hi ive been wondering if any of you guys notice this too,

of all the different modelling magazines out there, theres a real difference in the quality of models they show.

what i want to know is how some of them even sell, as most of the models they display are quite poor compared to their competitors

an example would be a build in the latest military modelling, there is a build of the new swash designs triumph motorbike and rider. whilst the bike is pretty well done, the wash on the figure is pretty poor(apologies if anyone here built that but its my opinion)

the standard of photography is also rather below standard in some publications too.

i would say the best out there are Tamiya modelling magazine, and Military in scale, as they feature models constructed and painted to about the highest standard you will find anywhere.

what i ask is why dio people buy the ones with poor models and poor photography when they can see such masterpieces as those displayed in the above mags?

cheers

joe

I really have to agree with what you said. This happens world wide. Here in Greece also some mags have models that my worst is above them and others have stuff better than the IPMS international contests!!! But when you re dealing with the hobby and you are in the information river and u re hungrt for info and new articles you are dragged in and buy more than one of them so usually you get some slappy stuff also. Maybe its time for an Armorama Magazine!!!!! what do you think ?

please tell me Joe what you thought of the Des Federal tracter unit and trailer unit in the same issue as the motorbike. Was that articles pics poor?

why is that one of yours cliff?

that one, i would say the pics were much better than the motorbike, but still not as good as you would see in MIS or TMMI if im honest

cheers

joe

Joe yes it was one of mine and the pics when taken were the equivalent of the other mags you mention so it must be the way the magazine is printed rather then poorer quality pics.

thanks Cliff

probably so,

as i recall it looked quite an intesting build, what kit is that. its a pretty cool looking vehicle.

i suppose the print quality is a vital component, if the printing isnt up to scratch, even the most proffesionally built and photographed models wont look their best.

cheers

joe

Joe, The Federal and Trailer are from Des kits. Its a French company that mostly works iun Resin and do some rather obscure subjects. I know because I was the original owner of that Federal truck kit. Roo had something I realy needed and put me through the ringer till he got that Federal!!! Actually, He was rather nice about the whole trade he went out of his way to get me a nice converion for Tamiya's Dragon Wagon!!! STUG

thanks, ive never heard of that manufacturer,

i have to admit i do like some of the more unusual allied softskins
now if someone made a Lloyd carrier!

cheers

joe

Hi Joe

I haven't seen this issue you are discussing, but I'm familiar with the quality differences between mags.

First, some articles on dioramas are by folks who are better at kits than figures, and vice versa. So the figures will look better or worse than the kits. The editor may have chosen the article based on the quality of the kit and the base, and the figure quality was secondary.

Remember that most magazines take submissions from modellers for the articles. I would hope that real junk gets excluded, but who knows how many submissions there are? And although I would love to do something as good as Zaloga or MIG among others, it is often good to see what a 'mortal' can do with a kit, figure etc. Having said that, I've seen kits with gaping seams, poor paint jobs etc. Again, I wonder if that is related to the number of submissions, subject matter, or who knows what.

Another issue, particularly related to picture quality is the paper. I get Figurines magazine. That is printed on high quality, thick paper. This makes it an expensive mag compared to Mil Modelling (although the price difference is small over here!). As you well know, Histoire & Collections items tend to be dear, but you get what you pay for. Figurines, Armes et Militaria, Steel Masters all contain excellent pictures printed on high quality paper (although Steel Masters is a clear case where excerable figures are paired with a nice model in many cases). The photos in Mil Modelling are a consistent letdown, and I think that's related to the printer and paper more than anything else. And again, the editor works with what is submitted.

There are some bad mags out there. I've seen a couple of other armor modelling mags, and the three color work in the magazine is awful. Military Modelcraft comes to mind. Blurry photos, poor articles, and generally a second rate publication in my opinion.

Of course that's why we have forums such as these and Track-Link, where we can share our criticisms and comments, and steer away from the bad stuff!!

Cheers
Andy