance of holding onto them throughout their prime spending years.
Notice that's not necessarily their prime earning years! Young consumers are still quite willing to go into debt to buy the things that they want.
- Jeff
Advertisers want the lower end of this age range because it's a chance to capture the brand loyalty of young people who are out from under their parents' influence for the first time. If you can get them as customers when they are young, you have a chance of holding onto them throughout their prime spending years.
Notice that's not necessarily their prime earning years! Young consumers are still quite willing to go into debt to buy the things that they want.
- Jeff
Beachbum
Member
There's a large mall about 5 miles from me that is about 85-90% dedicated to the buying habits of tweens, teens, and 20-somethings. That mall is doing quite well in this recession while the stores that cater to the supposedly well-to-do soccer moms are folding in droves. Looks like Hello Kitty retro cellphone covers are trumping good taste...
