While I have held back and not posted about the recent events over at CardModels.net or why I started the site you see before you, I think it is about time that I chime in. I guess I will start with why I decided to start this site, since a lot of people have mentioned that the timing could not have been better due to the recent problems over at the CardModels.net forum. While the launch of the Paper Modelers site did correspond with the merger of the Card Models forum into the Zealot forum, it was not in response to the problems encountered with the merger. As some of you know, I have been trying to acquire the Card Models forum for the last three years since even before Peter owned the site. I have also tried to acquire other card related sites like the Card Model FAQ and more recently CardModelers.org with the goal of creating a portal for the paper model hobbyist. Each site had something to contribute towards the portal I was envisioning. It was in discussing my ideas with the senior member of CardModelers.org that I was recently able to formalize my ideas for the portal.
It was shortly after learning that Saul was not interested in selling the cardmodelers.org website that CardModels.net went offline. I emailed Peter to see if he would be interested in selling the forum as I had a pretty good idea what was happening with the site. Peter and I have talked a couple of time since he purchased the Card Model forum and I have a great respect for Peter. Peter is a true internet entrepreneur who makes his living on the net. I have followed his many posts on sites like sitepoint.com as well as on his personal bog at
www.petertdavis.net over the last couple years. I would have preferred to have purchased the Card Models forum as a corner stone to our portal but things do not always turn out as we would like and with the merging of the forum into the Zealot forum, I realized that Peter would not be able to separate the forum out again. It was at that point that I figured I should stop trying to purchase a site and start working on building out my idea for a paper model portal if I was ever going to get it off the ground. Hence the site you see before you.
While I might not agree with the decision to merge the Card Models forum into the Zealot hobby forum that does not mean that I hold any ill will towards Peter or the forum. Peter is working towards building his vision of a hobby related site that is home to many different types of hobbies. He purchased the CardModels.net forum and has been paying the bills, so if he decides to merge it with his Zealot hobby forum it is his right. It is his vision after all.
As we grow, I would like the direction this site takes to be directed, not by the Admin or moderators, but by our members. Since the ultimate goal of a forum is to promote that which the forum is about, we need to focus on our hobby and to expose as many people to it as possible. To that effect, I have built a dedicated site geared towards the paper modeler, while Peter has decided to create a hobby related forum where Card Models is just one hobby the forum covers. The one thing both sites have in common is that they will help to expose new people to a hobby we love and for that we should be excited.
Sincerely,
Jason