The ‘other’ mag is stopping publication

[niteowl7710]

Well you have to consider that one of the leading "problems" - aside from the 2 month lead time that makes any new kit review totally moot between forums, FB, and YouTube - is someone has to write the articles.  SA & MCM counted on the Tim Boyd's of the world to produce their content.  How many people submitted one or more articles, and right, wrong or otherwise it didn't make publication - and they never submit anything again.  There were numerous kit review people who were added and dropped as they couldn't meet deadlines, were too honest in their reviews, or shared exclusive content before publication of the magazine.  At least 1:1 car magazine have(had) staff writers or freelancers who were paid - compared to the more or less voluntary nature of a niche hobby publication.

Personally I think Kalmbach made a huge pooch punt when they forced out the younger guy they installed as Editor because he had the complete and total audacity to dare to suggest there should be more modern stuff tooled up, like Hyundais.  There's a delicious sort of irony involved that they caved to the flood of angry hate mail of people demanding MaH Hot Rods, and MaH GAAASSARS.  Since then Academy released the Hyundai Santa Fe, and Belkits is knee deep on a Hyundai i20 WRC car...

...and the magazine is dead.

Say what you will about that "kid", but he was a car guy leading a car modeling magazine.  There's an upcoming pivot point in the hobby - and I'd say some Asian brands are actively embracing it - where more and more late 70s through early 90s cars are going to have to be produced if you want to keep the interest of the guys coming into their 40s who are the ones with the upcoming disposable income as more and more of the "top end" guys age into fixed income and the fact they already have huge walls of model kits to build that they've been saving up for when they retired.  Chasing off some young whipper snapper because CHANGE IS BAD M'KAY GET OFF MY LAWN WITH YOUR IMPORTS was a bad move.  Because in the end how many people REALLY would have canceled their subscriptions, and as of yesterday - what difference would it have made?

[vincen47]

9 minutes ago, niteowl7710 said:

Well you have to consider that one of the leading "problems" - aside from the 2 month lead time that makes any new kit review totally moot between forums, FB, and YouTube - is someone has to write the articles.  SA & MCM counted on the Tim Boyd's of the world to produce their content.  How many people submitted one or more articles, and right, wrong or otherwise it didn't make publication - and they never submit anything again.  There were numerous kit review people who were added and dropped as they couldn't meet deadlines, were too honest in their reviews, or shared exclusive content before publication of the magazine.  At least 1:1 car magazine have(had) staff writers or freelancers who were paid - compared to the more or less voluntary nature of a niche hobby publication.

Personally I think Kalmbach made a huge pooch punt when they forced out the younger guy they installed as Editor because he had the complete and total audacity to dare to suggest there should be more modern stuff tooled up, like Hyundais.  There's a delicious sort of irony involved that they caved to the flood of angry hate mail of people demanding MaH Hot Rods, and MaH GAAASSARS.  Since then Academy released the Hyundai Santa Fe, and Belkits is knee deep on a Hyundai i20 WRC car...

...and the magazine is dead.

Say what you will about that "kid", but he was a car guy leading a car modeling magazine.  There's an upcoming pivot point in the hobby - and I'd say some Asian brands are actively embracing it - where more and more late 70s through early 90s cars are going to have to be produced if you want to keep the interest of the guys coming into their 40s who are the ones with the upcoming disposable income as more and more of the "top end" guys age into fixed income and the fact they already have huge walls of model kits to build that they've been saving up for when they retired.  Chasing off some young whipper snapper because CHANGE IS BAD M'KAY GET OFF MY LAWN WITH YOUR IMPORTS was a bad move.  Because in the end how many people REALLY would have canceled their subscriptions, and as of yesterday - what difference would it have made?

Wise words! Great points!

