Competitions

[Ron Tamburrini]

I will start by saying I'm perfectly sober this morning having gone to bed at 9.30 last night to avoid all the New years eve trash on the telly

Do we as modellers put to much emphasis on trying to win competitions ,as the difference between gongs can sometimes depend on the whim of the judges and who actually turns up for the Comps.

This is not a go at judges just a little fun debate to start the year "I hope"

Ron

 

[Gra30]

Happy new year Ron,
I hope to actually return to modelling this year, as is my own work.
I sculpted 30 figures last year, cast and moulded numerous and drooled at the workmanship you lot produce.
All I can say, from a modellers view, I appreciate a piece for what it is, and I ain't no judge.

I thought the sculpt that CRF did of Ney was outstanding, one of my favourites of the year, also Mark S with a base too small made be laugh and he too is a good painter.there are far too many and my gripe of competitions is the bench mark is only set on the day, number 1 in the judges eye downwards.
On here we see it for what it is and each one tickles us in a certain way. Either I have that and must paint or can you help me and I must give that a go.

You all inspire me and to me you don't need a badge on a day to decide
Happy new year mate

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Happy new year Ron,
I hope to actually return to modelling this year, as is my own work.
I sculpted 30 figures last year, cast and moulded numerous and drooled at the workmanship you lot produce.
All I can say, from a modellers view, I appreciate a piece for what it is, and I ain't no judge.

I thought the sculpt that CRF did of Ney was outstanding, one of my favourites of the year, also Mark S with a base too small made be laugh and he too is a good painter.there are far too many and my gripe of competitions is the bench mark is only set on the day, number 1 in the judges eye downwards.
On here we see it for what it is and each one tickles us in a certain way. Either I have that and must paint or can you help me and I must give that a go.

You all inspire me and to me you don't need a badge on a day to decide
Happy new year mate

Happy new Year Graham

You completed that Bersaglieri yet

 

[Gra30]

It's here mate, our mate Mr Blaber is painting it for me although I have a couple of casts.
I posted on you WOOD wall, if you can PM me you email I can get your address, there is a gift waiting

 

[Nap]

Hi Ron ,

Happy New Year mate

You raise a good point here ..competitions , personally I agree it can be at times the whim of judges (not knocking anyone who is one) and who turns up .

Personally I feel comps take the edge off the hobby at times ...there are obviously painters that go all out for Comps and credit to them and the results they achieve (YES I will be drooling at Euro again!!!)

..like Gra (Bersaglieri...sounds interesting ) I am in awe at the work that is posted on PF ...(loved CRF's Ney as well) ..this site inspires me so much .

No comps for me then ..just enjoy what I do wether its painting or even Reviewing the releases we see .



Nap

 

[Helm]

I stick stuff into competitions just for curiosity really I don't usually get placed but it's nice to see what does and how it compares to mine and others work. Like any kind of grading/test it's a mark only of how good you were on the day or that particular work and if the judges have similar tastes to yours in our particular case. I think some people get a little too intense about what is for the majority a hobby and paint to win not to enjoy
Steve

 

[swralph]

happy new year. I used to go to shows many years ago and enter the comps I received a fair few first second's etc mainly at small shows for various type's of model's.i started to model to help with my illness which was going well until I started entering comps and felt the need to win to prove to myself I was a good modeller and a normal person.what started as something I enjoyed doing turned into self hatred of myself and others.I could no longer cope with the petty bickering of what was the correct shape colour etc. my illness started to become worse and I struggled on with my modelling not really enjoying it having spent a fair while in and out of hospital and getting my medication right I learned to lose all hatred and continued modelling ignoring what was right or wrong with a model or my painting, deciding to paint only for myself which was great I even believe I became a better painter for it. I've very rarely left the house in ten years and had no real communication with the outside world.when we got a computer last year I found this site and this has helped with my illness realising what a great bunch of people there are on here.so if you want to do a comp make sure it's what you enjoy and don't let it spoil your FUN of the hobby.sorry if this was long winded all the best Ralph.

