Just creating this thread to hear how others voted for the participants for Armor MoM. Placing your thoughts on what you were looking for or why you thought Coca's model got your vote would certainly benefit future participants.

I understand the reasons people place here might range from simple looks to complex finishes but either way, without criticising other people's reasons, post your criteria on what you were looking for.

Here's starting off with mine:

Criteria
1) Attention to detail (ie: placed as much stowage equipment etc) without overcrowding it so a balance had to be reached.
2) Something different other than the usual OD tanks.
3) Good photography so photos cant be too dark and some effort was placed into it.
4) Subtle weathering done on the model so you didnt go overboard with flinging cakes of mud at the model.
5) weathering was consistent. If the wheels / tracks were dusty, you would expect the lower chasis to be somewhat dusty but not the top part of the chasis.

Thats really all i was looking for.

Hi Jeremy,......good question....

Cleanliness of the model, finish of the model, and the ability to properly photograph the model are my prerequisites....

1. Cleanliness... Making sure the model is built up clean, if any aftermarket parts are added, they too should be spotless, building deficiencies are much easier to spot with the use of P.E. and resin bits.

2. Finish... Overall paint and weathering as a balance on the model, far too often I see armour models which have been covered with pastels and/or washes, to the point where one cannot tell the quality of the paint job. You cannot hide a poor paint job, then again a great paint job is made that much better with good weathering.

3. Photos.... Light and focal depth are critical in showing off the work, too light or too dark and the model losses it's appeal, tripod and a wide open apeture does the trick.

Frank

To me it's not all about the build. I am not going to pay a lot of attention to a perfectly built kit if there is nothing to peak my interest.

I picked the Stug III G

Some of my notes (take them or leave them...there are just my notes. Oh, I have been a judge for 4+ years now, both Chicago and IPMS rules, so I am looking at it from that background...boy, don't I sound impressive?! :-) )

Overall I liked the Stug because:

1. it was presented and photographed well

2. it showed no obvious building mistakes

3. Paint scheme was interesting and well applied.

4. Weathering and shading/fading was done well.

Other notes:

for Henk's DUKW, the tarps were a distraction and seemed to have been added after the kit was built. Also, colors of the accessories seemed too uniform to me.

For Coca's Big Shot, what got me was that the tarp braces inthe back are not all uniform. Maybe I am wrong and they should be this way. Otherwise it was a outstanding build.

For Barv's Oliphant, while I applaud him for such great creativity, either his finish is a bit rough or the photography is a bit rough. Also, the finish seems a bit too uniform (better photography would probably alleviate this I am guessing.)

For CommandPosts's Bren, biggest culprit is probably photography. Colors look to be too uniform, but I do nto think this is the case with this build so...???

For Heavy Arty's M60A2, I could not tell if it was well weathered or not! Maybe the weathering was too good? :-) Anyhow, I know how much hard work went into the kit, but the photos seem to make it look too...dark? Is the background blue supposed to be that light/? If not, it looks like you were photographing under flourescent lights, which means you have to compensate for this in a image-shop type program.

Well I hope that helps. I always hate being "judged" but not getting any constructive critisicm.

I look for something not over done.. If I see a set of tracks rusted to high heaven ( dont be to harsh on me guys... ) I will pass it by.. I dont believe an AFV in service would show a serious amount of rust. Im looking for something that is more subtle.. I like to see a few colours used for weathering, not just one, I think it helps blend better.. And as Frank stated, a decent picture to show it off... Just what I look for..

Dave

I voted for what I liked. It is all about building a model and having fun.

Cheers
Erik

EXCUSE ME!!
Vinnie --Staff---guys ..... please ...my apologies..........this is no reflection on the work that has been put into thisexcellent event.

What is the object of this post ????-------I understood the idea was to encourage the model makers from the"less experienced "--to---"Masters" to produce a model to join in the "FUN" of being in our own MOM COMPETITION
To start giving out "tips"and "criteria " is a slight on any work that may be submitted ---if you have a comment to make ---fine --IF-- it is constructive---Your personal "constraints " do not need to be aired here.
It is your perogative to have these "Criteria"--personal "rules"---but to flaunt them in the face of mermbers who may not have the so called "skills"- "photoraphic ability"--or resourses to achieve what others may be able to ---is to make them feel inferior .
Think back a few years -----and where were we all --in a "MASTER "class----I think not!!
Put up or Shut up ......is an old cry----still valid -----the members "put-up" for the "comp"------
My plea is now to others----NO matter how skilled you are --NO matter how it looks ----NO matter how it photographs --this is your COMPETITION to show what you can do--I HATE COMPETITIONS !--but it is for a bit of "togetherness"
Yours to enjoy.....because some people had the fore-thought to ......produce it for you
Build on -enjoy
aye
BARV
(GOSMG)
Model- making is for Enjoyment --NOT for the Self Gratification of Rivet Counters

I'm always willing to hear constuctive critisism, as I use it to get even better than I already am... .

