FridgeFreezer Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I thought it was too good to last - at first TOR was all about non-bling off-roading, then they started their product review section which promised to be totally impartial, fit everything themselves and give everything a damn good going over. Then they went to being totally about mud, brilliant! The latest edition has just dropped onto my doormat and in the products section, under "must have" they are listing one of those "miracle" fuel saving cancer-curing stick-it-in-your-fuel-line catalyst things that are quite clearly snake oil of the finest quality. Not only are they listing it as "must have" but reciting, word for word, the advertising guff from the back of the packet. Coincidentally, the company that sells them have an advert further on in the back of the mag Most of the other "reviews" are the same. I thought I'd found a mag that, at the very least, was a bit independant compared to the LR mag toss but it seems not. Time to cancel my subs then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 TOR was all about non-bling off-roading, then they started their product review section which promised to be totally impartial, fit everything themselves and give everything a damn good going over. Then they went to being totally about mud, brilliant! Warm feelings about the good old days I would suggest that you give it a bit more time. TOR is not the only mag to use scribes with little or no knowledge of the industry. This is often cost based, which is what did happen with TOR. However I have seen some bllody awful lash ups in all the mags over the years and then they pick up a bit, take a nose dive for a while, struggle back etc etc. Look at LRW. Hit rock bottom a while back, 15 minutes to read cover to cover, but the last few issues have been pretty good. Mr Baldwin kept that mag going in my opinion. Sorry Kev, no blushes, it's true. LRM is now the best of the bunch, but even LROi is improving. Petersons hit a low earlier this year but is now on the up. Land is pants at the moment. As I say, bide on. Alan Kidd has his faults but he can be a brilliant editor when he wants and I just think TOR is in a rut at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Make sure you fling them an email telling them why you're cancelling too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siearl Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I either buy LRW or LRM and think both mags arnt that bad compared to some others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark90 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 These days I only buy a mag if I'm in it But couldn't find a copy of 4x4 Mart the other month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Freak Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Where do you peeps find time for mags ? Forums and 110 repairs take up most of my spare time ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Where do you peeps find time for mags ?Forums and 110 repairs take up most of my spare time ! Read mine on the dunny. Geeza who got stcuk down a byway with his standard 110 with kids on board - had someone phone me up a couple of years ago - he'd done exact same thing down the 'worst' byway in Kent - He'd been camping all week and had driven past a byway sign each day from the campsite to the beach - finally convinced the wife to let him drive it on the last day of the holiday - yep you guessed it him, his wife and 2 kids got stuck - 18hrs on their own - Eventualy got the local farmer to tug them out. Bet she made him sell it, when they got home. Byway has since been filled in by council and he could drive it in a mini now. I liked the calendar of events for 2007 - Did not know abiut the Baja event added to FIA that might be worth a look - Dakar Style racing in the uk - cool. Spray on mud - yep gotta get a can of that ! So what has David Bowyer done to his website - hope he's killed that damned wav file from playing when you open it. TOR have asked the clubs to provide fixtures before events and the results and asked us to send them our own photo's hope they let us write our own articles (be soo cool, so long as they don't get modified like on here.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Well 'webshop' does'nt work for me - anyone else ? See Page 4 3rd column middle article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Br00n1e Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 frightened to open mine noo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 How about if we all independantlty e-mailed exactly what we thoiught of this nonsense to the editor, independantly and of words of our own chosing. As the editor of a mag getting a number of e-mail saying basically that something like this is nonsense / taking the P, a joke or poor copy or content will hit hom. More so as so few write to mag editors about anything Should be a wake up call to Mr Kidd ? They then may take a differing view for the future ? Don't do anything ?....then don't moan at the next guff printed.... Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 17, 2007 Author Share Posted January 17, 2007 I was just about to mail him but I've just sent in a write-up of the Shire 7S weekend so will refrain from following it with a b*ll*cking in the interest of the club maybe I'll e-mail the complaint under a different name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I was just about to mail him but I've just sent in a write-up of the Shire 7S weekend so will refrain from following it with a b*ll*cking in the interest of the club maybe I'll e-mail the complaint under a different name Now thats funny ..................... I bet they have read your reply already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 I was just about to mail him but I've just sent in a write-up of the Shire 7S weekend so will refrain from following it with a b*ll*cking in the interest of the club maybe I'll e-mail the complaint under a different name It's that special advertiser relationship again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reads90 Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 I was just about to mail him but I've just sent in a write-up of the Shire 7S weekend so will refrain from following it with a b*ll*cking in the interest of the club maybe I'll e-mail the complaint under a different name John speak to Jules he knows all the mags people by first names. He will be able to help you out with articles for mags. You know why we call him Media man, bloody tart is always in the Landy mags. Moglite and me meet the LRO photgrapher (at the bulldog) and offered her 50 pounds to stop taking photo's of Jules's cars and putting them in the mags. She was quite surpirsed and shocked, even more so when she realised i was his brother As for Mags I read Lrm , Lrw Lro and Tor when i get them But they are always two months behind. But am subscribed to 4x4 Australia and 4 wd Monthly , and somtimes buy overlander. But there is a new Aussie Land Rover mag coming out in the next couple of months so that should be good, I am helping with some of it. They want to sell it to the Uk eventuatley . Manly to show the winch challenges here and the new toys aviable here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 I have flicked through TRO its still has 80% more comp stuff than any other mag. It takes 30 days to go to print by which time it will be on here so why bother reading the must have as if you haven't already heard about it its not worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hiatt Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 My subscription runs out this month and that will be it for me. I think the comp safari news is pis5 poor, either verbatum press release or imagined from the results. In the BORC round up most of the photos were from 05 rather than 06. Paul Leaworthy is no Bruce Tigwell. Green lane stuff looks good, but I don't go green laning. Shame. Surely one full time reporter could cover events and give some insight into new products? All the rest of the staff could deal with the advertising Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Paul Leaworthy is no Bruce Tigwell. So very true! Nice bloke but Bruce is a God as is Mr Rowe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hiatt Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 When Bruce did contribute he did an article about using circuit breakers rather than fuses. Advice I followed and enabled me to get a pot giving position rather than a DNF at one race last year. Mr Rowe is held in the highest regard, even North of Bristol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 TOR is still the best of the rest i reckon, the other glossies aren't worth the paper they are written on. What i'd really like to see is more techie stuff in it- an advanced techie stuff at that- how about a proper tyre review a la Autocar. The Paul Leworthy articles are quite interesting but too wordy- i am sure most of us just want to read about how to build things and new ways of doing things. There are all sorts of areas they haven't covered! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattD110td5x Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 ....But there is a new Aussie Land Rover mag coming out in the next couple of months so that should be good, I am helping with some of it.... OK then, spill the beans - what's the mag called and when is the first issue due out? ... or is it only going to be sold in Qld? It is a different world up there ttfn Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reads90 Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 OK then, spill the beans - what's the mag called and when is the first issue due out?... or is it only going to be sold in Qld? It is a different world up there ttfn Matthew It is called Australia Land Rover Mag Coming out i about a month. Subcribe only at the moment but due to be out in shop with in 6 months, Australia wide. Then world wide later (well Uk manly) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 15, 2007 Author Share Posted August 15, 2007 Just "read" the new issue of TOR, I'm still waiting for it to "pick up" as it seems to be utterly useless at the moment, now they seem to have gone back on their promise to feature muddy trucks and not new metal, this issue there's several glossy pages devoted to shiny new metal Reviews are still read off the back of the packet and the feature writers quite clearly wouldn't know one end of a 4x4 from a badger. They rave about stupid/badly done/poorly fabricated mods, take photos of things that are of no interest whatsoever and leave out interesting details - like the 6x6 Defender where there was only a passing mention (and no picture) of the drive-through axle, surely the main point of interest on such a vehicle? I am very close to canceling my subs and just donating the change to this forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollythelw Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Ive searched for alternatives to waste spend some change on, I started with big and bouncy - to my surprise there were no proto/crawler cars in there at all, Over 40's didnt feature a single article on large tyres and barely legal had only scant details on SVA compliance.. Im disgusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Ive searched for alternatives to waste spend some change on, I started with big and bouncy - to my surprise there were no proto/crawler cars in there at all, Over 40's didnt feature a single article on large tyres and barely legal had only scant details on SVA compliance..Im disgusted. Someone fitted 36" tyres to a hilux and made it to this comic! daan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WALFY Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Ive searched for alternatives to waste spend some change on, I started with big and bouncy - to my surprise there were no proto/crawler cars in there at all, Over 40's didnt feature a single article on large tyres and barely legal had only scant details on SVA compliance..Im disgusted. So that's what you do in the lab at nights. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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