Joe Fugate, writing in Model Railroad Hobbyist says hobbyists of today are not craftsman but an 'all thumbs' bunch, so bids 'good riddance' to scratchbuilding, suggesting a new reality. One cannot scratch build and build layouts at the same time.He says you can buy what you need to hurry the hobby along.
But some really do have fun in the 'World's Greatest Hobby' with sixty bucks worth of plastic, wood and a #11 blade. And, some of us tire of the endless mag articles by the super-focused uber techs on super detailed knuckle pins and DCC 101-Trial by Error.