Hi all,
after 30 years of modelling I’m going to enter my 1st competition.
I’m doing it for the experience, to see how my work compares, but I dont want to look completely foolish, so if anyone has some tips, I’d greatly appreciate them!
Smokey
P.S. I’m going to build a Tamiya Ferrari 360 Spider, out of the box.
Smokey -
Give 'em hell! Best of luck -
The best advice is to just keep an eye out to see what everyone else is doing - keep yer ears open and just talk. Introduce yourself to as many of the other competitors as you can - you’ll learn much and teach others, as well. I’ve never (ever!) been to a comp where my fellow competitors didn’t give away their deepest, darkest secrets.
It’s always entertaining, even if you don’t win.
Best of luck, mate, and have fun.
Thanks for the encouragment leemitcheltree,
I have to be honest…I’m scared lol
Should I wax, should I put it into a display case, should I floss my teeth!
I’ll really enjoy seeing other peoples work, in the plastic!
Smokey
Flossing is a good thing to do, it’s not nice to show part of your lunch when you stand on the podium grining your face up [:D] But seriously, don’t take a contest to serious…have fun and take a look on what the others have done trying to learn more. If the judges have something negative to say about your models, talk to them and find out the pros and cons of your work. I’ve been at some contests and I must say they are a good inspiration for future work and new hights. Waxing could be a good thing to do, not so much for the shine but it gives a model that’s easy to dust and keep clean. I don’t know about the display cases, but it’s a good idea to mount the model on a base so that the judges can pick the model up and have a closer look without having to touch it.
Good luck!
Niclas
This is not meant to be demeaning to anyone out there, but if there’s one piece of advice I can give it is this: Know Your Model.
What I mean is this. When you register your entries you will need to fill out forms that ask what kit(s) was used, what scale is the model, and what is the model called. After registering 188 models at our recent show, I can tell you that nothing is more frustrating for the people trying to get modelers through the line than having to play “10 questions” with an entrant about each of their models. This is particularly true when you are handed 8 forms for models and the only thing written on the forms are the modelers name and something like “camaro” or “t-bird” and nothing else. No scale, no kit manufacturers, no comments on aftermarket parts…nothing.
This is a bit of a rant and most people would think this is common sense, but you would be surprised.
If you can swing a mirrored base to display your car, do it. Mirrored bases do two things right off the bat. First, it tells everyone, including the judges, that you are proud of your entire model and have nothing to hide. Second, it adds to the “Wow Factor”, which anyone will tell you certainly helps in getting consideration awards.
Good luck and enjoy the show!