noelsmith

Interesting to see how much debate goes onto the IPMS USA forum about PR, judging and contest rules etc in different threads. Certainly do not see this amount of debate on the UK website! Maybe us Brits are a bit too laid back to bother about lengthy debates on our forum. It would certainly be a bit more live!y if there was. I do not think we are any less passionate about our modelling however. But maybe our psyche is just a bit different from our American friends.

How long has IPMS been going? After over 50 years there are still people out there who think that the society is just for aircraft modellers! So maybe the society does have a problem about how we are perceived! I have read the differing views on this thread, and passionate though they may be does not alter how IPMS is perceived by many outside the society, whether correct or not. So guys, let's not get into too much heated debate over one issue when there are much wider problems that the society has to address such as how the hobby is headed on a global scale in order to sustain it.

Gerald Wingrove, renowned professional car modeller was lost to us this Marcb 2019. Look in news and announcements for more details.

Pete,, glad to hear that they are still going. I heard that they were selling up a short while ago! They were at Telford a few years ago with some really neat stuff. The new Ford GT stuff will be well received I am sure.

The Beeb advertising clips for this drama seems to have gone very quiet of late. Perhaps it will be out for this Christmas instead of last as I thought or possibly in the Autumn / Fall. Maybe the production company have some technical issues and taking a bit longer than anticipated with the CGI or something in post production. Who knows?

Best give up on Academy altogether if their service is that bad. But, you have exposed the risks of buying second hand kits in general. If you are still looking to make the Cutty Sark look for the ones by Airfix and Revell.

Nick. Looks like we are pretty much agreed going by your last reply that clarified your stance about competition generally. Your comment about the US and UK's approach stems from being the main markets for so long that our expectations have led to complacency. As you have said, emerging markets like China, South Korea and Eastern European Countries' numbers of modellers have very likely overtaken the markets previously enjoyed by the UK and US. At IPMS SMW Telford each year we are seeing many modellers entries in the competition and on the winners table who come over from Eastern Europe as a testmony to what you have observed. Unfortunately kids in the UK and I guess in the US also are more interested in playing computer games. My grandson is no exception being more interested in playing Fortnite on his PS4 so no surprises there. As for model making? No interest whatsoever! It is just a pity that the hobby will probably continue to shrink in the pocket money market and be aimed at mature modellers. Hopefully, some of the kids into computer games at present as they get older may start to look for a more fulfilling hobby. Who knows, but I am not holding my breath! Kind regards. Noel

Nick, I think that when anyone enters a competition it is just fundamental that there will be winners and losers, and everyone entering accepts this! Your last remark in your last post about build better models for competition in order not to be disappointed does not take into account that everyone can only develop their modelling skills up to a certain level beyond which they cannot go. I have placed models into competitions just to support the competition knowing that they will be also rans and won with others. Unfortunately your last remark could come across as a bit arrogant, although I am absolutely sure it was not intended to be. I have been judging at Telford and at local level for many years and would not want to discourage any one of any ability from entering a competition. We may be in danger of losing focus that this should be an enjoyable hobby and taking ourselves way too seriously. Otherwise IPMS will be perceived wrongly as a bunch of nerds and boffins instead of an inclusive model making society. Goodness knows, the hobby has retracted a lot from the halcyon days due to outside pressures from computer games and social media being taken up by youngsters instead of model making.

Gregg Hutchings did make an appearance at the GSL somehow finding a return air ticket from Hawaii to Salt Lake City plus Hotel despite Model Cars Magazine appearing to be struggling just to survive? Heard the latest? He is offering life subscriptions to Model Cars Magazine! Is this a move to prop up the magazine taken out of sheer desparation? The people I will feel sorry for are those trusting folks who take out those subscriptions if the whole thing goes under at I believe 150 iUS dollars a pop and 300 if living abroad including Canada. I suspect that most will pass on this 'offer'?

