Toys & Hobbies - Trains - Can we have a subcat fix please?

[gazlannathai]

Hi Guys

The current model trains categories are a bit confusing and could maybe do with sorting out.

Currently they show as -
Toys & Hobbies
- Trains
- - General
- - Hornby
- - - Buildings
- - - Coaches
- - - General
- - - Hornby Dublo
- - - Hornby Triang
- - - Locomotives
- - - Scenery & Animals
- - - Track
- - - Wagons
- - Lima
- - - Buildings
- - - Coaches
- - - General
- - - Locomotives
- - - Track
- - - Wagons
- - Scales
- - - Finescale
- - - G
- - - General
- - - HO
- - - N
- - - O
- - - OO
- - - Z

The problem with this is that, the same item might need to be put in 3 different categories because the scale of the item is the first condition to determine where it should be listed or where to look if buying,

Additionally, the scales are listed alphabetically and not in the right sequence by size - this complicates finding items that might be transferable between scales - eg terrain and scenery. Not showing the scale ratio also makes it difficult for other hobbyists (e,g, scale modellers, wargamers etc) to understand which railway modelling items will fit with those other hobbies.

I recognise that some makes (such as Hornby) may appear to be dominant, but the categories are not yet full enough to warrant separation by manufacturer. However, using sub-cats by type of item might draw in more listings, especially where the manufacturer is not known.

A more logical 2nd level sequence would be -

Toys & Hobbies
- Trains
- - 1:220 - Z-guage
- - 1:160 - N-guage
- - 1:100 - TT-guage
- - 1:87 - HO-guage
- - 1:77 - OO-guage
- - 1:64 - S-guage
- - 1:48 - O-guage
- - 1:32 - G-guage
- - Other guages
- - Controllers & Electronics
- - Painting & Modelling
- - Tables & Layout boards etc.
- - Universal scale scenics

Under each of the above 2nd level scales, 3rd level sub-cats can then be added as follows -

- - - Accessories
- - - Animals & People
- - - Backdrops & Backboards
- - - Boats & marine models
- - - Buildings & structures
- - - - Bridges & Tunnels
- - - - Buildings - Industrial
- - - - Buildings - Stations
- - - - Buildings - Other
- - - - Fences & Walls etc
- - - - Scenic & Foliage
- - - Cars, trucks & buses
- - - Goods Yard accessories
- - - Rolling Stock
- - - - Carriages & Coaches
- - - - Engines & Locomotives
- - - - Engineers Vehicles
- - - - Wagons & Goods Carriers
- - - - Parts & Spares
- - - Track & Trackside


I hope you can consider these modifications to the category, and if other members join in with their comments, it can be tweaked to get the best balance for everyone.

Cheers
Gaz

[havugot1]

Hi,

Personally, I think the second level should not include scales, but instead include, engines, coaches, wagons, track, then followed by sub cats of the scales.

[gazlannathai]

Hi

Sorry but have to disagree - when I used to go into a large model shop looking for something specific, I'd first look for the section displaying the scale I wanted, then for the type of item within that scale.

Similarly at a crowded convention, I'd look over peoples' shoulders to see what scale the stall was displaying and if it wasn't mine, then I'd move on.

It's surprising how often we use this same behaviour - from a chauvinistic viewpoint, we also use it when "browsing" for a potential partner - first we look at the physical shape (size or scale) then at the details (personality or education).

It's the same in a threat situation, we assess the greatest threat and the escape routes from it, then we consider the details of the other threats to see if they outweigh the size of the largest.

It's the natural way the brain works - size first, then specifics. Re-organising the categories by scale, then specifics, is a much more instinctive way for buyers to browse, and may lead them into bidding on more than one thing, because they're within a cluster of complimentary items. Certainly I'd not want to be clicking up and down the categories ladder to find several different items within one scale - I'd expect them all to be in one grouping to minimise navigation effort.

Large retailers recognised this long ago.

Gaz

[mfkirke]

The arrangement suggested by the OP would certainly be more effective(have sold quite a lot of railway stuff in the past and am married to a wargamer so I have some understanding of the customers in this category)

[ims-models]

I think 'OO' Gauge is 1:76 not 1:77 otherwise all those LEDDO days Gone Trackside et.al. are slightly the wrong scale.

It might be wise to put Controllers & electronics under scales( Power requirements should be similar under a given scale) eg Hornby run a 16v system on 'OO'

Good luck with this.

PS:

Just received a Digitrax Poster of scales

N is 1:160 except UK where it is 1:148!
TT is 1:120
TT3 is 1:100
O is 1:43.5
O:16.5 is 1:43
Gauge 1 is 1:32
G scale is 1:22.5

Hope this helps get the scales correct!

[gazlannathai]

Hi IMS

thanks for the input

N-gauge is a real pain to sell internationally with Europe & US using 1:160 (a human model =12mm high) and UK using 1:148 (roughly 13.5mm) - the 12mm scale is now being supported by wargames & plastic scale-model companies, but outside of the rail hobby, 1:148 is almost impossible to find - I always work on 1:120 when designing.

Ooooooh - TT & TT3 - wasn't aware of that division - TT at 1:100 is accurate for 15mm wargaming - makes my prime design scale fit perfectly. TT3 is therefore 18mm and fits with the oversize 18mm wargames figures made by a lot of manufacturers now.

First time I've seen O listed as 1:43 / 1:43.5 - everthing I've seen on it says 1:48 - is that a British / non-British thing?

Is there much market for G gauge / scale - don't seem to see much of it about.

Regards
Gaz

EDIT -
OO gauge - - in all the other scales a 6-foot man is calculated as 1850mm, I've kept it the same here, divide 1850 by 24 and you get 1:77 - at 4mm per foot OO-scale, that is 24mm per man-model height

SECOND EDIT (April 2011) -
I mucked up my original statement about TT & TT3 -
15mm wargames scale = 1:120 = TT
18mm wargames scale = 1:100 = TT3
(as per ims-models' post) though everything I find still says there's only one TT and that it's the 1:100, which is wargames' 18mm scale.