One Week GB - anyone up for one ?

[Weaver]

For the one week GB, I'd vote to keep the theme open to allow as many people as possible to participate.

Yeap the theme is doing a Whiff model within a calendar week which is a challenge, some can do the full kit bashing, others if may be a straight forward out of the box build as we can now buy What-if boxings. Because of the time constraint its better to leave the theme open as the modeller can best determine what they think they can build paint and decal within the week with adding the added constaint of a specific theme.

I agree.

The old 1 week GBs used to actually run Friday night to next-but-one-Sunday night so that people with time-consuming jobs got two weekends inside the "window", which makes it more of a "10 day GB".

[NARSES2]

Right as there is sufficient interest 

I was thinking of having the build mid April time as that gives people plenty of time to consider what they want to build and make sure they have the necessaries. It also allows plenty of time for the post Xmas/New Year blues to wear off.

Time scale would be a "nominal week" which would actually cover 2 weekends as Weaver has reminded me (and Mossie by PM). As for builds ? Anything you want and think you could get done in the time. The field is completely open.

As for the subject of GB's in general ? They are just downright semi impossible to organise. Unless there is something people can really hang on to, like a Tribute build, minds just won't stay focused long enough. People commit but then another idea comes into their head and they build that. I'm not criticizing as we have all done it but it makes organising a traditional GB a thankless task. Just look at the 2014 one. It was difficult enough explaining the context of it and I still have nightmares  As for builds ? My 2 with another pending and that's it and it was hung on what was possibly one of the most important historical events of the last century.

However there is an alternative and that is the Theme Build which in all honesty is the laid back great uncle of the GB. If people wish to organise their own builds around a common theme or idea then they are free to do that, indeed there is a section of the site specifically for it and there have been some organised with various levels of success.

I'm not saying we couldn't organise GB's but I'm afraid you'd have to find a volunteer to organise it first as I'm still recovering from my wounds 

Anyway I've said my piece and I'm seriously not having a moan (although I am slightly hung over)  just trying to explain the difficult nature of the beast.

So is mid April a reasonable date for those interested ? Not set in stone at all and I'd rather organise when the most people feel capable of joining in.

Chris

PS Happy New Year to all 

[Mossie]

 Nice one Chris.

One thing that Nev allowed was 'preparation time'.  Clean up of parts, trimming, gathering of materials etc. was allowed before the start, but no painting or gluing.  I think that would help.  He also wasn't a stickler for the deadline, so if you missed it by a few decals or a coat of varnish, no one was watching.

[pyro-manic]

I do think that a shorter timeframe is better. The year-long themes we've had for the past few years have been less successful IMO than the old format of three months or so. A year is too long for people to maintain enthusiasm.

[darthspud]

Cold War GB?
Friday to following sunday?
no glue or paint before start point?
sounds doable, even for a glacially slow builder like me
April-EASTER Weekend start and finish 11th/12th/13th?

[Weaver]

Nice one Chris: I'm up for it in April as long as life?-don't-talk-to-me-about-life doesn't get in the way.

As for the subject of GB's in general ? They are just downright semi impossible to organise. Unless there is something people can really hang on to, like a Tribute build, minds just won't stay focused long enough. People commit but then another idea comes into their head and they build that. I'm not criticizing as we have all done it but it makes organising a traditional GB a thankless task. Just look at the 2014 one. It was difficult enough explaining the context of it and I still have nightmares  As for builds ? My 2 with another pending and that's it and it was hung on what was possibly one of the most important historical events of the last century.

I think that the problems you describe are not so much a product of "traditional" GBs as of the year-long GBs that were adopted a few years ago, and is precisely why a lot of us wern't happy about the new format. If you don't like the choice of subject, you're basically excluded for 12 months (I'm not into WWI, for example) and the subjects tend to be too vague and ill-focussed in an attempt to get more people to join in. Even if you do like it, do you want to stay focussed on it for a year? Most of us seem to have "butterfly mind" syndrome to some extent: it's a consequence of the creative and flexible thinking that makes a whiffer in the first place.

However there is an alternative and that is the Theme Build which in all honesty is the laid back great uncle of the GB. If people wish to organise their own builds around a common theme or idea then they are free to do that, indeed there is a section of the site specifically for it and there have been some organised with various levels of success.

Again though, with no deadline and no prize, themed builds tend to start well but then peter out with no resolution as people's attention moves elsewhere. There's no sense of completion, judgement, analysis, or the sense of a job well done an/or an incentive to do better next time. If you posted the builds on the general forums, you wouldn't get a significantly different response.

I think it's a mistake to judge the success of a GB by how many people participate. Surely the point of the exercise is to inspire great models, not to play some facebook-freinds-style numbers game? In my eyes, if a GB gets half-a-dozen entries and four of them are great, then that's a success.

I think the site would be improved by going back to the traditional 1-3 month GB. It sets the right balance between inspiring creativity and imposing enough discipline to actually get things done, and people can sit out ones they don't like without feeling excluded for the whole year.

[Dizzyfugu]

10 days time frame with free choice of topic sound very good to me, and April for the "hot week" will allow a lot of prep time until then. It's worth a try, especially after one-year-long-themes. Will be interesting to see WiP in the work period! 

