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[Tug Fanatic]

I don't know if you are all aware but Model Boats magazines (+ sister publications) has been sold to Morton Magazines.

I hope that this is good news.

https://www.modelflying.co.uk/mytime-model-titles-under-new-ownership

[Colin Bishop]

Yes, I posted the press release on the MB website, I heard about it yesterday. Present Editor and Designer have transferred to Mortons Media.

https://www.modelboats.co.uk/news/article/model-boats-may-2022/27687

Hopefully good that someone is willing to invest in the magazine, a bigger company by the look of it. Not sure what will happen about the forum at this stage.

Colin

[kinmel]

An email from a different publisher arrived this morning, they are seeking contributors.....

The topics we are looking for are:
Making model tugs (for display or working)
Modelling working merchant ships
Building working model sailing ships
Building plastic model sailing ships (for display)
Model sailing yachts: enhancing and racing
We are also interested to hear of other topics too.If anyone is interested,


I will forward the full email on to you.

[RST]

Hope it goes back on various bodies / companies shelves to buy again!  It has been sadly missed for many months!

[RST]

Can't buy any model boat magazine anywhere for love nor money before so the magazine is just dead to me the past 2 years+ now.

But someone said: " I just look at the new model boats mag site and see something i think is a bit weird"....
https://www.modelboats.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=179199

...Is Model Boats Magazine Back?

[TheLongBuild]

Can't buy any model boat magazine anywhere for love nor money before so the magazine is just dead to me the past 2 years+ now.

But someone said: " I just look at the new model boats mag site and see something i think is a bit weird"....
https://www.modelboats.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=179199

...Is Model Boats Magazine Back?

?? The model boat site has been around for years and Model Boats Magazine was only not printed for 2 Months and has been back for over 20 Months ??, I see it regularly in the Tesco's around us as well as WH Smiths.

[Colin Bishop]

But someone said: " I just look at the new model boats mag site and see something i think is a bit weird"....

The link on Mortons Website references the existing Model Boats website. There isn't a new one - yet! I ought to know as I manage the MB Forum and put up details of forthcoming issues. I don't know what Mortons intend to do in the future but at the moment I guess that they are trying to make the handover as seamless as possible.

Colin

[RST]

?? The model boat site has been around for years and Model Boats Magazine was only not printed for 2 Months and has been back for over 20 Months ??, I see it regularly in the Tesco's around us as well as WH Smiths.

...Hi TheLongBuild.  Every Tesco I go to for ages now hasn't had any.  I contacted Colin abut the magazine status but apologised, on checking at the counter afterwards it's "apparently" been completely dropped from Tesco products unless of course it's different north of the border?  I notice also since new year that Tesco have reduced "hobby" publications down to just a few paltry offerings unless maybe if you are a quizzer or knitter. (All the TV c**p/ junk magazines still seem there). So I don't know if that's Tesco policy or state of the hobby industry but Tesco around me are drastically different now from a few years ago (they seem not good for very much now).  I haven't seen any MB in WH smiths for donkeys but I must admit I haven't been near one the last couple of months.

But someone said: " I just look at the new model boats mag site and see something i think is a bit weird"....

The link on Mortons Website references the existing Model Boats website. There isn't a new one - yet! I ought to know as I manage the MB Forum and put up details of forthcoming issues. I don't know what Mortons intend to do in the future but at the moment I guess that they are trying to make the handover as seamless as possible.Colin

...Hi Colin, yes I thought that.  I was just intrigued when I saw the comment the other day.  There's conversations in reply about it since, but no link / question where the source came from?  I wonder what the "new model boats mag site" is and how to read what they said they did on it?


No worries,


Rich

[ChrisF]

An email from a different publisher arrived this morning, they are seeking contributors.....

The topics we are looking for are:
Making model tugs (for display or working)
Modelling working merchant ships
Building working model sailing ships
Building plastic model sailing ships (for display)
Model sailing yachts: enhancing and racing
We are also interested to hear of other topics too.If anyone is interested,


I will forward the full email on to you.

Hi - are you referring to Mortons?


Chris

[RST]

Hi - are you referring to Mortons?


Chris

...Kind of half a story Kinmel.  Where did the mail come from, i.e. xxxx@(something).com/ UK etc.  Why not say where it came from?


