The return of the Model of the Month Competition.

[chromdome35]

Exciting news everyone! We are relaunching the Model of the Month Competition!!!!!

One of the challenges with previous versions of the contest is that each month was open to any model. This created situations where more popular genres, such as Armor and Airplanes, would dominate automotive, figures, etc…

To eliminate this issue, we will use a six-month rotating schedule, which will be dedicated to one category each month. The categories will repeat every six months.

This will be the order of categories:

Month 1 (July 2024): Armor anything (Armor would also include other military vehicles like trucks)
Month 2 (August): Automotive (anything not military)
Month 3 (September): Naval anything
Month 4 (October): Air anything
Month 5 (November): Figures (This will be our lowest volume category, but we can tweak it if needed down the road)
Month 6 (December): Sci-Fi (We have quite a few sci-fi builds, so this category may be ok from a volume perspective)

Repeat every six months.

Month 7 (January 2025): Armor
Month 8 (February): Automotive
Month 9 (March: Naval
Month 10 (April): Air
Month 11 (May): Figures
Month 12 (June): Sci-Fi

Rules

* Only builds completed since the previous month the category was awarded would be eligible; for example, in April 2025, any aircraft completed since October 2024 would be eligible to enter. The benefit is that cycling every category on a six-month rotating basis gives people time to complete builds, and we get more entries for each category.

* Only builds completed in the 6-month window since the last time the category was active will be allowed.

*Since the timeframe between contests for a given category is longer, some of our more prolific builders will likely have multiple completions in the 6-month timeframe. Due to this, members can enter up to two models into the contest.

* Models must have an associated build thread on the forum

* No models completed in the past (beyond the 6-month window) will be allowed.

How to enter the contest:

*Submissions will begin two weeks before the end of the month. For July 2024 (armor) entries will begin on June 15th.

*Send me (Chromdome35) and Joe (Silverado) a private message containing, at most, three pictures of the model and a link to the build thread on our forum.

Each month, a post will be made announcing the coming month's contest. Please keep an eye out for these announcements.

Voting

Voting will begin on the first day of the month and run for five days. At the end of the voting period, the model with the most votes will win.

Any registered member can vote.

Prizes

We will occasionally have prizes for the winner. This depends on support from our various sponsors, so prizes may only be available for some months. As the forum grows and our sponsors expand, we hope to offer a prize every month.

[406 Silverado]

That is PERFECT Brian!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to think all of this through and put everything together.

[thechaos]

Wow Brillant Thanks.

[Steve Zuleski]

Jul 13, 2024 11:32:49 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

* Only builds completed since the previous month the category was awarded would be eligible; for example, in April 2025, any aircraft completed since October 2024 would be eligible to enter. The benefit is that cycling every category on a six-month rotating basis gives people time to complete builds, and we get more entries for each category.

Pretty awesome getting this going, Brian, excellent, love it. You are taking on a great task. Rotation sounds the best to me, too, keeps the blood flowing, so to speak. Awesome.

However, and yes, there is a "however", I am a very slow builder/painter and so are quite a few guys in the armor, diorama, and figures, etc. I'd be lucky if I could complete a dio or vignette within 6 months on a regular basis.

Question: Are dios actually in a category, or not? Could be in armor, figures, etc., or how might they fit?

Not until recently have I finished a few vignettes within a 6-month time frame. So, might there be a way to adjust that particular rule? Maybe it could be that nothing built (completed) before the starting date of the contests in general can be entered, meaning it would be current. As you can see, my "Easy Pickins" dio is long-in-running and will not be completed any time soon. I'm still stuck in the veggie phase and it's slow going.

Since there will be an associated build thread for each entry there won't be any way of fudging the stats on how old an entry actually is. A build should be able to be entered when the SBS has been completed, within the time frame of the next rotation for that category, IMHO. I can't speak for everyone else, but I personally hate rushing a project and I've never been into ticking the numbers for how many kits I've built.

