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Another MCM Editor is Onboard


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This was posted to Facebook this evening.

To all friends of MODEL CARS Magazine:
By now, just about everyone has learned of the impending demise of SA. While it is in some senses the "end of an era", it is also a moment of truth for our beloved hobby.
I started writing for the former Scale Auto Enthusiast Magazine in 1982. In 1989, The late Gary Schmidt, who founded SAE, asked me to pen a column for a new sister publication to be called CAR MODELER knowing my penchant for replica stock modeling - which I was happy to do, called it STRICTLY STOCK, and lasted through the five years of that magazine's existence. STRICTLY STOCK then moved to the pages of SAE, and I am still to this day grateful and appreciative for all the kind words and comments from our readership. That column, and my relationship with the magazine, ended with the "revamp" into SA without an E. From that moment on, I have been happily a part of MODEL CARS Magazine - and that relationship remains unbroken.
Gregg, like Gary Schmidt before him, understands that this hobby is not a solitary one - that there is a social aspect to it. Not everything is about "How to [fill in the blank]." Both men infused their magazines with that spirit, and fortunately for us, one of those magazines kept that spirit alive and kicking - and Gregg deserves major kudos for that. As my dear friend, the late John Slivoski, one of the founders of NNL East, once commented to me over a hamburger at Johnny Rockets, "Its not about the little plastic cars. It's about the friendships we make along the way BECAUSE of the little plastic cars!"
I've known Gregg for many years, and he has become one of my closest friends. I've known the trials and tribulations he has gone through and continues to go through, and I also know firsthand of his love for the hobby and his passion to keep MODEL CARS afloat despite all the obstacles he has faced. I am both proud and happy to stand with Gregg in the reboot of the magazine, and to help keep the promise of MODEL CARS being the best and most relevant publication devoted to our beloved hobby.
Its been said that nobody gets rich writing for a magazine. While that may be true, I look upon it as a labor of love, much the same as our hobby is a labor of love, as twelve years of STRICTLY STOCK was a labor of love for me. That said, I hope you will join me in welcoming MODEL CARS Magazine back into the fold, with the promise of it being better than ever, and to promote efforts to keep the brotherhood of our worldwide model car community alive and well.
Yours truly,
Larry Greenberg
Associate Editor
MODEL CARS MAGAZINE
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A few comments from someone who's read Model Cars Magazine since it evolved from Plastic Fanatic. 

Less than five years ago, MCM was possibly the best model car magazine published. I can fairly compare it to many past magazines such as Model Cars, Model Car Science, Rod and Custom Models (which was amazingly good), Scale Auto Enthusiast, Scale Auto, Car Modeler, Model Racing Replica News (look for it if you into grand prix and road racing cars)  as well as several one time publications. MCM was that good. 

What happened? 

Eventually the cast of players that made it happen dwindled down to a one man show. Harry P and I believe Jairus did layouts. The writing was top notch. If MCM is to prosper it needs to become more than a one man show. This is a great first step.

The question is has the time for MCM in its past form passed? I've worked in graphic arts education for 34 years. I think I have a good handle on the printing industry. Three years ago, I would have said no. Today I'm not so sure. To make it work would require advertisers, a distribution base and content. Right now the hobby is having a resurgence and there is a ready void with SA folding but is the future market a printed or a digital future?

I wish MCM the best of luck. I'll be glad to buy it when I see it on sale.

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Remember also that Gregg and Golden Bell Pres, who were handling subscriptions, printing and distribution of MCM, ended their relationship.  This put a lot more of the work of publishing the magazine in Gregg's lap.

I am happy that Larry G and others are stepping up to help.  This is what is needed for MCM to get back on track.

 

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If MCM can make a comeback and be distributed in a timely matter I will support it by subscribing! I just cancelled my subscription to SA to recoup my money and not have it go into Fine Scale..

This Hobby needs a go to for information and need to have a publication in place! Best of luck!

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10 hours ago, Gramps46 said:

Why would Larry post his message to Facebook and not here on MCM Forum?

