Dave Fleming Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Why not a double cover version ? means it can be displayed as both?Paul Oh that wuld really screw up WH Smiths - they'd probably put it in the SciFi section! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary C Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Well, I for one can't wait for the new Airfix Mag. Why, if they have done their homework over the past year or so, trawled the comments on the forums, read and re-read the mags that are out then they should, in my humble opinion, eclispe anything on offer today. They should be able to clean-up, totally each month. I'd have thought that if they have any common sense at all, they'll ignore everything written on the forums. Look at the evidence....if we take the advice of the more 'vocal' members then the three best magazines are -Old style SAM, now extensively reworked to reverse what was a plummeting circulation. -MAM, it sold so well it's now a reference mag. -MAW, canned because? Well if it was setting sales records it would still be going, no? Now don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed all of the above to some degree or another, but times have changed and the hobby has moved on. Trying to ape SAM of the 80'-90's would seem to be a recipe for disaster. The internet, in particular, has changed the way people see things and what they expect. The heavy, dry, dense-text style mags of old might be packed with info and reference but the same is available online for free and much easier to find than sorting through a stack of old mags. What modern mags are doing is to try and provide build articles similar instyle to online WIPs. That means lots of pics and minimal text just as you'd find in the WIP threads on this very forum. It's visual inspiration and it's the same reason markings profiles are so popular, so popular in fact that that you can go and buy books filled with nothing at all but profiles, such as the the Histoire & Collections and Aviation Workshop books. Thanks to the internet the hobby is more about visual impact and graphics than ever before. Add in builds of the latest kits and chuck in some reviews and the end result is a very popular mag. You won't learn a great deal from it but there's nothing like it to make you want to go and build something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcooljules Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 i stopped getting SAM cos if was full of nothing but adverts etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avro683 Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 My copy of the last MAW arrived this morning, all I can say is what a way to go. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 That means lots of pics and minimal text just as you'd find in the WIP threads on this very forum I don't really (said hesitantly) have an issue with that but my gripe here, is that when those very images are approximately 1½ inch by 1 inch, the detail is so small that even the Hubble telescope would have difficulty in picking up the detail. If the magazines' are going to go down the pictorial route then at least make the smallest picture size, 1/8th of a page or preferably 1/6th! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 (edited) Hi Tony!The split is 50/50. We decided that up to the centre pages it would be armour and after the centre pages, aircraft - the regulars being split between the two sections. I hope that this reassures you! Spence Hi Spence, Thanks for taking time to respond, I will be giving the new magazine the once over but as armour and figure modelling have never been of much interest, I wouldn't want to commit to a subscription of a magazine that predominantly catered for this area of the hobby. Mind you, dioramas, that's is something I thinking about for the future, so some How To's maybe of serious interest... Edited October 2, 2010 by Tony C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigsty Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Pigsty,If you subscribe to both already, they say they will add the two together. I presume (?) that means if you have 5 months left on one and 10 months left on the other, you won't receive a renewal notice for 15 months ? No mention of a shelf price or subscription price rise (or reduction), thus.... My letter says that my MIS subscription will continue as the revised title, and the unspent sub on MAW will be refunded. This may be because I pay quarterly by direct debit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Well I've been abroad for the last couple of weeks so when Dean told me about the situation a couple of days ago I was a bit taken aback but not entirely surprised...... Spence, can you contact me when you have a minute.......... All the best mate, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidelvy Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Thanks to the internet the hobby is more about visual impact and graphics than ever before. Add in builds of the latest kits and chuck in some reviews and the end result is a very popular mag. You won't learn a great deal from it but there's nothing like it to make you want to go and build something. A fair point and certainly MAI has inspired me to build a kit on the basis of one of its picture heavy articles. However, I think the law of diminishing returns applies. Initially the lightweight articles do inspire, but as time goes on and knowledge develops this approach becomes less and less satisfying. Very sonn you realise you are reading more or less the same thing over and over again. The reason I liked MAM was because it looked at the subject in depth, pointed to a lot of alternatives to build and gave long descriptions of how models were built. Not very exciting on a first pass, but ultimately more satisfying for me. Unfortunately the publishers decided this format was not going to remain successful and changed it into what appears to be a fairly dull aviation title, fighting for position in an already crowded marketplace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Bunker Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Well