Off course the tarps were added after the kit was built..The tarps can be improved upon, I agree. But they are not 'added afterwards' , but were planned in some form from the start. They are there to 'hide' the poor kit parts as I was building this one OOB, so I didn't feel like scratchbuilding a new bulkhead and most notably a new horn. I also wanted it to look like a 'jack of all trades', so the tarps are there to be used but stored out of the way. My knowledge about DUKW's may be limited, but I've humped enough (to many) tarpaulins in my job as a driver to know what a folded tarp looks like.. . The 'uniform' colour of the accessories is down to them being.. well..identical? I know some people like to paint each jerrycan a different shade of green, which is fine if you have some 'scrounched' cans on a tank, but these come from a supply depot. Thats why the fillercaps are still bright red.
Stay tuned for my next entry, which should put a few cats among the pigeons...

But I do agree with Barv, constuctive critisism like this has a home in the Rivet Review Board. This thread, well meant as it is, is not what the MOM is all about.

Cheers
Henk

I think you misunderstood the point of this post. Its not to flaunt "personal rules" as you have put it. Its to see why the other models, as good as they were, did not receive the votes. Like all competitions, participants want to know where they were lacking etc. Seeing as the members were the ones deciding, its always nice to hear their perspective for what they were looking for.

I do disagree that this would have to be in the Rivet Review board as the models are already completed and not in progress as the forum rules state




I agree with you that this is a FUN competition but how bad is it to find out what others thought of the participants entry?

You may disagree with the criteria that others have set but as mentioned in my original post, this thread was to place your thoughts, not to criticise others.

I didnt have a decent entry to enter last month but had i submitted one and not made the top spot, i would certainly like to know what others were looking for so that i can improve on my future submissions.

p/s: if you have questions about the objective of this post, it would probably make more sense to PM me and ask me.

Steve,

My apologies if I offended you with my posting. It was not my intent. I posted an answer to what I thought was a query on how we judge models...

Frank

Jacques,

Ooohh! A real IPMS Judge. Who cares. Sounds like your biggest gripe is photography. Sorry, we are model builders, not photographers.

As for the bows on the Big Shot Dodge, obviously you are one of those judges who has never seen a real military vehicle, or somehow you forgot from your MNANG time. Bows are not uniform. Remove them a few times and they bend and flex. They never go back the same way. Also, most military equipment and gear is pretty uniform in color. That is the idea. Just because it doesn't look all stylistic and artsy with different colors and shades, shouldn't be a detractor from the model. Some of us model for realism, not artsy appeal. Same goes for weathering. Most military vehicles are not covered in mud and rust. I weather mine realistically, which usually means lightly weathered.

I guess I should feel honored that I was in your top 5.

Your judging criteria and photographic commentary are not the point of the MOM competition. I hope others are not dissuaded from entering due to your comments.

Sorry if I came off as "high and mighty". Not what I was shooting for. As for the IPMS thing, I knew that would light someone off, I just added those criteria" so that when I made comments you would not think it was someone without any knowledge of judging. Personally, with what judging I have done in the past, I prefer Shep Paine's ideas on this matter over all others, taking creativity and presentation into account with good building skills and then to some extent, accuracy.

If MoM was set up to be a "show-off", which I am a huge supporter of, then why is there voting at all? If MoM is a light, fun competition, then why can't someone make some constructive criticism.?

My comments came up just because of a long discussion I had while at my last contest in Chicago. I had wished that the judges would leave a series of notes as to why things were judged in certain ways so that I could learn where to improve from. Does not mean I would agree with the judges, but getting help from someone who is judging seems like a place to start.

Now, if I am wrong with how we all want to run MoM, then I can very easily keep my comments on this to myself, and be quite happy about it. Personally, I would like to see it used as a creative competition to help modellers who enter get constructive criticism on what they have built and how it is presented.

Perhaps for every rational vote based on modeling skills, weathering, photography, etc. there is a vote for, "Hey, cool looking ____(tank, truck, Jeep)."

I have to agree with Sabot here. I think that most ppl voted for the one they like best - for whatever reason. This is not AMPS, IPMS, or the like - its pic ur favorite using any criteria you want. Keep it friendly!