Richard

[ChrisF]

I guess we will never know!


I thought there was only one UK model boat magazine now?


Chris

[kinmel]

...Kind of half a story Kinmel.  Where did the mail come from, i.e. xxxx@(something).com/ UK etc.  Why not say where it came from?


Richard

My original post started "An email from a different publisher arrived this morning", so not Mortons.

The email was addressed to the secretary of our boat club (Me) and  ended with the usual lawyer paragraph about distributing it. Although that cannot be enforced in law because I didn't agree to it beforehand, who needs the hassle.

Before posting here, I confirmed that it was not a spoofed email and the source was genuine; a major publisher in fact.
I posted sufficient info for interested people to reply and two Mayhemers did and I forwarded the publisher's contact details to them.

Our most distinguished magazine contributor replied to my email...... " Just spent the last half an hour looking through their range of titles, is there anything they don't cover...?"

If anyone else wants their contact details just ask.

[Tug Fanatic]

Thank you kinmel.
I am familiar with their work & hope that something comes from this. Model Boating in general is certainly a gap in their portfolio.

[raflaunches]

Just found an example of the new owner’s publication-


It’s a one off type of magazine but judging by the quality of the paper and covers, images and artwork if Model Boats magazine gets a makeover to this standard it’ll be amazing. I don’t believe it will to this particular magazine because it’s more of a book-a-zine but it’s quality is where I’d expect an excellent modelling magazine to attempt to achieve.

[Colin Bishop]

I'm all in favour of anything that promotes the hobby but one has to be realistic about the market. It has been demonstrated by the demise of Marine Modelling that that it cannot support two magazines and that was some years back. MM failed due to declining circulation. Some of this was picked up by Model Boats as the only remaining UK publication but Covid sent newstrades sales into a tailspin from which it has still not recovered and may never do. Model Boats continues to be published but very much on a budget basis and it is difficult to see how much the new owners wiill be able to significantly boost sales given the overall decline of the ageing model boating community. Even before Covid the number of model boating shows and events had fallen off a cliff simply due to model boaters becoming older and less willing or unable to stage events and shows. With advancing age, travel becomes more difficult too and, as an example, in my case an eye condition would now rule out driving to and from the Warwick show in a day.

Whilst some new people are always coming into the hobby they are only a fraction of those who are leaving it or scaling down their activities. Unfortunately this is the reality.

Colin

[Stan]

HI Colin you have the nail right on the head. Club membership in decline year on year less model shows one saving grace club events seem to be holding up. We all hope the Model Boats will be around for many years to come with this new publisher.


Stan.

[phil_parker]

...Hi TheLongBuild.  Every Tesco I go to for ages now hasn't had any.  I contacted Colin abut the magazine status but apologised, on checking at the counter afterwards it's "apparently" been completely dropped from Tesco products unless of course it's different north of the border?  I notice also since new year that Tesco have reduced "hobby" publications down to just a few paltry offerings unless maybe if you are a quizzer or knitter. (All the TV c**p/ junk magazines still seem there). So I don't know if that's Tesco policy or state of the hobby industry but Tesco around me are drastically different now from a few years ago (they seem not good for very much now).  I haven't seen any MB in WH smiths for donkeys but I must admit I haven't been near one the last couple of months.

If you want to sell mags in Smiths, you turn up with a carload of them, and a vanload of money. They don't do it for nothing. Supermarkets are even tougher to get into - they "grant" publishers extra stores based on sales.

It might be that Mortons, being a larger group, have more clout with the outlets and can get MB back on the shelves. However, if you like model boats - SUBSCRIBE - that way more of the money goes to the publisher, making the magazine more viable. You save yourself cash and get the mag in the post. Yes, there may be issues with less inside for you than others, but you might be surprised at some subjects you didn't think would be interesting turn out to be.

[jaymac]

Afraid this forum and some others help contribute to printed magazine decline in some cases not much difference between Self harming Digital subscription and  free online info available 

[Liverbudgie2]

Perhaps people are not really aware of the distribution costs of magazines. For instance, nearly all magazines and newspapers in the UK are distributed by the wholesale division of WH Smiths and they take or at least did, take 45% of the cover price for the privilege of doing so. That being the case it makes sense to subscribe to the magazine so that after all the publishing costs are covered the publisher receives an extra 45% which can then be put back into the magazine in the form better paper, reproduction of photographs drawings etc; and while we’re at it make it worthwhile for contributors to write for the magazine which in turn would or might attract more advertiser’s, this in turn would put even more money in the confers.
However, I shall not hold my breath on this and will return to restoring my XJS and TR6 which, I have found to be far more interesting worthwhile projects to be involved with than playing around with model (toy) boats for the last three or four years.
LB

[ChrisF]

Please do! 

