Has anyone noticed that the Small Talk column is not in this month's issue of Flying Models? There is a new column, however, called Vintage Views (I think that's right). Does anyone know the scoop here? I am surprised that no one has mentioned this online yet.

Brian

Brian,

The vintage column caught my eye too. But I was distracted by the mini review of Bob's Mambo. I have to say I was disappointed in the column. . . . I just deleted my initial reaction to your post. I decided that I should adopt a "wait and see" attitude.

Don't Worry too much ... The Small talk will be back next month. I know who is going to do it but can't tell.

So what you are saying is that it will not be by Larry Marshall anymore. Would you say that a little BIRD told you who it will be?

To be perfectly honest, I didn't even notice that it wasn't there until I had already read three or four articles. That is because I don't read it anymore. I read it religiously when Randy Randolph wrote it but that was when it was still about 1/2A-and-slightly-above models; not electrics or FF. With all due respect to Mr Marshall, he apparently has little knowledge of or involvement in glow powered models. I read articles about free flight and electrics. So I wouldn't mind so much if there weren't already columns about them but there is already plenty of that.

Can't wait to see who the new author will be and I look forward to the resurrection of Small Talk.

Brian

Well, still have not got my mag yet. Seems I am the only one who get their mag 2 weeks later than others!!!

Bob Harris

Not Telling...
Frank told me to tell you all that you will have to buy the mag to find out and if any one wants to send him any any thing to do with 1/2A glow stuff he would love to have it as he does not want to see the use of Nitro to be competely forgotten.

Magazine coverage of our niche hobby is nice to have, but I understand if it isn't carrying its' weight at FM magazine, that it isn't gonna be there. RCU has replaced my need to buy model mags anymore. If I see a review by AJC that catches my eye, I'll pick up that mag, but otherwise a magazine is just something else that eventually needs to be carted off to the dump.

Ooh, ooh, I have a guess as to who it is. I'll wait 'till the next issue comes out though, so I can say "I knew it would be ______". Will it be in the April issue?

My guess is AJ is back at the keyboard...Rog

skaliwag,

I had emailed Frank a while back and sent him a couple pictures of my SnagglePuss Mk2 plane asking if there was any interest in an article. I never heard back from him[]

LAter,
Tim

Send it again... Mark it URGENT... An editor's desk can get cluttered at times... Bit like mine.

Frank's a busy guy I suppose and is somewhat inconsistent responding to emails.

Take some nicely composed pics and get some big glossy prints made. Describe your project's history and why you chose it, using your best spelling and grammar in a clear, easy to read fashion. A decent plan, even if not completed, will help a lot. What you're trying to do is convince him you can and will expend the effort required to be a magazine contributor.

Hi resolution digital pics, a CAD file (.dxf) and an article in standard word processing format, all on CD are fine for the finished article but I think pretty pictures, clean text and a simple plan on nice, white paper coming out of an envelope grabs an editor's attention for a first-time effort. If you do good, non-run-of-the-mill work, I betcha he'll use everything you send him.

And yes, he wants glow stuff....so far. Good luck and go for it dude!

Look at it like this though, you can use bad photographs, louzzy speeling and grammer and still get your article "published" here.

Guys and Gals, (I think there are some ladies who lurk here just to be "near" me - heavy sigh),

I am a magazine junky. I've subscribed to every English-language magazine that I know of at one time or another - still keep two from Great Britain onboard. I think I get eight now. Anyway, FM is always among the best each month. The reason IMHO is that they have balanced coverage instead of all electric and/or ARF. Yes, I know that's what sells and thanks for holding the line. Gimme some FF and CL. Gimme some rubber, Jetex/Rapier, CO2, 1/2A, and "arm". Gimme different, "strange" even (No smart remarks please).

Yes, I want FM to continue what its doing. Throw in something different now and then is fine - excellent maybe. But I wonder if we really do "rate" a regular column - any more than Vintage does. Afterall, like CP says, how much newsworthy or innovative stuff is out there for these "established' and not necessarily dynamic disciplines - as compared to you-know-what?

Don't flame me guys. I'm old and fragile and I know you wouldn't want to trigger an unfortunate 'event'. I was just trying to tell youse-all why I like FM, really like FM - but maybe keep our expectations reasonable.

You're right, with so many other aspects of the hobby growing so quickly, there's not much new on the horizon for 1/2A.

Ray, those old mags were just great. So full of innovative material. Back then there was new ground getting broken all the time. Today, the exciting stuff that's being done with small planes is 99% electric. Amazing to see a plane dive for the floor, stop, then go into reverse. Micro helicopters that you can land on your Dads' head while he's taking a nap, amazing stuff. How much more can be said about small glow stuff? Some kind of major IC technology would have to come about that can beat the electrics at their own game. This hobby goes in cycles, control line was almost dead 20 years ago, then it made a small comeback. I think 1/2A competition will keep things going as long as C/L combat and free flight are still popular. Too bad 1/2A RC combat never caught on, that's one I'll never understand.