Just a thought, whatchyall think about it?

[chromdome35]

Jul 13, 2024 13:30:47 GMT -5 Steve Zuleski said:

Jul 13, 2024 11:32:49 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

* Only builds completed since the previous month the category was awarded would be eligible; for example, in April 2025, any aircraft completed since October 2024 would be eligible to enter. The benefit is that cycling every category on a six-month rotating basis gives people time to complete builds, and we get more entries for each category.

Pretty awesome getting this going, Brian, excellent, love it. You are taking on a great task. Rotation sounds the best to me, too, keeps the blood flowing, so to speak. Awesome.

However, and yes, there is a "however", I am a very slow builder/painter and so are quite a few guys in the armor, diorama, and figures, etc. I'd be lucky if I could complete a dio or vignette within 6 months on a regular basis.

Question: Are dios actually in a category, or not? Could be in armor, figures, etc., or how might they fit?

Not until recently have I finished a few vignettes within a 6-month time frame. So, might there be a way to adjust that particular rule? Maybe it could be that nothing built (completed) before the starting date of the contests in general can be entered, meaning it would be current. As you can see, my "Easy Pickins" dio is long-in-running and will not be completed any time soon. I'm still stuck in the veggie phase and it's slow going.

Since there will be an associated build thread for each entry there won't be any way of fudging the stats on how old an entry actually is. A build should be able to be entered when the SBS has been completed, within the time frame of the next rotation for that category, IMHO. I can't speak for everyone else, but I personally hate rushing a project and I've never been into ticking the numbers for how many kits I've built.

Just a thought, whatchyall think about it?

Steve, it's okay if a build takes two years. When the build is done, it becomes eligible for entry the next time the category is active. We are saying you can't enter something you finished 10 years ago.

Dioramas fall into the category of the diorama, i.e., Armor dioramas will be part of the armor category.

[rondriaan]

I mis the motorcycles 😎 LOL.

[themongoose]

I like this setup!! Some really unique thinking there for the rules.
Chris

[406 Silverado]

Jul 13, 2024 17:16:38 GMT -5 themongoose said:

I like this setup!! Some really unique thinking there for the rules.
Chris

  This is something that Brian and I have been talking about for a while now. We were both here 10 years ago when all models were accepted into the MoM regardless of genre.  I can attest personally to how discouraging it was to submit one of my auto entries only to get beaten out by something in another genre month after month. After a while, I just stopped participating and I'm a patient guy. It's like comparing apples to oranges and didn't seem very fair. We've both put a LOT of thought behind this as well as sought input from some of the rest of the staff members to come up with the present-day plan.  

[Steve Zuleski]

Jul 13, 2024 15:07:03 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Jul 13, 2024 13:30:47 GMT -5 Steve Zuleski said:

Pretty awesome getting this going, Brian, excellent, love it. You are taking on a great task. Rotation sounds the best to me, too, keeps the blood flowing, so to speak. Awesome.

However, and yes, there is a "however", I am a very slow builder/painter and so are quite a few guys in the armor, diorama, and figures, etc. I'd be lucky if I could complete a dio or vignette within 6 months on a regular basis.

Question: Are dios actually in a category, or not? Could be in armor, figures, etc., or how might they fit?

Not until recently have I finished a few vignettes within a 6-month time frame. So, might there be a way to adjust that particular rule? Maybe it could be that nothing built (completed) before the starting date of the contests in general can be entered, meaning it would be current. As you can see, my "Easy Pickins" dio is long-in-running and will not be completed any time soon. I'm still stuck in the veggie phase and it's slow going.

Since there will be an associated build thread for each entry there won't be any way of fudging the stats on how old an entry actually is. A build should be able to be entered when the SBS has been completed, within the time frame of the next rotation for that category, IMHO. I can't speak for everyone else, but I personally hate rushing a project and I've never been into ticking the numbers for how many kits I've built.

Just a thought, whatchyall think about it?

