PLopen2021 results and feedback

 Well folks, it is done. We had an absolutely massive turn out and this took forever to judge and evaluate.

Before I post the reviews i'm going to go over our criteria and try to give you a frame of reference for what we look for in competition models.

I've been judging competitions using IPMS rule sets for several years now and i was joined by judges who excel in clean building, resin figures, and scratch building. My particular expertise is in weathering and kitbashing.

What does a judge look for?

The entries were judged on 3 categories:

Basics. This includes seam fixing, surface preparation, and the application of in box components.

Paint. This is solely the application of paint.

Details.This includes any additional parts not included in the kit box and parts on the model smaller than 5mm.

Entries in this competition were judged based on the merits of the kit and it's finish alone with no extra merits awarded for modification, basing, etc.

That being said here are all the entries and their positives/negatives!

Alana Faith Dangoy: Clean color separations and good surface preparation. 

Eliminated for lack of panel lines and low details. Judges would like to see more attention to small details. Nevertheless a very solid clean build.

Brian Laborada: Absolute stellar concept and beautiful color choices. The entire judging panel was mesmerized by the vaporwave concept of this build.

Eliminated for paint texture all over. Judges would like to see smoother paint application
. It was heartbreaking to have to eliminate this model.

Christian Montalvo: Excellent scribed details and a very nice muted color scheme. I absolutely love the heels.

Eliminated for weathering below the level of execution of the rest of the paint job. Judges would have liked to see this build simply presented clean. Another very sad elimination.

Ciaran Altman: Interesting concept but lacking allover execution.

Eliminated for lack of details, almost no panel lining or small detail painting whatsoever. Judges appreciated hand painted shield but had to eliminate due to lack of basics execution.

Craig Bucknall: Good clean build with some interesting concepts.

Eliminated for inconsistent level of detail and missing panel lines. Judges appreciated the head mods (3d print?) and added lines but would have liked to see more details picked out on the rear of the model. 

Guobin Gan: Very loud concept lacking subtlety.

Eliminated for paint textures on several black parts and inconsistent details. Judges would have liked to see fewer decals and more attention paid to the feel of materials. Several objects that should naturally be presented as different materials are painted the same color which makes them look "samey". The rifle is very under detailed and looks like an after thought.

This was a strong entry that made it through 2 rounds of judging!

Jayswan: Good basics and some nice details.

Eliminated for poor weathering. Judges would have like to see this simply entered clean.

Michael Santana: Nice color choices and an interesting design.

Eliminated for allover paint texture. Judges recommend practicing to get smoother paint layers. Lack of solid background also made this entry difficult to judge.

Mike Silbor: Exceptional clean build with some great details.

Eliminated for visible LED wiring. Judges agree that this would have been a contender for top 3 if not for the wiring. Very unfortunate.

Orion: Very smooth paint and a down to earth scheme.

Eliminated for decal (sticker?) silvering and an egregious seam on the right wrist. Judges commend the paint application, thought the use of digital camouflage on the shield is questionable. We assumed it was meant to be something like a unit livery but all agreed that it is out of place on this model.

Pla Mori: Incredible weathering and texture.

Eliminated for number of photos. The competition rules called for 7 photos and the builder only submitted 5. Very, very unfortunate.

Resolute Cosplay: Kitbash with some creative use of parts.

Eliminated for paint texture. Judges recommend practicing to get smoother application.

rgunpla Studio: Recolor with some added details.

Eliminated for paint texture. Judges commend color choices.

Sion1885: Golden demon.

Eliminated for paint texture and very close cropped photos which made it difficult to get a good read on the level of work. Judges commend the details which can be seen.

Yan Prayogo: Weathered wing with a very nice base.

Eliminated for poor weathering and paint texture. Judges would have liked to see better in scale weathering. Your base is exceptional, however not within the scope of judging criteria. Visible LED wiring though forgivable in this case as an attempt was made to incorporate it into the base.

Adam Alirez: A conversion kit I didn't even know existed.

Eliminated for warped resin and visible LED wiring. Judges commend smooth paint application!

Anthony Lafreniere: Small soldier.

Eliminated for paint texture. Judges recommend practicing application.

Ar Jeruh Romero: Red devil with some great posing.

Eliminated for paint texture and lack of details. Judges recommend more masking to bring out details. Basics are solid!

Brian L. Belen: Shatter foil haro.

Eliminated for paint texture. Judges recommend lower psi.

