Dakimbrell
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Posts posted by Dakimbrell
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Well, we are a niche market.
Bigger venues cost more money, which will be passed on to those attending. Personally, I thought the Marriott at Columbus really sucked as a hotel. The Rio has plenty of space, but that was a heck of a long walk down the hall. Chattanooga was ok, but still a long walk every day. I prefer Embassy Suites over all of them.
Even with more rooms it doesn’t mean people will get what you want. Some of the rooms are only going to have one king bed.
For those coming from a long way by car, trying doing what we did in 2019 instead of booking an extra, expensive, room there, we stopped about fifty miles out and got a cheap room. The drive the next morning was beautiful and we were well rested.
Perfection is not an option.
Dak
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It’s a dead horse, Gil. Time to move on.
At first, I had sympathy for you and felt you were correct in pointing out s glitch in the system. But now you are just coming a cross as bitter, petty, and rude. At least a couple hundred people had no problems and are happy. Others, got rooms with no problems with the overflow hotels with no problems. You are making it sound like the whole system was a miserable failure, which it was not.
Dak
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They system worked as it was designed and fairly. It kept people from skirting it like I did in 2019 when booking for 2020. First come first served.
Dak
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Where is the beef? For many years it has been a simple fact that to get a room at the convention hotel, you must be johnny on the spot. With the numbers Nick posted, it is obvious even with two to a room, our expected numbers we would sell out the available rooms. And when you consider there will be members bringing their significant other, it should be no surprise things sold out quickly.
Yes, If I had not gotten a room, I would be grinching and calling for heads to roll, but only in a comical hyperbole. In fact, I was a bit surprised I actually got a room. The discussion at our club meeting that night was about the chances of getting through and we were putting good money on it. I like to gamble in casinos, so I have learned to accept disappointment, from time to time. Time to bury this dead horse.
Dak
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When the clock ticked 12pm I was sitting with my hand on the mouse ready to click. I expected things to go quick based on the numbers expressed by Nick.
Hopefully, there may be a few cancellations as some people team up.
Dak
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I looked at the hotel site on Thursday and it was locked for the convention. It opened fine last night at midnight. No problems what so ever.
Dak
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I had no problems. I was sitting there when the clock hit midnight and had a room by 12:01.
Dak
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I just finished reading the book The Panzer Killers. It is well written and puts some interesting (if uncomplimentary) light on the Allied commanders from D-Day on. There are loads of personal anecdotes for those interested in modeling ideas. Although, I still get annoyed when the author refers to the Panzerfaust as a rocket launcher.
Now, my story. While in the navy in the seventies, one guy on my ship told me how his father----who was actually Hungarian---described being in a King Tiger unit which was napalmed but not knocked out. They just lay dogo until the Shermans started moving and then shot the hell out of the American column. At the time, I just filed it as one of the BS war stories Dads tell young sons.
Yet, here I was, reading the same story in the last chapter of the book! The description was almost word for word what the guy told me 50 years ago. I have to assume it is the same event. This was the unit that killed General Rose.
How I love history.
Dak
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I had a blast at the show. Generally, well done and hope everyone had a good time too. Now, all I have to do is get that second mortgage to cover the stuff from the vendor room. Thanks for all the hard work to those doing it.
Did anyone else stop to look at the old locomotive on route 81?
Dak
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This is a 1/350th resin kit of the HMS M1 which was lost with all hands in 1925 after being struck by a Swedish ship while the sub was running submerged. She carried a 12-inch battleship gun which was to be used against other ships. Something I did to keep busy while waiting to leave for Omaha. She was a derivative of the K-class steam powered subs built before WWI.
Dak
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This is the 1/35th Nuts Planet Heavy Gunner (@$18.00). Since there is no back story or information in the kit, I felt I was free to develop the figure in my own way. The logo came from a set by Matho Models as are the sign and caution tape.
The 12.7mm machine gun is quite nicely done and the perfect tool for combating NYC rats, don't you think? The small green blocks are Claymore mines for fending off large groups and possibly the cockroaches.
