Forum Changes

[Xingu]

We are contemplating making some changes to the forum. 
 

What are some things you would like to see added, removed or changed.

 

Please remember that just because you post it here, it does not mean we are going to do it. We are looking for ideas and we will discuss if it is a worthy change.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I vote for something like a recurring payment option (through Patreon possibly) that allows those of us who hate being constantly bombarded by advertising to still support the forum financially.

I would vastly prefer to support the forum directly than to have my viewing plastered with ads...ads that also generate revenue for Google/Alphabet, whose policies I cannot endorse and don't like having to contribute to indirectly.

[Volzfan59]

I’m with @Ace-Garageguy. While I don’t do patreon, PayPal, etc. I would gladly support via a check or money order.

[Twokidsnosleep]

I hate to say it but a blocking button would be useful

[stitchdup]

6 minutes ago, Twokidsnosleep said:

I hate to say it but a blocking button would be useful

there is one

[Can-Con]

I'd like to see a "rod and custom" section that would allow pickups, vans, etc. as well as cars as long as they were clearly customized or hot rodded.

And before anyone asks, No, just a set of mag wheels and/or a non-stock paintjob does not count as customized or hot rodded.

Leave the replica stock cars, trucks and light commercial vehicles to the categories they're currently in.

Edited Tuesday at 10:43 PM by Can-Con

[Straightliner59]

I would incorporate the Land Speed vehicles into the drag racing forum, as they're much more similar to those, than Indy or Trans Am cars.

[Bugatti Fan]

Land Speed Record cars do not really qualify as dragster motors in the true sense although I can see Daniel's thinking as they are timed over a straight run. There are very, very few kits of them, so I can see them making little difference to whatever section they are placed in anyway.

However, I do like the idea as described by Steve of show rods, customs and street rods having their own category from normal road cars.

As this is predominately a civilian vehicle forum, I would like to see  sections for Motor Cycles and Tricycles, categorised as race/road and customised. Having to wade through the 'anything else' section to find any motor bike reviews or builds and filter them out from aircraft, ships, sci fi, figures and whatever else is in that section becomes a bit tiresome.

Edited Tuesday at 06:39 AM by Bugatti Fan

[Straightliner59]

8 minutes ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Land Speed Record cars do not really qualify as dragster motors in the true sense although I can see Daniel's thinking as they are timed over a straight run. There are very, very few kits of them, so I can see them making little difference to whatever section they are placed in anyway.

However, I do like the idea as described by Steve of show rods, customs and street rods having their own category from normal road cars.

As this is predominately a civilian vehicle forum, I would like to see  sections for Motor Cycles and Tricycles, categorised as race/road and customised. Having to wade through the 'anything else' section to find any motor bike reviews or builds and filter them out from aircraft, ships, sci fi, figures and whatever else is in that section becomes a bit tiresome.

I suggested that the LSR cars be in the drag racing forum, because most salt flats/dry lakes cars are very similar to drag cars, especially in the coupes and roadsters classes. In the early days of organized drag racing, many of those cars pulled double duty! 

[Ace-Garageguy]

6 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

I suggested that the LSR cars be in the drag racing forum, because most salt flats/dry lakes cars are very similar to drag cars, especially in the coupes and roadsters classes. In the early days of organized drag racing, many of those cars pulled double duty! 

Yup...

[Volzfan59]

This is more of a definition request. For the most part, I enjoy building non NASCAR short track models, the kind that you would see at your local asphalt or dirt track. When I first started posting here, I posted in the LSR, road racing or “anything not listed” section. This was due to my thinking that the NASCAR section was for Cup, Xfinity (soon to be O’Reilly’s), the trucks, etc.

Maybe change the NASCAR sections to Oval Track or change the definition under the section name to include all oval track race cars.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, Volzfan59 said:

Maybe change the NASCAR sections to Oval Track or change the definition under the section name to include all oval track race cars.

Makes sense, kinda like putting drag cars with LSR cars...straight line performance/competition.

Another competition section for road-racing and rally cars, anything that turns in both directions while racing, should round out the competition selections nicely.

[Rodent]

53 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

anything that turns in both directions while racing

What happens when NASCAR turns left and right like they do here in California?

(LOL, just being a pain)

 

[Xingu]

I think we will just clarify it by saying NASCAR style cars or Stock Car Racing like the old timers called it. We have to generalize the category somehow. 

[Calb56]

23 hours ago, Can-Con said:

I'd like to see a "rod and custom" section that would allow pickups, vans, etc. as well as cars as long as they were clearly customized or hot rodded.

And before anyone asks, No, just a set of mad wheels and/or a non-stock paintjob does not count as customized or hot rodded.

Leave the replica stock cars, trucks and light commercial vehicles to the categories they're currently in.

 

13 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

I suggested that the LSR cars be in the drag racing forum, because most salt flats/dry lakes cars are very similar to drag cars, especially in the coupes and roadsters classes. In the early days of organized drag racing, many of those cars pulled double duty! 

These two suggestions kinda fit into a similar vein, in that I used to belong to a "board" that focused on pre 1970 builds, as far as speed equipment, etc. I know that my own personal interest is niche but I think there is an interest in traditional, correct builds be they hot rods, drag cars or SCTA style flats cars.

