When a skinner quits the game his skins are preserved for six months. After that time if he has not rejoined the game his skins are put up for adoption. This means that any other active skinner can adopt one of his skins through the skins submissions page, repaint the same aircraft and then resubmit the skin in his own name. A skinner can only adopt one skin at a time and has six months to submit it or he loses it and it goes back into the adoption list.
Most of the skins in the adoption list are quite old and so lack the AH3 lighting effect files needed to look good in the game. They suffer from an unrealistic shiny chrome finish. Currently Vraciu is working through the old P-51s, Devil is redoing 109s and 190s and I am updating various Spits, P-47s, A6Ms, B-24s, B-29s amongst others.
The reason for me posting the list was so I could give it to Lyric1 and let him find info on the subjects.