Changes afoot at TMW

[dazzler79]

Well said Mick Waite!    I have every copy of the mag since issue 1 and I hope to see it long continue.  My model output is very low, and I had considered myself below par when comparing my to others. However, after being persuaded to attend Gaydon a couple of years ago, and again this year, I have come to realise that I can and do produce models worthy of print (Scania T-cab).  This has been acheived by reading all the articles, irrelevant of scale, and using the tips and advice to improve my own.  I am now starting to take more regard as to photographing current builds to show the work in progress, and will be submitting a report on the Iveco very shortly.

[Danny]

Of course it is a great loss that Peter stepped down as editor.
 I think it's also up to us, modellers and contributors to make sure that the magazine can continue to exist. Me, as a regular contributor will continue to send in articles. But a model of a high level takes months to build. So one can only deliver one or two articles a year. It's therefore very important that new contributors are found. So look arround in your club or friends for people who make nice models but don't write about them. Maybe you can convince them to start writing. If the language is a problem, there are always collegue modellers who want to help. And ofcourse, it's all about readers. Making a magazine for only 600 readers will be difficult to continue, so lets convince friends to start buying the magazine.

Danny

[foundationsedge]

Theres a way to keep updated on the latest trends, news, views, and updates on the truck model scene, its literally updated by the second, easily and readily available , and the best part?
Its free
The magazine s fall in sales has been inevitable, and will continue, as the power of the internet as consumed us all
I hate to be the fly in the ointment here, but the truth is, why pay for a magazine to see pictures of models that you can see on the forums, this forum and the woefully lacking tmw forum, wich lets face it has been very slow to update and improve, we can see the models for free and have a live interaction with the builder
You cant get that from print, print is dead
How long the forum continues ( tmw forum) could depend on how much effort the new publishers invest in it, and how much effort they put into it, they will be looking for commercial gains, not good will
If the magazine sales continue to fall, will they be prepared to continue to invest?
Some my consider it to be nothing short of sacrilege to talk this way, but this hobby is moving forward and so should we.

[modeller]

i agree with you Gordon and also think media print is becoming a thing of the past. i know when you get a few minutes spare to yourself there is no better feeling than to hold something between your hands while reading  but lets face it who doesn't have laptop or iphone these days.

[voyager]

Some people (myself included) still prefer a printed version. I will read a printed magazine from cover to cover but if I download one, I tend to skip over stuff, particularly adverts. Even though you can zoom in on detail etc., there is just something about having a magazine drop through the door which is quite exciting. Forums are great but build threads can take a while to do as people obviously do them at their build rate (if they bother at all!) and we all know TMW don't allow - yet - any pictures of full size trucks or talk other than of model trucks.

I think the earlier days of the magazine were better when you got plans, drawings and good descriptions of HOW people made the models. Unfortunately now we mainly get a series of pretty pictures of the finished model which is nice to see but as Gordon said, they can be seen on forums or Facebook. It surprises me that now we have digital cameras and phones that modellers' don't record their progress more.

I will read about any scale of modelling - if done well - but I suspect the "more 1/50th" means diecast collectors and that really does bore me. If it got to be a higher percentage of features on taking a diecast out of the box and saying how good (or not) it is, that would stop me buying the magazine.

[volvoman]

I am with Gordon. Yes print is dead. I only read certain article's that interest me. I am always looking at forums on tinternet. I can comment or chat to the builder and learn at the same time.  Me personally would love to see a book all about our hobby wrote and designed by the guys i look up to. That i think would help others and maybe get new blood into our hobby

[Evs127]

Since starting modelmaking 2 years ago, i've been a keen buyer of the magazine and always loved how Peter could set up a magazine that did exibit such a broad hobby, with the incluseion of multiple useful features such as kit reviews etc

However, for the 1 article i have contributed earlier in the year, i am yet to receive payment for. this is the primary reason i haven't started writing a new article for some of the models of latter i have made, once I receive my owed money i will further expand into writing articles to accompany my models

[v8alan73]

Since starting modelmaking 2 years ago, i've been a keen buyer of the magazine and always loved how Peter could set up a magazine that did exibit such a broad hobby, with the incluseion of multiple useful features such as kit reviews etc

