oily Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Hey Loggy!, have you got an MJ?...if so Just give the editor a ring, he'll come down, give you an interview, snap some piccies, and, bob's your uncle ...-there's your 4 page spread!.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormin Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Hey Loggy!, have you got an MJ?...if so Just give the editor a ring, he'll come down, give you an interview, snap some piccies, and, bob's your uncle ...-there's your 4 page spread!.... Seem to remember there was a spread on MJ's not too long ago. Just before I went and bought mine I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoggyDriver Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Yeah, I've got an MJ. When I get the generator I might look at getting an artical together on it. I can't remember an artical on the MJ though. My Mrs bought me the December issue on Sat and I had a quick flick through it. I have to say I don't know what they have done with the paper. It's not very good quality, very rough to the touch and it seems ripply. I compaired it to some earlier editions and it does seem to have changed. For a £4 price tag I would expect better, after all most of us keep these magazines for years. No mention of the price rise in the editorial either. As mentioned however, what else is there. Granted it must be hard month after month to produce a commercial magazine with different items in each issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Had a subscription for 3 years but have not renewed it, last few issues I skipped more then half of the content because I couldn't be bothered to read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithy Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I too felt that the paper quality was way down in this issue, it was the same as what they have used for the classifieds for the past few months. It is a shame as I thought that over the last six months there had been some cracking issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Got the Nov & Dec issues together today (I forgot to renew my subscription!)/ I'm still happy to fork out the annual sub fee as I find it next to impossible to get hold of MMI in the shops and their on-line ordering system seems to have a black hole in it somewhere as every time I try nothing happens.. But this digresses... Both mags had, for me, interesting articles to read - even if they changed the name of Digby Smith of the 9th Company group to Dave (does Trigger from OFAH now write for MV??) :rofl: Now to wait for the next edition of Windscreen!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastblock Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Windscreen arrived here today and it was nice to see my old Gaz on the cover. That, and the coverage in CMV has really made my day even if I don't own it anymore. My current Gaz has a more erm.. "functional" look but a nicer hood from proper canvas. I must convince Bill to buy one for AMJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryH57 Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 The trouble with magazines is that they start well with good articles and a lot of interest from the readers and so number of magazines sold is good, then interest drops off a little as it's no longer new, and with a drop in sales the amount of space given over to advertising starts to increase. Then the articles suffer and the sales go down and the price goes up. This is what I think has happened to Flypast magazine. It used to be interesting to read but now its like a collection of adverts inter-dispersed with a few short articles with little depth. For the price I'd rather go to a discount book shop I know that sells end of line military & aviation books for about the same price. The shop even had a good sized book on the German Army on Eastern Front Summer 1944 (Operation Bagration?) for about £7.99 full of Bundesarchiv photos! As for CMV it needs to stick with CLASSIC MVs and avoid quasi article / adverts such as that I saw for a Rangler Jeep pretending to be a serious MV - that also appeared in MMI magazine too. I like to see restoration articles with before and after photos, stories about the use of vehicles in conflict such as those that CMV did on the LRDG and coverage of MV shows. However they could do more features on a particular type of vehicle either in service from a historical point of view or as a feature on a preserved type and tell readers what its like to run, the costs and the availabilty of spares etc. We don't always know about the problems or sucesses owners face if they drive something different from ourselves. What bores me the most in military magazines are articles on some obscure prototype vehicle that never went in to service or articles where the writer drones on as if they like the sound of their own voice and never gets to the point - or articles that are too short; a bit like having Soviet Armour of WW2 covering just two pages! For the moment Britain at War Magazine is my choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 (edited) I've been keeping my nose out of this particular thread, because I know that I'll find it difficult to keep my latin temperament at bay, but here goes... The problem with CMV is quite simple, and it's basically due to what's best termed as the "good enough" sindrome. I'm a subscriber to CMV and have been disappointed in the quality of their articles from the word go. Obviously, being a refugee from Wheels and Tracks means that one's expectations are inevitably pretty high, and given that the pressure and time constraints on having to provide a monthly issue must be enormous, I still feel that there is very little excuse in producing articles with absolutely