Complaint about the MAN!
 

I can't stand the fact that MAN reviews of new ARF's are nothing but fluff! I know they depend on manufacturers for revenue (I think) but jeez, can't they come up with some good constructive criticism? Some of the airplanes they have reviewed are just junk....but you would'nt know it from their articles. If MAN and others were to give very objective reviews we might have a totally different line of ARF's to choose from (most likely of much higher quality). I want to see complaints about insufficient gluing, cheap covering, weak retracts, poor instructions, cheap hardware, etc. etc. etc. I have'nt seen an ARF yet that didn't contain at least one of those poor qualities................................ :mad: :mad: :mad:


Good thing the internet has some alternative resources, but I like magazines.

Complaint about the MAN!
 

Hi Kurt, that is why I stick to my RC Report magazine. They generally "tell it like it is" when it comes to ARF's as well as kit built models.
And just because they are located in "Bama" has nothing to do with it!! :)
Just my .02 cents worth. John

Complaint about the MAN!
 

If someone wanted to send me planes to reveiw I would give you all the details you could handle in my own opinion,not enfluinced by anyone,I may have already built one you might be interested in.

MAN should get it together......
 

I will check out RC Report, but I still think MAN stinks! I think I won't renew my subscription this year and go with something else. Also, no offense to all of the authors of On-line reviews but I think most are a bit biased. People tend to hype up things they own or if they just put down some serious cash for it. Reviews should be brutal if anything is found wrong or could use improvement. :mad:

Complaint about the MAN!
 

i dont hipe up anthing cause I don't have MONEY to put down on things what do you want a reveiw on?

Thanks, but this is just a complaint in general.
 

I am not looking for a review but am voicing my disappointment about publications many people trust or depend on.

Complaint about the MAN!
 

The manufacturers are just as much at fault as the magazines. They know what flaws their products have but they have too much money invested in them to change anything.

Mike

I can't believe that you just figured out that all MAN reviews are fluff!!
 

That has been true for as long as I can remember.

The power of the internet is changing things though.

There are very few publications that have the courage of their convictions, I am glad to hear about RC Review Report, but I have come to depend more and more on the opinions on fellow modelers in forums just like this one.

There is a difference in the quality of manufacturers because there is a difference in their philosphy of doing business.

How many bad things have you heard about World Models?

Or Hangar 9?

You learn who makes a good ARF, and then stick to them like glue.

Reputation to me is more important than the variety of available ARFs, so I will stick to those manufacturers who have demonstrated excellence, and not given me the texas two step in responding to questions.

The difference in responses is night and day.

I will look into RC Review Report, that sounds like something I want to have, but the guys at the field, and the opinions of the modelers here, mean more to me than the platitudes that MAN heaps on a product or that some manufacturers rep heap on us here.

JMO

Steve

Complaint about the MAN!
 

Can you give us a point of contact for RC Review Report to either purchase or subscribe? i read an article in a magazine about a kit I'm currently working on. The article came directly from the manual!

Tazz

Complaint about the MAN!
 

It is actually RC Report and can be found here:

http://www.rcreport.ws/

Complaint about the MAN!
 

I agree with John on going with R/C Report. They cut no one any slack and pretty much tell it like it is. I've heard Fox manufacturing at one time pulled their ad from the magazine on account of a bad review they were given. I definitely give them 2 thumbs up.

Maverick, thanks for the correction
 

Going to order it tomorrow

My kind of magazine, sort of a consumers reports for RC Enthusiasts, doesn't get any better than that.

I have always used MAN, and the other Mags as just a fin read, never relied on their reviews, which I knew were pure fluff

Steve

Complaint about the MAN!
 

Yes, RC Report definitey gives the most objective reports. And they're done by very, very reputable builder/flyers.

Complaint about the MAN!
 

You will find a number of the columnists actually frequent RC Universe too!

MAN gets the boot from me!
 

I will subscribe to R/C Report today and give them a shot. ;)

Complaint about the MAN!
 

I've done a few reviews for UK magazines, the problem is even though you tell it as you find it (this is crap, that is crap etc) the editor cuts and changes your article so much that when you read it, you wonder who wrote it ? I guess the magazines rely on the advertising revenue too much, to rock the boat.

Complaint about the MAN!
 

Well, guess all I can do is agree with all this. MAN stinks, RCM stinks, I read both of them at walmart while my wife shops. After all, each one takes about 15 minutes. Skip the editorials, the reviews, and all you have left are the ads (more pages of ads than anything else).

