December 2022 edition

[GrumpyGnome]

My copy dropped through my letterbox yesterday.  Haven't read it all yet - but a quick flick shows I'll enjoy it.  Apart from 2 things:

 

a) I see the cover price is now £6.35! Not sure if it has been that price before but it's getting expensive.....

b) there seems to be a growing trend for black text on coloured (usually blue) background.  I can see that this means more of an image can be shown, but it makes it very difficult for me to read (before I retired, I had a stint in writing training material for a major bank and we were always hammered if we used dark text on a dark background.....). I'm sure I'm not the only one this affects given our age demographic.

[Max Z]

+1 for b) 😠

[Bob Bertram]

Likewise

[Shaun Walsh]

The black on dark blue at the end of the Cessna article was particularly hard to read easily.

[kevin b]

We must remember that the graphic layout of the magazine is carried out by younger people whose eyesight is much better than ours and probably don't realise the problem (yet).

Hopefully this feedback will be taken up by the powers that be.

The same issue applies to the other magazine that I read, but my worry with that periodical is the huge amount of content that is now being "lifted" from previous issues including spelling mistakes !

[Fun Flyer]

13 minutes ago, kevin b said:

We must remember that the graphic layout of the magazine is carried out by younger people whose eyesight is much better than ours and probably don't realise the problem (yet).

Hopefully this feedback will be taken up by the powers that be.

The same issue applies to the other magazine that I read, but my worry with that periodical is the huge amount of content that is now being "lifted" from previous issues including spelling mistakes !

I also prefer black type on a white background rather than the "Arty" approach.

I think I also read that"other magazine" and agree with the points made.  However I think the Editor is making great efforts to keep it going.  Long may he succeed.

Its had a price increase this month too.

[Geoff S]

I agree about the text printing on coloured backgrounds. You can't beat black text on a white background IMO.

 

As for the price - magazines are getting ever more expensive (what isn't?).  The first proper magazine I regularly bought was the weekly 'Motorcycling' (the green'un as opposed to its rival the blue 'un - ie The Motor Cycle).  Back in the late 1950s it cost 7d and I could just about manage it on my £4.10s/week wage (even though my digs were £3/10s of that!).  Of course there were lots of adverts and no colour which helped keep the price low.  In fact the adverts were part of the reason for buying hobby magazines.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Personally I like the issue, plenty of good reading n it, and a smorgasbord of good pictures.

[Trevor]

Agreed. But I would also echo the plea to drop the ‘black text on dark background’. 
 

Trevor

[Eric Robson]

Prior to having an cataract operation I had to give up reading magazines due to the text on coloured backgrounds, that was 24 years ago and the average age of R/C modellers was much lower than at present so there was very few complaints about it. 

There must be many now finding it difficult to read so I do hope the publishers take note of this thread.

I think they gave me a bionic eye as my sight has been great ever since,

Also in the Woodspring report the Halifax has lost two engines and turned onto a Wellington.

[kc]

As everybody has stated the coloured backgrounds to text are awful!

 

I wish the Editor would choose more one off articles rather than columnists.   Too many articles from too few people eventually bore readers.   When David Boddington was editor of RM, then RCME, AMI,MF, RCSQ etc he seemed to get articles from aeromodellers that were not regular writers but people who had something special to say.  This made the magazine really interesting and never boring.  

[Don Fry]

Mind, for balance, and I admit this thought is fueled by a lovely St Émilion, donated by a neibour, how many one off article writers are still on their perch and not dribbling.

[kevin b]

2 hours ago, kc said:

As everybody has stated the coloured backgrounds to text are awful!

 

I wish the Editor would choose more one off articles rather than columnists.   Too many articles from too few people eventually bore readers.   When David Boddington was editor of RM, then RCME, AMI,MF, RCSQ etc he seemed to get articles from aeromodellers that were not regular writers but people who had something special to say.  This made the magazine really interesting and never boring.  

I think Kevin would be highly delighted to receive articles from modellers.

In fact, I think he mentions it regularly in the magazine.

I don't think DB had it easy getting them !

 

New years resolution for all the forumites.

Send something in to Kevin for publication. Doesn't matter what, A letter, photo, show experience, plan and article, anything.

Just DO IT.

If you will, I will. Promise.

[leccyflyer]

On 16/11/2022 at 07:36, GrumpyGnome said:

My copy dropped through my letterbox yesterday.  Haven't read it all yet - but a quick flick shows I'll enjoy it.  Apart from 2 things:

 

a) I see the cover price is now £6.35! Not sure if it has been that price before but it's getting expensive.....

b) there seems to be a growing trend for black text on coloured (usually blue) background.  I can see that this means more of an image can be shown, but it makes it very difficult for me to read (before I retired, I had a stint in writing training material for a major bank and we were always hammered if we used dark text on a dark background.....). I'm sure I'm not the only one this affects given our age demographic.

