Today, I helped judge in the Regional contest. THey asked for help in the Armor category, so what the heck. Man were my eyes opened. Here is what I learned for those of you that ant to have a shot at show winners.

1. Tracks: make sure they are square up - look at the tank head on and directly from the rear. No bows or inward cants, make sure all of the road wheels are flat (perfectly) on the track. They will slide a piece of paper when it gets down to nitty gritty. Watch the joining if using plastic individual links, watch for glue as well, make sure it gets painted over...it shines. Recommend using those metal or the "rubber-band" unlless you are good with the plastic ones.
2. Gun tubes throw them away and ONLY use the metal. Just too hard to get out seams or not flatten the tube. Check out your machine guns for seam marks the barrel and the housing.
3. Glue spots, gloss on paint, and kit joining seams....goes without saying HAve none
4. Screens should be flawless watch where you glue them, the glue loves to cover up a few of the holes which shows up when you paint...cover with gear or somethiing to hide this was the comment made to me.

Had fun doing this, and just using that criteria, we pretty much were able to get our winners. Two guys that paid attention to this pretty much swept. And mind you, I did not know any of the competitors

And this is why I'll never enter my models in a contest!

A lot of the same rules apply to all the categories. If you are going to enter your stuff ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS look at it from head on and tail on. That's the first place most judges look.

Aircraft landing gear must by symmetrical and have the correct angles for the aircraft type. Ordinance shouldn't be catty cornered. Cars must sit on all 4 tires. etc...

Same here. I like to build for myself. Just stick the kit on the shelf over my desk or stick them some place. A friend talked me into entering a kit in a show this spring, but I think he just wanted me to enter a kit so I would stay at the show the entire time. He was entering about a dozen kits and needed me to drive.

Hey Blaster! Glad you had fun and learned something. I'll bet you picked up plenty of tips for making your own models better, and that -- along with meeting others with similar interests -- is why I like to go to model contests when I can.

I was at the Kansas City AMPS contest today and helped judge, as I always seem to do these days. It was a blast and I saw some awesome models. Like Blaster says, alignment is a big thing, but I disagree on one point: I think a skilledmodeler can make a kit barrel look just as good as a turned-metal barrel. It just takes time and effort.

I entered two models in Advanced class and took two bronzes. The guys who judged my stuff pointed out some valid criticisms and I'll take them as they were given -- as things to watch for on the next models I build.

I look at entering contests as a display with a chance to win something. I wouldn't go to a show expecting to really be competitive.
Our local club...Charlotte Scale Modelers....hosted a show/contest last weekend and I got my first experience judging. Blaster is absolutely dead-on with his descriptions. A few other things I would add that were factors here :
Decals silvered
Glue marks on windows
Make sure track is fully engaged on the drive sprocket
Make sure to get the flat-coat into all the nooks and corners to cover the shiny oil wash

Ours was a fairly small show with 62 armor models entered.....I only found three models that rated a perfect score. Its a tough standard......I would have eliminated ALL of my models!!

Thanks for the tips Blaster....sorry I kinda forgot to actually comment on the post itsself. I'm sure someday I will feel my stuff is good enough to enter in a contest. I was just kinda discouraged about what Blaster said about Kit Barrels, when you are shelling out $40 to start with for a kit (armor anyway) then start adding $$ for resin, metal barrel, tracks and such...seems like a waste to go have someone tell you its not good enough. Like Sabot said...I'll model for myself...To each their own I suppose, I admire the people that have the confidence to enter contests...myself I never think my stuff is that good. Oh well...I'll get better...practice makes perfect.

Grifter is alot like me.I enter to showw what I have done.I guess my work has been good enough to get 2 second places the past 2 shows I entered.
It is just fun to bring in the first Dragon Wagon after it was released.and to bring in a collection of every available Stug IIi that I had.

Well like Sabot says, I model for me. What I learned will definitely improve my construction. I generally build for dioramas. The biggest thing I learned at the show was judges like it to tell a story. The winning entry had sevearal young French girls distracting a German tank crew while a squad of American infantry snuck up behind. The figures were really fine and the tank was ok. The only reason I recommend the metal barrel is because on almost every kit that used the stock two piece one, the seam marks were visible or the barrel had flat areas where the seam had been sanded off thereby the barrel was no longer round. When I got home I pulled all the tanks out that I felt were my best work and other than the two I had put the metal barrels on, I found a seam mark someplace.and the other bad news was on the ones I used the metal barrel on I found a flaw in the tracks (don't it always seem to go that way)

It's not the quality of building and painting I mind being judged on.
I figure I am responsible for those things.
If I miss a gluespot or a seam that's MY bad.

But what gets me is at the smaller shows, and I know it is the nature of the beast, is having my armor judged by the car/plane/ship/sci fi guys. In other words, folks who don't know much about my armor.
So even if I make the cut for having a 'clean' build, I can and have lost out to what I call artistic weathering. I'm a limore than a little bummed out at the slathered in mud and chipped within an inch of non-functionality style of weathering thats the norm these days.
I know GW I Iraqi armor was all chipped up, I'm not slagging that, but the late WWII German stuff that had a combat life factory to scrapyard of a week and a half to my eye should NOT be rusted and chipped, muddy maybe.