Dak
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Yes, I judge AND I contribute regularly to the Journal. I have also manned the morning after table and told everyone what they are doing wrong,wrong, wrong. 😉
Still, I saw something last year that made me wonder what some of the judges were thinking. I’m not as interested in why I didn’t win—-I am more than aware of my short comings—-but why some things did. Things I had looked at earlier and dismissed.
But that’s the way it goes.
Dak
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Well, as they say, all judging results are final. If you complain, it makes you look petty no matter how right you are. The best yo can do is try to educate people about the subject.
No matter how objective we try too be, personal opinions creep in. Model building it creative and judging anything creative is tricky. Some want a pristine model representing the ideal, while others like things down and dirty. Both tend to see the other extreme as “poor craftsmanship”.
Dak
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6 hours ago, Roktman said:
In the What the Judges Look For seminar (and I suggest everyone refresh themselves by sitting in on it every few years) it's said that the more a person adds, the more chance he has of having a mistake. So, a nice clean, simple model can be a winner.
Absolutely true.
It is usually easy to tell poor craftsmanship from a specific point which is done rough. The problem is some judges don't want to accept this sort of work. Some years in the past, I did some detail work based on personal examination and photos of an 88mm gun at APG, only to have a judge tell me--after the show---he didn't believe the Germans would do work that crude! He was normally aircraft judge. (This is one reason I no longer ask the judges why my work didn't do better.)
Dak
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This is the Hobby Boss kit with resin stowage bundles from Black Dog. The figures are from Stalingrad. The stowage bundles were painted just like the figures, or the figures were painted just like the bundles, take your pick. The water was done with epoxy resin with artist gel to create the surface ripples.
Dak
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Of course we have to use some yardstick when judging in contests. However, I believe too many become obsessive about things looking neat and clean as a ideal. Too often they try to apply one standard across the board to all subjects and scales.
Dak
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Well, part of the problem is there is a tendency for our group to obsess over neatness to the exclusion of all else. Which is why I tend leaning more and more towards just picking the model you like best at a contest, as the best way to judge.
Dak
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This is the Citadel Models gas pioneer trooper with some Jon Smith rats.
Dak
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Just finished the 1/35th Roden Holt 75. Not a super kit, but not as bad as I had come to expect. Definitely not for the novice. I did have to add the curtains from scratch. The figure is from D-Day miniatures. I was inspired by an article in the Models for Ukraine book, which I also recommend. Nice "filthy armor" as my friend Foster calls anything with tracks.😜
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While I agree it is not hard to ignore the figures for judging and have plenty of experience doing so, I just don't see there is a genuine reason to do so. Figures are judged using the same basic criteria we use for all models. If seen as a simple thing like a bomb or bed roll, these permitted figures are no problem to judge and no more of an advantage than resin or photo-etch aftermarket.
We accept things as a polished finish on cars, metal foil, and Alclad which take skill. We even have come to expect them. We do not put them in special categories for judging. If you have the skill to paint an airplane cockpit, you certainly have the skills to paint the pilot. But you don't have to any more than you have to polish the paint on your car model. It seems simply judging one or two figures as part of the model simplifies the judging, too.
Dak
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There are no rules excluding figures on a model from being judged as part of the model.
Rule 15 limits the number of figures you can have before the model becomes a diorama, but does not say those on the model cannot be judged as part of the model.
Dak
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8 hours ago, MDriskill said:
If a detail clearly falls outside the norm, take the time to describe it on the entry form or even better, attach a photo.
That's all fine if the judges look at the documentation. I've had personal experience where they didn't.
Still, some prefer a pristine model and others prefer a more realistic look. No one should assume the seam or sloppy paint is automatically poor craftsmanship Particularly when it is very obvious.
Dak
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Well, you may be right, but looking at the base of the prop blade I see what looks like sloppy red paint. It may be a little of both. Not that it really matters.
As I say, my real pout was to note that there are sloppy paint jobs in real life. Just because it is “sloppy” doesn’t always make it wrong.
Dak
NEED MUD
in Armor
Posted
Do you need good mud? Try mixing tile grout (pick the color you want) with clear gloss polyurethane paint. The more grout you add tends to make it flatter. However, you can coat it with the gloss polyurethane.
Dak