Chris Ponce: FSS with some good color choices.

Eliminated for significant orange peel all over. Judges recommend wet sanding between layers.

David Gomes: Solid beginner work.

Eliminated for total lack of details. Judges recommend panel wash and decals.

David Nguyen: Open hatch concept is interesting but execution needs work.

Eliminated for peg holes etc visible on open hatch parts. Judges recommend researching techniques further before attempting to execute them. Paint work and assembly is solid!

Disillusiond: Very nice clean build with great added details.

Eliminated by superior competition after 2 rounds of judging. Judges would have like to see more details on missile pods and backpack instead of on skirts etc. Some parts look overly busy while others are under detailed. Basics are there, now you should strive for balance. Exceptional work.

Ervin Lloyd Lipa: Well executed flugel kitbash.

Eliminated for LED wiring and texture of metallic parts. Judges commend the rest of the work. A very well built model!

Gerry Ramos: Color shift sinanju.

Eliminated for paint texture and orange peel. Judges recommend buffing and wet sanding between layers. Pre-shaded weapon is mismatched with shiny main suit paint job though well executed.

Jee Hobby: Weathered wing.

Eliminated for poor weathering. Judges commend interesting wing paint choice.

Jeff Rickard: Nicely colored clean build.

Eliminated by superior competition. Judges commend color choices though we would have liked to see the clear parts painted.

Joshua Patrick: Thick boy

Eliminated for paint texture and seam lines. Judges recommend lowering pressure.

 

 

Justin Smith: Enter the dragon.

Eliminated for orange peel/dust. Judges recommend choosing one only one candy color and striving to create a focal point in your model. There is so much going on that the kit is difficult to focus on.

Justin Thepsombat: Very nicely done Zeon grunt suit.

Eliminated by superior competition after 2 rounds. Judges would have liked to see more attention to weathering in scale. A very nicely done build but with room for improvement.

Justin Yip: Very cool and well executed kitbash.

Eliminated due to significant orange peel. Judges loved this model and recommend wet sanding to fix peel problem.

Kiddai294: Well executed grunt suit kitbash.

Eliminated due to some paint texture and weathering issues. Judges note that many chipped areas are well done but others are not. We recommend paying more attention to balancing out application of techniques. Well done, but with room for improvement!

Michael Alba: Very nicely done clean build.

Eliminated by superior competition. Judges would have liked to see a dark frame to contrast the very bright white armor. As it is the model looks a bit washed out. Coverage of missiles is not uniform. Very well done, but room for improvement!

Michael Prewitt: Agressive kitbash.

Eliminated for extensive paint texture. Judges commend creativity.

Mike Sykers: Medabro

Eliminated for bubbling/texture. Judges loved this model, were sad to have to eliminate. Color scheme and subtle weathering are both excellent.

Nino Red Nova: Heavy 00 bash

Eliminated for paint textures. Judges commend creativity. Very cool kitbash!

Ramil Doronio: EG 

Eliminated for seamlines and uneven panel scribing. Judges commend effort and we love that blue.

Ramiro Ramirez: Zeta

Eliminated for paint texture. Judges recommend wet sanding.

Renan Villalobos: Earth Stranding.

Eliminated for several nubs and seamlines. Judges loved the creativity of the model and theme. The cargo is well done!

Riaz Mansoor: Perfect ground.

Eliminated for surface textures and low quality weathering. Judges recommend researching weathering techniques and paying closer attention to surfacing.

Ron Hatch: Blingy blades.

Eliminated by superior competition. Judges would have like to see more detail masking but commend the gold finish. Very nicely done!

Sam Mcmillan: Clean Nu resin

Eliminated for massive unfixed seam on backpack. Judges loved your choice of colors and commend your work on processing resin. Posing is strange and stiff, though did not contribute to judging score.

Ship Rekt: Blast from the past.

Eliminated for significant paint texture. Judges commend heavy mod work to such an old kit and absolutely loved the base.

Timothy Agus: Hi nu

Eliminated for orange peel and decal silvering. Judges commend most of the decal work.

TJ Cole: Tidus

Eliminated for gash on back of right elbow. Very well executed clean build aside from the damaged part. Judges commend smooth paint job!

Tyler Moore: Dirty dom

Eliminated by superior competition. Judges commend overall theme but weathering leaves something to be desired. Well executed LED mods.

Victor Leung: Nu

Eliminated for paint texture. Judges recommend reducing pressure.

