More that they are generally not as hospitable as when I joined them back in the old FFURG listserver days. It's gone from less a community to more a place where criticism isn't appreciated, discussion is limited, and most are out to make a buck in profit off the hobby rather than share knowledge and expand customizing.
At Celebration III we (FFURG) put on a great basic customizing tutorial/display... It wasn't just diorama'ing and all that stuff, it was actual boil/popping, building, painting... It was hands-on, it was active. It had interest from Hasbro's reps, it had interest from fans of all ages, it had interest from celebrity guests. It was really fun, and embodied getting knowledge out there about this niche within the hobby.
Now... It's more about showing things off and expecting praise, an inability to take anything but, and a lack of desire to share techniques I've noticed. I see this in other customizing too, like G.I. Joe. A lot of "secretive" guys come out. I've seen some outright lie about how easily things can be done because they want people to not try it themselves (since they sell it). It was disappointing to see, and I dropped out mostly because of that stuff. I make things for myself, not for Ebay.