 

[Tecumsea]

When a good friend of mine gets Zero for a stunning piece at a popular Northern Show followed by a Silver at MFCA I realised how meaningless it all really is!

Paint for fun and enjoy it, the hobby is becoming too commercial with pressure being put on Judges at larger shows in order to increase the sales value of the piece. For those who feel the need to compete there needs to be a split between professional modellers and Hobbyists at all shows. Euro is lagging behind the times, shows like Sevres with Novice, Intermediate and Master (Professional) have got it right in my opinion.

Keith

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

When a good friend of mine gets Zero for a stunning piece at a popular Northern Show followed by a Silver at MFCA I realised how meaningless it all really is!

Paint for fun and enjoy it, the hobby is becoming too commercial with pressure being put on Judges at larger shows in order to increase the sales value of the piece. For those who feel the need to compete there needs to be a split between professional modellers and Hobbyists at all shows. Euro is lagging behind the times, shows like Sevres with Novice, Intermediate and Master (Professional) have got it right in my opinion.

Keith

Well Said Keith

 

[megroot]

There are two things that keep my figures away from Euro. My painting is not good enough and you have to compete against the masters. As a intermediate painter there is no fun then.
So I only compete ( if I go there it is mostly one day shows) on small shows. That whas at our own AMSS show and the last years at SMC in Eindhoven.
They have the novice, intermediate and master section. That is the only way to have fun with a competition.
Further I believe that not 1 jury is 100 % neutral. There is and always will be the us know us mentality.
And that last is my greatest concern on competitions.

Marc

 

[tonydawe]

Competitions themselves aren't of much interest to me. They do however provide an opportunity for us to see a collection of great models together in one place, which is both inspiring and educational.

When I enter my figures in competition I find the true challenge is go compete against myself and attempt to raise the standard of my own modelling from one year to the next. Medals, awards and prizes don't motivate me but I don't begrudge anyone who gets motivation from aspiring to them.

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Thank goodness you are not hammering the judges Tony

 

[bonehead]

I will start by saying I'm perfectly sober this morning having gone to bed at 9.30 last night to avoid all the New years eve trash on the telly

Do we as modellers put to much emphasis on trying to win competitions ,as the difference between gongs can sometimes depend on the whim of the judges and who actually turns up for the Comps.

This is not a go at judges just a little fun debate to start the year "I hope"

Ron

Ron,

This seems a particularly British idea. In the states, we stopped calling them "competitions" many years ago. The emphasis here is on the show. It is a show with awards. And in that vein, categories are few and very broad while modelers set up individual displays rather than competing against others in narrow and well defined "categories".

Having said that, Euro Militaire has earnestly sought a reputation as being "hard" on modelers. When people like Diego Ruina or Mike Blank can only manage a "silver" medal, then there is something amiss. Being punitive does nobody any favors. Being "hard" on modelers is more a recipe for general discouragement than it is a good way to promote the hobby. At Euro they seem to be competing against themselves to see how punitive they can be. Why they have chosen to be so petty about things has always been a mystery to me. And despite a campaign many years ago to get the organizers at Euro to be a bit more modeler friendly, nothing much changed. Their unfathomable desire to be punitive won out in the end.

But ultimately, how anybody feels about such things is a choice. We all know what to expect from a competition such as Euro. How we respond to that is a choice.

Many still choose to get wound-up about the whole thing. The more prudent folks take a broader view and recognize that they cannot control the show, so simply roll with the punches - however they fall. Take it from a long-time Euro Militaire silver medalist, who is also an MFCA Grand master, Chicago medalist and a Master of the World Model Soldier Federation (or whatever they call that thing!). Those awards mean more to me than any Euro gold medal - because they were awarded to me by other modelers that I admire.

Perspective man! Perspective.......

