The biggest problem I have with MRR is all the first person narrative writing. I grow tired of "and then I", "then I" or "next I"....
English is my native language and the only foriegn language I have ever studied and in my freshman English class at the university we had to write without first person pro-nouns. That was truely a challenge. I would like to see more articles written without first person pro-nouns.
Just my own opinion....
Modeling a railroad hypothetically set in time.
This topic appears about twice a year and runs for three or more pages and then dies a natural death. Not sure, having read all the posts, that everyone ends up happy after the discussion.
I spent three years moderating this forum as a form of service, along with at least four other gentlemen. This is where I found my information, but also the diversity of personality and experience, but also interests in the hobby, that sometimes sparked some nasty flames. Our Op is but the latest to say the hobby has grown stale to a large extent, and that MR doesn't seem to make any headway from issue-to-issue in helping to keep it interesting, even developmental.
I recall maybe three years ago many of us were rather cross, and largely in agreement, that our hosts were dropping the ball and simply running old articles aimed at beginners. I do honestly believe that they kept an eye on what we were saying and the issues began to improve noticeably, and appreciably, by mid 2011 or so.
I have changed. My tastes and ambitions have gelled and been largely achieved, so the magazine just doesn't get to my particular interests much, or as often. Hence, I have not purchased a single one this year. I would be a liar, though, if I didn't admit I look forward to, and scrutinize each issue to make sure I'm not passing up a good one.
-Crandell
I am towards the begineer/intermediate (closer to intermediate) modeler, and I agree with some of the mags. Although, not every magazine is going to be a gem, they mostly all do have two or three great articles, and I do enjoy the "Trains of thought" as well. Plus the N scale section is good, even if I model only HO scale-it's still refreshing to see what other modelers can do. There is one thing that I am not a super fan of-how much exposure Pelle Soleberg is getting. He's an amazing model railroader, his work is great and inspiring, but how many times can you have an article with his layout? It seems like currently they are mostly focusing on modern era layouts-while I am a sucker for the transition era stuff. Regardless, even if there is one "bad" month, the next month usually makes up for it.
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
I have been receiving MR for over 30 years, and I would say about 5 to 10 articles a year really interests me, the rest I could care less. I blame that on me and not MR. MR is trying to cover a broad audience and my interests are very specific, i.e B&O railroad; eastern panhandle of West Virginia; 1920s; scratchbuilding and high end craftsman kits. MR has to cover beginner level to craftsman; civil war era to contemporary; tight budget to sky is the limit; the entire North America; shelve layouts to massive choo-choo barns etc. Therefore I am very patient with MR during the times it does not cover my interests. I am grateful that it captures a large audience to continue the popularity of this hobby so that there will be plenty of resources available for all of us modelers.
What good is this thread for?
Each and everyone is intitled to his/her opinion, but it is sometimes wiser to keep them between one´s own ears.
Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses!
angelob6660 Sure the magazine has it's ups and downs that doesn't mean you need to complain about it. Like it was said before just stop buying the magazine and/or hobby and get a new one.
Sure the magazine has it's ups and downs that doesn't mean you need to complain about it. Like it was said before just stop buying the magazine and/or hobby and get a new one.
Have you read the thread? You would have noticed that I am not changing hobbies but am changing scales to help get me excited again. If MR works for you, fine. But for me and some others, not so much anymore.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
After 42 years MR is still my favorite mag. Even the old stuff can be new as newer products and techniques come along. And I still enjoy the layout visits and the project layouts.
But hey this is a hobby. If the mag doesn't do it for you then drop it.
Enjoy
Paul
Have subscribed to MR since that late 60's. I still find interesting content but have to admit that the magazine is not the value it was in the 70's and 80's. The written content has definetely suffered as the years have advanced. MR of 2014 is kind of a Reader's Digest condensed version of earlier issues. It appears that the editorial policy has been to dumb down the writting and rely on video to explain how to do things. Everything evolves, so MR seems to be keeping with the trend to slicker glossier presentation while sacrificing real content. I recently dug through many old MR issues including some I picked up in the attic of an old house I rented back in the 70's that dated back to the late 30's and early 40's. The earliest issues were geared to modelers who had a passion for the hobby but very little money. The earliest issues told how to build really nice looking passenger cars from card stock and basic scraps of wood. A far cry from current issues of MR.