Steve, it's okay if a build takes two years. When the build is done, it becomes eligible for entry the next time the category is active. We are saying you can't enter something you finished 10 years ago.

Dioramas fall into the category of the diorama, i.e., Armor dioramas will be part of the armor category.

Excellent, takes care of that perfectly, Brian, thanks!

[TJ]

This is a great plan. Lets do this....

[dukemaddog]

That rocks! Will it count for me if my entry is included in my Maddog Manufacturing thread? I tend to lump all my WIP's in that since keeping track of everything in separate Forums gets almost impossible, hence the combining of all in to one "Factory" build thread.

[chromdome35]

Jul 14, 2024 11:05:18 GMT -5 dukemaddog said:

That rocks! Will it count for me if my entry is included in my Maddog Manufacturing thread? I tend to lump all my WIP's in that since keeping track of everything in separate Forums gets almost impossible, hence the combining of all in to one "Factory" build thread.

Yes, that will be ok.

[kyledehart5]

Great stuff guys. Awesome work on this. I can’t wait to see these rolling in.

[adrian29341]

Jul 13, 2024 11:32:49 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Exciting news everyone! We are relaunching the Model of the Month Competition!!!!!

One of the challenges with previous versions of the contest is that each month was open to any model. This created situations where more popular genres, such as Armor and Airplanes, would dominate automotive, figures, etc…

To eliminate this issue, we will use a six-month rotating schedule, which will be dedicated to one category each month. The categories will repeat every six months.

This will be the order of categories:

Month 1 (July 2024): Armor anything (Armor would also include other military vehicles like trucks)
Month 2 (August): Automotive (anything not military)
Month 3 (September): Naval anything
Month 4 (October): Air anything
Month 5 (November): Figures (This will be our lowest volume category, but we can tweak it if needed down the road)
Month 6 (December): Sci-Fi (We have quite a few sci-fi builds, so this category may be ok from a volume perspective)

Repeat every six months.

Month 7 (January 2025): Armor
Month 8 (February): Automotive
Month 9 (March: Naval
Month 10 (April): Air
Month 11 (May): Figures
Month 12 (June): Sci-Fi

Rules

* Only builds completed since the previous month the category was awarded would be eligible; for example, in April 2025, any aircraft completed since October 2024 would be eligible to enter. The benefit is that cycling every category on a six-month rotating basis gives people time to complete builds, and we get more entries for each category.

* Only builds completed in the 6-month window since the last time the category was active will be allowed.

*Since the timeframe between contests for a given category is longer, some of our more prolific builders will likely have multiple completions in the 6-month timeframe. Due to this, members can enter up to two models into the contest.

* Models must have an associated build thread on the forum

* No models completed in the past (beyond the 6-month window) will be allowed.

How to enter the contest:

*Submissions will begin two weeks before the end of the month. For July 2024 (armor) entries will begin on June 15th.

*Send me (Chromdome35) and Joe (Silverado) a private message containing, at most, three pictures of the model and a link to the build thread on our forum.

Each month, a post will be made announcing the coming month's contest. Please keep an eye out for these announcements.

Voting

Voting will begin on the first day of the month and run for five days. At the end of the voting period, the model with the most votes will win.

Any registered member can vote.

Prizes

We will occasionally have prizes for the winner. This depends on support from our various sponsors, so prizes may only be available for some months. As the forum grows and our sponsors expand, we hope to offer a prize every month.

This is a fantastic idea, it truly is - bravo! It is also a lot of work so you are a brave man my friend

I know modeling can be a very personal, solitude type of thing to many, including myself, and 
it is often done in a place hidden away from the crazy reality of the world outside. I think there
is magic in that, but I also think that having a contest like this and having the chance to create
an entry and have your peers vote on it is a special thing indeed.

