GMorrison
Kind of strikes me that "ships" in IP(plastic) MS is kind of like "flying models" in awoodcraft society show.
I have heard of many attempts over the years to change the name of the society, but the die-hards always win out. I hesitated for several years to join the society because I objected to the name.
I still find even in local area folks who believe in the sacred nature of plastic, and the belief that the kit itself is sacred, and aftermarket is the work of the devil. They discount scratchbuilding and aftermarket. The idea, they say, is to start with a good kit, and then do the best possible job building it OOB. Now, I have no objections to OOB categories in contests. I occasionally build OOB just to sharpen my basic skills. But I believe that this attitude, just like the sacredness of some scales, is a small group trying to impose their own preferences on a larger group.
Because frequently smaller local contests have a hard time finding enough volunteers for judging, I cringe when I know one of those plastic die-hards gets on a judging panel!
On the other hand, I kind of objected when judging at Manitowac used to consider a scratch built model required virtually everything, including common fittings, had to be scratch built.
Also giggled at how the wood worshippers, who claimed wood was best because that's what real ships are made from, were just gaga over a wood kit of the Titanic!