Okay, here’s the deal. You’ve been building a while and one day at your LHS, you see a flyer for a contest. A local IPMS club is doing a contest nearby and you decide you’d like to compete.
You carefully pack up your models and drive out to the site on Sunday morning. When you get there, there’s a ton of cars in the lot and guys walking in with models in hand, in soda flats, in elaborate carrying cases.
You fall in line and get yourself registered and fill out the forms. (1) You’re a newbie here so you really don’t know anyone. Inside you see a cornucopia of dealers with all kinds of stuff and the display room. Models on the tables range from rough, brush painted snap-tites to [bow]works of art. You put your stuff on the tables and settle in to shop and look around. You see a lot of these guys chatting with each other and generally hanging out. (2)
Soon, an announcement is made for the (3) judges’ meeting and a lot of these guys go off somewhere to return a bit later with file folders. Some have pen-lights and in groups of two or three start examining models. (4) Some models get moved forward and some back. Some seem to be getting close examination and some seem to be ignored. (5) Some classes are done in no time and some take forever.
In the fullness of time, the announcer calls people to the stage for awards. Awards are given out. A lot of the guys you saw judging are taking awards and your model doesn’t place. [:(](6) What happened? Did they just take your money to buy themselves awards? Was it only members of the sponsoring club who got awards? (7) You leave disappointed and vow not to return and post on your favorite forum what a [:(!]crappy experience this was. (8)
What could you have done to make the day better?
(1) Before you leave home, prepare a description of what you did to make your model special. If the markings are unusual, include a picture of the prototype.
(2) Many guys have been doing contests for years and have gotten to know each other well. Some come form a long distance or attend only their own club’s contest. So part of what you’re seeing is a combination class reunion/old home week/homecoming party. Keep coming back and you’ll be part of that group, too.
(3) While you’ve never judged before, go to the judges’ meeting and introduce yourself. Explain that you’re new and that you’d like to follow along with a team to see how it’s done. You will be welcomed. Hey, at some point you may become a judge yourself and relieve the pressure on these guys. You’ll also get to look at the models a whole lot closer than you might have otherwise. Judging is second only to being tutored by a more advanced modeler in learning what goes into a good model.
(4) This is the cut process. The stuff being brought forward is what will ultimately be judged. The guys who are judging may have already done some preliminary examinations. The judges have also been doing this long enough to be able to pick out models with big basic flaws pretty quickly, glue stains, open seams, brush marks, silvered decals, etc. What they won’t be looking at is the exactness of the color or if you corrected the number of rivets used to hold the engine on a plane. Frankly, no one person, or group of three, will know everything about every prototype out there, and no one is going to be measuring to see if you have reduced the wingspan one scale inch. What they will be looking at is if the wings, wheel, tracks are level and even.
(5) Since most contests are done on a first, second, third basis, what often happens is there are two models that are nearly equal in quality. Most contests don’t allow ties, so the judges have to scrutinize the models to find which one has the slightest edge to get first and which one drops to second. The reverse is also true. Judges often have to figure out which model has the least egregious faults so it can be awarded third.
(6) Judges have been doing this a while and have learned what is expected of a winning model, so it follows they will have developed skills to win. Judges never do classes they enter, nor do they get to see the builder’s name. Clubs work very hard at keeping their contest honest. A clearly dishonest contest will not last long.
(7) This is a common misconception. First, the local club will likely have the greatest number of representatives since they will have the shortest distance to travel. Secondly, as a newbie, you won’t know who is a member of which, if any club, and you might assume that the guys you saw hanging out together were all members of the same club.
(8) If you have questions, ask the organizers at the end of the event why your model wasn’t picked. They will be able to kindly point out weaknesses and places to improve. If you live close enough and meeting times are convenient, consider joining the club. You’ll learn who was a member and learn valuable skills as well as making real world friends.