| “There’s
nothing in this magazine that interests me,” a scale modeler
friend complained as he dropped his copy of Model Aviation
on the workbench beside his Ziroli B-25.
I was surprised. But, on further
analysis, I saw his point. There is so much, MA can devote
only superficial coverage to each interest. For the
experienced scale modeler like my friend, that’s not useful.
Last June, R/C Modeler, the first and
last model magazine containing in-depth technical articles,
went out of business. RCM was hurt by magazine stands no
longer selling any model magazines—they have become too
boring for the general public.
Remember Model Builder, Grid Leaks,
Scale RC Modeler and American Modeler? These were magazines
that spoke to invention and craftsmanship. What remains
today is devoted primarily to ARF sales, not creativity. So
we must suffer endless product reviews of similar products.
No magazine even publishes large scale construction articles
anymore. In the modeling press, consumerism has displaced
craftsmanship.
You don’t read much about model
building because the advertising money is in ARFs. Yet,
scale model building is booming like a speakeasy during
Prohibition. The profusion of kit-cutting services and Tim
Johnson’s wonderful fly-ins are proof of that.
To be sure, ARFs are a fine addition
to our hobby. Perfect for beginners. People too busy to
build can fly beautiful ARF scale airplanes. And ARFs free
up time for serious builders to create ever more complex
subjects.
But ARFs are
really boring to read about... |
