Model Rail 220 April 2016

[F-UnitMad]

... since when was 1:48 a model railway scale?

 

Seriously..??!!??

1:48th is American O Scale; most definitely a model railway scale

 

But as the 'Big Four' mainstream UK mags never* look beyond these shores, like most British modellers, I suppose it would be easy to miss what the rest of the world does.

 

* I say 'never' but maybe "rarely" is a better word. The recent "North West Frontier" layout proposal was an interesting, if over-egged, recent diversion. Afraid I can't recall which of the three Identikit Mags it was in - probably MR.

I think Chris would love to publish 'Foreign' stuff with his Canadian interests, & an MR with US & EU layouts and inspiration in it would get my attention, but the majority of UK modellers just don't want it, it seems.

[Neal Ball]

Plus, if I counted correctly, the list for this month under the RM thread has 11 layouts. MR has 2. If all the mags featured layouts in that quantity - 44 a month - it would be unsustainable, even with duplication. Layout articles are, however, a soft option for editorial teams as they are quick and easy to prepare, and - except in Model Rail's new formula* - they don't involve any writing. As a personal view, I believe there's a lot more to railway modelling than pretty pictures of layouts, but to cater to those who disagree, we also do our annual 'Great British Model Railways" bookazine which has nothing but layout pictures. (CJL)

* Model Rail layout texts are now written by staff and take the form of an interview with the layout owner.

 

I'm happy for my layout to be featured :-)

[TrevorP1]

For what it's worth I think there's room for a magazine between MRJ (which I occasionally buy) and something more mainstream.

 

A busy life and several hobbies ensure my modelling time is very limited and is mainly based around modifying commercial products or small scratch building projects such as bridges or small buildings. Even this takes me an age, so an etched kit is out of the question. If Model Rail can position itself somewhere on this ground - and I too am thinking along the lines of the old Model Railway Constructor which I purchased as a 'nipper' - then it's got my vote. Especially so if it steers clear of an excess of exclamation marks and journalese gobbledegook.

 

I can live with an issue that carries some content that doesn't particulary interest me, although there's always something to learn. What does turn me off is a magazine full of picture articles of layouts. One or two layouts a month - the cream of the crop - is inspiring and quite enough.

[hmrspaul]

For what it's worth I think there's room for a magazine between MRJ (which I occasionally buy) and something more mainstream.

 

 

There used to be, Modeller's Backtrack. But it didn't last long.  It still gets referred to regularly on here, and elsewhere.

 

Paul

[russ p]

It was quite hard to differentiate between that and normal backtrack .It was more about vehicles and structures but would give you precise dimensions. I think it went when backtrack became monthly

[grahame]

There used to be, Modeller's Backtrack. But it didn't last long.  It still gets referred to regularly on here, and elsewhere.

 

Paul

There was also MORILL in the 1980s edited by Iain Rice and the short lived quarterly Rail Model Digest also edited by Rice that filled that spot.

 

G.

[hmrspaul]

There was also MORILL in the 1980s edited by Iain Rice and the short lived quarterly Rail Model Digest also edited by Rice that filled that spot.

 

G.

 

 

Having the two, MORILL and MBT may have killed both of them - although MORILL went with the death of the editor - Sometime later his widow brought back some photos of shock opens he had borrowed. (Not Rice)

 

Paul

[ELTEL]

I do agree with a lot of the comments in the postings, not just on the Model Rail content but in general with all the mainstream magazines, they all have there ups and downs, and I hope Model Rail take on board the comments made.

 

I do find there is a wealth of modelling technique videos to be found on the web from all the popular sites.

 

Try googling plastic kit modelling, airbrushing, wargaming there is a lot out there from all over the world.

 

Like some one said earlier I also think there is a gap in the market for a magazine that targets somewhere between the mainstream monthly magazines and the likes of MRJ and the specialist EM, P4, and MERG in house magazines it may be a internet based magazine not printed so video demonstrations would be the norm.

 

Let's be positive and move forward.

 

Terry

[grahame]

Having the two, MORILL and MBT may have killed both of them - although MORILL went with the death of the editor - Sometime later his widow brought back some photos of shock opens he had borrowed. (Not Rice)

 

Paul

Yes.

The Digest was later, probably another attempt to capture that midway quality/finescale market, with the preview issue at the end of 1995. It was edited by Rice and Peascod with quite a team of contributors including Shackleton and Sharman. IIRC it only lasted 5 or 6 issues.

