MODELING FOR COMPETITION
Why compete:
First competition is not a dirty word. Competition is hard wired into our nature and to deny it is just an attempt to fool ourselves. We should never use a model competition as a vehicle to put someone down. A model competition is a celebration of the skills that it took to create the artworks that have been placed on the table for viewing. That’s right I said artwork! A model builder is not just a mechanic or a historian. The master modeler is above all an artist. He or she knows the subject they are modeling. They have mastered construction, painting, and presentation in other words an artist. If you ask most if not all good modelers they will tell you that their skills were honed and forged by comparing their work with others in some competition or other. We all have a desire to get better at our modeling whether you want to admit or not. So let us embrace competition as a tool for reaching the goal of being the best we can be at the hobby we love. Be advised there are nasty people everywhere even at model shows and I have done my share of cursing people, judges, and shows, but we must not let that stop us from staying in the game and learning what it takes to win. You are saying I can’t compete because I’m not that good. Well think about this every master modeler you know was once where you are now. If they could do it so can you. All you need are some tools, technics, and some good friends to give you a leg up.
We will be going through a series of topics that will I hope help you to be successful competitors and better modelers. The topics will include….
Know the rules:
Kit selection:
Research the subject:
Construction:
Basic:
Advanced:
Finishing:
Painting:
Decals:
Weathering:
Presentation:
Getting your feet wet:
Ask a judge:
Conclusions and observations:
When we have gone through the topics and discussed them. I would like this to be a class where we work these topics out on real models. Then when you have done your best to apply what we learn here that to “graduate” you take your “school work” to a show near you and see how you do. I can’t guarantee that when we finish that you will get best of show, but hopefully it will set you on a path to being a better modeler, meeting new friends, and above all having fun.
Stay tuned for the next installment: Knowing the rules
MrT
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Why compete:
First competition is not a dirty word. Competition is hard wired into our nature and to deny it is just an attempt to fool ourselves. We should never use a model competition as a vehicle to put someone down. A model competition is a celebration of the skills that it took to create the artworks that have been placed on the table for viewing. That’s right I said artwork! A model builder is not just a mechanic or a historian. The master modeler is above all an artist. He or she knows the subject they are modeling. They have mastered construction, painting, and presentation in other words an artist. If you ask most if not all good modelers they will tell you that their skills were honed and forged by comparing their work with others in some competition or other. We all have a desire to get better at our modeling whether you want to admit or not. So let us embrace competition as a tool for reaching the goal of being the best we can be at the hobby we love. Be advised there are nasty people everywhere even at model shows and I have done my share of cursing people, judges, and shows, but we must not let that stop us from staying in the game and learning what it takes to win. You are saying I can’t compete because I’m not that good. Well think about this every master modeler you know was once where you are now. If they could do it so can you. All you need are some tools, technics, and some good friends to give you a leg up.
We will be going through a series of topics that will I hope help you to be successful competitors and better modelers. The topics will include….
Know the rules:
Kit selection:
Research the subject:
Construction:
Basic:
Advanced:
Finishing:
Painting:
Decals:
Weathering:
Presentation:
Getting your feet wet:
Ask a judge:
Conclusions and observations:
When we have gone through the topics and discussed them. I would like this to be a class where we work these topics out on real models. Then when you have done your best to apply what we learn here that to “graduate” you take your “school work” to a show near you and see how you do. I can’t guarantee that when we finish that you will get best of show, but hopefully it will set you on a path to being a better modeler, meeting new friends, and above all having fun.
Stay tuned for the next installment: Knowing the rules
MrT
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