Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I submit an article to Cybermodeler Online?

• Of course! If you're interested in sharing your techniques and skills with your fellow modelers, click here for our style guide on how to prepare your articles.

I am an IPMS newsletter editor. Can I copy Cybermodeler Online articles in my club's newsletter?

• Absolutely. Any IPMS newsletter can use any of our articles as long as the text is not edited/altered, the author of the article is properly identified, and the source of the article (Cybermodeler Online) is indicated with our web address (URL).
• IPMS websites are also welcome to link to our articles.
• Non-IPMS organizations wishing to re-print or re-publish our articles shall contact Michael Benolkin (tacair@earthlink.net) for written permission in advance.

We run an online hobby shop. Can we link your reviews to products we are selling?

• Yes. You may link directly to the review article. You may not, however, copy the article onto another website for any purpose.

Is Cybermodeler Online an impartial review site or more of an 'informercial'?

• We've noted several comments on the chat boards that our reviews are always positive. This is true.
• We've adopted an editorial style similar to Internet Modeler where we point out what is right about hobby products, and where there are problems we try to provide suggestions or techniques we've used to fix those problems.
• We won't hide problems, but at the same time, we won't bash a product or company in a review.
• If there is a product released that is so bad that the negatives out-weigh the positives, we won't run the review. We'd rather tell the manufacturers directly what is wrong with their release and leave the negativity to other venues.

What kind of reader traffic does Cybermodeler Online receive?

• As of 8 Feb 2010, we average over:
  • 391,000 first time visitors per month (over 12,600 readers per day)
  • 515,000 unique visitors per month
  • 1.8 million page views per month
• Recent statistics from our traffic analysis services show our readership with a mix of about 45% North American, 33% European, and the remainder a mix of the rest of the world.

Why does Cybermodeler Online provide new kit news for some companies and not others?

• We publish and maintain kit release news from a number of companies that provide us with regular updates about their releases that span several months into the future as well as when kits are about to be released (so we know when to take them back off the list).
• We also publish the announcements from all of the participating companies at the major hobby shows. Once the news has been up an update or two, we'll remove those companies' listings from whom we don't receive regular information.
• We also remove all kits from the list that are within a few weeks of being released. What remains are releases that are at least 15 days into the future and sometimes a year or two into the future. Sometimes schedules will change and we revise our listings as that news arrives as well.
• Our approach to these kit lists enable us to provide you with reliable and up-to-date information on what's coming to your hobby shelves in the near future.

How can I get my products announced on Cybermodeler Online?

• If you have hobby-related news, we want to share it with our readers. Email Michael Benolkin (tacair@earthlink.net) with your press release and we'll try to post it with our hobby news.
• Please note that hobby news only remains online for up to a week, where product reviews (products sent to us for photography and evaluation) remain on the site indefinitely. We do reserve the right to deny any news item for any reason.

How can I get my products reviewed on Cybermodeler Online?

• Contact Michael Benolkin (tacair@earthlink.net) for the shipping address. We have one of the quickest review turnaround times in the industry and can help to get the word out about your products to our readers quickly and fairly.
• If for any reason we find a serious problem with your product, we'll let you know about it directly and not publish the review.

Someone from claiming to be from Cybermodeler Online contacted us for review samples. Are they legitimate?

• The only person who would contact you is Michael Benolkin (tacair@earthlink.net) on behalf of the magazine. This prevents would-be scammers (and there are an unfortunate number of them out there) from claiming to be one of our reviewers. We adhere to that policy to prevent misunderstandings amongst our staff and our hobby-related contacts.

How can we advertise on Cybermodeler Online?

• Contact Michael Benolkin (tacair@earthlink.net) for our latest rates.
• Ads start at $20/month and we have very competitive rates.
• Note that we do reserve the right to deny any ad for any reason.

Why doesn't Cybermodeler Online have a chat room?

• There are quite a few good chat rooms already online.

Why doesn't Cybermodeler Online answer my email(s)?

• We make every attempt to respond to emails in a timely manner, but due to the vast amount of spam 'out there', sometimes email, especially from first-time contacts, will get 'filtered out' by the Earthlink Spam Filters.
• Also, if you do not hear from us, check to see if you have your email filter blocking us as we don't have the time to sign up for permission to write you. Isn't spam wonderful?