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Dioramas
Do you love dioramas & vignettes? We sure do.
Announcing a new diorama contest.
downtowndeco
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Montana, United States
Joined: December 08, 2005
KitMaker: 306 posts
Armorama: 272 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 09:15 AM UTC
Attention mods. Please feel free to place this in the forum you feel is most appropriate;


We’d really like to see what kind of diorama you guys could come up with when using one of our kits as a starting point so we’re going to run our first “Dioramas Plus” contest.

The rules are simple. Use one of our 1/35 kits as a starting point, and build the best looking diorama you can.

The entries will be judged on the following;

Overall impression and presentation. What I mean is that when someone first looks at the diorama they go “Wow! That looks pretty cool!”. The diorama should look professional and “finished”. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a custom case or anything but whatever shows in the photographs should look good. The structure, figures and or vehicles should be positioned and finished in the most esthetically pleasing way.

Quality of workmanship. A professionally finished diorama is going to place better than one that looks as though it was haphazardly slapped together.

Originality. Depicting the scene or using the models in an especially creative way can only be a positive thing. Don’t be afraid to “kitbash” the models, or to combine parts from several Dioramas Plus kits into one larger structure or whatever.

Quality of photography. You could build the best diorama in the world and nobody would know it if the photos you take of it are blurry, out of focus, too dark or too far away from the model. We won’t be able to use them on our website or in our advertisements either. Likewise, don’t photograph your diorama in front of a stack of dirty dishes in the kitchen or with your neighbors mini van in the background. I suggest taking the pictures outside on a nice day using a digital camera, with as plain of a background as possible. The best possible photograph makes the veiwer ask, "Is that real or is it a model?"

How to enter. Send us at least 3 (but no more than 12) photos via email or on a CD along with a brief (one or two paragraphs) description of your model and how you built it. Contest deadline is Oct. 1st 2009. Contest winners will be announced Nov. 1st 2009.

See our complete line of kits at www.dioramasplus.com

Our email address is [email protected]

Our mailing address is Dioramas Plus 5323 Fiddler CT. Florence MT. 59833 USA.

Our phone number is 406-273-0942 9/5/M/F/Mt. Time.

The Grand Prize is your choice of $100.00 of any current or future Dioramas Plus kits. Second prize is a $50.00 credit towards any of my kits, and Third Prize is a $35.00 credit towards any of my kits. Everyone that enters will receive at least a $10.00 gift certificate towards Dioramas Plus products. We reserve the right to use any photographs entered in the contest in our Dioramas Plus website or advertisements.

Thanks much!

Randy Pepprock
Dioramas Plus





markm
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California, United States
Joined: September 11, 2005
KitMaker: 1,757 posts
Armorama: 1,148 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 01:58 PM UTC
Randy,

I will go ahead and move it to the dio forum. You will get alot more attention there.
slodder
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North Carolina, United States
Joined: February 22, 2002
KitMaker: 11,718 posts
Armorama: 7,138 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 02:28 PM UTC
Sounds like a very interesting challenge.
Build Logs and questions are more than welcome.
f1matt
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Manitoba, Canada
Joined: August 13, 2006
KitMaker: 1,021 posts
Armorama: 805 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 03:19 PM UTC
Looks like some very nice products. Interesting.
muddyfields
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Scotland, United Kingdom
Joined: February 04, 2006
KitMaker: 884 posts
Armorama: 622 posts
Posted: Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 09:28 PM UTC
Hi
Interesting idea for a campaign. Love building diorama's.
You have some very nice diorama sets in your product listings.
Due to living in the UK & the state of the £ versus the $ at the moment I shall have to just watch this campaign.
Hope you get a good result from running this. Best of luck.
youpey
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New Jersey, United States
Joined: March 11, 2008
KitMaker: 528 posts
Armorama: 468 posts
Posted: Sunday, March 08, 2009 - 09:02 AM UTC
i ordered a building yesterday. i will join. i am very new to military modelling so i am assuming i wont win.
i havent decided on a concept yet, but i will get started on the concept
Kaz
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Nova Scotia, Canada
Joined: July 10, 2003
KitMaker: 40 posts
Armorama: 31 posts
Posted: Sunday, March 08, 2009 - 10:03 AM UTC
Your website has some vry nice product and I was getting exited about entering this contest , until I noticed the shipping rates for Canada. Ouch ! Some of your products plus cost of shipping and I'm out more than you put up as first prize, on top of that winners give up the photos for you to use as advertizing ? I would like to support any small company but ...
downtowndeco
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Montana, United States
Joined: December 08, 2005
KitMaker: 306 posts
Armorama: 272 posts
Posted: Sunday, March 08, 2009 - 11:43 AM UTC
I'm sorry the shipping is so high but I don't make one penny on it. Often, in fact, I lose money on the shipping I charge to send kits over seas.

As far as whether I'm trying to get something for nothing (by using photos of the best entries in ads), well, I've been a model builder ever since I was a kid, build all of my pilot models, do my own photography and even worked for a number of years in the film industry as a scenic artist. So I'm not looking to try & con people in to building my kits my kits. because I can't do it. I'd just like to see what some of the creative modelers out there could do with my kits.

Mike If you are a professional model builder who makes his living by building models, well, I can see why you would not want to enter the contest. You're right, it doesn't pay much. But if you are a hobbiest, well, what have you got to lose? You try a new product, get a bit of a rebate on it (even more if you place in the contest) , possibly get your work shown in national ads and have a bit of fun along the way too. : )

Thanks to all that have enquired so far. Best of luck to all of you!

Randy Pepprock
Dioramas Plus
downtowndeco
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Montana, United States
Joined: December 08, 2005
KitMaker: 306 posts
Armorama: 272 posts
Posted: Sunday, March 08, 2009 - 12:02 PM UTC
I should have added that the reason the kits can be more expensive to ship overseas or to Canada is because one, they are heavier than the vacuuform kits (they are solid plaster castings) and two, the USPS drastically increased their shipping rates and reduced the shipping options in the last year. Parcle post is no longer an option for any overseas or Canadian parcel over 4 pounds. They must all ship Prioritiy Mail, which is almost twice as expensive.

I know this has affected my sales overseas & to Canada. Have other vendors/stores experienced this as well?

Cheers!

Randy Pepprock
Dioramas Plus
milvehfan
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North Carolina, United States
Joined: June 26, 2007
KitMaker: 2,116 posts
Armorama: 1,080 posts
Posted: Sunday, March 08, 2009 - 01:56 PM UTC
Very Interesting contest. I have seen your website and I like the products you have produced, will order shortly. As for the postage to Canada, cost me 17.95 to mail a 25.00 kit to a gent in Ontario. ouch !!! milvehfan
downtowndeco
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Montana, United States
Joined: December 08, 2005
KitMaker: 306 posts
Armorama: 272 posts
Posted: Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 04:37 AM UTC
Just a reminder that the contest deadline, Oct. 1st 2009, is inching closer. I've received several nice entries so far and hope to have many more by the time we close the contest. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Cheers!

Randy Pepprock
Dioramas Plus
www.dioramasplus.com
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