2021 AUTUMN SPECIAL

Ladies & Gentlemen

I understand than an AUTUMN SPECIAL issue of Model Engineers' Workshop will be published in early September 2021.

I have been advised (by [email protected]) that this issue will NOT be delivered to subscribers.

I simply can NOT understand the point of printing an issue of the magazine and NOT send that issue to your loyal subscribers.

Perhaps somebody could kindly explain.

MC Black

Many of the previous specials have not been included in a subscription. Often a special exclusive deal with the likes of WHSmith but I'm sure one could be ordered separately and posted if paid for separately

Edited By JasonB on 03/03/2021 14:13:49

Very many thanks for your prompt and courteous response.

Since I'm Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and it's quite unlikely (in my view) that the world will be back to normal by September, there's no way that I am going to risk visiting a shop.

How will one find out how one can obtain the "SPECIAL" issue?

MC Black

Can subscribers take some comfort from the possibility of the Autumn Special content overlapping regular issues?

Hi,

I am not sure where a 2021 Autumn Special has come from.

In the past with 13 issues a year one of them was called 'autumn special' and was part of the normal numbering series and these went to all subscribers.

With Covid issues were delayed last year, and from the March issue (out earlier this month) the aim is to have one issue each calendar month for the foreseeable future.

This means there is no plan for an 'autumn special' this year at the moment.

The 'Autumn Specials' have always been different to other 'specials' which rather than being issues of the magazine were associated one-off issues as Jason describes.

Despite the model engineering specials selling (very) well the overall market for these has declined, so further ones in the future are less likely.

Neil

So MC, can you name your source?

Did seem a bit daft to me to think about doing a newsagents special when high street footfall is low and no knowing what the Covid situation will be both of which would have a very negative effect on sales.

Also I can't think there is much left to put into a "specail" with the recent repeats of archivve articles

I received a message from Miss/Mrs. Kate Parkes:

On 24/02/2021 14:09, [email protected] wrote:
> MTM ME
>
> Dear Dr Black,
>
> Thank you for your recent email.
>
> Please accept my apologies for the time it has taken to respond to
> your query.
>
> The onsale dates as follows.
>
> 08.01.2021FEB 2021 ISS 300
> 12.02.2021MAR 2021 ISS 301
> 19.03.2021APR 2021 ISS 302
> 23.04.2021MAY 2021 ISS 303
> 21.05.2021JUN 2021 ISS 304
> 18.06.2021JUL 2021 ISS 305
> 23.07.2021AUG 2021 ISS 306
> 20.08.2021SEP 2021 ISS 307
> 03.09.2021AUTUMN SPECIAL ND no delivery
> 17.09.2021OCT 2021 ISS 308
> 22.10.2021NOV 2021 ISS 309
> 19.11.2021DEC 2021 ISS 310
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> If there is anything else that I can help you with please don’t
> hesitate to contact me.
>
> For and on behalf of Model Engineer
>
> Kate Parkes
> Email Customer Services
>

I can only assume that this message from one of the people who deals with subscriptions is correct and up-to-date.

MC Black

An Autumnal special will be of no consequence to me !

I have remained a loyal reader of MEW for over 300 issues ! That there was a need for another model engineering title I have questioned for quite a few years. That MEW was born out of ME may have seemed a good idea at the time but I feel the passage of time has brought it to a point where it is time for ME to take it's rightful place as THE premier model engineering magazine and reabsorb MEW !

The recent appearence of From the Archive would seem to indicate a lack of original new material and Issue 300 with it's MGB, from the archive and who, how or why it was first published was for me the final straw.

I do not blame the publishers for trying to get two bites from the same cherry, but with the crop failing, and yeilds dropping, the game is up !

I will NOT be renewing my subscription this autumn ! Noel.

The dates are correct as per the current timetable for 2021.

What has happened is the original timetable (from mid-2020) that had 13 issues on it has had the dates amended and the 'autumn special' marked as no delivery means it isn't being produced at all, i.e. not being delivered to the distributors rather than there will be one that isn't sent to subscribers.

For a little while now 1-year subscriptions are now being sold for 12 issues with the price adjusted to reflect this.

Neil

Thank you for taking the time to respond and for the clarification.

One wonders why the "Autumn Special" was mentioned at all in the message received from Miss/Mrs. Parkes.

Doing so has only generated alarm, despondency and stress!

With best wishes and thanks again.

MC Black

PC alert !!

One can no longer refer to a 'she' as a Miss or Mrs !! . . . I had my obviously drooping knuckles rapped by a Council employee for the same 'assumption' in a recent email, the said person got quite indignant that I replied Ms Brown (as I was unsure)

Btw, I just saw a flock of multi-coloured non specific gender sheep whilst walking, and almost tripped over a 'person access chamber' cover in the road

I don't understand why you feel the need to alert a Police Constable

If anybody rapped my knuckles, I would have them prosecuted for assault

I can and do address a female person as Miss/Mrs. unless she has the courtesy to write her title in brackets after her name.

