Railway Modelling teams compete for the prestige of winning the competition. It's a long overdue addition to the increasingly popular hobbyists strand of TV and this show suits Channel 5's populist output. Filmed in a casual and fun way it's entertainment for model railway enthusiasts rather than instruction, although you can certainly pick up some tips if you watch carefully enough. It's a fun and interesting watch but my main quibble is the lack of time it spends focusing on each model. It's all a bit too cursory and fleeting for me personally, because you really want to see more of them in action. Still the finale of the show where the finished models actually get to run is well worth the wait.
Purists will possibly hate the way it focuses on adventurous themes for the models each week and in Series 1 probably the best team of modellers lost out by not wanting to lose that authentic realism most serious railway modellers are after. The focus is on adaption and all round modelling creativity which is fun but doesn't spend much time on the trains themselves or mention what type of loco or wagon or controller the team is using.
To be fair there have been good shows on TV that discuss this better and YouTube has plenty of technical videos for the how to make this work or construct that. So this fun and breezy show is not for technical nerds but is a general fun way of seeing varying types of railway models and the craft of making them. It certainly will inspire more people to take up the hobby and the model manufacturers will love it. Also timed well for Christmas present buying.
Purists will possibly hate the way it focuses on adventurous themes for the models each week and in Series 1 probably the best team of modellers lost out by not wanting to lose that authentic realism most serious railway modellers are after. The focus is on adaption and all round modelling creativity which is fun but doesn't spend much time on the trains themselves or mention what type of loco or wagon or controller the team is using.
To be fair there have been good shows on TV that discuss this better and YouTube has plenty of technical videos for the how to make this work or construct that. So this fun and breezy show is not for technical nerds but is a general fun way of seeing varying types of railway models and the craft of making them. It certainly will inspire more people to take up the hobby and the model manufacturers will love it. Also timed well for Christmas present buying.