Hi Gary,

Only because this all happened very quickly.  I've been asked to moderate the Facebook page for MCM, so I got started there.  In any case, I'm in both places now and happy to be.

 

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To everyone who has expressed their good wishes to me for coming on board, you have my sincerest thanks.  I am grateful for your support in this undertaking.

It's going to be a bumpy road in some senses yes, but please bear in mind, I'm not doing this alone.  Gregg and I are working together along with several of our fellow enthusiasts, to not only bring MCM back on track, but to make it a real vehicle for our worldwide community of builders and enthusiasts, not just a "how to do it" journal.

Many of you remember the late Gary Schmidt, founder and publisher of the original SCALE AUTO ENTHUSIAST Magazine.  Gary's "mission", if you could call it that, was to provide a vehicle to help sustain and grow the hobby. A vehicle that connected our community of, yes, SCALE AUTO ENTHUSIASTS. "How-to-do-it" was only part of the vision but not the lion's share of it. Look at the hundreds of fellow car modelers that attend the various NNLs, model contests, swap meets, etc., and anyone can see that our hobby is no solitary pursuit. That mattered to Gary, and that's why the word "ENTHUSIAST" was part of the magazine's name.

Gregg shares that commitment to the model car community that Gary had. Thats the biggest reason I've supported him for nearly twenty years, both as a writer and columnist, as a friend, and now as an Associate Editor. And thats also one reason I'm glad he asked me to step up and be a greater part of the magazine's future. In these days of shrinking retail hobby stores, fewer contests and social gatherings, and yes, in these days of COVID-19, keeping our community of ENTHUSIASTS vibrant and connected is ESSENTIAL. And that is the vision I will always be keeping in mind.

My grateful thanks for your support of MODEL CARS Magazine, and for your good wishes for our efforts to bring you the best and most relevant publication for our beloved hobby.

 

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I see the congrats and all, but what positive needs do you need from us that love to read the magazine? What can the general buying public patrons do to help other than just being a paid subscriber as I've have been doing since the Roy Sorensen, Plastic Fanatic years?

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I ALWAYS looked forward to Larry Greenberg's column in SAE.   I do hope this works out and helps brings the magazine back.   Greenberg's articles from way back are still relevant today, what with all the reissues of kits.  I can read about past versions of kits and have an idea of what's in the kit.

One other thing, I went over to FB and checked - I have "liked" the MCM page, yet it never shows up in my feed that I remember.  So I set it to show up first.  From there I found a link to the MCM main page.   Then there is this forum.   That's a LOT of places to look.   I know there a LOT of people on here that do not do Facebook.  Seems as if we might need to focus on ONE resource?  IDK though - there are probably FB ppl that wouldn't come here.   This forum seems to be the most active part of the magazine, period.    We can get years' worth of "articles" here everyday.   This is probably my #1 resource for mdeling, again, period.   If I have a question, I can pose it here and get answers, if there are any, within minutes or hours usually.  I have met several folks who have become "friends" even if we have never met face to face.  

To me, it just seems that maybe MCM needs to narrow it's focus at times, to get the information to everyone.  And this thread is doing just that, I guess, fo those of us who don't do FB or don;t always get FB posts that we might like to see. The FB page also doesn't have the posts that this one does - it updates the magazine itself.   Right here is the stuff going on.

Anyway, good luck to Larry and Gregg.  I have a friend Greg, who has had back issues since we were teens.  I have seen nights where I slept in the floor beside my bud's bed to help him when he couldn't move himself.  I can sympathize with that nightmare of Gregg's.  Hope it somehow all works out and the magazine is able to get back on track.  Once that happens, I'll be glad to buy issues or subscribe if it gets regular and I hope it does - I do love a physical magazine.  

 

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On 7/30/2020 at 8:47 PM, bobthehobbyguy said:

Welcome aboard. You have a monumental task to do. 

Any idea when the next issue can be expected?