However, for the 1 article i have contributed earlier in the year, i am yet to receive payment for. this is the primary reason i haven't started writing a new article for some of the models of latter i have made, once I receive my owed money i will further expand into writing articles to accompany my models

rhys traplet were a nightmare to deal with unanswered e-mails I got my money in the end but I know of others still owed money that side of things had nothing to do with peter it was purely traplet. I hope that it dosent put you contributing though this is a new company and they should be given a chance they seem keen enough to repair the damage that occurred under traplet drop the new company an e-mail about putting an article in as they say the more the merrier :-)

alan

[dazzler79]

However, for the 1 article i have contributed earlier in the year, i am yet to receive payment for. this is the primary reason i haven't started writing a new article for some of the models of latter i have made, once I receive my owed money i will further expand into writing articles to accompany my models

  I'm sorry if this offends, but I think this a poor and selfish view to take. My model building has been greatly improved through reading articles in the mag, and along with these forums. I wasn't even aware you got paid for contributing an article.  Nothing was mentioned or offered when my Scania was featured, and I never thought to ask. I was always under the impression that the magazine was 'by modellers for modellers'.  Once I have finished building a model that I am pleased with, I will share the build process via the magazine and forums for free, and if this helps someone else in return, then even better!

[consettbell]

Fair enough Darren, but at the end of the day he is owed money. Owed money is owed money, regardless of the source, whether it be the magazine or an employer. I'm currently owed money from a temporary job last month and from the taxman, neither are pleasing me very much either!

Rhys, don't let it put you off, my advice would be if you want to keep contributing articles, write them now while the build is fresh in your mind, and submit them once you've got the payment for the last one sorted. 

[rwaldram]

However, for the 1 article i have contributed earlier in the year, i am yet to receive payment for.

I was always under the impression that the magazine was 'by modellers for modellers'.  Once I have finished building a model that I am pleased with, I will share the build process via the magazine and forums for free, and if this helps someone else in return, then even better!

I couldn't agree more mate, I didn't even know they offered payment for articles. Hell, most of us write that much & post so many photos on these forums anyway, what's the difference between putting those words onto a MS word document and emailing it along with some photos to an editor.

My trucks, have never been in TMW, but I've had many discussions with Peter (who do you think it was that leaked the information about the upcoming Drake K200 & 4x8 trailer), however my models have featured in the old Truckin' Life here  in Australia (a magazine for 1:1 trucks that used to have a model truck section in it), and are soon to feature in an issue of Custom Trucks, also a magazine for 1:1 trucks.
I've never thought to ask for money for them, for me, when I open a magazine or something similar, and see photos of something I've done or an article I've written, it put's a massive smile on my face and fills me with pride... that's payment enough.

[voyager]

I agree it is great to see your model on print (especially getting the cover shot!) but TMW is a commercial enterprise and is selling magazines (hopefully to make a profit) using those articles therefore it is only right they should pay for them. However, they never advertisd that they paid for articles and indeed it was a bit hit and miss as to what they would pay for. If Peter was deemed to have written a large proportion of an article, they didn't pay, neither did they pay for "model in focus" pages. For general articles, I was paid £20 per page - not a huge sum but enough to buy more models!

I think this is another area IGP should clear up once the forum comes back online so at least we are all on "the same page". As for money owed Rhys, it is Traplet who owes you so please give IGP a chance before refusing to send in articles?

[neilc69]

I've had quite a few articles printed and (luckily) had a couple of cover shots too, but I've only ever been paid for the first couple.
The last half dozen or so I haven't had a penny.
I'm not particularly bothered about getting paid for them (although it would be very nice!!), I'm just happy to see the fruits of my labour in print.
I shall still be writing articles and sending them in to the new editor in the hope that they will be used.

[stuckontrucks]

I could never understand the payment policy regarding submitted articles.   I had three models published and was paid for only one of them.  Not that it mattered, it was being in print that gave the buzz.

[Breninasia]

Reading between the lines here, I'm getting the impression that Traplet at some point decided to stop paying for articles ... and nobody appears to have been informed of the decision.