Announcing plans for two new challenges

[ezdays]

We are going to see how good you model builders are at faithfully reproducing something. We will have two challenges, one will be a bit more difficult than the other, but we want to give everyone a equal chance at building something they can be proud of. The idea is to give all modelers an opportunity to enter a challenge that suites their skills and allow everyone to compete at a level they are comfortable at.

Challenge #1:

• Get a photograph of a structure, any structure, then scratchbuild or kitbash a model of that structure. The idea is to come as close to the real thing as you can. The picture of the original structure does not have to be taken by you, but you must also post a picture of it, or a link to it if you found it somewhere on the Net. The surrounding scenery and details, such as people, vehicles and trees need not be the same, but it can be. However, the structure needs to be as close as you can get to it. Any scale (except full ) will do.

Challenge #2:

• Build a kit, but the results must look exactly like the picture on the box or in the catalog. If the picture shows it weathered, than the model must be as well. You must color match as close as you can. Just as in the other challenge, you need not reproduce the surrounding scenery if you don't want to. You also need to submit a photo from the box or catalog, or a link to one.

Remember, when we say, "structures", we are not only talking about buildings, but think: grain elevators, tanks, bridges, towers and other types of structures large or small.

You can enter one challenge or the other, but not both. This will allow the most experienced modelers a chance to do some scratchbuilding or kitbashing by entering challenge #1. It will also give someone with less experience or someone that would rather build a model an equal chance of doing just that and still be able to compete by entering challenge #2. While you can enter whichever one you want to, we encourage you to enter into the one that will present you with an appropriate challenge.

We will award certificates of achievements to all that enter and complete these challenges with the winners certificates showing their winners status as well.

We're thinking about starting these challenges on March 15th, and running them through to June 15th. Three months should be enough time, but if anyone thinks that this is not enough time, let us know before we start.

If you are interested, let us know here in this thread if you plan on entering challenge #1 or #2.

Thanks,

Don (ezdays) and Mikey (N Gauger)

 

[CNWman]

Dang it! My in-current-construction grain elevator won't work in either of these contests! I don't have a prototype pic and it looks nothing like the box picture! How bout a contest just for kits that are built but look cosmeticly nothing like the box pic?

 

[trainsteve2435]

Don, sounds like a plan to me. Im intrested in the kit challenge as i have never built anything from scratch yet. Count me in for #2

 

[woodone]

I guess I will give it a try. I am for scratchbuild. Need to find a project now.
We need lots of entries, that will make it a good job for the judges. :thumb:

 

[COMBAT]

Think I might put my bridge up for this.

http://www.walthers.com/prodimage/79929694/33505293626689.gif
Ahh wait, I am not using electric. Guess I am out already.

 

[cnw1961]

I am in for challenge #1. I want to scratch build some structures from downtown LA anyway, so I could join the challenge with one of them as well.

 

[MasonJar]

I am going to throw my hat in for Challenge #1. Here's my photo - as you can see, Ian Wilson used it for the cover of his excellent book Steam Over Palmerston ; I am the proud owner of a copy. Absolutely fantastic book. Click here for more info.

An aside - Ian will be speaking to our club (ww.ovar.ca) in April if anyone happens to be up this way.

Andrew

 

[ezdays]

I'm going for challenge #1 as well. As I said in the other thread, I'm going to hold off starting either one until we get enough people entering to make it worthwhile. If we need to make a few changes to the rules before we start, well, we can do that too...

 

[Wabash Banks]

I'm in for the scratchbuild.

 

[ocalicreek]

Sign me up - challenge #1. I have a few different structures in mind, but I'll have to decide what'll work best. And for an added bonus/challenge to myself, I'm gonna do the whole thing in cardstock/paper, ala Robin.

I already have one finished like that, but I know the roof pitch is off...too shallow, well, compared to the prototype. Still looks good as is so I'll be using it on a layout in the near future. Mebbe I'll post that one just for funsies.

