Revell has announced the winners of the Revell Contest

[2002p51]

How important is the impression of fairness to you, win or lose?

Well, in a perfect world all contests would be fair. I can tell you stories from now until your head hits the keyboard from boredom about contests where the "fix" was definitely in. Both model and 1:1 shows. The only thing you can really do about that is not support those shows next time with your participation and your dollars. (And I have done that!)

My favorite kind of awards, in both scale and 1:1, are those that are a simple "pick em". There's no formal judging. Either the sponsors or the show participants just "pick" a car they like. It's wide open and nobody can really argue with the results because the winners were just somebody's favorite car.

And it's funny, 9 times out of ten, the best cars still win.

[Jantrix]

I feel very lucky that in my limited experience in contests (I only do two a year for the last five years now, but may be increased to three here soon) I have never had a bad experience where I didn't think the winners deserved it. I've assisted with the judging in some cases and learned a lot on why certain models win over others.

[scalenut]

after showing my meager entry and somehow getting an honorable mention , than reading this thread I almost feel ashamed for placing at all.

go ahead and dissect it,tear it apart if you like ,, it was my first model in ages ,, and got me back into the hobby..my family talked me into entering the contest.. and I won a t-shirt. They are really happy about it . I hope, I don't become so jaded as others on here appear to be... it's a hobby, an outlet for me ..I can't take it this seriously.

[bobthehobbyguy]

I (or anyone who's good with Photoshop) can take a photo of a model with sloppy BMF, an orange-peel paint job and glue smears on the glass, retouch all the flaws and make the model look pretty much perfect. And if I didn't tell you, you would never even know that I did it.

Harry you're right. However somebody could also pay to have somebody build a model for them and then say its theirs. If somebody is going to cheat then there isn't much that can be done.

[Harry P.]

Harry you're right. However somebody could also pay to have somebody build a model for them and then say its theirs. If somebody is going to cheat then there isn't much that can be done.

Yes, you're right. Even in an "in person" contest, there's no guarantee that the person who entered the model actually built it.

I guess at some point you just have to trust that the people who entered any given contest are honest.

[Lunajammer]

Andy you have nothing to be ashamed of. Rather you should be proud. Your build was lovely and you should consider your honorable mention as an enthusiastic welcome back to the hobby. This discussion here is just train-of-thought opinions. If we were all sitting around a table everything said here would be done in ten minutes. A forum just makes it feel more permanent.

[mistermodel]

why all the negitve opions about revell and there winners.sour grapes?

[Jantrix]

after showing my meager entry and somehow getting an honorable mention , than reading this thread I almost feel ashamed for placing at all.

go ahead and dissect it,tear it apart if you like ,, it was my first model in ages ,, and got me back into the hobby..my family talked me into entering the contest.. and I won a t-shirt. They are really happy about it . I hope, I don't become so jaded as others on here appear to be... it's a hobby, an outlet for me ..I can't take it this seriously.

I don't recall anyone in this thread attacking another builders work. We are discussing the entries like adults and giving our opinions on the entire contest. I'm very glad you re-entered the hobby and placed well in the contest. You should be proud because I would be.

why all the negitve opions about revell and there winners.sour grapes?

You will find that only a very small percentage of MCM member entered this contest. Most abstained for one reason or another. We are having a discussion. If what we are discussing offends you, you are free to move on to another thread. And since you felt free to take a shot at us, let me return the favor.

A sentence begins with a capital letter.

It is spelled "negative", "opinion" and "their".

Revell gets a capital letter as it is a name.

Call your English teacher, you need more work.

[highway]

Gearz covers a little bit of everything, from Smallblock Chevy Powered barstools (Barfly) all the way up to monster trucks (Sgt. Rock). I beleive they went with the hot rod theme partly because the car that was being built at the time (IIRC, the payoff was in shortly after the contest announcement) was the Rat Roaster, a '32 Ford roadster hot rod.

Don't forget the tractor trailer crowd, too, one f the WIP's in his shop is an old International Cabover tractor;

[Terry Sumner]

For those fellas who claim to not care about winning in a contest, I have a suggestion: Just put your model on the table with a note under it or next to it that says, "Not in competition." That way, you can enjoy the camaraderie of being with fellow modelers and you can discuss things to your heart's content without any concern at all for the competition aspect of the show/contest.

