Hello,
I got aware that Armorama isn’t accepting unsolicited reviews since around half a year because my lately transmitted review was rejected for that reason. To my point of view, one of the greatest advantages of Armorama was that everyone could send reviews. That gave me an excellent chance to reed independent reviews of a wide range of items and not only something about the new releases of and sponsored by the big ones. The reviews had a high standard because the authors published articles about themes where they were well informed. I think 3 or 4 editors can’t keep this standard (i.e. Centurion 105mm gun tank from AFV-Club) and the section got a bit single-sided in the meantime.
I would like to have this possibility back at Armorama!
So, what is your opinion in this case?

happy modeling
Harald

Hi Harald,
This has been discussed at some length before, and for the moment at least we're sticking with the way it is. The reasons for doing so are sound, and to be quite honest, I'm getting a bit sick of having to explain it every time somebody gets a bit upset because their review has been rejected.
You still have the opportunity, like every other user, to publish a review of a product in the forums, or beneath the site one. I am also hoping to begin a new section of user's reviews eventually.
The site owner, Jim Starkweather, would eventually like this site to be his full-time employment, and I for one support him with this aim. Refusing unsolicited reviews, such as yours, is one small step on the road to this. You will not be able to find a commercially produced modelling magazine of any size that accepts unsolicted reviews. The World doen't work like that. If it does, then eventually the magazine doesn't receive any more samples of products for reviews, and instead the manufacturers send all their samples to their friends, who write glowing reviews, which are then published.
The way we do it now is that the samples for review are sent to the person best qualified to review it, taking into account their geographical location, whether or not he's requested a review sample, and whether or not the person has the time and the inclination to write a review.
From time to time, certain people change their view on whether or not they think this is the best policy or not. However, as long as I am Managing Editor of the site, this will remain the policy for the reasons stated.

Vinnie

Harald, there are two points of view on this one.

Firstly, the Unsolicited argument follows closely the policy in most print magazines. This would hopefully create a 'demand' by manufacturers to submit their products for evaluation.

Secondly, the 'Open' policy allows people to submit reviews for approval. This allows more participation in the site by site-users (beyond the forums). It also permits a higher level of 'specialization' along with reviews of products which are available but not necessarily new releases.

My personal feeling is that the policy of the site should clearly be for the second. For a long time I strongly advocated the first.

It seems that the feeling of many people is that they (like you) would like to participate beyond the forums....

Everybody who wants to participate 'beyond the forums', can contribute to Features in the form of pictures for an On Display feature, or a build article, or a Technique feature, or Photographic Features...............the list goes on. Oh........they can also send me details of their particular spere of interest and request to be put on the Reviewer's List. I am particularly interested in hearing from people who are WWII Russian modellers.

Vinnie

Hello Vinnie,
i am a bit confused about your arguments. As i know is Armorama a subsidiary of Silver Star Enterprises, a company of Jim Starweather.
The fife parts of Armorama are Aeroscale, Armorama, Historicus Forma, Modelgeek and Model Shipwrights. When i am talking about Armorama i mention Armorama as part of Armorama. Correct me when i am wrong, but only one of the fife parts don't accept unsolicited reviews. It's the one you handle.
Why is it no problem to run the others so?

Harald

Ask their Managing Editors.

Vinnie

How does one get solicited for a review? Does one post it as a feature first and if it's interesting enough a formal invite is extended?

Alan, we've been here before as well. I asked for users who wish to review products to send me their details when we first began this policy. A lot of people who did have since reviewed products for the site.
Y'know, I'm getting a bit sick of being attacked all the time here. At the moment this job, which is unpaid, takes up most of my day, and we're not talking eight hours here, more like 16. Added to which I've sent products for review to users who have made off with them, been taken to task for the cost of postage for sending samples and prizes to people, attacked by other staff members for not doing things the way they want them. Ah well.......................carry on people......I've a thick skin.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if anybody thinks they know a better way of doing things........anything........they need to contact me privately and explain their thinking rationally and clearly. That way your view gets heard. To openly attack a policy in a forum just gets people defensive, and your original idea gets lost. Armorama is constantly evolving. It will continue to evolve long after I've gone. This site is here to stay because it's a fun place to be. It may be too serious for some, too light-hearted for others. It's a place where people can build models without ever owning a reference book. But it's also a place for people who always consult references before they cut a piece from a sprue. It's our hobby..........it's what we make it. Let's not lose that.