I do what I can to present my work in its best light. I do the the judges a favor and print out a little brag book, a few in progress shots and a short bulleted list of tweeks.

For my money the AMPS system of judging is about as fair as it gets.
Everyone who earns the requisite number of points gets that medal. So it does not matter who else came to the show.. my other gripe about smaller local/regional shows... big dogs and 3 awards... if you gets the points, you gets the award

This strikes me as especially fair since the criteria are published in advance, and anyone can train to judge.

I go to shows to look at other people's work, pick their brains a bit, hit the vendors and have fun. I come home with an award, fine. But it is not why I am there.

I have been on the up side of local judging too, last year I won a special club award for best British armor for a so-so Challenger, it had not medaled at AMPS the same year. When there was a spectacularly well done Cookoo reflagged Panther in British service right down the table from it.

So I do recognize what goes around comes around.

It is only a hobby after all. When I am ONLY interested in bringing home the awards, it will be time for me to stop going.

Mike

Nice to hear you had a good time Blaster. I would recommend being a judge in any of the show categories to those interested. It certainly is a worthwhile & rewarding experience.

- ralph

I enter contests to see where my stuff lines up, to see what the really good guys do and to have a whole lot of fun. I have placed and also did not win anything. I have judged also. I do not build to win especially. BUT, I use the AMPS and/ or IPMS guidelines as a framework to keep track of my skills. My only bad experiance was when I really allowed myself to get stressed because of the deadline. Now if it is finished in time, good. If it isn't, good. I can spend the time necessary to do a job I am happy with. And that is the joy of modelling to me.
capnjock

[quote] my other gripe about smaller local/regional shows... big dogs and 3 awards...
I/quote]

Agreed 100%. NOthing is more frustrating than sweeps. I don't mind a modified sweep rule where there are two entrants with 3 models and 3 awards to be given out, the club only winds up eating the extras sop why not give them out? But where one guy can take all the iron, that just burns the newbies and up and comiong builders. I have never supported that and try ro avoid such contests.

Well for myself, I enter my kits in the competitions just for the fun of it.....I don't go in and expect I am going to win anything, other than maybe a door prize or two....but everyone who enters usually ends up with a door prize...at least the ones I go to...and if the judges don't like what I have to offer and decide to give a medal to someone else...then thats fine, as the models still look awesome on my shelf.

Now I usually enter into to regional contest....there is one in Halifax, NS, which is kind of the big East Coast show in Canada...and then in the one in my home town....now I am not sure how they rate the models in the NS show....but I know my home town club rates them on a scale where there are 20 Criteria Catagories, with each catagory having a max of 5 pts each...with a total of 100 pts for the model...as well there are up to 5 bonus points to be awarded for use in special cases, for a total of 105....now how the medals work is that if a model is between 85 and 100pts (just a guess as I am not sure the exact amounts of points per level) then you get a gold medal, between 70 and 85pts a silver and between 55 and 70 pts a bronze....you could have no kits that range in the 85 to 100pts...and therefore have no gold medals handed out...where as you could have 6 kits between 70 and 85pts...and have 6 silver medals handed out....as well as a best of class picked out....which is partially where the 5 bonus points come into play. I think this is the fairest way to award medals out to competitors, as if you have 6 people get silvers or bronze or whatever....there is no one kit better than the other...as you usually don't ever find out your point total. And in reality...only the best in class gets singled out this way....as it should be.

This is obvioulsy more expensive on the club....but is fairer to the competitors...and keeps the them coming back in following years.

Just my 2cents!!

Viper, taht's the AMPS (and figure competition) style open judging system. It has its good points and drawbacks. It can be very time consuming and needs a rather large contingent of judges (volunteers who are willling to spend a major portion of thier time at the show just judging. I believe it works best in a more limited style show, such as an AMPS or figure show where there is limited criteria to use. Every model has to be fully judged, as opposed to doing a relatively quick walk through to determine a first cut. Cost wise, it may be less expensive, since there are fewer kits that will meet the standards than kits taking 1-2-3 in an IPMS style judging format.

I have had the pleasure of judging also. And let me say, it is always a learning experience. The things some of these guys look at and look for are always things you can take back home and work on. I got my first taste of aircraft judging . This is my primary area of building. Needless to say, I took home alot of tips . I did get caught up in the competition thing one year and ruined a couple of good kits. Now I just build what I like and the way I want . If they stack up at the shows, great, if not , go home with what I learned and try to do better. Great thing about our hobby is that you never know it all and should always be learning. Mav

I agree with the sweeps - I HATE THAT - it happened at our IPMS show this year in June by a figure painter who brought enough stuff (more than required) and just entered enough to take all the awards! Boy was he unpopular - I have never seen before anyone who was not applauded much when he was called up for his prizes.

