Generic Contest Discussion

[Leonard Goldstein]

Like others said: prizes are not that important - the contest itself is the kick  And of course having a lot of fun and an animated discussion.

May I suggest a mission for the next contest: build some object of daily use.

Here is an example:

This phone holder for an iPhone 7 is by far my most played MOC  It works much better than the original that came with the car. 

"Daily use" gives a lot of room for interpretation - and in most cases it would be a "non vehicle" like @Jim suggested some post before.

 

Bye 

Leonard Goldstein

[Milan]

1 hour ago, Leonard Goldstein said:

May I suggest a mission for the next contest: build some object of daily use.

That indeed might be a nice idea.

[Leonard Goldstein]

1 minute ago, Milan said:

That indeed might be a nice idea.

Hi Milan,

thanks! Of course this idea is not new - googling "Lego life hacks" gives you about 1.500.000 hits ...

Maybe the mission should be a little bit more specific. Or the rating depends on how much time (or money) the device can save.

Regards

Leonard Goldstein

[Milan]

We had this idea in mind before, but now, when it seems that some kind of non-vehicle idea is gathering interest, it could be in a raffle for this holiday contest.

[Erik Leppen]

Keep in mind though that #12 was "weird vehicles" and #11 was "battlebots" both of which are not very conventional. So if #13 will be "non-vehicle", it would be good if #14 will be something more "down-to-earth" so that more conventional builders who just want to build a nice truck or a nice tractor or whatever can join.

Personally I'm not a fan of this non-vehicle idea, but if many people find it interesting I say, have a go at it. It's most certainly a theme worthy of exploration within Technic, because it sparks new and original mechanisms and solutions to problems that usually don't occur when building a truck or a car. So, personal preferences set aside, non-vehicle themes are I think very suitable for competitions now and then.

[mocbuild101]

Well if we were going to have a smaller contest, why not make it a micro-build contest?

That way you could build whatever you wanted - vehicle or non-vehicle - and it would be easier to finish in a shorter time frame.

11 hours ago, Aventador2004 said:

I would say a 4 week, easy scale contest. That would be a good way to spend Christmas and New year.

9 hours ago, Offroadcreat1ons said:

I would like an easy contest for the holiday, even without prizes.

9 hours ago, Jurss said:

Of course, it's pleasure to get also something from sets, but some badge etc. is enough.

+1 to all of the above^

 

 

[BusterHaus]

@Erik Leppen You opinion on the two subjective contests mirrors mine. I prefer  clearly defined goals or judging criteria.

I'm all in favour of a smaller contest with no prizes. I have two weeks off between classes and could use some Lego time. 

[Boulderer]

How about a contest to replicate your favourite, or an iconic set using a number of pieces equivalent to no more than 20% of the original’s total pieces?  So, if the Lego original used 1000 pieces, you can only use 200 pieces to replicate it in mini scale. 

[Saberwing40k]

How about a contest to invert a set's building style? Like, take your favorite studded set, and make it studless, or a studless set and build it with studded bricks. Having those options would enable a broad range of models, yet it makes the goals a lot more defined.

Another one could be a contest where Jim picks a diverse brand, like Liebherr or Terex, and the goal is to replicate a machine from their stable. It would be a lot of construction equipment, but after the last 2 contests, I would like something real world. In spite of some people stating a want for it, I don't think a non vehicle contest would be that popular. Non vehicle creations are rare for a reason.

Honestly, the last two contests were a little too broad, I would like to see something more focused. Actually, how about a technical challenge? The contest has specific goals, and contestants are rewarded for how creatively they meet them. For instance, build a vehicle that can self load a container of some agreed upon size, traverse a 5cm high obstacle, and cross a 15 cm gap, via remote control. Bonus points could be awarded for looks and cleverness, or their could be stretch goals in addition to the minimum ones.

[Boulderer]

All great ideas @Saberwing40k but, I’m not sure many of them would be done justice in the short timescale that is being suggested. 

