OcTRAINber 2019: The Technic Challenge is gearing up!

[raised]

“Everything that happens once can never happen twice. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.”

If there is one thing at BMR that this could apply for, definitely now that September is coming to a close, it would be the month of OcTRAINber. And yes, just like last year, we would like to announce that this year there will indeed be another OcTRAINber building challenge!

Just like last year and the year before, OcTRAINber isn’t just a regular challenge, it’s a themed challenge. Two years ago it was all about ridiculous long trains, last year it was all about foreign trains, and this year the challenge is…

The Technic Challenge!

As you know, OcTRAINber is all about building outside of your comfort zone. Ofcourse, all of us motorize our trains, be it with PUP, PF, IR, 9V, 12V or anything in between. But in real life, not only the wheels move. There is so much more going on in trains and trackside structures that moves around, or wiggles, or turns, or whatever it does, as long as it makes a movement.

So, for this year, we thought it would be fun to challenge our Lego Train community to come up with as much train-related stuff that makes movement, other than just the regular motorization of a locomotive. And, different than the last two years, this time it doesn’t have to be a train, it can also be a trackside structure! As long as it has a form of movement not necessary to let it run on the tracks, you are good to go!

Rules

As per tradition, we won’t tell you as of yet any of the specifics we will use to score builds until October 1st, but, as per tradition, we will give the general rules that are necessary to enter your builds and start planning!

• “Moving” is defined as: A movement of any locomotive, rolling stock, structure, or other railroad-related item that is NOT indented to propel the item forwards or backwards on track. Of course, the item can have these movements (we even recommend doing this, because static trains are soooo boring), but you will only be scored on extra movements, like doors opening, or running vents, or a moving telehandler on a goods dock… So, you can enter your newly build Acela Express, and it can be 9V powered, but it needs to have some extra modes of movement included as well, otherwise we will disqualify your entry. I’m sure you get the point.
• Entries must be original models. No stealing. This also means no MODs, only MOCs.
• We are making no rules for the scale you choose to model in. We are welcoming models of 6, 7, and 8 studs, and anything in between or beyond! However, we appreciate detail and accuracy. Reasonably sized models are usually better for that, but we don’t knock anything or anyone with serious skill.
• NEW BUILDS ONLY. We are willing to accept anything unpublished or anything that was not published before September 1st 2019 as new. We want to inspire and promote a challenging build, entering an old model doesn’t quite work in that regard.
• Entries MUST be made on our Flickr group in the appropriate thread. This is the ONLY place we will be looking for entries, nowhere else. Sending photos to us on social media or showing us in person do not count as entries!
• We will be accepting entries from Midnight on October 1st to Midnight on November 1st (meaning October 31st, at 23:59 PDT). There is possibility of a grace period to ensure those that need that one final Bricklink order have a fair chance.

Entries and Prizes

Keep in mind that OcTRAINber is a ‘quality over quantity’-building event. This means that we rather encourage you to build one amazing build than several sub-par ones. That’s why, just like last year, we will restrict the number of entries to only one per person. We are not accepting digital entries this year to emphasize the spirit of the challenge.

We haven’t finalized on prizes yet, but since this is a building challenge, we will for sure have some, just like in previous years.

Just like last year, we want to encourage you to show off your WIPs this year as well, to make OcTRAINber really a month that is all about trains within the Lego community. Therefore, extra credit will be given to the best WIP stories and/or pictures during the event. Specific information about WIP points will be mentioned in the kick-off article, but the rules will be pretty much in line with last year’s event.

We will pick the winners after we have announced the official close of the competition and have stopped accepting new entries, which will be some time after November 1. Once the judges (who, just like last year, will be announced in an upcoming article) have come to a sound conclusion regarding the winners, we will post one final article announcing them, and then we will be in contact with those winners regarding their prizes.

So, that’s it for now. We are very excited about this years’ installment, hopefully the same goes for all you train-heads out there! Stay tuned for updates on the start of the challenge, the judges and the scoring when OcTRAINber starts on October 1st.

So pack your gear and all aboard OcTRAINber!

