It's hard to believe the forums here are shutting down. It's been almost thirty years since the Bivouac first came online and a few less than that since I started visiting the boards. I remember it was Liberty: 2198 that first drew me in. Something about that storyline really captured my young imagination. I was about twelve years old when I first logged on. I dabbled a bit in customizing but I never hit the heights that many of the greats on this site hit. So many have come and gone over those years. Some faded away from the fandom, some we lost entirely.
Joecustoms has been there in the background for most of my life. No matter how many times I would get busy with other things I always knew the boards would be here when I decided to log back in. I tend to think of myself as a perpetual lurker more than a regular poster. I never went to any of the cons or meetups but I was always here to read the dio-stories, the comics, and anything else that was for the community. Then there were the memes. Robocop's gun, Chinese Major Bludd, Armored Car on the Snowfield, Rumbler's pants, and my personal favorite, unofficial site mascot Big Brawler. I have a lot of memories tied up with these boards.
It's the kind of thing in life you assume will just always be there until one day, it's not. I remember when the line came back from being more than just Toys 'R' Us exclusives with the Real American Hero Collection two-packs. Then there was the debacle with the t-crotch new sculpts and the quick back-pedaling to o-rings. I remember the collective excitement at a whole new version of G.I. Joe with the 25th anniversary figures which gave way to the movie tie-ins and new lines of original figures. It was amazing to see the line hit new heights and then slowly fade out again only to come back as the Classified 6" figures. To see what so many have been able to do with the many different styles of Joe has been amazing. Even Sigma Six got their due thanks to one of our missing friends.
Through it all, this site was here. But, in recent years it really started becoming clear the heyday of JC was in the past. Less and less of us were posting. I remember at one time you could refresh the board every few minutes and find a new post. Now, it seems almost whole days can go by without anything. And that's okay. We grow older, lives change. It's bittersweet to be saying goodbye to something that's been here for so long, but it's good to know the site will still be here. We'll still be able to admire the work of those who share this hobby.
As for the boards, I guess it's time to say "goodbye, farewell, and amen." Old soldiers never die, they just fade away...
