Model Rail 146

[Beacon]

I managed to get my copy in Smiths last weekend - a few days late I think but the first chance I'd had to go to town anyway. There is a clear panel at the top of the front cover stating the exclusivity of the free gift to Smiths. The gift had resulted in the magazines on display being rather haphazard and mostly upside-down or backwards to fit onto the shelves so were harder to spot than normal. Also, I did manage to tear a small area of the back cover getting the box off once I arrived home.

 

However, I am surprised by some of the negativity on here this month. I wouldn't have bought the magazine for the gift alone but as usual flicked through the content and chose to buy it. I don't subscribe anymore as I find some months don't contain enough of interest to me to warrant the annual cost. But I'd be more tempted to subscribe by the discounts already offered than free gifts like this little box, and ultimately if this gift attracts more new readers through Smiths then at least some of that must come out as investment in a better magazine in the long run for all of us surely.

 

I agree that we are lucky to have Chris on here and that he responds to most messages people post - very brave in my opinion as I'm sure most of this is completely beyond the control of anyone actually working on the modelling content of the magazine!

[Mod2]

Let's not forget that we're lucky to have Chris' input here at all. I suspect there'd be no-one to argue with if this was a Railway Modeller/Hornby Magazine etc etc problem.

 

I agree that we are lucky to have Chris on here and that he responds to most messages people post - very brave in my opinion as I'm sure most of this is completely beyond the control of anyone actually working on the modelling content of the magazine!

 

Fair comments I think, gents.

 

Whilst appreciating that the (unusual) delays to this month's mag have caused some consternation, we do seem to wander further and further away every month from the modelling and the actual contents. As for the matter of the free gift - no more posts on that, please.

 

Cheers.

[James]

There is a clear panel at the top of the front cover stating the exclusivity of the free gift to Smiths.

 

I noticed it was a 'WH Smith Exclusive' - a bit harsh on those of us who try and support village shops where we live.

[mikes rail]

As per your request Chris for arrival times for this issue, Model rail turned up in the Isle of Man for sunday

Mike

[mezzoman253]

Been in Hobbycraft Basildon since last Tuesday.

 

Rob

[dibber25]

We're told that owing to a hardware breakdown at WHS, two Smiths depots received either ungifted and/or late copies of MR146. The problem was resolved and shops had copies last week. Apologies for any inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond our control.

CHRIS LEIGH

[BlackRat]

My news agents not able toget any at all. He called today and informed me Smiths have run out and he cant get any at all.

 

Did manage to get a copy at another newsagents in town, they had just 1 copy!

 

I was lucky!

[Bomp]

Got mine in Guernsey last week sometime. From the small shop on the Bridge. Smiths is patchy. I've never asked about it, though!

 

Great Magazine every month, thanks Chris, and please keep coming back.

[flubrush]

We're told that owing to a hardware breakdown at WHS, two Smiths depots received either ungifted and/or late copies of MR146. The problem was resolved and shops had copies last week. Apologies for any inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond our control.

CHRIS LEIGH

 

Chris,

 

I've been popping in to our local newsagent in Chipping Sodbury for the past week or so to try to get a copy, with no luck. The manager happened to be in when I went in yesterday and he said that he has had no deliveries of the issue and has been told that he will not get any. This is a very good shop and it makes an effort to have an excellent range of specialist hobby magazines. The manager is not impressed.

 

Neither am I. I was hoping to review the issue in the S Scale Gazette going to press this weekend, so that won't happen. I might get a copy when I'm near Smiths in Uxbridge next week.

 

Jim.

[pirouets]

I'm an irregular with Model Rail but picked it up this morning when getting some bread and milk. Excellent issue and the Churchward Beat masterplan article is definitly tickling my layout building buds. I've got empty baseboards at the moment and have been looking at the site on Google maps.

 

This is going very high on the list of possibles for the new layout when I get round to it in October.

 

Oh and thanks for the bits n bobs box. Having been tidying up the shed the other day I was thinking I needed something like this. Its the second time this week some one has provided what I need before I even knew about it myself.

[dibber25]

Chris,

 

I've been popping in to our local newsagent in Chipping Sodbury for the past week or so to try to get a copy, with no luck. The manager happened to be in when I went in yesterday and he said that he has had no deliveries of the issue and has been told that he will not get any. This is a very good shop and it makes an effort to have an excellent range of specialist hobby magazines. The manager is not impressed.

 

Neither am I. (quote)

 

And nor am I. I will take this one further once I get in to the office tomorrow.

CHRIS LEIGH

[dibber25]

In order to follow up this problem. I need to know the name and address of the newsagent concerned. Please advise by e-mail to

chris.leigh@bauer media.co.uk

if you cannot use the pm system.

CHRIS LEIGH

[James]

Chris, in that case, would be able to find out why our village shop has only received MR on time once in the last twelve months?

[dibber25]

Village stores and other independent retailers receive their magazines from a wholesaler. There are still some independent wholesalers but many are nowadays part of WH Smiths. The small shops are served by a 'box-out' system - their monthly orders for dozens of different titles are put into a pigeon hole and either despatched or collected on a regular basis. If a particular mag just misses a box-out despatch or collection, for any one of dozens of reasons, it will stay in the box till the next one. This is way outside our control. Once they go into the distribution system, we've done our bit.

CHRIS LEIGH

[James]

I only asked because of your offer to pirouets!

 

It's Menzies round here and they are useless - so many magazines are late. It's very frustrating as many people want to support village and local businesses, but a distributor like this do these smaller outlets no favour what so ever.

 

Is there anyway Bauer Mdeia could supply a shop direct in a simialr way it does with subscribers?

[dibber25]

Is there anyway Bauer Mdeia could supply a shop direct in a simialr way it does with subscribers?

 

The best I can do is to query the supply of MR to the particular Menzies branch. Bauer is a huge operation with vast numbers of magazines going through the system each week. Individual arrangements for specific newsagents shops would not be possible, I'm sure.

CHRIS LEIGH

[brushman47544]

I've seen that there is a small pic. of the forthcoming LE Bachmann Class 08 in weathered black and that pre-orders can now be made. I'm very interested, but after seeing Bachmann's weathering of the current standard model of 08173, which is orange and nothing like the oily black "promised" by the pre-production images, I'm very reluctant to pre-order until I've seen exactly how the final weathering will look.

 

Can you help, Chris? Has MR received a final pre-production model yet so we can see what the actual weathering will look like?

 

Many thanks,

[dibber25]

Yes, we've got the final pre-production model - it's the one illustrated in the magazine. I can't offer any guarantees about the weathering. Factory weathering is done individually so it depends who is holding the airbrush. The best we can do from a pre-pro sample is to say we want more, or less, or a slightly different colour. However, I can't see much likelihood of Bachmann weathering a black model with black. The sublties of oil stains and the like really can't be done on a mass-produced model.

CHRIS LEIGH

[brushman47544]

Thanks Chris. Bachmann did a very good job with the BCC model 08507 in blue, including oily black stains, so it can be done well - BCC 08507. Of course on black I don't expect black weathering, but I hope it looks like weathering from Yard use (maybe oily black on the yellow rods and wasp stripes?), rather than as a result of dust accumulation from working specific types of traffic, which apparently the "orange" on 08173 is supposed to capture. I think I'll wait for a bigger photo of the final model, hoping it does not sell out to pre-orders.