Internet killed old style model magazines?
09-07-2013, 06:14 PM
#26
The mags today all have the same ads one month to the next. Maybe one build article that drags on for several months. And LOTS
of Foamie reviews that make them sound like they are the perfect airplane that no one should be without. I remember when RCM would have reviews from people like Chuck Cunningham that you could trust. Building articles and tips.
I still read Clarence Lee's articles. That the first thing I read in MAN. Other than that, they just aren't worth the subscription price.
Frank
of Foamie reviews that make them sound like they are the perfect airplane that no one should be without. I remember when RCM would have reviews from people like Chuck Cunningham that you could trust. Building articles and tips.
I still read Clarence Lee's articles. That the first thing I read in MAN. Other than that, they just aren't worth the subscription price.
Frank
09-18-2013, 09:04 AM
#28
I would from time to time trade emails with a contributor to Flying Models. His were always build articles and the plans were either free or available for purchase through the magazine. He told me once "You know how in a lot of articles the designer builds the prototype and it flies perfect on the maiden fight? Well it never happened to me! He would usually include a mention of the modifications he made to the published version from the original prototype.
09-19-2013, 08:14 AM
#33
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Jim...
09-19-2013, 09:45 AM
#34
Banned
". You can review any product that you what to review"
Yes, you can, but, the majority of reviews are done on product supplied to the reviewer at no cost to him. Therefore, my comment.
Les
Yes, you can, but, the majority of reviews are done on product supplied to the reviewer at no cost to him. Therefore, my comment.
Les
10-20-2013, 05:17 PM
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Actually, guys, I think the relationship between a positive product review and continued advertising dollars was the same for the old-time magazines as it is now. Both then and now, call a product a pile of junk and you can kiss off any future advertising dollars from that supplier. Of course, for those magazines who value their advertisers more than their readers, they'll eventually suffer an irreversible credibility problem as some have already pointed out.
So, how best to explain to the OP why the old-time magazines seemed so much better than today's? Let's see...
1. There was no internet back then so the only place to hear about the latest models, engines, or radios was through the monthly magazines. Therefore, we looked forward to them each month. Today, the magazines come but we've already gotten the news from the internet. Since we don't look forward to today's magazine's arrivals as much as we used to, that makes us think that the old magazines were better.
2. The old-time magazines contained plans and detailed step-by-step instructions. That was interesting reading. Today's articles, as others have pointed out, are mostly ARF or RTF reviews (or probably closer to the truth: 4-page advertisements) with predictable outcomes. Hardly edge-of-your-seat reading.
3. The old-time magazines covered R/C when it was in its infancy and still evolving. Those magazines had a lot more exciting advancements and improvements to report each month than the current magazines have. While that's not necessarily the fault of the new magazines, in retrospect it still makes the old magazines seem like they were better.
4. As has been pointed out by others, aviation was more exciting in the 1960s and '70s than it is now and we gobbled up every word we could get our hands on back then. Today, full scale and model aviation are commonplace and don't elicit the excitement they once did. Again, that's not the fault of the new magazines; it's a matter of timing (i.e. its era of existence). Point still goes to the older mags.
5. Back in the early days, if you wanted to fly a model airplane, you HAD to build it yourself, whether you enjoyed building or not. Therefore, the construction articles in the old-time magazines served as tutorials for developing the necessary building skills. Again, interesting reading. Today's ARF and RTF reviews appeal to those who are into ARFs and RTFs and offer little of value to the builders in the hobby. Therefore, the old-time magazines had wide appeal whereas today's magazines appeal mostly (perhaps only) to the ARF/RTF crowd.
6. This is just a theory of mine but may have a degree of truth to it: The old-time magazines were mostly black and white and resembled the newspapers of the day; something we trusted back then. Today's magazines are glossy and colorful and look like slick advertising brochures. I don't know about everybody else's psychology but I generally don't trust advertising anymore and as a result, tend to disregard anything that looks glossy and slick.
7. The old-time magazines existed at a time when we only had 4 or 5 channels on the television set and only a few radio stations to choose from. Also, our afterschool hours weren't filled with all of the activities that compete for a kid's time and attention these days. Therefore, the old-time magazines got more of our attention. What kid has any time to thoroughly read a magazine these days? Again, that's not necessarily the fault of the new magazines.
8. Speaking of TVs, we spend waaaaaayyyy more time in front of the tube (and computer screen) these days and get a good amount of our modeling info that way so we don't get as much out of modeling magazines as we used to. Therefore, us greybeards tend to give more credit to the old-time magazines for teaching us about modeling than today's kids would credit their mags. Again, that's more due to the era than being the fault of the new magazines.
