2nd 2017 forum competition thoughts

[Alex3410]

Hey guys,

Firstly a big thank you to everyone taking part in the current competition (more info here if you don't know about it) I am really pleased with the turn out and am following the projects with interest!

Its got me thinking about the next one! and i wanted to gauge opinion about the 'topics'. currently the competitions are open to any topic the users can think of, this does mean we get a nice range of projects and encourages more entries. On the other hand it means when voting we are comparing apples to oranges which can make it hard to chose.

So i just wondered about your thoughts for the next competition, should we stick to open to anything or should we attempt a competition with a set topic?

The proposed idea for a topic would be something along the lines of 'Train set to treasure' with the general idea of taking one of the many train set 0-4-0s we are all familiar with and doing something interesting with it. My thoughts behind this topic is there are several locos to chose from, people will probably have them laying around or failing that can be picked up relatively cheaply. This should keep the barrier to entry low & provide interesting examples for others to follow along with.

So what are your thoughts?

note: open to all members, not just those who take part so please do post your opinion

[End2end]

it means when voting we are comparing apples to oranges which can make it hard to chose.

Nah..... You can't stick oranges in a pie.... and you can't type on them either!
Although the current competition is only my first I have watched a few and think the open-ness of the submitted entries not only allows the participents to be broad in what THEY want to achieve for thier personal layout but also allows the non-entraints to gather ideas over a wide range of subjects.
Although the idea was always there I don't think I would be so far advanced in my entry if it wasn't for the current competition, rather they would be languishing on the shelf whilst doing other, just as important?? jobs for my layout while they wait for me to get around to them.
Just my tuppence worth.
Thanks
End2end

[TimberSurf]

I think the current competition format is nuts! I have no clue how anyone is going to logically/fairly choose a winner! The subjects are so diverse, how can we compare them? (albeit it is achieving a good draw of participants)
We could have several competitions running consecutively but staggered and may well get much smaller numbers in each. They should at least be categorized nearer to skill types, so examples might be:- Kit building/bashing, electronics, scenery, theme, dimensions, etc.
plus I think there needs to be some guidance on how to score the winner, skill, lateral thinking, innovation, oddest, bravery vs skill, detail level, what is the criteria for selection?
It certainly needs to be narrower and at least one type of guidance on selection of winner.

[Alex3410]

Thanks for the input guys,

@end2end one of the reasons i think its working is because it encourages people to get on with things - i know it does with me!

@dave your right, thats was my thinking behind the open 'theme' its good that so many people take part, i just wanted to get peoples opinions on the format to make sure its as attractive as possible for entrants - selfish really as i enjoy following the projects progress so the more people enter the more posts i have to follow

@timbersurf - I have kept the criteria for voting open, my thoughts behind this is people can rank them in their own way. So if you think the progress made is the most important you can vote that way or if you think the quality of the final project, the quality of the updates given, the skills used, the skills learnt, the materials used etc etc are most important you can vote accordingly - I tend to take an overview of a few of these.

I figured that this way it means everyone has a shot for winning, it also encourages updates and interesting projects. For me i would much rather see someone fail attempting something interesting that they learn allot from and post interesting updates about so we all learn from it, then a 'master model maker' build another stunning project. Not that i don't enjoy following both projects.

I am not sure we have enough activity yet to have multiple competitions in different topics, although i do like the idea, it could be worth revisiting it if numbers pick up. Alternatively have a broad subject - so this time its 'electronics' or 'kit building' etc alternating each time.



The alternative is to have a 'suggested topic' for the competition but still accept entries from other areas?

Keep the thoughts & comments coming - even if its just to say your happy with it as is!

[rosenblad]

First of all I must admit that I have never entered a competition. I follow them all with interest though, and I am indeed happy with it as is! After all it does already have a topic - Railway Modelling. The beauty of railway modelling as a hobby is that in includes just about any topic you can think of!