I have enjoyed the 11 issues of MAW I have read (still waiting for the final one to hit my WHS) and I will miss it. But money is tight, and I cannot afford to buy a magazine where I am only interested in half its content, so hail and farewell Spence, it was good whilst it lasted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Biggest problem with most magazines now is their unwillingness to point out flaws in review subjects. The whole point of a review is to advise on what is in box, flaws and all. It is then up to the individual whether they purchase said product or not. Simply giving every kit a glowing review is pointless. Also kit build articles which do the same. I've no problem with a builder saying that he knows something is wrong with a kit (and telling us what) and then saying he was happy to do nothing about it, but simply pretending that problems don't exist simply defeats the purpose. It's because of this I find myself buying less and less magazines and relying on internet more. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Biggest problem with most magazines now is their unwillingness to point out flaws in review subjects. The whole point of a review is to advise on what is in box, flaws and all. It is then up to the individual whether they purchase said product or not. Simply giving every kit a glowing review is pointless. Also kit build articles which do the same. I've no problem with a builder saying that he knows something is wrong with a kit (and telling us what) and then saying he was happy to do nothing about it, but simply pretending that problems don't exist simply defeats the purpose. It's because of this I find myself buying less and less magazines and relying on internet more. Two things influence this I think - one, there is a body of opinion who don't want to konw, and take a negative reaction to anything 'negative' as being nit picking and rivet counting; publishers don't want to alienate potential purchasers. Equally, they also don't want to alienate potential advertisers in what is becoming quite a crowded market place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 hi guys ive stopped buying some of the mags mainly becasue when you see a article on a buildits all about the painting. you could have a three page build and the actual construction is only one paragraph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 hi guys ive stopped buying some of the mags mainly becasue when you see a article on a buildits all about the painting. you could have a three page build and the actual construction is only one paragraph. Yeah agree, that too. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Two things influence this I think - one, there is a body of opinion who don't want to konw, and take a negative reaction to anything 'negative' as being nit picking and rivet counting; publishers don't want to alienate potential purchasers.Equally, they also don't want to alienate potential advertisers in what is becoming quite a crowded market place. Yes but doesn't that totally undermine the point of a review. It's like going to the cinema, a concert or a play that is actually rubbish and then saying it's really good because you got free tickets! As for your first point I have to say just don't understand those who go on about "nit picking", "negative" etc. Just give people the facts, warts and all and they can then make an informed decision. I like to know what's wrong with a kit. Whether I correct it or not is another matter, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but it's good to have all the info at hand. Is it all part of our dumbed down society that we can only give positives and praise and ignore the faults? My tuppence worth, Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcooljules Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Two things influence this I think - one, there is a body of opinion who don't want to konw, and take a negative reaction to anything 'negative' as being nit picking and rivet counting; publishers don't want to alienate potential purchasers.Equally, they also don't want to alienate potential advertisers in what is becoming quite a crowded market place. but if a kit is crap or poor....and i just dont mean average or a bit of work, then they should say that..... i dont mind doing some work or little things but if i find a crap kit, when they said it was good etc or didnt mention the problems in the review then thats fraud to me Yes but doesn't that totally undermine the point of a review. It's like going to the cinema, a concert or a play that is actually rubbish and then saying it's really good because you got free tickets!As for your first point I have to say just don't understand those who go on about "nit picking", "negative" etc. Just give people the facts, warts and all and they can then make an informed decision. I like to know what's wrong with a kit. Whether I correct it or not is another matter, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but it's good to have all the info at hand. Is it all part of our dumbed down society that we can only give positives and praise and ignore the faults? My tuppence worth, Andy exactly..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenshb Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 (edited) I wonder if the publishers think that the people who want to know the warts and all of a new kit release are the minority here? Personally, I'd like to see positives and negatives about new kit releases pointed out - especially if they grant two whole pages to the article. In that case, I do expect the reviewer to check some references, whereas I'm willing to cut the "half a page review" more slack. Case in point being the new Airfix Sea Harrier kits - glowing remarks all around, but then Mr.Harrier SIG gets a couple of pages to describe how to correct the Airfix kit. Aren't the reviewers then undermining their own credibility, and that of their magazine? A friend and I had a look at Airfix' new 1:72 Hurricane kit a few weeks ago. We thought the panel lines looked rather disapppointing for a 21st