I also think we should wait until March, but is it possible to go ahead and finalize the parameters? Personally, I have never built civilians or anything outside of WWII, so I am gonna have to do some serious surfing before I can even think about starting.

Patrick

Hiya,
A new contest sounds great, hell, I even might participate this time!

It's nothing more than logical to have one (relevant) competion at a time, as not to hinder people who make other subjects.
As for prizes, I don't object ,but I think an electrical appliance is less suitable, as we on the other side of the pond have different sockets/plugs not to mention voltages (220 volts) than the Northern American members.
I also do like the idea of a Member appointed "best of show". I know those who are watch are sometimes more critical than judges (no offense ment!)
The water (if this remains, which probably will if I interpret the feed back correctly) will indeed bet the greatest challenge technically speaking.
That's my humble opinion

Thanks for the ribbon Keith. I'll wear it with pride.

My two cents for the next diorama. I really enjoyed the 'window' and cost requirements, so I am all for 'water' and 'civilian' requirements.
I agree with waiting for other builds to complete.
As far a prize. It's a nice bonus, but it didn't and won't sway me into participating or not. It won't affect my approach to the build either. I'm going to do the best I can prize or not.

Same for me

I don`t mind about the price something symbolic is good too
or even an Armorama T-shirt
Most people are so satisfied with the job they did for a contest they are happy with a ribbon
At least I am I love my ribbon and I want more of them
For me it`s not the price it`s the feeling I completed something in a contest where everybody is almost equal

Friends,

My two cents here :

I don't participate for the prizes, but for fun, learning and sharing aspects. So if there where no prizes, I still would join in. A Prize is a nice bonus for sure, but there will also be little problems such as voltage differences with electrical tools, high P&P rates etc.

On one hand I think the offered prizes are a very generous offer and a nice bonus for the winners, but on the other hand I feel guilty for the P&P cost the organisation has to pay for sending those goods. It will cost an awful lot to send something from the US to Europe....

Maybe we should only compete for the honour of winning. Like in the Olympics "Joining in is more important than winning".

Be honest....we had fun before, during and after the first Campaign, and we will have fun the next ones too !!

And to Keith about:




The fact that you organize these wonderful Campaigns and offer us the beautiful Digital Diamonds Tricks are re-investing enough for me. I praise the volunteers and the visitors on this site that make it what it is today. I've said before that this is the best modeling site on the www. Look hard and you'll see only few other sites come close.... That's because of all the efforts that people like our volunteers and visitors put in !! Way to go guys !!

Prizes or no prizes : I'l be there, and I close this post by giving a huge compliment to the volunteers and visitors of this site

Eagle - One of those volunteers would be you - Thank you

Keith, the fact that you offer a prize is much appreciated. Still, I'm sure all of us would have participated to the campaign even if there was not prize, and we all will join the second campaign with or without a prize.
More important than a prize is your effort to make this campaign work and lead your herd through the desert by keeping an eye on the evolving campaign and try to help out the unexperienced newbies (and the seasoned crooks like me) with some fatherly advice when we need guidance.

This is not just a campaign : it's a field exercise !

I followed the last dio threads with great interest and would have loved to have participated but just couldn't find the time. It wasn't the prize that interested me but the building and sharing techniques all with a fairly common theme with my virtual modeling buddies. I got alot out of the last contest and I have never built a dio before, but I sure want to build one now. The campaign ribbons are an excellent idea for all those who participate, but a prize for the winner is also a good idea. Even though you would probably have the same amount of entries with no prizes. Are the rules and times for the next contest finallized yet?

Like bison, I wanted to participate in the last campaign, but real-life caught up to me. (In fact, I have the parts and rough builds sitting on my desk someplace.) I was mostly participating because, upon reading the rules, I had an idea I wanted to implement. I still plan on finishing it, but it may take a while since a) I am working on a large-scale project with a mid-summer deadline and b) I again (after reading the proposed themes) have an idea I want to implement.

Knowing it might not be due until March helps in that I can use this project as a break from my other pressing concerns.

And I don't even do military modelling...I'm a wargammer that happend by while looking for weathering techniques. Now that's a testament to the helpful users of this site. Dragging someone into the hobby. Even though you'll never get me to put down my figures.

Everybody stand back, I have an idea. I really enjoyed the first contest. The prize would be a welcomed bonus, but I really love my ribbon and my new diorama friends. Anyway, how about this: Let the winner pick the subject of the next contest. He/she would still be able to enter for a ribbon, but could not win. That would surely keep the subjects of the dioramas different. What do ya'll think.

Patrick

PLMP

I like that idea of the winner choosing the subject for the next campaign dio. Wonderfull thinking. Really

I`m curious what other people think of it

What are you guys thinking? I'm only in this for the money. I was going to quit my job Monday. Seriously, I'll pitch in and help out any way I can. I'll enter even if there is no ribbon, let alone a prize. The nicest thing about the last contest was that I actually finished something and that is prize enough for me. I had a great time.

Let's just stop with the prizes. An Armorama t-shirt could be a nice token (someone else came up with that idea). The best idea came from PLMP though, let the winner pick the next rules.

Like bison and others I followed the last contest but did not enter due to the fact that I found this site in mid December. I will enter the next contest not for the prize but just to compete against everyone else.

We live in a Democracy, well except for you guys from Florida , so why not do things democratically.

