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All change at CMV


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I have heard that Ian Cushway is to leave CMV and is moving on to pastures new.

The replacement editor will be John Carroll who you will know as the previous editor of Windscreen and is also the editor of Classic Land Rover.

 

I am very excited as I think we would all agree that CMV needed a new direction and John having an excellent background and enthusiasm is just the person to take it forwards.

 

I am looking forwards to renewing my subscription.

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Well lets face it, it can't get much worse. My heart sinks when I see articles on buying jeeps or land rovers, I love both but how many buyers guides do we need published. The tank museum pages are just infill in the worst sense, I like to hear what's going on but keep it brief.

 

 

 

Grumpy Jon.

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The problem with all hobby magazines is whether to cater for the established enthusiast or pad out editions to attract new people to the particular hobby with "guide to" articles. This has the advantage of drawing in new people to the hobby who may feel out of their depth reading articles of great technical merit & putting them off the hobby & more importantly from being a subscriber.

 

When I used to buy amateur radio magazines they were swamped with things on resistor colour codes, guide to amateur band frequencies, guide to simple aerials, guide to buying (not building) your first rig. All this stuff could be found out by reading books or joining a club and now these days on the internet.

 

So I can see the need for attracting new people to join a hobby as fresh blood will be needed to keep the hobby alive. But for that reason I don't buy any of these magazines nowadays.

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I shall look forward to seeing the results of John's editorial leadership when he takes up post at CMV, he did good work when in that position with Windscreen.

His appointment will mean there will be an editorial influence that has an understanding of the MV movement.

 

Pete

I couldn't agree more, I have just read the latest issue (187) and can't believe the amount of errors, did anyone proof read it before publication? Or have I just been educated and now know that Martin Baker make INJECTOR seats, also the article about the Atkinson Alligator, a little research would have found that the Blue Streak missile project got the go ahead in 1955 so why was a vehicle that was to be used specifically for that project built in 1947 (or 1946 on eBay)? Then the Champ article, what a load of codswallop. I'm not a Champ owner but I have a soft spot for them as my dad used to give me rides in them in the 1960s he also rallied them for the TA (yes proper stage rallies like the current WRC)

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I couldn't agree more, I have just read the latest issue (187) and can't believe the amount of errors, did anyone proof read it before publication?

 

Have to agree with you John . Having just started to read mine I couldn't believe how poorly written it is and it just confirmed my decision not to renew my subscription when it comes up . In the light of todays news I may reconsider .

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Gents. Thanks for the votes of confidence, they are appreciated. I can't pretend that I know everything about military vehicles but I have been interested in them ever since I had a bedroom window sill full of Airfix AEC Matadors 45 years ago. Most of the MVs I have owned have been Jeeps and Lightweight Land Rovers but also include a Harley-Davidson WLC and a Scammell Explorer. I have an H licence and a soft spot for amphibs but I won't go on, I just wanted to acknowledge the positive comments here and say to Snowtracdave that I'd be flattered if you reconsider. Cheers and thanks again, John C

Edited by Jolly Jeeper
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The two magazines which are now one, came after the demise of Wheels & Tracks, and neither of them have ever matched W&T. Under Bart Vanderveen, we had well researched articles in great detail when a particular vehicle was profiled. No text written over photographs so it is impossible to read like CMV does either.

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The two magazines which are now one, came after the demise of Wheels & Tracks, and neither of them have ever matched W&T. Under Bart Vanderveen, we had well researched articles in great detail when a particular vehicle was profiled. No text written over photographs so it is impossible to read like CMV does either.

 

There's little here for me to disagree with although I feel you may be doing some of the past and present contributors to CMV (and MMI) a disservice. I have looked at my collection of Wheels and Tracks again thoroughly, ahead of editing CMV and a few things have occurred to me; 1. No one can doubt the authority of W&T. 2. Repro and print technology have changed since it was last published so we won't be going back to a magazine wholly B&W apart from its colour covers. 3. It was last published 16 years ago so, much about the MV scene has also changed - there are far fewer WWII lorries to be found behind country garages for example.

 

Wheels and Tracks was mentioned quite a few times in the CMV reader survey carried out at War and Peace last year and this will influence future issues but we have to look forwards. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that because CMV or MMI were done one way in the past that they will be done that way in future.

 

John Carroll

Edited by Jolly Jeeper
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A lot of the serious writers now do articles in model magazines and similar.

Getting some of these articles where individuals have done serious research into their fields would help.

 

One reason I left the MVT after 30 years was the lack of anything interesting in the magazine, but as always if people are not willing to contribute and or do all their articles online these days, its very difficult for the magazine editors.

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Well, I shall wait with baited breath and hope, that in the not toooo distant future, I can once again look forward to my delivery of CMV. On the subject of interesting articles, the Tank museum contributes to the magazine, so instead of them wasting their columns as they have done so far why not use it to inform us, in detail, of their renovation and restoration work and let the people doing the work contribute.

 

 

Jon

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The two magazines which are now one, came after the demise of Wheels & Tracks, and neither of them have ever matched W&T. Under Bart Vanderveen, we had well researched articles in great detail when a particular vehicle was profiled. No text written over photographs so it is impossible to read like CMV does either.

 

In addition, with W&T you felt part of a community of MV enthusiasts and restorers - something neither MMI or CMV have ever really engendered. I think of the first 5 or 6 pages of Bart's editorial in each W&T which contained details and snippets of discoveries, restoration updates and other news-worthy items which were always just as interesting as the feature items.