Century release, and compared them to the Matchbox Halifax. Yes, you read that right - the Matchbox Halifax. Maybe not the worst example of Matchbox trenchdigging, but certainly not state of the art when released either. It turned out that the Hurricane's panel lines were wider, shallower and softer than those on the tailfin of the Halifax! Was that mentioned in the two-page article in MAW? Not as far as I could see - the builder was obviously happy to build all three variants of the kit as if there were no other Hurricane kits on the market. If magazines try to be as all-embraing and uncritical as the internet, then they will die. For me to hand over £4 or thereabouts for a magazine, I want to learn something - or be inspired - from reading it (or preferably both). But, then again, I and people like me may be a minority? I really hope Airfix Model World does not fall into the same trap and allow only glowing remarks about anything that Airfix make, because if they do, then I think they won't be around for long. Jens Edited October 7, 2010 by jenshb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 It's like going to the cinema, a concert or a play that is actually rubbish and then saying it's really good because you got free tickets! Ahhh.... yes, exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Can we get back on topic please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 It turned out that the Hurricane's panel lines were wider, shallower and softer than those on the tailfin of the Halifax! Was that mentioned in the two-page article in MAW? Not as far as I could see - the builder was obviously happy to build all three variants (probably free) of the kit as if there were no other Hurricane kits on the market.Jens I don't really want to get involved in this as it is a bit after the fact, but it perhaps should be pointed out that the reviewer in question actually bought all three of the hurricanes that he built for MAW and loved the process of building and painting them - and was delighted with the results. I think that his is why he was so positive in his appraisal of them. The feature was not created as a review as such, but more a thumbnail description of how the kits built up and then how they looked once complete. It was never meant to be any more detailed than that, hence the fact that we featured three completed models on two pages... Just thought I'd clear that up. Spence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Millman Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 I don't really want to get involved in this as it is a bit after the fact, but it perhaps should be pointed out that the reviewer in question actually bought all three of the hurricanes that he built for MAW and loved the process of building and painting them - and was delighted with the results. I think that his is why he was so positive in his appraisal of them. The feature was not created as a review as such, but more a thumbnail description of how the kits built up and then how they looked once complete. It was never meant to be any more detailed than that, hence the fact that we featured three completed models on two pages...Just thought I'd clear that up. Spence I think there is often an assumption that "reviews" are always the result of receiving free sample kits and products. The rather nasty editorial of a rival magazine had a go at this in respect of internet sites which seemed a tad hypocritical to say the least. One of the things I really enjoyed about MAW were the features on old kits/kit nostalgia and getting the best out of them. Are those likely to continue in the consolidated mag? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 hi guys prehaps its time to include a questionnare in the mag asking the readers what they want out of the mag? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenshb Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 (edited) I don't really want to get involved in this as it is a bit after the fact, but it perhaps should be pointed out that the reviewer in question actually bought all three of the hurricanes that he built for MAW and loved the process of building and painting them - and was delighted with the results. I think that his is why he was so positive in his appraisal of them. The feature was not created as a review as such, but more a thumbnail description of how the kits built up and then how they looked once complete. It was never meant to be any more detailed than that, hence the fact that we featured three completed models on two pages...Just thought I'd clear that up. Spence Fair enough Spence, I've removed the comment about free kits. But if the builder was so happy to build these kits, why not just say "geewizz! I'm so stoked about these kits I'm gonna build a lot more!" and leave it like that? If you acutally build three of the same kit rather than just painting a die cast model, surely the modeller should be in a position to comment on the kit itself? If so, wouldn't it be fair to point out some of the good and not so good aspects of a kit? Or was it simply two pages of free advertising for Airfix? I did buy the magazine (as I have with most issues of MAW BTW), but it certainly wasn't for the Hurricane article. Jens Edited October 7, 2010 by jenshb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spence Posted October 7, 2010 Author Share Posted October 7, 2010 One of the things I really enjoyed about MAW were the features on old kits/kit nostalgia and getting the best out of them. Are those likely to continue in the consolidated mag? Absolutely - all of those features that modellers enjoyed so much from MAW will be transferred over to MIS... Spence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Millman Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Absolutely - all of those features that modellers enjoyed so much from MAW will be transferred over to MIS...Spence Thanks Spence. I think it is commendable the way you respond personally to the posts about the magazine here, good or bad. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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