STYRENE-SURFER Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 29 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said: And there are IT people here who could surely help Gregg transition to a walled-off segment of THIS site that's ONLY available to paid subscribers, with "premium" content, if they'd step up to help...just a little. Would such a strategy save and revitalize MCM? Who knows? I think this type of strategy is reasonable and there are forums I visit that use the same. For some reason growing up on the internet made a lot of people feel like everything was free. Me, not so much, because I worked in a creative environment(advertising) for much of my life and have a respect for the work that goes into such endeavors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Ace I totally agree. Going to electronic format would help get the magazine back on track. A while back Gregg said it cost $10k to print and mail the magazine(with recent costs going up no doubt more). With the new subscription rate that means there has to be 333 new subscribers to print 1 issue(not the way to run a magazine.). I doubt that there are many advertisers with the current status so there is little support from that. Even without printing the magazine cutting the number of issues to 3 or 4 a year would be less of a burden on Gregg and help get things back on track. As far as paying for the site it has to be something more than what we get now. Most are not going to pay for something that's always been free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 14 minutes ago, bobthehobbyguy said: As far as paying for the site it has to be something more than what we get now. Most are not going to pay for something that's always been free. I would recommend the site stay EXACTLY as it is, and free, with the EXCEPTION of a "paid subscriber" section that publishes content NOT put out for free on the rest of the site. Nothing about the site everyone now knows needs to change. Only the subscription area would be inaccessible to anyone not willing to pay for "premium" content. Just exactly as it is now, but instead of going to the mailbox to get your mag, you click on "magazine subscriber content" or something similar, enter a subscriber password, and rock on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I am very thankful for this forum as it IS a great place to be and a lot of fun as well as very informative. I buy my issues of Model Cars Magazine at the hobby shop when it's available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 1 minute ago, High octane said: I am very thankful for this forum as it IS a great place to be and a lot of fun as well as very informative. I buy my issues of Model Cars Magazine at the hobby shop when it's available. This site should remain. In fact, it could serve as a very effective draw or marketing tool to get people to "subscribe" or to just buy access to one issue at a time electronically, just as you now do at the hobby shop. A simple header called "This Month in E-MCM" or something similar would list the articles and other content ONLY available to those who pay for access. See something you're interested in? Pay for unlimited access to JUST ONE ISSUE. No problem. Hobby shop one-issue-at-a-time-buying with only the paper and ink missing. Potential advertisers would have a better time seeing what value THEY get for their money too, as actual visitor-count on E-things is easy...and even that could help to boost revenue. This isn't brain surgery. It's simply moving with the times, and trying to save what was once the best model car mag out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk11 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 58 minutes ago, bobthehobbyguy said: Most are not going to pay for something that's always been free... True, but free doesn't always last forever Putting the magazine-destined content and bonuses into a premium area makes a lot of sense for the reasons Bill clearly elucidates. You'd pay for the magazine anyways. mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom q vaxy Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 odd as it may seem, has anyone ever actually seen this "Gregg"? all I've been able to figure out is that he lives on an island far far away, doesn't interact with the forum nor produce the magazine people pay for. other than that, he's a great guy, we avert our eyes, and only dare whisper his name. what gives? is there cool aid involved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 21 minutes ago, tom q vaxy said: odd as it may seem, has anyone ever actually seen this "Gregg"? all I've been able to figure out is that he lives on an island far far away, doesn't interact with the forum nor produce the magazine people pay for. other than that, he's a great guy, we avert our eyes, and only dare whisper his name. what gives? is there cool aid involved? He lives in Hawaii. I met him in Arizona at an IPMS model show maybe 10 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter31a Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 28 minutes ago, tom q vaxy said: odd as it may seem, has anyone ever actually seen this "Gregg"? all I've been able to figure out is that he lives on an island far far away, doesn't interact with the forum nor produce the magazine people pay for. other than that, he's a great guy, we avert our eyes, and only dare whisper his name. what gives? is there cool aid involved? Like it or not "Gregg" pays for this site as well as publishes (when he can) the magazine. Don't refer to him as a mythical person. Just because you're new here and don't know him, don't denigrate him. Many of us know Gregg and have met him at shows. He is indeed a great guy. He's published a great magazine for a number of years and unfortunately due to Golden Bell publishing suddenly pulling out on him and continuing extreme back problems things are currently bogged down for the last couple of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 2 hours ago, bobthehobbyguy said: As far as paying for the site it has to be something more than what we get now. Most are not going to pay for something that's always been free. Yes, but people need to get smart and realize the alternatives. If the magazine goes belly up, the forum is likely to follow. