Contest category debate

[RocketSilo]

Woah , my reply/opinion in a discussion... is the title of a new thread, started by me ?
I didn't start a debate on contest categorys ,, and I'm not the creater of this post

I'm fine with the system as it is ,

 

[schweinhund227]

 

[Biskup]

If it's any consolation schweinhund,
I see the merit in your opinion concerning rusty battered models vs shiny flawless models .
I also see the issues that may cause.

I'm still a newb ,, I have recently been toying with rusting a weathering, and to me ,, It's a big difference .
You can let a lot slide when doing a beater, heck mistakes are almost a bonus !
but once boiled down, the techniques seem almost automated and simple if followed.I am getting some amazing results with a low amount of effort by simply following tried and true techniques.

compared to laboring over a pristine finish were mistakes are often fatal and have to be stripped and re done., flawless in every way.perfectly photographed and nary a speck of dust.
From my newb standpoint, you get a lot of bang for that rusty dirty buck.

that said there are also the truly masterful weathered models that obviously took a serious amount of effort to pull off.And deserve every bit of praise for the accomplishment and mind blowing realism.

however that's just My experience and opinion so far ,
but as Ken and others mention, where is the line? how do you categorize levels of damage rust and weathering ? where dust a simple dusty vehicle fit?..It would be near impossible to judge.

It's your opinion but I fully agree. I did both types of cars and doing rusty beat up car is easier than a shinny one. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to put a lot of effort to make the rusty one look realistic.
Cheers

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Personally, a car, is a car, is a car. Doesn't matter whether it has a high gloss finish, or a rusty battered finish, it is still a car.

No where in IPMS, AMPS, or any other contest rules would you find the car categories broken down as shiny vehicles and rusty vehicles. They may be broken down in scale, stock, custom, racing, trucks, transports, etc., etc.....but there should be no separate category as to whether it is rusty or shiny.

Takes just as much work to create that flawless mirror like shine, as it does to pull of a convincing battered rusty vehicle, and in the end, it is still an auto.

You wouldn't break down the armor category or aircraft category in such a manner....so why would you do it to the auto category. Going by that line of thinking, a well used and battered aircraft, shouldn't be in the same category as a shiny, flawless, natural metal one? Or a factory fresh tank vs one that has been left on the side of the road for dead for 30+years?

 

[RocketSilo]

Good points ECH ,, tho I would disagree with one point, comparing cars to military machines.... military machines are not born with pristine automotive laquer finishes graphics and polished chrome. heheh

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Good points ECH ,, tho I would disagree with one point, comparing cars to military machines.... military machines are not born with pristine automotive laquer finishes graphics and polished chrome. heheh

No, they don't come out of the factory with chrome and such, I realize that, but comparing a factory fresh, or shiny car to a rust bucket, would be the same as comparing a brand new Stryker rolling off the assembly line at the GM plant with a relic T55 in the Khandahar armor graveyard.

One is brand new and "shiny" (IE new paint, no weathering or dirt) the other is a junker, but both belong in the same judging category. (unless it is a diorama of course)

 

[RocketSilo]

very true ECH , I have to agree with the majority also.
No doubt the heavily weathered Autos have really made an impact in the last several years.
It's great to see a lot of crossover techniques so commonplace between military and auto modeling these days ..more fun for everyone..

 

[Neo]

Actually i think i would not split the car up.

The only category that is growing and needs splitting is the all open

Maybe split the all open into Cars,air,armor and instes of having 1st 2nd and 3rd just have 1 winner for each of the cats.(altough the only problem with that is if there only one in a specific cat then.....)

Just my 2cents

Cheers

Neo

 

[spud]

i agree with Scott a car is a car no matter what it looks like. spliting it up would just cause more headaches for the SMA staff

 

[Quaralane]

Definitely no need to break up the main categories.
I do agree that the "All Open" needs to be broken out into separate categories

 

[noname]

I'm inclined to say just leave everything as is. Scott has a big enough job as it is and he has done a great job coming up with all the prizes for all the current categories. I wouldn't want to make his job any more complicated. It's hard to please everyone no matter what you do.

A shiny car may not win everyone's vote on this site. It's just the way it is. Not a large car crowd here. I would either build a shiny car that is quite exceptional and out of the ordinary or do something else. I've done shiny cars before and it is a bit of work. Quite a nack to it. However, doing a rusted car well can take some work also. Doing a beat up car is easy and yes mistakes can sometimes work to your advantage. But to do a rusted/beat up car well takes some skill. You have to take into consideration where the car rusts, how thick the rust is, it's colour and age. Then there is paint fading, dents, worn chrome etc. Trust me, I've seen some rusted vehicles that were way out of scale and unrealistic looking. And for one last point, a civilian vehicle wears/rusts quite differently than an armour vehicle. Different landscape, different metal, different use etc.

Like I say, if you want to win with a shiny car I would suggest doing something that stands out and detail the snott out of it. If you haven't visited the Model Cars Magazine forum or the Scale Auto forum, I would check them out.

 

[MilitaryAircraft101]

I agree with noname. I had fun this year, no need to split it up this time, just adds to the reward when you beat a bigger and badder category and come 1st!