Hello, what do the judges look for at a model contest is it painting, type of model, the skill level. Do they compare model companies would they take in to account say a Revell to a Tamiya model. When they judge do they look at painting for example this plane was airbrushed while this plane was hand brushed. thanks
Plumline, it really depends on the contest you’re attending. Many different contests host probably have their own format of rules, take for instance AMPS and IPMS contests. The criteria would likely change even more so if you were attending a local contest, like a club meet or something.
Skill levels are generally always taken into account and are given categories like Junior, Basic, Advanced, Expert, ext, and are graded with that in mind. I’ve never been to a show where a model’s manufacturer is taken into account, especially on a level of Revell or Tamiya…its usually about what the modeler does with what he has decided to show.
If you know what contest you are entering, try to get a copy of their criteria so you know what to improve on or aim for. AMPS and IPMS have great judging formats. Keep the basics in mind…No visible seams or gaps. No glue globs. Be careful with the alignment of parts, like wheels, wings, etc. As far as painting goes, the finish should be smooth and even…so a brush painted look may be difficult but not impossible. Try not to have the orange peal effect, over spray, etc. But no, they won’t grade differently if you painted one with a brush and another with an airbrush…they are judged by the same standard.
I’ve only been to a couple of IPMS contests, but other than the Junior category (which is based on age, not directly on skill), I’ve never seen skill-level categories. How would they determine which category to put an entrant into?
Paul
In addition to paint quality, they judge such issues as the seams filled well, detail added (extra detail adds points). PE sets added with good skill adds a lot of points. In addition to painting quality does the paint appear to be proper colors? Is there weathering, and is it well done? On airplanes, do wings have realistic dihedral, and are tail planes even? Cockpit detail is often a good points getter. Does the model sit properly on its wheels? For a car, do all four tires touch the table? For ships, did you add rigging? For any military subject with guns, did you drill out gun bore?
Judges typically should not consider the kit, but if you do a great job on a really bad kit it is hard for judges to ignore that.
If you get serious about contests, you tend to buy kits that are contest quality, and subjects that appeal to judges. Models that are too rare and off-base tend to confuse judges who may not be familiar with that type. Buying a super kit of an ME-109 and building it correctly is a good way to enter contests.
Paint application is judged, not, despite BS to the opposite, the accuracy, within reason, of the color.
Not sure what you mean here. Aircraft are judged with other aircraft, cars with other cars. Armor with other armor. Then, generally against each other so that the best, or least bad, takes first place.
If by that you mean the skill level indicated on the side of Revelogram, no. If you mean the skill showed by the modeler in assembling and painting the model, yes.
Only if there were essentially a tie for position would what the manufacturer provided come into play. Long before a judge gets to that, errors in basic assembly usually eliminate entries.
In that paint application and its appearance in scale come into play, yes, the airbrushed model stands a better chance of being in the running than a hand painted model. Simply put, a well airbrushed scale finish is easier to achieve than the same finish with a brush.
Here’s a link to the IPMS competition handbook, another link to the AMPS rules and another to my club’s rules for our use of open judging.
These are considered part of basic assembly and if you do well here, you have a chance to make the first or second cut in a traditional 1-2-3 contest. Fail here, and you are likely to drop out of the awards in a contest with open judging.
If done well, PE MAY be a tie breaker, but long before a judge get to the use of PE, basic flaws will eliminate most models from contention.
The accuracy, how far off from prototypical OD is that shade of OD is NOT considered a valid criterion in judging a model. An oddball colored model should have some serious documentation, but some of the top national level IPMS judges hve made it abundantly clear in many seminars, color is not to be considered, just the application
The well done part is the important part of the above statement. If weathered, the weathering needs to be well done, consistent and be able to be sold to the judges.
Again, these are basic skills. Mess up here and you are not likely to make the first cut
Only in breaking a tie
Again, these are basic skills. Mess up here and you are not likely to make the first cut
That, of course, assumes every judge will know every model ever produced and every error that needed to be corrected. Work on the basics.
With all due respect, this is simply wrong, except for the phrase “building it correctly.” No judge should ever base his/her judgment on liking the subject matter. Period. No club will support that and if they were to, they’d very quickly lose their customer base. Build what YOU like as best you can. Learn from others, ask questions, if possible join a club that sponsors a contest. Go to contests and volunteer to judge, even if you’ve never judged before. At the minimum, they will have you follow along and listen in if not take part in the discussions of what is being judged. A well built and rare subject has as good a chance as any Bf-109G to take an award if the basics are covered.
For the record, I have been judging at local contests since 1984 including several stints as head judge. I have judged and been a head judge at IPMS regional contests since 1990. I have judged at the AMPS East contest since 2001 and judged at the IPMS Nationals in Phoenix in 2004, and several times at the Long Island Figure Show. I have judged every type of model, aircraft, armor automotive, figures, ships, Diorama/vignettes, sci-fi/space, and miscellaneous. I have developed a reputation in IPMS Regions 1 (New England and New York) as a valued member of any judging team.
There are no “contest-quality” model kits… Only “Contest-Quality” modelers…
In a perfect contest, that is…
But I still love it when when a Lindberg Jenny or Monogram Stuka takes the gold away from the latest P/E-stuffed Tamigawa… It’s just so damned … Heroic…