To All,

I am looking for volunteers to participate as volunteer judges at the AMPS 2008 International Convention, located at The WWII Victory Museum in Auburn Indiana on 11-12 April, 2008. This show will bring out the best armor model and modelers as well as a armor themed vendor room that is the best of its kind in the United States.

It is no secret that he AMPS judging system needs a large numbers of judges to evaluate the entries as the show is occurring. So, if you are visiting the convention for the first time or the fifteenth, I personally invite you to “donate” some of your time to be a judge. Your experiences at judging models ranging from beginner to advanced level will make you a better modeler. You will also leave the convention with a highly coveted AMPS Crew t-shirt, suitable for creating jealousy amongst your modeling buddies.

In order to participate as a volunteer judge, all you need to do is attend a judging meeting at the Victory Museum on Friday, 11 April at 8:30AM to become familiar with the AMPS judging process, sign up for shifts and perhaps the best of all, get access to the vendor room an hour before the show opens to the public. Despite some of the public’s displeasure with the objectiveness of the AMPS judging system, it is a process that provides each modeler with a score as well as feedback from the four judges that actually judged your model. We try to make sure the comments are pertinent and valid in order to help modelers get better at their hobby.

For those that are not able to attend the Friday meeting, let me know via e-mail and we can work out different arrangements. Also, for those who have judged before and want to take the next step towards the administrative side of judging, I will be “resurrecting” the Certified Judge class. This class will offer an opportunity to take a closer look at the AMPS rules, the judging process, and will finish up with a critiqued judging session. If you are interested in becoming a certified AMPS judge, contact me with your AMPS experience level to secure a seat in this class.

Please contact me at: [email protected] if you have any questions about judging. Hope to see all of you in Indiana.

John Charvat
Chief Judge
2008 AMPS International Convention, Auburn Indiana
11-12 April, 2008