CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT

[Dr. Cranky]

FIRST ANNUAL

CRANKY'S CHRISTMAS CLASSIC MODEL CONTEST

(Nov. 6th - December 31st)

Prizes will be announced by Jan. 6th.

First Prize = 300 dollars

Second Prize = 150 dollars

Third Prize = 75 dollars

For more information and to participate go to:

http://s13.zetaboards.com/B_n_B_Auto_Build.../6653621/1/#new

[Harry P.]

Hmmm..... so yer two-timin' us, eh?

[Dr. Cranky]

No, I wouldn't call it that. I would call it split personality disorder!

[Harry P.]

Looks like the admin over there "think's" that there should be an apostrophe after every word that "end's" in s... "seem's" kind of strange, they must have attended some English "classe's" that I missed!

[Dr. Cranky]

[envious8420]

whats up with the page scrolling right to left? impossible to read?

[Dr. Cranky]

The page is fine now . . . I don't know what happened when you logged on!

[Jantrix]

I'll have to wait until next year I'm affraid. Also I can't tell you the last time I built a model in two months. I look forward to checking this out.

[Dr. Cranky]

Cool, Rob. I think there are going to be lots of building action going on . . .

[Dr. Cranky]

Folks, we have about a dozen people already building. Don't miss this opportunity to join in . . . the clock is ticking.

[Dr. Cranky]

For those of you who are unsure about how the contest is going to be judged, we just got this OPEN LETTER from the judge, KEN HAMILTON, about how he's going to be performing the judging.

Hopefully this will help many of you make up your mind.

An Open Letter to Contest Participants

I’m honored to have been asked to judge Cranky’s Christmas Contest, but let’s face it: contests that offer cash prizes beg controversy on many levels. In order to ensure impartiality, I’m going to conduct the judging of with the following self-imposed restrictions:

First, I will NOT view any of the in-progress photos that will be posted on the Forum so I won’t see who is building what. You’ll just have to trust me on that one.

Second, when it comes time for the judging, I will ask Virgil to open a Fotki album where all entries, with no names, will be posted. Since each entry will have 6 photos, I’d like to see a Fotki page with all 6-pictures across each row so the entries will be easier for me to observe. Judging will be based solely on photos submitted by each builder, so the higher the quality of the photo, the more accurately the model can be judged.

I will assume that, by the time photos are transferred to Fotki, any glitches regarding eligibility (model year, parts used, subject, etc.) will have been addressed by Virgil and each model that makes it into the final Fotki “Judging Album†is, in fact, compliant with all the rules.

Third (and here’s the tricky part), be prepared that this one-man judging procedure will be purely subjective. I’m working up some personal ground rules, which may include some sort of points system, to evaluate each model. I’m still working on this one so everybody will be on (…Cliché Alert---à) a “level playing fieldâ€.

Great emphasis will be placed on general construction, believability, sound automotive practices, clean (in a technical sense) building and other boring stuff like that but, in the end, the winner will be the car that – in my opinion – is the best (for whatever reason in my opinion) of the pack.

Will this be a perfect system? Probably not. But I want to assure everyone that no favorites will be played and I will make every effort to be as fair and thorough as possible. Somebody is going to win, but more people than that will lose…and for that I apologize in advance. I hope there are no hurt feelings or grumbling comments when this is over, and I’ll do my best to avoid that.

Now let’s go have some fun.

Ken Hamilton

[Dr. Cranky]

Hi, Harry and Gregg. If the show is successful this year, we will do it again next year, and I would love to advertise it in the magazine. Can either one of you send me the ad/price schedule. Thank you.

We will definitly advertise in MCM, but not in THAT other magazine . . .

[Harry P.]

Of course, the unavoidable "fly in the ointment" of a photo-only contest is the quality (or lack thereof) of the submitted photos.

Builder "A" might have built a killer model that deserves to win, but he's a lousy photographer... the winning quality of his entry would be hard (or impossible) to see... so Builder "B", who's model isn't quite up to Builder "A's" work, but whose photos are much better, wins the contest.

Could happen. There's no way to "level the playing field" as far as the quality of the photos submitted.

[Dr. Cranky]

We decided to have the contest without having to mail in the models because it was better for the models that way, so the next best thing is the best pictures the builders can provide . . .

I return to my original point, which is that ten dollars in to stand to win 300 and have heck of a lot of fun is still a small price to pay for the friendships and the fun!

We are already getting up into the double digit builder participation, so hopefully other folks might want to join the fun!!!

[Jairus]

With the widespread availability of digital photography I feel the problem and stigma of "poor pictures" is a weak argument. All it takes is a cheap digital camera set on "macro" mode with as much lighting as possible. How can anyone go wrong there?

[Harry P.]

With the widespread availability of digital photography I feel the problem and stigma of "poor pictures" is a weak argument. All it takes is a cheap digital camera set on "macro" mode with as much lighting as possible. How can anyone go wrong there?

Have you seen some of the photos posted here???

[Dr. Cranky]

J--the contest is not really a Xmas contest. Next year it will be called CRANKY'S HOLIDAY CLASSIC, and it will start Oct. 1st.

We wanted to get some building excitment going during the last couple of months of the year when things begin to slow down.