At 71 years of age I am still young enough to enjoy model railroading as a hobby and am building a free lance midwest layout for the first time after many years of enjoying the hobby from the "side lines." Retirement does have its benefits.
We got to remember that the MR stuff are all skilled at their hobby and not beginners. But their trying to do the best they can. Following new modelers and moderate with sometimes veterans to understand new techniques.
Nothing has changed but ourselves.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Burlington Northern #24 hmmm, 2014 now started N scale in 2012.... No complaints every article has some form of relevance for me on what to do. But it begs the question if Model railroading is known by a number of people like the back of their hands wouldn't they've gotten bored and moved on?
hmmm, 2014 now started N scale in 2012.... No complaints every article has some form of relevance for me on what to do. But it begs the question if Model railroading is known by a number of people like the back of their hands wouldn't they've gotten bored and moved on?
When I was in N Scale I couldn't wait for the newest issues of N Scale Railroading or N Scale Magazine every other month..I'm getting that way with MR this year.
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Doug,I know the feeling.I use to read Ohio Game & Fish but,got burned on reading how to catch a oversized sunfish (aka Large Mouth Bass) and how to catch Lake Erie Walleye..
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John (Catt) I think I was born with a throttle in my hand since I've always been more into the operation side of the hobby.I never did get into what some fellas call the cool stuff.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
jeffrey-wimberly Model Railroader Magazine ceased being interesting to me back in the 90's. I don't even glance at it in the store anymore. The forum here is my only exposure to it now.
Model Railroader Magazine ceased being interesting to me back in the 90's. I don't even glance at it in the store anymore. The forum here is my only exposure to it now.
Doug from Michigan I kind of went through the same thing with bass fishing. After 20+ year subscriptions to 2 big magazines, it got to where I couldn't stomach another article on how to fish a spinnerbait. On the other hand, after only 5 years back into the hobby, I'm still looking forward to every issue of MR.
I kind of went through the same thing with bass fishing. After 20+ year subscriptions to 2 big magazines, it got to where I couldn't stomach another article on how to fish a spinnerbait.
On the other hand, after only 5 years back into the hobby, I'm still looking forward to every issue of MR.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
trwroute Burlington Northern #24 hmmm, 2014 now started N scale in 2012.... No complaints every article has some form of relevance for me on what to do. But it begs the question if Model railroading is known by a number of people like the back of their hands wouldn't they've gotten bored and moved on? That's the thing. Once model railroading takes hold, there is no turning back. It just won't let go! I've modeled different scales/gauges since the beginning, but have decided to return to N scale. I feel this might be the kick in the butt that I need. I still have several locos and a friend gave me 30 Intermountain kits to get me started. Plus, I'll be selling some, if not all, of my HO. The layout will be coming down in the next few weeks. Sometimes a new start is what's needed. I love the hobby and can't imagine being without it, plus, my wife is very supportive of it.
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
In the latest issue, I was a bit surprized to see that kitbash two Brownhoist cranes article - that sort of article I thought went away from MR with the 1980s (and into RMC, or the other 3 now-erstwhile competitors at the time).MRH isn't too bad, I usually find one or two tips of use in each "issue" - for example, an article (last year I think) involving conversion of NS Airslides into MSW open hoppers gave me an idea of what to do with 6 Walthers Airslides I had lying around (and for some reason I always found the fake Newspaper clippings at the end of a layout article detailing the reactions of the scale citizens to at changes the author had made to the layout funny - often more amusing than the "back page" humor articles...
So, sounds like the OP needs a vacation from the MR forums and press for awhile. Return when rested, and when come back bring pie.
mobilman44it tied with Playboy for a couple of decades
mobilman44I've been around the block a few times
So haven't those girls in those old Playboys.
There are only so many stories. And, is there really much difference between "Scratchbuilding a Depot" and "Scratchbuilding a Barn?" After a while, things do start to repeat. I'm beyond the beginner articles now, and a lot of the more advanced ones are too specific for me. I may be the odd duck, but I lke the ads. I don't sit and read the classifieds, but I look at all the product ads because they are all train-related.
