Follow up to DISCUSSION thread about RURAL CHURCH model.

Happy new year to all.  Just wanted to give you all some info about a discussion topic.  Seems that one of our regular builders, Ron, was having trouble with the front entry to the Rural Church Model.  After reading his email and looking at some pix he sent, I realized that there is indeed a problem with the kit.  It turns out that the doorway in the front of the steeple entrance is about 4 board to low.  If built the way it currently is, the door will be below the steps that are supposed to lead up to it.  It is an easy fix for an experienced modeler, and that may be why I haven’t heard about it before, but for a newer modeler, the fix might not be so obvious.  Just cut the doorway opening 4 boards higher and make some longer trim pieces.  I am in the process of fixing MY mistake and will be correcting the kit files as well as making the corrected pieces available on the FREEBIES page.  Unfortunately, with my current work schedule, it may take me a while.  I wouldn’t look for anything for at least a week.

Sorry for the poor quality control.  (I’m still trying to figure out why I didn’t run into this during the test build.)

Kudos to Rich

Rich,

I gotta tell ya, for a first time builder, you have really figured out what paper modeling can be.  While I want every one of our customers to buy every kit we turn out, I also want them to realize that they have an inexhaustable supply of kit-bash and scratch-building material available.  And the great thing is, is that it is usually left over from a kit that you already paid for.  This is a whole nother aspect of building with paper that I want to encourage everyone to try.  Way to go Rich.  Keep up the great work.

Rich Mitchell lobster shed, first build

A nlce easy kitbash from Rich. here’s his mail

I’m attaching some photos of a O-scale fisherman’s / lobsterman’s shed that I built using your oil shed kit sided with your TO-341 wood shingle roofing. I reduced the size of the shingles to give an approximate 5” exposure which I think looks better for the shed siding. Construction is predominately paper, with thin wood strips reinforcing the roof edges and clear plastic from a window envelope for window glazing. The corner trim is cut down siding from the original kit.

This is my first paper model that I have completed and was fun to put together and a real skill builder. I’m pretty happy with the the way it turned out. I built the shed as part of the Railroad-Line Forums’ “Shed, Shack , Shanty, Small Structure Challenge”.

Thanks for producing such fun kits,

 Rick

Word of mouth

First of all I hope you had a great holiday and will have a great new year. I also hope we’ll have a great year too.

11 years in and I’m still making discoveries about the hobby. Over the years we have asked you all for opinions, ideas and outright help. Well we need your help now. Without a doubt, word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool there is. No question about it. Its been a challenge for us to cover all the bases. We don’t always succeed and some times, most times, we do. I don’t want to make grand promises that we can’t back up. I can however promise that we will continue to release great new kits. That’s what we have done for 11 years. and that’s what we will continue to do.

So what can you do, as an individual, to help us. We need to grow. That doesn’t mean more kits. Those will come as they always have. We need more people to know about us. We hear it all time “I’ve got ALL the kits”, wow that’s an accomplishment. To know that our models are satisfying builders to that level that you get them all. Well, we need other new people to know how much fun your having. We want to keep you happy and keep challenging you with new models but (it’s a big but) the only way we will have a successful future is to grow the user base. We need to double or triple the number of people that see what we are up to and maybe try a kit or two.

That’s a task that you can do better than us. We are here but you are everywhere. If you share your work and experience with others, on forums, at club meets and train shows, let people know about us. Then you make a real impact with real results. So we humbly ask you to talk about Clever Models, because if we can’t grow the base, we can’t move enough old models to assure the flow of new ones. Plain and simple just filling the pipe line with new kits isn’t enough. We need new and fresh eyes on what we have been doing for the past 11 years.

You all have become like family. We all get strength from those ties. Let’s make it bigger and stronger.

I’ll work on filling the pipe line.