Introduction to the Model Plans service Model aircraft and model boat enthusiasts have for many years used the Magazine Exchange marketplace as a way of obtaining model building plans included in specific magazine issues, but of course the issues they wanted were sometimes unavailable - or the magazine WAS available but the plans had already been removed by somebody else. So it became a natural step for Magazine Exchange to extend their service to allow users to buy and sell plans directly without needing the entire original magazine. Other well-established online-resources for model plans also exist and it's not Magazine Exchange's intention to try to replace those resources in any way – and indeed some of those websites provide other useful functionality such as online discussion forums as well. The Magazine Exchange service will focus on providing easy access to an ever-growing database of plans, and with the information about the plans provided in a standardized and trustworthy way - plus of course the marketplace function to allow individuals to buy-and-sell plans with full confidence in both the security of the transaction and the quality of the item they purchase.

Types of Plans There are essentially two types of plans listed on the marketplace: 1. Older plans that may have been originally supplied in, for example, magazines or model kits but which have long-since been regarded as having entered the public domain and which have been exchanged and distributed on that basis amongst the modelling community for many years. In some cases you may find private Sellers offering original copies of these older plans for sale, or paper reproductions that have been produced using copying machines. Additionally you may see Sellers offering digital copies of these plans – see elsewhere for a full explanation of plans offered in digital form 2. More recent plans which are still available to purchase 'new' from the rightful copyright-owner or official trade supplier. These plans will usually be available in printed form only, and sometimes the supplier will also offer kits of wood or plastic parts for the model in question

It's not hard to see that there will sometimes be doubt over the copyright status of a specific plan and what an individual may or may not do with it. This can be a complex area and there are many scenarios within copyright where plans can be legitimately reproduced or republished in a different form - but Magazine Exchange will always work with right-holders where appropriate to ensure their interests and incomes are protected - and of course the creators and/or current copyright holders are themselves encouraged to sell their products on the Magazine Exchange marketplace

Introduction to Digital Plans The vast majority of model building plans were originally published in printed form, and indeed plan copying machines can still be used to easily produce additional paper copies directly from these originals. Nowadays though it's also relatively straightforward to create a digital version of a paper plan by scanning it into a computer. This will usually also involve the operator spending time – often a considerable amount of time - 'cleaning up' the scanned image to raise the quality and legibility, especially in the case of a old plan Once an (improved) digital version of the plan has been created it can of course be printed-out again, and that print sold and delivered by post to the customer. Or the customer can purchase the digital file itself, receive it immediately by digital download and then print it out directly themselves - or perhaps print it out at a different scale or after making some other changes to the design in order to construct a one-off model For more about digital plans see the Buying and Using Plans section

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