The Fourth Annual
Custom Clinic Photo Contest
by Mark S. Gustavson

Once again, it has been my pleasure to examine, review and read about some of the most wonderfully innovative and well-executed scale model custom automobiles ever assembled for a contest. This contest just continues to gain more contestants from an increasingly wide and diverse audience. This year, we had 73 entries from 58 contestants. The entrants came from all over the place: England (3), Holland (1), Finland (2) Canada (8) and the 21 States. Few previous entrants submitted work this year (though those that did produce some great models!), suggesting that the Custom Clinic PhotoCon is appealing to an increasingly wide audience. 

A few observations about the entries in general and the judging in particular. First, choosing the winners has never been as difficult as it was this year. There were an amazing number of really terrific entries, many displaying thoughtful decision making. In that vein, an increasing number of entrants are writing really literate descriptions of their work worthy of any factory stylist. Second, in many cases, what appeared to be an interesting model did not win because the photographs were so poor that they wouldn't reproduce. I can't adequately emphasize how crucial it is that your photographs are clear with good depth of field, feature the model squarely in the frame, and display all aspects of the body work. Third, this is not a model building contest in the sense that flaws in bodywork and painting will keep a model from winning. Though I wish that basic craftsmanship were more universally observed, lapses in basic construction techniques have not been penalized this year (though that may change in the future). Fourth, more contestants should think about creating designs that could be actually used. While ground scraping customs may look cool, they would be a real pain to drive. Basic ergonomics should be observed more than it is. Finally, the achievement of a graceful design may require significant work or just modest restyling – the mere presence of major customizing features does not necessarily produce a winner. This year's First Place Senior Class winner, for instance, involved a lot of bodywork but the execution doesn't appear, at first glance, to display much restyling. 

Because every contest is unique, I have always had to create a special Class for entries that don't fit into the traditional categories. This year has been no different, precipitating the creation of the "Over the Top Class" for those models that defy description or easy cataloging. In this connection, the Valley Custom Distinguished Styling Analysis Award has again been presented (this year to Roger Yu, though Bill Taylor and Stefan Marcinkowski were tough competition) for the best written analysis of the reasons behind the styling decisions made by the competition.

As before, every winner will receive a special Custom Clinic Photo Contest certificate created by the venerable Mark Benton (my thanks to him are extended again this year), including Honorable Mention winners. The photographs will be archived in the National Model Car Builders' Museum and some of the photos from all the four Photo Contests will be used later this year when Mark Benton and I create the Custom Clinic Web Page. 

Thanks to everyone for entering this year. Start your models for next year because we will do it again! 

Photos Soon!