Figure International final issue

[Babelfish]

I'd been hoping for something a bit special seeing as it's the last one ever, but found it a tad disappointing and underwhelming if I'm honest.

A full 7 pages devoted to the Mercedes G4 car (in a specialist figure mag - what's all that about?! ) , plus a 5-page feature describing the renovation of a set of very poor 1/8 scale Beatles figures released by Revell in 1964, and another 4 pages worth of some rather camp Batman & Robin action toys.

A further 10 pages in total given over to Andrea's recent and slightly strange-looking "surfer girl" (also featured on the cover) and Tinkerbell the Fairy were also "filler" as far as I'm concerned, though that's admittedly a personal reflection of my own likes & dislikes and as the old saying goes, you can't please all the people all of the time. The retrospective of the mag was the best part for me. Just a shame it wasn't longer.

It will be missed though, sad to see it go. Just wish it had gone out with a bit more of a "bang" rather than a whimper.

- Steve

 

[Nap]

Hi Steve,

Totally agree with your comments also hoped for a final burst ...but it went out on a fizzle IMO

Real shame it's finished but at least I can look back at all the issues and enjoy

It will be missed by me for sure

Nap

 

[MalcC]

Hi Guys
It seems the days of the magazine are over, I've also heard that Figurines, is going to to disappear soon.

Malc

 

[Babelfish]

I'd not heard that Malc, but it doesn't surprise me.

- Steve

 

[Huw63]

I hadn't heard any rumours about Figurines either. Figure International had some good issues but not as good as Figurines in my opinion. I am also wondering whether MM will be around much longer.

Cheers

Huw

 

[kevininpdx]

What a shame this hobby can't support a magazine. I don't get it. I can't think of a hobby with a customer base as passionate as ours.

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

What a shame this hobby can't support a magazine. I don't get it. I can't think of a hobby with a customer base as passionate as ours.

Its quite simple , too costly to produce in high quality pictures and moreover far too slow to get new stuff out , new products are splashed all over the world on the net the minute they are released , with reviews even before that ; suppose reviewers can take a bit of the blame re the demise,
The hobby is moving so fast these days that the mags don't hold the value they once did where you could look back at a special bit of modelling and painting for ref.
Just look back a couple of years and the stuff looks dated; as each month brings new wonders of painting skill .

Nothing is the same anymore , mail is instant , house and car buying is on the net as is just about everything , used to be you had to go to the sleazy part of town for certain items now its next day delivery I have long since binned all my mags . very seldom use the phone as I still prefere talking to humans .
When is the last time you sent a letter via snail mail

 

[Chrisr]

When is the last time you sent a letter via snail mail

Yesterday. But I agree with all you say Ron - everything is instant these days. I rarely carry my mobile phone (still an old Nokia) with me, and refuse to be tied to it.
I wonder if they ever considered publishing it as an e-magazine to reduce costs, they certainly had PDF excerpts on the their website for recently published copies.

Chris

 

[tomifune]

Its quite simple , too costly to produce in high quality pictures and moreover far too slow to get new stuff out , new products are splashed all over the world on the net the minute they are released , with reviews even before that ; suppose reviewers can take a bit of the blame re the demise,
The hobby is moving so fast these days that the mags don't hold the value they once did where you could look back at a special bit of modelling and painting for ref.
Just look back a couple of years and the stuff looks dated; as each month brings new wonders of painting skill .

Nothing is the same anymore , mail is instant , house and car buying is on the net as is just about everything , used to be you had to go to the sleazy part of town for certain items now its next day delivery I have long since binned all my mags . very seldom use the phone as I still prefere talking to humans .
When is the last time you sent a letter via snail mail

Why buy the cow when the milk is free?
The next victims will be the Shows. I can't speak for Europe but here in the US, participation is dwindling. One of the main villains is again the web. Vendor participation is shrinking as it is hard to make money with no traffic. Most regulars buy everything through the internet. As Ron says, HD pics are the norm. Why drive to a Show, get a room when you can see everything on the internet, some with multiple angles, within 24 hrs of a Show. You'll not only see your favorite sculptor or painter on the web but an sbs on top of it so why attend the seminars?
Yes, the hobby base is passionate but small and shrinking....

Bob

 

[Nap]

Hi Guys
It seems the days of the magazine are over, I've also heard that Figurines, is going to to disappear soon.

Malc

Well if it is I am enjoying going through all the issues I have ...and there are many!!!...real shame if its true ,

Nap

 

[Huw63]

In my opinion whilst magazines are dying out and shopping is increasingly done over the web I think shows will stay simply for social reasons. Last weekend I met Gordon (Grod) of MMM, Bruno Leibowitz of Metal Modeles, the folk at NCO Historex / Nemrod, Gilles of Atelier Maket. Tomorrow the Ingolstadt show where I'm meeting Ron, Del and Davey. Modern communications won't replace this contact. I've met many in the past and I've developed contacts here and even found so,e people with other common interests such as choppers and football but there is nothing to beat meeting people face to face.

As a technologist by profession I am online with phone and iPad continuously but as an ex-pat it makes my life very easy to keep up with family, friends abroad and football. I also use multiple phone as a clock, camera, diary etc.

This is the media which I mainly use to get news about releases, news I general, buying etc. The one hope I see is that young people are moving into fantasy painting and will switch over it figures. The net brings more choice and better informed choice . The one thing I remain old fashioned about are books,no way will I give up books as I love their smell and feel but magazines are becoming optional.

Enough of my musings for now.

