IPMS Show Experiences

[Real G]

I think they wanted to check the underside of my model to see if it was a boy or a girl.  

[stikpusher]

Oh you naughty Minion... 

[mz3]

How about chapters that put on these shows and rig them so only their members win?

This happened where I used to live. The group would put on shows/contests and would give any sponsor donated prizes to their members. They were doing it before they became an official IPMS chapter and kept doing it after. They would change categories or just make up new ones after everyone had registered. I actually overheard the "judges" trying to figure out how to change the categories so one of their members could place first. If they couldn't figure out a way, they would just make up some bs category like "model with the most orange in it" or my favorite "thing we liked the most".

Completely unprofessional! They became notorious for this and after a few years the builders in that city just stopped doing their shows. They keep doing them though. They sucker in people new to the hobby or to the area.

They are the main reason I stopped doing shows altogether. With the bad experiences I had with them and the stories I've heard from people about other chapters/shows, it's not worth the time money or hassle.

[406 Silverado]

I'll tell ya right now.....it wasn't like that at the Nats. The folks I saw that won earned their keep. I took 11 builds and none of 'em placed. I posted this in Gil's Mustang thread but I'll repeat it here.

If there's one thing I learned at the Nats.....I no longer will leave things be if I have to say "That'll be ok" or "I think I can get by with that." .

There ain't NO margin for error with the talent that I saw at that contest. Not one of mine placed. The winners paint jobs were just better....period. Gonna be upping my game from here on out.

I've been to shows where the "good ol' boy" rule applied but this one here was NOT like that. These guys were tough......REALLY tough, and by that I mean the competition....just "A-Game" all over the place. The judges really had their hands full in this contest.

[Real G]

I’ll second Silverado’s observation. I have been to a little over half dozen Nationals and the “home boy advantage” was not apparent. I have only judged once, but the back-and-forth discussions focused on build quality, not where the builder was from.

I do hear what Mz3 said about some local contests, and it is absolutely true. But I have faith that the guys at the Nationals hold to a higher standard. They do make mistakes, we all do. But they try their best to do the job right. We should all endeavor to volunteer as judges, so we can learn about how the process works, and also offer another pair of eyes to spot any discrepancies.

[Real G]

The guys over here have been branded “The Hawaii Mafia”, due to a higher than average percentage of awards they bring back. “Yeahhhh, noboddy move, till Mr Big gets here. Gets here, gets here, gets here!” So local favoritism is not a thing at the Nationals.

But to put it into context, since we have to cross about 2,450 miles of ocean to get to any contest, only the hard-core guys go. Oh, and the incorrigible troublemakers like me. I’m the Sci-Fi Leper - I just misplaced my leopard suit and whiskers. And where the heck did my Martini go?

But the other guys include a professional modeler, a military historian with a metal figure line, and a couple of “Vulcan Modelers”. You might have seen these types - the ones who do everything the right way, and to a perfect tee. Unlike their Star Trek counterparts however, they do possess a great sense of humor. I think there are some of these on this forum.

They are not to be confused with Romulan Modelers, who relentlessly pursue awards by crushing the competition without mercy or compassion. Or the Ferengi Modelers, who game the system any way in order to secure an award. Oh geez, that means I’m an annoying Tallaxian like Neelix from ST Voyager. Ugh.

[stikpusher]

Neal, I like your description of the Hawaii Mafia. Yeah I can understand about you guys having to only take the best of the best if going to a contest outside of the islands. The travel costs and hassles alone demand it.

Mz, that pseudo IPMS chapter sounds pretty bad. I’m glad that the chapters I’ve been part of are nothing like what you describe. It’s the models first, and nothing about keeping only the members in the winners circle.

[mz3]

Yeah, it was pretty bad. It left me with a bad opinion on IPMS in general. I always thought that there were rules and standards for actual IPMS related event. I figured that group would change after becoming an official chapter. Nope.

Quick example of their bs. I entered a 1/35 dml tiger 1 into the axis armor category. I leave to run Saturday errands. Comeback and the kit placed second in the ALLIES armor category. I literally go "WHAT THE F***!!!", packed up all my stuff and bounced. Didn't wait for them to announce winners/pat themselves on the back. Didn't pick up my little acrylic "trophy". Just left and didn't look back.

[stikpusher]

Sounds like the armor judges had no idea as to what was Allied, and what was German or Axis. As long as the Tiger was depicted in captured markings, it belongs in the Axis/German category. And I will say that particular category tends to be entrant heavy in my limited experience.

There are rules and standards for IPMS events, although the application of such standards depends upon the level of the event.... Chapter/local versus regional, versus nationals. The higher the level of completion, the more likely that there are judges who have training and experience, not to mention the knowledge, of what goes where, judging according to actual IPMS standards, and how to do split offs if a category is overpopulated. The big thing right now within the organization is that the current folks in charge are looking at switching away from traditional 1st/2nd/3rd and going to an AMPS style Gold/Silver/Bronze award system. Which would entail much higher costs for more numerous associated awards in every category for any show and the chapter putting on the show.

[keavdog]

I placed twice at 2nd in the nationals. Both times locals won but the thing to consider is there's way more locals on the table than out of towners. And I never disrespect the quality of the builds. They are models after all not PHD dissertations.

[stikpusher]

The last contest that I judged at, I overhead one contestant remark how he wouldn’t come back because his entry didn’t place and they only give awards to club members. On my judging team of three, myself and another guy were fairly new members of the club, so we didn’t know who built what, and even if we did, we sure hadn’t been in the club long enough to join any clique or form them. Not to mention that both of us had previous membership in the clubs where we came from as well as training classes on judging. Long story short, he could not honestly believe that somebody else’s work was better than his own, nor that he didn’t place or win for that reason, not due to any “members only” bias.
It then again, I’ve heard sour grapes from a world class modeler who won at several Nationals, and did not at another, go on and on about how his detailing of one particular item on his build was better than that of the one that did win. Ok, my friend you are a highly skilled and exceptionally talented modeler, yet, maybe their build was just that much better, and the judges in that category were not looking for or at that particular aspect of a subject to decide the top dog.

[Real G]

Aug 6, 2023 12:44:41 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

If there's one thing I learned at the Nats.....I no longer will leave things be if I have to say "That'll be ok" or "I think I can get by with that." .

There ain't NO margin for error with the talent that I saw at that contest. Not one of mine placed. The winners paint jobs were just better....period. Gonna be upping my game from here on out.

That's the thing about model competitions - it's your A-Game all the way.  If you see a problem, you must fix it before heading to the contest.  There is no such thing as "I can't fix that, it's impossible to do", you have to figure it out.  Which is part of what model building is about.

I have built models where I had all the time in the world to get things right and enjoyed every bit of it.  But put in a deadline, and that's where the fun meter starts going down.  I have a reputation for taking older models to contests because the build I was rushing on went kaput.  They actually do well because I wasn't rushing to finish them.  They just need a bath in the hotel room sink to get all the dust off!  My friends give me a lot of ribbing about that!