[randyc]

Wife just bought a 2020 Hyundai Santa FE and that kit was great!  I got to build a car we own.   Pretty close to it.  Now I have a 2020 Hyundai Kona and wish I had a kit of it too.   I had a 2007 Ford Edge.  Found a 1/43 diecast James Bond tie in.   THat's all.   Before that a 2001 Olds aurora. Beofre that a Chrysler T&C minivan.  There was the Lindberg Dodge version and they also did hte Sebring Convertible.  There hasn't been a Late GM body other than Camaros and Vettes since what, the 1990 something Pontiac GP?  Same with Ford.  A few later trucks.  

I don't have a stash of OOP kits from the 60s to pull the custom shifter from to complete one of those spectacular feature builds.  So yeah maybe the magazine was losing touch with any younger modelers.  And I don't care for all the Asian kits although I've built a few and they are most always satisfying to build.  Engine or not.  

So maybe the magazine has run it course.  That would seem to make this one of the pre-eminent places to get a modeling fix, whether or not Gregg ever gets his magazine back on track. 

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi!

I've spend all my professionnal life in the media: radio, TV and ultimately newspapers. Here's my 2 cents...

All mass-appeal media (radio, traditional TV and daily papers) are based on a model of "inefficiency", meaning they used to cast a content destined to please the largest amount of people AT ONCE. Alas, the 80's brought "niche casting". The huge top40 stations died, because there was no such thing anymore as "music everybody loves". Urban, classic rock, indie, dance, jazz, ad nauseam. Intense programming, distined to a narrow audience who will, hopefully, stay tuned for loooooong listening time. 

TV? remember ABC's Wide World of Sports on week-end afternoons? Replaced by infomercials, while pro sports moved to ESPN and al. Money talks. 

Newspapers? Can you say non-efficient? My local paper delivers 64 pages of news, human interest, sportys, art scene, crosswords & al. Only a fraction interest me, truly. And I have less and less time to stop everything and read the hole slate in 40 minutes. Result: circulation and readership falling. Bleeding money.

Specialized mags? Ahhh, a blessed species you say? Not so fast, Joe. By definition, they cater to a narrow audience. Snail mail is taxing them to death. Flooding the newstands requires at least 40 to 50K issues, of which half are actually sold, and the cover price revenues are split as such: 40% for the news stand operator, 40% for the distributor, and 20% for the publisher. Who must also pay to dispose of the "unsold" gathered back by the distributor. The advertisers see the actual sales number, and argue for lower ad rates. A vicious circle, isn't it?

Finally, when the web became a thing, paper barrons were dubious: to go web or not? Some advisers said" anybody can get on the web, whereas it takes a huge infrastructure to publish and deliver paper... Let's stay on a playing field where we have the advantage, instead of moving to the playing flied where all the start-ups are. It's too crowded there, they won't survive for long on such small revenues" ... 

Was it a wise advice?

We are all monday morning quarterbacks, but, you be the judge. 

Sorry for our loss. 

CT 

[ranma]

18 minutes ago, randyc said:

There hasn't been a Late GM body other than Camaros and Vettes since what, the 1990 something Pontiac GP?  Same with Ford.  A few later trucks.  

Revell made  the 90's caprice, '94 Impala, '05 Chevy Impala, and amt did make a '04 Pontiac GTO (johnny lighning/then rides) The Impala can be converted to a non police car fairly easy.

Edited July 16, 2020 by ranma

[OldTrucker]

I'm sure my youngest sons would have stayed in the hobby (one has come back to it a couple years ago) if they would have been producing kits of the cars they were driving and their friends had!

"Ricer" kits as so many call them were few and far between and even just late model cars like many had for their first cars that they would dress up were non existent!

Many of the younger builders I know wish someone would put out cars subjects from the era of Johan!

 

[PappyD340]

Dang shame!

[Muncie]

Although some of the latest issues have been way down on content, I will miss it.  The most recent  August 2020 issues is pretty good. Some people have commented that some of it is a rehash of things that have been covered in the past,  but there is a lot of new and updated information in those articles.  The  review of the new Tamiya lacquers was interesting  and the new Italeri 1/2 Alfa Romeo 8c 2300 is an incredible kit.