[kitbasher]

Easter unthemed 'freestyle' just-for-fun GB gets my vote. For glory only is also appealing. I like the themed builds as one can dip in and out of them as one likes, but a 'traditional' does provide a bit of focus.

[sandiego89]

Nice one Chris: I'm up for it in April as long as life?-don't-talk-to-me-about-life doesn't get in the way.

As for the subject of GB's in general ? They are just downright semi impossible to organise. Unless there is something people can really hang on to, like a Tribute build, minds just won't stay focused long enough. People commit but then another idea comes into their head and they build that. I'm not criticizing as we have all done it but it makes organising a traditional GB a thankless task. Just look at the 2014 one. It was difficult enough explaining the context of it and I still have nightmares  As for builds ? My 2 with another pending and that's it and it was hung on what was possibly one of the most important historical events of the last century.

I think that the problems you describe are not so much a product of "traditional" GBs as of the year-long GBs that were adopted a few years ago, and is precisely why a lot of us wern't happy about the new format. If you don't like the choice of subject, you're basically excluded for 12 months (I'm not into WWI, for example) and the subjects tend to be too vague and ill-focussed in an attempt to get more people to join in. Even if you do like it, do you want to stay focussed on it for a year? Most of us seem to have "butterfly mind" syndrome to some extent: it's a consequence of the creative and flexible thinking that makes a whiffer in the first place.

However there is an alternative and that is the Theme Build which in all honesty is the laid back great uncle of the GB. If people wish to organise their own builds around a common theme or idea then they are free to do that, indeed there is a section of the site specifically for it and there have been some organised with various levels of success.

Again though, with no deadline and no prize, themed builds tend to start well but then peter out with no resolution as people's attention moves elsewhere. There's no sense of completion, judgement, analysis, or the sense of a job well done an/or an incentive to do better next time. If you posted the builds on the general forums, you wouldn't get a significantly different response.

I think it's a mistake to judge the success of a GB by how many people participate. Surely the point of the exercise is to inspire great models, not to play some facebook-freinds-style numbers game? In my eyes, if a GB gets half-a-dozen entries and four of them are great, then that's a success.

I think the site would be improved by going back to the traditional 1-3 month GB. It sets the right balance between inspiring creativity and imposing enough discipline to actually get things done, and people can sit out ones they don't like without feeling excluded for the whole year.

As a contributor to some of the old three month GB's I think they were great.  Having 3 or so a year was awesome, and if you were not inspired by one theme, you could look forward to the next one.  Really great when we had a semi-firm schedule to know what they were ahead of time to give plenty of time to get an idea, order supplies, research, change your mind.....

Some saw more entires, some less, but it was fun.  Agree with Weaver that numbers is not the only measure of success. 

No big loss if you sat one out, not like you were out for a year.  A year is WAY too long.   I think we ran into some problems when some overlapped, and folks felt like they had too choose- a few had almost exact start and finish times. And maybe a few less interesting themes. Organizers felt unappreciated, builders confused, things collapsed. 

I deeply appreciated the time organizers put into them.   

[Ed S]

Yeah, I'd like to see the 1 week GB return. It was a good time to actually get a model finished. Of course, my participation would depend on what week we schedule. A 30 day GB would also work.

Ed

[dadlamassu]

I have not (yet) participated in a GB here but I have in other places.

Year long builds that I have participated have had an open theme but the participants had to produce 4 tasks over the year.  Each task had a minimum qualifying entry.  Something like 5 figures, 1 or 2 vehicles, aircraft, ships, terrain pieces etc.  Since many of the participants were wargamers as much as modellers the quality and quantity was high. 

Speed builds could be as short as 24 hours but are generally about a week or 28-30 days.  Quite often the 24 hour, 7 day, 10 day or whatever "window" has to be in a specified month. 

A bit of flexibility is the key to maximum participation.

[NARSES2]

Right

I've made a note in my diary to kick the GB off in April, perhaps including the Easter Weekend ? I will remind people a couple of times before then so that it's kept in mind.

Thank you

Chris

[NARSES2]

As for GB's in general I don't have a problem with them at all and do take fully on board the critic of the one year GB's. However I still note that people think the 2014 GB was about WWI ? It wasn't it took 1914 as a start date and allowed you to extrapolate your own version of what would have happened without the assassination. My 2 builds are Austro-Hungarian aircraft of the 1940's, as are the 3rd and 4th builds in progress.

Anyway back to GB's.

If anyone wants to organise one and if people can agree on a subject then I am more then willing to set up the necessary polls, boards etc. But someone will have to take responsibility for organising/running it/them. I'll provide backup and participate depending on subject but you need to find an organiser or organisers.

Any volunteers ?

Chris

[zenrat]

I'm still working on my entry for the 2014 GB.  Maybe I should have WIPed it?  But i'm not too good at them.

I knew you'd choose easter.  I shall be spending easter weekend drunk in a field at the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival and spending the week either side road tripping.

Year long builds like Dadlamassu describes contain far too many rules and requirements for me to want to participate.
Just my 2c.

[Gondor]

Right

I've made a note in my diary to kick the GB off in April, perhaps including the Easter Weekend ? I will remind people a couple of times before then so that it's kept in mind.

Thank you

Chris

I think that falls around the time of the Scottish Nationals

Gondor