Vinnie

Damn Vinnie, 16 hours a day?!?! And I thought I needed to go to a meeting! I was going to ask you to come with me, but perhaps you'd like me to be your sponsor! LOL :-) Anyway, Im not here to break your stones, but only to present a possibility to this dilemma. Firstly, I think you have to be REALLY cheap to STEAL a review sample. Particularly when someone gives it to you for free in the first place to simply write a review on it. However, here is my solution. If youve got your hands full and would like others to do a review on a kit whcih they will eventually be able to keep anyway, why not charge a "security deposit" for the cost of the kit and shipping which would be refunded upon completion of a review? Anyway, Im not telling you how to run the site. Youre the editor, not me (and for 16 hours a day, I dont want to be either! LOL). Keep up the good work, and thanks for your efforts.

Gary

PS - if you ever want someone to do a review on modern subjects, drop me a line, and I will even give you a deposit if necessary!

Vinnie, I'm a bit confused and certainly not trying to harass you. Is the unsolilcited review policy only at the Armorama section but not, say HFM? If it's across the board, when did it change? I provided a review of a Thorsberg figure in September or October and it was posted.
Not a complaint, just a question.
And thanks for the work you and the rest of the staff do.
Al

Al, it's only at Armorama, and not a policy on any of the other sites at the moment. As those sites grow, who knows?

Vinnie

Thanks, Vinnie.

Hi Vinnie, Gary,

While I certainly cannot speak for other 'part' time contributors, whom have not put forth reviews on supplied merchandise. I can explain why I have only submitted one of two reviews for the P.E. sets mailed to me. I do not like to do 'out of box' reviews but prefer to build up the kit for a review. With an after market set, this entailed that I purchase the host kits, which I did. The first review, went well and was submitted promptly, which in turn was 'aired' by Vinnie equally promptly. The second P.E. set's host kit went together with much difficulty and eventually I got fed up with the kits shortcomings and my inability to work around them. I put forth about 20 hours of my time building this host model. I have felt guilty for not submitting the review of the Eduard P.E. set you sent me. ( a couple of photos below show the model in it's current state)

Vinnie, I apologize to you if you feel that I have somehow wronged you. This was not my intent, if you wish to have the P.E. sent back, let me know, and I'll return it along with a check for the postage fee on the initial package.

sincerely,
Frank

Not to butt in here, but I kind of see that the question hasn't been answered, at least not from a neutral Third Party's view.

Harald, this is not a rant or ramble at you. I just want to reply from a writer's and fellow modeler's standpoint, not as an admin, which I'm not.

OK, there's some "history" to the unsolicited reviews, which I'm not going to mention.

But think about it. By having solicited reviews, editors know for a fact who is reviewing: what, where, when, why, how, etc. It's a tracking and security feature, plain and simple. Book and magazine agents use this approach so that they won't be swamped by all these submissions, nor will there be a John Doe, Jon Doe, Toilet (John) Doe, Jonny Doe, J. Doe, John Dough, and John $$$ (dough) submitting.

Anyone who applies to a writing job knows that those jobs require certain criteria: grammar, spelling, degrees, experience, and maybe computer, finance, history, research, and some form of knowledge. While it's true that anyone can write (we've all been writing since Grade School), not many people care to write, want to write, are good at writing, or devote the time to write (I am speaking from experience here. Just recall all your classmates who didn't want to do homework or write that essay). So yes, lots of people want to write, but there are also a lot more readers (lurkers) than writers too. Every so often in the newspapers, there's an article about plagarism from a respected student or university. The issue is not because that student can't write, but maybe because that student didn't want to, or care to write, or had any ideas to write, and hence he or she copied from someone else and got caught. The same goes with recasts. Why bother sculpting a figure when one can steal it off someone else and pass as one's own? To write is work!

