Truck section anyone?

[lovegt40]

I noted there are several post about truck modelling around the forum.

why not create a specific section for those ones?

[MPWR]

Good question.

But before we ask why not, shall we ask instead why we would want a separate truck section? What advantages do we hope a truck section would offer? I think that is a much more important discussion.

As a moderator, I would strongly discourage the creation of an additional subforum here unless it would offer a real advantage, or serve a community of users whose needs are not otherwise well met on the forums as they are. But my opinion (based on having been on this forum for many years) is that dividing a group of modelers off by subject matter tends to do more damage than good. It used to be policy here that subforums were quickly created- but that was at a time when AF received monumental traffic. Now unfortunately we don't get quite as much traffic.

I am greatly enjoying seeing truck builds here recently. Like you, I would like to see and encourage as many more truck builds here as possible. But I don't think that a separate section would do that. In fact I worry that it would do the opposite, by discouraging traffic in truck threads.

If a truck section were to be created, truck builders would probably use it. But it would also discourage people who don't see themselves as truck builders from going into it. If there were a separate truck section, to be honest I would probably almost never go into it- because trucks are not really something I build. And that is a shame, because it is a lot of fun to go into the recent truck build threads.

It is hard to prove, but in my opinion the creation of a separate muscle car section pretty well killed off muscle car building on AF. Before, they were part of the community. Muscle cars were here among the Skylines and rally cars. But then they were divided off- and the Skyline and rallycar guys posted less and less in muscle car builds. Musclecar guys posted less in the other threads. Eventually, they left- and that's a shame. I fear the same would happen again with a truck section.

I'm not really a Skyline guy. But I have built a Skyline and started another, because I have seen so many Skylines here over the years. If there had been a separate Skyline section, I promise that would never have happened.

But that is my opinion, not a final decision. If we have a discussion here and you guys point out advantages to a separate section that I haven't thought of, great! If you convince me, I will definitely go to bat for you and we'll see if we can make it happen. But I don't want to see again interest in a category of builds die because there is a separate section for them. I would hate to loose you guys.

If you want to see more truck models built here, then build more truck models here. Convince people that would never thought to built a truck that building a truck is fun, appealing, and something they want to do. But if you lock yourself off in your own little box, you're probably not going to get much new company.

[lovegt40]

probably you are right, also I noted there is much less interaction in the forum since some years. this probably due to other virtual platforms as facebook, Instagram or whatever, that makes life much more easy in posting updates and news (also from companies).

Just I see sometimes is a little tricky to understand the truck thread also for the messy names such machines have, and if people dunno at least a little about theme is not so easy they will open and read the post. Think at names as DAF XL, Volvo FH,fiat whatever, Peterbilt 359... u must know a little about those companies to recognize there is a truck model inside.

Also for example I recently got a truck (with the idea to scrap it to make a german dumper of the 80s, another myth on 10 wheels, the MB 2636), and then I discover is a nice model kit of a Mercedes racing truck legend. This one for example shuld be eventually posted in racing section? civil section? or maybe this newer truck section?.

For sure I've seen around amazing models of those machines, but very often they also are inside specific real truck forums where the interest of models is quite little, or the reader can't recognize the difference between a toy and a real model professionally build.

I think many of us have at least 1 or 2 models of trucks in the stash. It is a strange argument, but many model kits around are true masterpieces, exactly as the mechas from bandai, with moulds incredibly nicer than any recent tamiya super kit.

it was just my idea, hope some others can express an opinion. Thanks for now.

[DasWiesel]

Sorry, Paolo, have to agree with MPWR. Just like you I´m into trucks too but I don´t see any advantage in a seperate section.
There are too little truck threads and way too little response. It won´t discourage me to keep on posting, but it´s just not enough for its own section.
Funny thing - I was thinking of the muscle car section instantly as well. I´m not very keen of muscle cars at all and I only had a look in that seperate section once or twice since it´s existing. I might have missed many fantastic builds that even I would like to see, but most of those cars are just uninteresting to me.

[lovegt40]

once again Julian, probably you both are right

Consider I neither seen the muscle car section. Not cause I don't like them (have some in the stash too) but probably cause right now they are not in my cup of tea.
Can be the same for trucks...yep.

Maybe can be useful just the rule to place before posting [TRUCK]: and the name of the subject. This can make it much more easy to understand at once the post is about a big fellow.

Consider time ago I was talking to Italeri management about truck modelling,being that company the biggest producer of kits around and they told me the biggest market ever for those kits is Germany and now Russia (incredible modellers there for those subjects).
In my 20 yrs of shop dealer carreer I also sold very few of them, compared to that whatever version of the F-4 phantom or Schumi's winning Ferrari formula 1.

[MPWR]

Originally Posted by lovegt40

Maybe can be useful just the rule to place before posting [TRUCK]: and the name of the subject. This can make it much more easy to understand at once the post is about a big fellow.

Anyone who builds a truck is welcome to mark their thread title like this. And if anyone wants their thread title modified to include it, I am happy to do it.

But I am not so sure that it is necessary. Honestly I must say that when I see a thread title for a subjec that I am not familiar with, I usually look to find out what it is. I would still look in a build labeled TRUCK- but it does not need that label to encourage me too look. (Maybe other people are different...? )

Paolo, thank you for asking about a truck section. I think it's great that you started the discussion.

[lovegt40]

Ah, it was just an idea looking recently Soo many threads about trucks. It is good to talk about that anyway. U surely know better than me the function of the forum.i was nearly scared not to get any answer at all

[blubaja]

I've always loved how AF is broken down. Not too many sections, easy to find content. Not like some other forums that are all over the place.

[malscar]

Haven't been or a while and just saw this thread.

MPWR, you note that when the muscle car / rod thread was created that a lot of people seemed to leave, what about re-combining them with the street car thread. May revive the builds.

[MPWR]

Sorry for the slow reply. I've been on travel in Germany and Austria. The trucks over here really are very cool.

Another good question. Left to myself, I would have recombined them years ago. But again, I am sceptical that we can encourage increased activity in those subjects by recombining them. (Perhaps I'm cynical, but I seem to think that it is much easier to discourage a type of building here than to encourage one.) Again, I am absolutely open to it, and if there is interest and call for it than we will see what we can do.

[88Porsche944]

Originally Posted by blubaja

I've always loved how AF is broken down. Not too many sections, easy to find content. Not like some other forums that are all over the place.

I agree with blubaja.