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 12 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said: Yes, but people need to get smart and realize the alternatives. If the magazine goes belly up, the forum is likely to follow. Yes, quite likely. But there are other forums as well as Facebook modeling groups---plenty of places to talk models and show your work.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miatatom Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 47 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said: Yes, but people need to get smart and realize the alternatives. If the magazine goes belly up, the forum is likely to follow. Steve If that's the case, I'll be lost. I permanently quit Farcebook and never looked back so it's the on line forums for me. This forum is like the autox.team.net forums that Mark Bradakis (sp) runs. If something happens to either of them, there are a lot of people that will be upset. I've never met either guy but they both do a great service. Marks operation is much bigger than Gregg's and he does ask for donations when upgrading his equipment. I have donated. I was a member of his forums back in the 90s. I sure hope Gregg has a plan B to hand off the "football" to someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 1 hour ago, Rob Hall said: Yes, quite likely. But there are other forums as well as Facebook modeling groups---plenty of places to talk models and show your work.. The problem with FB is there are too many sites and too much other garbage out there. I have never seen the depth of discussion and help anywhere else but on this site even though my interests are very narrow insofar as what I build. I may only see other club members once a month but some are active on here daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 We can all speculate and ponder what should be done, but in the end it's up to Gregg. Not sure how many issues he is behind or he has ready to go and is trying to get printed. At this point, maybe Gregg will see this and comment, until then let's build some models! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High octane Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 3 hours ago, tom q vaxy said: odd as it may seem, has anyone ever actually seen this "Gregg"? all I've been able to figure out is that he lives on an island far far away, doesn't interact with the forum nor produce the magazine people pay for. other than that, he's a great guy, we avert our eyes, and only dare whisper his name. what gives? is there cool aid involved? Yes I've seen and met Gregg at the NNL in Toledo several years ago and I know that he's attended other show stateside as well. He is real and has been having serious back problems for a long time now. I hope things get better for him soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Rob Hall said: Yes, quite likely. But there are other forums as well as Facebook modeling groups---plenty of places to talk models and show your work.. I am a member of a couple of other forums and as a general rule, if you like the sound of crickets, they're perfect! I have not found one yet that has the traffic and therefore the volume of information as this one. Plus there are many of us who have no interest in social media such as Twitter and Facebook. I don't prescribe to either one myself, and likely never will. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STYRENE-SURFER Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said: I am a member of a couple of other forums and as a general rule, if you like the sound of crickets, they're perfect! I have not found one yet that has the traffic and therefore the volume of information as this one. Plus there are many of us who have no interest in social media such as Twitter and Facebook. I don't prescribe to either one myself, and likely never will. Totally agree with Steven here.I feel the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramfins59 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 9 hours ago, STYRENE-SURFER said: Totally agree with Steven here.I feel the same way. Me too... Wholeheartedly. Gregg Hutchings is indeed a real, live person. Back in the 90's, when I lived on Long Island in NY, I picked Gregg up from the airport to bring him to our LIARS Club show. I've also met him at the NNL East show. I've done some "collection work" for him for monies due from dealers and hobby shops for the magazine (I did A/R Collections work for 32 years). Aside from the physical problems with his back injury, the loss of Golden Bell Press and Harry Pristovnik forced Gregg to learn, take on and manage all the steps and tasks of putting out a magazine..... (Editing, layout, writing, printing, distribution, mailing and postage, advertising and getting advertisers, getting show coverage and photos, subscriptions, financing, legalities, etc...etc... and I'm sure there are a few more...). Add to all of this, his personal family issues of dealing with and caring for aging and ailing in-laws. A lesser person would surely have given up a long time ago being faced with so much adversity. Gregg has a great love for this model car hobby of ours and has been literally doing all that he possibly can, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially to keep things running. I, for one, am looking forward to that "light at the end of the tunnel" for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom q vaxy Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Ramfins59 said: Me too... Wholeheartedly. Gregg Hutchings is indeed a real, live person. Back in the 90's, when I lived on Long Island in NY, I picked Gregg up from the airport to bring him to our LIARS Club show. I've also met him at the NNL East show. I've done some "collection work" for him for monies due from dealers and hobby shops for