Hi Bob,

We're still working out the logistics, so I would not want to speculate on exactly when that issue will happen.  We're getting closer to relaunch every day, so I ask you to "stay tuned" for updates.

 

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12 hours ago, randyc said:

I ALWAYS looked forward to Larry Greenberg's column in SAE.   I do hope this works out and helps brings the magazine back.   Greenberg's articles from way back are still relevant today, what with all the reissues of kits.  I can read about past versions of kits and have an idea of what's in the kit.

One other thing, I went over to FB and checked - I have "liked" the MCM page, yet it never shows up in my feed that I remember.  So I set it to show up first.  From there I found a link to the MCM main page.   Then there is this forum.   That's a LOT of places to look.   I know there a LOT of people on here that do not do Facebook.  Seems as if we might need to focus on ONE resource?  IDK though - there are probably FB ppl that wouldn't come here.   This forum seems to be the most active part of the magazine, period.    We can get years' worth of "articles" here everyday.   This is probably my #1 resource for mdeling, again, period.   If I have a question, I can pose it here and get answers, if there are any, within minutes or hours usually.  I have met several folks who have become "friends" even if we have never met face to face.  

To me, it just seems that maybe MCM needs to narrow it's focus at times, to get the information to everyone.  And this thread is doing just that, I guess, fo those of us who don't do FB or don;t always get FB posts that we might like to see. The FB page also doesn't have the posts that this one does - it updates the magazine itself.   Right here is the stuff going on.

Anyway, good luck to Larry and Gregg.  I have a friend Greg, who has had back issues since we were teens.  I have seen nights where I slept in the floor beside my bud's bed to help him when he couldn't move himself.  I can sympathize with that nightmare of Gregg's.  Hope it somehow all works out and the magazine is able to get back on track.  Once that happens, I'll be glad to buy issues or subscribe if it gets regular and I hope it does - I do love a physical magazine.  

 

Hi Randy,

Thanks ever so much for your kind words.  STRICTLY STOCK was truly a labor of love for me, and I'm always grateful for everyone who read the column and let me know how much they enjoyed it.    I'm confident that the relaunched MCM will encapsulate that same spirit of community and sharing of knowledge.  If someone tells me at some point "Its like SAE all over again", I'll be bowing my head in utter gratitude.

Best regards,

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Welcome aboard Larry and best of luck in the future of MCM! 
As mentioned I’m not on the Facebook train and don’t plan to. I prefer to hold a tangible magazine in my hands and hear and smell the pages and ink on them! Guess ya can say I’m Old Skool!! 

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On 7/30/2020 at 9:12 PM, pjacobs said:

I see the congrats and all, but what positive needs do you need from us that love to read the magazine? What can the general buying public patrons do to help other than just being a paid subscriber as I've have been doing since the Roy Sorensen, Plastic Fanatic years?

Hi Paul,

Just keep doing what you're doing.  Participate here on the Forums and on the Facebook page.  Keep building and sharing your builds.  Get involved, if you're not already, in model car clubs and associations, even in these days of COVID quarantine, online meetings are better than none at all.  Join IPMS - they need more car modelers in their ranks. Stay connected to friends and fellow builders.  Consider writing and submitting articles to MCM.  And hang in there with us as we get closer day by day to relaunching the magazine.

Best regards,

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1 minute ago, DrKerry said:

Welcome aboard Larry and best of luck in the future of MCM! 
As mentioned I’m not on the Facebook train and don’t plan to. I prefer to hold a tangible magazine in my hands and hear and smell the pages and ink on them! Guess ya can say I’m Old Skool!! 

Hi Kerry,

Nothing wrong with being Old School!  I'm kinda fond of it myself!  I'll be active in both places, not to worry.  And were getting closer day by day to relaunch.

Thanks so much for the kind words and good wishes.

 

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8 hours ago, larrygre said:

Hi Kerry,

Nothing wrong with being Old School!  I'm kinda fond of it myself!  I'll be active in both places, not to worry.  And were getting closer day by day to relaunch.

Thanks so much for the kind words and good wishes.

 

You’re welcome! 

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