# Sorry state of American model magazines!



## spawndude (Nov 28, 2007)

Why are there so few really good model magazines published in the states?

The main mass market stateside magazine has very short, shallow articles. It seems to appeal to absolute beginners. A few hundred words and huge pictures that take up half a page! Also, half the magazine is advertising. I'm sure most of you know the magazine I'm talking about.
The figure magazines are, in my opinion, hit or miss.

The railroader magazines are actually some of the better US magazines. They sometimes have articles that I enjoy.

However, over on the other side of the pond you have magazines like, Scifi & fantasy, Bowerhouse, Tamiya, Airfix, Modelbouw, Euro Modelismo, Modelar, and others.


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

Short attention span.......My favorite,Scale Aircraft Modeler.


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

What a strange post, Spawndude. On the upside, at least you still have some magazine to complain about. A lot of magazines have gone under. You should be thankful that what few remain are still here. IMHO.


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

Facto2 said:


> What a strange post, Spawndude. On the upside, at least you still have some magazine to complain about. A lot of magazines have gone under. You should be thankful that what few remain are still here. IMHO.


i have to second that, and have to wonder: have you ever seen an american non-modeler magazine? all of them are like that. its s.o.p. for magazines in general.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Heck, I only get FSM for the ads lately! :lol:


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## Cro-Magnon Man (Jun 11, 2001)

You're right that there are quite a few in the UK at the moment. I don't think there always have been - it seems to be a recent growth industry, at a time when nearly all UK model shops have closed down. The magazines here are quite well produced and well illustrated, but suffer from a shortage of original or unusual subject matter - they all run articles on the same WWII tanks, year in year out. Pick up almost any modelling magazine here in any month of any year and it will almost certainly have articles on the PZKW III, IV, Panther, Tiger or King Tiger, one or other variant of the Sherman, plus either the Spitfire or Harrier Jumpjet! You don't need to buy each and every magazine - any one each month is probably enough.

There have been some unusual military kits in recent years, but even so any modern UK modelling magazine looks fairly similar to the old Military Modelling magazines from the 1970's, with a heavy emphasis on WWII German tanks, or Allied tanks of 1943-45, plus the 'usual' aircraft.


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## BatToys (Feb 4, 2002)

There's Amazing Figure Modeler.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Personally I like Amazing Figure Modeler and look forward to each new issue. I am assuming that is the one he was referring to in his second paragraph but I could be wrong. When I read a build article in depth I have found them generally to be quite good. They definitely have a very talented set of writers. My biggest complaint is they are down to maybe two or three issues a year now. After Dan Jorgenson's Kitbuilders folded they are the only one left I believe. And I actually like to see some of the advertising as many of those companies I typically don't know much about. I especially like the new products columns because you can't find much out about those garage companies without AFM coverage.

Bob K.


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## flyingfrets (Oct 19, 2001)

FSM has always seemed to be primarily focused on military kits. True, the techniques discussed apply across the modeling spectrum, but the subject matter generally doesn't interest me enough to buy it. 

Loved Modeler's Resource, but they've gone the way of the West. Kitbuilders & Gluesniffers usually looked like it was printed in Gordy's garage (never saw an issue printed under the last owner), but that was part of its charm, and I enjoyed the articles, but sadly, they're gone too AFAIK.

Still a fan of AFM, but now that our local Borders is gone, the odds of finding it locally are pretty slim.

Only place I was ever able to find ALL of 'em, including the UK mags mentioned, was Avenel Hobbies in Iselin NJ, but that's a 2 hour + ride for me now and I haven't had a chance to get up there since summer '09. I'm not even sure he's still in business (though Randy has weathered lots of economic storms in the past, so I *hope* he's hanging in there).

May be time for me to consider a few subscriptions...


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

flyingfrets said:


> May be time for me to consider a few subscriptions...


I am a bit afraid of starting a subscription from these smaller modeling mags. I can usually pick up AFM at the Barnes and Noble in Orlando although the B&N right here in Merritt Island usually doesn't carry it. So that does require a 50 trip to Orlando which we do once every month or two anyway. If that is inconvenient or I have to wait too long I will fire off an order for that and some other things from Cult as he always gets them in shortly after they are printed. In fact I just noted that the 50th anniversary edition is apparently printed and out to distributors now.