 

[Rodent]

2 hours ago, Xingu said:

I think we will just clarify it by saying NASCAR style cars or Stock Car Racing like the old timers called it. We have to generalize the category somehow. 

My comment was 100% tongue-in-cheek. I was flashing back to all the other times we have had discussions regarding new categories. Sorry if anyone took me seriously.

[michelle]

how about a separete section for station wagon/panel vans and utes aka el camino/ranchero type vehicles since they do not really fit into the car section nor the truck,van suv light commercial section 
and maybe a seperate emegency vehicle section like  police,fire and medic vehicles 

 

[JollySipper]

I kind of like and enjoy the forum layout as it is right now....... Everything has a place to go! Too many specialized topic sections would mean that a lot of topics would just sit stagnate with one or two responses...... Plus, that's more sections to moderate. 

We should be discussing how much a paid subscription to the forum would be! I would/will gladly support the forum monetarily.........

[BKF]

While i do use adblock on my home computer If only a couple $'s a mounth i would support the site financially to get rid of the adds and not need the adblock. I do on another site via credit card.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, JollySipper said:

I kind of like and enjoy the forum layout as it is right now....... Everything has a place to go! Too many specialized topic sections would mean that a lot of topics would just sit stagnate with one or two responses...... Plus, that's more sections to moderate. 

We should be discussing how much a paid subscription to the forum would be! I would/will gladly support the forum monetarily.........

Reorganizing the competition car topics into groups that make more sense and have more in common wouldn't add any topics.

A lot of comp cars that go mostly round in circles or ovals have absolutely nothing to do with NASCAR, so under the current grouping where does one put IMCA or DIRTcar builds, for instance? Or historic pre-NASCAR (1948) asphalt cars? Dirt trackers are the still-very-much-alive granddaddies of all roundy-round motorsports, including Indy cars.

Drag racing classes evolved directly from dry-lakes classes, that also evolved into LSR cars. They all go fast in straight lines, and have a common heritage.

Road racing and Formula cars mostly have to turn in both directions in competition, and also descend from common ancestors.

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As for the rest of the topics, I'd probably go for something like this:

A section for US or "ferrin" showroom-stock (including "day 2") cars, light trucks, and vintage or "classics" like the occasional Duesenberg or '31 Caddy.

A section for rods and customs, pretty much anything modified very much beyond "day 2", including light trucks, "ferrin cars", and full-on no-go showboats.

A section for heavy trucks/equipment, including the very rare hot-rod or custom, as I believe these have more appeal to the big-truck guys than to the average car or small truck guy.

Dios.

Motorcycles...and everything else.

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Yes, this adds one topic to the total, by essentially splitting the "model cars" heading into two, where the subjects would have more in common: (1) pretty much stock or close to it, and (2) modified beyond wheels/tires/paint/spoilers/graphics.

Just my dime's worth (2cents adjusted for inflation).

 

Edited 23 hours ago by Ace-Garageguy

[iamsuperdan]

Not to give much away, but paid memberships have been a hot topic in the discussions we've had. 

What might a paid tier look like? There is no concensus on that yet. Lots of ideas though.

And that's the point of this thread. We're going to make changes, and for some people, some features will disappear.

Some people will get upset and threaten to leave. And some of those people will actually leave. 

But when you see what we've come up with, I think the majority of people will appreciate the changes and be fully supportive. They will make for a much more enjoyable MCM Forum experience.

BUT...we need your help. We want all ideas, big and small. If you have examples of other forums' features that you really like or really hate, let us know.

To make this the best it can be, we need your input. And if your friends here haven't posted ideas in this thread yet, go rattle their cages and tell them to get in here!

We may not incorporate every suggestion, but we'll be paying attention to all of them.

And do it this week, as we're having our first big official meeting about this on Saturday. Give us lots to discuss!

 

 

And to help ease some concerns I know some people will have, ALL dollar figures we've discussed so far have been less than the cost of a single new Round2 kit. And that's yearly, not monthly. 

 

[peteski]

I would like the forums divided into more theme specific sections.  I really liked the way things were before the "big reshuffle and combining forums", but I also understand that it is a huge job to go through 10s of thousands of posts to shuffle them around.  For example I liked for the Big Rigs to have "general" section where truck specific-items and question would not get lost in the all-encompassing "general" section. I also liked large scale to be on its own.  I'ma lsointerested in the "pay to play" no-ads option.

[Muncie]

A different view?

I find that there is something of value in every topic on the forum. I have my logon setup to go to "new content".  Scan the recent posts and read what is interesting. If I'm looking for something more specific, I use the search function.

I leave the ads on. There aren't enough ads to bother me, but I wish there were more that are model building or model car related. 

[Old Buckaroo]

If a paid membership will mean no adds count me in , but the forum topics are great as they are, background is great, doesn't make much sense to reorganize. 

[FoMoCo66]

I think the entire search system needs to be updated. Using site:modelcarsmag.com works but it would be nice to have it integrated into the forum. I don't think I have used the forum one sence I found Ace's solution a couple of weeks into being on this forum. Not the biggest problem for me, but to the people that don't know the way around it, and still use the forum provided one. It would make it a whole lot easier for them. 

On the pay to minimize ads subject, it would definitely be a nice featur. BUT please still keep an option for free with ads for those of us who don't mind the ads.

Edited 19 hours ago by FoMoCo66