Don Shankin wrote:
I would love to have a page for my M1A2-Abrams-In-Progress (in the
pending section, of course). If the powers that be could create one for
me, I would sure appreciate it.
The powers that be rarely speak on such subjects (they are too busy
traveling the world promoting the hobby), but I'll try to give an
explanation for them.
Back in the early days of the hobby, the www.rctankcombat.com website
and the mailing list were the only communication media we had. The
powers that be tried to provide a way to showcase work done by everyone
by creating the tank pages. Tanks were designated as soon as requested,
even if only a design was in mind. It was soon realized that most of
the tanks weren't being built and the effort that went into making those
pages was wasted. Moreover, most newbies reading through the pages saw
that most vehicles didn't actually exist, leading them to believe the
hobby didn't exist.
So, the powers that be created the "rolling chassis" requirement,
knowing that anyone who got to that stage had a pretty good chance of
finishing their vehicle. Official designation was now a badge of
achievement, not just another anonymous page amongst trillions of web pages.
But, newbies continued to want an outlet for showing off their early
work and the powers that be continued to want to support them, so they
created the "Pending Designation" page to give them a lesser showcase.
Unfortunately, after a few years it was noticed that no "pending"
vehicle was ever completed. Not wanting to jinx all newbies, the powers
that be suspended the pending designation to encourage members to
actually achieve "rolling chassis" status and reap all of the rewards
and financial benefits that title provides.
More importantly, over the years, many new outlets were created for
anyone to use that provide the same capabilities (if not better) than
the official website. Three perfect examples are:
1) Using a Google Group thread to chronicle your work
2) Using any free blog service to chronicle your work
3) Create your own web page and join the R/C Tank Combat Network (web ring)
For example, our most prolific Greek builder, Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos,
chronicled the construction of a Daimler in:
http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat/browse_thread/thread/8c8b17c600051ca9
It's a simple process, just post a message with a Subject of your
choosing with a photo and whatever you want people to know. Whenever
you have another photo or more facts, simply return to that thread and
reply with another message. People can make comments along the way and
you can not only distribute photos and information, but you can have a
dialog with all your fans. (As an aside, you'll notice at the bottom of
that thread that he requested a "Pending Designation" and was granted
the same, with the pending page referencing the Google Group thread.
And, even though he's completed plenty of other vehicles, he never
completed the Daimler ... jinxed?)
In a more recent example, our most prolific Australian builder, Chris
Barthelson (aka. Mr. TigerAce), created a *FREE* blogger site at:
http://tankcombat.blogspot.com/
which is just one of many high-quality and free blog services. Chris
posts photos and facts to the blog, then sends a reference message to
the mailing list to tell people when he's added some interesting stuff.
In addition, anyone can "follow" Chris' blog directly, which means
they'll get automatic updates in their own blog reader when Chris adds
something. Blog sites have the added benefit of letting you choose your
own format schemes, backgrounds, etc. When Chris reaches a rolling
chassis status his official designation page will reference his blog and
the circle will be complete.
Finally, there are plenty of services that allow you to easily create
your own web site if you prefer to have total control over everything
displayed. Once created, your website can be updated whenever you want
and a message posted to the mailing list to let people know you've added
content. Moreover, your website can be added to the R/C Tank Combat
Network web ring so that people will find it referenced from the main
web site. A good example is:
http://www.gizmology.net/mkvstar.htm
All of these approaches yield the desired result of showcasing a
project, without any cost and without any unnecessary steps (post
information someplace and then post a message). They all allow builders
to post photos and facts, reference videos and add things over time.
Such services not only obviate the need for the pending page, but also
result in more control by the builder. Moreover, anyone who takes the
time to put together a thread/blog/page chronicling their own vehicle is
more likely to actually finish their vehicle ... which is what we all
want to see.
It's probably safe to say that the powers that be believe in a "tough
love" approach to raising newbies. They provide the resources and
encouragement needed, but they keep the hurdles high enough to allow
them to actually achieve something of which they can be proud.
Unfortunately, most completed vehicles never actually go into battle, so
the powers that be still have some work to do.
Personally, I think that the powers that be are a bunch of old farts who
have lost touch with modern reality, but that's just my opinion.
Frank "Time To Prepare For Tomorrow's Battle" Pittelli
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