the magazine (I did A/R Collections work for 32 years). Aside from the physical problems with his back injury, the loss of Golden Bell Press and Harry Pristovnik forced Gregg to learn, take on and manage all the steps and tasks of putting out a magazine..... (Editing, layout, writing, printing, distribution, mailing and postage, advertising and getting advertisers, getting show coverage and photos, subscriptions, financing, legalities, etc...etc... and I'm sure there are a few more...). Add to all of this, his personal family issues of dealing with and caring for aging and ailing in-laws. A lesser person would surely have given up a long time ago being faced with so much adversity. Gregg has a great love for this model car hobby of ours and has been literally doing all that he possibly can, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially to keep things running. I, for one, am looking forward to that "light at the end of the tunnel" for him. he's been in the business since the '90s and needs to learn everything? this makes less sense as it goes on and on . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) 28 minutes ago, tom q vaxy said: he's been in the business since the '90s and needs to learn everything? this makes less sense as it goes on and on . . . He was the owner/publisher. The top guy. CEO. People under him doing the gruntwork. Kinda like Mary Barra's probably not capable of going into the engineering offices and designing parts, or run a production line (more's the pity). Gregg had a VERY able and competent ally named Harry Pristovnik who worked tirelessly as editor, copy-writer, art director and layout/graphic artist, and was simultaneously moderator of this site, largely responsible for keeping it running smoothly and keeping all the kiddies playing nice. Harry P. was also a world-class modeler, and contributed a large amount of high-quality material both here and to the mag. Harry died of cancer quite suddenly. The printer that had been doing the mag...including bagging and mailing...also pulled out of the deal. These back-to-back body blows, combined with Gregg's debilitating back problems, sent the enterprise reeling. Gregg's been trying to pull out ever since, but it's an uphill battle...and he's working largely alone now. Edited January 17, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan White Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) I agree that this is a fantastic forum, and is one of the few I've seen (US based at least) that has quite consistent posting numbers. I will come right out and say that the Scale Auto Magazine forums are very poorly laid out/designed and lately, seem to be slowing down as far as new content. I think that making this forum paid only will severely reduce the member numbers, what with Facebook and such. I agree that it would perhaps be in Gregg's best interests to do as some others have said and make a paid area with the content that would be found in the print magazine, and then drop the print version. At the GTPlanet forums (for the Gran Turismo racing game series), they have a separate locked section specifically for premium (paid) members. If people are paying for an item, more specifically one that is subscription based and has an expected schedule, then it is fair for them to question the frequency and arrival conditions of said item. Myself, I stopped subscribing to magazines a few years back because they just took up space and usually had info that was already out of date and/or could be found online. Edited January 17, 2019 by Jordan White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 6 minutes ago, Jordan White said: I think that making this forum paid only will severely reduce the member numbers, what with Facebook and such. It might help eliminate some of the riff raff! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my66s55 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 51 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said: It might help eliminate some of the riff raff! Steve Where's the thumbs up symbol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtx6970 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Ive never met this Greg and odds are never will. He may be a great guy , and thats fine. BUT, Based on whats been posted here in the past about delays on the printed magazine . Like it or not its a business and if I ran my business that way I would have been out of business in a heartbeat. IMO ( and last time I ckd we are allowed one ) unless something can be done in regards to delay after delay with subscribers receiving what they paid for in a timely manner , either close it up and make portions of this forum paid only. Or hand it over to someone / some company that can deliver said product on time. I'm sure I'm not alone saying this but if portions of this site want to go to paid only, I'm fine with that and would mostly pony up . But no way am I paying for a paper magazine then taking years to receive all the issues I paid for . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 So to sum up discussion lets go with some bullet points He's a great guy and we HOPE the magazine will be printed more regularly. We all love the website but can anyone prove it is not partially or fully funded by advertisers. Subscribers should have special website access but what would that be? Back issues perhaps? Subscribing as this point is risky given the track record of the last two years. I paid for a one year subscription that may take four years to fulfill but I'm scolded if I complain. He should go digital or let a third party sell and print the magazine on a pay per issue basis. He's broke so how the heck will he print and mail hundreds of magazine "owed" with little new revenue. He has the subscription monies but is unable to provide the product as promised due to health reasons. There have been sightings in the past but no pictures can be found so there are some non-believers. Did I miss anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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