I missed this when first posted, but sought out this section having just unsuccessfully tried to read about AeroTowing over breakfast and failing the eye test of not quite black text on a blue grey background on pages 62 and 63.  Your point about the age demographic of the magazine's readership is very valid. I hope that the editor takes note and stops this breach of the most fundamental basics of magazine publishing.

[Martin Dance 1]

It's not considered good practice to put black print in front of a dark background such as dark blue.It reduces readability regardless of your age or visual acuity. White print on black is also not considered good practice either. Black on white is best and cheapest in these straitened times. Why magazines persist in the cost increasing practice of putting print in front of a coloured background puzzles me.

[PatMc]

On 17/11/2022 at 16:43, kc said:

As everybody has stated the coloured backgrounds to text are awful!

 

I wish the Editor would choose more one off articles rather than columnists.   Too many articles from too few people eventually bore readers.   When David Boddington was editor of RM, then RCME, AMI,MF, RCSQ etc he seemed to get articles from aeromodellers that were not regular writers but people who had something special to say.  This made the magazine really interesting and never boring.  

But only one of them has survived. IMO he wasn't really cut out to be an editor. 

[Cuban8]

I'd hate to be responsible for producing a monthly RCM&E. I haven't bought a copy for many years, but when I've thumbed through a copy left in the clubhouse, it seems to me at least, that finding good fresh articles is becoming increasingly difficult. Does one wheel out yet another beginners article or something very specialised on 3D printers? - neither of which I'd enjoy or feel the need to read and to be honest can be  better covered in detail within on-line vids.  All made much worse by the sad demise of several popular and entertaining columnists in the past few years - messrs Whittaker and  Wynch come to mind. Whatever happened to Ian Peacock? active years ago it's true but I used to really love his style of writing that could have you laughing or ready to rip the magazine to pieces.

I suppose there's only so much one can say on such a regular basis about our hobby and its technology without repeating oneself though. I did have a subscription to the mag a few years ago and it was noticeable that a lot of stuff was tending to repeat itself. Difficult to avoid, I do understand, but one can only read about servo geometry, battery charging and how to solder etc so many times.

Not that RCM&E is the only guilty party - I often buy Motorcycle News and they tend to fall into the same trap except that it tends to be checking your chain and tyres, changing brake fluid and other very basic tasks that crop up with dull regularity and are covered in detail anyway on YouTube.

Slightly off topic but I see that BMFA are still flogging the dead horse that is the hard copy of the Association's News Magazine. If you managed to sit through the BMFA AGM coverage this afternoon (you missed it? tut tut!) without falling asleep (thank goodness you can roll back from the live part!), it seems at last that someone has actually realised just how expensive it is and what a huge proportion of BMFA expenditure is blown on it. They do a good job of putting a positive spin on it (the CAA like us to have a hard copy delivered to each member - perhaps they should contribute to its cost then) but to be honest six copies a year that are increasingly padded out with minority and very specialised areas of our hobby has become the norm - no problem, but not issue after issue - and it would have cost £200K has finally dug someone in the ribs. For goodness sake make it on-line only and issue anything that really needs to be communicated to the members urgently (hardly ever) in the form of a mail shot to keep the paper pushers at CAA happy.

Good luck RCM&E - long may you continue in challenging and changing times.

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by Cuban8

[kevin b]

That was heavy C8 !

I do appreciate your comments and concerns. it is good for the forum.

If I may comment on a couple of your gripes.

Unfortunately it is necessary to repeat information of model flying basics so that new readers / enthusiasts can be educated. hopefully in an entertaining way.

However I do object to one other magazine which is now nearly all repeated content (including errors). Some of it less than 4 years old !

The other is your comment about the BMFA News.

As an association they have to provide a journal so that the general membership can be informed as to matters concerning the association.

Currently (as with all others) they are obliged to provide that journal in a printed format. Just sending out a news letter  would probably entail nearly as much cost in overheads as the magazine does. Don't forget that they are now encouraging more advertising in the magazine which reduces the costs and a lot of people consider themselves more involved in the society by receiving  it.

I for one get a lot out of the magazine, but there again I don't spend my life glued to the TV, or YouTube.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I read a book every night and wear glasses to do so, all I see in this months mag is new owners exploring ways to increase sales, no doubt this stuff is researched somewhere ? I found this months very good, not always the case as we all have our own likes and dislikes re articles. Change always brings comment and first impressions do sway people to part with their hard earned, so I suspect other changes may appear in the future. Lastly I don't dislike the layout this month, so not everyone is against it as said. 😉

[Cuban8]

1 hour ago, kevin b said:

That was heavy C8 !

I do appreciate your comments and concerns. it is good for the forum.

If I may comment on a couple of your gripes.

Unfortunately it is necessary to repeat information of model flying basics so that new readers / enthusiasts can be educated. hopefully in an entertaining way.

However I do object to one other magazine which is now nearly all repeated content (including errors). Some of it less than 4 years old !

The other is your comment about the BMFA News.

As an association they have to provide a journal so that the general membership can be informed as to matters concerning the association.

