Saturday 30 May 2009

Just a Pipe Dream


PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A SPOOF!!! The result of too much time messing about in Photoshop and just an idle 'what if' bit of fun that would never survive in the real world . . . . .

We are lucky to be very well catered for with excellent model railway magazines in the UK, however this creative spurt of computer graphics has made me ponder my ideal magazine if I was to win the lottery ('cos there's no other way it would survive I guess).
My ficticious title 'Creative Model Railways' would concentrate very much on making things and pushing the boundaries to higher levels of realism than generally seen to date, whilst taking a more balanced approach to modelling the whole railway scene rather than concentrating on stock and track. The influence would be the likes of the delightful Voie Libre and Narrow Gauge & Industrial Review, two magazines that highlight only the very best and the innovative.
Reviews of general new products from the big manufacturers would not feature, after all they're already covered very well by the big four UK mags. I would however like to showcase the small suppliers and 'men in sheds' working in brass, white metal and resin not seen anywhere else in print.

Occasional 'How to' features would be aimed at showing modellers how to achieve advanced levels of realism from people highly qualified in their respective fields - with no snobbery! I've often felt that the higher up the ladder one goes, the more stuffy, cliquey, elderly and elitist things get - fun definately being very low in priority. Design would be friendly, full colour, bold, stylish and of course be printed on fabulous paper with top end repro! The stuffy old B&W only guard would hate it!
Then there would be the layouts, no filler tat at all, zilch! My focus given the choice, would be the smaller homegrown projects which are generally the creation of a single model maker (things designed by committee are never as good?). The magazine would not be era, gauge, scale or even country specific - but everything would need to inspire!!

It would not make a penny of course - but it wouldn't need to, it's just my pipe dream!

6 comments:

  1. Sounds like the perfect mag to me. Being a narrow gauge modeller, the whole railway scene is the appealing thing about it.

    Interesting that the cover style reminds me of Model Railroader.

    If you really wanted to make it real, you could just get a 'PDF maker' and have it as an online magazine.

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  2. That's great! When can I buy Issue 1?!

    Seriously though, it looks like something I would undoudtedly buy. The cover reminds me of Voie Libre; something I've boughtn occasionally - GSCE French allows me to get most of what's in it!

    I'm a great fan of MRJ and this would, I think, provide an interesting contrast with MRJ; both would feature modelling of the highest quality but both would have quite different appraoches. Though I think Tim Shackleton shows he's influenced by Narrow Gauge & Industrial Review by the way certain articles have been presented.

    Speaking of Narrow Gauge & Industrial Review, I think having a magazine with the that approach applied to broader subject matter should be very successful and wouldn't step on the toes of Roy Link's mag despite similar approaches.

    I don't think you need a lottery win, it could do very well - it'll never make you rich but that's not why you'd do it!

    J.

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  3. How about as a 'one off' rather than a regular magazine?

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  4. I love the idea of this kind of magazine. I'm fed up of the lack of fun in many of the modelling mags these days, it's all become a bit like hard work.

    I've been writing for the modelling press myself for a long time, but lately have been disappointed that the humour and lightheartedness has been edited completely out of my work, making it a little meaningless.

    There is an online magazine creation site (Yudu) that enables a magazine to be produced- my brother has recently launched a Land Rover mag online. It's carbon neutral, too.

    Magazines have to inspire to survive, and as you say, that means sumptuous colour and gorgeous layouts. I'll be in the queue to buy this magazine...if I haven't produced it first...

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  5. Chris, are you ready to start publishing this yet?!

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  6. When I give up the day job and I don't need to make a penny! One day! A publisher would help too!

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