Well I just got the May issue of MR. There was an interesting article on steel bench work and an article (with drawings!) on the YVRR #22 and its locomotive you can not go out and buy. You must build or bash one together. Although the binding is fine the issue maybe falling apart. Terry Thompson treated us to one of his deep insights offering a blurb on how people like big dramatic things. I wonder if some woman had a talk with him. Tony K decided to let us now what a joy it is to discover information, pictures, parts or what have you that are really important to us. He must be getting guidance from Strang. Specking of Strang.......... the master of non information and stating the obvious ( often simultaneously) is going to give up his "Workin' on the Railroad" column. He says he's had enough of it. After seven years so has everyone else. Along with this pleasant development however we discover that our friend Strang has been made a contributing editor. This means we will be subjected to his forth coming feature articles so we can learn more things such as how the layout room is dark until you turn on the lights. Lionel says he is amazed that his name now appears on the mast head of MR. So am I. I wonder why......... other than that he may be one heck of a good guy and people who know him have come to like him a lot. Hopefully the MR will continue produce good articles as it still does on a more limited basis than in the past. While at the book store today I picked up an issue of FineScale Modeler just to see what its like these days. Though its not as hefty as it used to be every article and every review was about something you must build, finish and paint and they use smaller print to get in a few extra words. It just seems more intelligent than MR and considerate of the fact that the reader might be wanting to really learn how to make something rather than MR's tone of you can buy this, and this, and this and you end up with this. No brilliant revelations about our feelings or how we like big things. No happy happy joy joy ain't life swell, we're all goody goody folks who live in pink houses and all run trains while nurturing our children in a wholesome hobby and eating apple pie kind of thing. For example......the last page of MR is the Model Railroading is Fun page. It shows a guy in his engineers cap with a little girl in his lap running a train at a children's hospital and some corresponding verbiage. The last page of FSM is History You Can Model. It shows a picture of an M-60 Patton tank getting ready to blow something to smithereens. A small contrast. Nothing wrong with caring about children and selfless community service but appears MR would have us where the badge on our sleeve. It was also interesting to learn that Boeing, Sikorsky and some other defense contractors are pulling a UP licensing thing on the military model guys. Bruce
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18 years ago