Art, your comments as a senior member since 1967 (makes me seem like a junior having joined in 1974!) made very interesting reading. Naturally there is a big difference between judging at national and local levels, whereas the national contest tends to have the pick of knowledgeable judges in their own subject matter, and that is only right. At local level however, it is a different matter altogether where judges are often 'roped in' to manage the task. You have quite eloquently described scenarios at local level. Local shows do not have to rigidly follow the IPMS judging criteria but can just use them as tough guidelines. Alternatively they can just write their own local competition rules to suit themselves. As you also pointed out Art that often as not competition entries appear to be declining in local shows. Over here in the UK it is also a bit similar. It makes you wonder whether competitions at local level will eventually dwindle to a point where they are not worth the effort of running them at all. For example sometimes a category may only draw one of two entries of indifferent models. Very often I have seen better models on the table displays at shows where the makers are quite content just to show their models , have no interest in entering contests and just prefer to chat to people who take an interest in their models. At senior contest level however, it would be interesting to look at a direct comparison of IPMS UK ScaleModelworld competition rules with the IPMS USA National Competition rules. I would imagine that they would be very similar.

Gil, thanks for your response. I can see the sense in the grouping as you mention. I fully understand that the society both at international and branch/chapter level have differing ideas on judging at shows. It is interesting to make comparisons, and judging is a learning process like modelling. At Telford the criteria was to reduce the judging time so that the competition area could be reopened as soon as possible on the Saturday afternoon of the show. Naturally other show organisers have different judging criteria depending on the how the show needs to be run, time available, and allocating judging time to suit. It matters not what judging system is put into place as long as it works for any particular show. I wish IPMS USA all the best with your judging survey.

Ralph, your paragraph 2 in last post. Looks a bit complex and seems as though it could be very time consuming to judges. As I read it (and correct me if I am wrong) judges would have to firstly find sets of like models from each individual entering, then group and collate each of their GSB marks and then add them up before comparison with other competitors? Just recently, I helped in redrafting the judging criteria for SMW Telford to just 3 headings on the judging forms. The idea being to reduce the amount of time judging a huge number of models. I learnt shortly after the show that the revamped forms were received well by the judges. So much so that I learnt from our competitions Secretary that since then Ireland and Finland have adopted the same format

Thanks for the feedback guys. I get it. Your gold silver bronze is about models built up to a standard. We used to have an annual exhibition here in the UK named the Model Engineer and Modelling Exhibition where multiple golds, silvers and bronze medals were awarded if the standard of the models attained a certain number of points even if I'm the same class. At Telford the IPMS UK awards GSB but it is simply a straight 123 decision for each class within a subject. The best overall model from within each subject category wins a best of subject trophy (e.g. Best Aircraft, Best Civilian Vehicle) in its own right and all of these subject winners go forward to be judged again to decide the overall show champion. Looks like I misinterpreted IPMS USA's understanding of gsb thinking it similar to how ipms uk judges. Only drawback with GSB judging being based on achieving a certain standard/ number of points or whatever as far as I can see will be the expense of having to produce a great number of trophies, not knowing how many, but taking a guess at estimating enough to cover the eventuality of many models reaching each of the GSB standards set. Unlike IPMS UK or USA the Model Engineer and Modelling Exhibition was a commercially run show ran over two weeks duration by the now defunct Model an Allied Publications. They produced a number of different modelling magazines covering many modelling genres, so I would guess that the cost of multiple trophies for their GSB awards could have been offset as legitimate publicity expense.

Gold, Silver, Bronze versus 1,2,3 ? What's that all about? Both are equivalent to one another as far as I can see, so why all the debate?

The GSL show is almost upon us. A good opportunity for all those unpaid MC M authors to have a face to face confrontation with Gregg Hutchings if he has the front to go there!

IPMS although it is an international society, individual national IPMS organisations have their own individual versions of the IPMS logo, and generally carry restricted usage. Chapters (branches in the UK) would normally be defined as part of the main organisation in their respective countries, so using the logo for promotional purposes on their stationery or at a local show should be ok. When it comes down to individuals using the logo, then that is a different matter altogether and depends on why they want to use it, and permission sought.

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.