Hello,

Just a quick note to let you all know that the “new and improved” AMPS web site is up and running at:

http://www.amps-armor.org

I realise that the site has been down a while and wanted to let everyone know that the site and the discussion groups are back up and running.

One of the most visited pages over the next few months is bound to be the AMPS Convention page, located at:

http://www.amps-armor.org/ampssite/Conventions/AMPS2006/Amps2006.aspx

There you can find all the information you need to plan your trip what is really North America’s largest armour model show and hobby shop. There is information on hotels, registration fees, rules and, of course, driving directions. There are also a lot of photos of the vehicles in this year’s show location, the WWII Vehicle Museum and Learning Center in Hubbard, Ohio.

The AMPS site has been and will continue to evolve, adding new features for members and allowing non-members a chance to see what they are missing. One our members’ most asked-for features is back in all its glory. Full Metal Jacket has returned with all those great photos being available for members to view and enjoy.

Our discussion groups are back in business as well. Recently we opened up the discussion groups so that non-members may read the posts and, we hope, benefit from the discussion. Membership is required to reply to the forum, but everyone is invited to drop in.

We also have continuing plans to enhance the value of the web site for members. The existing Boresight index and the model kit review database are currently well out of date. While the old information is back on line, we are working on a way that both members and non-members will be able to view and add new content much in the style of the “Wikipedia” type of user driven encyclopaedias available on the web. Members will automatically be permitted to add content, but even non-members, after they register to ensure we don’t get malicious posts, will be able to add information to what we hope will become a large central clearing house of data on all aspects of military vehicles and military vehicle modelling. Reviews of models, links to relevant web sites, reference photos, lists of applicable books and reference material will all be available for the benefit of everyone. This information will be sorted by vehicle so that if you want information on the SdKfz 250, or the Sherman III, the Rooikat or the Cougar, the AMPS encyclopaedia will be your first stop.

In a similar fashion, members will soon be able to upload photos of their models and of real vehicles to share with other members.

Members will eventually be able to download PDF version of older past issues, so your collection need never be incomplete again.

While we may have been away for a while, we wanted to let you all know we were back and are working hard to bring you all a valuable web experience.

Please drop by, take a look and let us know what you think.

Paul Roberts
President
Armor Modeling and Preservation Society