Where do you see the future of our hobby ???

[Lord Ferguson]

Following on from the recession effect question we currently have running... it's prompted me into thinking about all sorts of 'deep and meaningful' questions surrounding our wonderful hobby...

So... my question is this... where do you think our hobby is heading in the future... near and perhaps distant....

We all know it's currently a growing hobby that's seen a great deal of change in the last few years as things really take off... we've seen the introduction of high detail/low cost companies such as UH and their apparent success and (to some degree) domination of the scene.  We've seen the likes of Top Tractor come and go.... We've seen reduced production from people like Brian Norman... More recently, nowcomers to the volume production world such as ScaleDown's Leyland and the Imber Ford Range...

Not to mention 'other scales' such a 1:16 reaching high in the popularity stakes... The show scene appears to be moving more towards a blend of dioramas and model sales from the earlier days of just models for sale... People like Mandy have shown us great innovation with her range of 'twiddly bits' to compliment and cater for many scene builders requirements...

I could go on for pages.... but enough from me... give us your ramble below on where YOU personally see the hobby in (say) 1, 5 or even 10 years time from now

[Fendthead]

The future..is dirty

[Eurodeere]

It will all end in tears as I have said previously!

[Tractorman810]

i recon the tears option is true, but sadly for the smaller producers like dave p or scaledown, uh can not sustain the amount of models they are doing, and keep going, the down side will be the loss of dave and co, where we loose the grass roots of the hobby , sadly its down to us as collectors in our  passion for ever more models and cheap as chips

[david_scrivener]

Which hobby?

I see 3 entirely separate hobbies here:

1,Collecting 'antique' farm toys, lead (Britains, JoHillCo, Pixeyland/Kew, T&B, Heyde, etc), aluminium (Wendal, Quiralu, etc), compositon (Elastolin, Lineol, etc).

2, Collecting 'vintage' farm toys, old plastic (say 1955-80) & metal tractors etc of similar age.

3, Collecting modern models.

I don't do '3', so, as the famous line goes, "I couldn't possibly comment", '2' and '3' are recession proof as they are either already widely perceived as 'antiques' or 'investment collectables' or in the case of '2', rapidly becoming so, farm, zoo and other 'civilian' figures much more so than soldiers made by the same manufacturers. 

[archtech]

Speaking as an Irishman I think we, in Ireland are playing catch-up in terms of shows, but we could rapidly reach saturation point.  I do think there is still lots of growth in the hobby particularly with the advent of the internet this forum etc, less than 2 years ago I would never have considered getting customised models, and did not know the likes of scaledown or Brian Norman  or even BOR with his foragers existed.  Shows etc do help the hobby and will no doubt encourge more to get involved when they discover that at 35 they are not alone or mad for wanting to or collecting farm models.

Customisation is definately a growth area, be it weathering models, altering models to reflect individauls specifications. Univeral Hobbies have helped and will I expect assist in the growth of the hobby, ok they may not get every detail 100% right 100% of the time, but for many of us the level of deatil is good, or at very least they provide a satisfactory model to be customised. Briatin done the ground work for many of us, back in the 1970's and 1980's, hopefully they will do so again.

As to what direction models will go, I think there will always be a demand for both modern and vinatage generation models, I love the older stuff while my nephew, one generation younger loves the newer modern stuff and this will always be the case.

[Steve P]

Judging by the crazy prices on Ebay and the continued new additions being realesed by the model manufactuers i think our hobby will continue to get more interesting, the future looks interesting in my opinion.

I have only recently re-started collecting model tractors again and i am so impressed with the numbers of models available, some out of my price range but thart keeps me interested.

A hobby is a hobby at the end of the day and we will still collect no matter what else happens..

[archbarch]

the number of collectors will in the UK soon peak and will start to decline just a reflection of the population.

With fewer farmers and land based workers there wont be so many people with that core interest in farm machinery. The hobby does need to reach out constantly to a young audience, to make the hard core collectors of tommorrow. I dont think this has been done very well over the last decade or more, Britains lack of quality and the lack of farm toys in toy shops, most toy shops have gone and only a few that are left stock a few farm toys, which is sad.

I think machinery manufacturers will use models to promote the brand especially prototypes.

India has the largest tractor market in the world and i reckon as the poulation of India and China get more disposable income the farm model market will grow in these countries not here in Europe.

Not sure when but one day this forum will be getting posts along the lines...... Why cant UH release more European/US kit instead of all these TAFE tractors???

