What Is Next For Fine Scale Modeler?

A. I like holding something tangible in my hands

B Good luck when your batteries die.

While I love the FSM print mag, in recent years it has way too many adds. I understand they need to pay for the mag that way but in the last couple years Airfix Model World has been a go to mag, based out of the UK. Always great to see even more talented model builders to learn and grow from.

Is there anybody that has a subscription to Kalmbach's prestigious flagship magazine, Model Rairoader, and participate in those forums?  Are those forums free to join? 

Honestly, the sad point is that the mag will be gone sooner than later. With all the pressure on print copies from slow sales and ads now add in the virus' putting downward pressure on the global economy Kalmbach is unlikely to weather this storm easily. When it will go we can only guess, but I think we won't have a print version by this time next year if not far sooner. If the forums can't support Kalmbach financially at least to pay for the site then it is just as doomed. This isn't anything any one person is trying to do, it's just the changing world and virus that is strangling the economy on top of that. I predict that to have decent forums you will have private sites that charge a small fee to stay open. Ads only go so far. It's just dollars and cents.

BK

This thread has been an interesting and frightening read. I am new to the Forums and have gained a lot from them. I have seen the work of amazing modelers. I have received great advice in regard to builds for which I am very grateful and after being a solo modeler, (even if it was only the occasional figure), for 20 years, I have thoroughly enjoyed the comradeship. I would be devastated to lose the Forums, but I'm a paper man, digital has it's uses, but I can't hold it or smell it. Its not real like paper. If FSM became digital I would drop it. If they switch my subscription to another mag I will cancel it.

I have been involved in this hobby in one form or another since the late sixties. I started out building everything, including autos, but eventually setteled into military subjects. I saw my favourite magazine, U.K.'s Military Modeling, get taken over by wargamers and then change back, only to close because of dropping sales. The U.K. mag Scale Modeling disappeared. The American mags Military Modeler and Scale Modeler disappeared. Various figure and militaria magazines disappeared. It is the way of commerce, but I still have all my old magazines. Sadly, we just lost the only Australian produced model magazine - Modelart.

To me this whole debate centres around commerce and the changing nature of Kalmbach, for which we may have some indicators, but no crystal ball. Its also about whether or not auto modelers will get a fair go in the FSM pages. If they do, under the current model it will be at the expense of something else, and like some others I am already struggling with content to some degree. FSM is going to have to increase its page count. Sadly I suspect that will be unlikely.

Like I said at the start, interesting and frightening, becuase if there is one thing I know, it is that in commerce, profit is king.

Mr Mike

I wonder, with all the car model shows being cancelled or postponed for 2020, will there be another issue of Contest Cars?  Or, will this disappear just like Scale Auto Magazine did?

 

If the Contest Cars Special edition was a money maker, they might print up new ones once contests resume. This year is obviously a wash out.

I feel the same about the forums.  If they start charging for me to be here, I'll delete my account and I'm gone.  IMHO, no forum should charge for someone to be able to post their opinion and/or comments about a modeling subject.  

I wonder, with all the car model shows being cancelled or postponed for 2020, will there be another issue of Contest Cars?  Or, will this disappear just like Scale Auto Magazine did?

If forums switch to pay im gone and if the magazine goes digital only  im gone.  Good luck reading your books and magazines when your batteries die.....

I really enjoy this forum, more than others I've looked into and hope that it continues. It's a good natured place to visit, and since joining as a return-to-hobby guy I've picked up lots of good tips and been informed and inspired by the many modelers of all skill levels who choose to be here. So yes, I would pay a reasonable subscription fee depending on price point.

As for Kalmbach's magaazines, I don't hold out much hope. I will miss Scale Auto for it's focus and content. FSM not so much, I seldom buy an issue. If the new guy wants to preserve and grow the print business he really needs to up his game. A look at the competition from the UK and Europe shows (generally) much more content, printed on brighter, higher quality paper with higher page counts. This, plus the lavish use of high quality photography, more in-depth build articles by very accomplished writers, and extensive up-to-date industry news and reviews make these my magazines of choice.

