RE: Are the Magazines history?
I agree that most of what is in the magazines is on the net, but not the other way around. I don't buy R/C mags and rarely read them, but a friend gave me three copies, all different publishers. After reading the bits that caught my eye I got a feeling there was a LOT of ads, so much so that I took the time to count the pages. Fully 70% was ads.!
I feel that I would not waste my dosh on a subscription, if I want to know something I'll hit the forums etc., but I think it's worth buying one magazine about every six months simply because it's a handy source of suppliers contacts. You could spend a lot of time on the forums and still not know some of those outlets even exists. To me, it's just a directory. Now, if your LHS or club has copies for customers and members to read in the shop, you don't even need to buy.
Cheers from the Barfly.