Mike

 

[Sturm Grenadier]

Hello Ron, A great topic for discussion. As a person who has been on both sides of your question, a contestant, and a judge, at model/figure shows and competitions, here is my take. I don't compete at shows anymore, most, but not all, have become to commercialised, unfair voting, and biased judging, to name a few. I still go to shows when I can, but now just as a visitor. When I was a competitor at shows, I found I was no longer having fun just painting models/figures, trying to meet deadlines for shows, hurrying my painting, making mistakes I normally wouldn't if I was taking my time, staying up late to finish something, to name a few. I finally stopped modelling for a time, not just for this reason, but it started to become very expensive, photo-etch, kit prices,(I did armor at this time) and even some figure kits. At shows, it always seemed that these so-called high tech models, would win most of the time, out of the box entries stood no chance. Of course, this depended on the categories that were offered. When I was a member of a model club, we tried to remedy some of these problems and make our shows fair for everyone. We had a policy that members of the club, couldn't enter the contest, we had a few tables set up with our club members work to help membership drives. Everyone who entered the contest, recieved a very nice letter of appreciation with the clubs logo, thanking all who attended. The contest was a peoples' choice, both contestants and visitors, who were given a ballot sheet, marked with a number for contestants, which was also there entry number for there exhibits, visitors were given one simply marked visitor. We had each category marked first, second, and third. Our aim was to make everyone a part of the contest. You were not allowed to vote for your own model. The judges were only monitors for tie breakers in each category except best of show, in cases of ties, extra awards were given in this category only. We did not have novice, intermediate, or master categories, which proved hard to verify. This type of show proved very popular and was quite successful. I wish more were like it. I've learned one important lesson from shows, regardless of your skill level, and how good you think you are, there is someone, somewhere, who is much better than you, and you can't please everyone. That is why I love this site, everyone helps each other, regardless of skill level. Did'nt mean to write a story Ron, you made me remember some bad and good times, in my modelling. So, lets just paint, and have fun doing it. Regards SG

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

Good Input SG
This topic is not aimed at knocking judging or anything of the like ,but how the ordinary mortals feel about shows and comps and lets face it without us mere mortals there would be no Gods

 

[Wayneb]

Sturm,
You brought up some very good points,
I was into woodcarving and sculpture;and participated in many shows.................

I went and exhibited at many shows,on the international level.Not to blow smoke but I did pretty good.Put everything I had just to be the best that I could be.And all you've got to show for it is a trophy;a ribbon, and sometimes a little money.
I got into this hobby to have fun;although I'm still driven towards perfection that I know I will never reach.
But by God you have to have something to shoot for,whatever it might be, and so I chose painting miniatures.Why.?..Because I love history;I love sculpture;and I love and respect the work that goes into a piece that was made by human hands and knowing they put their heart and soul into that piece,and I get the privilege to be able to bring that piece to life;as best I can...................Don't need no fanfare...Don't need no ribbons or monetary rewards;Just give me the satisfaction in my own mind that I did the best I could.....Best regards.........Wayne
Sorry........Goofed up on top and couldn't bring it together but you get my drift...........

 

[Ron Tamburrini]

There is no doubt that competition raises the bar dramatically ,the point is that the hobby has been taken over by the money men .
We now have situations where sculptor and modeller get together create a one off and enter it in top competitions ,where does that leave the ordinary guy "sticking my neck out here "

 

[Helm]

Like I said Ron that's when they've lost sight of it being a hobby
Steve

 

[Joe55]

To answer your question Ron, I don't think the majority does.

There are those that are competitive by nature and my take is that those guys can and should have their gatherings and have at it. Looking at previous posts no one has come out and said that they are motivated by going after the top prize.

I go to shows to learn, and to get constructive criticism on my efforts. Its a great opportunity to spend time with like minded friends and to meet new ones. In retrospect, I spend a big chunk of time selecting goodies at the vendor tables! Finally, if I earn a prize of some sort, well that's just icing on the cake.

Joe

 

[yellowcat]

Ron,
Competition is a waste of time. Who judge the judges to whom decide for the awards?