HMS Hood model + magazine (from tv ads) - over €1000 to build the model!

The King of Moo · 01-09-2011 02:50PM #1

A MAGAZINE is giving readers a chance to build a model of the famous battleship HMS Hood - if they fork out £830.

The Build A Battleship series will run to 140 weekly issues - more than the two years it took to build the real warship.

After a cheap introductory offer, each copy containing a piece of the replica costs £5.99 - and buying the full set will cost model-makers £831.11.

Pressure group Consumer Focus said: "Publishers should be upfront about the number of issues people have to buy, so the total cost is clear."

Hachette Partworks, the firm behind the mag, said: "The weekly parts allow customers to spread the cost of the collection.

"There are no comparable Hood models of this quality available." The real Hood, a Royal Navy battle cruiser, was launched in August 1918.

It was sunk by a German battleship in 1941.

I know you get a magazine as well, but how much info on one ship do you really want? And if you want the model to sail you have to fork out extra for a remote control and receiver. It also costs more here, relatively, than the UK. €8.99 per issue I think.

Anyone else ever been stung by things like these, or have any fond memories?
I remember these series were very popular in the 90s, always came out after Christmas.

I remember as a kid I one that had an ongoing fantasy story, The Ancestral Trail. It came with lots of cool extra stuff like a top trumps-esque card game, a blank map you could glue pieces onto and lots more (I was a very cool kid).

But I remember being four issues from the end, and asking my mother to buy it for me as usual. She was in a bad mood and said she wouldn't get it for me again (she had said so half-seriously before, as it was a bit dear). Only this time for some reason I believed her and didn't ask for the last four issues so I never found out what happened at the end

. I don't know why I didn't just pester her again, she would've got it for me.

Anyway, later I found out from a friend that it ended (KIND OF A SPOILER ON THE OFF-CHANCE ANYONE MIGHT STILL READ THE DAMN THING) on a cliffhanger and lead into ANOTHER 26-part series where the hero fought in a futuristic world or in a computer or something, so I wasn't too pushed about missing out. Still...

I remember lots of kids had the Dinosaurs one where you collected the t-rex skeleton, then skin, each week. Did anyone ever complete it?

orourkeda · 01-09-2011 02:51PM

There must be model geeks pulling the stones off themselves in delight

Saila · 01-09-2011 02:53PM

love the way it will take longer to build than the real one did!

c_man · 01-09-2011 02:55PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

I remember lots of kids had the Dinosaurs one where you collected the t-rex skeleton, then skin, each week. Did anyone ever complete it?

I completed the skeleton. Would have been far far cheaper just to buy a bloody dinosaur toy and I didn't become a palaeontologist so it was all for waste

dirtypanties · 01-09-2011 02:57PM

There was a really cool dinosaur collection one when I was about 8-you got a glow in the dark piece with each issue to make a T-Rex skeleton and then eventually you got 'skin' to put over it and a folder for all the issues...

Fond memories...

I had the entire skeleton but didn't keep collecting to get the skin part.

papajimsmooth · 01-09-2011 02:57PM

I have 4 binders of those wheres wally magazine series

dirtypanties · 01-09-2011 02:58PM

Oops-note to self...

READ ENTIRE OP BEFORE REPLYING.

whiskeyman · 01-09-2011 02:58PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

I know you get a magazine as well

Only worth it if you get a free binder with part 1

ScumLord · 01-09-2011 03:00PM

I remember a history one where you got paper models every week. It would cover a different part of history every time and had some pretty cool models to make.

Tabnabs · 01-09-2011 03:01PM

orourkeda wrote: »

There must be model geeks pulling the stones off themselves in delight

:rolleyes:

Model geeks scratchbuild

The King of Moo · 01-09-2011 03:02PM

dirtypanties wrote: »

There was a really cool dinosaur collection one when I was about 8-you got a glow in the dark piece with each issue to make a T-Rex skeleton and then eventually you got 'skin' to put over it and a folder for all the issues...

Fond memories...

I had the entire skeleton but didn't keep collecting to get the skin part.

papajimsmooth wrote: »

I have 4 binders of those wheres wally magazine series

You'd always get a binder free with the first issue!