 

BTW: For more information and extras it's always wise to check out both Brickmodelrailroader.com, our Flickr and our Facebook, but we will ofcourse try our best to also answer your questions here on the famous Train Tech forums! 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

As we announced a bit over a week ago, this year BMR will again run the OcTRAINber contest. OcTRAINber is a contest meant to get outside of your comfort zone and build something you haven’t thought of before. You know, that one truly special build that will spice up your layout like no other has before. All within the realm of Lego Trains, but with a twist. So, let us officially introduce you to the contest and let’s get rolling!

OcTRAINber

First of all, the name. It’s called OcTRAINber, if somebody had not noticed after two years. Why OcTRAINber? Well, because it’s a great intermediate month between SHIPtember and November. Also, TRAINS. Mostly TRAINS. TRAINS.

“The Technic Challenge”

Second of all, the subject of this years OcTRAINber. Why the Technic Challenge?

Two years ago we had a ‘build your longest’ theme, and last year we were all about ‘building that foreign dream of yours’. Both of them produced some really nice models, but, in essence, they were all static. Yes, some of them were motorized, and yes, some of them even had very fancy motorization that not even us had thought of before. However, in the end motorization was just a nice have-to, not a requirement, which is strange when you think about it. Therefore, we have decided that this year everything is forced to move. The more movement, the better!

The Rules

The Rules have already been announced in the previous OcTRAINber post, but for completeness’ sake we have pasted them here again:

• “Moving” is defined as: A movement of any locomotive, rolling stock, structure, or other railroad-related item that is NOT indented to propel the item forwards or backwards on track.Ofcourse, the item can have these movements (we even recommend doing this, because static trains are soooo boring), but you will only be scored on extra movements, like doors opening, or running vents, or a moving telehandler on a goods dock. So, you can enter your newly build Acela Express, and it can be 9V powered, but it needs to have some extra modes of movement included as well, otherwise we will disqualify your entry. I’m sure you get the point.
• Entries must be original models. No stealing. This also means no MODs, only MOCs.
• We are making no rules for the scale you choose to model in. We are welcoming models of 6, 7, and 8 studs, and anything in between or beyond! However, we appreciate detail and accuracy. Reasonably sized models are usually better for that, but we don’t knock anything or anyone with serious skill. Also, the building of Train-related builds which aren’t trains themselves (trackside structures etc.) is stimulated, so no need to even join the 6 vs 7 vs 8 wide wars this year!
• NEW BUILDS ONLY. We are willing to accept anything unpublished or anything that was not published before September 1st 2019 as new. We want to inspire and promote a challenging build, entering an old model doesn’t quite work in that regard.

Type of Entries

Unlike the previous two years, we will only accept real-life builds this year. This has everything to do with the subject of this year’s challenge. It’s just virtually impossible to show movement in digital builds, and to prove that it actually works. To level the playing field we have thus decided not to allow digital builds.

However, we will have to separate categories of Entries: Direct Drive and Indirect Drive. To explain this a bit further:

Direct Drive entries are entries that are/could be driven by a separate motor that is specifically meant for that moment. So think moving crossing poles, a truck that runs around, waggling ducks, a moving carousel… You name it.

The Indirect Drive category in the other hand is meant for entries that move around because of a movement that is already happening. So think a train that is already running around due to it’s train motor, but that has some movement that is kinetically powered and only moves when the train moves.

Does your Entry have both? Well, then you are in luck and you can enter it in both categories! That’s just a gesture from us here at BMR to stimulate some extra movement :)

Third party parts

BMR has always been positive towards third-party parts, as long as they have any way of added value to the hobby. So the rule of thumb is simple:

Lego: Yes
Third Party Parts meant specifically for use with Lego: Yes*
Clones: No

*Other than the previous years we have made some extra specification to the Third Party Parts. All Third Party Parts this year have to be meant for use with Lego. So BuWizz, PFx Brick, sBrick etc. are allowed, but Arduino and Raspberry Pi are not. Rule of thumb: If it has studs and/or connectors to one of the Lego electric systems, it’s OK. If not, it isn’t.

Points

Points will be awarded in three categories: Credibility, WIP Story and Movement Factor.

First of all, credibility of the prototype. This means we will be looking at how much the build represents the real life prototype. This means the quality of the build, but potential scale etc. If you are sending in a fantasy model, we will look at how credible the build is; would it fit in, does the backstory make sense? (Please note that this means an entry does need to be based in the real-life in some way, so no fantasy universes like Star Wars, etc.)

