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

This year's photo contest – the seventh in an unbroken series – marked an incredible surge in the number and quality of the entries. Building on six years of high achievement, entrants this year collectively outshone earlier contests with their excellent work and thoughtful presentations. This year, we had 88 entries from 80 contestants who represented 28 States and Puerto Rico, and 4 foreign countries (Canada, Australia, England and Finland). Junior Class entrants were also exceptionally well represented with 12 entries. Thanks to everyone for continuing to make this contest such a success.

One of the most delightful developments in this contest has been the rise of thoughtful and erudite narratives accompanying many entries that reflects the serious thought that most contestants put in their models. One contestant – the perennial and certainly original Stefan Marcinkowski – even assembled a brochure to accompany his entry. In this connection, a few entrants (most notably Gregg Plummer) critiqued their own completed entries showing a growing self-critical sophistication. For this reason, the Valley Custom Distinguished Styling Analysis Award has been resurrected and will be presented each year hereafter (it's shared this year!).

A few general impressions are in order: First, photography continues to be a significant obstacle to many builders. Remember, what can't be seen clearly can't be judged!  Make sure that you have clear images with good depth of field, and please present at least 4 different views of the model, most of which should be from a low angle. And photograph your model against a plain background – please, no diorama shots! A large handful of entries couldn't be judged because of substandard photography. Second, a surprising number of contestants entered models that were off topic; for example, there continue to be entries of earthmoving equipment and commercial trucks that were disqualified. Third, more builders are paying attention to ergonomic design concerns producing models of vehicles that could be actually used drivers and passengers. Fourth, this is a contest that encourages and evaluates the individual designs of the contestants. Two excellent entries this years were replicas of actual custom cars and they are featured here because the rules weren't sufficiently clear. In the future, only original designs will be evaluated. Fifth, the quality of construction (including basic craftsmanship) jumped up this year, reflecting a greater appreciation for the importance of quality modeling. Sixth, the Junior entrants have really improved this year. In particular, the top Junior winner – Brad Heiny – presents a thoughtful custom worthy of any contest. Finally, while a careful restyling of a factory vehicle is always appreciated, a more complete example of the styling acumen of the builder has a slight edge in judging if basic craftsmanship, careful design and good ergonomics are present. All in all, judging this year's contest was a genuine pleasure! 

As before, every Senior, Junior and Over the Top winners -- as well as all Honorable Mention winners -- will receive a special Custom Clinic Photo Contest certificate from me as well as prizes contributed by the National Model Car Builders' Museum, Scale Auto Enthusiast, Replicas and Miniatures Company of Maryland and Revell. Where the images are good enough, photos of contestants' models (for the first time, despite prior well-intentioned promises), will be uploaded to my Custom Clinic web page found at: www.CustomClinic.com   We have hired Chad Benton – son of webmaster Mark Benton – to scan the many photos. This web page has just grown nearly fourfold, and you are invited to visit the page often (as time permits, we'll upload the top winners from contests one through six later next year). 

Okay, enough commentary. Check out the accompanying photos and design discussions, and start your models for the 2002 Custom Clinic Photo Contest. The entry form is a part of this article, so get to work, and throw some putty! See you next year! 

Photos Soon!