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Are there any decent RC magazines (car) worth subscribing to. Dont want 80% racing as I dont. Cross the board content?

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I think there's only Radio Control Car Racer published in the UK now (available thru W H Smith's) but a lot of its content is race reports.
I used to do a bit for the other UK mag, RRCi (which was a bit more 'basher' leaning), a few years back but that went down the tubes some time ago now.

If you can get hold of US mags, there's RC Car Action (RCCA) although I've not seen that in Smith's for some time now.

There was also another US mag called RC Driver, but I'm not sure if that's online only now.

To be honest, if you're not into race reports, the content and review models in mags are so old by the time they hit the shops that Youtube reviews and online sources are far more up-to-date.

RC Car Racer has a bit of vintage and hobby content in it but it'd be worth comparing it to RCCA for quantity of content. The RC Car Racer site hasn't been updated lately, the newest 'news' on the homepage is from last October, whereas the RCCA site is relatively 'fresh'
When you have the likes of Big Squid posting new kit news (sometimes before the manufacturers have even updated their own sites), forums and FB groups covering opinion and specific interest there's not a lot of incentive to buy a mag any more.

 

When I did stuff for RRCi, most of it came via the UK Importer so the review kits were being built at the same time as most UK buyers could've gone and bought one, then there was a three to seven week window for publishing.
So, if I got a model on Jan 1, allow three days for assembly and paint, then a couple of days for photography, running and writing the review then  it could be Feb 1 before it got printed - By that time, everyone else had bought one, built it, found out everything wrong with it and posted unbiased frank and honest findings across the web.

Personally, I rarely buy any mags any more - I flick through them in Smiths whilst I'm waiting for the missus but that's about it - I doubt I've actually bought a mag about anything in the last 6 months

The current issue of Racer has maybe three kit reviews, a fair bit on racing and a recap of their vintage/retro column; http://adhpublishing.com/shop/store/products/issue-274-feb-2020/  Only £5!

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Well I've got a slightly different view! I love a good magazine to read I've had a subscription to radio control car racer for years and it's a lot cheaper to subscribe I think I pay about £25 (ish) a year delivered through the door! But then I do love to read actual books yes I have a tablet and yes it's more up to date but in my opinion for what it's worth there's nothing better getting that magazine through the post box generally it's on a Saturday morning (don't know wether it's posted to arrive on that day but it generally does!) So I have a few hours or so reading it with my lunch cup of tea etc in the summer in my back garden in winter in my sitting room smell of the print opening the envelope seeing the cover for the first time yes like you I'm not to interested in race reports but I do lightly go over them the kit reviews are good I'm not that bothered about being instantly up to date with the latest kits and stuff because I don't race it's just a spare time light hearted hobby so it's good to read different kit reviews on models which generally I wouldn't set eyes on! I bought my turbo optima because of the review in the magazine my favourite column in rccr magazine is the vintage column!, I honestly believe it will be a sad day if we see the demise of print and have to rely on the internet alone because the likes of hobby magazines are not there to manipulate just to make the hobby (whatever that hobby maybe) more enjoyable but we all know how manipulative the internet can be! 

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1 hour ago, TWINSET said:

Personally, I rarely buy any mags any more - I flick through them in Smiths whilst I'm waiting for the missus

Me too  ;)

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RCCA is probably longest surviving mag... although lately it's getting mighty thin, they're barely thicker than a T construction manual thesadays :( 

 

1 hour ago, Bromley said:

I miss the old rc mags.☹

 

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The BEST RC mags in the world would be Japanese... have you ever read RCmagazine or RCWORLD? They're fantastic!! Content is about 1/3rd model reviews, 1/3rd model modding &/or projects, 1/3rd is B&W advertisements from all the big Japanese LHSes... complete with Pics & PRICES :P 

But I can't read Nihongo :( 

Also from a jp newsstand they're only ~JPY700 so only about US$7... but to get them exported they end up 3-4X the price. And they're both equally good so can't choose, gotta have both 'cos FOMO. Bought them on & off then Dorifto craze hit so I ordered them every month... got bleeding expensive... should've bought an extra 1-2 kits instead, maybe, should've. Then my JP mag grey importer shut shop so I didn't bother finding another pusher.

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I used to love getting the latest Radio Race car, or RC car Action magazines. I couldn't wait to read the reviews of the latest models I could never get, and read about rc action in faraway places I would never visit.

I've got a fair few vintage rc magazines, and when I look at them now, everything seems a lot simpler back then.

J

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Radio Race Car used to be a tiny little booklet size of A5 back when they started, wasn't it? It was the only one that small :) either RRC or another UK mag, can't remember. Circa 1980. 

 

Australia was big in RC in its heyday so we had our own magazines, the 2 biggest were "RC Cars for Dirt & Track" and "Racing Lines". 

D&T started in 1987, ran for about 140ish monthly issues I think - got passed around a few captains until the final publisher/editor/TheGrandPoobah got too busy with life/work/family/dog/RCs... over the past decades I've been sorta collating a full set. 

RL started life as an A4 newsletter stapled together. Moved to a (mostly)colour magazine and ran till only just a few years ago when it disappeared (or more like Next Issue Never Appeared)... no idea what happened, nothing mentioned on interwebs. 

 

 

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3 hours ago, WillyChang said:

Radio Race Car used to be a tiny little booklet size of A5 back when they started, wasn't it? It was the only one that small :) either RRC or another UK mag, can't remember. Circa 1980. 

 

Australia was big in RC in its heyday so we had our own magazines, the 2 biggest were "RC Cars for Dirt & Track" and "Racing Lines". 

D&T started in 1987, ran for about 140ish monthly issues I think - got passed around a few captains until the final publisher/editor/TheGrandPoobah got too busy with life/work/family/dog/RCs... over the past decades I've been sorta collating a full set. 

RL started life as an A4 newsletter stapled together. Moved to a (mostly)colour magazine and ran till only just a few years ago when it disappeared (or more like Next Issue Never Appeared)... no idea what happened, nothing mentioned on interwebs. 

 

 

I have quite a few issues of both those Oz mags, particularly the issues where my name is mentioned, either in letters or results :P:lol:

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26 minutes ago, mtbkym01 said:

I have quite a few issues of both those Oz mags, particularly the issues where my name is mentioned, either in letters or results :P:lol:

good times! :) some months I'd buy my copy, spot some names then go back & buy the rest of the newsagents stock. 

 Was a bit less spectacular once we knew the guys who penned it mostly :unsure:

The very first RCCA issue was blue border with the Bruiser on the cover. Think for the first year or 3 they were quarterly? Spring/summer/fall/winter 

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