 

G.

[kandc_au]

FWIW, I have always found MR a good read.

When Ben left I felt BRM started to become a copy of MR but persevered.

MR has changed and my latest copy Jan 16 (bear in mind we are in the colonies) I found to be a very enjoyable read.

BUT that is me and what grabs MY interest.

Personally for me one of the things lacking is constructional articles and I think this has been borne about by the number of models now being produced at the rate they are, that not as many "modellers" are making models and that shows through in the mags. Probably why I have tended to like model rail, as it has a leaning that way.

 

Buildings are lacking on the construction front...unless you buy kits and/or card models. But then you still have a lack of ACTUAL buildings, which is what those from o'seas in particular and locals o a lesser degree would be missing to make their layout that bit more authentic.

 

There are subtle changes in the mags and there articles. To me RM went off a bit a while back but has flowed back again.

As for paper quality...doesn't worry me so long as the article is good.

The RM paper appears better suited to mags covering the real thing with historic photo's....not that it is not good for model photo,s etc.

How many modellers actually keep their mags and go through them?
I know I do, and was buying a lot from the UK until our dollar dived and Ebay and Ebay sellers got greedy with the postage charges.

 

Anyway, that's my thoughts FWIW.

 

Khris

[georgebutler]

I used to be a regular subscriber to MR for many years, having bought and kept all published copies since the original pilots. However, I noticed the paper it was printed on becoming flimsier and flimsier as time went by. Compare a publication today with one from years ago and see the difference. The content is not sufficiently different from the available competition for me prefer it, so I now tend to buy one of the others with better quality paper, depending on the content in the particular issue viewed.

GB 

[Budgie]

I don't bother about the quality of the paper. Model Railroader has always been printed on flimsy paper, and that hasn't stopped me subscribing to it. To me the most important thing is the quality of the articles rather than the quality of the paper.

[Butler Henderson]

Struggling to find the current issue particularly interesting. Nothing wrong in the building articles just too much at once, think they would have been better run a series across a number of issues. What is obviously different to the MR of old is that their is no O2 Masterclass to go with the review of the O2.

[Willie Whizz]

Having the two, MORILL and MBT may have killed both of them - although MORILL went with the death of the editor - Sometime later his widow brought back some photos of shock opens he had borrowed. (Not Rice)

 

Paul

Pardon my h'ignorance, but what is a "shock open"?

 

I used to like MORILL, especially Iain Rice's contributions, though I know some folk regard his writing-style as a bit ... wordy (discursive?) ... for modern tastes.

[dibber25]

A 'shock open' is a shock-absorbing open wagon - the wagon body is mounted on horizontal springs to absorb shunting shocks - used for carrying goods which might otherwise be damaged.

Most of those more specialist model magazines survived on small circulations because they were 'kitchen table' publishing operations sustained pretty much by one man. The market in that area simply isn't big enough to support mainstream magazines operated by larger publishing houses. (CJL)

[Steamport Southport]

Do people really have problems geting model railway magazines in their local WHSmiths. Blimey. I can walk into the local ASDA/ Sainsbury's/ Tesco and buy all of the four mainstream magazines and some of the prototype ones. If they sold MRJ then I wouldn't have to go to the city centre.

 

I'm a long time subscriber, but as I've already commented on a previous issue thread that I've been disappointed with the content recently. The subscription is safe for now. But I can't remember when there was an article that I was actually interested in reading properly. Would I have bought those issues if I didn't have a subscription? The answer is no unfortunately.

 

Have I bought any of the others recently? Yes. All of them. All from a newsagent or supermarket.

 

Articles on LMS self weighing tenders (including drawings), Cambrian 0-6-0s, Sentinels, GT3, LNER O2, LNER restaurant cars, etc. are far more likely to get me to buy a magazine than anything that Model Rail has served up recently I'm afraid. The sort of content that Model Rail excelled in for a long time. Usually far better than the other magazines efforts.

 

For example Model Rail issue 50 had a Hunslet 0-6-0ST article with drawings, DJH A2/3, Dogfish/Catfish hoppers, modelling a departmental van, containers, 5 pages of Q&A including Palethorpes sausage vans, GWR 517 class 0-4-2T, building a class 158 and other articles.  Other issues had similar content.

 

 

I'm sorry, it's not quite the magazine that I signed up for anymore. But, as I said, it's safe for now.

 

 

Jason.

