What is next? With Scale Auto gone and supposedly moved to Fine Scale Modeler, what are the plans for the future? Will we see automotive articles in FSM and how much? Having received the latest issue of FSM, I was very disappointed in that magazine. Not a way to end my subscription with a magazine that is geared towards military, ships and planes. Scale Auto modelers expect more than what Kalmbach has done to Scale Auto. I feel like this was a last minute decision by Kalmbach and we want something much more positive from them. SA modelers want more than to be ripped off by Kalmbach especially if they want our subscription money. So Fine Scale Modeler, what is next?
There have always been auto articles in FSM. Maybe not as many as articles on tanks or planes, but they do have them. If the people who did articles for SA now submit them to FSM maybe we will see more.
If Scale Auto is under the Fine Scale Modeler banner, there should be more automotive articles! But, will that actually happen or not? Time will tell. Having received the October issue was an insult to me as it had NO automotive articles in it. If the October issue of Fine Scale Modeler is suppose to encourage me into subscribing to FSM, I definitely doubt it will happen!
You have to consider the lead times for magazines, usually runs around 3 months or so from the time an issue is locked in until it hits the stands or mailboxes.
I would urge Scale Auto subscribers to give it a couple of months more before throwing in the towel on FSM.
To look at it objectively, SA is a failure. That is why it is gone. Why do you expect the pulisher to give space in a succesful magazine to pages devoted to what they just walked away from? That is bad business. They obviously made a descision that SA readers are of no value. I am sorry that you feel put upon in this but Kalmback owes nothing to anyone but their investors. I’m sure that the few disgruntled former SA fans will not land on their radar.
The current issue of FSM shouldn’t be judged for it’s lack of auto content because SA was also still being published. Wait for the next issue of FSM before passing judgement. I’d more than welcome a bit less content about tanks and planes in return for some auto and ship features.
Patience.
Figure painters and sci-fi modelers used to complain that FSM didn’t have anything for them. Now there is a regular monthly feature on painting figures, and there is a lot more content on sci-fi subjects.
SA is gone, because there was no longer enough specialty interest to maintain it. You can’t undo that. I’ll cite the figure-painting side of the hobby again. There used to be several specialty magazines, and specialty forums, that have gone under, because there just wasn’t enough support. The modelers might be out there, but too few bought the magazines or participated in the forums. Be patient, and wait and see, and then adapt.
Feel free, too, to submit to the magazine pics of your builds, or articles. That can help, too, to inspire other car modelers to participate.
I don’t think Scale Auto was a failure, but it does point to a specific market in the model building hobby. Fine Scale Modeler covers a large spectrum of the model building hobby from ships, military, planes and others, so it might make some sense to combine SA with FSM in an effort to save money. I am reacting with much disapointment because of the way things were handled by Kalmbach. If things were handled differently, I might not have been so vocal with my disappointment.
I’ve been a subsciber to FSM for probably thirty years or so, for a few years I also subscribed to SA. I enjoyed models of Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, Camaro’s, dragsters and well done street rods. Construction stories and photos were interesting and helpful. My enthusiasm for SA began to die off, when it seemed to have more examples of far out, “what if,” and extreme fantasy type vehicles.
I had zero interest in Ed Roth and Barrett type cars, like the Batmobile, and grotesque figures like huge eye balls, rat finks and monsters driving cars. Coffin cars and hearses were just a wasted page for me. I do however get that some modelers like that sort of modeling, and should have examples of them to enjoy seeing. So I quit SA and kept FSM.
Now, with FSM I see considerably more space, fantasy, monsters, tanks and figures than I was used to, and far less in the way of model aircraft. In my seventy plus years of model building I have built only one water craft, the old Revell submarine, which I built far a good friend that served on one while in the Navy.
I have no interest in Star Wars, the Enterprise, Frankenstein, Wolfman or other such models, so currently I find only a few pages of FSM that I actually enjoy, or spend any time at all looking at.
Until the past few years, I looked forward to each month of FSM arriving with a considerable degree of enthusiasm. Lately it’s just sort of a “meh” event, sometimes I might not look at it that same day.
There is still some time left on my last three year re-up, if the current FSM format continues, then I’ll decide my interest level.
I mean no disrespect to modelers with interests other than mine, we all know what we like, as it should be. Good to have options.
Patrick
Given the state of print rags in this day and age it only makes sense for FSM to pull all the modeling types into one mag. And I don’t mind checking out even things I will never build as I love to see how others build. I just hope that FSM will increase the mag size and not just rotate around different kit types. To hold my interest long term I need to see AC, armor, ships and cars in every issue. Perhaps it’s a bit much to ask, but the last few issues for me have also been somewhat meh. I know they are trying to appease everyone, but at the same time boring everyone. Thicken the mag and give us more to look at and pack it all into one. Just my opinion.
Bk
I subscribed to SA(SAE) for many years. I noticed a steady decline in the number of pages over the years. The “want ads” section in the back also dwindled down to nearly nothing. But, I never would consider that the magazine was a failure. More of a victim to the changing methods of gathering information. If FSM can incorporate civilian vehicle coverage into the magazine with a larger page count, maybe it won’t feel like a compromise.
Oh get a grip, please. It’s a magazine. I like the forums but the published item is ad driven and in no way an editorial sheet offering opinions or guidance.
I haven’t bought the magazine in a decade, but like the forums very much.
Yes, I’m old enough to remember the “old days” when the model mags were very personal and had everything from space rockets to oil rigs.
Bill
[Y]
I agree with you 100% The October issue of FSM was approved for printing way before a decision was made to deep-six SAM. It will take at least one more issue of FSM before car articles will show up.
Forgot to quote
Good for you. SAE is what got me back into the hobby. I feel a loss of a old friend. You don’t care about magazines fine. But some of us do. Chiding us and telling us to get a grip is bs. The whole point of a forum is to discuss things and we have a right to discuss this. Not interested? Don’t read the discussion. This attitude is one reason people have elected to not come here.
I’m not buying that.
Yes, there is much lead time required. But waitaminnit, both magazines came from the same house. If there was another issue cycle needed before FSM was properly set up to include cars, then SA should have been continued for one more issue cycle. The whole shutdown procedure for SA feels to me to have been a very short notice, immediate action affair. I feel like there must have been a pretty significant backstory; one that I don’t really need to hear.
And since others are voicing opinions that it was “just a magazine” or “not their cup of tea”, I might as well express my opinion that SA was always an immediate and repeated read for me. I found almost every issue to have some technique or comment that was very valuable to me. (Until the next-to-last issue with eighteen pages of Ghostbuster diecast advertising junk) And I have kept the issues. On the other hand, since I also build ships, figures and aircraft, FSM should have been just right for me. But over the years I have been frequently disappointed, as I have looked through the magazine and realized that other than the Readers Gallery, there was no information that interested me. And I have routinely given the FSM issues away at my local modeling club meetings. I am of very, very mixed emotions about renewing a subscription to FSM, which doesn’t really speak to me, even though I love print magazines.
Rick
Just curious. Did you ever contribute articles? Actively post models?
Anyhow the point is to support Kalmbach and be helpful.
Bill
I’m not a writer but I actively post my models on every forum I’m on.
You’re right, the point of a forum is to discuss things. You both have the right to express your opinion on this topic.