I like the Truck& Tracks style, like that mentioned previously - if it is good enough for an award then give it one - let us reward the hard work of people instead of just comparing them to each other.

Lee

Gosh Lee - I find this a distressing situation!

I would certainly hope that anyone and everyone are good sports when they choose to enter or attend a competition - winner or loser. Those are results in a contest - not everyone can and should "win" and not everyone can or should "lose". I didn't hear much comraderie in the description above..

I just spent the weekend at a local contest. Even ran into DrewGimpy and Coop there - but missed Big Jim. I don't always attend locals, but every once in a while, I do like to jump in there to participate and Judge.

It was a fun time. I got to spend the day Judging and hanging out with long-time modeling peers and friends. It didn't wind up as a gossip-fest or controversy-laden exercise. It was judged by IPMS/USA rules, and there were winners and losers.

Again, I say if you don't like competitions - don't get into them - and stop bashing them. Perhaps the figure builder you described above is indeed a "trophy hawk", perhaps not. I was fortunate that I had six models to enter in the contest this weekend. By our gentleman's rules out here - we frown on retreads (bringing the same old thing to every contest year after year) - but, since I don't often go to the contests, I had several eligible to enter.

I hate the term modelers use when they win in a contest - "I took yadda-yadda place" - but I won several awards. I did sweep the Modern Armor category, and I do believe in sweeps as a part of true competition. I also was awarded a First in Allied WW II Armor and a First place in Sci-Fi with a TIE Fighter.

My M4 Sherman in the Allied WW II Armor also won the Best Theme Award: ETO (which I didn't even know they were giving out), Best Armored Vehicle, and Best of Show, Senior.

I was humbled and honored by my peers yesterday, but reading comments here, I got offended. I certainly don't feel like a "trophy hawk". I certainly do feel like I should be able to put my work up with anyone else's on a table without fear of being tagged as such. I should feel no compunction to only enter one model in a category - or none at all - because I'm an accomplished modeler. And, I shouldn't feel bad because I got awarded some plaques by a group of guys who liked my models one Sunday afternoon in August.

I like competitions without handicaps - I like to evaluate and get evaluated - and I don't buy into watering-it down. I have AMPS Gold Medals, and IPMS/USA Best of's. I like and appreciate the merits of both systems and philosophies when it comes to evaluating models. But, through all of that, I'm just a simple modeler. I don't think any modeler's success or fortune in a contest should be derided or suspicions of "homecooking" ascribed to it. It turns a lot of people off - those who do like to compete and those who don't. No one "wins" all of the time - and conversely - no one "loses" all of the time. Competitions are a fantastic place to really learn fine points of model construction, finishing, and presentation technique. A "Master Modeler" is one who have learned to balance all three in the works they produce. I learned more Judging and participating in model events than I ever did surrounding myself with buddies blowing sunshine up my arse.

If that's not your bag - fine - don't get into it and don't throw rocks at it - in my humble opinion.

Gunnie

Thanks for the tips, Blaster, now need to watch those out even if I am not entering a show. If you are not going forward, you are going backwards.

I have had mixed emotions on the sweep rule. Last year I was ask to help with judging. I had the Armour Class. I could tell by the work, that this one fellow had done 3 kits. With what I saw , he clearly deserved the top 3 spots. This show was small and I ask the people putting it on if there was a no-sweep rule. I was ask to do what I felt right. So, he was awarded 1st thru 3rd. No one came to me upset with my decision . But in all of the shows I have been entered in, I feel like you should take the judge's decisions and move on. I just recently came from a Regional and placed 2nd and 3rd in the large aircraft class. I saw exactly what I went to see. Where I stack up in the Big Dog's back yard. I was thrilled to have just placed in the Regional and also motivated to step up my game.

Dang!! I completely forgot to go!!

I need a personal assistant..... oh well, I am going to try to get better organized for this kind of thing.

Jim

Gun Truck ? Congrats on your awards. I am sure you were really proud. Makes one feel like they have done something when being looked at among others work. I am sure you know what you are seeing on the table at these shows. I have been able to call most winners in class after looking over the classes during the course of a show. And I most say , I would have been very disappointed if I was awarded 1st in 1/32 Aircraft at the Regional. I don't want , and never will want to be awarded something I did not deserve. Sort of like taking 1st with no competion. Shoot me straight and move on.

My motto too! I know what I'm looking at down the display table during the course of a show - just most don't really want to hear it. I firmly believe in shooting straight - in looking at my own work as well as someone else's.

Gunnie

I have judged at the National Level and the things I learned were invaluable. I have entered and won at the National/international. regional and local levels and the judging is different at each level. I really enjoy judging. You can really pick up some good tips on how to do things like I did at the IPMS Nationals in Chicago.
I think going to shows is a great experience and everyone should do it. I am getting ready for Mastercon and that show is a contestant "judged" show. If you enter a model you get to judge. I like that kind of judging. I think shows should have different skill level categories like Mastercon does. I think everyone should just have fun and build and if you want to enter a contest go for it.
Recon