New Airfix Magazine

JayBee · June 15, 2015, 07:05:12 AM

Their latest mistake, and I can not blame proof reading for this just the lack of knowledge on the part of the contributor, is in the build article for the Wessex HAS 3.
On page 27 this statement is made "This Wessex carried a large ship's flight flag on the port side".

RUBBISH!

It is a Fishery Protection pennant which any aircraft, or vessel, must by maritime law display while carrying out those duties. Ships will fly the pennant when required, while aircraft will have it painted on them and therefore be seen with it at other times.

Rant over.

zenrat · June 16, 2015, 04:04:59 AM

That article is rather confusingly written. There is a lack of tie up between the photos and the text so that when the writer refers to parts of the helicopter, assuming the reader knows what they are, it is not possible to find a corresponding picture in order to work out what bit they are talking about.

NARSES2 · June 16, 2015, 06:15:12 AM

Haven't got around to this issue yet. Still have a bit of a backlog

zenrat · July 14, 2015, 04:55:53 AM

Just got the issue with the He 111 on the front. I see over enthusiastic pre-shading has been committed again on the build of the test shot. It doesn't do the model any justice as in some of the pics it makes the wings look like all the panels are bulged and warped and anything but flat.

JayBee · July 14, 2015, 05:49:42 AM

Ditto. As a qualified pilot (PPL) I would not accept an aircraft that looked like that in the pre-flight inspection.

Captain Canada · July 14, 2015, 05:52:42 AM

But it's all the rage and the judges look for it.

Not that I know or anything

NARSES2 · July 14, 2015, 07:15:52 AM

Quote from: zenrat on July 14, 2015, 04:55:53 AM
Just got the issue with the He 111 on the front. I see over enthusiastic pre-shading has been committed again on the build of the test shot. It doesn't do the model any justice as in some of the pics it makes the wings look like all the panels are bulged and warped and anything but flat.

Absolutely, some people are taking it way to far IMHO. Well done it can look good and there are many examples on here, but some don't know when to stop

PR19_Kit · July 14, 2015, 07:50:10 AM

It seems endemic in magazine reviews, and yet hardly any of the mags have a letters column so you can't let them, and the rest of the modelling world, know how silly it looks.

The recent Swift FR5 build in the Airfix mag is a case in point, it doesn't look like a small version of the real thing, it looks like a MODEL!

zenrat · July 15, 2015, 04:07:37 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on July 14, 2015, 07:50:10 AM
...it looks like a MODEL!

Which is not in itself a bad thing if that is what you were among for. But I suspect in the cases mentioned they were not.

I'm sure the lack of a letters page doesn't stop people writing to the magazines. I also suspect that the content of some of those letters is the reason why they don't have a letters page...

NARSES2 · July 15, 2015, 06:11:56 AM

I've written (e-mailed) magazine editors recently and got good replies in both cases. Both addressed my issues and I learned about some of their problems

So if you have a beef or indeed especially some praise let them know. They do need the feedback and they probably get 20 times more complaints then praise

Dizzyfugu · July 15, 2015, 07:47:05 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on July 14, 2015, 07:50:10 AM
...it looks like a MODEL!

That's why I do not like certain airbrush finishes - which are mostly promoted through such magazines. While the execution and the finish might be top notch, the "effect" is IMHO doubtful. The result does not even look like a toy, and also not "realistic". It looks like a ...model. It's hard to define or pinpoint, but it does not convince me. $:-\$

Mossie · July 15, 2015, 08:10:54 AM

Quote from: zenrat on July 15, 2015, 04:07:37 AM
Quote from: PR19_Kit on July 14, 2015, 07:50:10 AM
...it looks like a MODEL!

Which is not in itself a bad thing if that is what you were among for. But I suspect in the cases mentioned they were not.

I'm sure the lack of a letters page doesn't stop people writing to the magazines. I also suspect that the content of some of those letters is the reason why they don't have a letters page...

I agree, I remember seeing a model in a magazine when I was just getting back into it. It was an Italian bomber I think and it had been finished with oils and my first thought was it looked like a cartoon, not at all realistic and dismissed it off the cuff.

I thought about it for a while. thinking I was a bit harsh and revisited the article and I found I now really like it. It fitted in with the diorama it was in and a lot of skill went into it. The intention was not to finish it realistically, but artistically and it worked very well.