[Aventador2004]

5 hours ago, Boulderer said:

How about a contest to replicate your favourite, or an iconic set using a number of pieces equivalent to no more than 20% of the original’s total pieces?  So, if the Lego original used 1000 pieces, you can only use 200 pieces to replicate it in mini scale. 

I really like this idea, but finding a larger set would be hard.

[Jim]

Okay guys. The new mini-contest is about to start. We will try to make an official topic tomorrow.

Build something with one or more pullback motors. No PF/EV or other electronics. No third party parts.

NO QUESTIONS HERE!
(there will be a topic soon)

Actually there shouldn't be any questions, other than the deadline date. This will probably be January 16th.

GO!!!!

[Erik Leppen]

Spoiler

 

7 hours ago, Boulderer said:

All great ideas @Saberwing40k but, I’m not sure many of them would be done justice in the short timescale that is being suggested. 

That's mostly why I suggested a more straightforward, serious theme for #14 instead of #13. If there wasn't this discussion about a "short" contest, I would have suggested to go back-to-basic for #13. But I think a good followup to #8 ("Build a Crane") doesn't fit in 4 weeks.

Relkevant to @Saberwing40k's idea about redoing sets, I still think it'd be better to use scale rather than piece count, and ask participants to rescale a set, and allowe both downscaling and upscaling. Make it either at least 25% smaller or at least 25% larger, something like that.

The "studless <--> studful" idea would be cool as well, but I expect very few studless models being "studdified" and almost all people choosing to "studlessify" a studful set, because that's what most people have in their part inventories.

I'm not sure about the "obstacle course" type idea (what Saber calls a "technical challenge"), because it's hard to check and may be a little bit too narrow (for my taste). I think a good contest theme allows for enough creative space and I feel a bit too limited if I have to have very specific functionalities. Most contest so far have been quite open, which I personally like, also because you get more diverse entries.

 

Edit: now seeing Jim's post. Sorry if my post stands in the way of the new topic. Mods, please feel free to move it. Good theme!

Edited December 21, 2017 by Erik Leppen

[Jim]

We have two (possibly three) ideas for contests next year. So, unless the idea is really really really good, it won't make a chance till 2019 

[Aventador2004]

Ahh, my question will have to wait!

Finally, I wanted a pullback contest too, hope we get good entries.

 

[BrickbyBrickTechnic]

3 hours ago, Aventador2004 said:

Finally, I wanted a pullback contest too, hope we get good entries.

 

Now I need a pullback motor 

[Aventador2004]

Just now, BrickbyBrickTechnic said:

Now I need a pullback motor 

Sorry to you, hope you can participate.

I already finished my entry prototype.

[Boulderer]

15 minutes ago, Aventador2004 said:

Sorry to you, hope you can participate.

I already finished my entry prototype.

Impressive, given no one has been told what the contest is asking us to build 

[Aventador2004]

35 minutes ago, Boulderer said:

Impressive, given no one has been told what the contest is asking us to build 

I think I know exactly what it will be like, so I assumed mine would be fine for now.

[aminnich]

47 minutes ago, Boulderer said:

Impressive, given no one has been told what the contest is asking us to build 

That's my question! What should I be thinking about?? 

[Aventador2004]

Just now, aminnich said:

That's my question! What should I be thinking about?? 

If it was me, I would base your's on the standard pullback. It seems most logical to me.

[Boulderer]

If it were me, I’d probably wait for the contest to be launched and go from there ?

[Aventador2004]

1 hour ago, Boulderer said:

If it were me, I’d probably wait for the contest to be launched and go from there ?

I am not one to do that... 

btw, what device do you use, your emoji appeared...

[mocbuild101]

10 hours ago, Jim said:

Build something with one or more pullback motors. No PF/EV or other electronics. No third party parts.

If those are the only rules (other than the standard ones), it's exactly what I was hoping for!

Now, what to build.....

[Aventador2004]

23 minutes ago, mocbuild101 said:

Now, what to build.....

I bet you think of something, you are good at that.