I read the Jan RC Report three times over the thanksgiving weekend, every article, every ad, I just looked at it again and I have 11 dogged eared pages, there's stuff there I can actually use!

I agree with the World Models ARF comment as well, mine was great! As have been all my SIG Somethin' extras. (I know, you should only have one but I love this plane!)

The biggest is the worst if you ask me. I will never touch annother Great Planes. Any company that would actually send screws that don't fit the blind nuts, etc. etc., etc.

Great ARFS are GREAT, Bad ARFS as sooooooo BAD!

Gordon

Complaint about the MAN!
 

You have to look at the reviews in magazines with some considerations.
First - the editor wants a review which arrives on time for publication -
It also needs pictures of interest.
The writing does need to be as positive as possible - these are exclusively, products being advertised, given to the magazine for testing and promotion.
The reviewer is apt to be a person with time to do the job and a reputation for getting it to print on time.
In some cases , the reviewers are actually accomplished in their field.
In other cases - not so accomplished.
A cold analytical review really does not read well- In today's market - buzz words and hype count.
- Mike Billingham, once did excellent engine reviews -I don't see this quality anymore.
The kit reviews I have seen for most larger ARF acrobats are all at a novice level - but really , that's where the market is directed.
Once the reviewer interjects some technical sh-t into the writing -the audience starts to drift away.
Writing articles also takes some time for the reviewer to develop a style which appeals to the editors.
If the reader feedback and sales are positive - that type review will keep being published.

Complaint about the MAN!
 

Not sure what I am getting into here but...

Have you read our reviews on RCUniverse?

What do you think?

I think that they are very objective and list the pros and cons of the models. Our reviews tend to have a lot more information than the magazines offer because we are not limited to by space. When is the last time you've seen video in a magazine?

Personally, I am a big fan of all the magazines. They all offer something different. I have a good friend that works at MAN so I can apprieciate all the work that goes into the product that they deliver to you each month.

While It may be true that you do not see anyone in a magazine trash a product, they do offer some points that are of concern. RC Report is pretty open about their findings, maybe more-so than MAN or RCM.

Here is what you need to understand... There is a lot that goes on in the background of the every magazine and review media, including RC Report and RCuniverse. Each of these mediums is a business. Businesses are around to make money, hopefully! A magazine succeeds the revenue brought in from subscribers, newsstand sales, and advertisers.

Put youself in this scenario. You are a manufacturer of an ARF. It is a good quality ARF, that you take pride in. You spend $1000 a month to advertise your ARF with XYZ Modeler Magazine. You offer up a model for review to this magazine. Perhaps the reviewer does not have the same experience as you, or they are used to a different type of model. How would you feel when you open up your next issue and see your pride and joy with one "hit" listed and 25 "misses"? You would be very upset. Would you consider spending $1000 a month to advertise with them. Suppose you had no idea about the outcome of the review? Would you feel ambushed?

Most magazines with the exception of RC report let the manufacturer read the review prior to publishing it. This is done, not to have them change what you wrote, but to ensure that what is written is accurate. If the review is bad, then the manufacturer might choose not to have it published. I am sure this happens much more than you may think. I know that if my product was getting a bad review, I would not want it published. I would want an opportunity to make it better.

I know when I write for RCU, I am in contact with the manufacturers if there is something that I am not sure of, or I do not like. Most of the time the manufacturer will offer help, new parts, or expanded instructions. Sometimes they will let me make a modification to suit my needs. I have never had a manufacturer get mad at me for my comments. They want the feedback. When I run into a problem, I always mention it and I also mention the outcome. I am upfront with the manufacturer as well. If they tell me to "beat it" then that is exactly what I will report in my review.

Most of my reviews are very positive. That is because the final outcome and experience with the model/company was positive. If I do not like something I say it, but I also explain my reasons.

The same thing goes on with the other mags. RC Report is different. They review the product and do not consult the manufacturer prior to publishing. I like their reviews as well, though I wish they had more pics. The only problem I see with this method, is that if there is a mistake with the instructions, assembly, or components, and the manufacturer has a solution, you might not know about it.


I know that I would not want to pickup a magazine and read about all the "junk" out there. I want to hear constuctive comments and solutions.

I short example. There was a guy at a club I used to fly at that had a brand new H9 Cap 232 25%. This is/was a beautiful plane. He made a mistake with the epoxy mix for the wing joiner and it never really cured. He put the plane into a hard snap roll and boom! The wing separated resulting in a total loss of his plane. He came back to the pits and said "H9 is junk, I will never buy anything from them again, the kit is crap". When we looked at the glue joint you can see it was still not curred. There was no way we could tell him that thought! If this guy was doing a review, what would it have sounded like? I am sure H9 would have wanted to make it right rather than have it published that way.

