noelsmith

Interesting topic, judges feedback. Judges are often in an onerous position with the task they have to perform at times, often damned if they do and damned if they don't! Many modellers welcome some feedback and constructive criticism. But there comes the odd instance where a modeller gets upset at their model not doing as well as expected. I was judging once and was confronted by a particularly arrogant guy looking for an argument and during our 'conversation' questioning my parentage! Sometimes you just cannot reason with someone like that. His model was actually quite good, but others were better on the day. He was absolutely convinced that his model was going to walk it to first prize!. Having been subjected to that, I have mixed feelings about judges feedback, but have to say that given and received with mutual respect can be a useful experience. It must be remembered that judges give of their free time to judge so provided feedback does not drag on in finitum it is ok.

Just shows what potential an elderly little Airfiix kit has to be.made into a very nice model. Very nicely built model!

Robin, it looks like we used to read the same comics when we were youngsters! There were a number of other lesser known super heroes like Plastic Man, The Crimson Comet, Marvel Man and a UK one named Captain Britain that I can remember. There was another named the Phantom that made it to the big screen starring Billy Zane (I think?). Besides the super hero comics we were spoon fed the old screen cowboys in comics like, Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey, Lash LaRue, and Hopalong Cassidy (aka William 'Bill' Boyd) at the time.

Still no indication yet, so I will be keeping a lookout.

I have watched a couple of trailers for the Shazam Movie (aka the original Captain Marvel). My impression is that it will be the comic cuts instead of the more serious Captain Marvel from the comics I used to read in the 50's as a kid. Interesting to see the boy on a crutch in the new movie becoming a younger sibling to Billy Batson when Billy is taken into a caring family unit. The Captain Marvel Junior character that I can remember from those comics of yesteryear changed from a boy on a crutch into the junior super hero upon the word 'Shazam'. Perhaps the movie will have a follow on with the junior character if the first does well at the box office. It may do well as a bit of a send up of the super hero genre as later generations would not have read any of the original DC comics of Captain Marvel, so would not know of the origins of the character. I can remember a black and white serial of the old Captain Marvel character from Saturday Morning Children's matinees. My guess is that they were made in the late 40's or early 50's.

Thanks Nick. All has been revealed!

Nick, unfortunately your selling volume to make a profit statement is a bit lost on me.? Please explain. Unless they have become old rarities I have only always managed to sell kits on (usually bought on a whim at the time) at a loss. I am taking about kits that modellers tend to simply accumulate over a period of time and realise they will never build them rather than trading.

At SMW Telford IPMS UK has what is named the Kit Swap area. A bit of a misnomer really as it is basically an organised second hand kit sale area where members can off load kits from their stashes and IPMS UK takes 10 per cent. It is only open to IPMS members from any country on the morning of each day and then also to the general public in the afternoon of each day. All the sale items have to be booked in on special sheets that the organisers use to track both the sales of and unsold models to return to their owners and also to work out payments for sold kits minus the 10 per cent fee. Does IPMS USA run something similar at the US Nats for members stash disposals?I I was standing in the queue awaiting payment for my off loaded items with a friend of mine who jokingly said " I don't know why we do this? We all go out and buy kits, decide they will never be built, and sell them at a loss! "

Gil, thanks for enlightening me about how judging is done at the USA Nats. Telford International Centre allows Friday as setup day and Saturday and Sunday for the show. Competition models are pre entered and arrive on the tables Saturday morning. Judging is between 11 am and 3 pm on the Saturday.The halls have to be cleared by 6 pm each day.

Guys, guys, please. Let's not get over sensitive, otherwise we will end up with the moderator locking this thread. That would be a pity as the subject matter is making for an interesting discussion.

I think we all need the help of Gandalf the Wizard to cast a spell to build all our models that will outlast most of our lifetimes! Seriously though, I have ruthlessly cleared a lot of my stash down to just the models that I probably will actually build.

The disqualification rules at Telford are partly due to the sheer numbers of models entered and the logistic of having to get the comps area back open to the general public by a certain time. Would someone enlighten me about the US Nats. Is it a members only thing? If so I guess the judges are not under so much of a time constraint to get the area open again, and therefore have the opportunity to relocate models if necessary. I can understand modellers in some cases not being happy to have their models moved. I had a model that I was going to enter at Telford one year that I knew might be a bit borderline as far as classification was concerned after I had scrutinised the rules. A quick check with the comps Secretary by email beforehand clarified where to enter my model.

Maybe a new forum section titled MIXED MODELLING may fit the bill along with the other genre headings?

IPMS UK Telford Scale Modelworld Show has a different approach. If models entered fail to comply with the rules they are simply disqualified. Too many models to be judged on the Saturday, and the comps area has to be 're opened by a certain time to allow the entry paying general public as well as members to look around what is competing.

Judges are damned if they do and damned if they don't! There will always be Miffed Modeller Pot Hunters out there who get upset if their models do not win. Why they want to get so upset by someone else's opinion about their model (and that is basically what a judges decision is, an opinion), I really do not know. Whether models win or not is not live changing at the end of the day! I enjoy entering my models into competitions. I win a few and and lose a few more. Do I lose any sleep over it? No! Enjoy your hobby. That is what it is! Naturally we all strive to be better modellers, but we should never take ourselves too seriously where mode!ling is concerned!