I also remember one in the 90s I used to collect about unsolved mysteries and UFO stuff, back at the height of that craze. The X-Factor, I think it was called. I eventually stopped bothering after about 30 issues or so as they'd run out of interesting things to feature. Looking back over them recently I'm amazed at the crazy stuff I believed as a teenager!
The one thing I'll always remember is every four issues they'd have a newsletter that came with it, with reader letters and such.
I'll never forget a completely insane one about a guy who claimed he'd built a robot in his home that had artificial intelligence and the British government were worried about its power and were trying to control his mind.
He included a photo of the robot. I think it was made out of cardboard!

prinz · 01-09-2011 03:03PM

Those mag series are a rip off and always have been. Never got any of them.

Logical Fallacy · 01-09-2011 03:05PM

orourkeda wrote: »

There must be model geeks pulling the stones off themselves in delight

Hardly.

That likes expecting Usain Bolt to get excited about a game of hopscotch.

dirtypanties · 01-09-2011 03:06PM

Oh yeah the unsolved mysteries one!!

There was a science one aswell-can't for the life of me remember the name of it but it was a free binder with part one job too and had loads of useless information about bees and the like...

Haven't thought about this childhood stuff in years-reckon my 'collections' have been thrown out long ago after moving house:(

The King of Moo · 01-09-2011 03:10PM

dirtypanties wrote: »

Oh yeah the unsolved mysteries one!!

There was a science one aswell-can't for the life of me remember the name of it but it was a free binder with part one job too and had loads of useless information about bees and the like...

Haven't thought about this childhood stuff in years-reckon my 'collections' have been thrown out long ago after moving house:(

Was that one just about bugs by any chance, and just called...BUGS?
My brother had that. Seemed a bit dull except it had parts for a cool glow-in-the-dark spider skeleton which he completed.

But best of all, not only did Issue One come with a free binder, it also came with a free pair of 3D glasses, and every issue had a cool 3D poster of a close-up of some horrible beastie in the middle! It's the only part I ever really looked at.

Logical Fallacy · 01-09-2011 03:12PM

Wasn't there one called "Quest" or something like that.

It's weird, it probably started my interest in the sciences but i cannot for the life of me remember the name of it.

tricky D · 01-09-2011 03:20PM

Tabnabs wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Model geeks scratchbuild

With matches!

The_Minister · 01-09-2011 03:22PM

I got an animal one - it came with a huge binder, and each week you would get new profiles of animals with pictures, facts and figures.

I still have the binder in my closet

ILikeBananas · 01-09-2011 03:41PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

I remember lots of kids had the Dinosaurs one where you collected the t-rex skeleton, then skin, each week. Did anyone ever complete it?

c_man wrote: »

I completed the skeleton. Would have been far far cheaper just to buy a bloody dinosaur toy and I didn't become a palaeontologist so it was all for waste

dirtypanties wrote: »

There was a really cool dinosaur collection one when I was about 8-you got a glow in the dark piece with each issue to make a T-Rex skeleton and then eventually you got 'skin' to put over it and a folder for all the issues...

Fond memories...

I had the entire skeleton but didn't keep collecting to get the skin part.

Had this as well. Got all of the skeleton and the skin and then stopped buying it. It seemed pretty important at the time although I have no idea where it is now.

dirtypanties · 01-09-2011 03:50PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

Was that one just about bugs by any chance, and just called...BUGS?
My brother had that. Seemed a bit dull except it had parts for a cool glow-in-the-dark spider skeleton which he completed.

But best of all, not only did Issue One come with a free binder, it also came with a free pair of 3D glasses, and every issue had a cool 3D poster of a close-up of some horrible beastie in the middle! It's the only part I ever really looked at.

YES!!!!:D

dirtypanties · 01-09-2011 03:51PM

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Wasn't there one called "Quest" or something like that.

It's weird, it probably started my interest in the sciences but i cannot for the life of me remember the name of it.

Came with a giant folder with 1st issue which was blue I believe:)

The King of Moo · 01-09-2011 03:59PM

World Cup 90 was another great one, combining a sticker album with a monthly magazine. My older brother collected it.
I remember it was the first thing that got me into football (at the time I thought you had to score against your own goalkeeper, and never considered how ridiculous that would be).