Marc (RCadmin) reviewed an electric cap a couple months back. He crashed it during the first flights. Read the review. It was very good despite the crash!

Sorry to be so long winded, but this is a subject that I used to feel the same way about until I started writing reviews. There is so much that goes on before you ever get a chance to read it.

Thanks
Erick

Complaint about the MAN!
 

Hving spent ten years writing articles for a magazine -I have some insight on "reviews".
Making a well done -objective review is tough enough .
When the readers are from widely varied experience levels , some expecting a full capabability review of the model/engine/kit/whatever -- it makes things a bit tougher.

forget the politics
 

Forget the politics. If I read a magazine to get info on a product and the info is wrong what good is the magazine. I don't care about the editor or the manufacturer, I care about my hard earned dollar and if I buy a plane because some magazine says its good and it turns out to be a piece of junk I have been ripped off. I don't subscribe to any magazines any more. I buy an occasional R.C. Report if there is something in it I am interested in. And that piece of trash the AMA puts out is only good for wrapping dead fish in. AMA costs the same whether you get the magazine or not or I wouldn't even get that. The R.C. Universe magazine is showing some potential but when they test a fun fly plane they should get reviewers who know how to really fly this type of plane. Also if the weather was too bad to really test the plane then why release the review. If a review is incomplete it is useless.

Complaint about the MAN!
 

I started a web site almost six (6) years ago because of the complaints that are being expressed here. There are now over 150 kit reviews on the site. All of them are done by modelers who wanted to express their opinions about particular kits with which they were familiar. They got no compensation for submitting the reviews so they were not swayed by the manufacturers or distributors. Maybe I am biased, but I don't think you can get more honest reviews than those on my web site.

The biggest problem is getting modelers to write reviews. I have solicited many modelers to do reviews with mixed results. Some are more than willing to attempt it. Most of them say they do not have time to write a review, they are not capable of writing a review, or simply do not respond to the request. One person even asked what he would be paid for his service. I get no compensation for supplying the information. I don't even take advertising. I put the site out there strictly as a medium for supplying information to other modelers. After paying for the web space, there is certainly nothing left to pay for review submissions.

Anyone who would like the opportunity to express his opinion is welcome to submit a review for posting. There is a guideline article on the web page that will help in writing the review. It is not difficult at all to write a review. After all, it is not under the scrutiny of a heavy-handed editor nor advertisers.

RC Report......
 

RC Report is a great mag. Been reading it since it was news paper style......

They have recently lost a few good writers. Jerry went to the dark side (RCM - Just joking Jerry :) ), Kitchen Table is gone and replaced with Stu Richmond (I use to read RCM just for his column Sunday Flyer (For whatever reason I do not like his RC Report column), and they tend to focus on scale right now. There are two scale columns, and then the Sporty Scale column. IMHO - Frank is nothing but a self promoting writer. All he talks about is his events he puts on. He is in every picture of his column, and he is always dropping names. Maybe this is what Gordon wants him to do, I don't know, but I feel it is a waste of space (just my opinion). Ed's column is very good, and even though I am not into jets or combat, those columns are pretty good.

We need Jerry back, we need Kitchen table back, need to lose a scale column, or let Petit write more. His Big column and his reviews are the best part of RC Report right now.......

If magazines are there to promote....
 

....products they should make it abundantly clear that is their objective. The Reviews are only part of the magazine and should be as objective as possible (otherwise the purpose has been defeated). If manufacturers had their crap shoved back in their faces via very objective reviews then I think the quality of todays ARFs would be substantially higher. I know it must take some considerable effort to put a review together on time but it only takes a second to see bad manufacturing......weak hardware, cheap covering....etc. To me there is absolutely no excuse for these magazines to be putting out "reviews" like they currently do. They are nothing but big glorified Ads for the manufactures...........fluff....fluff....fluff.

Complaint about the MAN!
 

Thanks for the kind words Pugsley.....I guess Kurt hasn't read the last issue of RCR - especially the PTR on the RV-4 by Hollis Fenn:)

Not a lot of fluff there ;)

And Lightfoot - your site is GREAT! It's a "I MUST Contribute a REVIEW ASAP" for those who are dissatisfied with the glossies' reviews.

Jerry