WWI Modeling List Facing the End

[WD]

I couldn't think of where I could post this, so decided this would be the best place.

The first group I ever happened upon on the first day I got on the internet was the World War One Modeling List. This was in the mid/late 90's. Because of that email news group I was able to explore and pursue a passion for WWI aviation, try to recreate it in scale, but most of all forge friendships that have lasted until this day, many of whom I've never met face-to-face. Folks like Matthew Bittner, Diego Fernetti, Buz Pezold, Stuart Malone, Shane Jenkins, Shane Weier, Thomas Morgan, Robert Karr, Tracy Hancock, Grzegorz Mazurowski, and others. Some are still on that List, many are not, and some have gone West.
I know of very few of the early news groups that still exist today, and the fact that this one does is down to the grunt work of Allan Wright at UNH. I was saddened to see this in my inbox today:

"Gentlemen,
   With some wrangling, I've been able to bring wwi-models.org back to
life for now. Model galleries (the most important part to me) are fully
operational again. I don't have time to fully review the full site
functionality as I head out to a week's vacation tomorrow and I have
real work to do before I leave. As an FYI, in addition to security
changes, the financial crunch has hit our university and there have been nearly 150 layoffs, including some co-workers of mine. I won't be taking any chances in crossing any policy rules to keep the WWI-models site up. Should the rules change, the site might go away again, for good. I'm still looking for a patron to take over the work of hosting and maintaining the site.
Thanks for the many years of supporting the site,
Allan"

All good things must come to an end.

Warren

[macsporran]

Oh dear, that is sad news. Hope Allan is OK, he really did so much for WWI modelling.

I only left because I got involved in a messy divorce and left the hobby, selling off all my books, tools, kits, etc, otherwise I'd still be there.
A chance sight of a WNW SE5a brought me back 10 years later and I would have rejoined if I hadn't found Des' wonderful site and forum, with his focus on 1/32 build logs.
I still have popped back for a look occasionally though.
Good to see many listees here these days, but I'll raise a dram to Allan and the old list tonight.
Sandy

[Thumbs up]

Standing on the shoulders of giants!

[NigelR]

I chanced upon the WWI mailing list in the late 90s when I was working in the US. It was that site, and the people on it, that got me back into modelling and fuelled my interest in WWI. I met several of the listees and learnt so much from all of them.

I hope Allan is able to keep it going although sadly in these days of Facebook and social media, the Mailing List approach is somewhat outdated. However, I really don't like Facebook modelling groups, and forums like this one feel like the "modern" version of communities like the WWI Mailing List. That's probably why there are several ex-listees on here.....

[WD]

I chanced upon the WWI mailing list in the late 90s when I was working in the US. It was that site, and the people on it, that got me back into modelling and fuelled my interest in WWI. I met several of the listees and learnt so much from all of them.

I hope Allan is able to keep it going although sadly in these days of Facebook and social media, the Mailing List approach is somewhat outdated. However, I really don't like Facebook modelling groups, and forums like this one feel like the "modern" version of communities like the WWI Mailing List. That's probably why there are several ex-listees on here.....

By and large, I don't like FB modeling groups much either, but I've found a few I really enjoy. Also, I'm out there proselytizing for WWI modeling as well, someone must go out and preach among the heathens, right? (I confess to have a scale modeling interest outside of WWI modeling. Shocking, I know.)

I left the List because of one individual that somehow got a burr up his saddle about me, and took any and all opportunities to attack me, but when he attacked my child, that was it. Come after me all you want, but come after my kid and it's on. So, I left, life is too short for that, and like many of you, I gravitated here

If you look at Allan's personal page at the UNH website, he manages quite a few other webpages or groups aside from the WWI Modeling List.

I agree, the list concept is very antiquated, but we had such a good time there. All things change, nothing remains the same, but war. War never changes.

Warren

[Davos522]

Like most of the folks I stumbled on the List by accident in the late '90s, I was looking for information on accurizing the old 1:48 Merit Bristol Bulldog kit, and posted a message on a whim. Someone posted back that I was wasting my time, to get the Lindberg kit, and things just sort of took off from there. I landed there in the midst of one of the grimmest periods of my life, and the humor, help, and general craziness went a long way towards giving me something to look forward to at the end of the day, and providing an activity that was much healthier than driving around back roads with a six-pack.

I made friends who I'm still in touch with twenty-five years later; Diego, the mad Argentinian, Brad G, now retired from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Dave Calhoun, who I just ran into at an IPMS show, and perhaps most of all Steven Perry, who sadly went West two years ago in the midst of our "let's build the awful old Eduard SS D.III kit" mutual support group. There was seldom any rancor, although I pretty much know who you were referring to, Warren, there was really only one person it could have been. He's in Facebook Jail now, I hear.

Anyway, depending on whether anyone else steps in, how big the site files are, and domain name particulars, we may be able to figure out a way to move them to the new site my boys and I are building for our detail parts operation. I'm going to talk to Allan about it when he gets back from vacation, it'd be a shame to lose The List completely.

Dutch