[Longbox55]

Don't forget the tractor trailer crowd, too, one f the WIP's in his shop is an old International Cabover tractor;

Ahh, yes, Heavy Metal. That one is gong to fall in with the "monster truck" catagory with Sgt. Rock.

[Danno]

I have a couple of questions, Drew, if you can ...

How many entries were received?

How were they judged? Did all the judges examine all the photos of all the entries, or was there some categorization or other means of screening?

Just curious as to the mechanics of such a large national contest.

Thanks!! (for answering my questions, offering your input to this thread, and serving as a judge for this competition)

(Emoticon indicating 'Thanks, Drew!' here.)

[Lunajammer]

For those fellas who claim to not care about winning in a contest, I have a suggestion: Just put your model on the table with a note under it or next to it that says, "Not in competition."

I concur. Our annual local contests have always included a no-fee, non-competition, display-only table. After all, we really just want ya to bring what ya got.

[Terry Sumner]

Go to any contest, for anything, anywhere, and you will find people who have a different opinion for the outcome. That is all you are seeing here.

I have been to quite a few model contests in my time. Other than a few NNL-types that actually had awards, and host club displays, I have never seen anyone place a model on the table as 'Not in Competition'.

Well Mike, I don't know where you're from because of your amusing location listed so I guess I can't comment on whether or not I've ever been to any of the same contests as you. However, I too have been to many contests and I have seen this many many times. And in fact I have done it myself at times. For me mostly it was simply because I knew I couldn't stay all day, usually because of my wife's illness. But I know of a few guys who just like to display their models and NEVER enter in competition but like to come and enjoy the company and discussions. I have one friend...Dave...who is like that. He's an aircraft builder and he is VERY good. His models would win all the time. Eventually he just decided to dispense with the competitive aspect and just display his models.

[Dr. Cranky]

The discussion continues to be very refreshing and entertaining, thank you!

[scalenut]

ditto ,I over reacted , please carry on

[charlie8575]

The photo-editing software is a major problem.

I was building something for the contest, but got side-tracked and wasn't able to finish it. My plan, as I shoot 35mm was to grab a 12-shot roll of film (either Fuji 100 or Agfa, as the still have 12-shot rolls,) zip off the pictures and pick the best five. Then, send those in, along with the negatives (and have an extra set of prints for myself.) I believe Revell was willing to return the pictures with an S.A.S.E., so I probably would have had the negs returned anyway.

Why send in the negatives? Very simple. Negatives (as Mike, Harry, Terry, and anyone else involved with photography and graphics will tell you,) are nearly impossible to alter without being noticeable.

In fact, many courts still will not admit digital photography into evidence because of the high likelihood of electronic alteration, which as pointed out, if done well, is undetectable. This is for protection of the integrity of the case, as well as to protect the attorneys, whose professional reputations and licenses to practice law could be in jeopardy if perjured evidence was admitted, even if without their knowledge and consent.

One of my friends does police photography for several of the police departments in his neck of the woods. They will shoot the pictures on black-and-white film and Phil develops and prints the pictures with a policeman in the darkroom to observe (well, as much as you can in a darkroom,) and verify that no funny business occurred.

While negatives might reveal how bad a photographer you are, it will erase any doubt of the veracity of your entry.

Charlie Larkin

P.S.: No film camera? Grab a disposable and use that. A disposable camera is also a good way to force you to brush up on basic phtograhy skills because it doesn't do all the work for you. If you can get good pictures out of a disposable, it'll make it much easier to get good pictures out of a quality film or digital camera.

[mistermodel]

I don't recall anyone in this thread attacking another builders work. We are discussing the entries like adults and giving our opinions on the entire contest. I'm very glad you re-entered the hobby and placed well in the contest. You should be proud because I would be.

You will find that only a very small percentage of MCM member entered this contest. Most abstained for one reason or another. We are having a discussion. If what we are discussing offends you, you are free to move on to another thread. And since you felt free to take a shot at us, let me return the favor.

A sentence begins with a capital letter.

It is spelled "negative", "opinion" and "their".

Revell gets a capital letter as it is a name.

Call your English teacher, you need more work.

Hey, I was just joining the discussion just like you and every other poster.

Thank you ever soooooo much for pointing out my spelling mistakes.

Picture in your imagination a "The Simpsons" starting credts ,with me standing at the black board......

I will use a capital letter when I spell Revell and start a sentence.

I will remember the there,their,or they're rule from grade 4

I will spell negative and opinion correctly.

over and over again.

