to review models, do I have to buy them my self, or can you you guys set-up a free "/review copy" or sonmething, or would I have to ask that question to TAMIYA? Cuz it would be cool to review models I got for free

I'm not 100% sure but I believe that the samples are sent to the editors and they, in turn, send them to the reviewers. However you don't get a choice of freebie. You might get stuck with a house our an animal and not always a vehicle.
But in order to become a reviewer you must show you have the ability to do a good job. This usually means submitting your own usuable reviews for a while. If the editors notice you have ability, they may ask you if you would like to volunteer. As I stated you get what you get whether it's your field or not.

Ill do it !

I suggest you read the responses in a similar thread that started earlier this weekend: Review Samples.

Bottom line up front, when the site started in 2001, all of us original members reviewed kits we purchased ourselves. It wasn't until about a year or so ago that we started getting "free" review samples. Companies sent them to the webmaster and subject editors. They in turn directed the samples to other staff members for review or reviewed the kits themselves.

Those staff members had been volunteering their review services to the site for years before they "earned" the benefit of getting free samples to review. Mainly early staff members did good reviews and caught the attention of companies. Those companies contacted the staff members or review writers to offer kits in order to review them.

There are a few staff members who have the authority to contact manufacturers in the name of Armorama. All of the major manufacturers/retailers/distributors already have been contacted and have a specific staff member they work with. I'm one of the original ten members, and even I do not have the authority to contact companies in Armorama's name. I have been contacted by companies and sent items. Some stuff I sent to others, some stuff I reviewed.

A non-staff member contacting a manufacturer using Armorama's name in order to get freebies, even if you intend on reviewing it for the site, is basically defrauding the company since you don't have the authority to speak for the site.

I'll add what RobG (Sabot) said, those of us who review regularly, DON'T always review material sent by manufacturers. In my case (with almost 70 reviews published here), the OVERWHELMING majority are items that I have purchased myself.

So, if your intention is to fill your shelves with 'Freebies', put that notion out of your mind right now - it's NOT going to happen.

Also, please don't see reviewing as an easy way to get free kits (or anything else). Reviewing, according to the site's criteria, is VERY difficult indeed. A typical review of a book or a figure set will take a minimum of 4 hours work plus rewriting and editing. A major review (new AFV kit for example) will be a minimum of 9-10 hours work. Also, prior knowledge and reference material of the subject is MANDATORY...

Please begin by understanding what a review is and isn't:

1) It's not an advert for a company's product.

2) It's a technical evaluation of a product, done from a modeller's point of view.

3) It's not a list.

Finally, can I re-emphasize Sabot's words:




ALL of the manufacturers have a list of contacts for this site....Jim

I would just add to what Rob and Jim -said .
Totaly Correct

Here is related reading on the subject
https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/74548&page=1

I can confirm what Jimbrae and the rest of the lads have said...

I've done well over 30 reviews and all subject kits were purchased by me. No feebies.

I don't know of anyone on site that rushed out and bought a kit just so it could be reviewed....

Basically its... if you have a kit in your stash, new or otherwise, that may be of interest to others on site, then a review might be a good idea.

Cheers
Peter
:-)

Hi all!

I can confirm that! if your mother language isn't English, add a few more hours and if it is a book, even more. Doing reviews can easily "eat away" your building time!
This process must be seen as a "journalistic" experience. If you like to write and share informations, it will be pretty easy and enjoyable. If you do it only to receive samples, you will do it like an obligation and it will become a job! That's not what modelling is supposed to be for me.

Jean-Luc

ted:

U hit the nail right on the head. If it aint going to be fun anymore and u are forced to do it, then it aint worth it.

William, hit your stash and start reviewing. I always use our review section to help make decisions.

William, a couple of suggestions....

Write up the review on a program like Microsoft Word and then have someone close to you, either a parent or a significant other, do a thorough edit of your review. It will amaze you how much of your initial review often gets re-witten.

A good digital camera and a scanner help in the process, if you have lousy photos, the text of the review, regardless of how well it's written, will be pretty well wasted.

good luck,

Frank

Hi William

I'll be monotonous and add to the chorus of agreement here.




I would actually say Jim is erring very much on the light side. Books, in particular, take a long time because, believe it or not, you actually have to READ them! :-) I must admit I'm not the fastest reader in the world, but I reckon on at least a week to read most books properly - and then the work of writing a review begins.

Kits usually take me a day or so for an "In Box Review" - there's the inevitable hunt through my shelves of references, plus a web search in many cases, a photo shoot and subsequent picture-editing session. Then there's the assessment of the parts followed by a test-build and more writing... and then uploading all the pics and posting the review - it all adds up...

Something no-one's mentioned; don't make the mistake of viewing samples as "free". I can't always choose what's sent to me and, more often than not, they actually end up costing me money. For kits, I often have to buy additional references and, if they're accessories, I sometimes have to buy the kit they're intended for to judge their suitability.

I can only speak for Aircraft, but I'm trying to expand our pool of reviewers - which also has its cost. I personally spent well over £100 last month sending out review samples and I expect that's true of our other editors.

I love reviewing for Armorama - and like others I began by simply sending in reviews of new kits as I bought them. I feel privileged to receive samples now - but, as the others have said, it's certainly not a way to stock the shelves for free. :-)

So William - after all that waffle and discouragement - get the camera out and start writing about the kits your own kits as you buy them. We are always looking for fresh writing talent - it's the life-blood of the site. Armorama works like a magazine - if you prove you're capable, we'll notice.

All the best

Rowan

To add a little to what's already been said on both threads about reviews:

Although we all have the overwhelming desire to review that latest and greatest kit with all the bells and whistles that just been announced or released, a little more reality, and understanding that every day there are new people joining the hobby, or returning looking for reviews on lots of older, and unreviewed kits.

A visit through the review sections, and your stash, will help in this area, also remember that there can be more than one review of a subject. There are really hundreds of kits out there that the site could use reviews on. Not just the latest and greatest since sliced bread ones being released, and soon to appear on your local hobby shops shelves.

Remember that when you are writing your review that you are actually presenting your opinion of the kit, good, bad, or indifferent. NOT everyone is going to agree with your evaluation, or opinion. Please don't take it personal, or as an attack on you. Others do have the right to disagree with your evaluation without an argument. They just might know a little more about the subject than YES even you the reviewer.

Good luck, and remember to enjoy what your are doing.

Frank's suggestion about writing the text of your review as a Word document (or similar) before uploading is a very useful idea. It allows you to tweak the content before submission, and acts as a check on spelling and grammar.

Also acts a backup if your original review disappears off into the ether. As happened to me...

Hi David

I quite agree; definitely don't type directly into the on-line form - it's a recipe for disaster! I did it the first time I ever submitted a review... and after losing all my text three times I was nearly in tears! :-)

Write your review off-line and then cut 'n paste it into the form - it's so much easier.

All the best

Rowan