COMMERCIAL SHIPS AT NATs

Yes, that is an experimental category approved by the IPMS USA National Competition Committee at last years convention.    We are giving it two or three years to see what the turnout will be in the category.   If it does well enough we'll make it permanent.  

Since there is already a sail category with no distinction between commercial & military, this category is to cover post-sail era, all scales.

Ed Grune

Head Ship Judge

IPMS USA

I think this is a great idea. I find most modelers aren't that interested in civil ships, including the judges. I feel a warship has a distinct advantage in contests when naval and civil ships end up in same category.

Returned from a Regional.   I wanted to enter a Spanish- American war ship and a 1906 battleship.  Categories were 1914-1946 ships, I946- Modern ships, and sailing ships.  No class for pre-1914 ships!  Steam ships were in service LONG before WW1, guys!

hi ed congratulations on head judge. mark and i belong to a couple of model clubs in denver. hi don i agree pre 1914 steam ships can be quite interesting. look at the bronco sino-japanese warships for example. commercial ships can be quite interesting. imagine a 1/350 USS COLE loaded on the mv BLUE MARKIN. and some of the older freighters and fishing boats could be really weathered up. i don't think modern warships or submarines can compete against ww2 ships with all the AA guns all other things being equal. if i wasn't building a GEARING for a friend i would shelve it over the AA guns. it's like soviet late ww2 armor vs german big cats with all the crap the germans carried externally. i have a couple of the old 1/400 imex modern freighters which, with a little help like pe railings and some rigging, can look nice. interesting color schemes and they do show some wear and tear, more than a modern warship. of course against 16 TITANICs......... if you really want to have fun put some wood kits in a local or regional contest. since there usually aren't many ships, most judges don't do ships and have a hard time judging them anyway but wood ship guys have different finishing techniques such as no paint, different color woods. i am a plastic guy in a wood ship club and have no problem with either.

This is very nice to hear. I for one love commercial ships and really don't look at many warships.

Having worked aboard an oil tanker back in the 1980's I feel in love with ships and love to see  commercial ships models.

I agree that SOME wooden ship builders do not finish (paint) ships, or finish them in clear varnishes, but others do, and finish them in scale colors.  This can lead to many discussions among wood ship modelers.  Since IPMS is for scale models, rather than "artistic" models, I believe those clear varnished late period ship models should be docked for inaccurate finish (though older ones in clear finish can be correct). I personally finish a ship in the correct finish even if that requires painting the whole hull.  Same thing for brass fittings.  Old cannons not iron were bronze, not brass, but the kits frequently supply brass.  That should be finished a bronze color.  Wheels, binnacles and other brass finishes should, in my mind, also be finished in correct color.  They sure do look pretty in brass. So if one is looking for an artistic look for the finished ship, I guess that is okay.  I personally am a SCALE modeler, so I like to finish it in scale appearance, even if it is not so pretty.  BTW, I also weather ships, which many ship modelers to not.

hi don

good point on building SCALE models vs display models. i too weather ships. i will pass this distinction on to my wood ship club.

For what it's worth, IPMS rules focus on workmanship and not "finish" meaning that scale color or varnish take back seat to whether or not the masts are straight, there's any glue fingerprints, etc.

It avoids discussion as to who's references are more accurate, etc., and focuses on the model building.