Sorry about the paint issue, buddy, but the rule is going to stick for this year. Maybe next year we can change it and open it for all kinds of paints.

[Dr. Cranky]

Yeah, three months will make a difference. I'm pretty sure this contest will return next year, and I would like to advertise it as soon as this one ends . . .

[Jairus]

Have you seen some of the photos posted here???

Yes I have! And the concensus is that the best builders are also some of the best photographers. It has to do with pride of craftsmanship Harry and striving to demonstrated ones talents in the best light possible.

[Dr. Cranky]

Actually, I think Jairus is making a good arguement here. When I started building models the farthest thing from my mind was being able to take a good photo, but in the process I learned that no matter how good the model looks, I could not do it justice without learning to take better pics . . .

Here's an example, as if you needed one, right?

Before (a few years ago and one of the first models I built after I got back into the hobby):

After (a build from last year)

[Harry P.]

Yes I have! And the concensus is that the best builders are also some of the best photographers. It has to do with pride of craftsmanship Harry and striving to demonstrated ones talents in the best light possible.

Yeah, that's all fine and good in theory.

But all I'm saying is that in a contest where judging is done solely based on photos of the models and not the models themselves, the quality of the photos will inevitably play a part in the judging. There's no way around it... the photos are all the judges have! They don't have the real model to look at. And if an entrant's photos are dark, or out of focus, or in any other way sub-par, or are taken from bad angles, or don't show the model's best features, etc., the model can't possibly be judged fairly. By definition the judging will be "biased,"... not intentionally, but due to the simple fact that the quality of the photos submitted is going to vary from "pro" to "######," and the quality of the photos is not in direct correlation to the quality of the models.

Being a good model builder and a good photographer are two separate things, not necessarily related to each other. Many builders, especially those who submit material to magazines, have obviously mastered photography, but I'm sure there are plenty of good modelers out there who might want to enter this contest and don't know the first thing about photography. And why should they? It's a whole different hobby. To assume that good modelers are also necessarily good photographers is pretty questionable. And that's where the "can of worms" comes in.

[Brizio]

Cool!!! Love XMas!!! A Gingerbread rod!!!

[Jairus]

Harry, (and Jay because you know better) I knew nothing about photography back in '88 when I entered the Hot Rod model car contest.

NOTHING!

It was the first contest I entered by submitting only pictures. Not digital, not computer submitted....but black and white prints sent to a magazine! I set up outside in the sunshine and purchased a macro lens from Shutterbug because the girl said it would help in the focusing. Took two rolls of film to find just 4 to send in and I ended up 2nd place for my efforts.

I didn't use a professional photographer... but that is allowed here.

I didn't have a digital camera back then because they were not invented yet, but that is allowed here.

I didn't know the least thing about taking pictures but any modeler has a month and a half to learn.

Now....are you suggesting that because someone has a little experience taking pictures they should NOT enter because they are disadvantaged?

Are you saying that to win a poor slob who has not taken pictures ALL HIS (or her) LIFE ... ,been a member of a forum where taking pictures is the norm... ,is most likely the modeler who decides to enter but has never posted a picture in his life..... is disadvantaged?

OMG!!!!!

Then maybe Virgil should give every entrant an award so nobody has their little feelings hurt.....

Give me a break!

Edited November 6, 2009 by Jairus

[Jairus]

That's not always the case, man...

I'm a lousy photographer, but I can present a serious building challenge to just about anyone in this hobby, which is why I prefer "in person contests", over online challenges.

Consensus based theories don't always work.

Model photos are a funny thing.....I've seen cars that look great in photos, but when seen upclose and in person, they look like ######...

I've also seen models that aren't very "photogenic" end up looking terrible on film, but in person, they look outstanding....Photography can sometimes be a double edged sword.

Then you had better stay away from this one... because I think you are seriously disadvantaged Jay! I mean ... really!

[Jairus]

Like it or not, photography quality IS going to play a role in the contest. As to what level that role becomes is anyone's guess, but since "pictures" are all the judge has to work with, the overall image quality is of very serious importance.

We'll see who wins after it all plays out....and we'll see just how good or bad all the contestant's images were...

I can almost guarantee that the person who makes the mistake of entering dark, out of focus, crappy, photos won't be the winner, regardless of how nice the subject is.......

In this day and age of photoshop, digital photography and the ability to LEARN how to take pictures... and the fact that EVERY ENTRANT ALREADY POSTS ON A FORUM!!!!! There is no excuse for dark, out of focus or crappy photos! Google how to take pictures Jay. It is amazing how much information is at your fingertips just by looking. Gregg and others have posted here on this very forum how to take, store and post pictures.... yet the most often asked question is "how do I post on a forum". It is laziness pure and simple! This is the most lazy generation I have the misfortune to be a member of!

I am a freaking fifty years old and I figured it out. My kids were nearly born with a digital camera in their hands and can find how to make an atomic bomb on Google in less than a minute! I doubt that YOU with your talents and judgment will pick a different winner looking at the real model, than will Ken Hamilton from the photos submitted! But we will never know because you already decided your bias...

Disadvantaged? .............[sarcasm I hope].

Maybe, maybe not.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Jairus