I remember the ads too, with, I believe, Brian Clough, and I loved imitating the way he said "WURLD CUP NAANTAY!!" at the end of each ad.

And of course, issue one came with a free binder, a red one with photos from matches, which if memory serves, featured Chris Hughton and Ruud Gullit tussling at Euro 88!

ILikeBananas · 01-09-2011 04:10PM

The King of Moo wrote: »

World Cup 90 was another great one, combining a sticker album with a monthly magazine.
I remember it was the first thing that got me into football (at the time I thought you had to score against your own goalkeeper, and never considered how ridiculous that would be).

I remember the ads too, with, I believe, Brian Clough, and I loved imitating the way he said "WURLD CUP NAANTAY!!" at the end of each ad.

And of course, issue one came with a free binder, a red one with photos from matches, which if memory serves, featured Chris Hughton and Ruud Gullit tussling at Euro 88!

I loved this. Every issue would have a picture of some superstar from World Cup History like Pele or Paulo Rossi and the story of one of the previous world cups.

The best things were the stickers though. I still remember the gluey/oily smell off them when you peeled the backing off of them.

I also remember that it somehow managed to have Denmark in it even though they hadn't even qualified!

The King of Moo · 01-09-2011 04:19PM

ILikeBananas wrote: »

I loved this. Every issue would have a picture of some superstar from World Cup History like Pele or Paulo Rossi and the story of one of the previous world cups.

The best things were the stickers though. I still remember the gluey/oily smell off them when you peeled the backing off of them.

I also remember that it somehow managed to have Denmark in it even though they hadn't even qualified!

I remember hearing about that a while back. Apparently it went to press before the last round of qualification matches, and they expected Denmark to get through so they included them, but then Denmark lost or drew their last match and ended up finishing second in the group by one point, and being the worst runner up so they didn't qualify.

Fukuyama · 01-09-2011 04:28PM

I bought eight or nine issues of one where you were building this little robot. Circa 2002.

Three wheeled thing. Cyber Bug or something...

Anyways, progress began to slow on the parts they were sending out. It went from massive motors and circuit boards to little clip on bits of plastic or something. I realised it was going to take years so I packed it in.

Then I turned one of the powerful motors into some form of deadly weapon

Taytomal · 01-09-2011 04:57PM

I think the mag with the big blue folder was called 'Focus' - I remember trolling through that for hours - probably still have it in the parents attic somewhere buried under Commando and Battle mini-mags!

Chuck Stone · 01-09-2011 05:00PM

tricky D wrote: »

With matches!

In jail.

LighterGuy · 01-09-2011 05:03PM

Just talking with my bro about this

brings back memories... the star trek binder, the dino one where the bones were glow in the dark.

My bro just said something dead true... who is to say that they dont stop printing them too? i mean if after 20 issues and hardly anyone is buying it. They wont release the rest.

The King of Moo · 01-09-2011 09:02PM

LighterGuy wrote: »

Just talking with my bro about this
brings back memories... the star trek binder, the dino one where the bones were glow in the dark.

My bro just said something dead true... who is to say that they dont stop printing them too? i mean if after 20 issues and hardly anyone is buying it. They wont release the rest.

I've thought about that myself, as they never seem to be too popular here, and they also seem to go on so long that lots of people must give up on them.

Though they do seem to be very popular in Italy for some reason: every newsstand I saw there was full of them.

brianwalshcork · 01-09-2011 09:11PM

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Wasn't there one called "Quest" or something like that.

It's weird, it probably started my interest in the sciences but i cannot for the life of me remember the name of it.

Yep, I collected quest... It's still at home, I won't let my mother throw it out!

Sticky_Fingers · 01-09-2011 09:14PM

LighterGuy wrote: »

Just talking with my bro about this
brings back memories... the star trek binder, the dino one where the bones were glow in the dark.

My bro just said something dead true... who is to say that they dont stop printing them too? i mean if after 20 issues and hardly anyone is buying it. They wont release the rest.

They'd have to print the entire series AFAIK, otherwise they'd leave themselves open to a lawsuit from someone who was stupid dedicated enough to actually see these models through.

HMS Hood model + magazine (from tv ads) - over €1000 to build the model!

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