This thread has clearly outgrown its intended scope and is a rather good read already, not least because it shows the recent (relatively dark) mood and trends in our hobby. To me everyone has a point, to the extent where their opinions represent their approach to this hobby and a more general world view.
Clearly there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to life, incl. building a franken. There are so many distinct groups of hobbyists here, that I would’ve been surprised if there was any kind of consensus on anything. In my time on this forum I’ve come across many different people and they all fall in at least one of the following categories:
1. professional AP hobbyists that have or used to have a relatively easy access to gen parts (dials, tachys, movements, pushers/crowns and the like);
2. professional AP nut-heads that are willing to pay serious money for access to the treasure chests of the first group or their ready frankens;
3. professional watch makers who build/modd frankens for fun or for sale;
4. hobby project managers who employ a scientific-like approach to their builds patiently thinking through and collecting parts over long periods of time just to complete a single meticulous build;
5. dream chasers or live-fast guys, who have little access to gen parts but are keen on completing a build with whatever parts available just to accomplish a hobby goal;
6. rich guys that spare no funds for anything once they set their minds on a project that would be worth of the superfranken moniker;
7. cash stripped guys who simply want a passable franken;
8. high-life goers who want to impress their friends and business contacts;
9. stay at home guys who like to wear their pieces at home and care not about anyone else;
10. hobbyist who live in rich world countries and those who do not.
11. etc., etc., etc.
Clearly it’s hard to build a franken that would satisfy all of those groups’ preferences, budgets and world outlooks. So reminding ourselves what this hobby really is about is indeed a good start. I can only agree with what
blackboxes said above and support him in his gentle reminder to self.
And to conclude,
slaughterer62 once said something along these lines: our micro-budget macro-QC hobby requires more than it can deliver. Mikey’s retirement is the direct result of this: people demanding more that they can expect for their money. So I for one am all in for the good old Mikey hands pyramidal stack or not present