{"id":1156,"date":"2011-04-16T17:50:47","date_gmt":"2011-04-17T01:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rightonreplicas.com\/blog\/?page_id=1156"},"modified":"2011-04-16T18:04:37","modified_gmt":"2011-04-17T02:04:37","slug":"the-winning-continues%e2%80%a6","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.rightonreplicas.com\/blog\/?page_id=1156","title":{"rendered":"The Winning Continues\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Twitt\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>

RoR Project 032 – Prep for a Contest<\/p>\n

\"F10_005\"<\/a>
\nBuy This Kit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Building models for (and entering models in) contests is a great way to improve model-building skills.\u00c2\u00a0 Contests are also shows<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c shows where other modelers and the general public get a chance to enjoy viewing (and for modelers, learning from) all of the pieces of scale plastic art on the tables.<\/p>\n

Here are a few things I have done to emphasize the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153show\u00e2\u20ac\u009d side of a recent contest using my Revell Ferrari F10.<\/p>\n

\"F10_001\"<\/a>
\nIn Figure 1, I added fastener details using a mechanical pencil (with a sharpened point) and aluminum duct tape.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll often \u00e2\u20ac\u0153finish\u00e2\u20ac\u009d models with the intent of adding some final touches, such as license plates and these fasteners, at a later date.\u00c2\u00a0 Contests are great at setting deadlines and giving me an excuse to complete these little details<\/p>\n

One other thing I typically do for my models is provide them with a display base.\u00c2\u00a0 The base serves two purposes \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it provides a nice, professional-looking pedestal and keeps judges\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 fingers off your models if and when they have to move your piece.\u00c2\u00a0 (Note: outside of the diorama categories, bases are typically not judged \u00e2\u20ac\u201c again, this is about the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153show\u00e2\u20ac\u009d side of things.)<\/p>\n

Mirrors and wood plaques are two common types of bases I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen at shows.\u00c2\u00a0 For my F10, I used a wood base I made from a scrap piece of oak a few years ago.\u00c2\u00a0 It was already the proper width, so I cut it to length, routered the edges, stained, and varnished it.\u00c2\u00a0 A word of caution \u00e2\u20ac\u201c don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t put this off till right before the deadline!\u00c2\u00a0 You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want the tires of your masterpiece becoming permanently bonded to the un-cured varnish of your display base.<\/p>\n

\"F10_002\"<\/a>
\nAs an added touch, I made a name plate for the wood plaque.\u00c2\u00a0 As shown in Figure 2, I created a name plate with clipart and printed it on regular copy paper.\u00c2\u00a0 This was then affixed to 0.010\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Evergreen black styrene using spray adhesive and cut to shape.\u00c2\u00a0 The edges of the paper were then touched up with a black permanent marker.\u00c2\u00a0 With its styrene backing, this name plate was temporarily attached to the wood plaque using rubber cement.<\/p>\n

On some models, such as the F10, certain details are hidden.\u00c2\u00a0 I like to provide a printout with pictures of these for both the judges and other modelers.\u00c2\u00a0 In this case, the engine is not visible once the body is assembled, so I included a picture of that.\u00c2\u00a0 I also did not necessarily want anyone picking the model up to see the wood skid plate on the underside \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I included a picture of that as well.<\/p>\n

\"F10_003\"<\/a>
\nI also filled out the table entry form ahead of time.\u00c2\u00a0 Most contests will include these on their websites \u00e2\u20ac\u201c filling the form out in advance saves time the morning of the show.\u00c2\u00a0 I like to document the kit used, the paint brand and color, and anything special I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done to the model.\u00c2\u00a0 Figure 3 shows the F10, the plaque, pictures, and table entry form all ready to take to the contest.<\/p>\n

\"F10_004\"<\/a>
\nFigure 4 shows the model on the contest table.<\/p>\n

Added time spent on display details may not improve your entry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chances at scoring a medal \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the contest is still about the model itself \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but remember, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a show!<\/p>\n