Second of all, the WIP story. This refers to both showing off your building process, but also to how and why you decided to model a certain prototype. The better the story and the more updates you give and the more elaborate your building story is, the better. (Also, feel free to cross-post these pictures in our WIP-thread while you are still building!)

Third and last, the Movement Factor. This is all about the how of the movement of your build. So, is it powered in a special way, or does it have some crazy movement, or does it have some special functionality, etc. The more the merrier, but as always with OcTRAINber, it’s about quality first, and quality second. So it’s great if you have some wobbling pigeons, but if one of them also flies up and down… that could definitely add some points.

The Judges

This contest will have four judges. Why four? Well, because last year we also had four. Just like last year we will have a guest judge related to the building contest. This year our guest judge will be none other than Peer Kreuger, better known as Mahjqa, one of the most well-known technic gearheads out there. Almost (if not all) of Peer’s builds have some funky motorization in them, which time after time surprises and makes his builds even more fun. We are delighted to have him and we hope it will give you guys an extra incentive to build!

• Glenn Holland
• Cale Leiphart
• Gerbrand van den Eeckhout 
• Peer Kreuger (This year’s guest judge!)

Timeline

We will be accepting entries from Midnight on October 1st (being right now!) to midnight on November 1st (meaning October 31st, at 23:59 PDT). There is possibility of a grace period to ensure those that need that one final Bricklink order have a fair chance

Entries

Entries are to be sent in ONLY via our own BMR Flickr! There are two discussions; one for the Direct Drive Entries and one for the Indirect Drive Entries. This is the ONLY place we will be looking for entries, nowhere else. Sending photos to us on social media or showing us in person do not count as entries.

Next to that, please also add your pictures in the pool! Also, we have a special thread for WIP pictures, just to keep OcTRAINber going. However, do keep in mind that pictures in this thread don’t count as entries!

The Prizes

No contest without prizes! Just as last year we have some really nice prizes from several outlets. Which prizes specifically will be made public as soon as possible, so to keep the hype train running for a little bit longer!

Spare Parts

We here over at BMR are very, very excited about OcTRAINber 2019: The Technic Challenge and we are looking forward to all those entries. We are really looking forward to see what the community has to offer in terms of creativity and we hope that all of you will be stimulated by this contest to finally build that one amazing moving MOC that you always wanted to build, but never managed.

Also, if there are any things that aren’t fully clear, you can always reach out to us by posting your message below.

So pack your gear and get aboard OcTRAINber!

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by raised

[Roadmonkeytj]

Last year there was a provision for digital ... Is that offered this year?

[dr_spock]

Is it required to provide video showing the entry actually moving?

 

[Hod Carrier]

Oh yes!! It's that time of year already. 

I like the category this year. It's very innovative and will surely have us all needing to think outside the box. I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with. 

[ColletArrow]

I've been looking forward to this for a month already, and the theme is ab-so-lutely perfect for me. I've got too many ideas, I don't know where to start! It's pretty much guarunteed to be yellow though

The no-digital-entries is going to pose an additional challenge to me, as I'm a student with no access to bricks at Uni. Luckily, I've planned a holiday at the end of the month, which will require going home first; it will be a challenge to get a model built (from a perfected digital model) and filmed in the short time I'll have available, but I'm up for it!

Roll on Octrainber! 

[Matt Dawson]

On 9/20/2019 at 1:03 AM, Roadmonkeytj said:

Last year there was a provision for digital ... Is that offered this year?

It says under the first line of "Entries & Prizes": "We are not accepting digital entries this year to emphasize the spirit of the challenge."

Digital entries could be classed as cheating. With a locomotive if the mechanism doesn't work it could always be a display piece; however as a functional challenge the only way to get a complete (and provable) working system is to build it "in the brick".

And to aid people, here's a (short) list of things that could be built:
 

Spoiler

Freight handling:

• coaling plant (moves a wagon up the side to tip it into the top of the bin)
• wagon pulleys (used to pull wagons/cars into place by chain)
• wagon unloading plants (normally tipping, either whole wagon or part of the body; new ones in the US for example rotate the entire wagon - see rotary dumper)
• unloading ramp pusher (loose wagons/cars would be "pushed" up a ramp to a track above an unloading chute, but as you would have to motorise it would be difficult)
• cranes

Railway equipment

• turnout mechanisms (although as per rules these would have to be new)
• motorized ash bins (remove waste from a locomotive pit to surface or into a waiting wagon/car)
• turntables (both locomotive and wagon)
• traverser tables
• semaphore or train order signals
• crossing signals (e.g. wig-wag)
• crossing gates
• rolling cranes (e.g. Ransomes & Rapier, Hiab, Industrial Works etc)

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Matt Dawson

[raised]

Great to see the enthousiasm building up again! :) 

Feel free to come up with any questions that you have; we are more than willing to answer the, ofcourse. 