I came back to the hobby about 9 years ago. At that time, I would pick up MR from time to time. It didn't hold my interest. But, then there was a staffing change, and I noticed that the magazine perked up a lot. It bacame more hands-on and oriented towards modeling, instead of just buying stuff and putting it on your layout.
It's still a better magazine, but I can see the OP's point. It might be time to let my subscription lapse for a year. I don't think it's the magazine; I think it's me.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Ok, I just turned 70, but I'm still a kid. I've been playing with trains since the early 1950s, and my first MR mag was the December 1955 issue. I have been an MR subscriber for as long as I can recall - likely since the 1960s. I've had a number of layouts - Lionel, HO, and even an N. My current layout was built a few years ago and is my first with DCC.
MR has typically been my most anxiously awaited mag for many, many years, although it tied with Playboy for a couple of decades. However, I can't say that MR (or Playboy for that matter) is as exciting to me as it once was.
Why? Well, I've been around the block a few times and have the MR basics pretty much under control. I fully realize that MR needs to continuously publish articles that tout the basics - in order to keep the newbies interested and educated. I have no problem with that.
What I've found is that my areas of interest now center upon the ads and the product reviews and of course the layouts. Whereas at one time 90 percent of the mag was important to me, now about 50 percent gets my full attention.
But I still look forward to its monthly arrival, and I'll be a subscriber for as long as I can order a renewal.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Catt,
From a 72 yr Old.
Take Care!
Frank
Yup MR has all these beginner type articles which most of us old heads already know all about.Funny how they had that type of article and I thought it was really cool to learn how to do this stuff when I was a modeling greenhorn.
I can understand how all you folks that were born knowing how to do all this modeling stuff could get bored reading about things like the correct way to lay flex track,or scratchbuild a building or whatever.But I wasn't born knowing all that stuff infact at the ripe old age of 69 I am still learning and I hope to keep learning by reading and doing for a long time yet.
I have a idea for all of the "I know everything there is to know about this hobby" crowd. Share that knowledge with a newby.just don't tell them "This is the only way to do this." instead say"This is how I do it." Just be careful because you might just learn a better way.
Of course the magazine has changed over the years because the hobby has changed. In the 40s-50s most everyone would scratch build. Then came the plastic kits with less emphasis on scratch building. Still you could scratch build with better detail. The diecut wooden kits were, I think, better than the plastic kits & an alternative to scratch building. Now we have beautiful laser kits & soon all will have access to 3D printing. That along with RTR gaining ground, the "How To" articles have taken a back seat. I haven't counted them, but I think there are just as many adds today...they are just 1x2'' & refer you to a website. I have to admit that I also have lost some interest in the magazine, but I think the editors are doing a good job of trying to find new & fresh content when not much exists.
I will have to agree with ULRICH on this. I have been in the Model Railroading hobby for 64 years and at times my interests change, like most things in life. I have more than one Hobby, when my body was younger, I enjoyed building classic and custom cars, which I did aquire quite a few over the years. Now they are gone, sold, kept only one. They included engine rebuilding, fabricating, welding,painting you name it. When I retired 14yrs ago, I slowly started selling them, or in my case gave three to my three son's. I still am into trains, mostly the craftsman side of it, Military Modeling and games workshop figure painting. The above you could say is diversify of what I feel like doing. The Mags. have nothing to do with it, what does however, that a song will always remind me of, by Glen Miller Band from the mid-forties, ''In The Mood".
My Experience and Opinon Only.
trwrouteLarry - No bad advice here! I'm not giving up the hobby. I have way to much fun with it. After all, the old MR mag said it's fun!
That's good to hear Chuck..The hobby still needs us old heads.
Oh to be sure after 55 plus years in the hobby I've thought about "retiring" from the hobby but,what fun would that be?
I really enjoyed MR this year especially the fresh urban modeling ideas from Lance Mindheim.
wjstix BTW if you aren't finding interesting articles, and you have 40+ years experience, maybe you should be writing articles?? I bet that would perk up your interest in the hobby.
BTW if you aren't finding interesting articles, and you have 40+ years experience, maybe you should be writing articles?? I bet that would perk up your interest in the hobby.
Ulrich, thanks for the contribution. Not...
Everyone has their opinions, but yours is just different than mine. Does that make me a bad guy?