[Hroth]

I've just completed my initial read through MR 220 and there's a fair bit of stuff that is useful for developing the civic environment around a layout, things that get left out either because they're too familiar or they're just not thought about. There are enough layouts for inspiration, sometimes I get the feeling that mags get into a war over how many layouts they can print in one issue, and we too often get the situation where a layout appears in all the competing mags one month after another. 

 

Overall, I give this months content an enthusiastic 8/10.

I liked the constructional description of the memorial statue, its a detail that we don't always see on a layout. Its true that most War Memorials are very plain/restrained and you can understand why when reading the horrific list of the fallen, pointing out the terrible impact the Great War had on the area. There are two Memorials local to where I live that feature armed soldiers. The nearest has a grim-faced Tommy on guard, holding his Lee-Enfield at the ready with fixed bayonet. Another has a series of tableaux depicting the various services; again one is of a group of soldiers with fixed bayonets in an action pose, another is of a machine gun section in action.

Moving on to the physical appearance of the mag, there's not much to say about the cover, other than its like it is because it has to compete for shelf space and recognition amongst its equally eye-bending competitors.  Personally I prefer the style of MRJ, very plain with a detail photo of something featured inside that does not appropriate the whole cover and a brief list of key articles. I appreciate that this approach is not necessarily "commercial"! I do agree that the paper used in MR seems to be getting thinnner, the degree of wrinkling is quite apparent and I wonder how it gets through the press without tearing!

One thing that tickled me in the mag was the double-page spread advertising the current subscription offer, consisting of a cutting mat, a box of craft/modellers tools and a soldering iron.  Its not that the overall subscription offer isn't a good bargain for a years supply of MR, that I don't need any of the items, or that the "Worth £45.85"  is defensible regarding RRP though the exact same items can be sourced from Amazon for £27.50 (inc delivery) or that in local shops its possible to bag the lot for just over a tenner...  It was the copywriters breathless prose describing the soldering iron as having a "tough thermos-plastic handle"* that gave me the giggles.

 

Keeping a beverage warm is not a use that I'd employ a soldering iron for....

 

 

* And I've just re-read my post to try and catch any similarly embarassing typos too!
 

[dibber25]

'Thermos-plastic' - that's a good one. (Note to self - Must read the subs ads more carefully in future). When I worked for the Surrey Herald newspaper, we got a mention on 'That's Life' (remember Esther Rantzen on Saturday evening TV?) we had a small-ad in the jobs listing: 'Milk roundsman wanted for door to door devilry'. (CJL)

[Hroth]

...we had a small-ad in the jobs listing: 'Milk roundsman wanted for door to door devilry'. (CJL)

Sounds very Benny Hill....

[blueeighties]

Hmm, another call from the ads department. Timely coincidence? I have to say a significantly brighter and bubbly salesperson on the line this time, but still no thank you :-)

[dibber25]

Hmm, another call from the ads department. Timely coincidence? I have to say a significantly brighter and bubbly salesperson on the line this time, but still no thank you :-)

No coincidence. (CJL)

[blueeighties]

Cheers, appreciated the call.

[rue_d_etropal]

I don't want to buy two magazines which are very similar. I now find that Model Rail actually balances well with Railway Modeller. RM is not narrow gauge focused, it is just more open to non standard gauge, and something along the lines of current 'inspirational', mainly photo based, but relating to narrow gauge would get my vote for Model Rail. I have a broad spectrum of railway interests, so maybe I am easier to satisfy.

Going back to reviews, I feel a bit sad that people are more interested in reading reviews than proper railway modelling. Maybe a sign of the times, but worrying for the hobby as I think it is running in partnership with the collectors who are becoming the major shareholder in the hobby. Both RM and CM tend to have a maximum of one page per review. Sometimes it extends to 2 pages for something special, but I am more likely to go back to old magazines with articles that inspire me, especially ones with drawings, than ones filled with what is really trade advertising(not helped when 3 out of 4 magazines have very similar looking reviews).

Like some have said, paper quality is far less important than the quality of the articles. Something I have not seen mentioned is paper size. Model Rail looks like it has stuck with A4 size, where as both RM and CM moved to a slightly bigger page which can not be photo copied easily(maybe the reason for bigger page), and therefore would print smaller from online version, affecting scale drawings etc.

Warners are a big publishing company, and also print and distribute many other titles. I think they were the primary moving force behind regular Thursday publication days, followed by others now. I don't like BRM or any other magazine being displayed in a plastic bag. Not only does this mean I can't see what I am buying, but with the attempt to reduce plastic bag waste with the 5p charge, it is bonkers adding to the plastic waste with a wrapper that can not be easily re-used. It does make sense, though, sending magazines out in plastic wrapper in the post.

