It should go without saying. "You have no friends when you are a judge." One must put aside familiar relationships in order to be as impartial as possible.

Personal preferences for weathered or unweathered models and use or non use of a base or clear covers are just that, personal preferences. These concerns will not enter into initial deliberations. Later if it comes down to two well done models then the hair splitting begins. Essentially it comes down to the most realistic. I firmly believe that you should judge in areas you specialize in but not also compete. Its either one or the other, not both.

The emphasis is on the basics and that is where it belongs. While I have seen aircraft that did not comply with the painting directives or were even the wrong colour, I never saw one with a seam down the middle of it. So watch out if you are an entrant that tries to cover up poor workmanship with "Schmaltz." (Flashy paint job or storyline, extra detail sets, fancy base etc.) Each entrant deserves a good critique . As a judge you are obligated to give help and encouragement when a constructive critique is asked for.

The guide to a well built aircraft model.

1. Is the alignment correct? Square, plumb, uniformed surfaces.

2. Do you see any glue joints? How clean are the joints?

3. Is all flash removed neatly? No flat spots on rounded surfaces.

4. Are all seams filled? Was there a seam on the original ?

5. Are all molding marks, sink marks, copyright marks and ejector pin marks removed?

6. Are clear windows or the model itself clear of all glue marks and smears?

7. Are wings and tail plumb and square to each other and the fuselage?

1. Refinement, thin edges, scale thickness for all exposed parts?

2. Prototypical representations of surfaces. Wood area look like wood, metal like metal, fabric that looks like fabric.

3. Nuts and bolts, are they well defined or do they just look like bumps.

1. Does it accurately resemble the original? Flat semi-gloss or gloss. Factory fresh or war weary?

2. Is the lettering or markings straight or duplicating the original?

3. No decal silvering or carrier film evident.

4. Is it weathered realistically or does it detract from the over all appearance?

5. Are there brush marks? Uneven coverage, brush hairs in dried paint or the dreaded finger prints?

6. Are paint separation lines clean and even?