Comments on: Are Model Railways a form of Fanfic?

By: Link Roundup for February - Muse Hack

Link Roundup for February - Muse Hack — Sat, 01 Mar 2014 04:20:13 +0000

[…] Are model railways a form of fanfic and cosplay? Â Really. Â Think about it. […]

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 14:33:27 +0000

@Abi, I've seen models of A4 Pacifics in Virgin Trains livery relatively recently. Diesel locos in liveries that pre-date or post-date their service periods are quite common. Even in 12" to the foot scale. As for Slashfic, do not Google on "Thomas the Tank Engine slash". Remember rule 34.

By: solipsistnation

solipsistnation — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 04:34:14 +0000

Yeah, I think it’s a great comparison, but I think that model-making and fanfic come from the same basic desire to understand something you could not have created by creating your own version of it, and in so doing to own some aspect of the subject and make it one’s own. I build model tanks for basically the same reason…

By: BSD

BSD — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 23:27:57 +0000

It’s a very good comparison. Worth noting is the foundation of significant parts of modern geek culture in the MIT model railroad club, oh so many years ago.

By: Arete

Arete — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 20:59:16 +0000

(Followed from link from Making Light at http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/)

The analogy is DEFINITELY holding water to this long-time fanfic reader. I might quibble over whether fanart is a better comparison, but that is truly quibbling.

By: Abi Sutherland

Abi Sutherland — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 19:38:03 +0000

Oh, I think the analogy is spot-on.

I find myself wanting to extend it. Alt-hist (Beechingfree) is the least of it. What about slash (mix geographically improbable engines and rolling stock for aesthetic reasons), RPF (The Royal Scotsman, Lincoln’s funeral train), genderswap (steam trains in the livery of companies that didn’t exist until diesel, maybe)?

But seriously, yes. The impulse to play with a known body of knowledge, to find one’s own balance between reproduction, interpretation and fancy, and to share it with other people who will see what you did there and get your little jokes? It’s the same one.

Great insight!