CP, "thanks" for placing the image of a helicopter landing on an old napping person's head (!?) Well,you're right about 1/A R/C combat anyway.

Bipe...I disagree. There IS new stuff in 1/2 A. I recently found a couple stab photos from Dickeybird which showed how he designed and built the stabs for two projects. Labor intensive? YES!! Beautiful? YES again. I need these construction techniques to keep my interest...and spur by work to a higher level. Is it magazine quality? YES !! But isn't this thread a 'type of magazine', even if the subject is everchanging? Did RCU and other threads put some mags out of business? Maybe. What happened to 'Smallnet" and the weekly printings we used to recieve? I believe they are RIGHT HERE...on these threads. But nothing new in 1/2 A.... debate required!

Would the DX6 radio still be considered 'new'? While it's not specifically 1/2A, it definitely applies to it.

Thanks for noticing Yuu! My love (obsession/mania) of intricate structures comes from many years of ogling the works of the masters, past & present, in the model mags. It's getting harder & harder to find the articles and plans in print now that elegant structures are available instantly at the hobby shop. Just plop down your plastic card and get a light, beautiful 3D ARF without any of the thought processes or the pain. Sad, huh.[]

It remains to be seen IF the DX6 IS for 1/2A or just electric park flyers like the manufacturer claims. They don't even state WHAT the range is........[&:] I picked one up last week and will try it out in a racer.

We're the WRONG guys here to debate whether or not 1/2A glow is interesting enough to get column inches in a monthly magazine. The guys who make their livings selling ad space and producing a product that sells [instead of getting returned from the news stands] are the ones to take up the argument with. Look what happened to RCM, they became uninteresting to enough readers who switched to RC FLYER that they had to close the doors. Do a little bit of market research and look at the 1/2A engine suppliers who have now moved on to doing stuff that pays the bills. The next area to suffer will be the availability of all the other stuff, like tanks, engine mounts and props. Places like RCU is where the interest will be kept alive.

OK, but it relative terms there is very little new 1/2A stuff compared to other disciplines. What Dickeybird does is more of a lost art and while he has a passion for 1/2A, his building techniques can be applied to any type of model. So, you're right in the sense that we need people like him to pass on his skills and techniques to others, but increasingly that wisdom is falling on the deaf ears of today's ARF flyers. Milton's skill and passion for building is something that is inspirational for the rest of us who enjoy scratch building and we owe a debt of gratitude to him and others like him who are still willing to put in the time and effort to pass on their knowledge. The fact remains that there is not enough new in 1/2A coming from the manufacturers to attract new people and not enough demand for them to want to create new 1/2A products. It's the chicken and the egg, and unfortunately there aren't many spring chickens interested in 1/2A. <--- (Ow, that was brutal.[:@])

Hey, I resemble that remark!

I guess it was a pretty foul metaphor.[:'(] By spring chickens, I meant experience wise.

Speaking of the chicken and the egg...

Which came first, the demand for electric models due to noise restrictions or the noise restrictions themselves?

Which came first, the marketing of more electric models or the desire for more electric model marketing?

I'm a truck guy, so I'll use this example. When Ford introduced the radically different body style of the 1997 F150, I HATED it. I was used to and attached to the traditional, squared off body style that had been around for years. After a couple more years, though, I grew to like the new body style. Why? What changed my mind? Essentially, there wasn't anything else available. If I wanted a new F150 I would have to accept the new style. The same can be applied to models. If the manufacturers flood the market with new electric products and market them in the correct way...clean and quiet...they convince the consumer that electric airplanes are the greatest thing since the invention of sex. We all like to think that we form our own opinions and make all our own decisions but in reality so much of what we invest our time and money in is driven by the marketing industry. We like what they tell us to like to some degree. I don't completely buy into the idea that the 1/2A sector has nothing new to offer. What great new horizons are there for small electric planes? I see no greater potential for them than for 1/2A aircraft.

"But not everyone can fly 1/2A models because there is no field nearby without a noise restriction", you say. True, and there are places in the US where you can't smoke in public facilities. Do people quit buying cigarettes because there are fewer places to smoke them? So why is the supply drying up? Did all of us on this forum write to Norvel and Cox saying that we would no longer be buying any more 1/2A engines? The supply went away not the demand...we're still pining for the return of Norvel to the market ( I'm still optimistic). I agree, there is less demand than there was in the past. But I propose that it may not be the sole reason for the decrease in engines and the increase in electrics. Isn't it possible that these companies have seen greater profit potential in other lines, such as ready to fly electric airplanes. Rather than expanding their product line and trying to serve two masters, the choose the easiest and most profitable route: shut down the 1/2A production and start selling what they know will make money.

Sorry for the rant; I know it doesn't solve the problem we face as 1/2A enthusiasts. I am just tired of trying to resign myself to the idea that there aren't enough of us to support the business. I can't help but think that we are believing too much of what the industry is telling us. Would the hippies of the 60's have stood for this kind of socialist dictation?

BRING BACK OUR ENGINES!!! ...anyone else feel like having a peaceful demonstration right now?

Brian