I never actually subscribed to Kitbuilders and got them from Cult. I really liked the mag and have chatted with Dan 3 or 4 times and he is a great guy but I was very much leery that it might end and publishing was very spotty. A good thing I didn't either as he has apparently folded the mag and I read was going to an online magazine but I don't believe that has happened either. I don't know what the current status is for him. He put out a great mag with great build articles but I can understand how much effort that took and burn out and other financial and personal duties can stop you from doing it forever.

Modelers Resource was great and they have done a bit of stuff at their new website. I could always get those at B&N here in MI. I picked up a large number of old issues off of eBay.

Bob K.


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

Bob, you should just get a subscription to AFM. Got my copy of # 50 last week. Very cool monster issue with some reallly great articles. :thumbsup:


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

> Heck, I only get FSM for the ads lately!


Isn't that what they say about Playboy? :hat:

Well guys...in the future, look in those little classified ads in the back of the magazine because i just got myself a new job painting house interiors and on the 15th of September (1st paycheque) I'll be putting some money aside to advertise Monster Hobbies in FSM!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I hear Kitbuilders has stopped printing and will go digital... some day.
That's no good for me. I enjoy the feel of a nice glossy mag in my hands while relaxing.


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## Mitchellmania (Feb 14, 2002)

I haven't seen AFM on the stands in a while. I like to look at the mag before I buy it. I'm a Monster/Sci Fi fan and don't care for the naked women S&M kits.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

...even if they're getting spanked by Frankenstein or some dude from Star Wars? :tongue:


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## Just Plain Al (Sep 7, 1999)

John P said:


> I hear Kitbuilders has stopped printing and will go digital... some day.
> That's no good for me. I enjoy the feel of a nice glossy mag in my hands while relaxing.


 Me too, I really hate dragging the computer into the bathroom for some light reading.:tongue:


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

There seems to be loads of model mags over here at the moment but the only American mag I see in the bigger shops here is Finescale Modeler. That's a good mag though.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

Finescale Modeller used to have some genuinely jawdropping builds that were truly inspiring. I remember the issue with the gigantic USS Nimitz that took the guy years to build.
In recent years it seems that every other issue has an article on weathering basics or how to achieve natural metal finishes.
I guess they have lost out bigtime to the internet and sites such as this and Armorama.
I think they also suffer from trying to be all things to all modellers.
The UK magazines do better because they offer longer, more in-depth articles which feature, in my opinion, better photography.


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## SJF (Dec 3, 1999)

In the past few years, I've lost Starlog, Toy Fare, Wizard and several more of my favorite magazines. So just enjoy and support the mags that are still publishing print editions as much as you can, because I have a feeling they won't be around much longer. 

Sean


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## apls (Dec 5, 2005)

Amazing Figure Modeler is still in business, but they had to made changes, expect to see a lot of "the good ole days" of modeling issues.


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## apls (Dec 5, 2005)

I remember the 1980's with Model Toy Collector. I read AFM when it comes out. Gordy Dutt's magazine I miss a lot, to me he rekindled my interest in this hobby, so I thank him for it.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

apls said:


> Amazing Figure Modeler is still in business, but they had to made changes, expect to see a lot of "the good ole days" of modeling issues.


I really enjoy AFM but they seem to have cut back on frequency of publication. Is that what some of these changes entail, less issues? I am looking forward to picking number 50 next week. I have almost the entire set I picked up off of eBay missing only a few of the very early issues. I like the build articles and new products columns. It is a very professionally produced magazine with high production qualities. I even like to look at the ads as there are many things advertised in there that you would never know of it not for AFM.

Bob K.


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## flyingfrets (Oct 19, 2001)

rkoenn said:


> Is that what some of these changes entail, less issues?


IIRC, in part, yes. I believe I read one of the editor's messages to the readers that the staff had other jobs/comittments and they were cutting back on publication to accomodate them *and* keep the magazine in business. 

That's it in a nutshell (or as close as I can remember it). Then again, it might just be the painkillers talking :tongue:


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

I spoke with Terry today. There is no intentional plan to cut back the number of issues a year. But, sometimes life and obligations do come first. There was about a one month delay on issue 50 but that was because family issues came up that needed to be taken care of. Simple as that. And sorry, family comes first.

No one should make the assumption that because other mags have gone under the same thing’s going to happen to AFM. They have a very strong subscription base. Plenty of copies get out to stores and news stands (even if you’re not one of the people who has seen them). And they do have a strong and loyal advertising base.

So, don’t jump to conclusions because an issue is a few weeks late.