 

On 9/21/2019 at 11:08 AM, Matt Dawson said:

It says under the first line of "Entries & Prizes": "We are not accepting digital entries this year to emphasize the spirit of the challenge."

Digital entries could be classed as cheating. With a locomotive if the mechanism doesn't work it could always be a display piece; however as a functional challenge the only way to get a complete (and provable) working system is to build it "in the brick".

I wouldn't call it 'cheating' to build digitally, but the assumption here is absolutely correct: This challenge is all about movement, and as such digital just can't prove that something actually works. Therefore, instead of the first two installments of OcTRAINber, we have decided to not allow digital builds this time around. 

 

On 9/20/2019 at 3:02 AM, dr_spock said:

Is it required to provide video showing the entry actually moving?

 

We are still working out the final rules, but yes, you can be sure we will ask for some sort of proof of movement!

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by raised

[raised]

As we announced a bit over a week ago, this year BMR will again run the OcTRAINber contest. OcTRAINber is a contest meant to get outside of your comfort zone and build something you haven’t thought of before. You know, that one truly special build that will spice up your layout like no other has before. All within the realm of Lego Trains, but with a twist. So, let us officially introduce you to the contest and let’s get rolling!

OcTRAINber

First of all, the name. It’s called OcTRAINber, if somebody had not noticed after two years. Why OcTRAINber? Well, because it’s a great intermediate month between SHIPtember and November. Also, TRAINS. Mostly TRAINS. TRAINS.

“The Technic Challenge”

Second of all, the subject of this years OcTRAINber. Why the Technic Challenge?

Two years ago we had a ‘build your longest’ theme, and last year we were all about ‘building that foreign dream of yours’. Both of them produced some really nice models, but, in essence, they were all static. Yes, some of them were motorized, and yes, some of them even had very fancy motorization that not even us had thought of before. However, in the end motorization was just a nice have-to, not a requirement, which is strange when you think about it. Therefore, we have decided that this year everything is forced to move. The more movement, the better!

The Rules

The Rules have already been announced in the previous OcTRAINber post, but for completeness’ sake we have pasted them here again:

• “Moving” is defined as: A movement of any locomotive, rolling stock, structure, or other railroad-related item that is NOT indented to propel the item forwards or backwards on track.Ofcourse, the item can have these movements (we even recommend doing this, because static trains are soooo boring), but you will only be scored on extra movements, like doors opening, or running vents, or a moving telehandler on a goods dock. So, you can enter your newly build Acela Express, and it can be 9V powered, but it needs to have some extra modes of movement included as well, otherwise we will disqualify your entry. I’m sure you get the point.
• Entries must be original models. No stealing. This also means no MODs, only MOCs.
• We are making no rules for the scale you choose to model in. We are welcoming models of 6, 7, and 8 studs, and anything in between or beyond! However, we appreciate detail and accuracy. Reasonably sized models are usually better for that, but we don’t knock anything or anyone with serious skill. Also, the building of Train-related builds which aren’t trains themselves (trackside structures etc.) is stimulated, so no need to even join the 6 vs 7 vs 8 wide wars this year!
• NEW BUILDS ONLY. We are willing to accept anything unpublished or anything that was not published before September 1st 2019 as new. We want to inspire and promote a challenging build, entering an old model doesn’t quite work in that regard.

Type of Entries

Unlike the previous two years, we will only accept real-life builds this year. This has everything to do with the subject of this year’s challenge. It’s just virtually impossible to show movement in digital builds, and to prove that it actually works. To level the playing field we have thus decided not to allow digital builds.

However, we will have to separate categories of Entries: Direct Drive and Indirect Drive. To explain this a bit further:

Direct Drive entries are entries that are/could be driven by a separate motor that is specifically meant for that moment. So think moving crossing poles, a truck that runs around, waggling ducks, a moving carousel… You name it.

