To reiterate what I spoke about earlier, I did not set out to get my Official and Volunteer Certs! It was just something that happened as the group of modelers I was with decided we would better served if we started our own Division with in the NMRA.
As time went on someone suggested that I might be eligible for the Official Cert. I looked into the paperwork and found that I did qualify and I just filled out the forms and that was it.
On the other hand many said that starting a new Division would not work but it is now 10 years later and we are still going strong.
A little Dedication was all it took!
And it is no different when one decides to build their own layout. You have to dedicate some time and effort to build a layout. So why not get some recognition from your hard work.
As for the judging of the models for Merit Points, I too felt that the judges were being too hard on me in some areas. But after a few weeks and talking with other modelers (especially my son – as he had already done several rolling stock models for Merit) about my models and really listening to their comments about my structures (which were the ones being judged at the time) I began to really look at them and could see where I was not really building a scale model of the real thing (again remember that I was doing a Prototypical layout and really needed to build accurate models of the real area – as anyone could go out and look at the real thing).
It ended up being the small details and I made the necessary changes and reentered the model and did receive the required 87.5 points!
Now I knew just what I needed to add to a model to make it right. It’s those
I think you have awards and winning trophys mixed up. You tell a college football player that the Heisman Trophy isn’t important or tell a hockey player the Stanley Cup isn’t a big deal they will laugh in your face. A trophy is something you compete for while an award is something you try to achieve, like the MMR certificates or something that is given to you totally unexpected, like a Community Service Award. There is no competition with awards. I’ve won trophys playing hockey, baseball, at car shows and drag racing but I’ve only ever received one award.
Chip, I received my MMR number 138 in the late 1980’s. Why do it? Because of the challenge to do it by some others in my city and modeling group. Requirements were a little easier back then, in my opinion, than today. Was it worth it? To me, yes for two reasons, to prove to myself I could do it, and I learned some new skills that I still use today in my modeling. Ex. I learned to make my own track switches, hand lay rail and ties, and most of those switches and the handlaid track are still in operation today.
The biggest thing I learned though was patience, something I have been known to be short of.
It is important I think, to realize it does not put money in your bank account, often makes you a target of comments by some who don’t have the patience, skills, or fortitude to try for the certificates themselves, or those who simply like to belittle someone who does something they can’t or don’t want to do. On the other hand, MMR’s should not “flaunt” themselves like they are some grand poobah in the hobby.
Only you can decide it it is worth it to you, will help your hobby skills, is something that challenges you. When you can answr those questions honestly, then you have your choice.
One final thought, the one article I had in MR on my layout back in the mid 80’s was before I had my MMR, the layout was on tour for the national NMRA meet, and then was torn down and a new one started, this time jumping from freelance to prototype modeling. That new layout is still my current one and is still keeping me interested.
A few points to be made rather bluntly, Chip, coming from someone who has been a member of NMRA and off-and-on particpant in their Achievement Program for more than a quarter century.
First off, out of an organization that has probably seen well over 100,000 members over the course of the MMR program’s life (many decades), less than 500 persons have ever qualified for MMR and in the past much of the judging was less critical than it seems to be today.
Several of the certificates are simply based on a record of work accomplished, or service to the organization and are rather easily attainable. On the other hand, those requiring actual modeling can be very difficult to attain and, if the judging is honestly done, unlikely to be achieved by persons lacking extensive modeling experience at a very high skill level.
Further, inspite of the claims that the degree of judging is universally equal (region to region/division to division) across the country, I have not found it to be so. In certain parts of the country the judging criteria change and degree of difficulty has increased dramatically in recent years. Thus, it can be decidedly more difficult to obtain the neccessary 87.5 points for a given model, the figure required for a model to make the grade, in certain parts of the nation, as well as more so than in the past. Anyone interested in the program needs first to evaluate just how critical the local judging tends to be before expending a great deal of time and effort.
I have dabbled in the NER’s MMR program from time to time over the course of my long tenure with the NMRA. Although I am ve
I admit that I have admired that building, no doubt a fine piece of work. However, to model the downtown area where my PRR is located I have to model a few buildings that might be more challenging. When I do get around to building them, I don’t suppose it would it would hurt to submit them.
I know you probably wouldn’t blink at this building, but this one will be the cornerstone of the layout. Of course it would be back-dated to 1950 when it was the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Company Corporate Offices.
I’m relatively certain I can match the architecture, but if you have some good advice on how to duplicate the relief, I’m all ears. Right now I’m thinking of making a plaster casts and hand carving them.
You have made my point by equating the Heisman Trophy with the Stanley Cup. The latter is the symbol of a championship, a worthwhile goal and a significant achievement. The former is an award, something that is not won but given to
Stand by for some name-dropping. In '70 or '71 I motored into Milwaukee and North Seventh Street, took the rickety old elevator up to MR’s offices (above the Kromer Cap Company, who used to make Model Railroader’s “Model Railroading is Fun” engineer’s caps) and chatted with a few of the editorial staff, ending up in Linn Westcott’s office. We discussed a couple of articles I’d submitted and a few I proposed to write–and during our conversation, Linn referred to me as “a master model-builder.” I was shocked, but took it with a grain of salt. He later took me and Russ Larson, who was fresh out of college and just getting his feet wet as a model railroader, to lunch at Aliota’s on the Bluemound (is it still there?), then visited his home and his Sunset Valley HO model railroad.
