First Impressions of the Magazine...

[adampolo13]

Okay,

So my first impression of the Magazine is that Ken and Scott are going to go broke! ;D
The thickness of the paper this is printed on must cost them a fortune!!! Haha

In all seriousness, I have read other model magazines and the covers are often thin and the pages are brittle. Well, you could take this thing to the streets of Syria and back and it'd still be in one piece. The quality is high to say the least.

The next thing I noticed, which wasn’t a surprise, was the lack of Ad space contained in the pages. There are a few but they aren’t placed in the middle of any articles which sometimes takes place in other magazines. The ad’s themselves are placed in places that don’t take away from any content. This could have been a happy coincidence, but me thinks not.

Lastly, and I really don’t want to ruin the surprise for anybody, but there are authors in here that I had never heard of. Sure, everybody has heard of Ken Abrams and Scott Girvan, hahaha, but the young man that wrote the article about the tank, I hadn’t heard of him before. His work is absolutely outstanding to say the least. The other articles in the magazine, well they follow the pattern, absolutely outstanding!

Guys, if you haven’t at least ordered the first printing of the magazine, do yourself a favor and get one. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sell out quickly!

Great Job and Congratulations to Ken, Scott, and all those involved in the magazine’s creation!

 

[Ian]

Agreed, it's terrific. Well worth the money.

 

[Wouter]

well, I'm really looking forward to receive it...can't have too many quality mags

I'm not planning to go to Syria btw ;D

Cheers

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Damn....going to suck waiting until next Monday when I pick up mine! :'( :'(

 

[errains]

I had this odd package at my door when I got home from work today. But since I didn't see any wires sticking out of it I went ahead and opened it up and I was like.... WOOHOO BABY!!!


Nice Mag Scott and Ken!.....Did I say nice : .....uh more like AWESOMNESSSSSS!!!!! 8) ;D (I'm so excited I can't spell...can't really spell as it is but still EXCITED!)

 

[fblanton]

Have not seen mine yet. Looking forward to it.

 

[Black Sheep 1]

I got mine today.
I think they will go broke if they keep mailing the magazine is these heavy duty cardboard envelopes! ;D
Just kidding guys.
I love the fact that you mail them in the heavy duty stuff so the Postal Service has less of a chance of ruining the magazine during shipment.

I have to say, this is a WINNER!!!!
Now I have to subscribe!

Thanks for all your work guys.

 

[Dlesko]

Got the magazine yesterday. I love that it comes in a heavy duty envelope. I hate when the address sticker gets stuck over the photos on the cover of some other magazines. This magazine reminds me of the European magazines with the larger pages, heavy stock paper, fantastic paper and quality articles. I’m glad to see that the articles are going to on various subjects and i really hope to see more sci-fi and figures which are sorely lacking in other magazines. I also really like that the advertisements are limited and do not get stuck in the middle of articles. The magazine has a great flow to it and i really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to digging in later tonight when i get home from work. Are there going to be reviews in it? Based on the first issue i have to say this is the best American published model magazine and it compares favorable to the European ones too. Great job guys.

 

[CheesyGrin]

Received my copy today. What a great end to a long work day! The magazine is excellent on every level. The quality of the publication equals or surpasses everything on the market (IMHO). The contributing artists are top-notch and the articles are chock full of detailed how-to's. I'll certainly be purchasing a full subscription.

I can only imagine the amount of work that fueled this great addition to our hobby. Clearly it was a labor of love.

Great job guys!

 

[mr lucky]

First I have to say I love the magazine! A great mix of subjects and builds.

My only thought would be the materials builders are using. I know everybody has their favorite paints and such, but the majority of the articles used MIG and AK Interactive for effects and weathering. I realize these are great products, but for modelers on a budget the dollars really start to add up quickly. It would be great if some weathering and detailing could be shown using more common, and affordable materials. I'm not asking that everybody who writes for the magazine give up the great products, but if some old school tricks and tips could be shown I really think that would help reach a broader audience, and help some of us on a budget achieve some of these results.

Just my two cents...Erik...

