82 replies to this topic

[mini1071s]

I also have to vouch for this guys knowledge, he talked me through the potential of megasquirt on a turbo engine!!! and he lives close.
:tongue:

java script:emoticon(':grin:')Thanks for the kind words. I lost all my old email when my laptop was stolen, I thought this was you, (if you see what I mean!). I'd like to know how it went and if I have someone to race at Portreath airfield next year?!

[Dom]

I like the sounds of a new mini magazine that would cover the points mentioned by jammy basturd, I totally agree.

When and how are you going to get into production?

[Brawlyrox]

1071, I get the clubby I wish to use for the project on Friday, gonna get bodywork sorted then its onto engine, still very much undecided, altho gotta dare i say it K-series knocking about :fear: I will be at mad drag along with my dad in the caterham next year

[mini1071s]

I like the sounds of a new mini magazine that would cover the points mentioned by jammy basturd, I totally agree.

When and how are you going to get into production?

Well, timing depends on if I decide there is enough demand to go ahead at all and what people want.

I am already a partner in a design and media company, we have all the equipment, all the programs, Quark, indesign, etc etc and a team of creatives to design and publish and a friend who runs a printing firm.

My partners daily job is magzine design and she publishes one locally for her firm so we are not new to this by any means. The media company is part time at the moment, we both have other jobs we love.

You won't be able to buy the magazine through smiths at the start, it will be bought from our website which is already designed and waiting to go. This may change though as demand reaches the point it is worthwhile but remember cutting out the middle man means a cheaper magazine for you!

Smiths want so much money it would make the magazine very expensive so I would rather do it this way through the people like you, (if you like it!), who are real enthusiasts via the web and forums.

The first run will be limited to test the demand. After all, I stand to lose thousands of pounds on this if no one wants it so I need to be sure there is the demand, or I will end up with a lifetime supply of fire lighters!

It will be good though, I can promise you that much! This is just the start of the market research so please feel free to ask for anything you would specifically like to see. People will also be able to vote for upcoming articles on our website when it is up and running so I hope we can keep in touch with what people really want.

[mini1071s]

1071, I get the clubby I wish to use for the project on Friday, gonna get bodywork sorted then its onto engine, still very much undecided, altho gotta dare i say it K-series knocking about :fear: I will be at mad drag along with my dad in the caterham next year

Well if you want a hand, you know where I am!

[Brawlyrox]

maybe make a good feature for your mag complete 1.4k conversion on megasquirt, could inc the low down covering everything to do with megasquirt!!! see this mag writes itself lol

[Will]

Smiths want so much money it would make the magazine very expensive so I would rather do it this way through the people like you, (if you like it!), who are real enthusiasts via the web and forums.

The good thing is though, if we thought something was C**p or you'd missed something out, you would listen to us, unlike the bigger magazines (at the moment) who dont seems to make many drastic changes.

[Jammy]

OT but have you got a Cooper S?

[mini1071s]

The good thing is though, if we thought something was C**p or you'd missed something out, you would listen to us, unlike the bigger magazines (at the moment) who dont seems to make many drastic changes.

Thats the idea yes! You have to have some sympathy for the other mini mags as they sell a shed load of mags and will get a lot of resistance from owners and share holders to change. I'm not in it to make a million, I have a nice job already. I want to provide a good service to the mini scene and print what people want. You will in effect get exactly what you want, as I answer to no one else but me and the readers.

[mini1071s]

maybe make a good feature for your mag complete 1.4k conversion on megasquirt, could inc the low down covering everything to do with megasquirt!!! see this mag writes itself lol

Hmmm...nice idea!

[Geehawk]

Really cant vote as it would need an "I'd buy it once and see what its like" option, but if it features cars that have had a lot of hard work put into them, with proper articles that don't concentrate on the cost of the "mega-flip-pearl" paint, chances are I'd buy it more than once.

Oh and no 8 pages of rolling road shootouts. Boooooring.

[Jake Blues]

MiniWorld gradually getting closer to Max Power
Oh and no 8 pages of rolling road shootouts. Boooooring.

I think that is the wrong way round looking back through the last few copies of each mag......

Anyway, to counter the techies that have contributed so far.........what I like to see, and what I always look for first is.......clubs, shows and people I might know or have been too! The disappointment of being at a really good show and then the magazines only having one page of piccies which usually are of highly polished, never driven garage dwellers instead of the people that drive them and make up the bulk of the Mini scene. And I really like the Rolling Road articles!!

Personally, if I want to know how to do something, on a Mini, as I am an experiential, hands-on learner I will ask someone to show me (usually Scurvy ), then do it myself (if I can't get Scurvy to do it :tongue: ) not look at pictures.

PS are we getting paid for all this free market research??!!!

[mini1071s]

Really cant vote as it would need an "I'd buy it once and see what its like" option, but if it features cars that have had a lot of hard work put into them, with proper articles that don't concentrate on the cost of the "mega-flip-pearl" paint, chances are I'd buy it more than once.

Oh and no 8 pages of rolling road shootouts. Boooooring.

Well thats OK, I'm not asking anyone to commit to a lifetime subscription or anything! The first issue if it goes ahead would be an experiment for comment anyway. LOL at the flip paint!

[Guess-Works.com]

Blimey talk about catch up.... I must have blinked and missed this post...

To add my empty pockets worth..

Recently I've been VERY disillusioned with the magazines, and have given up my MiniWorld subscription. The reasons we basically I was fed up of paying 3 ish pounds a month for something which was 95% the same as the months before. The only bits I found myself reading were, the club articles, the letters to the editor, and very occasionally the tech section to pick holes in them..

What I would like is probably not a magazine but, as Jammy has so expertly said, something which is going to tell me about the mini scene, and inform me of event. One which is in touch with local MOC’s and keeping the heart and soul of owning and running a mini.

How to guides, we try here to fulfill that requirement with the FAQ’s, how to’s and the TMF_CD, which is a PDF driven system of documents. The issue with these are, time and the need for someone to be performing the activity to actually take the pictures for the guide.

But saying all the above, makes me realise that a magazine is never going to be reactive enough and is why I like the online nature of a forum.

[Gogobroom]

I like the idea of a more technically orientated magazine - I have been purchasing the Mini Mags for the last few months and am pretty dissappointed with the contents - "Mini Magazine" is nearly 50% commercial advertising and the articles included are general and not really Technical - I dont think you could learn too much from these - The commercial adverts are pretty much the same every month and it seams you are paying £3.60 to read the same things each month.

When MiniWorld first came out . ooohhh back in my Mini days - I bought religioulsy and was mesmorised by the articles and the adverts for products, but after a few years, even back then, it became too commercial.

On the other hand as it has been mentioned above I think that to get a good balance of informative articles alongside projects and advertising would be almost impossible - therefore the subscription idea of purchasing the information online would be more advantagous to most people.

In Magazines these days it all depends on what the "Majority" want and the minority seem unimportant - its all good and well having a technical orientated magazine for those with little or no knowledge, but for the people that have a higher understanding it wouldn't be worth it.

Ohh I dont know am starting to confuse myself so I will shut up now.