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

apls said:


> Amazing Figure Modeler is still in business, but they had to made changes, expect to see a lot of "the good ole days" of modeling issues.


 I'm not sure I understood this. What do you mean by "the good ole days?"  And what changes have been made?


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## Cro-Magnon Man (Jun 11, 2001)

Discussions/reminiscences about how good model magazines used to be, a bit like discussions about how good the model shops of our childhoods used to be, maybe?


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## apls (Dec 5, 2005)

What I mean about the "good ole days of modeling", is in issue 49, with the Horizon Joker on the cover, interview with John Dennett, and a group picture of build ups from the last century. A lot of these kits are difficult to find, unless you buy crappy recasts on e bay.


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

Well, the theme of the issue was American GK Classics. It was part 2 which covered vinyl. Part 1 covered resin. I don't think that means it's going to turn into a trend. Besides, they had a couple of my builtups shown in the gallery section. 

Also, Dennett was one of the forefather sculptors of garage kits, why shouldn't he deserve an article?

The theme of issue 50 was monsters. And looks great. Although I know the theme of the next issue, I'm forbidden to repeat it.  Spoilers, sweetie (to quote River Song).

Anyway, just my opinion. I don't think AFM is doing anything wrong. It's the old saying, you can make some of the people happy some of the time... etc. :wave:


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## Disco58 (Apr 10, 2011)

rkoenn said:


> I never actually subscribed to Kitbuilders...I really liked the mag and have chatted with Dan 3 or 4 times and he is a great guy...but I was very much leery that it might end and publishing was very spotty. A good thing I didn't either as he has apparently folded the mag.... and I read was going to an online magazine but I don't believe that has happened either. I don't know what the current status is for him. He put out a great mag with great build articles but I can understand how much effort that took and burn out and other financial and personal duties can stop you from doing it forever.
> Bob K.


It was a very smart thing to not subscribe. You and I have *very* different opinions of Dan Jorgensen. I subscribed to Kitbuilder in July 2010. Although payment was accepted, I never saw magazine one. It took until October to get the first email saying they were no longer publishing hard copies and would be going online. I was also told instead of a refund I could get back issues. I emailed back and told them which back issues I would like. When there was no response I emailed again. I haven't heard a word since. I live within a couple hours drive of his house. It has crossed my mind more than once to take a road trip and bang on his door (and maybe bang on his head a bit as well). I subscribed to AFM back in March. When the June issue (#50) didn't arrive on time it made me start to wonder, but there was a message on the site about having publisher/printer issues. July came and went with no magazine. Then we were well into August. The letters WTF and the words deja vu crossed my mind. The magazine finally arrived, and I'm very happy with it, but it leaves a nagging question of whether this will happen again, and will there be a magazine sent to subscribers to compensate for the missing issue? I actually like the ads. As someone else mentioned, it helps those of us who are new or at least not knowledgeable in figure modeling to see what's out there, and get familiar with the various manufacturers. Until I accidentally ran across a copy of AFM a couple years ago, I had absolutely no idea of the scope of the figure and garage kit industry. One major issue I have with AFM is that there is nothing in place for reader contributions. Virtually every hobby magazine I've ever seen, whether it's for scale modeling, woodworking, photography or whatever, has an area to say, "this is what I'm doing". I think it's a very good way to promote hobby 'X' and show that the magazine is actually interested in its readers. 
I have been a loyal subscriber to FineScale for a number of years, but as has been mentioned, it is very decidedly military oriented, and my tastes have changed, so my subscription has ended.
I'm not quite sure which magazine the original poster was speaking of when he mentioned articles seemed geared toward beginners. It has long been my observation (and complaint) that most articles seemed geared toward modelers with _more_ than a bit of experience, and there was far too much information left out under the presumption the reader had already been down this road a hundred times. I can't tell you how many times I've read a 'how-to' article, and the words "in the usual way", or "I won't bother with the basics" crop up, and a particular technique is glossed over. I would absolutely love to see more articles written with the presumption the reader has very little experience, has no idea how to get certain effects, mix colors, etc. On every forum I see articles from people who lament about "the hobby" going under, and no young blood having any interest, yet there is how to article after article that really just hits the highlights, assuming we all already know how it got to that point.
Another problem I have is with articles that use the paint manufacturers color names with no explanation as to what it might actually look like or correspond to in real colors. We don't all use Freak Flex paint, and have no clue what their truly bizarre names might actually look like. What the hell is "Hammer horror red -wet" as opposed to "Hammer horror red - dry"? What might "wooden stake" look like, or "Dead guy gray"? But, in their defense, "Radome tan" is just as difficult to envision. Most of us have probably seen more "Bloody scabs" than radomes.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I assume the OP was talking about Fine Scale Modeler.

