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MarkMcGovern

IPMS/USA Member
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Everything posted by MarkMcGovern

  1. It's always bugged me that judges in IPMS contests (and non-IPMS events I've been to as well) are supposed to ignore the bases on which figures may be mounted in the Figures class. Some kits, particularly the Aurora figures, have had elaborate bases that - in terms of parts count - might make up more than half the model. But all that has to be overlooked according to the rules. Sure, this makes it fair for figures that come with no base. But is it fairly to the builder of, say, the Aurora/Polar Lights Bride of Frankenstein? Of almost eighty parts, only nine make up the figure. The main aspect of such a kit is its presentation of the character, not so much the figure itself. Currently, if a modeler wants to have his or her work on the entire Bride of Frankenstein model judged, he or she must enter it in a category other than Figures. The Dioramas category might be considered but, as the model has little in the way of a narrative element, it would be at a disadvantage. The Bride could also be entered in the Miscellaneous category, but then it would have to compete against entirely unlike subjects - guitars, railroad equipment, and such. At the Northwest Ohio Spring Invitational that was held on May 22, I tried something new by creating a "Figure With Base" category. This allowed any type of single figure to be judged with its base. If a model was mounted on no base or maybe just a simple wood plaque, it could be entered in the appropriate Figures category. If the presentation included a strong story-telling feature, it could be entered in Dioramas. I am happy to report that this experiment met with success. The Figure With Base category had four entries, second only to the Science Fiction/Fantasy category in which six models were entered. The Best Figure award went to one of the Figure With Base entries. Better still, the figure modelers I spoke with at the show all said they liked the idea, whether they entered a figure with an elaborate base or not. I think this is an idea whose time has come!
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