Julien Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 3 For the price of 2-3 magazines I can buy a pretty damn good book on the subject which will give me much more detail though admittedly not on the model.JohnT A good point, even more so when it comes to mag like flypast. Julien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Bryon Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I feel the situation from 20 years ago has reversed: back then we had poor quality photos, often in B&W, often of not wonderfully constructed or painted models, yet the accompanying text was readable, clear and generally followed the rules of good English. Now we have amazing photography of (IMO) often very well built models, but the quality of writing has nose dived and some articles are actually unreadable. Significant exceptions (when it comes to the text) are SAMI and MiS. My perfect magazine would be the models in SAM written by the authors (and edited by the editor) of SAMI, or an aviation-only MiS. Wait...wasn't there one? Oh yeah, clearly my requirements are those of the minority... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I feel the situation from 20 years ago has reversed: back then we had poor quality photos, often in B&W, often of not wonderfully constructed or painted models, yet the accompanying text was readable, clear and generally followed the rules of good English. Now we have amazing photography of (IMO) often very well built models, but the quality of writing has nose dived and some articles are actually unreadable. Significant exceptions (when it comes to the text) are SAMI and MiS. My perfect magazine would be the models in SAM written by the authors (and edited by the editor) of SAMI, or an aviation-only MiS. Wait...wasn't there one? Oh yeah, clearly my requirements are those of the minority... At the risk of being cryptic, you might all want to keep your eyes open over the next few months: you might just get what you all want... Spence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripehound Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Magazine prices will continue to go up - and it's all our fault. Like all print media, Hobby magazines are losing advertising revenue to the internet at a rate of knots. It makes more sense for small, specialist retailers/cottage industry producers to post info for free on sites like BM, where most likley buyers hang out, than to pay for ads in a range of mags. The amount of advertising in a publication has a direct impact on its cover price - compare and contrast railway modelling mags with 'ours'. The railway ones are fatter, and cheaper. In order to keep titles profitable (or more likely stem the losses) publishers will often try to offset lost ad revenues by hiking the cover price. Howver, all this usually achieves is a fall in circulation, which in turn means they can't charge as much for advertising - a classic death spiral. Love and cherish your favorite mags regardless of the quality of paper they're printed on, because they may not be around much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) Hmmm Intersting points have being rasied during this topic , however my main mag i buy seems to be hit and miss in the shops . SCALE MILITARY MODELLER sam publication seems to being in smiths one month but not the rest . when i ask about im told it s not in and nobody can seem to know when . latest issue had the article on the hobbyboss tank transporter but cant find it anywhere . aslo why cant we get our mags in supermarkets????? ive seen railway mags in there but no modelling mags why?????? , ok that was last month new issue out now anyone know the publicaation date for this mag ??? Edited May 25, 2012 by hood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therollercoaster Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Magazine prices will continue to go up - and it's all our fault.Like all print media, Hobby magazines are losing advertising revenue to the internet at a rate of knots. It makes more sense for small, specialist retailers/cottage industry producers to post info for free on sites like BM, where most likley buyers hang out, than to pay for ads in a range of mags. Seems to me that most of the well known hobby magazines all have thier own websites these days, if they are loosing revenue from the hardcopy due to Internet advertising then thier websites should be a perfect vehicle to compensate for that loss, so is it really our fault or thier own for missing a trick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigsty Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) At the risk of being cryptic, you might all want to keep your eyes open over the next few months: you might just get what you all want... Spence Judging by this thread, that would mean a two-hundred page magazine with photos that expand when you look at them and thousands of words of perfectly written and 100% informative text, guaranteed to be relevant to every buyer, and all for buttons. Where do I sign up? Edited May 25, 2012 by pigsty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Judging by this thread, that would mean a two-hundred page magazine with photos that expand when you look at them and thousands of words of perfectly written and 100% informative text, guaranteed to be relevant to every buyer, and all for buttons. Where do I sign up? Hahahaha. And all of that for 50p. Not quite... Spence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Bryon Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 At the risk of being cryptic, you might all want to keep your eyes open over the next few months: you might just get what you all want... Spence As long as it's available electronically (as MiS currently is), I'll be there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Kunac-Tabinor Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 As someone who works in the print business, I will confirm that the cost of materials has drastically increased in the last few years. As things like tablet PCs ( ie Ipads) become more and more common, and most house snow have wifi of some sort, we aren't that far the days of the digital modelling magazine surely. Geoff Coughlins one seems to be doing pretty well at the moment from what I can see. Just think of the benefits too - video footage explaining techniques more clearly, live links to manufacturers websites to buy reviewed products ( perhaps with a discount for ordering via the article). Easily accessible back articles, no piles of paper stacked up in various places around the house causing SWMBO conniption fits. The nature of the magazine will actually need to change I think, to become far more interactive. Monetising internet sites is often viewed as problematical ( why should I pay for it when I get it free on sites like here etc), but if a subscription gives you vastly more than you get for free its worth it. Its up to the mags to come up with that though, because a straight online version of the printed product just wont be good enough IMO. Jonners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwh Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Seems to me that most of the well known hobby magazines all have thier own websites these days, if they are loosing revenue from the hardcopy due to Internet advertising then thier websites should be a perfect vehicle to compensate for that loss, so is it really our fault or thier own for missing a trick? I took out a subscription for Military Modelling two years ago because they offered extra for subscribers on their website, to be honest it was not worth it, and with them now reducing the issues per year from 15 to 13 less value for money I have not renewed. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripehound Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Seems to me that most of the well known hobby magazines all have thier own websites these days, if they are loosing revenue from the hardcopy due to Internet advertising then thier websites should be a perfect vehicle to compensate for that loss, so is it really our fault or thier own for missing a trick? I wasn't being entirely serious when I said it's our fault - the point, as made by Jon above, is that sites like BM and thousands of others offer free advertising opportunities, wheras the mags and their associated sites require payment for ads, which may not be any more effective at generating business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawk Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 As someone who works in the print business, I will confirm that the cost of materials has drastically increased in the last few years.As things like tablet PCs ( ie Ipads) become more and more common, and most house snow have wifi of some sort, we aren't that far the days of the digital modelling magazine surely. Geoff Coughlins one seems to be doing pretty well at the moment from what I can see. Just think of the benefits too - video footage explaining techniques more clearly, live links to manufacturers websites to buy reviewed products ( perhaps with a discount for ordering via the article). Easily accessible back articles, no piles of paper stacked up in various places around the house causing SWMBO conniption fits. The nature of the magazine will actually need to change I think, to become far more interactive. Monetising internet sites is often viewed as problematical ( why should I pay for it when I get it free on sites like here etc), but if a subscription gives you vastly more than you get for free its worth it. Its up to the mags to come up with that though, because a straight online version of the printed product just wont be good enough IMO. Jonners I've nothing at all against on-line magazines in principle but the absolute killer for me is that, if I understand correctly, if I allow my subscription to lapse, I immediately lose access to the back copies, for which I've paid a subscription. I'm not inclined to be lured into such a lock-in. Whereas with hard copies I still have access to the material I've paid for, even if the magazine and I later have a serious falling out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viscount806x Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Is £4 a significantly bigger proportion of salary than 2/6 used to be? I've been hearing this about rising prices all my modelling life, but the number of magazines keeps on increasing so someone must be buying.I buy much fewer now than say 10 years ago, but that's because the content has changed from the factual to the pretty presentational. Glossy magazines filled with little more than catalogues and photos of finished models don't help me with my modelling. I agree that Neil Robinson's MAM was the best,and although nearly giving up on it after the change of emphasis I'm happy with their return to a more balanced magazine with historical content. I think you are echoing almost word for word a posting by me on a similar thread a while back. MAM became intolerable after NR left but changed back towards its previous format just as my sub became due, so I renewed. I used to take loads of mags at one time when I had an income but have given up on all but SAMI and MAM now. My main gripe is simply lack of subject matter of interest. MAM is slipping again now and has a duplication of stuff with SAMI which is counterproductive in my view and it will probably go at the next sub due date. I do of course realise that many others love the stuff which leaves me a bit cold (F16s etc.) so I leave those mags which I dump for them to continue enjoying. I took SAM for years and years (from #1 actually) but gave up about 2-3 years back when it went all glossy and left me and the historical information articles behind. Where are the present day Ray Sturtivants? I really liked the slightly amateur reviews which actually built kits , results of which usually didn't leave me with feelings of gross inadequacy! I took Model Airplane International and Model Aviation World for a year or two until I woke up and discovered that I was acquiring yet more stacks of magazines with little reference material within them to warrant keeping on. I do keep a simple card index for potentially useful reviews/builds/photos/articles etc. but find of late that I record less and less from each issue as time goes on but that may just be me maturing and caring a little less passionately about the subject matter. Or it just could be that there is less worthwhile content after all. I leave you the reader/poster to make your own mind up on that one. Toodle pip... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Kunac-Tabinor Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I've nothing at all against on-line magazines in principle but the absolute killer for me is that, if I understand correctly, if I allow my subscription to lapse, I immediately lose access to the back copies, for which I've paid a subscription. I'm not inclined to be lured into such a lock-in. Whereas with hard copies I still have access to the material I've paid for, even if the magazine and I later have a serious falling out. Vert true, whats needed is a downloadable version that still gives you the full interective content. If we can send a man to the moon using nothing more than the computing pwer of your average 2012 singing Cliff Richard birthday card, then Im sure someone ccan devise a file format that allows that. On the other hand - you could think of it this way - with an online magazine format you pay to become a member with access privilidges, rather than to buy a certain number of issues. I mean if you take out a 12 or 24 month subscription to a print mag - you aren't guaranteed that every article will interest you, but you get to keep the crap as well as the bling, and they wont give you a refund for the bits you dont like either. ah well Jonners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry McGrady Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I gave up buying magazines on a regular basis a few years ago . Price wasn't a factor , but rather lack of interest in the content. They tended to get a repetative and become more and more like catalogues . Cheers Terry McGrady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahawk Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 On the other hand - you could think of it this way - with an online magazine format you pay to become a member with access privilidges, rather than to buy a certain number of issues. I mean if you take out a 12 or 24 month subscription to a print mag - you aren't guaranteed that every article will interest you, but you get to keep the crap as well as the bling, and they wont give you a refund for the bits you dont like either. Or I could think of it this way: if I dare stop paying my subscription they traipse round to my house and repossess all the magazines I've already paid for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcdavidson Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 My happy snappy type camera has a macro function but only takes pics at 180DPI, and converting them to 300 DPI in photoshop didn't seem to help. My wifes fancy Canon takes at 300 DPI but we don't have a macro lense for it. So short of forking out £450 for a macro lense (which would then require I get about 18 pages printed to break even) it's just not going to happen. I got a used Nikon coolpix 995 off ebay for $56. Takes 300 dpi, great macro function. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now