 

[Wabash Banks]

Here is my structure. I like the looks of it. It is from a farm that is in the Dunes National Park in Indiana. The farm had a sugar shack. It won't be a sugar shack on my layout but I love the look of the building. It will be a plaster base (unless I find a cement block texture in N scale that I like) with wood and paper on the top. Am I pciking something too easy? I am also thinking about a fire station here in town. The problem is that it is a little run down now which is the way the picture would look. I want it as a functioning station again.

 

[ocalicreek]

Well, it certainly has character - loads of it!

 

[Wabash Banks]

That was my impression as well. It also comes complete with the measuring rod against the side there. I won't really need it though because I also have a dimensional line drawing too. I pulled it from the LOC.

 

[ocalicreek]

Isn't that a great site! (LOC HAER & HABS) I've found so many fascinating structures there that I would never be able to model them all...nor have a place to put them...unless I lived alone, independantly wealthy, (basically John Allen...)

 

[Wabash Banks]

Yep. I check things out there frequently. I have been browsing it by subject (building purpose) lately. I have already spend a lot of time looking through and I am only on the C's.

 

[ezdays]

OK, it's starting to look good to go now in both contests, but I kinda like the idea that Scubadude presented:

How about a challenge where builders must build an out of the box kit and may use only the parts in that kit, no adding or kitbashing. The bulders may add scenic detail such as weathering and trees etc. Maybe allow vehicles with the same stiuplations...

This might be a bit more challenging and result is a more useful project. Plus, it might just get us a few more participants in challenge #2.

Let me know here if you agree or disagree with the proposed change to challenge #2. I'll keep this open through the weekend, and try to summarize it and give us another week or so before we start in order to get our thoughts together.

 

[ocalicreek]

Er...sounds a bit too restricting for me. What exactly does 'no adding' mean? Additional parts, painting, what?

To get back to the original idea for challenge #2...well, there are occasions (especially with Walthers kits) where the original on the box is the pilot model and what you get INSIDE the box has been modified to make injection molding easier, cheaper, etc.

Case in point, the Walther's Interlocking tower. The cover photo shows an exterior staircase going up to the second floor with space (air) between the step boards. The model comes with a solid piece with no gap between boards.

SO when I kitbashed it, I cut runners from the original stair material then added my own stair planks. It really wasn't all that hard since it was using the original material, already in the right dimensions.

What WAS hard was adding styrene strip, bit by bit, to create a brick effect on the otherwise blank chimney included with the kit. Again, I think the box was different there too.

Perhaps the second challenge could be modified to read - no additional kits - kitbashing allowed, but only using what's original to the box plus any raw materials (styrene, stripwood, etc for bracing walls and such). So essentially, a smaller structure could be the result, OR, an as-pictured structure, even if what comes in the box ain't what's on the cover.

 

[ezdays]

OK, let's just kinda revise and compromise on challenge #2. Our thinking is close, but we want the project to be useful when finished and trying to match the picture on the box may not always be the best thing. Let's try this:

• Just build a kit using only the parts in the box for the structure only. You may paint and weather the structure and make cosmetic changes, but you cannot add anything that does not come with the kit. You can though, add other details as scenery around the structure. This will allow you to do from a "let it look like the picture on the box" to "I built it like the instructions says, but I've enhanced it with weathering, different paint and scenery" to "I used all the parts in the box and this is what I came up with". The choice is yours.

Beyond that we shouldn't get too nit-picky. After all, the intent is to build something useful, learn from it and most of all, have fun in the process.

Challenge #1 can remain as we discussed.

If we agree on this, I will compile a list this weekend of those that I think have entered and we can run thise challenges from April 1 though June 30.

Anyone not commited yet but wants to give it a try can let me know here in this thread.

 

[Wabash Banks]

I am still good for #1

 

[steamhead]

EZ,
I'm in for #2. Got several kits in my collection...This'll give me a chance (excuse) to work on one of them...