I was taught when I was at school this was always the correct thing to do if the writer's title was NOT "Mr.".

For this reason, I write my name as....

MC Black (Dr.)

Hi Noel,

I'm sorry you feel this way.

We have faced some huge challenges due to the impact of Covid 19, and I've done my best to produce a magazine that is of interest to readers with the resources we have.

The MGB article was written by former editor Dave Fenner as was intended to bring readers up to date on some of his recent activities. Incidentally, a survey (from about ten years ago) showed that vehicle restoration was one of the more popular interests of MEW readers. I hope that one or two articles on the subject a year aren't too much for those whose interests are in other topics.

As Stan Bray recounted, MEW was spun off as an experiment but the focus on tools and techniques proved popular and attracted a new audience rather than just being more content for ME readers. Although our readership overlaps with Model Engineer (I think this is around 20%), we have many readers who are not interested in scale models, for example many who run small jobbing workshops. These readers expect a different blend of content and style. Also, we rarely go beyond a three-part article, while ME often has series that last a couple of years and this attracts a different sort of reader.

I don't think anyone should feel obliged to take both magazines if their interests are only in one of them, but don't begrudge the many readers who enjoy MEW for what it is.

Neil

Dear Neil, Thankyou very much for your reply. Please do not consider it a personal critisism , You can only publish those articles submitted for publication, and have done a sterling job of keeping the ship afloat. I'm well aware of the huge problems this dreaded pox has caused all of us.

As a reader of MEW since issue 1 and ME since the mid 80s I have seen a huge change in the hobbies and the machine tools available not to mention the obviously much greater sums available to fund it. It is also obvious that many come to the hobby from a non engineering background.and have to start from scratch.

A number of years ago ME carried a long series of very detailed and interesting articles on the internal combustion engine, with so many readers interested in classic cars why was this not carried by MEW ?

MEW has carried many interesting articles over the years, and I run a small jobbing workshop often getting the jobs others can't fix or don't want. My range of interests is very wide,I'm willing to learn and I'm easily pleased . I had thought that having reached the mile stone issue 300 would have justified a collection of subjects of extra interest.connected with engineering or workshops. It was not to be. Was it due to lack of copy ?

I have never felt obliged to take both magazines, thought I have renewed MEW this last couple of years out of loyalty, hoping it would improve.

For me issue 300 was the proof of the pudding, I had had enough.

I wish you and MEW well but it is no longer for me. Good luck, Noel.

Interesting, as I think MEW absorbing ME by publishing strongly edited model build series would be a far better idea! In the twenty years I've been reading these publications, I've probably bought a dozen issues of ME. To me it has enough material to be published quarterly, instead of the fortnightly pamphlet that is still, somehow, excessively padded. Unfortunately its traditional subject matter is now more suitable to forums and simple websites than a published magazine. This is true of lots of niche publications, as the decreasing number of specialist car magazines also demonstrates.

For every individual who decides not to renew their subscription (and finds it necessary to announce the fact), I think there will be many, many more who will quietly continue theirs in the expectation that MEW will return to its usual form when circumstances permit.

May I add my two-penorth.

Originally, ie back in the 80's, I bought ME, that being more or less what was readily available. Ok, there may have been Engineering in Miniature but I have never taken or read any issue of that particular magazine. Back to ME. Unfortunately for me, I have no interest in building model steam engines whether wheeled or stationary. Furthermore, some of the content of ME was quite technical and way above my head. You see, all I want to be able to do is to learn how to use, and get the best out of, the machines, and improve them as necessary. And if anything crops up, like a repair job, then I'll have ago at it. And so, when Stan Bray proposed, fought and won his battle, and produced MEW, similar to others here, I started to take MEW, right from Issue 1. Eventually I dropped ME and haven't looked at it since.

I would be most disappointed if MEW were to be dropped in favour of ME. or even merged with ME. You see, I look on MEW as an educational magazine which I don't think is what ME is about. Drop ME in favour of MEW doesn't seem reasonable either as I could see MEW having to take on a lot of long term projects mainly about building steam locomotives which would, for me be a waste of time. Resurrecting old articles, bringing old articles up to date, is ok by me because quite often there are long forgotten techniques therein.

So, to sum up then, please leave well alone. And in this respect, I think our Editor and the publishers have done a good job in keeping MEW going through the present trials and tribulations.

Thanks to everyone,

Peter G. Shaw

I have only been subscribing to Model Engineers' Workshop for a relatively short time (being a newcomer to Engineering), so I'm happy to see reprints of old articles but the warning at the top of these reprinted articles about techniques that are no longer considered safe is very disturbing.

Has anybody considered highlighting those unsafe practices so that newcomers like myself do NOT make the mistake of adopting them?

I enjoy reading Model Engineers' Workshop and there's stuff in most issues that I find useful even though a lot is above my head.

MC Black

Edited By Clay Jones on 04/03/2021 11:46:43

Edited By Clay Jones on 04/03/2021 11:29:22