 

[Junkie]

Hi gents.

I really appreciate the candid feedback and please don't hesitate posting your reviews.

Erik, I'd like to take a quick second and address your comment. First, it's a very valid point, very much so. From our side of the page we have the following notes to consider.

A: We absolutely do not want to dictate techniques or products to our authors. That applies as much as what they should use (ie: a sponsors product) to what they shouldn't use. It's their bench, their work.

B: At the end of the day we can only hope that the techniques are explained to a level where you can apply the same 'strokes' with any given medium. Mig Jimenez himself often states that AK products can be substituted with thinned oils/enamels etc...

With all of that said, I don't want you to think that I'm trying to minimize your point Erik. There are certainly many 'old school' techniques that belong in the present state of the hobby. Perhaps an article that draws comparison lines from 'old' and 'new' school products might be of benefit, in a future issue.

Again, 1000 appreciations guys. I encourage anyone who has the magazine to voice their opinion in this forum (and on Facebook too for that matter).

-Scott

 

[ModelMakerMike]

As usual...I am late to the party. Is it too late to order a copy for me?

 

[Steve Ski]

Chaching, chaching!, Bingo Baby! Ya, well written articles, the magazine flows very well and the layouts are spot on. Pretty dang good for the first one out of the chute. I really got a kick outta the rust SBS article. Yes, that young kid is incredible, our Sport has regeneration potential with an advocate like him. Great work Scott, Ken and staff.

Ruck Over Baby!

 

[Junkie]

As usual...I am late to the party. Is it too late to order a copy for me?

Hi Mike. You can order yours today at www.scalemodeladdictmagazine.com
Thanks for the interest.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

My only thought would be the materials builders are using. I know everybody has their favorite paints and such, but the majority of the articles used MIG and AK Interactive for effects and weathering. I realize these are great products, but for modelers on a budget the dollars really start to add up quickly. It would be great if some weathering and detailing could be shown using more common, and affordable materials. I'm not asking that everybody who writes for the magazine give up the great products, but if some old school tricks and tips could be shown I really think that would help reach a broader audience, and help some of us on a budget achieve some of these results.

Just my two cents...Erik...

Erik,

this is a valid point and one I hear from time to time from modelers at club meets, shows, forums and facebook etc. and as Scott has mentioned, we don't have any control over what our authors use. The brand name products they have chosen to use are not supplied by us, including the paints seen in issue one like Tamiya, Vallejo, Lifecolor etc.

As with anything, name brand products do not guarantee great results, only practice will. Those products are really all about convenience, dependability and consistency, where as mixing ones own concoctions can be less than convenient, may behave differently due to mix ratio and may result in slightly different finishes each time due to that same ratio.

If you replaced the MIG Production oils with what you have, and followed the techniques described in the text, it should still work in a similar fashion. If you replaced the MIG Productions washes/filters and AK Interactives washes/filters with your own enamel paints, thinned to the proper consistency, you should technically be able to use them in the same fashion and achieve similar results.

Having said that, the main feature in issue two focuses on exactly what you have requested. The model is weathered using the more 'old school' products like common artists oils and pastels to achieve great results that would stand up to today's more complicated finishes.

 

[fblanton]

Mine arrived yesterday

Mine arrived in the post yesterday and I am impressed with the quality and content. Keep up the good work.

 

[mr lucky]

Hey Scott and Ken...thanks for taking my comments on face value, and not as a criticism, I do appreciate that. I realize you can't dictate the materials used, but as Ken mentioned, an article showing the use of old school materials is great! I'm going to assume I'm not the only person on a budget, and knowing what old school materials can be substituted for the popular pre-mixed supplies is a huge benefit. Being new to this area of modeling, it's nice to see both the new and old techniques.

Again...I love this magazine, the range of topics and builds is fantastic. Well worth the price tag. The current selection of magazines available for builders is really getting tired and repetitive. Since my taste in builds varies, it's great to have one magazine that covers so many areas. You guys have done a great job!