As stated before this was a massive marketing idea for the people at Revell.How many people saw the show when it was announced and said to them selves" I'm going go buy a model and enter,haven't built one in years"

Congratulations to all winners,especially the members here that entered.

I'm planning on going and entering my first model show next month,not to win,but to have fun with the hobby and to check out some of the expertly finished models like my grammar teacher must build.That my friend was taking a shot,not my original post

[Scale-Master]

Regarding the issue of "display only", most of the times I have seen people do it are because they:

A- Brought more models than the limit per person for the contest, (or than they needed to enter to cover all the categories they thought they had a chance at placing in).

B- To show off something that was under construction.

C- The model had already placed at the same show at a different time, so was ineligible.

[niteowl7710]

A look at that list did my heart good for the future of the hobby. Look how many young people, boys and girls, are involved with the hobby and doing quite well too. Bravo!

WAIT!! WHAT?!?! There are kids in the hobby? Well when did THIS start? We've been told regularly and "reliably" every time someone dares bring up the subject of kids in the hobby that there are no kids, they're all too busy with their xBox and have no patience for modeling. Those kids oughta be ashamed of themselves!

(Insert Emoticon indicating thick sarcasm and smug satisfaction verifying that if people left their houses and went to contests they'd know kids are actively involved in this hobby)

Edited August 11, 2011 by niteowl7710

[Dr. Cranky]

LOL! I've been surrounded by kids all summer and not a ONE has expressed any interest in anything that is not electronic, i.e., phone, computer, game platform. But I, like most of us, keep the faith that there are KIDS out there who will find the hobby and have their lives changed forever.

[Harry P.]

LOL! I've been surrounded by kids all summer and not a ONE has expressed any interest in anything that is not electronic, i.e., phone, computer, game platform. But I, like most of us, keep the faith that there are KIDS out there who will find the hobby and have their lives changed forever.

I wonder about the whole "we need kids to enter the hobby or the hobby will die" argument.

If you believe that to be true (that the hobby will die unless we "recruit" kids into it), you are making two assumptions: That these new kids will stay with the hobby and not just try it out and quit soon after, and that no adults ever pick up the hobby.

Sure, it's a good thing in general for the hobby to attract new, young participants. Every kid who gets into model cars is a potential lifetime builder. (I say potential, because there's no guarantee that the kid will stay with model building throughout his lifetime). But who's to say that adults don't take up the hobby, too? Many adults take up a new hobby, why would model building be an exception?

If a kid wants to get into model cars, that's great. But I don't think we necessarily have to "restock" the model building ranks with kids in order to keep model building alive. I have a feeling it's going to be around for quite a while. As long as there are cars, there will be that percentage of the population that's interested in them and enjoys building scale replicas of them... kids or no kids.

[2002p51]

I have a couple of questions, Drew, if you can ...

How many entries were received?

How were they judged? Did all the judges examine all the photos of all the entries, or was there some categorization or other means of screening?

Just curious as to the mechanics of such a large national contest.

Thanks!! (for answering my questions, offering your input to this thread, and serving as a judge for this competition)

(Emoticon indicating 'Thanks, Drew!' here.)

I was only required to judge one class, "Under 15, Unlimited", I think they called it. (I'm at work right now and the disc they sent me is at home.) I have no idea how many total entries they got.

I was sent 28 entries. I was not given any criteria on which to base my judging, I was on my own to do it any way I wanted.

I will tell you that I eliminated about half of the entries immediately for various reasons that included technically bad photos and the fact that a half dozen or so entries were so obviously better than the rest.

I then went over that final 6 or 8 looking for the basics, i.e.; no fingerprints, wheels in alignment, etc.

My final choices then became somewhat subjective, again, because having only photos to go by I really couldn't get much of a "feel" for the skill of the builder.

That was the most difficult part, having only photos to go by.

[Harry P.]

I was not given any criteria on which to base my judging, I was on my own to do it any way I wanted.

Well, now... that's odd. Because the official rules have a very specific list of criteria that the models were supposedly going to be judged by.

[2002p51]

Yes, you're right. Even in an "in person" contest, there's no guarantee that the person who entered the model actually built it.

Harry, I remember covering a local contest for that "other" magazine many years ago and there were guys who could not answer the most basic questions on the tech sheet.

"What color and type of paint did you use?"

"uh, I don't remember."

"What kit is the basic model from?"

"Uh, I don't know."

It was painfully obvious that these guys did not build the model.