For entries in this group, any base or figures are not considered in your judging decisions even if they are present. Contestants should enter the Diorama Group for this. Judges are not to attempt to tally the score – this will be done programmatically by ModelBase. ModelBase weights the criteria based upon the table below. If a criteria element is not present draw a line through that element on the score sheet as shown below.
The Modelpalooza scoring system will automatically apply these percentages when your rating of 1-10 is entered into it. Each criteria element is to be scored individually as a separate item:
No award – score 1 or 2 out of 10 possible
Merit – score 3 or 4 out of 10 possible
Bronze – score 5 or 6 out of 10 possible
Silver – score 7 or 8 out of 10 possible
Gold – score 9 or 10 out of 10 possible
In this example, the hatches are closed – so no scoring was performed of the Interior criteria element. ModelBase compensates for these missing criteria by adjusting the scored criteria up in proportion. For clarification on what to consider in your scoring decision, see the following pages. ModelBase scored this entry as an overall 75 out of 100 possible points equating to a mid-range Silver Medal.
Criteria Scoring Guidance
ConstructionFlash should be removed. Seams should be filled.
Detailing which was removed while accomplishing the first two items should be restored to the maximum extent possible. Mold marks, sinks, copyright marks, and ejector pin marks should be eradicated.
Contour errors should be corrected. Windscreen and other clear areas - No white areas caused by overuse of styrene glue. No mold lines or seams that shouldn’t be there but all doors, hood, trunk, and other visible lines present. Are there any modifications to the body? Do they look like modifications, or do they appear as if they were molded that way? How well is any clear part attached – any glue marks?
Sinks, mold marks, ejector pin marks removed.
Glue marks eliminated. Gaps on tanks located around the hull between the idler and bogie wheels closed.
Contours should be checked for accuracy. If incorrect, corrected by filing, filling, or scratch-building new parts. Motorization holes in the bottom of the vehicle should be filled in.
Tracks/WheelsNo gap or overlap where the track ends join. Road wheels should always sit flush on the track.
Track pattern (cleats) faces in the proper direction. Tracks should not bow in or out when viewed from the front or back of the vehicle.
Are tracks/bogies/wheels properly aligned when viewed from the bottom, sides, and front.
Bogies/wheels should be aligned with each other when viewed from all three positions; all wheels should touch the surface in a prototypical manner unless mounted onto a base.
Valve stems on any wheels? On tracked vehicles, simulated the sag of the track between the idler wheels that the track on real vehicles would demonstrate. The interior of road wheels should be detailed if they are visible.
InteriorOnly score the Interior if it is visible.
Glue marks? Any modifications? How well done? Is the gun breech inside the turret if hatches are open?
Is the dash detailed? How well? Was an attempt made to represent the numbers, etc., on the gauges?
Has any attempt been made to paint the door handles and other details, if molded?
Seat belts should be present. Inspect for proper painting.
Instrument faces on dashboards should have detail picked out and lenses added.
Gas and brake pedals should be added to open-wheeled vehicles.
Painting and FinishingColor nit-picking is not a sign of a good judge, as most persons knowledgeable in this field know that most prototypical sources for color are unreliable and that real colors quickly change out in the field due to exposure to the elements, poor application, maintenance, etc.
Weathering should be proper for the model and not overdone.
Paint finish – no “orange peel”, sags, or fingerprints embossed in the finish.
How are any lenses, such as side marker lights or tail lights represented? (Hopefully by colored tint rather than by opaque paint.)
Paint should be even and smooth, unless there is prototypical evidence to the contrary. Inspect for fingerprints and brush-marks in the finish.
Paint edges that are supposed to be sharp should be sharp (i.e., should not have the typical ragged masking tape edge).
DecalsOnly score if the kit has decals applied.
Any decals? Is there a visible “halo” around the images? There shouldn’t be. And generally, it is not necessary to have the body and decal have the same degree of gloss.
Decal film should not be readily apparent; there should be no silvering or bubbling.
Aligned properly.
DetailsMachine guns, main guns and exhaust pipes should be drilled out. Exhaust pipes should be drilled out.
Parts that are unrealistic-looking, inaccurate, or coarse should be modified or replaced.
Weld marks should be simulated where applicable.
Add extra parts if practical, but they should be in accord with references to justify the extra details.
a. Add tarps, bedrolls, chains, fuel cans, etc.
b. Added (especially on conversions or scratch built models) the small detail parts (rivets, nuts and bolts, etc.) that a kit manufacturer usually provides, but which most modelers will not replace or duplicate.
Simulated or molded-on equipment replaced. This applies especially in the replacement of molded screen with real screen.
If on-vehicle material is added, there should be a hook, rope, or tie-down to hold the article on. Attaching a jerry can with super glue just doesn’t cut it in the real world.
Windshield wipers should be added where appropriate.
Cable and electrical lines should be added to lights and smoke dischargers.
Molded-on parts like axes and shovels should be undercut or removed completely and replaced.
Molded grab handles and hatch levers should be replaced with wire or stretched sprue.
If the underside of the model can be viewed, does it have the same attention to detail as the top? For example: motor holes filled; paint applied to, and weathering on, the inside of the road wheels consistent with that on the outside.
Any chassis detail added, such as brake lines, fuel lines from the gas tank to the fuel pump, and on some cars, parking brake lines, etc.
Is it detailed with paint – with different colors or degree of gloss for frame vs. floor, transmission, exhaust pipes, mufflers, and catalytic converters?
Engine and Engine Compartment should be judged as part of the details if it is open.
Any detail added – ignition wiring, electrical wiring such as wires to the headlight, for the firewall, starter motor wired, battery wired, throttle linkage, water hoses (and do they have the hose clamps represented), etc.?
Is the insulation on the underside of the hood represented either by paint or another material or both?
Thick parts should be thinned down to scale.
Intakes should be blocked off if you can see into the vehicle through them.
Details added to the model should be in scale or as close to scale as possible.
Any after-market parts (photo-etched, white metal, resin, etc.) should integrate well with the basic model. Photo-etched parts which require forming should be precisely shaped and any surfaces that require building up to a thicker cross-section should be smooth and uniform.
Other NotesA good penlight is an invaluable aid for showing up seams that are poorly finished, un-sanded ridges, poor interiors and/or worse yet, unfinished interior areas that can easily be seen from the outside. When using a strong light, shine it across the seam at an angle, as this will most readily show uneven ridges at the seam lines, and other scratches. Carefully pick up models to look at the undersides. One model when viewed this way went from a possible first to last, as the modeler did not bother to fill in the seams Models fixed to the base present a challenge to a judge - The point is: try to use the same degree of scrutiny to each model no matter how challenging that may be.
