Author Topic: RCN 115  (Read 8635 times)

Jean

  • Global Moderator
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 698
    • www.rumcars.org
RCN 115
« on: December 07, 2012, 10:54:18 AM »
Hello Everybody, 
The Winter edition of RUMCAR NEWS is on its way to you, another cracking edition.  Chris was so hard pressed to find the space he needed some of the regular items are missing this quarter.  Also because we need to keep the weight of each issue under 100 grams you will find the subscription renewal  form is within the body of the magazine. Don't ruin your magazine, just photocopy the page and send it to me poste haste.  Those of you in the UK will receive your copy in unfamiliar packaging. Car Builder Solutions, a local firm, have kindly posted our magazine together with their own catalogue at their expense.  We are extremely grateful to them as it is an immense saving on postage on this occasion and I hope you will find something within their catalogue that is just what you have been looking for.  A win win situation all round I feel; thank you very much Chris for arranging it.

I hope you will enjoy another good read and look forward to receiving a deluge of renewals before the end of the year.  Several regular readers and members of the Forum did not renew last year which was very disappointing.  If you are finding the costs too high why not go for the cheaper option of an electronic copy at £10 (£10.50 via PayPal) so that you don't miss out on all the splendid articles Chris finds to populate each issue?

A very Happy Christmas to you all and a micromaniacle 2013!                         Jean
Jean
Register of Unusual Microcars

Jean

  • Global Moderator
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 698
    • www.rumcars.org
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2012, 05:53:38 PM »
I am getting rather concerned, hasn't anyone received their RUMCAR NEWS No.115 yet?  It should arrive in a grey plastic envelope if you are in the UK this time.  Jean
Jean
Register of Unusual Microcars

richard

  • Rich
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4458
  • Bond ,Gordon,Bruetsch
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2012, 06:55:49 PM »
hi jean got mine the other day read yours and chris' pages and dipped into other bit's and pieces but been to busy to get to grips with the rest of it including the free mag. chris comment re taxation or not of pre 73's has been the topic of another thread .
great stuff on the classics but far too much modern stuff for me i am afraid, this is why i left for a few years . i am not interested in any of the modern stuff but don't know what the balance of RUM members think . i always find it a toss up which clubs i join and @ 17.50 per year i dont regard it as cheap .
sorry but you were asking for feedback
outside of a dog a book is mans best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read .Groucho Marx 1895-1977

Stuart Cyphus

  • Possibly the most fabulous person in the universe....
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1491
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2012, 07:31:01 PM »
 Whilst the modern/current stuff might not be as read-about-able as the "classic" era, I can look at it in the long term. Twenty years from now we'll either be wishing somebody had written about Car X, or glad that somebody did write about Car X when Car X is "the next big thing". There was a time when nobody thought the Scootacar (as point of example)would reach the giddy heights it now resides at, as everyone was too busy polishing their "proper" (read popular) microcars. It's all there in older magazines such as seriously prehistoric Kabinews's, that "the lesser bubbles will never become really intresting because not enough people are intrested", or words to such effect. What comes around, goes around I believe the addage is....

 Elsewhere, I hereby officially congratulate Alan Evans and Chris Thomas for setting in motion whatever it took to get hold of the Bamby history for RCN; Some of us have been sitting and waiting YEARS for this, and now at last, it's finally being told!  :o  To me, that is worth next year's subs on the spot, and my cheque is in fact sat in front of me now...

 I will admit that in the early days of Chris's editorship, I was guilty of pining for Tony Marshall, but then I am the president of the Tony Marshall Fan Club and his unofficial authorised biographer. (The former is humorous, the later is serious) But the TM editorship of RCN is now itself a written chapter in the history of the micro world  The new chapter is that of Chris Thomas. And I for one am determind to give Chris all the assistant he needs to make this new chapter equally as glittering. As should each and every person that truly holds the RUM and RCN dear for all that's gone before....

richard

  • Rich
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4458
  • Bond ,Gordon,Bruetsch
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2012, 07:46:44 PM »
please don't anybody take my comments personally , in fact i left whilst Tony was editor for the same reasons i have mentioned . your logic , stuart , is that once anything gets older it gets interesting i for one don't expect most current  euro or jap boxes will have a following in years to come . yes i am sure you could point out the morris marina or austin allegro owners club - but i won't be joining that club either - but others will - just not me was my point .
outside of a dog a book is mans best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read .Groucho Marx 1895-1977

Stuart Cyphus

  • Possibly the most fabulous person in the universe....
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1491
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2012, 08:06:55 PM »
 No offence taken or inferred Richard  :-*  You wrote views, I wrote views & I daresay by dawn others will write more views.  :) I just thought I'd take the opportunity to get a rallying call in early!  ;D

 MMmm, Allegros!  ;D  The Allegro Club International was itself was founded by Lynne in 1993, and yes, you've guessed it, I've got a full set of their back issues too, solely because of that reason....   ;D

