Re: Judging and GSB

Matt Bittner (meba@cso.com)
Mon, 25 Sep 1995 07:33:45 -0500

> > However, with "gsb" contests, you are at another
> > disadvantage since there will be so much more "other stuff" than WW1.
>
> I am not so sure that this is a disadvantage - although perhaps it's my bias
> showing through. I feel, and I think others do too, that a well done WWI model
> actually may have an advantage because it 'looks' so hard to do. Now, I haven't
> built a lot of WWI stuff lately, but I am told by Mr. Hustad that "It's really
> easy. It only looks hard." Insofar as that is true, people may be impressed by
> the appearance of difficulty.

Our local IPMS club has monthly contests, two of which are
"popularity"-type voteing. You put your model up with others, and
all in the group judge. That's how it's a popularity contest. When
I took my DML Dr.I for the one month, it was by far - IMNSHO - the
best on the table. I had a few people come up to me and say "Great
job. Man, those things look hard. How do you do it?" while they're
laying their vote for something else. Where's the justice? I have
seen it where a "jet" (can't remember the type) that was painted nice
but had flaws, was sitting next to an immaculate "something out of
the ordinary" (such as a Japanese WW2 auto-gyro), and the jet one.
The only thing I can think of is familiarity. If a person "knows
about" an F-101, but doesn't "know" anything about a HB D.I, then
that person will vote for the F-101. I've also been told -
especially in regards to my British stuff - that they're "boring",
and not "interesting enough" to vote for. However, at the same time
an all-grey F-14 wins!! What's more boring than that?

Yes, I will concede that most Fw 190's had some interesting schemes.
In fact, when there's _nothing else_ on the table worthwhile, I tend
to vote for these.

The same can be said for armor. Too many people build your standard
"Tigers", "Panthers", "Pattons" and "Abrams", and not enough build
WW1, between the wars (which actually tends to be even more varied
than WW1 since countries were still experimenting with armor), and
what is termed as light armor - Panzer I's and II's, and other light
armor.

Ah well. Such is life.

Matt

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Matthew Bittner WW1 Modeler, ecto subscriber, new dad,
meba@cso.com PowerBuilder developer; Omaha, Nebraska

"It must be inordinately taxing to be such a boob." - Brain
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+