My Rant To The Powers That Be...

Hans von Hammer

Read the re-write...

I gotta quit editing the posts and just write a reply to myself instead, lol...

Whatever happened to the 1/32 Revell Japanese aircraft kits?

Read the re-write...

I gotta quit editing the posts and just write a reply to myself instead, lol...

Too late for the "curmudgeonly but lovable" Monogram Nazi to submit his posts as an article.

Folks read it for free.

BTW...very good posts!

I fear that my status as the "curmudgeonly but lovable" Monogram Nazi (MonoNazi) would be endangered...

Seriously though, I'd submit articles were I so inclined, but my kit choices are and the techniques I use of the "Old School" type, and I don't think that the general readership is all that interested in going "backwards in time", lol..   But, many of the techniques I use are quite satisfactory and easy to do, rather than the current trend of "re-inventing the wheel", and the materials I use are available without a trip to the hobby shop or on-line store... Many are as close as the junk-drawer, garage, and dumpster... The rest is at the grocery, hardware, and auto parts stores, and craft stores sell paints that will match "model" colors, and cost about 1/3rd the price for three times the quantity... 

FSM's advertisers wouldn't like me much... I'm just sayin'...  I'd hate to lose a mag that I still find a useful tool...  

On the other hand, I have this dream (admittedly a pipe-dream) of all the kit manufacturers dropping into a dark chasm, forever entombed, and Monogram/Revell, HAWK, and Lindberg, like the Phoenix, rising from the ashes with a plethora of new 1/48 and 1/32 scale aircraft kits, all priced between 12.00 and 20.00 for the 1/48th and 20.00-30.00 for the 1/32... AND, that Revell discovers a spare set of the J2M3 Jack, Ki-61-I Tony, and the N1K1-J George molds in some storeroom floods the market with new copies of 'em for around 25.00 per... Just to slam-dunk the collectors' prices one has to pay for them these days right in the toilet... That'd learn 'em to quit hoarding the kits...  Man, If I had those three kits again and the TamigawaDragonTrumps had a feather up their collective azzes, we'd both be tickled...

Still, I managed to grab a Monogram Fw-190A "White box" (that means Hakenkreuz on the box photo and decal sheet) along with a Ju 87G-1, and Hurricane... Got the Fw for 3.31, the Hurri for 7.00, and the Ju 87 for 10.00.. Total with shipping- 30.95...  Makes six classic Monograms in the last three weeks, the three mentioned, plus a P-51B, A6M5 Zeke, and the Me 109E... Scored those last three from a single seller too.. 25.00 and 10.50 shipping...  I fat with Monogram kits for a spell...

Maybe I'll write them articles anyway, lol... "How to Build and Super-detail a Model for the Price of the Kit-Part One" maybe? "Detailing the Monogram Stuka for a Dollar"? Zero Kit, Zero Money for After-market"?

HVH:

You should submit that as an article.

I too see that mag dropping in quality in some areas, improving in others... For instance, the FSM of the 80s and early 90s was definately on "Fine" side of fine-scale modeling..  The were many more articles about scratch-buliding, fabricating, kit-bashing, even vacu-forming and photo-etching your detail/replacement parts... 

Not much of that anymore though, since it seems that majority of modelers that came into the hobby in the last 10-15 years rely pretty much on after-market stuff, which simply wasn't around "back in the day", or was so cost-prohibitive as to make some modelers learn how to become Gizmologists, if they wanted to compete...

Many  conversion-sets cost three or four times what any kit cost (and you still had to buy the base-kit)... Resin figures were practically unheard of, white metal dominated the scene, and at around fourteen-twenty dollars per (like resin Verlinden 2-figure vignettes in 1980-something dollars), a diorama builder learned to use Tamiya and Monogram figures and convert them...   However, I digress...

FSM nowadays is, more often that not, about how much stuff you can purchase and put into an already over-priced kit...  I was really disappointed in several past articles that claimed, on the cover, to be covering some good "How To" stuff on a certain type of model, then actually reading it only to discover that the author simply bought a bunch of resin parts and glued them on.. Well, IMNSHO, that's a lot of garbage, and is little more than an a free advertisement for a conversion-parts maker...

 Back in the early days, and through the early 90's most of the photography was B&W, except for the feature articles and Reader Gallery.The kit reviews were shorter, but didn't have a huge color photo, just a small B&W one of the finished kit...  There were far more research articles, on camouflage schemes, scratch-building, scale drawings and what-not, that were geared towards the guy that wanted more than a fine-looking SOB kit...

