Model Railroader Magazine

[foxtrackin]

What's your opinion of the new magazine?

[Anonymous]

Hate the new design. I can live with it though.

[Hawks05]

they changed it?

i haven't gotten it in the last 2 months. i need to get February and March yet. whats new about it.

[Anonymous]

New logo and design.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Give it time, it will grow on you. I have over 50 years of MR on my shelves, and there have been changes throughout the magazines history. Once in a while its even fun to look back and see them. Beside, the changes aren't radical, I hardly notice them, and in a couple of months you'll forget it ever happened. Keep your eye on the content, not the cosmetics.

[AggroJones]

I don't like the data graphs in the locomotive reviews. They should change it back to the old way.

[PistolPete]

I agree about the data graphs, but the Franklin & South Manchester layout article and pictures make up for any section I don"t really like. Man can George Sellios bulid a layout or what? As for the cover it is better then some of the early ones.[:)][2c]

[IRONROOSTER]

One of the really nice new features is showing the cover inside with the page numbers. Makes finding that cover story so much easier.
Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

Is it me, or has the magazine shrunk in content? I noticed that the January & February issues seem rather thin.

[AggroJones]

The January issue is the best out of all 2004. I hope MR can match its quality in future issues.

[Anonymous]

Big_Boy is right...it grows on you. I have every issue since September 1947, and I do refer to the old issues at times. I used some detailing parts information from a 1950's Eric Stevens coal tower article just last year, on my own coal tower...there's never been anything published since ,with precisely what I was looking for.[:)]

Some of the articles hold up very well over the years....an old E.L.Moore structure article for instance, in balsa, is every bit as good as the day it was published...and you can always subsitute newer materials if you don't want to use balsa. [:D]

Art Curren's kitbash articles...timeless.

Even though some stuff "gets my goat"...( I just cannot stand the fluff in a Lionel Strang column...never could ), on the whole, it's the best MRR magazine around....and will continue to be "long-term" reference material.
I just loved that March F & SM review.
regards;
Mike[8D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by IRONROOSTER

One of the really nice new features is showing the cover inside with the page numbers. Makes finding that cover story so much easier.
Enjoy
Paul

I second this!!

The changes to MR mag are good. Although most people don't like change, change is a way of life - deal with it!

[dknelson]

I have noticed a new sharpness in the reproduction of photographs. I assume that most of the photos are now digital? Initially Kalmbach did not want digital photos submitted but I suspect that has now changed. Since they still separate digital in their own photo contest it would seem they should label the non-contest photos they print as being either digital or film. Just a thought.
It would be interesting to hear confirmation of this but I at least notice a change both in sharpness and color tone.
Dave Nelson

[AntonioFP45]

Ovearll appearance and quality: A+

[:D][^][8D][8)][:)][tup]

[Anonymous]

Dropped my subscription to MR and re-upped with RMC. Too much fluff in MR, not enough meat and potatoes. I'm also renewing my subscription with Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette.

[CNW-400]

I remember there were all these same kind of comments the last time they changed the magazines look a few years back, and now we have people liking it and want it back that way. It grows on you and will be the look you're used to in a few more issues.

I can't say I agree with C424 about there being "too much fluff", but I guess if I modeled narrow gauge or something like interurbans I could see where a person wouldn't find too many items of interest to them.

Mark

[CBQ_Guy]

I think they are beginning to move in the right direction in that they seem to be trying to add a better mix of article types. I can take or leave the new cover design but that's just me.

I also like the way that the addresses and emails of all the companies mentioned in the new product section are listed together at the end. Seems more convenient that way to me.

[smcgill]

Good Mag. could use some G-scale more often ,not just once and awhile! I do get Garden Railroading, but your mag. is more read and seen more in the stores! This scale is growing more than most people know!

[Anonymous]

I like the new layout/format of the magazine. Sure I like things to stay the way they are(comfort zone), but we all get used to change and in this case, change is good. Do I find every months issue equally good? No, but overall a great magazine, and I'm able to certainly find something good in each issue, a lot good in some issues. There aren't goning to be many issues with only articles about a part of the hobby I am interested in, but, I often enjoy reading about subjects I'm not currently interested in, maybe I will become interested or can translate the info into something I can use.

Jeff Coggins
Valparaiso Indiana

[Anonymous]

Still like the version a couple of revisions back best. But this is definately better than the last revision a couple years ago. Some of the type faces and graphics look too glitzy and it takes some effort to not think of it as "fluffy". I did get the impression that it was a little lighter in content than I was used to.

[Anonymous]

I like the new style a lot! It looks cooler than the old one. They've also made some great changes to it as well. A++++++++++++++++++++++[tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][tup][wow]

[orsonroy]

The new style doesn't bother me, and I actually think it's a bit "cleaner" than the old versioon of MR. I'm also impressed by the fact that they're starting to get back to the "old" MR of the late 1980s-early 1990s, in terms of contents. The quality and diversity of the artlices and reviews are getting better (of course, they couldn't have gotten much worse that the past five years or so!).

There's still not enough to actually READ in a magazine of it's size though. When I was a teenaged modeler n the 1980s, I enjoyed READING MR. Now I mostly just look at the pretty pictures. I don't mind the large number of advertisers, but the ratio of ad to article has GOT to swing in favor of articles!

[Anonymous]

My biggest problem with MR happened a while back when Andy became Executive Editor and Terry took over as editor. I appreciate Andy's style of writing and editing and it has taken me a while to get used to Terry. Of course I remember when Lynn Wescott was editor so I've seen a few changes in that regard. I was fortunate enough to meet Andy shortly after the changes and found him to be just as pleasant in person as he is in print.

RMC was mentioned above. I used to subscribe to RMC during Tony Koester's term as editor over there. Nowadays I buy an occassional issue. I used to be partial to eastern US modeling which probably explained some of my interest in RMC since they tend to have a more eastern bias than MR. I have since become oriented toward ATSF, UP and other western roads.

Cheers!

Ed

[Anonymous]

I love the new look at the format.

Actually, I like to check out the ads (except for those ones that are like 3 or 4 pages long with nothing but text).

I do wi***hey would have some more content. I'd like to see more about DCC, computers, animation, lighting, etc.

I've subscribed to several model railroading magazines over the years. MR is still by far the best for content, appearance, and even price (or maybe I should say value). I've paid more for some publications that had even less content and were only published 4-6 times per year.

[Anonymous]

Got to admit, I look forward to my magazine coming in the mail each month and I don't care how much they change it.

[Hawks05]

i just got the March issue of MRR and from the quick glance i took of it it doesn't seem like the new changes will bother me. as long as they have an article about a layout i'm happy, hopefully that layout is in HO scale.

there are parts of the mag. that i never looked at and i don't think that will change. as long as its keeps talking about MRR i'll be happy.

[Anonymous]

SMC said it model rairoader needs to broaden the scale spectrum. I read it but I'm an "S" scale guy in the colder months an hopefully Garden railroading this spring "G". I kind of get tired of translating in my mind the scales to apply to what I like. I suscribe to S Gaugian but its bi-montly and I need to fill the gap and that's model railroader for me, and garden railroading magazine.

QUESTION? Why don't they just change the name as well to HO and N and an occasional O railroader.

Carpenter Matt

[krump]

still love it - change is gonna happen
(and I may look at some of the other mags in future when I have spare change)

[Anonymous]

it's ok