• Pardon the dust while the boys rebuild the site.

    The board will be in a state of disarray as I get things sorted out, for a little while at least.

    The new incarnation is using Xenforo as the system software. It is much like what we are used to, with a few differences. I will see about making a FAQ to help point out the differences for the members.

     

    One IMPORTANT difference for all of us old timers is that the 'mail' system is replaced with what are called 'conversations'/

    There is no 'Inbox' or 'Out box' or 'Sent' folders anymore.

    Think of Conversations as private 'threads' or topics that don't exist in a forum, that you start with another member. NOTE: Conversations can include more than one member if you or someone else in the conversaion, likes.
    Takes a little getting used to but I am sure you all can get a hang of it.

     

    Only a slightly modified default default Xenforo style is available for now. Once the new SAG style is ready it will be available.

    All existing users should be able to login with their usernames and passwords once the site goes up.

     

    If anyone has difficulties logging in please contact me at sixthvanguard@gmail.com.

     

    Thank you for your support and patience. I know it has been a loooong road.

Where Did Everybody Go?

SLICK7

SLICK7

Company Commander
I'm truly astonished/amazed at how the ranks have thinned. I've always considered SAG the place to be and forum to see when it comes to WWII - 1/6 scale modeling. But even here the number of views and replies are abysmal. I'm somewhat of a latecomer to SAG but even I remember the day when I could post free 1/6 toothpicks and I would have 20 responses. I posted free German Phrase Books (actually for the price of a self-addressed stamped envelope) and got exactly "0" that's right zero requests. On boy. Slick
 
I hear you Slick, the sight and the hobby is not what it used to be. I blame all of us for not keeping the flame burning bright and still engaging our selves and others with WWII themed work. Now I will say that the other boards are just as lacking so that leads me to believe that it isn't just WWII themed boards that are slow. Keep the faith brother and support as best you can.



Just a reminder of why I am such a WWII fan. Love the tanks and other vehicles.

Jeff (Geppetto):!:
 
I am seeing this quite a bit across all sorts of boards I frequent, not just WWII r even action figure boards. Part of it might be the move to BaceFook for nearly all-things-social these days. Who really knows ...
 
Sixth Vanguard said:
Part of it might be the move to BaceFook for nearly all-things-social these days. Who really knows ...
Click to expand...
I think that is one of the main rasons why we see a lot less activity on the boards. I know of several fellow builders/collectors who are very active on FB and hardly on the old-school forums. I'm trying very hard not to succumb to the dark side...
From what I hear of people involved with producing WW2 vehicle kits/builds, the market is still there in terms of volume, so I think it is just moving onto other social media platforms for showing the results.
 
I must be missing something, since I don't understand how going to a bunch of facebook pages is easier than going to one or two dedicated sites. I'm just an old dog I guess.
I like this place. Its peaceful. :)
 
I think we also need to remember what time of the year is... I can tell you for myself at least, that this is the busiest time of year for me. I have been looking but commenting little. Just so damned busy! I love this forum and will stick around and stick it out one way or another. Summer is also the best time for me for doing 1/6th related projects. Hang tough guys remain optimistic!
 
I have been busy trying to pay the mortgage , I think its the same with many others , real life has gotten REAL LOL .

And David I agree , I have seen a few of these pages for 1/6th on Facebook and such , and they really dont work well , especially if you see something one day and try to find it a week later . but we seem to have turned into the 5 second click like society , oh well
 
Gotta get the full experience I belong to many of the 1/6 facebook pages but I still login to here everyday! But im still new to this so I don't post much if I do I don't get much of a response so I'll just wait until I get my project finished
 
Im afraid Ill have to miss out on whats out there on facebook. Things may have slowed down here but as pointed out, that's whats happening on all fronts.


Myself, Im in a phase where Im much busier. I still have all of my 1/6 stuff. Ill make a comeback but Im just not in position to do so right now. I do enjoy seeing what others are doing on regular basis though and posting their progress and dios!!!!
 
Things have slowed on the WWII boards for sure. I think some of it is a shift to Facebook with the hobby instead of the boards.

Our club (the SSCC) is still going strong - though I must admit my October and November offerings were light when displaying for the club meetings. I kitted up new figures for this past Wednesday's meeting and hope to take them outside for a photo shoot. Then I'll have something to post of my own on the forums.

I have worked on a number of different things recently but don't like to post WIP posts. I suspect that many others are the same.

While we're on the subject - let's see everyone's Battle of the Bulge kitbashes and vehicles! 'Tis the season!

Fred
 
Could it be only interest in 1/6 WW2 that is waning?

OSW covering any period is sure not slowing down. WW2 is included sure but also are modern, movie figs, sci fi, monsters even those dopes collecting unrealistic big bazoom female dollies. :shock:

Charlie
 
Don't do FB, and check this site almost once a day tho I don't seem to post as before. Always found this to be my favorite site / forum and can't remember the last time I checked another site.