Pay to use the forums? In my mind I already do because I subscribe to FSM. If a fee is added I'm gone in the same way I'll drop the magazine if/when it goes all digital. Thinking of the mag I've also decided that when I renew my subscription this coming spring I'll only go for 1 year rather than multiple years as I usually do. I no longer trust them to be around very long as the Scale Auto shut down would attest.

You're probably right stik.

If that turns out to be the way it goes, then I'll most likely just drop out of sight and model away on my own.

goldhammer

MM66-  No hurt feelings here....different strokes make the world go round.  I don't do videos, you tube, etc.  Just not me, and if someone finds those useful, go for it and enjoy.

The reason I'm willing to shell out a modest fee, is the information and the people here.  It fits my abilities and modeling skills, in fact most are leaps and bounds beyond me.

 

Yes, the members here are what makes this place what it is. But I suspect that if this were to become a paid subscription site, that would change double quick. I don’t think that too many current members would pay a fee to stay here. I would not. Just look at the Photobucket fiasco. And once the majority of those members left, this place would lose most  the true talent that you speak of. There are plenty of other free modeling sites on the web. 

stikpusher

Looking at the current CEO’s ”vision”, two things stand out to me: 1, it explains all the constant adds for various items such as overpriced die cast cars, etc. ; 2, it sounds like FSM will eventually be a casualty of the same CEO, not if, but when.

 

The guy's background is in digital media, so that also explains the push to digitize and start all these web stores.  Also telling is the fact that the article states there were 11 print titles when he was appinted, by my count it is now down to 8...

I will be amazed if Kalmbach Media (no longer Kalmbach Publishing as of 2018) is actually putting out any paper magazines by 2024.

Why have the overhead and cost of printing when you can push a digital file out to the cloud and charge the same subscription price?

Just hope the forum sticks around long enough for the Secret Santa GB!

MM66-  No hurt feelings here....different strokes make the world go round.  I don't do videos, you tube, etc.  Just not me, and if someone finds those useful, go for it and enjoy.

The reason I'm willing to shell out a modest fee, is the information and the people here.  It fits my abilities and modeling skills, in fact most are leaps and bounds beyond me.

I don't want to hurt anyones feelings, but this site isn't worth paying for honestly. For free it is fine, the guys are great for the most part, but there is no value added here. we generate all the content ourselves, Kalmbach is just a host. Iread the magazine but dropped my subsription years ago.

I pay around $5.00 to subsribe to flory models site. Her has forums yes, and they are fine, but he does multiple part video builds, video reviews, vlogs, update shows, etc. There is new content there every day, It is well done, the content is fun and informative, he is an excellent modeller and it is subscriber focused. That is worth a subscription to me. Check it out or look for flory models on youtube, he puts some free content there regularly. It is florymodels.org. It is UK.

I don't expect it to last too long.

While I know it costs $ to host and run this site, I subscribe to FSM, and if they get rid of the mag or want to charge for the forum, I will in all probability be gone.  I might be willing to cough up a couple of bucks a month, at the very most to keep it up and running.

Looking at the current CEO’s ”vision”, two things stand out to me: 1, it explains all the constant adds for various items such as overpriced die cast cars, etc. ; 2, it sounds like FSM will eventually be a casualty of the same CEO, not if, but when.

Dan Hickey is the CEO of Kalmbach. Kalmbach is a privately held company.

Hickey's strategy for the company is this: “We are moving away from free content on the web to more of a membership model,” he explains. “Our customers are moving more to digital, so we need better tools to manage that relationship. It’s not really about renewal of the magazines, but can we get them to an event? Can we get them to buy ecommerce products from one of our stores?”

Read the following to understand why SAM went away:

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/341645/why-membership-is-the-new-publishing-at-kalmbach.html

I don't mean to be glib, but the SA subscribers are kind of lucky they are at least receiving a model building magazine still.  Was going through the mail and my Mom had a Discover Science magazine with a letter from the staff stapled to the cover...Kalmbach killed off their Beads and Buttons magazine, seemingly without warning, and converted the remaining subscription to this science magazine.  

I like to think I am open minded enough to think that there is something to learn from the auto genre and apply to my armor building.  What I'd like to see is FSM expand the magazine's page count to include additional car builds, and without cutting the usual armor, planes, figures, etc., but that is probably wishful thinking since there are only so many pages to cover everything, and something has gotta give.