 

That of course depended on Barts reputation and circle of contacts which were propably unrivalled at that time. To quote an example close to home, I would have probably sent before and after shots of my 10cwt trailer to Bart because I know he would have been interested. Whether they appeared in W&T was of absolutely no consequence to me. I would have sent them because I wanted BV to see them. It didn't even enter my head to send copies to the editors of MMI or CMV.

 

It is interesting to ponder how W&T would have evolved had not BV died - perhaps it would have just stayed the same - as after all that is the format that everybody always seems to hanker after today.

 

As I think I said in a previous thread on the subject. MMIs and CMVs problem was, and always will be, that they are not W&Twhich has since it's demise acquired legendary (in the truest sense of the word) status. The dichotomy is that W&T was always indivisible with one man, and the magazine died with that man so any substitute is unlikely to be compared favourably.

 

CMV/MMI have had long enough to plough their own furrow and find the "W&T sweet spot". That neither did/has needs careful reflection and more that a few focus groups to find a new direction that ultimately allows it to be as revered as W&T.

 

Sorry - boring fart bit over

 

PS what restorations have the Tank Museum done - other than keeping the running fleet running. The Covenanter, AVRE Tetrarch, Vickers Medium and Matilda I were done by external contractors/bodies. I thought they had an A30 Challenger for restoration - whatever happened to that?

Edited by simon king
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If I'm honest, I think the comparison with Wheels & Tracks is a red herring - it's looking at it from a partial viewpoint, and as John says, things have moved on. CMV's problem might be that it's not W&T in the eyes of many enthusiasts, but that doesn't mean that CMV should (or could) aim to be a replacement for W&T or that it's even aimed at the same niche.

 

As Clive has said above, there's a tension between catering for the highly knowledgable enthusiast market and for the mass, casual interest market. An authoritative in-depth article that satisfies the first may turn off the second; for every person who's hooked by an obscure discovery or authoritative history of Subsidy Talbots, there's another who's only interested in Series 3 Land Rovers. It's a difficult balancing act to pull off well, but it has to be pulled off for the magazine to be successful.

 

Modern print production techniques have made publishing relatively niche magazines practical in the last 15 years or so, but it'd be a mistake to think there are huge piles of cash to be earned at the drop of a hat and the magazine has to make money - or no magazine. That means it has to appeal to a wide range of people. It also means advertising is likely to be necessary, however much it may be disliked; I can't think of a current mass market magazine that doesn't have extensive advertising.

 

Having said that, some of the issues commented here are inexcusable; simple proofreading or technical errors, repeated typos, unreadable copy (design should aid readability, not hamper it). Unfortunately many of these issues might point not just to carelessness but also more fundamental structural problems in Kelsey Publishing, in which case John's got his hands full!

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I thought they had an A30 Challenger for restoration - whatever happened to that?

 

They do have an A30 Challenger. It was loaned to IOW along with a Churchill MkIV; the Churchill was returned to the TM when the IOW museum closed a couple of years ago, one would presume that the A30 came back along with the Churchill MkIV although I have not seen any photos of it back at Bovington.

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If I want to know about Land Rovers I have at least two Land Rover magazines to cover my interest thus I don't see why they should make up a large part of CMV who have the land rover magazines in their stable. As someone said previously, the most informative well researched wartime vehicle articles are in the MV modeling publications.

During the 90's I subscribed to 'Aeroplane Monthly', the best pages were always the first ones which covered, restoration projects, Russian discoveries, changes of ownership of notable warbirds etc....that was interesting.

 

I understand that the magazine needs to cover the hobby in general, but in the end being too inclusive ends up leaving no one happy and the readership collapses.

 

The other thing to remember is the internet, how can a magazine ever be looked forward to when all the 'news' is old news which those with an interest already know, again that leaves you feeling disappointed. Facebook & forums have killed 'news' for hard print.

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JC. All the Best with the new magazine, you did a great job with Windscreen for all those years and that will help you put this one in a better place.

Keith

 

Thank you for the kind words Keith. Windscreen undoubtedly benefitted from your generous contributions of archive pictures. You are most welcome to contribute to CMV should you come across anything that you think may be suitable. John C

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I gave up on my CMV sub' some 12 months ago. The content balance is never going to wholly please everyone all the time bearing in mind the diverse readership, but I found it increasingly inaccurate, superficial, and badly written......real potboiler stuff, IMHO. So I am really hoping next year brings a welcome new lease of life. There will always be a place for "Buyers Guides"......,even on Landies! Surely this brings in the new blood, so a bit of patience from the old lags is maybe warranted......as long as these articles are well researched and properly informative. Me......I really like restoration tales. My fingers are crossed that CMV will be back on my doormat soon!

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over 50 years ago i would buy an american hot rod magazine the best articles of interest were the readers cars submitted, really interesting all different not always restorations but always interesting the finds, the recovery, the work involved and of course the end result loved w&t always went down to plaistow bought all the ones i missed straight to the back page before and after I,m rambling again:cry:

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Well before there is too much back slapping, hand shaking and all round meriment, lets see how it goes.

In my eyes this mag has fallen a long way, far too many adds, lean and incorrect reports and all round VERY poor value for money.

To be honest, none of that should be a supprise,as it has to be run on a commercial basis. I think the NEW windscreen is a far better read and far better quality mag all round. I stopped my subscription to it when i worked out that the add content was (in the last issue i had) 41%........I already know about Dallas, Cherrished, Jeep parts....etc etc etc.....

I noticed a down turn when the mag accepted small adds with POA in the first instance the Jeep section, followed by most other sections.

I really hope that it turns a corner as like many others I used to look forward the mag dropping through the door, however Im sure with pressures of today hands will be tied...........

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