I had a great time at Telford IPMS Nationals over the weekend. Sincere thanks to all the organisers who did a great job in my view -a show of this size takes alot of work to pull together.

I didn't enter the competitions , so I have no axe to grind, but I am very confused by the judging. I have never judged myself, nor have I seen the criteria used by IPMS judges. But I was astonished at the results in several categories. To illustrate my point, I attach four pics of the entries in the small scale armour category. Do you agree with the judges? The Tiger II was awarded gold, the T34 silver, the Tiger I bronze and the Panther was unplaced. I should add that there were also many other entries in this category which were outstanding in my opinion but didn't get any award. I know that we'll never agree about competition results, but I just cannot understand what marking systen could have been used to get these results. If anyone out there has knowledge of this I'd be delighted for your comments.

Am I missing something?

Neil Patrick

PS apologies about the less than perfect photos

Only the pics Neil .
Here you go.




Andy

Whoops! Thanks Andy!

The panther and T34 are awsome! The Tigers are great too. Us humans all have differant opions

Derek,

IIRC if the extra stuff, such as ammo boxes or a figure, are placed on the vehicle it's seen as part of the vehicle display, and thus not a dio. The minute it becomes part of the groundwork, it's categorised as a dio. I'll admit that this rule is somewhat fuzzy to me, so I'm more than likely wrong...

Rudi

Hi I dont have a copy of the rules to hand , But I have judged many times over the years. I always say each and every model is a winner as it is the modellers best effort on the day . The hard part is tring to seperate those that stand out from the rest . Most judges can pick the winner in the first minute but it takes longer to find the second and third places. so don't know the result just sit back and admire the work . My thoughts , by the way i no longer enter or judge . Bin there and won them and the cabinet is full . cheers ian

It was my understanding that IPMS rules were that if the vehicle was on anything besides a simple plaque, ie: any ground work at all, that it has to be placed in Diorama.

I did a Dragon ZSU 23/4, had just a simple sand base, with a plaster concrete wall I casted from using lego, and they moved it from Armor to Dio.

If that is the true rule, then of those 4, only the King Tiger would qualify.

I mean no disrespect, but anyone judging a competition who picks the winner in the first minute is likely doing a real disservice to the entrants and to the contest.

It is frequently the case that the most spectacular "gee whiz" model on the table is not the best. Sometimes it is, but frequently not. Yet those are the models that tend to catch our eye first - after all, we are human. Meanwhile, there may be other, "quieter" models that are far better that do not jump out at first glance.

I believe judges owe it to each entrant to carefully judge each and every entry first before drawing a conclusion. In the closed judging system used in most contests (i.e., there is a fixed number of awards with 1st place, 2nd place etc) there is sometimes a tendency to make a quick 'cut' of the models to find the best ones and then concentrate effort on those. As a practical matter in a large contest, sometimes there is no choice but to work this way. In those cases judges must guard against missing the less spectacular but possibly excellent models that do not 'jump out' at first glance.

In open systems such as what we use in AMPS, where there is no fixed number of awards, it is easier for judges to really spend time looking over every single model. We've found that if the judging teams spend about six minutes per model (from a team of four judges) they will achieve a good balance of accurate judging and getting through the task in a reasonable amount of time. In an AMPS contest, each entrant gets written feedback on their model also, so they know why they scored whatever they got.

Judging models is a bit like marriage in that, if you spend enough time with a model or a woman, eventually you will discover every fault and even make up a few that aren't really there

I would urge everyone to judge in as many contests as you can, regardless of the system in use, because it is one of the best ways to become a better modeler. Besides, by volunteering you are getting involved, you are helping with the show, and if you aren't careful you might just meet a few new friends.

Just my two ever-decreasing-in-value cents...

Danny Egan
President
AMPS
http://www.amps-armor.org

It is really reckless to judge models by photos because we cannot possibly get a good look at everything. But I'll jump in anyway - I like all four and commend the builders. The T-34 and Panther are especially well-presented. If I was making feedback notes on an AMPS judging sheet I'd write that the T-34 may have some alignment problems with the engine deck hatches and rear plate; the Tiger II has a floating roadwheel; the Tiger I's wheels are not equally distant from the center of the vehicle. I can't see the Panther well enough to say anything at all about it. But I like all four quite a lot.

I'll put my helmet and flak jacket on now......

Danny Egan
President
AMPS
http://www.amps-armor.org

Has anyone posted pictures from this show yet??

All I have seen so far is Brett Green's videos, and pictures of the ships that were in the show over at ModelWarships.com.

Theres a photo feature over on the P-47 SIG website.
HERE
Naturally, its all Thunderbolts.
Nige