Editorials & Letters
January 2004
In the December 2003 issue of Model Railroader, Editor Terry Thompson reviewed the Trix PFE Class R-40-14 refrigerator car and UP Class A-40-19 automobile boxcar. Mr. Thompson noted faults including that the reefer's hatches are too small, the underbody is incorrect, and the end ribs on the PFE car are "an inch or so too thin." He also notes that the automobile boxcar does not match the stated prototype at all but does come closer to an A-40-16, and has an incorrect underbody for either boxcar. However, he concludes that "overall these cars are very well done."
What is the reader supposed to take away from this review? That a $29.95 reefer with very visible and flawed details such as the hatches will look good next to my $5.00 Athearn reefers, which have the correct sized hatches? That an automobile boxcar that doesn't even match the stated prototype of the kit is worth $29.95 of my hard-earned money? Should the buyer be expected to put up with all of these faults for a $29.95 model? This review doesn't even begin to answer these questions.
Regretfully, this is not the first ambiguous product review in the hobby press that appears to lack any reasonable sense of knowledgeable attention to detail. When a product such as this is judged to be OK that the reviewer knows objectively is NOT OK, it casts doubt on every single one of his product reviews.
Fine Scale Modeler's product review editor Paul Boyer has the right approach. Each model is summarized with a sidebar that lists the pros and cons of a given model, and while the reviews are diplomatically presented, they don't pull any punches either. This approach is more than fair for the manufacturer, and arms the consumer with information he needs to know. Model Railroader has published such reviews in the past. Andy Sperandeo's review of the C&BT Santa Fe Reefer kit in the January 1993 issue is a standard that product reviews should be held against. He tells you what the faults of the model are, how to correct them, and why this particular model is important for the hobbyist.
I realize that a magazine publisher is in a tough position regarding reviews. He depends on advertising dollars from manufacturers whose products his staff evaluates. Write too critical a review, and he loses ad revenue. However, evaluations are a desirable service from the reader's perspective (not everyone has direct access to see new products), from the manufacturer's perspective (if the evaluation is positive) and from the magazine's perspective (adds to the usefulness of the magazine). Each of these entities, however, has a different agenda, and the first two are in direct conflict.
The real question to the magazines is: Who is your real audience? Do you serve as an advocate for the reader, or do you pander to your advertisers? Russ Larson's editorial from the January 1994 MR on Al Kalmbach's legacy, reprinted in the December 2003 issue that the Trix review appeared in, included these quotes from Kalmbach himself:
"Write for the readers, not the advertisers. 'A magazine, to be successful, must enjoy the confidence of its readers. The reader is king - without him the magazine can serve neither its editorial field nor the advertisers.'"
"Honesty is the best policy. 'The success of a business depends on several factors - quality of service, quality of product - but more than anything else, on an over-all integrity, honesty, and consistency of policy.'"
Sounds like at least one magazine needs to heed their own advice.
Benjamin Hom
The Steam Era Freight Cars website has a Reviews section that we started last year, and Bill Darnaby and Ted Culotta have already posted reviews. As an independent website by and for freight car enthusiasts and historians, we are not held hostage by a dependence on ad revenue, but we can’t evaluate every product on the market by ourselves either. We are always looking for contributors willing to share their evaluation of freight cars and detail parts in all scales. Review guidelines can be found here. The hobbyist is entitled to an advocate where product quality is concerned, and together we can make a start here on this website.