QUOTE (pedromorgan @ 27 Jun 2007, 15:39) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Some good news indeed.
Long live the small independents! Although alas they seem to go through regenerations like Doctor Who...
Does anyone have an idea of whether independent niche fillers are thriving? I think that interest in the hobby may have reduced over the last decade or two (but this may be totally unfounded...how do exhibition numbers and demographics look?) but the internet and ease of setting up shop on eBay etc. must allow people to dabble in niche-filling product lines without it having to be a full time commitment...and of course the baby-boomers that are into model trains will no doubt be spending on filling their niches! Swings and roundabouts if I can squeeze another annoying expression in!
There is I suppose a continual tug-of-war acting on people to devote their time between model building, model railways, cars, boats, planes, wargaming, outdoor pursuits etc. (probably losing out given the weather at the moment!)
My main experience of independents is in the healthy activity of the news section at 1zu160 which is for European N scale and there always seems to be someone announcing the making of new detailing parts or a novel baseboard system etc. I wonder upon the outlook of the situation in the UK for OO and N gauge?
Goedel
Long live the small independents! Although alas they seem to go through regenerations like Doctor Who...
Does anyone have an idea of whether independent niche fillers are thriving? I think that interest in the hobby may have reduced over the last decade or two (but this may be totally unfounded...how do exhibition numbers and demographics look?) but the internet and ease of setting up shop on eBay etc. must allow people to dabble in niche-filling product lines without it having to be a full time commitment...and of course the baby-boomers that are into model trains will no doubt be spending on filling their niches! Swings and roundabouts if I can squeeze another annoying expression in!
There is I suppose a continual tug-of-war acting on people to devote their time between model building, model railways, cars, boats, planes, wargaming, outdoor pursuits etc. (probably losing out given the weather at the moment!)
My main experience of independents is in the healthy activity of the news section at 1zu160 which is for European N scale and there always seems to be someone announcing the making of new detailing parts or a novel baseboard system etc. I wonder upon the outlook of the situation in the UK for OO and N gauge?
Goedel