[JimG]

While subscribing to the magazine might help the publishers make more money, I would rather help the small newsagent where I generally buy the magazines. They keep a very wide range of all types of magazines, most of no interest to me but with a good number of modelling related ones for all types of modellers. I do get a couple of specialist Jet magazines as digital copies, basically as they are unlikely to be stocked in any shop (one is published in Germany although printed in english).

Jim

[Subculture]

Information can be distributed far more effectively through the internet, and the real value lies in the designers and article writers, less so the distributors. This has really gained momentum over the last fifteen years or so- the advent of streamed media e.g. Youtube, vimeo etc. combined with the availability of cheap cameras and associated tech (e.g. smart phones) has really made it possible for anyone with a modicum of tech savvy to distribute high quality articles.

It's rather paradoxical to me that many model shows have been wound down during a time when they became ever more important. No amount of information in articles or streamed media can replace seeing something in person or making that connection with a fellow modeller.

Costs have often been given as a reason, but the shows seemed to be well attended and popular enough to break even at least. It felt like many shows were deliberately undermined, a good example being the original model engineering expo and Sandown Model show.

Had the organisers been lumbered with something they didn't want, but felt duty bound to continue or at least make it appear that way?

[Colin Bishop]

I'm not sure I'd altogether agree with that Subculture. It is certainly right to say that the internet is a very effective way of distributing up to date information and answereing queries and is extremely useful as this and other Forums demonstrate but that information is very fragile and dependent on funding being available to keep it online. Forums and websites can and do disappear overnight if the money runs out or the site owners fall under a bus or decide they no longer wish to continue. Material you are interested in can certainly be downloaded to some extent but you don't necessarily know what you might want some time in the future and you can't download everything 'just in case'.

Once a magazine has been published, hard copies tend to hang around almost forever and are often easily found usng online searches on The Magazine Exchange or Ebay etc. Members of forums often have copies going back a long time which they are happy to make available if requested. It's not usually difficult to find a particular copy going back 40 years or more.

As far a shows are concerned, the reality is that even before Covid, attendance had fallen off to the extent that many became financially unviable. The situation was made worse by some organisers clinging on by their fingertips to their particular baby when the sensible course would bave been to merge with another one in the general area. As a result both shows could go to the wall.

The actual number of model boating shows pretty much fell off a cliff in the few years before Covid for a number of reasons which included:
They became financially unviable due to low attendance and gate receipts. Attendance might have looked good but it simply wasn't enough.
Traders were priced out of some of the larger venues.
An ageing model boating community has become less willing or unable to travel long distances to venues.
The average age of club members has risen as well so it has become more difficult to organise and staff displays with volunteers.

There are of course exceptions, Component Shop sponsoring the Blackpool Show is a shining example, but Coalville had to be dropped some years back. Trader/Manufacturer events such as those by Deans Marine and Mobile Marine Models have attracted a lot of interest and are obviously attractive to the sponsors who don't then have to drive vanloads of stock from one end of the country to the other (many of our traders are no longer spring lambs themselves). They also host other traders at rates much lower than they would have to pay at purely commercial events.

Whilst there are still many exceptions, a lot of clubs have disappeared or have become a lot less active than they used to be due to the members becoming older or falling off the perch and not being replaced in like numbers.

Colin

[Dave_S.]

My subscription copy dropped through the letterbox this morning, other than the name of the publisher nothing has changed (which is a relief).
I've only flicked through it so far, content seems as per usual.
Not sure what to make of the feature on the Virgin floating block of flats - mind you, I saw it in Liverpool a few weeks ago, and also saw it leaving at night from the other side of the river - impressive only by its size (to my eyes).

[Baldrick]

 
   Almost thought I might have to hide my front cover from the wife's sight elsewise  she may start casting aspersions about my having started buying crumpet mags.