How about picking say 10 diorama aspects at random, water, civilian, solider, time frame and whatever other ideas that get thrown around, (my suggestion a road sign, simple right?, but signs generally were pulled down prior to invasions, so it could get tricky) and put these in a survey. At the end of 2 weeks the top 3 choices have to be integrated into the diorama.

The only problem I see is something like "Snow, Sand, 1990" could come up and we'd all be making models of G.I's drinking Mai Tai's in Hati.

I'm glad I'm not the only other one chomping at the bit to try a new contest, I'm not interested in a prize, those ribbons look pretty trick.

Jeff

The idea of letting the winner choose appeals to me somehow.
But.
The whole idea of these campaigns should be that they are a campaign and not a contest, and there should not be a winner. Somewhere along the lines has crept in the idea of letting some people win. I'm not entirely against the idea of stimulating the campaign by setting a prize somehow, but it undermines the basic strength of this. Armorama is there for all, and I see no point in rewarding the experienced modeler, where many newbies probably tried just as hard.
Those who are in this for a prize, can enter all kinds of model shows. Armorama is the big exception to those hunderds of other building contests for two reasons :
1) everybody wins (gets a ribbon), no matter how good or terrible the result.
2) in a normal model contest, the result is seen and judged. In this campaign, everybody sends in pictures of their projects, their problems and solutions, their worries, their changes of hearts and the solutions they work out. Other people comment and suggest to allow improvements, bring alternative ideas, etc. We witness the evolution of the dio from its conception stage (ideas) to the choice of materials and figures, the techniques that are needed to achieve a certain result, etc...
By doing so, the campaign threads have a value for other modelers, who can learn from both the author of the diorama and all other Armorama member's comments on that.
The competition idea may harm this concept.
On the other hand, I can understand the commercial elements and appreciate the effort by Keith and others who donate nice things to support Armorama. Only I think the prize must not go to the nicest result dio. Why not make this a "best effort" prize, or better even give a prize to the entry that was best documented and discussed on the forum during the construction period ? Let participants vote who gets the prize on that criterium ?

I agree with the way the contest content is selected now : Keith makes a suggestion, and people can react on that and finetune it. If you want something completely different, I suggest we open a new thread titled "campaign suggestions" for the future ? In fact, I'll create such thread right now !

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/8015&page=1

Im pretty much open to what the next contest will contain! One thing I think is a bit of a hindrance is limiting the dio to 1990 and afterwards. I think the majority of folks here are WW2 or others and this more or less benefits those that build modern.
Most of the ideas that have come up so far can be set in any time frame and allow the modeller to choose their own speciality, or set their dio in whatever setting they wish.
I would like the guidlines for the dio to be set as soon as possible so time is available to buy in items that are needed and search/think of ideas. Also anybody who is not competiting in other builds to put in some extra time in their new dio!

I have the feeling that post-1990 is a bit hard for us...
If you realy want the subject to be post-WWII, why not say : after 1950, or after 1960 ?
That way, combats in Vietnam, korea, Algeria, Prague... and also DS... could all be portrayed.

And gives the "OD painters" like myself a chance to learn new things and try-out different techniques. It's a Campaign.... it's all about learning, sharing and having fun, with just a tiny bit of competition....

I'm also an "OD painter" but I absolutely don't mind expanding my horizon.

The first campaign was WW2. I don't like that a bit, but I still started looking into the background of WW2 german winter uniforms and the result is that I might well build another WW2 dio soon. I never would have done that without the campaign.
You never built modern stuff ? You're in for a thrill then. Before you know it, you'll be discussing the details of painting woodland pattern or desert camo patterns in this forum. These campaigns should have the following advantages :
- everyone can join, experts as well as junior modelers
- the construction of each participant is discussed and illustrated in these pages
- others can comment and help you improve your techniques
- you learn from the (best and most horrible) experience of the others
- the campaign makes you build things you probably wouldn't have built on your own
- when the campaign is over, you are a more experienced modeler
but most of all :
- when the campaign is over, you've had a lot of fun with it




I agree with that. I think we should wait with the official launching date till the other campaigns are over, but that shouldn't stop you from thinking this over, searching, finding your base and figures, start planning and scheduling,...

I'll say it again. I really thougth the cost limit made the first campaign a lot of fun. It really made you streatch your imagination AND your skill base. I had to figure out how to cheaply build a roof, sidewalk, floors, etc. All easly purchased and developed into a diorama. I also enjoyed the wonderful discussions here regarding the how tos and what'd ya dos.
With the notion of extending people experiences and skills and to encourage collaboration I would be happy to see a cost limit. If it's a bigger dio with more elements the top end limit can definetly be adjusted.
Thats my two cents.

Amigo,
If the cost aspect is important to you, be careful how you t(h)read on this site. Two cents here, two cents there and befor you know it you're over the cost limit !

Sure. No problem with a cost limit. I don't think we need this in EVERY campaign, but it's a fun element for sure. Then again, look what it did to some. They raided their father's garage, their mother's cupboard and who knows what other victims just to stay low budget on this. Some came only this close to being picked up by the police

I like the whole new dio contest thingy idea very much
I even like the post 1990
altough I have never ever painted someth after wo2
but could someone be clear about what is the meaning now?
cause to be honoust I dont know anymore
is it still 2 soldiers one civ and water or what?

Yes, Jan, but we all know it's what you get caught doing, not what you do that gets you in trouble. I stole nothing, but I did borrow several items.

Patrick