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Opinion & Analysis Needed!


ipmsusa2

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Hi all,

I'm back with another request.  I've finally added an announcement video on Youtube for my Williams Brothers C-46 E-book.  If y'all would go to my Youtube channel, watch the video...it's only two minutes long...and then let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it.  Be honest.  What do you like or don't and why in either case.  You can find my channel here , then click on the C-46 boxtop thumbnail.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Richard

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Hi, Richard,

I had trouble on some of the WIP screens reading the captions fully before the images being described fade away before I could absorb what the images were trying to tell me.  There are two solutions.  One is to use the Pause button on the left end of the scroll bar to stop the images, then hit Play to the next image and repeat.  The other is to add five seconds screen time to each image to permit reading and understanding without stopping the images.  I watched twice to be certain how I would respond here.  I did watch all of your WIP posts as you struggled with some of the kit's issues.  Nice finish!  I trust your client was happy.

Ed

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Very well produced! I too concur that adding 2-3 seconds more per pic will make for a more relaxing "browse" for the captions. I didn't have trouble keeping up, but was prepared by reading Ed's suggestion beforehand. Very pleasant music too, by the way!

 

GIL :cool:

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Ed and Gil,

Appreciate your observations.  The music clip keeps me from making from the video any longer.  However, I've tweaked it a bit by shortening the transition time between slides.  This effectively allows slightly more time to view an individual slide.  Please check the revised video out and let me know what you think.  Again, a direct link to the channel is here .  As before, click on the C-46 boxtop icon.

Of course here's the big question.  Would the video encourage anyone building the kit to actually buy the E-book?  I'd like your opinion on that as well.

BTW, Gil, thanks for your comments on the music.  I may wind up using it for the background for other E-book promos.

Richard

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Hi, Richard,

I like the revised timing of the slides, but I still think you can shave off a few seconds on some of the opening slides and the finished model slides to tack them onto the WIP slides.  I have the exact same kit in my collection minus the aftermarket PE and SAC landing gear and canopy masks.  My guess is that your e-book has some of the best references anywhere on the C-46 and how to build the model kit of it.  At the time I can get to this kit, I would consider your e-book as necessary as the instructions in the kit box.  But, to be honest, the C-46 is a difficult kit to find at the LHS and probably has a limited amount of mass appeal (vs., say, the C-47) these days so long after the aircraft faded into history.  I wish you well with your e-book sales.

Ed

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Which raises an interesting  question.  Should ebook subjects be limited to kits that are generally readily available at both the LHS and Online shops?  Or would some of the older but still good kits...such as the Monogram 1/48 F-105 or Monogram AT-6....be possibilities? 

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A few things.....

1) The video does seem a bit more "relaxed" in its presentation after your tweaking, but the pace is still good.

2) While it tells of an exhaustive step-by-step process in building the kit, you don't mention whether it includes any other references on the C-46 itself; such as walk around pics. Does it? The reason I ask is because I have the 1/48 Combat vac kit. While I could use the detail parts as good building "references" for my own build, having reference pics would make it more usable for my purposes. So, my point is that extra references for any subject you do may make an E-book desirable to people with other kits than the specific one you do.

3) As to how to limit what subjects you pick to do, I wouldn't limit it to what you can buy only in shops and on-line. Many modelers have extensive stashes and many models not available in stores. I think the criteria is if it's a popular kit of a popular subject that you know a lot of modelers have and build. I think it also applies to those that have a rep for being a bit more on the "difficult" side; such as the 1/48 Monogram medium bombers. Many modelers have them, many of those kits have not been replaced with newer editions, and an E-book with reference pics that also shows where the problems are and how to either avoid them and/or overcome them would be desirable.

GIL :cool:

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Gil,

Excellent points.  It's a learning process to be sure, especially where Youtube is concerned.

Point 1:  Sounds like I've found a decent balance.  Enough to make people want to buy the ebook but not so much that they feel they don't need it.  That was a mistake I made on the Photo Gallery CDs.  They run over six minutes and have so many photos that I'm sure viewers feel they don't need to buy the discs.  For example, the B-36 video has over 10,000 views but no sales of the CD.

Point 2:  The C-46 ebook does not include references.  I can go back and add them but they will be in the form of links for the most part, I think.  Copyright problems rear their head when it comes to including photos of the actual aircraft.  Anyway, I'll see what I can do and let you know.

Point 3:  Very good observations and I tend to agree with you.  One that I'm planning is an F-105 E-book using the Monogram 1/48 kit.  In this case, the Hobby Boss kit isn't as good as the old Monogram.  The Monogram kit is also far cheaper.  Same comments basically apply to the Monogram P-61 versus the Great Wall kit.  Also, what about the early/old Hasegawa and Revell 32nd scale kits?  There are aftermarket products that can bring them up to current standards or pretty darn close.  And if you want to do a conversion that requires major surgery, it sure beats chopping up a modern $150 kit.

I have a lot of photos of the F-105 that I should be able to include in that ebook.  In fact, there may be enough to produce a separate Photo Gallery CD.  That isn't possible with the C-46.  Arrgh!  So much to do, so little time.

BTW, I have an Encore A-37B that I'm considering for an E-book.  Whatcha think about that one?

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Sure makes me wanna go build one!

Only suggestion I would add is to maybe weather the finish a bit more, as applicable to the subject. I suspect that the camera/lighting is washing out a great paint job on the C-46. Am not suggesting that you go full-Verlinden-mad on it, but just a bit more, to pop the surface detail and such.

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