You can always post unofficial reviews online. That's how one may get selected to review...write first, get a writing job later. One can't get a writing job without writing first, or having something in writing to show for a job. Makes sense, eh? After all, reviewing for forums is not a SPEAKING job .

Thanks Peter, Frank..........I wasn't referrring to you, I know where you're at!

Vinnie

While I expressed my (personal) opinion in an earlier post, there is one thing that I have just noticed which should be rebutted:




Now, whatever one's opinions about solcited versus un-solicited, I'm not going to leave the above comment unanswered. Let me state categorically, that NO pressure is put on ANY reviewer by any supplier of review samples. Having posted around 120 reviews on this site, NOT ONCE have I (or anyone else) ever had any pressure put on me to write a 'Glowing' Review of ANY product. No-one 'sponsors' reviews and ALL reviews are completely independent. The site sponsors are pretty smart people and have NEVER made any attempt at editorial interference.

The reality is that most companies (who want to stay in business) will welcome criticism as a means of improving their product....

I just went to the SUBMIT REVIEW page and discovered that there is only one small bold line that says Unsolicited Reviews are not accepted. It even filled out my name and callsign automatically. I didn't press the submit button but I suspect that if I wrote something it might be transmitted. Perhaps if you made Review submissions page a private page there would be less confusion. Access would only be for those who are registered reviewers.



If you don't wish to make it private might I make the following suggestions? Here is the actual wording

“Submit Your Review [Guidelines]
Before you begin you should be aware that Armorama no longer accepts unsolicited reviews from our users. If you are submitting a review that is solicited please feel free to use this feature.”



I would also suggest rephrasing that last sentence in some fashion to encourage those unsolicited writers still wishing to submit an article to go to the FEATURE page, and provide a link to the Feature page.

BTW you used the word feature in that last sentence not referring to the features page.

Er............plain English. On the submit a review page it says we no longer accept unsolicited reviews. We don't want it to be a private page. Sometimes I will accept and publish an unsolicited review. It depends. We use our discretion.

Vinnie

Dry roasted peanuts. (this product may contain nuts)

That really seems to be the perfect answer then. It seems very straight forward that you will try to discourage unsolicited reviews, if for no other reason that you want to keep people from wasting their time. That's fine. If, and that's a big if, somebody wants to take the time to write and submit an article, that's up to them. If they write a really superb article, that meets your standards in every way, and you decide to post it, great. They may then be solicited for other reviews. This is the way it works in "the real world." If an writer wants to submit an unsolicited article to a magazine, they are most likely wasting their time, but they just might get noticed and published. Like winning the lottery.

I might be a little off topic here but how come additional Editors arent being recruited to help you out? I know you love this hobby and this site but do you love it 16 hours a day?

I know its been said many times and im sure you will never get bored hearing this but you certainly do deserve alot of credit for the contributions you have done to this site. I was particularly humbled when the last kit you sent me was clearly from your private stash which was the prize from the best forum thread. If i havent said it enough, here's saying it again, BIG THANKS for that.

Getting back on topic though, i am keen to see the User Review section created to store all these unsolicited reviews. I think thats the best way to please both the members and stay in line with Armorama's future vision of publishing official reviews.

Just a "Duh" idea.Would it be worthwhile for someone to contact an editor and state;
"I have the XYZ ausf 6 kit,by %^& co. Since I am going to construct it next,would you like a review?"
The modeler could build and photograph it as it is built,if they recieve a positive answer.If not,they could go about a simple build with no special effort to record the process,and just post pictures...
Or would there be to much E mail to an editor to do this?

Thanks Carl. That's a good solution and something only a couple of people have done.

Vinnie

Wow, I've been away and then this. I used to review when all the site were one and never this much stuff over submiting material to the site. I wasn't here when Vinnie posted the reviewers wanted message, and I probably would go along with Carl's suggestion before submitting a reveiw anyway. So how about shooting Vinnie or another editor a PM first and see if your stuff will get published. Also to the original grip of the latest and greatest being reviewed..... Search for the old stuff in the review section. I found an old review i did 3 years ago there. Please lets just use the system that's been established for a while now and send an email to see if it can be done first!! STUG