 I know what you mean about content and "value" compared to costs though, I subscribe to RCN, Bond Info, Kabinews and Take-Off in the micro world. Trouble is, when all the subs come round, monetary matters are forcing me to drop definitely one, possibly two of them in order to be able to afford the others. Alas, it's far from easy to decide which...  :'(  
« Last Edit: December 12, 2012, 08:11:46 PM by Stuart Cyphus »

richard

  • Rich
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4458
  • Bond ,Gordon,Bruetsch
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2012, 08:12:30 PM »
had no idea about the lynn / allegro link - incredible co-incidence  :-[ i am in more clubs than that and i too face choices - this year RUM will get my money , but ....... :-\
outside of a dog a book is mans best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read .Groucho Marx 1895-1977

Chris Thomas

  • Administrator
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1261
  • old Banana
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2012, 10:46:43 AM »
Hi Richard and Stuart

Thank you for your opposing comments. It is good to hear constructive comments as it does help when trying to commission articles and set the balance within the magazine. Without such comments an editor can end up not being able to see the wood for the trees.

Your comments also highlight the broad range that the magazine needs to cover, especially as there is no other comparable publication that covers any part of this group of vehicles. I can remember Tony saying that the range allowed the content to always be interesting, or words to that effect, as new vehicles are appearing as frequently as long forgotten cars are reappearing.

I am ever mindful that we need to sell more copies of the magazine to reduce the printing costs per copy, and excluding particular interest groups like electric vehicles, Tuk Tuks, or one off Microcars, would reduce our potential readership, and leave those readers with that interest, with no reading support. But the real killer is the postage cost. Hence introducing the Ecopy, allowing us to cut out the postage cost all together. The downside is most people do not have A3 double sided colour printers, to print the copy onto. We have one subscriber ( you know who you are) who on receiving his copy of RCN paints clear nail varnish onto the staples to ensure the metal does not go rusty and stain the paper, before he reads and files it away in his collection.

I would like to think that Stuart and I have very similar opinions regarding the direction that RCN should travel in, and would like to hear from others, what they like and dislike, so I can tweak the balance and keep you all happy, regarding the content of the magazine.

Better still, join in and send me an article, as you must be an expert about at least one aspect of Microcars, otherwise why would you be reading this.

I look forward to hearing from you all, and thank you again for your comments

Chris Thomas,
Rumcar News

super-se7en (Malc Dudley)

  • Quite Chatty
  • ****
  • Posts: 185
  • Two Frisky sports
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2012, 02:30:34 PM »
Just received my copy today and is another excellent read. I am in several motoring clubs and view this publication as the best value for money.I am yet to read a magazine without learning something more about these special cars. My cheque is in the post.

Garybond

  • Quite Chatty
  • ****
  • Posts: 189
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2012, 05:21:21 PM »
Before I sign up for this could someone give me a precis of what is published and how percentage wise it works with modern micros compared to older pre 70 type micros

Thank you Gary
1952 B minitruck 1957 Isetta bubble

richard

  • Rich
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 4458
  • Bond ,Gordon,Bruetsch
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2012, 10:19:37 PM »
been at night school tonight (The Gordon ) still haven't finished RUM115 but it does seem a particularly good read the main articles of interest being scootacar page , ditto peel, fascinating background on the Bamby, Goggomobil, i liked the photos of new cars on the register . would love to know more about the large collection presumably a German member . just i suppose a fairly small percentage of modern micro's . the 50/60's is far the biggest share .
outside of a dog a book is mans best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read .Groucho Marx 1895-1977

Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)

  • Global Moderator
  • Prolific Poster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1221
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2012, 02:36:20 AM »
I haven't read all of 115 yet, but it seemed like a reasonable balance between old and new cars. I enjoyed seeing pictures of new cars on the register, the San Giusto and Bambi / Bamby material and the the Kei-class sportscars. I do wonder with space increasingly at a premium whether the book list generates enough revenue for the amount of magazine it gets and a whole page for the subscription renewal form also seems overly generous if you're having to leave other things out. I'm not sure the second review of the scooter book featured last month added anything either.  Whatever else though, it's a great little magazine, so keep up the good work. I'd love to see more pictures of the 1982 Petbow trip if there are any!
Malcolm
Bond Mk D - "The Bond Minicar solves your problem"
Nobel 200 - "Almost as cheap as breathing!"

john p

  • Occasional
  • **
  • Posts: 30
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #12 on: December 14, 2012, 01:18:36 PM »
My copy arrived a couple of days ago another great issue ,Thanks.

milnes

  • Quite Chatty
  • ****
  • Posts: 172
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2012, 06:06:23 PM »
Brought my copy over to Norway, great read. Excellent article about the Bamby. Keep up the good work  ;)
I need to stop buying!

Mark Green

  • Quite Chatty
  • ****
  • Posts: 109
Re: RCN 115
« Reply #14 on: December 15, 2012, 02:08:58 PM »
Received my copy here in the USA today and it is an other Great Issue! Thanks to everyone for the hard work they do for Rumcar News.  Happy Holidays to everyone!
1958 FriskySport