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Just to clarify..... In GSB there is NO "out-of-the-box" division, because there is NO NEED for it. OOTB was created to compare "apples to apples" in 1-2-3 competition. Since NO model is being judged against ANY other model in GSB, there's no need to consider whether it's OOTB or not. The degree of craftsmanship determines an individual model's award; and degree of difficulty and/or scope of effort CAN affect the overall judgement on craftsmanship. The idea of OOTB not getting a GOLD at Jaxcon is not a rule but a GUIDELINE, and it reflects MY personal philosophy and experience in judging. I totally agree that a model CAN be built "flawlessly" OOTB. But then the question becomes: does THAT level of craftsmanship (making no mistakes) command the awarding of the HIGHEST award? I tell my judges that IF they REALLY think it does, then award a GOLD. BUT...stop and think...have you EVER seen an OOTB build go on to be nominated for a Best Of award? I haven't.....Sure, OOTB MAY win in a 1-2-3 category simply because it has less flaws than the others...but what does that mean overall, especially compared to other models in its genre with much higher levels of craftsmanship that may or may not have won their category? This also gets to the very HEART of why I prefer GSB. In 1-2-3 it's very possible, especially in the biggest categories, for an extremely well built model to get NOTHING, simply because 3 or 4 "labors of love" with 1-2yrs of effort put into them to show up that year and ace it out of placing. In GSB ALL of them get recognized according to their merits, and no one model keeps another from getting an award. If you're planning on trying GSB at your show, you can set your criteria accordingly. My only caveat is to keep in mind 2 things: First, the usual criticism of GSB is that they're "soccer awards" so everyone goes home feeling good about getting something. You have to set the bar higher than that. Second, while you do not want a GOLD to be nearly impossible to get, it needs to represent the EXCEPTION, and not the "norm". Think about the level of work you see at IPMS shows overall....there's a LOT of very well built models on the tables....and that's the norm.....so you want to recognize the builds that are better than that as Golds. In my mind, a perfect OOTB build is the "norm" we ALL strive for.....but Golds involve more than that. But then again,that's just MY personal opinion, and is not only debatable, but carries NO weight at any other GSB show! Gil

Not mine. I have at least three ME walls. 🤣 Dak