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Okay, so last Saturday, I joined my first painting contest at our local GW Store. And from the response of the regulars, they had liked my Vehicle entry. Store employees agreed with the regulars.

In any case, I was feeling confident until a DIORAMA was entered. Yes, the diorama had a vehicle in it but I felt cheated as the WOW factor of a diorama swayed the crowd to vote for the diorama. I agree the conversions and concept was great. BUT this was a single vehicle/large model painting contest and a diorama won by a landslide with mine coming in second.

I didn't bring it up with the store manager as it was someone he knew that he brought the diorama in and entered it for the guy. I believe there should have been a separate category for dioramas as I can easily put together a diorama with the material I have at home.

Any comments or opinions would make me feel better. Thanks!

Did you enter the white scars land raider in your gallery? That's pretty clean and a nice paint job. I think that they should have said that you could use scenic bases or dioramas. What tank did he use? And was the diorama really amazing? I think tht it was partly unfair.

Well if it's any consolation, everything at ours on a 40mm base got entered into the single mini catagory instead of the monster catagory, and as we were only allowed one entry per catagory my ork warboss (should have been monster) wasn't allowed since I already had a single mini, my dreadnought (should have been vehicle) got classed as a monster, and to top it all off, my converted forge world dreadnought which I dropped off on the friday evening (was at work sat) wasn't there when I went to pick it up monday.

Somewhere, and somehow, my FW dready no longer exists. It managed to somehow go missing FROM OUT OF THE CABINET :(

Sorry to hear that Xevious.

karlfranz - Yes, it was the Land Raider. Almost everyone liked it becouse of the clean work on it and the hinged doors and flashing interior light was a bonus.

I agree the diorama was amazing and it would win in a diorama contest hands down. But entering it in a single vehicle/large model category should not have been allowed IMO. But in these contests, I guess the store has final say.

I don't see why the vehicle can't be on a scenic base - minis guys do this all the time.

Also, your flashing lights would seem to be at the same level as their scenic base.

I feel your pain. I love painting competitions, mainly because I'm a somewhat decent painter so I feel that I at least have a chance to get a prize.....I love free stuff....and most importantly, it makes me paint. =] But, you have to know going in that you sometimes lose for no reason. One store I go to let's anyone in the store at the time vote for the winners. Problem is, one of the guys comes in regularly with two or three friends and his girlfriend almost assuring that he will win or at least place (they don't paint).

The local GW store isn't always better. I worked really hard on the Valkyrie painting contest, tried a bunch of new techniques and really thought I did a good job. I called the store and asked about the base, since there isn't a really good picture in the instructions and I didn't want to glue it all wrong. They said bring it in and they'll show me and that it wouldn't count against me. Before the contest several people came up and said I was a sure winner (always a bad sign...lol). Well, out of the 4 that showed up on time and the one that was 45 minutes late you guess it, I got 5th place. I got last because my base wasn't completed........even thought they said it wouldn't matter..... The judges said it was dead heat between mine and one other for best painted and I got last place. Just to add one last kick in the butt, the kid who entered late, with an unfinished model, who didn't even have the model or base glued together before he entered it got 4th.

That said, I lost out on a $50 gift certificate, but I at least had fun painting my Valk and learned alot. I'm going to have to order the Forgeworld painting book now. Must Learn MORE!!

JohnHwangDD wrote:I don't see why the vehicle can't be on a scenic base - minis guys do this all the time.

Also, your flashing lights would seem to be at the same level as their scenic base.

Very wise , you are the first to catch that.

Honestly, your LR is pretty decent, but nothing special. The mud effect on the tracks and lower body are pretty out-of-place considering how super-clean the rest of the model is, and look more like painted-on mud than like real mud and grime.

The metallic bits look like they're just drybrushed with no more advanced technique.

It's something that I'm sure looks great on the table as part of a cohesive force... but it just doesn't stand out to me.