Cheers

Huw

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Well Huw
Grand Armee is mobilised and marching towards the guns , I approach from the west, Del from the east and Mitch holds the centre
Rendezvous approx 2300 hrs ingolstadt time , keep the bar open

 

[Huw63]

Well Huw
Grand Armee is mobilised and marching towards the guns , I approach from the west, Del from the east and Mitch holds the centre
Rendezvous approx 2300 hrs ingolstadt time , keep the bar open

My mobile brigade is due to approach from the south approximately 14:00 tomorrow. Keep the car park open!!!!

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

You are too far in front cannot support 2300hrs

 

[Magnifier]

I'm just back to the hobby after about ten years off and a lot has changed.

This forum has changed. None of the Old Guard I knew posts anymore... all the names I was familiar with have changed.

Historical Miniatures mag is gone. When I was fist painting Figure International was new and no one liked it very much.

Maurice Corry was persona non grata and now he is revered and considered one of the best sculptors in the hobby.

So just getting back into things I had to buy new paints, brushes, etc., and did so via local merchants. Pricey.

Next I bought a load of Historex kits and spares directly from NCO Historex and Historex Agents. Pricey (to say nothing of the shipping costs).

Then I sit down to start and cannot see anything (with my new glasses). One day is good, the next not so much. Back to the eye doctor for new lenses thinking the prescription is wrong.

Armed with new glasses I sit down to try again. Same result.

Off to the eye specialist... what's that, doctor? I have a genetic disorder and I need a double cornea transplant? Okay. Oh, I won't ever be able to see those bitty 60mm Historex well enough to paint them again? Damn. Okay. Time to look at larger figures.

So I start the search (here) for some of the larger pieces I remember and start purchasing from one of the popular figures manufacturers.

Better, but still cannot see them clearly enough to paint them, as I cannot focus long enough on a fixed spot to see the details.

I know, I will try 200mm! Bingo. Perfect. My new scale.

All of that took an embarrassingly large expenditure, and while I am holding a few of the 100mm and 120mm kits hoping to be able to paint them at some point after the transplants, the doctor says the odds are poor (but he says if I can see 200mm clearly now I should be able to see them even better and clearly for many years to come).

My point? I did all the right things we are encouraged to do by popular consensus here. I supported local businesses, figures manufacturers, etc. In the end most everything will end up on eBay where I will take a beating, and I really cannot blame the guy on eBay who gets the good deal. He's the smart one really. Why spend $500 on Historex from France like I did when he can buy mine for $200? We'd all take that deal, right?

And I would LOVE to go to the MFCA of MMSI show (and had planned to)... but I am now broke.

I still look through my HM mags and also Campaigns (my favorite) and I have all the issues of each title. I love looking at all the old kits and reading the articles. But the hobby has moved on quickly, radically... it's evolved... and we are all smart enough to understand what happens to organism that do not evolve.

 

[Joe55]

I hate to say it and I'll be blunt, I'm not going to miss it.

When I got hot and heavy with the hobby (basically when I joined PF), I found the magazine very helpful and waited impatiently for the next issue. However, the later issues just did not contain articles that were useful to me or held my interest.

Perhaps I should rephrase my initial sentence, I miss the Figure International that got me going.

Joe

 

[yellowcat]

I hate reading digital magazine on my ipad or on my laptop. It is bad for your eyes. I prefer an actual print magazine or book holding in my hands. It is more enjoyable.

 

[mick3272]

With these Mags going to the wall, why not spend your subscription money on becoming a Supporter of PF. I sure the extra membership would help this site no end.
Mick

 

[Alex]

Hi guys
I would just like to clear a few misconceptions since Ophthalmology is my other life.
There is nothing dangerous about reading on your ipad and it will in no way harm your vision.
However typing is another story since you are hitting a hard surface with the tip of your fingers.

Now about the corneal transplant. I don't know your particular case but depending on the part of the cornea which is affected by the disease sometimes we will only have to graft only a part of the cornea (DSAEK surgery for example) and the rehabilitation is super fast.
Most people who will get a full thickness graft will recover a very good vision and with proper glasses should be fine after the surgery.

In more general terms, unless you have a disease in the eyes, if you get the proper correction and magnification, you should be able to paint figures even when you are 60, 70 or 80 !

 

[Magnifier]

Hi guys
I would just like to clear a few misconceptions since Ophthalmology is my other life.
There is nothing dangerous about reading on your ipad and it will in no way harm your vision.
However typing is another story since you are hitting a hard surface with the tip of your fingers.

Now about the corneal transplant. I don't know your particular case but depending on the part of the cornea which is affected by the disease sometimes we will only have to graft only a part of the cornea (DSAEK surgery for example) and the rehabilitation is super fast.
Most people who will get a full thickness graft will recover a very good vision and with proper glasses should be fine after the surgery.

In more general terms, unless you have a disease in the eyes, if you get the proper correction and magnification, you should be able to paint figures even when you are 60, 70 or 80 !

Hi Alex,

I have extremely flat corneas from RK surgery performed 25 years ago leaving me at 26 (left) and 24 (right) diopters (was told this is extremely flat). Was also diagnosed with Fuchs Dystrophy and am in advanced stage. I also have a severe astigmatism. I can no longer drive at night (which is fine as I enjoy having my wife drive me around).

My current glasses prescription fluctuates wildly, which is what finally sent me to the corneal specialist, as my eye doctor could not figure out the issue.

Basically, I cannot focus on any detail long enough to see it clearly. Reading is a nightmare. I am an editor and so in front of multiple screens all day, and I have my fonts set to 30 or large just to do my job (and sometimes even this is fuzzy).

With a #10 lens in my Optivisor (the strongest they have, I think) I can see a 200mm figure clearly.

I'm told I will need a complete transplant for both eyes and that it will take a year to 18 months for my vision to eventually normalize.