magazines

[DbyMA]

all magazines over time can get a bit stale.

IMHO: February issues go on sale in December, with content written in October!

Can't justify her indoors spending her hard earned on 4 month old news, when she should be buying more real heli things

[Mart61]

The cover is emblazoned with two contra rotating helis, a pico type heli sitting on a truck, Easyfly sim, and the MSR taking centre stage. Are they really just aiming at the complete beginner?!

I think it's hard to strike a balance with these things. As we know only too well, many newbies are getting into RC helis, and many older people are coming back into the hobby after some years of abstinence.

It's about trying to find the right mix to try to keep everybody happy which, I feel sure, is easier said than done.

But really, as I said before, if you feel that you're a bit of a wordsmith then put pen to paper and give it a go. Write a 1000 words or so on something that you feel may be of interest to others and submit it to the editors of the magazines. Worst case is that they'll reject it and, if so, you can put it up on here and we can all read it anyway.

What have you got to lose?

[acwman]

It's about trying to find the right mix to try to keep everybody happy which, I feel sure, is easier said than done.

Mart...

Agree it is difficult to strike a balance in articles, but personally feel that in the latest issue.. with the test of the Century contra rotating, the revell contra rotating helis, and the pico/Lorry is just too many in a single mag.

But really, as I said before, if you feel that you're a bit of a wordsmith then put pen to paper and give it a go.

I never claimed to be a wordsmith, and I did say that I found the other articles Inside interesting.

[Mart61]

I never claimed to be a wordsmith, and I did say that I found the other articles Inside interesting.

Forgive me Andy - I didn't make clear in my response - that last bit wasn't aimed at you but at any budding writers out there.

[acwman]

Forgive me Andy - I didn't make clear in my response - that last bit wasn't aimed at you but at any budding writers out there.

No probs Mart..
I do have great respect for ppl in this hobby that do take the time to write in to the mags.. weather it be the BMFA mag or the Heli mags.

....My only claim to fame, I recall I had one of my emails posted in issue 3 of Rotorworld

[Mart61]

Issue 3 eh? Blimey! Bet you still got it somewhere too, eh?

[EtheAv8r]

I take R/C RotorWorld, Model Helicopter World and RCM&E. I subscribe to all three as it is cheaper, and easier to ensure I get them. I don’t normally pass stockists in the course of my normal day, so making s special visit to shops to get them adds to costs and wastes my time.

RotorWorld is the poorest of the three, and I seriously debated with myself whether to renew the subscription this month for another year. There is too much focus on cheap toys, most of the articles are too short and lack depth, many are nothing more that advertising text dressed up with big photos, the text is riddled with spelling mistakes and missing words, it is generally not well written and all in all it is pretty amateurish. However as a beginner there are still snippets that I find useful so decided to give them another chance for another year. Some of the technical advice is poor, for example a recent article on blade balancing which even I knew was downright wrong. I emailed to explain why and where it was wrong, and got a reply that there had been lots of emails on this topic. Two months later there were a couple of letters printed on the subject, but what should have happened is a reprint of the article with fully corrected process should have published the following month.

Model Helicopter World is better written and produced, still has a lot of typos, but the articles are generally in more depth and more interesting and useful.

For me there is too much focus (in both magazines) on meetings and competitions and 3D in general and not enough for the general sports flyer.

I prefer the focus to be on practical technical subjects, setup and installation, adjustments and tweaks, hard and honest reviews and evaluations on kits, tools and equipment, plus general articles on people and clubs, flying and operating techniques and learning and having fun.

RCM&E is easily the best magazine of the bunch in just about every way, unfortunately it is 99% fixed wing focused, but it is bigger, better, well written and produced with extensive interesting articles on a wide scope subject matter.

I really wish the product reviews were more hard hitting – virtually every piece of kit you see reviewed or mentioned in the model mags is absolutely wonderful, when in thruth there are a number of flaws. I also take Custom PC (CPC) as I build all my own PCs for family and friends. CPC review kit and really say what they think and discover about a product – and it is not unusual for them to recommend you do not buy! If something is good, they say so, if it is good but expensive, they say so, if it is rubbish, they say so. When you buy stuff recommended by CPC you know it will be good, and also what issues there may be with it (very few things are perfect).

What I would like to see in the Helicopter mags is kit a review each month that focuses on comparative performance of particular items, e.g. one month gyros, another month collective servos, another month tail servos, ESCs, BECs, Regulators, blades, chargers, motors, PSUs, engines, silencers/pipes, tools, etc etc.

[acwman]

Issue 3 eh? Blimey! Bet you still got it somewhere too, eh?

..My claim to fame! Of course I still got it

[Si_B]

Well, I gave it a go in RCM&E with the Flasher 450 and really enjoyed the experience of writing reviews.

Must admit, I have a few copies tucked away just in case anyone asks.

Cheers,

Simon

[ChrisB]

Used to buy RW and MHW but not bought either for a couple of years as i normally find anything of interest online long before or even if it appears in a magazine.

[barryorbik]

When first starting out on RC helicopters, I thought I may have made a big mistake by going out and buying an affordable 400 sized CP heli before buying a magazine to read about how wonderful it was. In reality I have now amassed a small but thoroughly well read collection of old issue, MHW and RW's, picked up at a local swap meet and which are referred to on odd occasions when considering second hand purchases. I find the lads at the club give far more realistic appraisals of heli's and parts etc, as they generally have no axe to grind or sponsorship and advertising space to loose - but they still take the michael out of my King 2's especially when they crash spectacularly due to component failures!

Have fun

Barry

[EtheAv8r]

........I find the lads at the club give far more realistic appraisals of heli's and parts etc, as they generally have no axe to grind or sponsorship and advertising space to loose ........

Barry

Exactly but it should not have to be like this...
Magazine product reviews should not need to be positive so as not to upset advertisers and sponsors. They should skilfully and thoroughly review and report findings honestly and truthfully without withholding negative findings. Their duty of care is to their buying public, not advertisers and manufacturers.

Everybody know that when they read a Custom PC Lab Test, or individual product review, that they get truthful honest findings on which to base their buying positions. I have seen reviews slamming a product in CPC with the product advert alongside or on a following page. They are not necessarily afraid to upset advertisers and manufacturers, and therefore everybody knows this and trusts their integrity and findings. Vendors fix their products as a result, and have even been known to withdraw a product as a result of a CPC review.

The same would be true for our helicopter products – honest and truthful detailed reviews of product would help manufacturers build a better product. If the mechanics are well designed and engineered that would be good to be reported, however if they bind and cause problems, then this should be reported – and hopefully the results will better for all. If an ESC gets hot and is unable to perform at it’s quoted capability (like a lot of cheap PC PSUs – and some not so cheap ones) then proper testing and reviews would ensure that we get to avoid them, and the good ones prosper. The magazine that delivers this is the one we would all buy.

QED the manufacturers, distributors and vendors would have to have to advertise in it and get their products reviewed in it to best reach it’s target audience.