Winson Koh: Sandrock

Eliminated for paint texture and inconsistent weathering. Judges recommend studying weathering techniques further. You clearly have an idea of what you want to convey, but the execution needs work.

Yicai Weng: Nicely detailed ZZ

Eliminated by superior competition. Judges note some small details lack cleanliness. Several parts have small areas of over spray. A very good model that needs a bit more attention to details.

@dropcolony commends the cleanliness of your scribe work!

 

 

 

Michael Springer: SD Gouf

Eliminated for somewhat messy panel lining. An early judge favorite. We loved this build.

 

This concludes the eliminated models. As you can probably see there are two themes here: lack of smoothness in paint application and LED wires.

All of the immediately eliminated models had one of these two issues. It cannot be overstated how important smooth paint is in IPMS style competition. 

 

On to the finalists, which will be posted with their scores and a more in depth review. all scores are out of a possible 30 (10 in each category).

 

 Jorge Meade: ZZ ver ka. 15 points.

This model scored well below what the judges believed it could have simply due to the fact that the photos were very dark and blurry. We cannot judge what we cannot see and sadly we could not see your details very well.

We commended your color choices, mauve being an unusual color to see a ZZ in.

Gerry T: RG Zephyranthes 17 points.

Judges were very impressed with the amount of details in this small scale. Your choice of frame color was very good.

You lost the most points in the paint category due to textures on your sensors most likely due to the UV paint used on them.

You also lost points due to masking on the feet, there are several instances of overspray present.

Regardless of these issues, this is an exceptional model!

Vincent Miranda MG Ginn 19 points.

Judges loves your muted, subtle color scheme. Shading is on point and color choices are excellent.

Your lowest score was details, with several small problems including some strange texture which we though was dry brushing. There is an unfixed mold line on the rear of the magazine.

Judges commend small details like metal rivets and overall cleanliness. An excellent clean model.

Rexor Tuscano: MG 00 Seven Sword 19 points.

Beautifully detailed and perfect color choices. We absolutely love the blue/purple balance.

Several small detail mistakes kept this from achieving a higher score. Overshot panel scribes and missed seams on the weapons.

Regardless of issues this is a magnificent shelf piece.

Dranoel Barbin: MG Sinanju/Takumi conversion kit 20 points.

Judges commend very appealing modulation but were not able to score paint higher due to so many competing colors. The build is so busy that is has no focal point.

Paint is very well applied and we wish you had simply chosen a less competing metallic.

Details are very well done, but we would have liked to see some decals.

JL Gunpla: PGU 20 points.

Exceptional panel highlighting and overall very clean work.

Points lost for over paint on several of the small silver details and lack of shading on weapons. We would have liked to see clear resin or at least a bit of clear plastic put into the large yellow sight lens.

Unpainted photo etch/metal parts.

A beautiful build however. Very nicely done!

HAF Gunpla: FM Graze kitbash 20 points.

The parts of this kit that are weathered well exceed anything else that was entered in this competition by far, however the weathering is inconsistent.

The head and left shoulder of the kit are almost completely bare, and we would expect to see much more damage on a gigantic mace.

The shield is so, so good. We stared at it for at least 10 minutes.

Geo Builds: MG Nu ver ka./ conversion kit 21 points.

Exceptional clean build but lacking in details.

Several resin pieces have shallow panel lines which would have benefitted from re scribing. the inside of the bracer armor pieces should have been contrasted.

The parts that were done well, were done exceptionally well. You have the cleanest paint application by far.

Tyrone Pinson: Third place 22 points

Beautiful modulation color scheme and flawless basics. Not a single flaw or imperfection, bravo.

Judges especially appreciated the scratch built chest details and the coloring of the rifle.

We would have liked to see more details picked out however, it seems that the modulation took most of your attention to the detriment of small details.

Robert Kurtz: Second place 23 points.

A paint job that is both flawless and striking. No imperfections.

The only thing the judges would have liked to see is a bit more cleanliness with your washes around the backpack and legs.

A magnificent work!

Jess Quintero: First place 23 points.

The most impressive thing about this model is not the total absence of flaws, perfect color choices, or tasteful basing. But the fact that it is a full resin kit.

The gradients on the power cables, the perfect dark sections between rings. We zoomed in far enough to see the edge highlights of your notches.

This is exactly what this competition was about. Pure mastery of basics. Bravo!

I want to extend a huge thanks to everyone who participated as well as our judge team and sponsor stores.

I hope that we can do another open competition very soon!