As for AFM and Kitbuilders, instead of subscribing, I had my comic shop get them for me when they were available. That way I put no money up front, only paid for them when they came out, and when KB stopped publishing I wasn't out any cash.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Just ordered mine through Cult...
I'm 'old school' and would rather hold the Mag in my hands :thumbsup:
Mcdee


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## Disco58 (Apr 10, 2011)

mcdougall said:


> Just ordered mine through Cult...
> I'm 'old school' and would rather hold the Mag in my hands :thumbsup:
> Mcdee


Me too. I have a book titled 'Instructions for the care and operation of model A-1 and E Hispano-Suiza aeronautical engines (with engineering drawings) published in 1917. It was published/written by Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation, which has long been out of business, but that doesn't matter. I don't need a computer, and I don't need a particular program on that computer to read it. Even at 94 years old, it's still in pretty good shape, and when I want to look at it all I have to do is walk over to my bookshelf.
The one upside I suppose to having magazines online is that if I want I can print out only those articles that appeal to me and ignore the rest. However, there is also that argument that hard copies can be of use to someone else in the future. Case in point, I had thirteen years worth of Finescale Modeler which I sent to a friend in Utah who has just gotten back into modeling. While they longer interest me he was like a kid with the keys to a candy store.


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## RogueJ (Oct 29, 2000)

I use to order from my local comic shop, but I eventually got subscriptions to both AFM and KB magazines at Wonderfest a few years back. While I enjoyed both magazines; can't have enough enough figure kit magazines, I started to get very concerned when KB issues became later and later. I often voiced that concern at the Clubhouse. When KB folded I got stuck for the issues I never received. Frankly I just don't care anymore. For me it just not worth chasing down. Though I understand others frustrations. I've been steadly getting FSM since their inception and recently renewed my subscription to AFM. I have faith in Terry, David and AFM. To me it is the cadillac magazine of the figure genre. While I may miss MR and KB as long as AFM keeps publishing I'm cool with it.

Rogue


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## BadRonald (Jun 2, 2000)

I buy AFM at the local Barnes&Noble.It is the finest model figure mag available.


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## Disco58 (Apr 10, 2011)

BadRonald said:


> I buy AFM at the local Barnes&Noble.It is the finest model figure mag available.


If there are/were other figure modeling mags like AFM and KB I've never heard of them. Unfortunately, figure modeling of this type (and magazines associated with it) doesn't get a lot of mainstream publicity, which I think does it a great disservice. One LHS used to carry AFM hit and miss (mostly miss, 1 issue a year, maybe), as was the situation with the local Barnes & Noble. Borders never had it. None of the three carried Kitbuilder, or even knew it existed. Although I'm not interested in military figures I used to grab a copy of one of them occasionally to try and learn some technique, but that doesn't always cross over. And, there were obviously no ads or 'what's new' spots that applied. That's why I finally bit the bullet and subscribed to both AFM and KB. I've described my opinion of both in a previous post, so....


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

Just a suggestion here, but any of you guys who prefer to buy AFM through your local book store, model store or even art store, talk to a manager and ask them to start carrying it. I’m sure they could either set up a direct account through AFM or get them through Diamond. Just a suggestion.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Disco58 said:


> Me too. I have a book titled 'Instructions for the care and operation of model A-1 and E Hispano-Suiza aeronautical engines (with engineering drawings) published in 1917. It was published/written by Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation, which has long been out of business, but that doesn't matter. I don't need a computer, and I don't need a particular program on that computer to read it. Even at 94 years old, it's still in pretty good shape, and when I want to look at it all I have to do is walk over to my bookshelf.


Likewise, I have one of my great grandfather's giant tomes on railroad locomotive design, choc full of his own marginal scribblings and notes written on Rogers Locomotive stationery. Somehow I don't think it's be the same if it was a CDROM.

I've gotten a couple of CD books, and I can't say I've enjoyed the experience. I lost the password for one of them , and when I did have the password it wouldn't let me load it on a second computer (I've had three or five new ones since I got the disk). Another one had so many little PDF files that I'm still not sure I've read them all - can't stick a bookmark in where you left off.


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