Curious Question Regarding Contest Judging

[Mike]

First off - this is not a complaint. Last Saturday was our local Hobbytown show. When we got back, the awards are being handed out etc. and I find that (in my personal judgement anyway) the worst of my models takes third place in "auto street". Mind you, I've got other builds sitting next to it with better finishes and overall build quality etc. but this one gets the award the others don't (including other builders who have FANTASTIC builds). The only reason I can figure is because it was a t-top Z28 that you could actually see the interior of the car, the flocking, and dashboard detail I did.

So my question would be to anyone who judges - What makes one model stand out above the rest? Or how do you guys judge? In this case, it certainly wasn't the finish the car had (which I've read is a huge percentage in placing a model at any show).

[Lownslow]

i avoid hobbytown shows at any cost, i lost to a diecast fresh out of the shelf even the kid admited to buying the car the day before the show after that i took the gloves off and decided to fight fire with fire. i ended up comming in first place at the next show and all i did to mine was add a 50 cent sticker to the hood and swap the wheels with some pegasus wheels. i stopped attending after that

[CAL]

  Mike said:

First off - this is not a complaint. Last Saturday was our local Hobbytown show. When we got back, the awards are being handed out etc. and I find that (in my personal judgement anyway) the worst of my models takes third place in "auto street". Mind you, I've got other builds sitting next to it with better finishes and overall build quality etc. but this one gets the award the others don't (including other builders who have FANTASTIC builds). The only reason I can figure is because it was a t-top Z28 that you could actually see the interior of the car, the flocking, and dashboard detail I did.

So my question would be to anyone who judges - What makes one model stand out above the rest? Or how do you guys judge? In this case, it certainly wasn't the finish the car had (which I've read is a huge percentage in placing a model at any show).

FWIW, most shows and contests that I have been involved in has been particapant judged. However, the few where I have actaully have been a judge it has always been something that standands out in being unique. Personally I enjoy well done and depth of detail. A lot of detail poorly executed doesn't go far with me, neither does a outstanding paint job on an otherwise OOB kit, usually. That being said, what I have voted for and often trully in deserve of a gold, first or what have you hasn't always be the winner. I have been to a couple of contests where it was clearly judged in favor of the members of the club putting on the show - needless to say they lost a bunch of participants who would never go back. I am not sure how it works out, but sometimes you can say yes, that was trully best of show or catagory, other times you look and wonder what people were thinking. Clearly some shows are bias, and some shows are just good shows.

[bobss396]

It comes down to who is doing the judging and how much experience they have. It can be very intimidating if you have never done any judging before or don't understand what you're looking at.

A very small show like that is probably judged by people who work in that store or they recruit people who know less about what to look for in a model car. I got beat in a recent contest that was not judged by car people, it was at a military show. I had a laundry list of modifications with my entry, nice paint, etc. The cars that placed 1-2-3 said "box stock" on their table card, they all did have nice paint jobs. I probably will not go back there next year.

So my advice for entering small shows, don't always expect to be recognized for your efforts. They often have a very small budget to work with and there are no "experts" on hand to do the judging. You or others who know about cars could volunteeer to assist with the judging, but that could exclude you from entering the show.

Bob

[Mike]

  CAL said:

Clearly some shows are bias, and some shows are just good shows.

This was a "good show" and I don't enter contests to win, but more so, to admire other's work in person and actually talk to them and have fun. The guy that used to judge the contest was a former hobby shop owner (retired), but he's since passed away. The guy that did the judging last year was also good (I assume he did this year as well). The guys that won, deserved to win in all honesty.

[MR BIGGS]

  Mike said:

This was a "good show" and I don't enter contests to win, but more so, to admire other's work in person and actually talk to them and have fun. The guy that used to judge the contest was a former hobby shop owner (retired), but he's since passed away. The guy that did the judging last year was also good (I assume he did this year as well). The guys that won, deserved to win in all honesty.

Here you go Mike i feel your pain..

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11159

[samdiego]

I've competed a lot and I've judged a lot. The only thing that you can count on is that it's a ###### shoot. My real job is the same way. What one customer thinks is a stroke of genius, the next will completely ignore. When I started to build toward what I thought people wanted to see, the fun was diminished. It's a different mind set, I was successful, but I wasn't having as much fun. I showed up at one show with a "display only" set of bicycles from the AMT Woodie kit done as a parody of the Stock, Custom and Drag choices that were common when I was young. Somebody grabbed them and classed them in Misc. and I actually trophied. They were just there to cause some grins (my only real goal in life), but when dealing with the general public, you never know. That's part of the thrill.

Just between you and me, only once did I lose to a car that I truly thought was deserving.

Edited April 15, 2008 by samdiego