Modeling Spoken Here
Bob Hunt — Aeromodeling Editor
It's been a long time since I first saw a picture of myself with an airplane in a modeling magazine; in fact, I can't remember the first time it happened. I can tell you that it never gets old. It's always enjoyable to see your own work and image presented in a manner that allows many other modelers to see what you have been working on, and to see who you are. Yeah, it's a bit of an ego thing, but it's also a sharing thing.
In light of the preceding, it's no wonder that the "Focal Point" section of Model Aviation is among the most popular features each month. We know it's popular because of the number of photo submissions we receive. Sometimes we get in excess of six submissions each day!
Naturally, we cannot print all of these in a manner that allows us to keep up to date with what we receive. In fact, we only have room to use 16 of these photos each month. Predictably that leaves us with an ever-increasing backlog of photos.
In May I assumed the responsibility of getting the "Focal Point" submissions ready for presentation in the magazine. In the past this has been the responsibility of Managing Editor Sheila Ames Webb. She has done a wonderful job with this department, and she's a tough act to follow.
During the changeover, we discussed the future of this department and made some difficult decisions. The submission information included with each month's "Focal Point" photos indicates that we will endeavor to run the best submissions as space permits. That word "best" is the kicker here. How do you impose a value judgment on photos of members' models? What makes one more worthy of printing than another, and who has the best perspective and the right to make that distinction?
Sheila told me that she has tried hard to present every photo received in chronological order. There were, of course, pictures that for one reason or another were not printed. Usually these were so poor in quality that they could not be reproduced in a manner that would allow them to be recognizable, had questionable material in the background, or were not accompanied by sufficient information about the model.
Sheila and I had a fairly long meeting to determine how "Focal Point" will be handled from this point on. It was clear that the backlog of photos would never begin to diminish at the current rate of receipt and publication.
We decided to present what we feel are the very best photos in composition and content in the magazine and post the remainder of the usable pictures on the Model Aviation section of the AMA Web site (www.modelaircraft.org).
The Web site, naturally, will allow us to present more photos per month, and we will be able to keep each of them posted for a fairly long period of time. The start time for this new procedure is the January 2004 issue. From that point forward, "Focal Point" will appear in Model Aviation and on the Web site.
"Focal Point" submission criteria
These pictures are showcases for modelers and their models; they are not showcases for kids, pets, girlfriends, etc. Certainly, we all are proud of our family members and friends, and if they happen to be the builder of the model shown, that's great. If not, please let them be the onlookers at the photo session. We want to see models and the builders of those models in this section, please.
On this same note, this is a family-oriented magazine and we will not accept any photos of a less-than-wholesome nature.
For "Focal Point" we require:
- A glossy, color photograph or a digital submission on disk or CD.
- Minimum resolution: 300 dpi at 5 x 7 inches (I'm told that works out to using at least a 2.5-megapixel camera at its maximum resolution setting).
- No laser or ink-jet copies will be considered.
- Accompanying text of no more than 100 words explaining what the model is, what it is powered by, and any other pertinent details. If space permits, please tell us something about how it flies.
- No E-mail submissions, please.
We want "Focal Point" to continue as a very popular feature in Model Aviation, but we want to be able to present the received materials in a timely manner. This soon-to-be-implemented new format will allow that. The guidelines described above for "Focal Point" will appear in that department each month, starting in January.
Modeler’s Mall
While I’m on the subject of popular features in Model Aviation, I’d like to say a few words about our "Modeler’s Mall" department. This is where we print new-product announcements. This is done as a free service for the manufacturer and the reader, and it is extended to any company that has a modeling product or service for sale.
We receive many submissions for "Modeler’s Mall" that consist of a new-product flyer and perhaps a photo. We can no longer work from these flyers to construct releases. We need to receive the fully written text for a product in release form. A release should include:
- An explanation or description of the product.
- Dimensions and weights where applicable.
- Pricing and availability information.
A release is not intended to be an advertisement, and the text should be written in nonsuperlative language.
For "Modeler’s Mall" we require:
- Text presented in Microsoft Word on a disk or CD.
- Photos must be glossy-finished. We also accept digital photos on disk or CD.
- Digital photo resolution: 300 dpi at 5 x 7 inches (same as "Focal Point").
We have guidelines available for preparing "Modeler’s Mall" submissions. If you have a new item in production and want to tell our readers about it, please get in touch with me and I’ll be pleased to send you a set of the guidelines.
Contact
If you need to contact me, please call (610) 614-1747, E-mail [email protected], or send a letter via snail mail to:
Box 68 Stockertown, PA 18083
MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
