I would like to know what makes the membership take the time to reply to news, reviews and feature posts. I ask as there has been a big drop off in those taking the time to reply to a post and while staff take it on the chin the members who have taken the time to write a review or provide a feature think "What's the point". The result of this is a drop off in the number of members willing to send articles in and so making you all poorer.

I generally only reply to articles on 1/35 German WWII vehicles or 1/32 WWII aircraft as that is what I build.

Hi Daren
as one who has the RFM Sherman build going on now, let me say that it is encouraging to hear from the readers what they think about my builds.
I like to help, sometimes I get it wrong to.
I wasn't going to do this anymore, but gave it one last shot.
Donald

So much has moved to Facebook groups. This Armorama website is much easier to search and see grouped subjects. The photo issue has long been discussed. I just assume that folks have moved to other platforms for discussions. There are FB groups for a lot of what goes on here. I still do KitMaker Network, FB and other websites as time allows. Keep on keeping on!

Besides bieng in a funk for the last several monhs, and building nothing, it's summer... that means all the outside chores, plus a bathroom remodel that are getting done.

I wish I could shake this funk, but it's been ongoing for months now.

For me it's generally the things/genres I have an immmediate interest in as I don't have anywhere near enough time to go through everything I'd like to... But today is day 1 of holidays so hopefully I will have some more me time😉
Sometimes I don't really have much more to add and don't like just adding a comment for the sake of it.
HTH
P

Guilt. Massive amounts of guilt.

You‘re right, Darren, I also don‘t reply to especially news and reviews as often as I could/should. A lack of time is also responsible in my case, that and my job requires me to answer too many emails, so at the end of the day I can‘t bear to face any screen, even for something good. I often lack the energy to even comment on other builds in the campaigns I‘m participating in.

Facebook and other social media might well be playing a role in the dropoff as well, but as a Facebook/social media refusenik, I can‘t judge this with any accuracy.




Matt, I‘m sorry to hear that - I hope you can shake that soon.

Jerry

If there is something I think is worth contributing to a discussion.

Even if it's what others may consider a silly joke. The only thing I take seriously is that nothing is to be taken seriously. (Amazing how my autocorrect knew the words of that phrase)

For me the things I choose to respond to ebb and flow. I'm not a World War II modeler. I'm strictly into modern armor. When I go into the forums the first thing I do is click on "Latest posts". If there's a news item or review about a Panther or a Tiger tank (as examples) I pretty much pass over it since it's not in my area of interest.

I try to contribute what I can to the discussion even with my meager skills and welcome any hints and advice on my own work.

Darren,
For me it comes down to my own narrow interests and time. I generally reply to those things I'm interested in--and it's NOT German WWII Armor subjects, of which a large portion of the modeling industry seems to focus on. I also notice an ever growing area of modern Eastern Block armor material, which I'm also not much interested in. And as someone mentioned above, nice weather doesn't make for a lot of net surfing time. I skim Armorama for topics and product reviews about twice daily, but often go several days without seeing anything I'm interested in-- of course that's not Armorama's or Kitmaker's problem-- it's mine. However, I've noted an increasingly "cringeworthy" phenomenon of negative and personal attacks and "off topic" discussions within many review postings. This has a chilling effect on my interest, and has caused me several times to consider if my time could be better spent elsewhere. For some reason, this lack of civility seems more pronounced on Armorama than it is on other Kitmaker sites (but it does occasionally appear too). Is this perhaps driving folks away from a great modeling resource?
VR, Russ

It's been said but if I'm not interested in the subject I typically don't read the content.
Today a Facebook post about a news post drew me in and I decided to have a look around. The news articles are typically well written, I want to know who, what subject, what scale, cost and availability... Assuming the news post has most of that there's not usually much I feel is worth replying because replying "neato, I want this" to all pertinent news posts seems a bit silly.

Additionally, summer is so short in Canada, I haven't touched an xacto knife in weeks, barely skimmed one or two articles or posts here, there are just too many other things on my plate.

I understand the frustration of feeling like you're shouting at the wind and getting no feedback though, it's an awful feeling.

I wish to make clear I am not trying to have a dig at anyone either specifically or generally. I am trying to get an idea of what it is the membership wants or needs in order to participate in written form. I have been trying to add videos to some of my reviews of late hoping that it may attract further interest with no effect.

I understand that time of year, subjects and time period dictate what you even look at on the network and accept that, but through the feedback I get here, try to add more of what it takes for members to type a comment or reply beyond the obvious.

I generally check this website daily. I may only check the posts that i am following but I do use this sit on a daily basis. I fact my boss(wife) wanted me to drop it but stood my ground and refused. I enjoy reading many posts and while i do not generally respond to them i do use this site regularly. As with others Canadian summers are short so outside work comes first.Also like some I am in building funk,I have not touched a kit in months but I am trying to get back into the swing of things.

For those in a Funk as you put it, pick up a Tamiya kit throw some glue at it and paint. Funk fixed.

Hi, Darren!