 

 

[peteski]

I wonder if they will still produce the Contest Annual issue (or whatever it is called nowadays)? 

 

As for online versions of magazines, Model Raliroad hobby magazine have been jumping into the online thing.  N-Scale Magazine is availabel in print and online, and N Scale Railroading has recently went all-online (and for free).

[tim boyd]

Guys....I feel like I've lost a best friend who has been a major part of my life for most of my adulthood.  I wanted to see how others were viewing this very sad news, and so I've read through this entire thread.  Here are some of my own reactions and my thoughts about some of  your thoughts.  

Keep in mind here, I am not an employee of Scale Auto/Kalmbach, or any other publication for that matter.  It is not my responsibility or my role to represent that magazine or company,  My views express what I do know to be fact, based on my 40+ years as a freelance journalist,  my general impressions of the hobby,  my knowledge of the publishing biz in general, and the broader impact of the economic challenges facing the world right now.

First, much of the information voiced in this thread about the decline of magazines in general in today's online world is correct and spot-on.   

However, to then apply that directly to Scale Auto in its most current form specifically is not entirely correct.  Under the last two Editors, and specifically under the most recent one, apparently all the key metrics of a magazine (circulation, newsstand sales, ad revenue, feedback, et al) were moving in the right direction.   With the plans underway by the current Editor and his team, I believe this momentum would have only increased over the next several years.  (The latest issue had a full page ad from Revell for the first time in what, ten years or more?)   The hobby kit business in general has experienced a surge under the country-wide lockdowns, and there are some very exciting developments underway in the kit world in terms of both existing makers and newcomers.  However, the Covid-19 debacle has created an worldwide economic calamity that has made all businesses have to decide to either cut it to the bone or call it quits entirely.  Beyond our own worlds of model cars, you will soon see many of your favorite consumer products in all categories disappear from the shelves of your favorite stores.  Sad.  Under these circumstances, only the most profitable current business endeavors will survive; companies are no longer able to make bets on business units that are improving but not yet at the top of the house, so to speak.  My guess is that applied to Scale Auto as well.  

There are many opinions expressed here, well, thoughts my be a better word than opinions, about the content of the magazine.  My reaction is that many of these thoughts are based on the magazine as it was over say the last 10-15 years, rather than what it was becoming over the last several years.  If you actually look at the breadth of topics, coverage of techniques, variety of writers, etc, over the last couple of years, and yes, the enthusiasm that permuated from thos pages, I think some of you might have formed a different view.  Or not.  But some of the comments seem to suggest that people had walked away from the mag for various reasons, including a preference of some to source their modeling fix from the internet, and had not given the current version a closer look.  It is what it is, though.  Perceptions are reality for many, and you certainly get a sense of that from some of the comments here. 

One point of misinformation I do want to address.  Robby, the last Assistant Editor at Scale Auto, told me moved on to a better job in California that was more in line with his long term career interests as well as his personal interests in real cars vs. scale replicas.  He was very excited about this move.  Based on what I know, he was not pushed out the door.  Did he ruffle some feathers while at Scale Auto?  You bet.  But good Editors sometimes need to do just that.  Did I agree with him always?  No.  But he was a fresh voice with a good, different, and valid perspective.  My own belief is that the current Editor did an even better job of mixing the interests of long term readers with those of younger readers and newcomers to the hobby.  For example, the recent June issue had topics I did not even know about, but clearly they were topics that resonated with many modelers who are, shall we say, not as mature as my own generation.   