Nowadays, the reviews are rather long-winded advertisements, and there're NEVER any bad kits...  Hence, they're of little use to anyone who's gotten more than a hundred or so kits behind them.. Frankly, I'm in the "2000 Club" (meaning I've built at least that many models, in various genres, over the last 45 years) and there's litte about any kit that a reviewer could tell me that's of any use, other than the scale and price...

I would like to see Finescale Modeler put the "Fine" back into the articles, and stop making it a rag for beginners... Scale Modeler, Military Modeler, and Auto Modeler filled that gap quite nicely... However,  Scale Modeler , et al, bit the dust back in the mid-nineties, so FSM has indeed picked up that part of the readership, and it's a good idea, from a business POV...

That said, the subcriber is able to go back into back-issues from time-to-time, and download articles for free that interest them, which is a pretty handy feature if you lost the original issue(s)... I know I've lost a couple dozen, at least, due to various moves and such... Not a problem anymore...

Also, you MAY find a lot of "Subcriber Only" content to be handy at times... And you may not.. But a benefit is only a benefit if one actually USES it... Kinda like the Army giving you $10,000 for school, but you have no intentions of ever GOING to school... They'd best have another selling point...

In order for FSM to survive as a useful modeler's tool though, it needs articles from it's subscribers... Karl ain't getting published because he's on the payroll, he's getting published because he writes the article and SENDS IT IN...

Oh yeah, and he's good too...

I've read many "Letters to the the Editor" that complain of "not enough of" this or that genre of model articles, and the answer is always the same... "If someone writes a good one and sends it in, we'll publish it"... So we modeler/subscribers, as a group, are at least partially responsible for the mag's content... 

I don't know if FSM restricts it's article submissions to subcribers or not, but it would make sense if they didn't require it... At the front of the mag, in the "How to Submit Your Article" area, it mentions nothing about "Subscribers Only", anyway.. Same thing for the "Reader Gallery", and "Reader Tips"... In fact, I know they send you a copy of FSM if your tip gets published (and a nice little check that covers about 2/3rds of your sub for a year, or in my case, buys a one or two Monogram kits)

Anyway, the bottom line is, as I see it, FSM is just one more tool in the toolbag for the modeler... You don't use every tool you have for every job, but when you need it, it's nice to have it right there...

the doog

What do you think pays his salary, in part?

Advertising...

Funny thing.....commercials always annoyed me.....until I realized the concept of earning.....that was even more annoying actually paying your own way.....but I just petitioned all the places of learning, where ever it, or 'they' may occur, up here to have all annoying pop-up FSM advertising removed from the websites, hallways, and classrooms...phew...that stuff grows like dandelions.....little kids inhaling toxic fumes and all.....lol......everything on the internet should be freeee.......in fact everything should be freeeee.......Weeeeeee..........What a great world it can Beeeeeeee..........never pay.....Freeeeee......Reeeeeeleeeeeeee, For Ever, Freeeeee............

The way it should be.

bbrowniii

 

Boba Fett:

 

 

 

 

... Ummmmm, it doesn't cost a dime to look at 'em. However, I suspect that FSM expects the advertisers to pay for their space on this forum, just like in the magazine or anywhere else. It doesn't cost you anything to read that bright shiny billboard on the side of the road as you go to work in the morning. Doesn't mean it didn't cost something to put it up there...

 

 

 

Agreed. But how does that fit in? The viewer is merely looking at those for free. It's his choice whether he wants to click on it or go buy the advertised product. So... unless I'm misreading your original post there?

 

 

It is quite possible that we are both misreading each other. No worries.

Understood.

oddmanrush

Karl, thanks for answering the question. I didn't see the 'regrettable comment' but I hope you know I wasn't implying anything beyond simply asking a question.

 

the doog

 

I don't think that he does the latter for free?

What do you think pays his salary, in part?

He just might. I know several moderators on forums that do not get paid anything to perform their jobs. Keep in mind, the magazine came WELL before this forum ever existed. Being a moderator to this site may be part of the job description now rather than a separate title and not necessarily related to any decrease or increase in pay. All depends on the expectations of FSM. I've had jobs where my income does not increase relative to the increase of my responsibility, which sucks, but that's the way it is. Of course, what other people make isn't really any of my business.

Karl, thanks for answering the question. I didn't see the 'regrettable comment' but I hope you know I wasn't implying anything beyond simply asking a question.