Currently (as with all others) they are obliged to provide that journal in a printed format. Just sending out a news letter  would probably entail nearly as much cost in overheads as the magazine does. Don't forget that they are now encouraging more advertising in the magazine which reduces the costs and a lot of people consider themselves more involved in the society by receiving  it.

I for one get a lot out of the magazine, but there again I don't spend my life glued to the TV, or YouTube.

Interesting.........they are obliged to send out a hard copy to all members? When did that regulation come in? I remember when the BMFA News started in Newspaper style (80s/90s?) and as far as I remember there was nothing at all before that.

No good sending a  regular newsletter  posted out to all members BMFA Magazine lite in style certainly, but very important stuff communicated via email to clubs and then disseminated as it already is. Those not in clubs could easily be reached by email or text messaging. I get important health communications via text and email from my doctors' surgery - if it's good enough for that purpose..............

I think we overstate the interest among members for the BMFA Mag. I rarely hear it discussed over the field (the recent  panic and flap about mobile phones being an exception........that faded away.) I'm sorry if I appear unkind, but Manny's exploits in the full size glider world appear well produced but are of little interest, and lengthy free flight reports from unpronounceable venues in eastern Europe just get a quick peruse of the pictures and captions.

YouTube is a great source of professionally made tutorials on just about every aspect of aeromodelling and building techniques.

Time will tell and things are changing. Evolution rather than revolution.

[GrumpyGnome]

8 hours ago, john stones 1 - Moderator said:

...... all I see in this months mag is new owners exploring ways to increase sales, no doubt this stuff is researched somewhere ? .......... Lastly I don't dislike the layout this month, so not everyone is against it as said. 😉

 

They understand the age demographic - that's why we get flyers for old people insurance, and coffins.  🙂 

 

Possibly, they want to increase sales to younger people so want a fresh vibrant look - "you, young people, do you prefer this layout, or this?"  Has anyone on here, their existing audience, ever been involved in any research?  Younger people are very much in the minority in our hobby (in my experience), and younger people don't tend to buy magazines - they don't want/need to restrict themselves, and just go on-line (my 23 year old son hasn't bought/asked for a magazine since he went online at about 10).  Personally, I think they'd be better off finding out why many of the people on this forum don't actually buy the magazine.  

 

Not sure anyone said everyone is against this months layout - it may well be the silent majority like it.  

 

Getting layout and content right is a tricky task!

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

5 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said:

 

They understand the age demographic - that's why we get flyers for old people insurance, and coffins.  🙂 

 

Possibly, they want to increase sales to younger people so want a fresh vibrant look - "you, young people, do you prefer this layout, or this?"  Has anyone on here, their existing audience, ever been involved in any research?  Younger people are very much in the minority in our hobby (in my experience), and younger people don't tend to buy magazines - they don't want/need to restrict themselves, and just go on-line (my 23 year old son hasn't bought/asked for a magazine since he went online at about 10).  Personally, I think they'd be better off finding out why many of the people on this forum don't actually buy the magazine.  

 

Not sure anyone said everyone is against this months layout - it may well be the silent majority like it.  

 

Getting layout and content right is a tricky task!

 

Yep pretty sure it's stated everybody is against, there in black on white ish background GG.

I would imagine being publishers they know their target audience, I wouldn't presume to second guess them. Having 4 kids myself I'd agree with you selling a magazine today is far harder given the competition they face. That applies to the older audience as well though.

No idea how many forumites buy the mag so can't help with that one, can tell you that members can run polls on this new platform though, David gave that info out I believe.

[Cuban8]

7 hours ago, GrumpyGnome said:

 

They understand the age demographic - that's why we get flyers for old people insurance, and coffins.  🙂 

 

Possibly, they want to increase sales to younger people so want a fresh vibrant look - "you, young people, do you prefer this layout, or this?"  Has anyone on here, their existing audience, ever been involved in any research?  Younger people are very much in the minority in our hobby (in my experience), and younger people don't tend to buy magazines - they don't want/need to restrict themselves, and just go on-line (my 23 year old son hasn't bought/asked for a magazine since he went online at about 10).  Personally, I think they'd be better off finding out why many of the people on this forum don't actually buy the magazine.  

 

Not sure anyone said everyone is against this months layout - it may well be the silent majority like it.  

 

Getting layout and content right is a tricky task!

The impression that I get from my circle of flying friends in two clubs is that only a very small number have a subscription and an equally small number will buy a copy from the supermarket or WHS if the mood takes them. The cover cost does have an effect on whether to buy or not these days.

My guess is that the magazine will reach a tipping point, and even though sales may not collapse totally,as with so many other businesses, production costs will simply make it unviable. I sincerely hope I'm wrong as that would also mean an end to this website as well.

[kevin b]

So in order to preserve the website we must buy the magazine ?

I can't knock that. 

 

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

This is what I love about the model maker/flying hobby. The unbounded optimism yous all have. 😭

We go from "Don't like the colour background to the text".

To "The end is nigh". ☠️

 

Last un out switch light off please. 😉