Had much more time for 1/6th when the economy was slower from 2008 thru 2012 or so, and when I had Rolling Thunder going strong. With the demise of RTT, I did get frustrated and put all energy into my other hobby, R/C planes.

Now am very busy with work now that construction is on, and just can't seem to get any real progress made on all my 1/6th "almost" finished projects. Also, the group in the Bay Area has seemed to fade away and we haven't had a quarterly meet in years. Those were always fun, especially seeing what was being done by others. It would energize us all to create and build.

Am still impressed with the creations shown on the forum and am intrigued with 3D modeling thou I have no experience with it. Knowing what members of the group have done with resin and clay, would like to see what happens with 3D modeling. Glad to see that Loic, among others, are keeping the 1/6th light on for vehicles.

Am not purchasing figures like years ago, as there just isn't the WWII selection and what is available is two to three times the cost of earlier releases.

Leonard
RTT (still gonna use that)
 
I also think that Dragon leaving one sixth figures doesn't help and the ones coming out are so expensive. Dragon produced cheaper figures with less detail, but that created the need for custom work and forums. I am still in it, but busy as well with tow little ones. :-D
 
I recognize the feeling here. I still think that S.A.G is the best 1/6th scale forum out there but the Armortek forum is also excellent and has a LOT of energy and posts. Armortek has the advantage of representing a good product line, and they have done a great job of offering an opportunity for their customers to share their builds, questions, upgrades.

I've tried to do the same on the FOA forum, but even if we are selling FOA products on a much better frequency than previously... customers are still "shy" to post their builds in public. it should change, because transparency helps the motivation of others, inspire new comers, and increase sales which give the opportunity for more investment into new products and better quality.

Facebook is nice because it's easy! Posting photos, commenting, a quick "like"... doesn't take much time

I heard from a marketing guru that "Blogs" gets the "most bank for your buck"

I'm foreign to this issue, because when I ran GreatModels.com I had 70,000 customers, 30,000 email subscribers and a much more steady cash flow. But like many retailers, survival brings "creative options". One is the close working relationship of Panzerwerk, E.C.A and F.O.A. I call this the "American Alliance"! (-;

FOA needed to upgrade its quality - change our casting practices. The acquisition of 6SI was a huge boost. Our master builder from the Netherlands upgraded the Pz.IV and Panther lines masters. The Flak 43 for the Ostwind should be available shortly after Ton builds the kit we just sent him, and write the detailed instructions... I still feel that we are soooo close! Be patient guys, 2016 will be exciting! Dragon is not dead, they are just dormant


IMG_7019_zps4nk138qw.jpg

Ton will post more pics of his Panther commission build with all the new masters this weekend on the FOA forum
 
M37M880 said:
Could it be only interest in 1/6 WW2 that is waning?

OSW covering any period is sure not slowing down.
Click to expand...

I am thinking the same thing, Charlie. There are less WWII releases now than there were in the past. OSW is quite active - and there are a number of WWII posts on OSW - but I've always felt uncomfortable posting WWII stuff there. To me OSW was always a modern board in my mind whereas SAG and The Sixth Division are dedicated to WWII. I feel extremely comfortable posting anything from my almost exclusively WWII collection on either board.

Anyway - let's see everyone's Battle of the Bulge work. Again - 'tis the season.

:rock:

Fred
 
Face it, the recent economic downturn affected every segment of our hobby; from manufacturers and wholesalers, to e-tailers and hobby shops all over the world. This was substantially due to there being less disposable income in all hobby segments. When people can't buy, the ripple effect rolls back up the food chain.

I, personally, have almost quit buying new figures in the past few years. I just cherry pick those figures I don't think will be available if I don't buy right away. These are "must-have" items; not like the good old days where I was buying almost everything Dragon released, and a lot of the "premium" lines as well, such as DID.
 
I don't do Facebook either. I visit here every day and have noticed few new posts each day. I can't complain as I usually post only when I complete a project.
 
Me too been slacking I must admit, should pickup in a few weeks though.

Hope so anyway.

Plus getting older does not help neither.




Jeff
 
I was on FB briefly (less than a year), and I saw some of the FB groups - problem is that you don't know who anyone is, there's a ton of them, and the posts are mostly just a pic with one or two likes. I don't think they have that much more traffic.

The OSW is lousy for WWII stuff too. Montanes just posted his excellent Max Seela bash, and it has no responses. The OSW is filled with alot of junk posts. From vague titles to completely random subjects, it's a lot of work to find the handful of WWII posts (and most of them are posted here and the Sixth Division already). God forbid you offer a real 1:1 pic that counters someones comments. (And don't get me started on the recent "This is the Golden Times of the 1/6th Hobby thread" either).

I think a lot of people still lurk on the boards, but are afraid to post or have 1:1 stuff going on.

I also know I can never get a pic to post here or the Sixth Division. I found an M42 Palm smock pic and tried and tried to post it and couldn't figure it out. I'm not PC illiterate, but I don't know what gives. :neutral:

Off soapbox, charge: .02$
 
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