As far as the need for new authors and writers, there are many new talents in the hobby doing incredible things.  You've probably seen their work at the shows, and possibly online as well.  The challenge for magazine Editors was not only to get these people interested in writing, but to then get the submissions into a form that could actually be used in the magazine.  Taking pictures, writing articles, selecting and captioning the photos, and organizing and submitting the package to that magazines takes a bunch of time, and a bunch of time away from modeling.   Most modelers just don't want to do that, and for the quality magazines that actually pay for that work, the effective hourly rate is poor.  It has to be a labor of love for the hobby to make sense.  The authors that you are reading in the magazines are the ones who have been able to figure out how to do all this in a way that the Editors can use, and who are willing to make the commitment it requires.  It's just not that much of an interesting proposition for most model builders.     

Last two thoughts.  First, with the information above, I hope you can be open to changing your perspective a bit.  The model car hobby is not on the way down at the current moment, and the sad discontinuance of Scale Auto is not a sign of that, either.  We still have many bright days ahead of us.  They would be even brighter with a bi-monthly magazine dedicated solely to covering us, and our hobby, but we will get by.  

Lastly, on behalf of both myself and all the people who have worked on and/or contributed to this magazine for its 41 1/2 year run, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your interest, your feedback, your encouragement your ideas, and yes, your criticism and critiques. 

Yes, I feel as though I've lost a very best friend, and the sadness will be with me for a long time.  But I'm also grateful for what we had, and very hopeful for the future of our hobby.  Looking forward to seeing you all at the shows and here on the modeling forums.... 

TIM 

Edited July 16, 2020 by tim boyd

[vincen47]

Thank you, Tim, for your incredible contribution to our hobby.

[Dave Van]

11 hours ago, Gramps46 said:

I was an early contributor to SAE under the tutelage of Wayne Moyer and Bill Coulter.  Those were really fun days with Kodachrome film photos and only written mags and books for reference., no internet.  But I drifted away after it was sold to Kalmbach who installed a RC Airplane editor.

As has been stated times change and this is not a surprise.  I had my SAE experience and treasure the memories.

I remember your stuff......that era of the magazine was great!

[Richard Bartrop]

Yes, my image of Scale Auto is probably out of date, because it's been years since I've picked up a copy.  For that matter, it's been years since I purchased a paper magazine of any kind.   For so many things, the internet works so much better.

Take this forum here.   I have the collected experience of some of the greatest auto modelers on the planet at my fingertips.   The latest issue of Scale Auto has an article by Tim Boyd?  Thant's nice, I can have virtually real time conversations with him here.  Sure the community gets a little insular at times, but thankfully, there are still people willing to buck the trends.  Hot Rods, imports, classics, and customs can all be found here, , and nobody has to worry about what will fit in the pages of a print magazine.  How to articles abound on anything you could want in all the detail you could want, and if it's not there, just ask, and there's a good chance that someone will answer.  You can show off your work, and get feedback on it in the time it takes to get a coffee.

Yes, it's sad that Scale Auto is shutting down, but we have more than adequate substitutes available.

[randyc]

6 hours ago, ranma said:

Revell made  the 90's caprice, '94 Impala, '05 Chevy Impala, and amt did make a '04 Pontiac GTO (johnny lighning/then rides) The Impala can be converted to a non police car fairly easy.

Thanks for reminding me.  I really blew that post. 

[Goose1957]

Thanks Tim, and all of the other contributors who have made SA magazine over the years. I have just recently started buying it again in book shops when they came out, probably about the last 2 to 3 years, and I can attest that it was getting better. I somewhat understand the complexities of publishing a magazine.  Our family had a printing business for over 114 years, and growing up, we printed the newsletters for several special interest groups. One in particular was the quarterly magazine for the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society.  The editor was a friend of my dad's and I saw firsthand, how much work he put into every issue. Not only composing each article and doing all of the research on the subject of the article,  but combing through the society's vast collection of photographs to illustrate the subject matter. He had a full time job, so all of this work had to be done on his free time. I don't believe he received compensation for all of this work either,  but if he did, it wasn't much. As stated before, it takes a special type of person to do this regularly,  issue after issue, and still keep it fresh and interesting. You really need to have a passion for it.