no depth on such a regular basis. I mean, honestly, it's not as though there's not enough scope, is there? I remember that a couple of years ago they did an "in depth" (ha!) overview of military Morris Commercials - it lasted two (or was it three?) issues, and was laughable, nothing more than a collection of photos (very) loosely strung together with some inane text. I know that this sounds harsh, but seeing as I write articles for Italian classic motorcycle magazines on a pretty regular basis, I feel that I can permit myself the luxury of judging others efforts. Perhaps their contributor base isn't wide enough to allow for the sort of work that the late, great Bart Vanderveen used to regale us with, but the fact is that a well researched and well written article on just about anything is guaranteed to be absolutely riveting (does anybody remember the article on Le Tournaux graders in W&T? - brilliant stuff - and of absolutely no immediate interest to yours truly). Rant over, I'll go to bed now Edited November 28, 2009 by Stefano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griff66 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 being a new buyer of cmv starting with the 100 edition bought after a trip to the tank museum i can feel the quality going down this months is also printed on (dec) lower cost paper adding a rather cheap feel to the mag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 The best thing to do guys is to give CMV your feedback as I am sure they would appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoggyDriver Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I have to agree with the above couple of readers. I mentioned that it must be hard for the magazine to produce fresh articals on a monthly basis, but thinking about it, the Editor hasn't really got to look that hard. I'm sure at any one time there are lots of projects on the go of people restoring various types of military vehicles and who themselves, keep a record of how the project has gone with photographs etc. All they need to do is put a request in the magazine for people to submit their photo's and articals on their own projects, how they source parts, how long the jobs take, any problems along the way etc. I would find this much more interesting. I certainly would love to have my truck in there, but the owner must be prepaired to put in the leg work and do all the research he/she can on the facts of the vehicle. I remember when I used to buy Land Rover Owner magazine. Also I think more technical information would be welcome. I would like to see articals on engine rebuilds, a "How To" section such as replacing wheel bearings on an M35A2 for instance. It doesn't have to be like a technical manual, but it would give prospective owners an idea if their mechanical skills are up to the job of looking after a military vehicle. Has anyone noticed on the "The Military-Vehicle Price Guide" that according to this, the Bedford MJ/MK has a PETROL engine???? This mistake has been in the magazine for years, and still not rectified. Little things like this do my head in. Attention to detail is everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoggyDriver Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 The best thing to do guys is to give CMV your feedback as I am sure they would appreciate it. Jack, I wrote an in depth email to John Blackman on Tuesday about the quality of the paper, the fact the centre pages seem to fall out (well they do in mine) and various other issues I thought I would bring to his attention. As of today I still haven't received a reply on the subject. Maybe if the other forum members also send in an email on their views we might be able to achieve something. We all want to see the magazine a success so I'm hoping Mr Blackman takes on board our concerns... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Also I think more technical information would be welcome. I would like to see articals on engine rebuilds, a "How To" section such as replacing wheel bearings on an M35A2 for instance. It doesn't have to be like a technical manual, but it would give prospective owners an idea if their mechanical skills are up to the job of looking after a military vehicle. When the magazine started it did have a "how to" section as i recall. Started with some good basics like how to change engine oil and filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Burley Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 The best thing to do guys is to give CMV your feedback as I am sure they would appreciate it.I dont think we need to. As i'm sure the people from CMV will see this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I dont think we need to. As i'm sure the people from CMV will see this thread. John Blackman is a member of the forum & pops in every now & then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryo Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I agree , the price is too high for the mag , as an MVT member i find the club magazine windscreen much better , i work for landrover and everytime i read CMV it seems to have alot of page space devoted to them , which can get a little too much for me ! i,m not knocking the landrover but i work with them all day and really prefer not to spend my hard earned money on a mag that seems to always have lots of landrover articals ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 In defence of MMI and CMV it must be very hard to find enough good articles to fill them every Month. You either have to rely on contributors which will of course cost you money, or write the articles yourself. However with the wealth of knowledge available and the number of knowledgable people ever increasing, it must be impossible for the editors to be the most knowledgable on all these subjects. With forums such as this, the Monthlys can immediately come in for a bashing. With W&T, Bart was probably the worlds most knowledgable person on his subject and wrote all the articles himself. Then, there was no medium like this forum to analyse his work or discuss it. It makes a tricky situation for the Ian and John. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I dont think we need to. As i'm sure the people from CMV will see this thread. That may be so but it is the polite thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blackman Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I've had someone kindly point me in the direction of thread, specifically that I'd not replied to an email from Loggydriver. Well, I would if I'd have seen it. As I work from home, emails to cmv.ed@kelsey.co.uk are 'bounced' to me. I've not seen this one, and I've pm'd Loggydriver asking him to copy it to my home address. I don't ignore any emails except from Nigerian Princes and vendors of small blue pills. Anyway... paper. Trust me when I say that: a) I knew nothing about the change of paper until the magazine floated (it usually drops) through my letter box. b) No-one was more disappointed than I about the change. Believe it or not - and some of you obviously don't - an enormous amount of time and effort goes into trying to make the mag a good product; to see it end up on flimsy stock is, frankly, frustrating at best. You can guess what I call it at worst. I had a word with the boss straight away and the result is that CMV is going back to the other paper stock from the next issue. Oddly, no complaints were received by me from readers; but they didn't have to complain. I already complained for them. Next... price increase. I mention this in the next issue's editorial but I'll give you the head's up now. The price increase was imposed literally as the last issue went to press. I had no opportunity to mention it in the editorial so, in the next issue, I apologise in retrospect. Next... content. This is something that is on my mind all the time and again it is coincidentally mentioned in the next issue's editorial following someone saying to me that there was too much coverage devoted tanks and that our D-Day coverage all but ignored Brit & Commonwealth mvs (complete nonsense!). While the aim would be to please everyone all the time, the realistic hope is to please most of the people most of the time. If you read back through the postings on this thread you will see conflicting suggestions.. for instance that there should be a higher percentage of WW2 mvs AND there should be a higher percentage of post-war. You'll also see a posting from someone who dislikes features on obscurities, and someone else who believes CMV should be more like W&T (which certainly wasn't short on obscurities)... and so on. Faced with so many conflicting suggestions, all you can do, in my opinion, is to be true to yourself and produce a good solid, commercial, mix of subjects in the hope that the majority of MV enthusiasts will receive the result with an open mind. They may have a preference for a particular type of vehicle or era, but are interested in all aspects to a degree. Thankfully, I think this is generally the case. And some posts here reflect that. While on the subject of content, the major thing that concerns me is how few competent and willing contributors turn up with possible material. Indeed, you may have noticed that both CMV and MMI share a couple of contributors. I'm extremely grateful to have the likes of David Fletcher, David Doyle and Pat Ware - to name but three - contributing to CMV, but I welcome hearing from anyone else with the knowledge, who can write, source the necessary pix etc etc for very little reward (and the occasionally kicking from readers who don't care for their chosen subject). It is not as easy as it might seem and I know of more than one person who has ended up staring at a blank computer screen for hours before finally giving up. I can't blame them. I could waffle on, but I won't other than to agree with the sentiment I think Jack expressed. Have a good moan on here if you want, but I am interested in feedback and the best and most polite way to feedback is to do it direct. Best regards John Blackman Editor CMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berna2vm Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 I enjoy the magazine and it is the only one of the genre I purchase. I do tire of Land Rover features in nearly every edition, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Burley Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 John. Thankyou for your response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Runflat wouldnt it be best emailed to John directly? "I could waffle on, but I won't other than to agree with the sentiment I think Jack expressed. Have a good moan on here if you want, but I am interested in feedback and the best and most polite way to feedback is to do it direct." Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Runflat wouldnt it be best emailed to John directly? "I could waffle on, but I won't other than to agree with the sentiment I think Jack expressed. Have a good moan on here if you want, but I am interested in feedback and the best and most polite way to feedback is to do it direct." Just a thought. Agreed That post has now been removed Rick.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Ok I think were all done here & some good point have been made that I'm sure John will give them some though. Anything else you would like to discuss please contact John directly as he requested. Thread closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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