Nick Filippone

I will end my participation in this pointless and exasperatingly familiar conversation where it started. They insult IPMS and we say: ‘Thank you sir, may I please have another?’ I am heartily sick and tired of our members apologizing for the largest, oldest, most successful plastic modeling organization in America-an organization that, I might add, has always welcomed figure modelers. Nor need we waste anymore time explaining our judging system that has been wrought over years of trial, error, and careful and exhaustive assessment and reassessment- a system that is, additionally, plainly posted for anyone to see, read and understand. This enduring obsession with our need to be different, to change, to beg people who can’t stand IPMS to be our buddies to “grow the organization” does us no credit. We owe them no explanations. Consider this: sadly we lose several faithful, life- long members annually. Yet, our membership numbers have been steady and even slowly growing. This is because we have a quality product for sale to anyone intelligent and perceptive enough to recognize it’s value. IPMS is an organization whose honour and reputation is valuable enough to stand up for- if we have the R.O.’s to do so.

And we do not “done judge” (sic) on accuracy in IPMS competitions. We judge on craftsmanship. No wonder you couldn’t change his mind. Good grief!

My comments were no more silly or ignorant than your friend’s. They were intentionally, purposefully and equivalently rude! When he and his ilk are ready to encounter IPMS members with the respect that Mr. Kimbrell feels we are obligated to afford them, then perhaps my comments will be less silly and ignorant- although probably no less sarcastic!

Ditto what Rusty and Ron said. Besides, if this guy is some great figure modeler, what the heck does he know or care about rivets! He would probably be the first to squawk if he saw some military figure with too many stripes on his shoulder insignia or some soft porn figure that is being passed off as an “artistic nude” with too few pimples on her derrière!”

And yet again, when some low performing modeler berates one of our members with the painfully monotonous myth of IPMS rivet counters, our knee- jerk reaction is to rend our garments, beat our breasts, and fall on our xacto knives in shame. People will believe what they want to believe whether it is written on a bathroom stall wall or on the idiotnet. Nothing we can say or do will change that! Nor should we change. All IPMS has done over the past 50 years is give credibility to a hobby that was not taken seriously, help plastic modelers increase their skills and enhance their enjoyment of the hobby, demand that kit manufacturers take this hobby as seriously as we do and organize competitions that are as scrupulously fair as human integrity will permit! We have NOTHING to be ashamed of or apologize for. My personal experience of the people such as those whose uninformed comments you had to endure is that they are poor modelers whose work will not stand up under the most cursory of assessments. What we should be ignoring is the whining of these cry-babies whose skill level is so low that they are simply not competitive when faced with the standards of excellence that IPMS encourages and rewards in it’s members. Let’s all show a little more spine! Why should we seek an association with such narrow, hateful little minds? Regards, Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

Best in Class Awards and Best in Show would continue to be chosen as they are now. Team leaders would nominate candidates (obviously Gold Medal recipients ) from the categories they have judged and a vote would be taken. The Judge’s Best in Show would be chosen by vote from these winners. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

I must say, Ron, that I am always impressed with (and not a little jealous of) the results you achieve with these venerable kits. Well done. Nick

No, indeed, they were not intended to be arrogant. They were intended to serve as a reminder that if we will have competition, we will have winners and losers- regardless of what methods and criteria we use to evaluate quality in craftsmanship and regardless of what system is used to dispense awards. All may join IPMS and enter our contests. That has never been an the issue. Young people do not enter our contests because young people do not build models. But if you think they are not competitive, watch them salivate over a video game contest! But if anyone is arrogant, I fear it is all of us in America (and the Mother Country?) We assume that because we do not see modelers in our countries in the same numbers as 50 years ago, the hobby is retracting. Somebody is buying all this stuff. In China, Japan, South Korea? Modelers in the now resurgent Central and Eastern Europe? More power to them! They may be supporting the industry that entertains us all, even as we no longer can by ourselves. Nick

Comments that are critical of ‘finding the flaws’ and ‘ignoring the bigger picture of what the model actually represents’ ( I don’t even know what that means) frustrate me as an experienced and scrupulously objective judge. As long as we as judges are required to identify three winners and X numbers of losers in a finite amount time, we will need a system that is efficient while also is able to be fairly applied to all entries. While theoretically you could compile all the things done correctly on each entry, that would be too time consuming. So efficient knowledgeable judges will start be looking for where most builders make common mistakes. These are craftsmanship competitions NOT an assessment of how much enthusiasm the modeler has for his or her subject. Likewise, the judges are not trying to answer the question: ‘What is the artist trying to say?’ In modeling contests, as in war, the winner is often the one who makes the fewest mistakes. There is a very simple way for the builder to get past this first cut of common faults. Read the Competition Handbook and do what it tells you to do. Despite this, the common errors appear with predictable frequency- admittedly more at the lower level shows than at the Nationals- but they are always there. Most categories will thankfully contain the gross misalignments, the wide-open seams, sloppy paint work, the silvered decals. Once these are out of the running, the really hard work in a 1,2,3 system begins. Now comes the necessary nit-picking. Now some of the virtues of a G,S,B system become apparent. But under either system, there are going to be disappointed entrants. If you do not want to be one of them, you have two choices: build better models or keep your models on the display-only table. Nick Filippone, Senior National Judge

Gil, Do you know that they are making brewed de-caf now? LOL! Chill, man. It’s only a hobby. Peace out! Nick

But then there would be no figures because they are almost always made of something other than plastic. Oops! There go a few more IPMS members. Embrace diversity, Gil! Regards, Nick

Mark, The main landing gear is installed inside-out. You might want to turn them around before presenting it to your friend. Regards, Nick

I have a better idea. I have used this approach myself. Contact Academy and be honest. Then ask them if you can buy the sprue you need. The worst that can happen is that they say no. With luck they will charge you a few bucks to sell it to you. Good luck. Nick Filippone

You can renew on line by clicking on the “Join IPMS/ USA” at the top of the website home page. It covers new members and renewals as well. And it is easily done on line. Regards, Nick Filippone

Gil, Well said! Thank you for speaking for all concientious judges. Nick Filippone. Senior National Judge