Emphasis should be placed on the construction and finishing of a model with accuracy and realism only playing a small part in the overall grading. Every model should be judged individually. Do not look at a table of models and quickly point out models you believe should not get an award.
- Build Quality.
The points that should be considered when judging build quality are:
a) Are there any visible seam lines, mould lines or gaps? If so, are they meant to be there?
b) Are parts correctly aligned? i.e., wings, pitot’s, pylons, barrels, wheels, tracks, railings, masts, antennae, ordnance etc.?
c) Are there any visible glue marks or imperfections? i.e., blobs of glue including shiny areas around part joins?
d) Are there any sanding marks visible?
e) Are there any sink marks, ejector pin marks, ghost seams or imperfections visible?
f) Are there any mould seams visible? If so, are they meant to be there?
g) Are there any missing or incomplete panel lines, rivets, or missing parts?
Include in the build quality, the incorporation of aftermarket parts built into or onto the model such as resin parts, photo etch, scratch build parts or 3D printed parts etc. These should look like they are part of the finished model and not added as an afterthought or detract from the overall result. - Painting and Finishing.
In this category we are looking to include all those processes not covered in the build quality.
The points that should be considered when judging painting and finishing are:
a) Has the paint been applied evenly, consistently without gaps or paint running?
b) No frosting, rough paint, or orange-peel effect in the paint or varnish?
c) There are no visible brush strokes in the paint.
d) There is no overspray from one area or part to another surface or is this deliberate?
e) Are all detail parts painted consistently over the model?
f) Decals are straight and even. No cracks, folds, or chips that are not deliberate.
g) No silvering of the decals.
h) Any shading and weathering effects are even and consistent with the rest of the finish.
i) There are no rough or raised edges from masking. - Accuracy and Realism.
Note: DO NOT judge on historic or technical accuracy. No judge can know every subject in a class well enough to apply fair standards across the board. It is first and foremost a model competition.
Accuracy and realism should not be a major factor in judging as a model may be inaccurate or out of historical context, but this should not detract from a well-constructed and finished model. Sci-Fi and scratch build subjects are good examples where accuracy cannot be measured accurately. In this category we are primarily considering the visual impact of the model against the reality it is modelled against.
The points that should be considered when judging accuracy and realism are:
a) Does the model look realistic?
b) Are any inaccuracies corrected, (within reason) this is often noted by the modeler.
c) Decal register and opacity is accurate and realistic. - Dioramas and Vignettes.
These should also be assessed for the following:
a) The composition of the diorama is well thought out.
b) The diorama is well laid out and it is balanced.
c) There is cohesion throughout the diorama.
d) The level of detail and realism. - Deciding Factors.
When the judging and comparison of top award and placing models in a class provides difficulty in clearly separating the better of one model from another the following points should be taken into consideration to decide the models award and or order of merit.
a) Presentation.
b) Overall appearance.
c) Appeal.
Discussion is vital when judging to determine awards, but where there is a 3-way split the lead judge will have the final say.
In the case where there is no clear decision the chief judge will be called upon for guidance or the final decision.