I still don't feel that there is an obligation to do so...I don't feel that the magazine and the forum here are intrinsically connected, they are essentially two separate products. One being free, the other, not. This isn't to say I don't believe in compensation, or donations, or contributing based on your own free will because I certainly do. But to say that I should give back or contribute to every entity from which I derive benefit or enjoyment is a bit much, at least for me.

There is a sense of entitlement in this world yes, but I don't think using this forum falls under that characteristic. This is an open forum with no financial expectation upon its members...we aren't entitled  to anything here because we aren't paying members, but on the other hand, we aren't expected to do anything either, except keep it civil. Yet every one benefits. FSM benefits, as I explained before, from profits earned through advertising, which wouldn't be here if we were not here. And clearly, we benefit from the pleasant exchange of thoughts, ideas, and creations of talented modelers not unlike yourself.

Imagine if there was always some financial obligation required for everything you benefit from on the web....Photobucket, Flickr, Facebook, Youtube, GIMP, Windows Messenger, Internet Explorer or Firefox. I would never go online ever again. The reason I never got Xbox Live for my Xbox360 was because I would have had to pay a yearly fee of around $50...I got a Playstation 3 instead because there is no charge for online service. Free beats fee any day. For Xbox, you're paying out $300-400 for the console, or more, plus $60 per game. Not worth it.

I believe "You do for me, I do for you" is a good standard to live by, but its a really really really good thing not all vendors live by that motto....

zokissima

But I see no correlation between the mag and the freely available forum.

Hmm....well think of it this way--last I knew, Aaron Skiner was not only an associate editor of the magazine but also a moderator of the forums. I don't think that he does the latter for free?

What do you think pays his salary, in part?

If you don't like this forum....there are dozens of others, that are equally free. But this place is a pretty good place to be.

Truth be told though, I don't feel the slightest bit inclined to believe that I should subscribe to the magazine. I did it for a few years, and then about three years ago just stopped, as to me, the quality and quantity of information in the articles was steadily dropping.

I have not had a chance to take a look at the magazine again, but I'd like to, and if the content warranted it, I'd pay the subscription fee. But I see no correlation between the mag and the freely available forum.

oddmanrush

 

 

Karl, I'm just curious, but do you feel more obliged to subscribe now too since your are basically a regular contributor to the magazine? Good articles by the way, yours are certainly some of my favorites.

But since you asked directly, I'll say that I simply believe in something from which you derive a benefit and enjoyment. There seems to be such a sense of entitlement in this world anymore, from people stealing music on the internet to DVD pirating and cable TV theft. It makes me sick, honestly, to hear the lame justifications.

I have contributed to Wikipedia because I use it so much. When I was an active member at Armorama, I contributed "free" articles and features there. Armorama does not pay for its submissions, and I COULD have made money selling them to either Kalmbach or even another model magazine. But I submitted them to Armorama because I was getting both information and enjoyment from their site--for free, once again. But in my way of looking at it, submitting an article to them was the currency over there, so I "paid" for the enjoyment that I got from their site.

"Quid Pro Quo" it's called in Latin. You do for me, I do for you. That's how I wuz raised. It's a good way to be in life.

I could understand running out of room, but you could always give a gift subscription to a young nipper like I gave to one of my students?

Boba Fett

 

 

... Ummmmm, it doesn't cost a dime to look at 'em. However, I suspect that FSM expects the advertisers to pay for their space on this forum, just like in the magazine or anywhere else. It doesn't cost you anything to read that bright shiny billboard on the side of the road as you go to work in the morning. Doesn't mean it didn't cost something to put it up there...

 

 

Agreed. But how does that fit in? The viewer is merely looking at those for free. It's his choice whether he wants to click on it or go buy the advertised product. So... unless I'm misreading your original post there?

It is quite possible that we are both misreading each other. No worries.

the doog

 

 

For me, I guess that it comes down to the way you wuz raised. I believe in that if you benefit from something as much as people here obviously benefit from this forum, then you have a moral obligation to support it. Anything else to me feels an awful lot like a sense of entitlement to me. But maybe that's the fashion these days for some?

Moral obligation seems like a bit of a stretch, but like you said, maybe its the way you were raised. Thing is, we are supporting the forum whether we subscribe or not. Obviously, a forum doesn't function well with few members. The more members there are, the more traffic, the greater the likelihood that venders will pay to advertise in this space. Hate to bring up Facebook but.....its a free service that makes MILLIONS through advertising.