I have not entered a model into MoM as i do not have a camera yet! roll on xmas
A few points i have noticed is that most if not all of the last months entries were all posted in this forum where everybody was free to comment on the relevant model with the view in mind of improvement via constructive criticism which we all respect and a few of need including myself.
Next, is after reading a few of these posts, i feel that i should not even bother to enter. i have never used a digital camera before what are my pics going to turn out like i don't know. Will that affect my chances? also i know this has been bought up a few times but my skills are just not up to scratch yet i have been building for six months and still have a huge way to go, think back to when you guys were six months into modeling were you as good as you are now?
just a couple of silly points that swmbo would have had to listen to all night if i had not have posted this.
but other than me ranting i feel its a great competition and the standards were brilliant keep up the good work every one cant wait to vote for next months entries.

releg

good luck all that enters

Cheers Rodders when i get my camera i will be tapping a few people up with some questions

redleg

Firstly.......the competition was aimed at getting people to finish something and have fun! The original premise of this thread was a good one. It still is. If we stick to it. The question is simple: "What do look for when deciding which model to place your vote with, for the Model of the Month contest?"

In my case? I don't know. I looked at all the entries, more than a few times, I read the various threads where modellers' explained what they had done to produce them. Weighed up all the work and research and scratchbuilding people had done. Then I voted for the one that looked the coolest.

It really doesn't matter if you're a beginner or a Gold Medallist in a National Competition. Have a go! It's one picture in a gallery, and you never know why or how many people will vote for you! Don't let anybody or anything put you off, submit your model! I wish I could

Have fun People!

Vinnie

I vote for the model that makes the best impression on me at the time I vote...but that can and does change. If I could vote five times, I would probably vote for three or four different models for different reasons each time, just because I may have noticed something new that impressed me. Looking at the models is fun, the hard part is narrowing the choice down to one and only one to vote for.

Being someone who reads just about every thread... (comes with the staff thing).... I need to second what Vinnie, John, and Rob said....
Just about every item in the gallery was covered and displayed during some point along the way in it's construction and finishing threads. Reviewing these, taking into account the work, detail added, corrections, etc should help in reaching a decision. I hate to say it, but it's not a photography display or contest, but simply to encourage new people to finish a few models..... That really is what the site is about..... and to display them, and hopefully have fun along the way, and get more involved in the site activities.
If you don't know how to pull up old threads just ask, someone will be happy to teach you.
The only requirement for the photo is hopefully it's focused enough to see the model.

This MOM idea is great. I hope to enter one day. For those who entered, good job. For the finalists congrats. I know when I voted, i looked at the vehicle that impressed me. I dont care too much about all the other aspects.

Too all those who model, keep it up. There were lots of great entries.

Ok, I am not trying to be dense here but I just wanted to get an answer:

Now maybe I am way off base here. If the purpose of MoM is to encourage modellers to finish kits, why the voting part? Seems like it leads to problems if it is not a competition.

I guess I percieved the MoM as a light, fun way to compete. Not IPMS rules compete. Not AMPS compete. Just a fun "local" style or "club" style compete. In which case, people do their voting and then we all sit around and talk about the points of a build, good or bad.

Now, another problem with the digital interface here is that photopraghy has to be involved. Believe me, I am NO photographer, but a few small changes can really make a difference in how the models show up and that is most of what I was trying to get at with my photography comments. Feel free to look in my gallery, nothing fancy for my photographs, but they come out ok. Just a matter of getting used to digital pictures. And I am just using a 2.1 Megapixel Olympus, so again, nothing fancy.

So?

Er......who said it wasn't a competition? It IS to encourage modellers to finish. It is ALSO fun! I think you made some very valid points about photographing models. I also don't see what's wrong with discussing that aspect of the competition, since it is relebvant to the original question of what makes us vote for a particular model.

Vinnie

For any modellers who would like to try and improve their techniqe when photographing their models, in order to gain fair advantage.... :-) try the following link:

Taking better Pics

Vinnie

The prize is an ON DISPLAY, and bragging rights. That's what the competition is about.
Logical thinking would say that a clear photo would be needed. Simply put, are you judging the building skills of the modeler, or his photography skills? Logical thinking would say that a fuzzy, out of focus, cluttered background photo probably would not get any votes.
It's really up to the editor to decide if the photos are usable for the ON Display, if they aren't then the winner would have to take and submit additional photos.

Since the one lonely picture in the gallery for the voting is not enough for an On Display, I'm sure the editor or another member of staff would work closely with the winner to help him improve his photos for publication, in a reasonable time frame.

Thanks for that link Vinnie.... on improving your photos.