9. It is true that the new magazines contain LOTS of advertisements when compared to the old-time magazines but to be fair, a lot of that has to do with there being fewer hobby products on the market by fewer businesses back then compared to now. Magazines, then and now, are businesses and there's a good chance that if the same advertising volume was available back then, the old-time magazines would probably have contained more ads.
10. And those ads! We look back through the old magazines and see ads with absurdly low prices such as a brand new Cox .049 for $3.95! Or get an R/C model kit for $12.95! An R/C rig for $29.95! The first thought that goes through our heads is that we wish the prices were still this low. The last thought that goes through our heads is the reality that even if we had a "good" job back then, we probably made less than $150 per week. Darn!
In closing, the old-time magazines existed at a time when the hobby was young and exciting and didn't have cable television or internet forums to compete against. Today's magazines exist at a time when model airplanes are ho-hum to the average kid who has a LOT more hobby and recreational options competing for his or her attention and money.
These are just my thoughts and according to my wife, I am often wrong. Nonetheless, I think there may be a bit of truth in them.
Harvey
So, how best to explain to the OP why the old-time magazines seemed so much better than today's? Let's see...
1. There was no internet back then so the only place to hear about the latest models, engines, or radios was through the monthly magazines. Therefore, we looked forward to them each month. Today, the magazines come but we've already gotten the news from the internet. Since we don't look forward to today's magazine's arrivals as much as we used to, that makes us think that the old magazines were better.
2. The old-time magazines contained plans and detailed step-by-step instructions. That was interesting reading. Today's articles, as others have pointed out, are mostly ARF or RTF reviews (or probably closer to the truth: 4-page advertisements) with predictable outcomes. Hardly edge-of-your-seat reading.
3. The old-time magazines covered R/C when it was in its infancy and still evolving. Those magazines had a lot more exciting advancements and improvements to report each month than the current magazines have. While that's not necessarily the fault of the new magazines, in retrospect it still makes the old magazines seem like they were better.
4. As has been pointed out by others, aviation was more exciting in the 1960s and '70s than it is now and we gobbled up every word we could get our hands on back then. Today, full scale and model aviation are commonplace and don't elicit the excitement they once did. Again, that's not the fault of the new magazines; it's a matter of timing (i.e. its era of existence). Point still goes to the older mags.
5. Back in the early days, if you wanted to fly a model airplane, you HAD to build it yourself, whether you enjoyed building or not. Therefore, the construction articles in the old-time magazines served as tutorials for developing the necessary building skills. Again, interesting reading. Today's ARF and RTF reviews appeal to those who are into ARFs and RTFs and offer little of value to the builders in the hobby. Therefore, the old-time magazines had wide appeal whereas today's magazines appeal mostly (perhaps only) to the ARF/RTF crowd.
6. This is just a theory of mine but may have a degree of truth to it: The old-time magazines were mostly black and white and resembled the newspapers of the day; something we trusted back then. Today's magazines are glossy and colorful and look like slick advertising brochures. I don't know about everybody else's psychology but I generally don't trust advertising anymore and as a result, tend to disregard anything that looks glossy and slick.
7. The old-time magazines existed at a time when we only had 4 or 5 channels on the television set and only a few radio stations to choose from. Also, our afterschool hours weren't filled with all of the activities that compete for a kid's time and attention these days. Therefore, the old-time magazines got more of our attention. What kid has any time to thoroughly read a magazine these days? Again, that's not necessarily the fault of the new magazines.
8. Speaking of TVs, we spend waaaaaayyyy more time in front of the tube (and computer screen) these days and get a good amount of our modeling info that way so we don't get as much out of modeling magazines as we used to. Therefore, us greybeards tend to give more credit to the old-time magazines for teaching us about modeling than today's kids would credit their mags. Again, that's more due to the era than being the fault of the new magazines.
9. It is true that the new magazines contain LOTS of advertisements when compared to the old-time magazines but to be fair, a lot of that has to do with there being fewer hobby products on the market by fewer businesses back then compared to now. Magazines, then and now, are businesses and there's a good chance that if the same advertising volume was available back then, the old-time magazines would probably have contained more ads.
10. And those ads! We look back through the old magazines and see ads with absurdly low prices such as a brand new Cox .049 for $3.95! Or get an R/C model kit for $12.95! An R/C rig for $29.95! The first thought that goes through our heads is that we wish the prices were still this low. The last thought that goes through our heads is the reality that even if we had a "good" job back then, we probably made less than $150 per week. Darn!
In closing, the old-time magazines existed at a time when the hobby was young and exciting and didn't have cable television or internet forums to compete against. Today's magazines exist at a time when model airplanes are ho-hum to the average kid who has a LOT more hobby and recreational options competing for his or her attention and money.