I really dont care what happens.  I dont build cars or cycles.  I used to read the magazine for years then after 30+ years I wasn't getting anything new out of it.   Not their fault, FSM is still great, it's only that I am getting to be an old guy.  I've been building for so long, my body can't keep up with all the neat advances in modeling.  I still buy a new kit on occassion, the new Border kit of the new Pzkpfw IV ausf G for example.  Heck, I figured the Italleri kit from 1974 or so was good enuf!  So have at it 

mustang1989

 

 

midnightprowler

I'm not  a writer  but I actively post my models on every forum I'm on.

 

 

 

 

Don't forget that Lee also contributed ALOT to SA by submitting build reviews. I've seen a number of them that Lee's had published in SA and yeah.....he's definitely got some room for say-so.

 

 

Thanks  Joe. I appreciate both magazines and forums and each has their place and function.  I'm just very old school and like print.

If things hold true to form, if enough of the SA crowd comes aboard there'll definitely be a flurry of activity just in the auto section. Something I'm very much looking forward to. There's alot of talent that comes with that.

Modeltruckbuilder

I realize that the main topic of discussion here is the amount of automotive content in the magazine. However, I feel we also need to keep in mind that the forum, (as it is presently laid out), only has one board for automotive subjects. Scale Auto had nine boards devoted to automotive subjects. I hope the administration will take into consideration expanding the forum here in the near future. For me the magazine and forum go hand in hand, one is an extension of the other. I truly believe a well laid out and organized forum will increase member participation and lead to more magazine subscribers.    

 

Aside from aircraft, which has two other boards- civil and helicopters, all the other modeling subject genres here each have one board. Those can arguably be compressed back under the single aircraft board. If the current and (potential future) auto members here swamp the existing board, it makes sense to expand it. Otherwise, why expand that section? Some of the boards here have minimal activity already. 

A number of years ago FSM split up aircraft into (military) and civil.

Before, it was just too packed.

Modeltruckbuilder

...the forum, (as it is presently laid out), only has one board for automotive subjects. Scale Auto had nine boards devoted to automotive subjects. I hope the administration will take into consideration expanding the forum here in the near future. ...

I totally agree with this point and will be first to support parsing up the auto forum.  Maybe post up the SAM forums as they stood.  

BTW I'm a long term subscriber to FSM and was a SA subscriber a few years back.  Ironically, I just restarted my SA subscription this year.  It is a bummer.

Modeltruckbuilder

I realize that the main topic of discussion here is the amount of automotive content in the magazine. However, I feel we also need to keep in mind that the forum, (as it is presently laid out), only has one board for automotive subjects. Scale Auto had nine boards devoted to automotive subjects. I hope the administration will take into consideration expanding the forum here in the near future. For me the magazine and forum go hand in hand, one is an extension of the other. I truly believe a well laid out and organized forum will increase member participation and lead to more magazine subscribers.    

 

I've been an FSM subscriber for decades.  I can think of several forums created because people here asked specifically for them.  If someone suggests a new forum and enough people respond, FSM will do it.

Modeltruckbuilder

I realize that the main topic of discussion here is the amount of automotive content in the magazine. However, I feel we also need to keep in mind that the forum, (as it is presently laid out), only has one board for automotive subjects. Scale Auto had nine boards devoted to automotive subjects. I hope the administration will take into consideration expanding the forum here in the near future. For me the magazine and forum go hand in hand, one is an extension of the other. I truly believe a well laid out and organized forum will increase member participation and lead to more magazine subscribers.    

 

I realize that the main topic of discussion here is the amount of automotive content in the magazine. However, I feel we also need to keep in mind that the forum, (as it is presently laid out), only has one board for automotive subjects. Scale Auto had nine boards devoted to automotive subjects. I hope the administration will take into consideration expanding the forum here in the near future. For me the magazine and forum go hand in hand, one is an extension of the other. I truly believe a well laid out and organized forum will increase member participation and lead to more magazine subscribers.    

I enjoyed the build reviews. Probably my favorite part of the magazine.