It probably costs relatively little to keep up this website since the Community Server is probably hosted elsewhere on the web (like seekdotnet.com or something similar). Don't know what kind of IT staff they have here but if the Server is hosted elsewhere they can probably expect 24/7 technical support which I'm sure they utilized to a great level when they made the 'infamous' change to this format several years ago. So, there probably isn't much they have to do to maintain the site, save for web design and editing content.

I stopped subscribing this February...not because I problems with the magazine, I quite enjoy it and I miss it. I simply ran out of space at the moment. Since I look at these magazines as reference material, I hate to throw them out, so I don't. Any how, I subscribed for five years, collecting 50 issues in the process. Eventually I'll subscribe again, but for now, if I see one I really like, I'll scoop it up from a book store.

Karl, I'm just curious, but do you feel more obliged to subscribe now too since your are basically a regular contributor to the magazine? Good articles by the way, yours are certainly some of my favorites.

                                    I do not subscribe,and probably will not. I find that there is usually very little that really catches my eye,and given that I cannot justify the cost of a subscription. I have in the past subscribed three or more times and have always been dis satisfied . So to each thier own.Or maybe we could be blacklisted from contributing,or forum participation. If that would be the case. Oh well,maybe we'll meet on another forum.

                                                          Greg"Detailfreak"Rowley

     ps. Doe'nt mean I don't play well with others.

bbrowniii

 

Boba Fett:

 

 

bbrowniii:

The reality is, the forum isn' t free anyways - it is being paid for by all those nice ads that we see.

 

 

 

since when does it cost money to look at the ads? Plus, they're rather unobtrusive. A bar on the bottom right. The only time you get a pop-up is from FSM, and usually at the homepage.

 

 

... Ummmmm, it doesn't cost a dime to look at 'em. However, I suspect that FSM expects the advertisers to pay for their space on this forum, just like in the magazine or anywhere else. It doesn't cost you anything to read that bright shiny billboard on the side of the road as you go to work in the morning. Doesn't mean it didn't cost something to put it up there...

Agreed. But how does that fit in? The viewer is merely looking at those for free. It's his choice whether he wants to click on it or go buy the advertised product. So... unless I'm misreading your original post there?

Sparrowhyperion

My friend.  I am disabled as well.  I have a ping pong ball sized ball of metal wire permanently residing in an artery in my brain to keep the arterial aneurysm that it lives in from popping.  I too have trouble with concentrating sometimes.  I also get those emails and snail mails.  But man..  You need to think of what you get for the price of a subscription.  Not only do you get the magazine, which I find immensely useful, but you also get access to online content here which is just as valuable and useful.   In addition you get access to these forums which contain more combined modeling know-how than any place else on the planet with the possible exception of an IPMS convention. I am living on under $1K a month which is all I get in disability payments.  But I am pretty well a shut in.  so the hobby is what keeps me sane.  I have no problem whatsoever with the subscription rate.  It is the one  treat I can afford.  I used to be a network administrator before I was disabled, so I know what the costs are in keeping a forum server running, as well as the costs of hosting a full site.  And trust me...  The subscription fee is more than reasonable.

All of us who have subscribed have paid our dues for what the site and magazine offers.  You are not paying for a subscription anymore and that's your choice, but the red rectangle is a small price to pay for free access to the resource that the rest of us pay for.  If you are not happy with the magazine or site, you don't have to use it.  That again, is your choice.  But you cannot expect to get the same as we do when you don't pay for the subscription we pay for.  Basically you have three choices.

1.  Stop going to the site if the box annoys you so much.

2.  Pay for the subscription like te rest of us do, so you no longer have to deal with the box.

3.  Put up with the box and be glad you can access without paying real money for the subscription.

Your choice.

Rich

 

 

Konigwolf13:

 

Actually I'm not here for free, see all those add down the right hand side, being subjected to them pays my admission (and yes I do follow them from time to time).

As simple and stupid as it sounds I have a disability that makes it very hard to concentrate at time (same thing that lets me get irritated at seemingly innane things). Blocks or colour like that can cause me to keep flicking to look at it, instead of scanning subject links or forum posts. Ever tried rereading the same paragraph 6 or 7 times cause something keeps you from focus? Think how frusting that may be for everypage you want to read!

Andrew

 

 

Well Sparrow, you are a better man than me. I shouldn't have been so rude or flippant.

Fact is, the magazine is indeed worth the money, and I would encourage people to have a look.