Erik

 

[Ian]

Couple quick notes after looking through the mag this morning at my local bakery…

• I think the articles by Scott and Ken should have the "About the Author" box. I found that I was looking for these when I got to the "Tankette" and "MA.K" sections, as well as "From the Ground Up" and "Man Cave". It's repetitive (and that's maybe the reason it's not there) but I like seeing a name and a face at the beginning of an article.
• The step-by-step labeling is very good, but I got a little lost in Iain's "Rusty Dumpsters" article since none of the images have text underneath. In addition, you could also use a number/naming system for each photo, and add that to the corresponding sentence in the write up — "Brushing, or airbrushing tap water on to the surface will activate the 'Worn Effects' (fig.2)" etc.
• I feel that the "Exclusive Video Content" box/icon might get lost in a picture heavy article, so maybe this could be attached to the "In the Box" section at the end of the article? I'd read the whole article first, then look to this section at the end to see what the kit was, and if there were any additional things related to the article.
• The Facebook and URL icons look a little low res to me —I know they're small, and it might just be printing limitations.

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

• I think the articles by Scott and Ken should have the "About the Author" box. I found that I was looking for these when I got to the "Tankette" and "MA.K" sections, as well as "From the Ground Up" and "Man Cave". It's repetitive (and that's maybe the reason it's not there) but I like seeing a name and a face at the beginning of an article.

Like most magazines that I write for aside from this one, those introduction boxes are really only used for the authors first article with the publication, it most likely wont be there in their subsequent articles.

You can find the names of each author in the 'From the Editor' and the 'Contents' page and that will probably be our normal approach.

• The step-by-step labeling is very good, but I got a little lost in Iain's "Rusty Dumpsters" article since none of the images have text underneath. In addition, you could also use a number/naming system for each photo, and add that to the corresponding sentence in the write up — "Brushing, or airbrushing tap water on to the surface will activate the 'Worn Effects' (fig.2)" etc.

We will not be using the (photo 6) (fig.3) thing within the main text of the articles, I have always found this to be super annoying when reading the article in other magazines, it's like someone interrupting me mid-conversation to point something out.

The lack of captions under some of Iain's photos was not intentional and simply got overlooked during the process.

• I feel that the "Exclusive Video Content" box/icon might get lost in a picture heavy article, so maybe this could be attached to the "In the Box" section at the end of the article? I'd read the whole article first, then look to this section at the end to see what the kit was, and if there were any additional things related to the article.

Not a bad idea, but the icon was placed in the part of the article that the video content covers, which is photo etch.

• The Facebook and URL icons look a little low res to me —I know they're small, and it might just be printing limitations.

Probably, many things look very different in a PDF on a monitor than they do in print and these are things we will learn along the way.

 

[Ian]

Like most magazines that I write for aside from this one, those introduction boxes are really only used for the authors first article with the publication, it most likely wont be there in their subsequent articles.

You can find the names of each author in the 'From the Editor' and the 'Contents' page and that will probably be our normal approach.

I actually like the introduction boxes, since each article is very author specific, and I assume will continue like that with each issue. It's nice to be able to see a weblink etc., and I personally would miss that in other issues.


The contents page does list author names for most articles, just not that first one, which threw me. I see now that "Ketzer" says ...'by the editor."

We will not be using the (photo 6) (fig.3) thing within the main text of the articles, I have always found this to be super annoying when reading the article in other magazines, it's like someone interrupting me mid-conversation to point something out.

The lack of captions under some of Iain's photos was not intentional and simply got overlooked during the process.

Agreed, it can be visually distracting. I think as long as the images are captioned (which 98% were) the follow along will be super easy.

Not a bad idea, but the icon was placed in the part of the article that the video content covers, which is photo etch.

Yup, but maybe at the end it could just be a round up of what the article featured? I just don't want to miss stuff.
I also did realize that the video was photo etch specific, since it doesn't say. Might be worth detailing what the video will contain if you can.

Probably, many things look very different in a PDF on a monitor than they do in print and these are things we will learn along the way.

Oh definitely, it wasn't a slight against you guys or anything, just an observation as I was looking through the printed version in detail.