What does it take to score 87 1/2 points?

[peteski]

Wait a sec -- you're that Peter?!  I was just flipping through an old back issue of a Tamiya model magazine a couple weeks ago (I was giving some old mags to a younger brother who's into scale modeling like I am) and there was a little blurb on the '05 TamiyaCon.  That was a beautiful bike.  And I would have to agree -- winning your category and "Best of Show" in an international, no-volunteer judging contest, and being named "Master Modeler" by Mr. Tamiya himself is much better than getting an MMR certificate.  That is really awesome.

Yeah, that's me. I have too many hobbies....   
http://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=61
(I'm the shortest one in the bunch.)

Thanks for the compliment - that bike (like all the Tamiya kits) was a pleasure to build. All of the parts are engineered really well, fit properly, and the instructions are also well-written.

Like I said earlier - sorry for going off-topic. 

[rsn48]

I would like to second what Bill said.  A friend here locally was working towards his master craftsman award and I was present for the judging, though not part of it.  My friend received the results and the grading wasn't what he was looking for, but part of the critique was wrong from the judges, something they said wasn't on the prototype, but actually was; my friend had the evidence in detailed blueprints, but when he presented it, the judges wouldn't budge.

When I asked my friend what was up, he let me in on some local politics.  What he ultimately decided to do was visit other cities in the region and enter his offerings there, out of the their political arena.  He finally accomplished his goal.

So there can be politics unfortunately in such an "innocent" activity sad to say, but if you find it thusly, just travel outside your local area and enter your goodies there.

[Ridgeline]

I'll reply to Pete's off-topicness initially by saying that you're not the first to ask if I own a Ridgeline, but I prefer my Honda's a little smaller and yellower  :


Ridgeline Road is the street I grew up on, which inspired my BNSF Ridgeline Division layout, which today has evolved into the freelanced Ridgeline Division Shops... I just started a blog about it this month, and hope to progress to a full website for my layout and work in the future: http://ridgelinedivision.blogspot.com/

Beyond that, THANK YOU ALL for the input I've gotten on this thread.... Pursuing the MMR is a tongue-in-cheek idea; I really don't have the skills or patience to earn enough of the certificates. My objective is simply to be a better modeler, and I think scratch-building is a logical next step for me. The 88 point measure makes an objective (theoretically) standard against which I can compare my progress.

As to the politics: I used to feel these kinds of groups were "old boys' clubs," but I've spent a lot of time with my local IPMS chapters and had my opinion changed. Even with the railroading crowd, I find most folks are willing to help. We have the Piedmont Pilgrimage here in Atlanta every year, and I regularly meet guys that are easy to get along with. In competition, though, I could see how the claws might come out.

Jason, I've noted your categorical breakdown and advice. Thank you.

Lee, I remember you from SRO!

Ron, Can I borrow some $100 bills?? I promise to use them on materials!

Fujiwara, I have that link open in the next tab, and I'll be reading it shortly. Thank you.

Bill, I thought I saw motors and drives on the exception list.... Maybe I'm thinking of something else.

RSN, That's a ridiculous story and duly noted.

In the end, I am doing this because I enjoy doing this. The one thing I won't do is let some "judges" take the fun out of it for me... I actually get the feeling that may be why the whole MMR title is less glossy these days: it seems some of the fun HAS BEEN taken out of it.

Thanks again to all!

[packers#1]

Completely off topic, but holy JDM Hondaness batman! 
Back to your regularly scheduled thread 

[randgust]

I was a member of a regional NMRA group back in the late 70's and participated in a lot of contests, all of them in N.

The last time I made a serious run at the MMR title was at a regional contest where I basically looked to enter every category I could, including photography.   I managed to hook no fewer than FIVE third places, at the awards banquet it became a running gag.

When I got to examine my scoring sheets, the N-scale bias was really evident.   The judges weren't familiar with the materials, or the methods, or the adaptations.  The one that really hurt was the points deducted on the Hickory Valley module because it 'was too small to be an operating model'.  The judges seriously assumed that anything that small couldn't possibly run, even though it did.  And they scored my Heisler at 'kitbuilt' rather than scratchbuilt, because it started on a commercial frame.   Nothing above that frame was kitbuilt, there were no kits in 1976!   They couldn't figure out how to score tearing apart a RTR model as a beginning point and not calling it RTR.  Mine were the only N scale models, no way to hide.

That really chilled me to the NMRA, I dropped out not long after.  I know some really skilled guys in HO that are MMR's though and deserve all the credit they get.   I've decided that I get my 'award satisfaction' quenched with either published articles or PayPal payment from my kits, either does well.  But the holy grail of the MMR?  Nope, not unless I'm willing to work in HO, and I'm not.

[u18b]

So is one of the morals of this thread...

Would you rather be a MMR..... or an 

[Denver Road Doug]

So is one of the morals of this thread...

Would you rather be a MMR..... or an 

This.

What does it take to score 87 1/2 points?   An HO-scale model.

[mmagliaro]

[EDIT to fix up sentence fragment lying in the middle of this!]

Heh... well, I must sadly say that my experiences with the NMRA show judging have been similar.

This post is part advice and part experience.

I did get an 88 once for my NYC Dreyfus Hudson 4-6-4, at an NMRA National show, but I had to present it with a complete
dossier of photos to SHOW them how much of it was scratchbuilt .
That's my advice.  If you can, include a set of photos that show your work.  I had one judge write
on my form, "The photos really helped."

I found from other attempts, that without photos, the judges had no idea what they were looking at.

I remember entering that Hudson at an NMRA division contest once, and there was not another single
even half-kitbashed steam loco entered against it.  There were only a few repaints or minor mod jobs.  But
mine was the only N Scale one.
It didn't even place.  I really wasn't miffed, nor surprised.   When they announced the placing and awards,
I saw heads turning around the room, and I actually heard somebody mutter, "What about the Hudson?"

Ah well, look, folks, I think the best advice is to not take it too hard or too personally.   Enter your best
work, scratchbuild as much of it as you can, INCLUDE PHOTOS, and make sure you list every
darn thing you scratchbuild on the entry form.  That helps.