I know most modeling forums are dominated to a large extent by armor and aircraft, I see it everywhere
I go, especially at all the model shops in town. I have a huge appreciation for these incredible builds, and I have
built a few aircraft in my day, I can stare at any type of model for hours on end and marvel at it's detail and finish,
but my passion is automotive, and motorsport open wheel in particular. It is tough to find competitions for automotive,
so this is a very nice surprise, and a little something to inspire all us gear heads to push ourselves that little bit more
in our finish and detail.

Model making should always be fun, but I love to push the boundaries of what I know and what I can achieve on 
the bench, and this type of contest will push me even harder, and hopefully there are other modelers here who feel the 
same way I do, because we all learn every day, no matter how talented you are you can always learn new things and get better

I personally am looking forward to seeing all the entries and I think this will be a lot of fun!

[chromdome35]

Jul 13, 2024 16:21:22 GMT -5 rondriaan said:

I mis the motorcycles 😎 LOL.

Motorcycles will fall into the automotive category.

Automotive will encompass any non-military wheeled (or tracked) vehicles.

[rondriaan]

Jul 15, 2024 11:14:16 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Jul 13, 2024 16:21:22 GMT -5 rondriaan said:

I mis the motorcycles 😎 LOL.

Motorcycles will fall into the automotive category.

Automotive will encompass any non-military wheeled (or tracked) vehicles.

You're absolutely right, my friend. Sorry, I'm just a stupid Dutchman.

[TJ]

Brian chromdome35 for this first go around, where we don't have a 6 month time frame from last time, is it builds from this year? Thanks

[406 Silverado]

Jul 15, 2024 16:13:40 GMT -5 rondriaan said:

Jul 15, 2024 11:14:16 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

Motorcycles will fall into the automotive category.

Automotive will encompass any non-military wheeled (or tracked) vehicles.

You're absolutely right, my friend. Sorry, I'm just a stupid Dutchman.

  You're all good Ron. I miss stuff like that all the time brother. 

BTW.......Happy Birthday!!! 

[rondriaan]

Jul 16, 2024 4:41:28 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Jul 15, 2024 16:13:40 GMT -5 rondriaan said:

You're absolutely right, my friend. Sorry, I'm just a stupid Dutchman.

  You're all good Ron. I miss stuff like that all the time brother. 

BTW.......Happy Birthday!!! 

Thanks Silverado. I always try to forget my birthday so I don't get older hahaha

[406 Silverado]

Jul 16, 2024 8:53:26 GMT -5 rondriaan said:

Jul 16, 2024 4:41:28 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

  You're all good Ron. I miss stuff like that all the time brother. 

BTW.......Happy Birthday!!! 

Thanks Silverado. I always try to forget my birthday so I don't get older hahaha

  I resemble that remark. 

[brandonk]

Sounds good. Now I just have to get something done.

[Medicman71]

This'll be cool.

[aaronw]

Jul 13, 2024 15:07:03 GMT -5 chromdome35 said:

I think this is an important distinction. I have a lot of models I started that get sidelined, sometimes for years. Big difference to me between a model that has been worked on slowly or in fits and starts over a long period, and one that has been completed on the shelf for years. 

[tcoat]

Jul 13, 2024 18:00:11 GMT -5 406 Silverado said:

Jul 13, 2024 17:16:38 GMT -5 themongoose said:

I like this setup!! Some really unique thinking there for the rules.
Chris

  This is something that Brian and I have been talking about for a while now. We were both here 10 years ago when all models were accepted into the MoM regardless of genre.  I can attest personally to how discouraging it was to submit one of my auto entries only to get beaten out by something in another genre month after month. After a while, I just stopped participating and I'm a patient guy. It's like comparing apples to oranges and didn't seem very fair. We've both put a LOT of thought behind this as well as sought input from some of the rest of the staff members to come up with the present-day plan.  

The comparison is not going to go away it just tightens up a bit more. There are "specialist" builders that are going to blow the competition out of the water in their genre month after month and many of the "generalists" amongst us will never stand a chance so why even bother? 

