Wow! A lot going on in this thread.
Let's begin with Scale Auto (SCA)?
The decision to close a publication is never one made on the spur of the moment. However, when the decision has to be made, it may come at an inconvenient or uncomfortable time. And it leaves no one with happy feelings of eider down floating on a summer breeze. We're all here to do a job, and sometimes the job sucks.
When Kalmbach decided to cease regular print publication for SCA, Aaron and I immediately began planning for the integration of SCA content into FSM. The FSM November 2020 issue was already on its way to the printer and the December 2020 issue was deep into design and edits. There was no way for us to insert SCA content into the November issue--it was already out the door. For December, we lifted a story I had initally scheduled for SCA December 2020 by Mat Irvine as a follow-up to Mark Jones' build of the Supernatural AMT Impala four-door that appeared in SCA Jun 2020. We did this while winding down the regular print operation and figuring out what to do with dozens of projects that were in the works. You can't just flick off the lights and call it done. There's a lot going on behind the scenes besides just putting out the magazines.
With FSM January 2021, we start to get our feet underneath us, and the car content will begin to appear with regularity, starting with a story by Marcos Cruz. More how-tos will follow. Scale-auto content is another topic that will be part of the content mix going forward, just like planes, tanks, and sci-fi. Further, there are some announcements in the offing for more car goodies coming in 2021. Yes, we plan to continue to produce Contest Cars. You'll notice that we're hosting the ACME Southern Nationals Online Model Contest and Show. We've had a tremendous outpouring of support and tons of great models have been entered. There may be more online shows coming up in the future.
I'm not sure what more I can say regarding SCA except that we're working with Tim Boyd, Bob Downie, Marcos Cruz, Mark Jones, and many others to continue to bring modelers scale-auto-related content. Continuting to operate a nationally distributed magazine dedicated solely to scale-car modeling was not financially feasible, but auto modeling is as important to the hobby as tanks or planes and deserves support and inclusion in FSM. And BTW, as others have pointed out, cars have been in FSM before. Past editors decided to minimize auto content in FSM after Kalmbach purchased SCA, which made sense decades ago. Not so, now.
Let's try another:
Will we charge for membership to the Forums? That's not what Dan is talking about when he talks about membership. What we're looking at is providing more content on the website to complement the content in the print magazine and adding more value where, as some of you have said, you don't really see any.
Over the next months, beyond a much-needed facelift for FineScale.com, you'll notice a lot more content hitting the website--the lion's share accessible only to subscribers. For instance, subscribers should already notice more reviews on the website. New reviews will appear on FineScale.com weekly now, rather than waiting for the print magazine. This is just the beginning.
Over the next few months, you'll also notice a steady increase in videos on the website, and new content will appear daily. Of course, all of this takes time because we're moving to fully integrate the digital and print sides into a cohesive whole. But membership means subscribers will start to see more and more content appearing on the website available only to them.
In the meantime, the print magazine will focus on bringing great how-to stories to readers just as it always has. With the infusion of contributors from SCA, we'll add a steady stream of auto content, and we're always on the hunt for talented modelers to submit excellent stories.
In the end, while we have to operate within a larger company, everything we're doing here at FSM on the editorial side is to bring MORE to our audience. And that means championing modeling in all its forms; extolling the experience of modeling, not just pushing the technical skills required; entertaining as well as enriching. We believe in our hobby, and we will work to grow it and FSM.
Right now, I have to edit stories for the web and a March 2021 feature. I'm sure you have more questions, and I'll answer them when I get a chance.
TK