And truthfully, I enjoyed the day and the things that happened more than Linn’s flattery–and when I heard of the NMRA’s Master Model Builder program, I remembered Linn’s throwaway remark and shrugged my shoulders. I’ve been a model railroader for about 55 years and still learn something new from every publication I read. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve been published in both MR and RMC, but the truth is, I don’t hold myself up as a paragon, nor do I try for any accolades. I’m happy if I can contribute to others in this forum and pay back some of the stuff others have taught me–and I’m also happy if I screw up only 10-15% of the time!
Some people are goal oriented, but I’ve reached the time of life when I realize I’m not in competition with anyone. I’m afraid if I tried to get myself certified as an MMB (I don’t belong to the NMRA; always been too short of funds to join), it would turn my modeling efforts from an avocation into a vocation–and I’m a lazy son-of-a-gun: I used to have a plaque that said, "Work fascinates me: I can sit and watch it for hour
While it can well matter significantly as to just how critical your local AP judges are (as I’ve already pointed out), I would advise you to be ready to include detailed architectural renderings of the actual, or of highly similar structures, with your entry forms, including notes on the materials they are built from, with all dimensions, accompanied by photos. The model must look, in detail, virtually identical to the prototype…especially including those reliefs.
Likewise, include highly detailed descriptions of exactly how the model was built, feature by feature, fully detailing materials and methods used. Freelancing of a structure, or its details, while not prohibited, will count for very little in contest scoring. Building freelance models basically for use on the layout, rather than specifically for contests, can be a downright disadvantage for Achievement Program use.
Be prepared to scratchbuild everything, down to all parts of the window frames, doors, facia, etc. Likewise, the qualifying associated paperwork, if done correctly, can require almost as much effort as building the model (one of the main reasons why 99.5% of NMRAers will not participate in the MMR program today).
Finally, unless one is truly a consumate modeler to begin with,&
When I was a kid, I always wanted a trophy. I saw others getting trophies but for my entire childhood, I never won one. I always did well, but trophies eluded me.
Finally, as an adult, I was asked to be a player coach of a softball team. When they asked me to be the coach, over the course of past two seasons, their record was 2-23. We won the season in a dramatic finale where we went into the last inning of the championship down 8 runs and won by one run. I got a trophy, I was proud and now the trophy is in my basement somewhere.
In other words, the achievement was cool, but the trophy is not as important as I thought.
When I do things I try to do good work and I would like to think that I can do what it takes to get the certificates, but the certificates can’t be the end goal, or as Dean says, I’ll lose interest. But if I’m doing something anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to enter it and learn some modeling skills in the process.
The Heisman Trophy the single most overrated piece of hardware in all of sports? LOL, come on, you can’t be serious. College kids compete for the Heisman and its given to the best of the best. I agree though that people who place more emphasis on recognition than achievement have their priorities way out of whack.
I’m only really proud of one trophy I have, its an old baseball trophy that WE won playing against a much younger and better team then WE were. For some reason all the planets lined up for us that day. After that final out we were jumping around like we won the World Series, lol. We had a lot of fun in that tournament and never expected to make the final. All my hockey trophys are in a box somewhere and my car show and drag racing trophys are on a shelf in the garage collecting dust. I agree, in my case the achievements were cool but the trophys aren’t as important, except for that one. [:D]
One possibility would be to put the photo through a photo editing program to correct keystoning from the camera angle, then print several copies at exactly HO scale. Cut out the central circular areas and mount then on thin plastic and then laminate that onto a picture, so that the there is dimension to the panel. You might even want to “burnish” the high areas from the back to give a little “texture” to the photo. Then mount the photo to the building. From a distance of a couple feet it should look pretty good.
I’ve been reading thru this thread and I find it to be a very honest discussion of the pros and cons of going for an MMR. But I think the key to it all is what one wants from this hobby. For me, I want this to be a hobby and not a job. A hobby should be one you have not one that has you.
I think if you would read my earlier post, I made the point that when I worked on the MMR in 1980’s, I learned hobby skills, such as handlaid track and building my own switches as a result. I certainly think that learning does not say “job”.
What I learned enhanced my hobby skills. I have a “job”. I also have a hobby, the two are not the same. I learned a lot of things about the hobby working on the MMR program, and I don’t regret it at all. Any hobby requires learning unless your hobby is sleeping 24 hours a day. I do believe most people with hobbies pursue them with the intent of learning something.
Just curious if the judges in your division are capable of the modeling level they are critiquing your work at ?? Can they “walk the walk”?? The standard seems awfully high compared to the work of MMRs I know. Their work is excellent, but not far above your example. Your local guys seem a little bit extreme…