Are we losing the "Social" part of this forum in an effort to make it more attractive to the hard core builders?

[Steve Zuleski]

Jul 18, 2024 11:36:10 GMT -5 tcoat said:

Are we losing the "Social" part of this forum in an effort to make it more attractive to the hard core builders?

I’m not sure I completely understand your point, Brother, but I don’t think this is going to be a problem. Why would that ever be a bad thing, bringing hard core builders on board? Why not help shorten the learning curve with a plethora of experience in all venues, right? I'm still learning and having someone to draw experience from is always a plus.

The breakdown that has been set up to clarify categories is better than what I've seen elsewhere. Rotating the cats is great, and yes, you may see some of the top dogs pulling a lot of wins, that's not unexpected. Competition can spur a drive for an individual to excellence and motivate one to improve their skill seeing what others can accomplish, and often say to themselves, “so can I.” Careful observation of other incredible artist’s work has helped improve my technique and skills immensely, it’s unavoidable. And yes, many times, after seeing the competition I was left wondering why I entered only to remember, I don't care if I win, it's the fun of it that matters, and it's a friendly competition.

Remember the added benefit of this contest set-up is being able to go back and look at that particular SBS and see how and what someone did for each entry. It’s genius in that sense, if you ask em. We've got tons of hardcore builders here already and I doubt seriously that the social part of this forum will suffer in any way, shape, or form. In fact, I believe it will increase conversations in general because the SBS threads will run before the build is entered. This is a major plus for others to learn as well as share techniques, etc.

If I'm reading this wrong, T, my bad in advance, but this is all about "sniffin paint and gluin our fingers together" while we have fun.

Before I forget, this being directed more toward the admin staff for the contest, is to ensure no voting for yourself. Believe it or not there are a few individuals who consistently vote for themselves on other sites. It’s comical at first, but when it repeats, you’re like, “Ok dude, knock it off.” Not exactly a good character trait, imho. Has this issue been addressed?

[tcoat]

Jul 18, 2024 12:54:51 GMT -5 Steve Zuleski said:

Jul 18, 2024 11:36:10 GMT -5 tcoat said:

Are we losing the "Social" part of this forum in an effort to make it more attractive to the hard core builders?

I’m not sure I completely understand your point, Brother, but I don’t think this is going to be a problem. Why would that ever be a bad thing, bringing hard core builders on board? Why not help shorten the learning curve with a plethora of experience in all venues, right? I'm still learning and having someone to draw experience from is always a plus.

The breakdown that has been set up to clarify categories is better than what I've seen elsewhere. Rotating the cats is great, and yes, you may see some of the top dogs pulling a lot of wins, that's not unexpected. Competition can spur a drive for an individual to excellence and motivate one to improve their skill seeing what others can accomplish, and often say to themselves, “so can I.” Careful observation of other incredible artist’s work has helped improve my technique and skills immensely, it’s unavoidable. And yes, many times, after seeing the competition I was left wondering why I entered only to remember, I don't care if I win, it's the fun of it that matters, and it's a friendly competition.

Remember the added benefit of this contest set-up is being able to go back and look at that particular SBS and see how and what someone did for each entry. It’s genius in that sense, if you ask em. We've got tons of hardcore builders here already and I doubt seriously that the social part of this forum will suffer in any way, shape, or form. In fact, I believe it will increase conversations in general because the SBS threads will run before the build is entered. This is a major plus for others to learn as well as share techniques, etc.

If I'm reading this wrong, T, my bad in advance, but this is all about "sniffin paint and gluin our fingers together" while we have fun.

Before I forget, this being directed more toward the admin staff for the contest, is to ensure no voting for yourself. Believe it or not there are a few individuals who consistently vote for themselves on other sites. It’s comical at first, but when it repeats, you’re like, “Ok dude, knock it off.” Not exactly a good character trait, imho. Has this issue been addressed?

All that can happen without formal contests. 