As for the internet being much faster at getting information out about our hobby, there is no comparison.  I love this site and visit here many times a day, every day, just trying to learn the newest info about the release of kits, seeing some of the best modeling on the planet, learning something about the auto industry, weather 1:1 or 1:25, and just chatting with some of the best guys and gals you will find anywhere. I'm so glad I found this site.

But,....I'll still always like reading a magazine. I can't rationally explain why, maybe it's a generational thing, I don't know. There's nothing like sitting back with a good magazine and immersing yourself in it. Much eaiser than staring at a small phone screen (which I'm doing now, lol), or trying to balance a laptop. A good magazine and a good cigar on a cool evening and I'm set. I'll still visit this site 10 times a day, just not the same.

Just my two cents.  I'll miss ya Scale Auto.

Jeff 

[Ace-Garageguy]

23 minutes ago, Goose1957 said:

...I'll still always like reading a magazine. I can't rationally explain why, maybe it's a generational thing, I don't know. There's nothing like sitting back with a good magazine and immersing yourself in it...A good magazine and a good cigar on a cool evening and I'm set...

Yup. It's a sensual pleasure, pure and simple.

[von Zipper]

12 hours ago, CabDriver said:

Why would you renew a subscription to a magazine that doesn’t exist?

 

I've wondered the same thing over the last year.

Adios Scale Auto

[Bucky]

I hate to see the magazine fold under. I've been getting it since the early nineties. Between SA and Car Modeler, I had something new to read every month. Kept them all, too, in the hobby room. I recently put them all in cardboard boxes, but now I can't move them! Too heavy!

I also purchased the DVD for the first 35 years(?) and installed it on the computer. Now, I have every issue at the click of the mouse. Still, I hesitate to send the magazines on their way!

It would be nice to see them do the next batch of issues, up to the present, on another DVD.

[unclescott58]

13 hours ago, randyc said:

But I can complain about it or feel that way.  I don't have to LIKE the world.    I can grieve or bemoan or celebrate the end of SA.  I don't expect anything to change to suit me.  Doesn't mean I have to like it.  

Amen. I can't agree with you more. 

[modeladdict]

On 7/15/2020 at 10:50 AM, mikemodeler said:

For some, the obituary was written several years ago and yet people hold out hope that it isn't true and continue to send money. 

Are we still talking about Scale Auto? 

[Richard Bartrop]

Oh, I cringe at the thought of trying to read this on a phone.  I use the nice, big 27" screen on my desktop computer, which I suppose is itself starting to become old school.

As for the feel of print, I like collecting art books.  Right now, I'm going through a big book of space art that wouldn't be the same on a little screen,  though if you want to talk about the sensual experience of looking through a bus schedule, I might say you're overstating the case a bit.   Sometimes it's about the aesthetics, but sometimes you just want information.

[Bucky]

I suppose looking up stuff on the 'net is super convenient, and I do a lot of it, but I've never had a magazine of any kind freeze up on me while I was turning the page! LoL

[slusher]

24 minutes ago, Bucky said:

I suppose looking up stuff on the 'net is super convenient, and I do a lot of it, but I've never had a magazine of any kind freeze up on me while I was turning the page! LoL

It must be our generation and age there is something obout having the magazine in or hand vs looking it up...

[lordairgtar]

13 hours ago, Classicgas said:

Seriously? Being interested in military technology makes you a war monger? Nice slap in the face to those of us who have served our country and those who died to give you the right to spout that. But i do agree that most likely auto coverage wont increase much.

Nope, not what I meant. Most of these modellers never put on the uniform. Not a fan of seeing WWII German artillery, aircraft and other equipment emblazoned with swastikas. I support the people who defend us. I should have been clearer.

[Richard Bartrop]

And if given a choice between the opportunity to exchange ideas, and even butt heads with you guys, and feeling a magazine, then there is no contest..