I think that the answer(s) to your questions can be put as being "manifold". First of all, yes it IS summer after all, and the readers in many areas are experiencing the time of year where vacations, outdoor activities and work come into play. Unless it's a really rainy Summer in some areas, modelers I think, will not put a "priority" on building their models during the Summer months, no matter how interesting and compelling the subject matter may be, or how many of their un-built model kits are languishing in storage. I regularly visit ARMORAMA's "NEWS", and "sister-sites", as well as the "competition", and I find that the "Summer doldrums" have more or less settled in there, as well.

Then, there is the "Summer let-down" where model manufacturers just aren't releasing anything "ground-breaking"-enough to elicit as much interest as they have over the last few months. Think for a moment- Many model manufacturers' employees are also going on their Summer vacations, so we probably won't start seeing anything really new until the Autumn, at the very earliest. Yes, we've had a few new kits that were announced six months ago come to fruition by finally being released, but a couple of new kits do not a Summer make. This also directly correlates to "subject matter"...

Let me try to explain myself. Recently, some of us have been fortunate enough to see the new 1/35 MINIART M3 Lee and Grant Mk.I kits come to fruition. We all know that most of ARMORAMA's readers are card-carrying "Panzer-Heads", so a new M3 Lee or a Grant Mk.I isn't going to make any big waves as far as "reader-response" is concerned. Ergo, only a few pages were devoted to these new kits' announcements and the readers' responses to said releases. A short time ago, there was a "kind-of-small splash" with "The Year of the Sherman"-thing, what with the new MENG and RYE FIELD 1/35 Sherman kits, but nowhere near the response from readers that the sudden deluge of the various brand-new 1/35 (MENG, TAKOM, RYE FIELD et al) Panthers, Jagdpanthers and Bergepanther kits have received. Again, it's "subject-matter". In the last few months, aside of the new BORDER Pz.IV kits and TAMIYA's new "Hummel", nothing really "earth-shattering" has been coming forth from the model manufacturers as far as WWII German subject-matter is concerned, so yes, the WWII German-fans have also been quiet- That means, no "buzz"...

Money... Model kits' pricing have been steadily increasing, which means that modelers have been a little bit more "tight-fisted" with their hard-earned cash. No money, no model-buying. This is an ongoing thing, so we're all just going to have to get used to the situation and "suck it up". Enough "belly-aching" has been done on this site about model-pricing to last for the next twenty years or so, so we don't need any more of that nonsense for a while...

Response-time to "NEWS", "REVIEWS" and "BUILD-FORUMS". Again, let me refer back to "subject-matter". I check the "/news" at ARMORAMA, the other KIT MAKER Network "sister-sites" and also at at least a half-dozen "other" modeling sites, and the "/news" is dead-slow-to-downright-BORING, EVERYWHERE...

What "/news" there is consists of announcing few new decal-sets and some obscure after-market stuff, along with a few new kits here and there of not very familiar subjects that modelers really haven't been waiting for with baited-breath. Yes, there are a couple of exceptions, but these exceptions just aren't breaking new ground. We will shortly be seeing the AIRFIX re-boxings of over a half-dozen 1/35 ACADEMY Armored subjects. But these will not really be anything NEW, aside of "possibly" a few "new" parts and/or decal sets. I'm not knocking AIRFIX, because in the last few years, they've been releasing some pretty darned-good plastic as far as their 1/48 Aircraft kits are concerned. But don't all of you think that AIRFIX might have broken some new ground if they had announced or released some new 1/35 kits that have never been done before? If they had, THAT ALONE could have created a lot more "buzz", and we might have had more to talk about this Summer. There again, the other model manufacturers could have done the same, but... They didn't...

There is also THIS to say: Summer generally turns into a time when people tend to let their hair down a bit, after all of the rushing around that they do during the rest of the year. They want to relax, and when they have the opportunity, they will. That also means dropping the model-building and related computer-time for a bit. Apathy..? Yeah, maybe. They also want to get outside and not spend a lot of time at their workbenches and computers, unless they are real moles...

In conclusion, I'd like to say that there are still enough different subjects, genres and scales where many modelers find the model manufacturers lacking in imagination regarding forthcoming model kits. But how many more "want lists" need to be published here on ARMORAMA and on other modeling sites? If we want really "new" stuff, it's the model manufacturers that need "enlightening", not US. WE know what we want and we don't need to tell each other the same thing over and over again, ad infinitum...

In short Darren, and the other editors, reviewers and contributors to what really amounts to a GREAT modeling site, it's NOT your fault that there isn't much new to talk about or build, even for lack of interest in some quarters. There are a few other sites that I visit where one won't see anything new at all for up to five days running, so don't feel at all bad...

Very well said...

HEAR, HEAR!

Thanks Donald, for taking the time to do that RFM Sherman!