[chromdome35]

I am open to your suggestions on how to change it to be more accommodating to newer builders

[adrian29341]

I think I can understand both sides of this argument. 

I think as a participant the only thing one can do is look at it as fun and that's it because there are 
builders here who produce incredibly high quality level builds that will obviously always walk away with 
first place, so therefore one has to only look at it as fun and leave it at that, otherwise you could
argue for one side or the other till the cows come home.

Just to use myself as an example, I build almost exclusively 1/20 or 1/24th scale automotive, so a 
builder here who pays $400 for an MFH kit in 1/12th scale has incredibly accurate high end parts to
begin with and a ton more real estate within which to out detail me - it's just a fact, so I know I will
never win in my category, so I just participate because it's fun

I think in order to be 100 % fair to every single builder that really wants to be competitive the competition
would have to be way to complex by breaking it down into sub categories such as 'Best Automotive 1/20 scale motor racing'
just as an example - and so on and so forth - but that is how CAPCON and other model competitions format it.

To sum up I can see both sides and think we all just need to remember that we are here because we share 
the same passion for the miniature! Be kind and encourage each other!

[Steve Zuleski]

Something I neglected to mention, sorry about that.

One easy way to make this a bit more on the level would be Standard, Intermediate, and Advanced categories. I see this on Planetfigure and it's been working well for years, but it does make a bit more work for the folks running the contests. Anyone can go over there and see how it's broken down, very simple set up. www.planetfigure.com/forums/forum-competitions.196/

If you enter the advanced class, you expect to have heavy competition. These categories do add to the motivation to excel and better one's skills at the same time you compete against the level you believe you are capable of competing in. If you are serious about improving your skills naturally your goal should eventually be the advanced class.

Does this sound like what you are getting at, T? If not, please expand on your concern. If it's about having the contests in general, your concerns are duly noted. Some will like them, some won't, t'sall good.

[tcoat]

Jul 18, 2024 16:36:09 GMT -5 Steve Zuleski said:

Something I neglected to mention, sorry about that.

One easy way to make this a bit more on the level would be Standard, Intermediate, and Advanced categories. I see this on Planetfigure and it's been working well for years, but it does make a bit more work for the folks running the contests. Anyone can go over there and see how it's broken down, very simple set up. www.planetfigure.com/forums/forum-competitions.196/

If you enter the advanced class, you expect to have heavy competition. These categories do add to the motivation to excel and better one's skills at the same time you compete against the level you believe you are capable of competing in. If you are serious about improving your skills naturally your goal should eventually be the advanced class.

Does this sound like what you are getting at, T? If not, please expand on your concern. If it's about having the contests in general, your concerns are duly noted. Some will like them, some won't, t'sall good.

Yes that is what I am getting at. This forum is not made up of all top tier builders or even interested in ever reaching the advanced class. A good part of that seems to be that  many of us do not focus on one single genre or subject. A competition in a genre where everybody is going for the same thing is almost guaranteed to be stacked in the favour of the experts in those fields. I have been to 3 large IMPS shows now and there is one guy that has taken 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Axis 1/72 aircraft category in all 3 of those shows. All he builds is late war BF-109s and NOTHING else. Needless to say they are extremely well done and deserved the wins but the muttering from the crowds showed that clearly he would so have nobody to compete against since nobody would bother. 

I (and others) like to build older kits OOB and have a restricted budget so trying to compete (it is a competition after all) with an old Tamyia kit against a $100 Ryefield models, with $30 aftermarket tracks, $80 in resin add ons, and $50 in etch is just disheartening no matter how well my poor little senior citizen turned out. I have seen enough work on this forum to pretty much be able to predict exactly who would win each category if all presented as equals.

I apologize if this comes off as whining, complaining or butthurt in any manner since I really am not. I just wanted to air some concerns that this has raised. This place is too good to have it start to be perceived as the domain of the best at the expense of the rest and even though we know that isn't accurate people stumbling on in may see it that way.