Challenge Publications Modeling Magazines

I'll second that comment about the timing of Scale Modeler. When they hit the scene, we had two model aircraft magazines in America that were of any use to the plastic modeler.

One was Model Airplanes News, MAN was a flying model magazine, but, had scale plans inside that we could use to make conversions or balsa aircraft with.

The other was American Aircraft Modeler,,,AAM was also a flying model magazine, but, they had a feature called "Scale Techniques for the Plastic Modeler", this feature had things like a one page article about the colors of American bombs (with the correct colors, no less, I just had it out yesterday), to a three page article on building F11Cs and BFCs in plastic.

Our one saving grace back then was anyone that had a hobby shop or a friend that could get Airfix Magazine from England. They did almost all Airfix kits, but, they also did research pieces that could help with your Revell model.

At the same time as Challenge had Scale Modeler, they also had Air Classics,,,,,,those two, plus the mags I talked about above,,,,,,and the Wings and Airpower, kept us in information access until the next Aircam and Profile editions came out. There was a pub from Airfix that I can't remember the name of, but, it featured conversions of Airfix Armour and Trucks in every edition.

1969 wasn't really as big of a "dry spell" for modelers as a lot of people think,,,,,,,,,,I was buying every model magazine and paperback book concerning aircraft (and sometimes tanks), and my $0.95 an hour could hardly keep up, even though the mags had prices like $1.00 (Scale Modeler, December 1967)  or 2s 6d on them. (Airfix Magazine, April 1970)

Rex

You are correct in your recollections about Challenge Publications.  When their first issue hit the stands, it was to a lot of fanfare for the simple reason that Scale Modeler was...for all practical purposes...the first American publication that specifically targeted what would become known as the serious plastic modeler.

The criticisms the magazine and its offshoots received were well deserved in many ways.  Incidentally, pulling teeth with your bare hands was easier than getting your money from them.  If I had been depending on the amount they paid...as well as when they finally paid it...I could've never made even part of my living by writing for them.  As far as the 'rumors' regarding how they made their real money, that one is true... assuming you've heard the story I did or found some of their other publications on the newsstand.  If you'll PM me at my gmail address, we'll see if we're both on the same page.

Still, it can be argued that without Challenge Publications and Scale Modeler, not only would modelbuilding exist as we know it today and FSM...if it existed at all...would not be the magazine we're all familiar with.

I have extremely mixed opinions about Challenge. For a long time its modeling magazines were, in the U.S. at least, the only games in town. When I was in high school and college I got a lot of inspiration from them.

The very first thing I published was an article in Scale Modeler about a model of the revenue cutter Roger B. Taney, based on the old Pyro kit. I wrote and submitted the article when I was in high school. The magazine got around to publishing it when I was in my first year of grad school - six years later. And getting payment (the princely sum of $25.00) was like pulling teeth.

I was a big fan of Scale Ship Modeler during the years in which it was edited by Loren Perry (aka Gold Medal Models). But he abruptly left (for reasons that are none of my business), and the magazine went downhill.

The company had its share of critics. There were all sorts of rumors (many of them probably urban legends) about how it was really making its money. And it was frequently remarked that the bigger the ad a manufacturer bought, the better reviews its products got.

The owner of the hobby shop where I worked eventually got fed up with Challenge (I don't remember the precise reason), and quit stocking its publications. At about that time he started carrying the grand old British monthly Scale Models (from Model and Allied Publishers - which had been in business since the thirties, I believe). There was another nice British one called Almark Magazine. (Almark was a decal manufacturer who also had a line of small cast metal figures), but it went bust after a few years. The FSM arrived on the scene, and many American modelers shifted their allegiance from Challenge. I was one of them - though I continued to buy Scale Models every month for years.

People who've gotten into the hobby in the past couple of decades don't realize how lucky they are - in terms of the quality of the available kits and the informational resources as well.

Loooooong before the days of FSM, as a kid I used to pick up Scale Modeler regularly at the grocery store or drug store (when I had enough money in my allowance).  Still have a few articles torn from it, saved as reference material.

From an author's perspective, it can be interesting to see the reaction from others when they find out you are one.  The reactions to the simple fact that I am an author...never mind what the subject is...has ranged all the way from true respect to comments like "I could never build a model as good as the one you did for Scale Modeler (or Modelworld or any other magazine title)",  "That's too deep for me", "How do you think of something to write about?", "Boy, I bet you make a lot of money!" and "When are you going to get a real job?".

If they only knew!!

I must have seen some of your ship models, then. That is sort of cool, when you realize that you have been talking to someone who's models you used to look at in magazines.

that sort of thing happens at contests and the Nats, too,,,,,,,you get talking along, and someone walks up and joins your convo, and he is an author, or one of the aftermarket producers, etc

Rex

Hi Rex.  I certainly remember Challenge Pubs, and did a few articles for Model Car Science and for Scale Ship Modeler.  Still cranking out model cars, ships and planes.

I started subscribing to Military Modeler while as a young second lieutenant around the fall of 1987 and continued until its demise sometime in the mid 1990s. I remember it merging with Scale Modeler to become Scale & Military Modeler, then shortly afterwards dropped the "Military" from the title. The last few issues were just a car magazine, not even model related. I think it was around the summer of 1997 or so. I ran across the box of those magazines just last night.

I got a penpal from the magazine who was a 13 year old boy. He's now in his thirties.

Hey Rex,

Yep, you're correct.  Wrote the Scaleworld column for several years.  Left when manufacturers started thinking that, with both me and Internet Modeler requesting samples, that IM was double dipping.  That wasn't true since Scaleworld was a standalone production, but you couldn't get them to understand it.

I now have a separate Scaleworld site called Richard Marmo's Scaleworld...scaleworld dot squarespace dot com...but I haven't done much on it.  Right now I'm writing for two print magazines, Toy Farmer and Toy Trucker & Contractor.  I'm also producing ebooks with subjects ranging from modelbuilding...The Marmo Method Modelbuilding Guides series...to the suspected murder...Was It Murder?... of my Great-grandfather by his second wife.  Those are all listed on my author's site that I've finally gotten around to creating...richardmarmo dot com.

Oh, yeah, I'm still an aircraft nut, regardless of what else I write about.

Then in my spare time....

Richard

Hi Richard

Scale Ship Modeler is the mag you are thinking of, I was a long time subscriber.

I've read your articles on one of the online sites that "updated monthly" with articles,,,the old format Internet Modeler? perhaps?

Rex