Page 14 - January February 2017

ARE YOU SURE? Part 2 Keith Webb
Still not convinced you want to be part of the AP program? Well I’m not going to apologise for the blatant plug I’m about to make, but if any of you have ever been to Pendon Museum and not just watched the trains or tried to look in the bedroom windows, you would see an example of how all the models on the Vale Scene have been made, and would appreciate the ultimate in scratch-building techniques and the results of the hard work done in research, planning and final completion of all the models you see. These modellers are not rewarded for their work as much as they should, but you can be!
Following on from my piece in the December Roundhouse and the hopefully successful event at Benson (it’s just into December as I write this). I would like to go further and propose what I hope to achieve in the role of AP Chair.
Firstly, I wish to thank Mick Moignard for offering to assist me administrate the AP Chair. I also wish to thank in advance any of our current judging staff for their future assistance. I hope to contact you all shortly and check that you have all the info you need if I need to call on you to ask for your support and guidance.
During the course of the coming year I would like to try and provide an AP judging and advice station at as many of the Region’s Meets and shows as possible. Even the occasional one at your local event or monthly gathering if possible. This is partially to give you (and us) the chance to better understand the process, but to also encourage more members to get back into building things!
As part of getting this started, I would like to invite our resident Contest/AP judges to let Mick or myself know what events they intend to go to, and if they are willing to sit and offer help, advice and to judge when requested. It is always better if there are at least two judges present, but this is not mandatory.
If you are interested in joining this team, please let me know and we will either try to arrange a series of training sessions, or put you in contact with someone near you who has the experience and knowledge to share. The best bit is that you don’t have to be a top-quality modeller to be a judge, but you may become one! There are some real benefits to being a judge, and it is a real pleasure to see models close-up that you would not normally appreciate if seen in place on a layout.
What I have discovered personally, is that if you are interested in being part of the AP program, the best way to learn to improve your own modelling (and to get some really good tips), is to be a judge. Most of the UK judges are trained on Contest Judging, and although this must not be confused with AP judging, the basic requirements of the quality of modelling are the same, and we use the same matrix to fairly judge the models. In a contest, when the models are judged there must be no interaction with anyone other than another judge (and you cannot judge your own model). With the AP program it is better (and sometimes necessary) to have the owner present so that questions and suggestions for improvement may be made. As mentioned in my last piece, these suggestions are not criticisms, we want you to get your MMR, but there is a minimum standard of modelling, and provision of information required to pass. I am going to have to raise my own game on my modelling too!
Another very important aspect of providing more visible access and information on AP, is to provide examples. In order to do this, I would like to invite previous AP Merit Award winners to contact Mick or myself and let us know where and when they are willing take a model or two along (with all the supporting documentation if possible) so we can demonstrate exactly what it takes, and how to fill the paperwork in for a successful result.
Now I know many of you have won your Merit Awards as part of the Contests. And as previously mentioned, these are judged using different entry forms, but the Conformity information – or how the model relates to the prototype, accuracy to the drawings or plans used, the record of construction method, the list of tools used, and list of parts added, that you would have supplied in order to ensure the judges appreciate the level of work done, is still important and we can use these to show why this information helps to get that extra point or two needed to get the 87.5 required for a Merit Award.
Not all areas of the AP program require merits, some are just about demonstrating that you have built something (or a variety of something’s) and that in some cases, that they work! For these, it does not necessarily have to be one of our authorised judges, it can be any of the following so long as I am informed prior to the event:
A past or present National or Regional Officer
A past or present National, Regional, or Divisional Contest or Achievement Program Chair
NMRA members holding the relevant certificate
NMRA members, appointed by the Region or Division AP Chair as committee members, judges or witnesses.
All witnesses must be current NMRA members and put their NMRA number on the witness form.
For those of you who are already interested in being part of the AP program, please remember that to get the best result from having something assessed, you need to have read the SOQ (Statement of Qualification) carefully and have ensured you have fulfilled all of the requirements. One of the important things that often gets missed, is that the modeller needs to explain how things were built and how they came by the info they needed to build the model, along with their trials and tribulations. Yes, it is useful to know what failed too, as this can also give the judges great insight into why something has been done differently to what they would expect.
Finally, I cannot stress enough, Please do visit the NMRA Achievement Program section of the National website and read everything. The AP program requires a lot more than ‘show and tell’, and I appreciate that some of the info is not all that clear! But we are here to try and help you through it, and if we can’t, we know someone at National who can help us to help you! The big plus, is that we have our own experienced MMRs and experienced Master Builders that we can all talk to. If you don’t have access to the internet, or cannot find the info, please call, we will do our best to help you too.
In future Roundhouses I hope to feature some aspects of each category, and would like to invite articles from current Master Builder certificate holders on their achievement and their tips to help others through the categories.
www.nscaleamericantrains.co.uk