IMPS National Plastic Model Contest 2023 in San Marcus Texas

[GaryG64]

As I grabbed my remote as I scanned through YouTube I saw the title for the IMPS National Plastic Model Contest 2023.
Cool! I thought.
I noticed something about these models. Most of them do not depict weathering. Very few, that I saw, showed exhaust stains. I didn't see any paint chipping on and of the planes. Again, very few tanks showed a little weathering or and not many figures.
Why is that? is there a specific reason that the majority are like new out of the factory?

 

[urumomo]

They were more realistic models then ?

 

[GaryG64]

They were more realistic models then ?

Some looked realistic others kind of resembled just a plain and very well built model. Of course they all looked very nice with countless hours of work, and it showed. All of them are fantastic!
I saw very few with a very small diorama of sorts, a block of wood with ground or grass, or a nicely finished stand.
All builds were incredible and I would loved to be there. I wish I knew about it I would have tried to go.
It's probably best I didn't. I'd probably come back with a boxe full of kits.

 

[greyphantom1000]

I was there. I saw countless different kinds. It might be that there was a kind of preference that the person who made the video preferred? I don't know. There was rusted ships and things like that. Weathered Gundams. I saw exhaust on airplanes. I cannot express the magnitude of how many entries there were. It was probably impossible for the person to show everything.

 

[GaryG64]

I was there. I saw countless different kinds. It might be that there was a kind of preference that the person who made the video preferred? I don't know. There was rusted ships and things like that. Weathered Gundams. I saw exhaust on airplanes. I cannot express the magnitude of how many entries there were. It was probably impossible for the person to show everything.

Sounds pretty awesome! If I had known about it I would have gone.
Maybe next time.

Thanks for the feedback and clarification.

 

[ArtChromer]

I feel like the hobby prefers clean builds overall.

From Youtube and Instagram, to IMPS contests and even my local club. People build clean.
They build nice stuff that takes time and effort, but it lacks imagination.

It's like going to a real car show and counting all the 55-57 chevy's and 67-69 Camaros.
People follow trends and don't color outside the lines much.

Speaking on scale cars and trucks, I know my work can ruffle feathers.
Some regard the vintage stuff with such a reverence that means it cannot be done any other way than Box Stock maybe Box Plus.
No cutting and no major modifications. Nothing is sacred to me. So, I'm probably going to rub some people the wrong way.

The advent of 3D printing has been monumental for the hobby. I haven't embraced it personally into my work yet, but I like the idea that literally anything can be scaled down. Certainly less to appreciate in terms of craftsmanship, but it's neat and I hope it's used to preserve and create abundance within this world.

My $0.02...

 

[GaryG64]

Contest entries are graded first on build technique. Presentation and realism are not supposed to factor in at all except maybe for deciding between 1st and 2nd if everything else is equal. The judges are looking for construction flaws, paint runs, fingerprints, overspray, misaligned wheels, visible seams, etc. Everything you do has the potential to add errors, so a lot of people building for contests minimize or skip weathering altogether. According to IPMS rules, technically you could win 1st if you paint a tank pink and add markings for a Barbie Army as long as the build technique is flawless.

Oh. Thank you. I had no idea. Now that makes sense.

 

[iandrewmartin]

My Texas experience was that IPMS tended to be, as others have said, clean builds of outstanding quality, but very vanilla ice cream.

For the real models, you needed to go to an AMPS show. There was a club in Austin of which I was a member, the Austin Armor Builders Society.

Lots of Armour, Figures (Bob Bethea was one of our members) and a totally different mindset from IPMS. Much more to my liking.

 

[scalebuilderchad]

I was there. There were plenty of weathered builds. And at the same time why do you feel there has to be more weathered models? I mean all vehicles were new at some point.

But while we are on the subject of clean vs weathered, I have a fun one for you.

I had an entry in the Automotive Curbside class. It was a weathered rally car. I thought I did a really good job on it. I asked the judges for information on how I can improve my build and hopefully place next time.

The head automotive judge told me that Curbside builds are judged on cleanliness. My build was dirty.

J. Automotive -- Curbside. This category is judged as if the vehicleis parked at the curb. The model must be displayed with hood, trunk,all doors, etc. closed. No engines allowed. No motorcycles areallowed in this category, as the engine is visible. If the engine isincluded or visible, the model will be moved to the appropriateautomotive category. Judges will ignore any detail on the bottom ofthe model (mirrored bases are not allowed). Body detail will bejudged by the basic construction criteria for building flaws such asseams, glue, or other basic faults. There will be no additional creditgiven to models with added body/structure details.

I don't see anything about clean or dirty.

 

[the Baron]

You guys have touched on another factor to consider, when deciding to weather or not, and how much: the subject. Car models are less likely to be heavily weathered than an armor or airplane model, for example. Not that there aren't car subjects to weather-the junkyard vignette is popular, for example. But the curbside or showroom finish is more normal. On the other hand, it's more common to weather a tank in the field, for example.
Of course, some artistic license is involved, too. Some subjects that the modeler weathers are over-weathered, when we consider that the object might not have lasted long enough to get that beat up, before it was destroyed or removed from combat.
Personally, I prefer a "realistic" level of weathering, considering the subject and its backgound.
It goes for figures, too. Uniforms of soldiers in the field, for example, will show wear and tear, darning and patching, fading, dirt, etc, after a few days on campaign. Even more noticeable for armies in the 18th and 19th centuries, when uniforms were more colorful.

 

[GaryG64]

I just think that weathering adds so much more character to a build. However, if certain categories stipulations require a  clean build then that's what should be.