Mark, try to find a way to static judge some models before the contest. R/C uses the same static rules so maybe you can find an R/C scale participant in your area if there are not any C/L models to look at. Surely you can find some three-views for a P-51 and an ARF at the R/C field. Then look at it with the proberbial "jaundiced eye" and note all the deviations. Start at the nose in the side view and work your way around the model's outline. Make a note of each deviation. Then do the same for the top and front views.
Do you give or receive "Performance Reviews" where you work? I did a lot of that and used descriptions like: "needs improvement, meets expectations, exceeds expectations, frequently exceeds expectations" and so forth. I started using this concept while judging scale models and found it helped avoid the issues Will talked about. When you look at a model that meets your expectations for that contest, give it whatever score you will give for meeting expectations be that a 5, 7, 9 or 9.5. And then give the same number to other models with quality in the same ballpark. If the model is better or worse than expectations give it a corresponding number higher or lower. One of my biggest disappointments as a contestant has been to have the scores compressed so that a clearly superior model only got a couple points more than a dog. I'll use an aileron as an example of having an idea of what your expectations are. Some models won't have any indication that the full scale had ailerons, then some will outline the shape with black pen. The next step up is to actually have a separate surface. Then some guys add the hinges, trim tabs, and push rods. I have found that this same level of excellence, or lack of it, carries over to many other aspects of the model. Now when you look at the list of deviations you made, the big and the little, you can compare the list to your expectations and assign a score.
I also take pretty serious deductions for changes that enhance the flight characteristics of the model. Oversized tail surfaces, disproportioned stabs and elevators, and big thick symetrical airfoils get knocked when I judge. IE, they don't meet my expectations of what I should see at a scale contest.
Make sure you judge to the documentation provided, not what you know about a particular airplane. The documentation can often be incorrect, but if the model matches the documents, the model is "right."
Topic: Scale judging (Read 751 times)