These are just my thoughts and according to my wife, I am often wrong. Nonetheless, I think there may be a bit of truth in them.
Harvey
Last edited by H5487; 10-21-2013 at 07:34 AM. Reason: Added #10
10-21-2013, 06:03 AM
#36
There you go Harvey bringing sound logic and fact into the equation and spoiling all the fun us old dinosaurs were having complaining! 
Truthfully it's a great post and spot on! Reading it I couldn't help but agree. We have come a long way both in aviation and in the hobby since I started in C/L and then switched to R/C. We have stuff we couldn't dream of back then but it doesn't stop us from looking on those earlier days through rose colored glasses.
Truthfully it's a great post and spot on! Reading it I couldn't help but agree. We have come a long way both in aviation and in the hobby since I started in C/L and then switched to R/C. We have stuff we couldn't dream of back then but it doesn't stop us from looking on those earlier days through rose colored glasses.
10-21-2013, 12:33 PM
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I think pdxevergreen is advertising spam. That was "his" first post on RCU and the included link takes you to a magazine sales site.
Harvey
Harvey
Last edited by H5487; 10-21-2013 at 12:37 PM.
10-21-2013, 07:33 PM
#44
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RC Modeler was my magazine of choice for many years. Usually read every issue cover to cover. Plans for some of the most recognizable models ever published were in their pages, such as the Lazy Ace, Tequila, North Star, Spacewalker and so many others. I do miss it, none of the current ones even come close.
Last edited by Tarasdad; 10-21-2013 at 07:41 PM.
10-21-2013, 08:14 PM
#45
RCM is certainly a goner, but Model Airplane News is as good as ever. The November and December issues are probably better than they were back in the 80s and 90s for hints and kinks on how to do things. Look at the names of the authors and you can see the expertise they have writing for them. I get mine delivered here and I always look forward to a full evening's reading when I see that international packet in the mail box.
10-22-2013, 03:10 AM
#46
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I am finally parting with my RC magazine collection.
I have complete years going back to the late 70's of RCM & MAN, and complete years of RC Report and Model Builder from the 80's up.
You can't even give this stuff away. No one wants to buy them, the shipping is almost more than the mag is worth. They are all in magazine boxes, each box 1 year of that particular magazine. I have room in my garbage for about 6 boxes a week.
We started a basement remodel, and I finally decided that I was going to part with the magazines. I hadn't even looked at any of them for about two years. Most anything that I would want to find in one of these old magazines, can also be found on the internet in one form or another.
It is hard to believe that this once valuable and coveted collection is just a garbage can filler now.
I haven't purchased a model magazine since RC Review went out of business. I have looked through a few issues of the new magazines left out at the flying field, but certainly wasn't impressed enough to go out and purchase a copy.
This is just another sign of the times. Nothing stays the same, even if it was good.
Greg
I have complete years going back to the late 70's of RCM & MAN, and complete years of RC Report and Model Builder from the 80's up.
You can't even give this stuff away. No one wants to buy them, the shipping is almost more than the mag is worth. They are all in magazine boxes, each box 1 year of that particular magazine. I have room in my garbage for about 6 boxes a week.
We started a basement remodel, and I finally decided that I was going to part with the magazines. I hadn't even looked at any of them for about two years. Most anything that I would want to find in one of these old magazines, can also be found on the internet in one form or another.
It is hard to believe that this once valuable and coveted collection is just a garbage can filler now.
I haven't purchased a model magazine since RC Review went out of business. I have looked through a few issues of the new magazines left out at the flying field, but certainly wasn't impressed enough to go out and purchase a copy.
This is just another sign of the times. Nothing stays the same, even if it was good.
Greg
Last edited by OldRookie; 10-22-2013 at 03:15 AM.
10-22-2013, 03:18 AM
#47
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Instead of tossing them in the trash, why don't you donate them to your local VA hospital? I did that with about 20 years of AOPA and Flying magazines and was told that the patients gobbled them up.
Harvey
Harvey
10-22-2013, 03:22 AM
#48
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I checked the local libraries, and scout groups, and not one bit of interest from any of them.
I didn't think to check anywhere else, but this collection is destined to the big blue can with wheels.
Greg
I didn't think to check anywhere else, but this collection is destined to the big blue can with wheels.
Greg
10-22-2013, 04:23 AM
#50
Ah the good old days. When everyone walked, rode horses or bicycles. Milk was deliverd by a milkman and ice was delivered for your icebox And they main source of reading were the Farmers Almanac and the Montgomery Wards catalog. Wasn't it wonderful then?