Just a suggestion, but I would like to see more "How To" articles aired here on ARMORAMA and its "sister-sites". Even some of our most "experienced old-dog/grizzly bear modelers" could stand to learn new "tricks", and to see & learn how to use new products- I don't think a simple statement like, "OINGO-BOINGO HAPPY PAINT COMPANY" has announced a new paint that applies itself" is enough. If we actually saw this new "self-applying paint" applying itself, it could make things a bit more interesting, as well. I really enjoy the build-review articles, but I would also like to see more diversity in what is actually being built. We all know that the latest Panther kit is going to be assembled and painted in basically the same way as the last one. What many of the modelers don't know is how to do it with more varied subject-matter, i.e, the stuff that some of the rest of us are more interested in..

I generally only reply if I have something positive to say or can provide an answer or link to a question - I do that far less now as the effort often seems to be ignored. I agree with other posters that the subject matter has to be of interest to me and I don’t jump in on topics that have turned into food fights.

For a while I was trying to proactively respond to new member threads and such. I am generally interested in ships and cars and there are SO MANY THREADS ABOUT TANKS. What I don't know about tanks could fill a stadium let alone I feel I would have nothing to add to most of those threads.

I enjoy reading the reviews and like most have said, I just click on "Latest Posts" and see whats crackin.

I myself have been in a modeling slump since the birth of my child. With what little time I do get to myself, I rarely choose to build anything and instead invest the time with my wife. But I will try harder!

I never knew what Funk actually meant, but now i do so thanks for that- every day is a school day
I generally only post to praise other peoples work. I mainly use this excellent site to look for new releases that interest me in 1/35 armour.
I build one model a year and only during the winter months coz summer means harvest time for a farmer !

I comment the least on feature posts. I don't build much so I have nothing constructive to add. If it catches my eye, I might post a "Wow!", usually if the feature is a single vehicle.

I comment on news and review posts if it's something really new (a Tiger I, Zzzzzzz) or something replacing a bugger of a kit.

As for writing reviews, I don't look at the number of replies. It's the number of views that really matters. I know that most people are lurkers searching for information and I just hope they got something out of it.

For mainstream threads, I usually only reply if I feel I can contribute something or I feel that if someone takes the time to post a great review they are worthy of a reply. I do not read all threads, but I do read a lot of them, even on subjects I do not model myself. You can often learn little tips from the cross genre experience.

There are threads that I follow keenly and do add comments to show I am there! but I try to keep the commentary to relevance. I.e your Cromwell thread. There has been some great info posted there, I added my 2 cents in earlier, but am happy to lurk for a while until I feel a need to add more comment. Numerous "atta boy's" would just drive the thread owner crazy....

Group builds are a little different to me. They are supposed to be a group of people having fun, sharing their work and ideas, and encouraging everyone. I post a lot there as people supporting the build need to know that their contribution is appreciated.

Hi Darren. Very interesting question and replies.

My "profile" is that having been extensively involved in kit building in my youth there was then a lengthy hiatus of more years than I care to admit to before returning to the hobby some three years ago.

What I found was that in my prolonged absence the hobby had changed almost out of all recognition, not only in relation to the variety of kits and materials available, but also in the accessibility of information and tutorials to us. When I left the sole information came in the form of the Airfix Magazine on a monthly basis which may or may not have contained articles which were of interest, whereas now information could be obtained instantly courtesy of Goggle, which ironically when coupled with the rise in standard of the average modelers skills ,was almost intimidating, and daunting, and is has to be said a little deflating when compared with my own efforts.

I "lurked" around a number of sites for a few months (and indeed I still do so on other sites) before concluding that this was by far the best for me, and this is the only site on which I will comment. Even then it took some time before I had the confidence to do so, and similarly the first group build I entered was earlier this year. This is simply because the level of expertise and knowledge of some of the regular posters on here is far in excess of mine, although I will post if I think I can be helpful.

It is interesting looking at the replies in this thread that the "usual suspects" such as Dennis and Stephen have replied,(who are always entertaining and informative) but so have some others, and what is clear is that each member accesses the site for their own reasons. It may be that to some extent the site is a victim of its own success in that it is used as a resource for information only.

With regard to other points that have been raised I do not agree that the site to any great extent suffers from personality clashes and in fact it is far better than most in that respect. I also personally do not object to a thread where the discussion wanders off topic as to some extent that is inevitable given the nature of a discussion itself as long as it is brought back on track at some stage.

I do think that social media such as Facebook is having an impact on all websites and indeed on all retail markets, which are suffering an erosion of their business, but I do not see how that can be countered (any bright ideas on that score will be gratefully received). I would say that the internet and social media is increasingly being accessed by mobile phone and tablet, and having been on holiday recently where my access was restricted to my phone, the site in my experience was not good.

The comments about the site bring seasonable at first sight appear to be in point, depending on the period of time this issue has been apparent. If there has been a noticeable drop off over a period of say 6 months, then that would be more concerning.

As I stated in my comment in your thread about the Bronco Ram, I do like the link to the Tank Museum's Tank Chat, which provides the member with more information on the prototype should they choose to do so.

In general, I think the site is quite simply the best out there. It may require some minor tweaking, but that would be all.