[Eurodeere]

  the number of collectors will  in the UK soon peak and will start to decline just a reflection of the  population.

With fewer farmers and land based workers there wont  be so many people with that core interest in farm machinery. The hobby  does need to reach out constantly to a young audience, to make the hard  core collectors of tommorrow. I dont think this has been done very well  over the last decade or more, Britains lack of quality and the lack of  farm toys in toy shops, most toy shops have gone and only a few that are  left stock a few farm toys, which is sad.

I think machinery  manufacturers will use models to promote the brand especially  prototypes.

India has the largest tractor market in the world and  i reckon as the poulation of India and China get more disposable income  the farm model market will grow in these countries not here in Europe.

Not  sure when but one day this forum will be getting posts along the  lines...... Why cant UH release more European/US kit instead of all  these TAFE tractors???             

Well said.

UH are preparing the ground for the future with their Claas Crop Tiger model 

[SOLOSHEP1]

i recon the tears option is true, but sadly for the smaller producers like dave p or scaledown, uh can not sustain the amount of models they are doing, and keep going, the down side will be the loss of dave and co, where we loose the grass roots of the hobby , sadly its down to us as collectors in our  passion for ever more models and cheap as chips

so sean do you think the likes of dbp will disappear  through this ?

[Tractorman810]

i really really hope not dave, had a few discussions on this with you, know what pressures your under, as long as people keep buying your stuff i pray you will keep it going with enough profit margins to make it worth while

i just wonder if uh will run out before the smaller guys do, afterall, how long can people keep going when chunks of their market keep getting worn away by the likes of the big guys, sounds silly but even rc2 are looking to it now, with the kane trailer, people will still buy your stuff rickys stuff, bor's stuff, but it still takes a small bite out of yourselfs, trimming away at your profit margins, which in turn hinders future models you may have decided to do as funds slowly dry up,

really hope what i said doesnt turn out to be true ,as to me it would leave  huge holes in the more niche collectors choice of stuff,   

[Lord Ferguson]

This hobby without DBP models... ergh yuck... the thought of it is like Fish & Chips without the salt and vinegar  :of :'(

[Eurodeere]

I think the smaller independent manufacturers will have to diversify to survive. Buy that I mean they will have to produce items the big boys are unlikely to make in the short to medium term. That could be classic implements that could interest a wide range of Brits or more obscure tractors that have iconic stature. Selling hand made tractors that are not 100% accurate for £100+ in competition with detailed models at £25 will have a very limited appeal. I don't want to see anyone pack in but there is every chance margins will be squeezed due to smaller potential number of clients.

[Lady Ferguson]

Very interesting (and intelligent ) topic Lord F. One of the common threads within your posts is that interest is 'growing', and I think you're right. Every time I look at the latest purchases section of FTF I'm staggered by how much you guys spend on tractors and machinery - and many of you have to have every model - so for a while at least I think the market is going to continue to grow. I believe there will always be a place for a good scratchbuilds/customisations, because collectors are always looking for something 'that little be special', and different. My opinion is that it's more likely the mass producers will eventually struggle (a bit like Dinky and Corgi started to when they went beserk with their limited editions and spoiled the value of them, putting collectors off).

The rest of Europe are still ahead of us in terms of the popularity of farm models (particularly dioramas - where most of my 'twiddly bits' go ), but interest is definitely increasing. And as Dave said, vintage (and also repro) is as popular as ever and the new items you buy now are still seen as a worthwhile investment for many people - ie, just as soon as an item becomes obsolete you can already double it's value (in many cases), even it's only a few years old \ . So my prediction would be that for the next few years more and more people will be enticed into our wonderful world and all that is has to offer (you only have to see how much FTF has grown and other forums are being formed as I ramble). It may well peak.... but not for a good long while... I hope

(Grief... I think that's the longest post I've ever made )

[MF4370]

I can see the hobby is growing, even though I've only started collecting Farm models last year, I used to collect model cars, until I seen the UH Massey Ferguson 8690 in the MF dealership, so I had a change of my collection    because I couldn't believe the detail on the models.

The shows over here are getting more popular by the year and the farming newspapers are starting to take notice. If I hadn't seen this site and went to the shows I would never have known about scratchbuilds or weathering etc.

The big companies would never be able to produce all the models we would like    it would pay for mass production, an I think thats why the scratchbuilders will always be in work making models suit Uk and Ireland collectors

My collection like the hobby is getting bigger by the year  ;D