The publishing company behind Model Rail is I think even bigger, it even has radio stations, so everything has to fit that corporate model, hence the paper quality. Most of the team have many years experience in the hobby, and I respect that. Some are even happy to use forums such as this, so proving no-one is too old for modern technology(Chris , that is meant to be a compliment!).

 

I am always wary of what marketing people say. The proof is in the pudding, and unless you try something you will never know what it tastes like, or whether others will actually like it. Marketing departments usually get their way, but it is then very difficult to see what would happen if an alternative plan as followed. Sometimes you have to be brave and take a chance. That is often the way big companies have started out. Just because there is a large knowledge  base behind the 'science' of marketing, does not mean it is actually always correct. If the foundation stones are weak, the building will fall down.

 

Here's an idea for all those who don't think what is in the magazine suits them. well possibly two suggestions, but one is my old chestnut about writing your own articles. The idea I am thinking of, is for people to put away what they may have been modelling(or collecting) for years and try something new. You might actually find it fun.

[Hroth]

Model Rail meets Model Railway Journal

 

(An alternative take on this months cover...)

 

 

 

 

I didn't include the characteristic framing effect in the cover design - there has to be SOME difference, but its all pure Model Rail content!

 

Grabs hat'n'coat

 

 

Edit: ****** typos....

[dibber25]

I don't want to buy two magazines which are very similar. I now find that Model Rail actually balances well with Railway Modeller. RM is not narrow gauge focused, it is just more open to non standard gauge, and something along the lines of current 'inspirational', mainly photo based, but relating to narrow gauge would get my vote for Model Rail. I have a broad spectrum of railway interests, so maybe I am easier to satisfy.

Going back to reviews, I feel a bit sad that people are more interested in reading reviews than proper railway modelling. Maybe a sign of the times, but worrying for the hobby as I think it is running in partnership with the collectors who are becoming the major shareholder in the hobby. Both RM and CM tend to have a maximum of one page per review. Sometimes it extends to 2 pages for something special, but I am more likely to go back to old magazines with articles that inspire me, especially ones with drawings, than ones filled with what is really trade advertising(not helped when 3 out of 4 magazines have very similar looking reviews).

Like some have said, paper quality is far less important than the quality of the articles. Something I have not seen mentioned is paper size. Model Rail looks like it has stuck with A4 size, where as both RM and CM moved to a slightly bigger page which can not be photo copied easily(maybe the reason for bigger page), and therefore would print smaller from online version, affecting scale drawings etc.

Warners are a big publishing company, and also print and distribute many other titles. I think they were the primary moving force behind regular Thursday publication days, followed by others now. I don't like BRM or any other magazine being displayed in a plastic bag. Not only does this mean I can't see what I am buying, but with the attempt to reduce plastic bag waste with the 5p charge, it is bonkers adding to the plastic waste with a wrapper that can not be easily re-used. It does make sense, though, sending magazines out in plastic wrapper in the post.

The publishing company behind Model Rail is I think even bigger, it even has radio stations, so everything has to fit that corporate model, hence the paper quality. Most of the team have many years experience in the hobby, and I respect that. Some are even happy to use forums such as this, so proving no-one is too old for modern technology(Chris , that is meant to be a compliment!).

 

I am always wary of what marketing people say. The proof is in the pudding, and unless you try something you will never know what it tastes like, or whether others will actually like it. Marketing departments usually get their way, but it is then very difficult to see what would happen if an alternative plan as followed. Sometimes you have to be brave and take a chance. That is often the way big companies have started out. Just because there is a large knowledge  base behind the 'science' of marketing, does not mean it is actually always correct. If the foundation stones are weak, the building will fall down.

 

Here's an idea for all those who don't think what is in the magazine suits them. well possibly two suggestions, but one is my old chestnut about writing your own articles. The idea I am thinking of, is for people to put away what they may have been modelling(or collecting) for years and try something new. You might actually find it fun.

The slightly larger size is known as 'Super A4'. It is designed to grab slightly more space on the newsagent displays. Unfortunately, few newsagent displays show more than a quarter of the cover anyway, so it makes little difference. Really, if you want anything on the cover to be seen, you need to get it in the top left-hand quarter - that's why short titles in red rectangular boxes are so popular at present. (CJL)