My friend.  I am disabled as well.  I have a ping pong ball sized ball of metal wire permanently residing in an artery in my brain to keep the arterial aneurysm that it lives in from popping.  I too have trouble with concentrating sometimes.  I also get those emails and snail mails.  But man..  You need to think of what you get for the price of a subscription.  Not only do you get the magazine, which I find immensely useful, but you also get access to online content here which is just as valuable and useful.   In addition you get access to these forums which contain more combined modeling know-how than any place else on the planet with the possible exception of an IPMS convention. I am living on under $1K a month which is all I get in disability payments.  But I am pretty well a shut in.  so the hobby is what keeps me sane.  I have no problem whatsoever with the subscription rate.  It is the one  treat I can afford.  I used to be a network administrator before I was disabled, so I know what the costs are in keeping a forum server running, as well as the costs of hosting a full site.  And trust me...  The subscription fee is more than reasonable.

All of us who have subscribed have paid our dues for what the site and magazine offers.  You are not paying for a subscription anymore and that's your choice, but the red rectangle is a small price to pay for free access to the resource that the rest of us pay for.  If you are not happy with the magazine or site, you don't have to use it.  That again, is your choice.  But you cannot expect to get the same as we do when you don't pay for the subscription we pay for.  Basically you have three choices.

1.  Stop going to the site if the box annoys you so much.

2.  Pay for the subscription like te rest of us do, so you no longer have to deal with the box.

3.  Put up with the box and be glad you can access without paying real money for the subscription.

Your choice.

Rich

Konigwolf13

Actually I'm not here for free, see all those add down the right hand side, being subjected to them pays my admission (and yes I do follow them from time to time).

As simple and stupid as it sounds I have a disability that makes it very hard to concentrate at time (same thing that lets me get irritated at seemingly innane things). Blocks or colour like that can cause me to keep flicking to look at it, instead of scanning subject links or forum posts. Ever tried rereading the same paragraph 6 or 7 times cause something keeps you from focus? Think how frusting that may be for everypage you want to read!

Andrew

Can't complain about a stamps program.....

Konigwolf13

Last year I subscribed to a magazine many here are familiar with, its called FineScale Modeler. I decided not to renew when the time was up. Mainly because I dont think its the quality that it used to be and it also averages 10-20 pages shorter then when I used to buy it 5-10 hears ago. Also I dislike having to wait 2 weeks or more to find out what most other forum readers get but I can cope with that.

My solution to the shortage of pages and lack of articles as well as the wait is simple. I go to the books store and I browse the mag.  If I like it I buy it, If not I move on.  Yes, I do pay more for it than if subscribe but, I really like the ones I buy and I feel they are worth the price.  Plus I get a sense of entitlement as a participant in this forum.  I believe in the past two years I've skipped 3 issues.

I also do not get the red box  you speak of nor do I get "junk" mail.  I have in the past but its nothing to write home about.

any way my

Really pal,

maybe there is a stamps program.....

Boba Fett

bbrowniii:

The reality is, the forum isn' t free anyways - it is being paid for by all those nice ads that we see.

 

 

since when does it cost money to look at the ads? Plus, they're rather unobtrusive. A bar on the bottom right. The only time you get a pop-up is from FSM, and usually at the homepage.

... Ummmmm, it doesn't cost a dime to look at 'em. However, I suspect that FSM expects the advertisers to pay for their space on this forum, just like in the magazine or anywhere else. It doesn't cost you anything to read that bright shiny billboard on the side of the road as you go to work in the morning. Doesn't mean it didn't cost something to put it up there...

the doog

At least I wouldn't complain about the hose not being long enough to reach three parking spaces away. You get my drift....

Fair enough...

Fine Scale Modeler is a great production.

I subscribe.

If you can't afford the nickel pal, find a free penny subscription you are happy with....pal....

bbrowniii

The reality is, the forum isn' t free anyways - it is being paid for by all those nice ads that we see.

since when does it cost money to look at the ads? Plus, they're rather unobtrusive. A bar on the bottom right. The only time you get a pop-up is from FSM, and usually at the homepage.

Also, There shouldn't be an obligation to pay since you use the forums. However, because I use the forums often, I am inclined to subscribe, which I do. FSM is generous enough to put the forum out here for us to use. the least we can do is support their magazine. No obligation, but it's the charitable thing to do.

Wow...that's 0 for 2... 

Have you considered posting this topic in here?:

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