The Indirect Drive category in the other hand is meant for entries that move around because of a movement that is already happening. So think a train that is already running around due to it’s train motor, but that has some movement that is kinetically powered and only moves when the train moves.

Does your Entry have both? Well, then you are in luck and you can enter it in both categories! That’s just a gesture from us here at BMR to stimulate some extra movement :)

Third party parts

BMR has always been positive towards third-party parts, as long as they have any way of added value to the hobby. So the rule of thumb is simple:

Lego: Yes
Third Party Parts meant specifically for use with Lego: Yes*
Clones: No

*Other than the previous years we have made some extra specification to the Third Party Parts. All Third Party Parts this year have to be meant for use with Lego. So BuWizz, PFx Brick, sBrick etc. are allowed, but Arduino and Raspberry Pi are not. Rule of thumb: If it has studs and/or connectors to one of the Lego electric systems, it’s OK. If not, it isn’t.

Points

Points will be awarded in three categories: Credibility, WIP Story and Movement Factor.

First of all, credibility of the prototype. This means we will be looking at how much the build represents the real life prototype. This means the quality of the build, but potential scale etc. If you are sending in a fantasy model, we will look at how credible the build is; would it fit in, does the backstory make sense? (Please note that this means an entry does need to be based in the real-life in some way, so no fantasy universes like Star Wars, etc.)

Second of all, the WIP story. This refers to both showing off your building process, but also to how and why you decided to model a certain prototype. The better the story and the more updates you give and the more elaborate your building story is, the better. (Also, feel free to cross-post these pictures in our WIP-thread while you are still building!)

Third and last, the Movement Factor. This is all about the how of the movement of your build. So, is it powered in a special way, or does it have some crazy movement, or does it have some special functionality, etc. The more the merrier, but as always with OcTRAINber, it’s about quality first, and quality second. So it’s great if you have some wobbling pigeons, but if one of them also flies up and down… that could definitely add some points.

The Judges

This contest will have four judges. Why four? Well, because last year we also had four. Just like last year we will have a guest judge related to the building contest. This year our guest judge will be none other than Peer Kreuger, better known as Mahjqa, one of the most well-known technic gearheads out there. Almost (if not all) of Peer’s builds have some funky motorization in them, which time after time surprises and makes his builds even more fun. We are delighted to have him and we hope it will give you guys an extra incentive to build!

• Glenn Holland
• Cale Leiphart
• Gerbrand van den Eeckhout 
• Peer Kreuger (This year’s guest judge!)

Timeline

We will be accepting entries from Midnight on October 1st (being right now!) to midnight on November 1st (meaning October 31st, at 23:59 PDT). There is possibility of a grace period to ensure those that need that one final Bricklink order have a fair chance

Entries

Entries are to be sent in ONLY via our own BMR Flickr! There are two discussions; one for the Direct Drive Entries and one for the Indirect Drive Entries. This is the ONLY place we will be looking for entries, nowhere else. Sending photos to us on social media or showing us in person do not count as entries.

Next to that, please also add your pictures in the pool! Also, we have a special thread for WIP pictures, just to keep OcTRAINber going. However, do keep in mind that pictures in this thread don’t count as entries!

The Prizes

No contest without prizes! Just as last year we have some really nice prizes from several outlets. Which prizes specifically will be made public as soon as possible, so to keep the hype train running for a little bit longer!

Spare Parts

We here over at BMR are very, very excited about OcTRAINber 2019: The Technic Challenge and we are looking forward to all those entries. We are really looking forward to see what the community has to offer in terms of creativity and we hope that all of you will be stimulated by this contest to finally build that one amazing moving MOC that you always wanted to build, but never managed.

Also, if there are any things that aren’t fully clear, you can always reach out to us by posting your message below.

So pack your gear and get aboard OcTRAINber!

Edited October 1, 2019 by raised

[raised]

Small update: This year's guest judge will be none other than @mahjqa, the wizard of moving technic builds. I can definately recommend you guys have a look at his Flickr Stream for some extra inspiration!

[raised]

Only six days to go in this years OcTRAINber! How are we doing? Does anybody already know they need a grace period to make sure we get more entries? 

Also, due to personal Lego obligations at Legoworld 2019 in Utrecht I totally forgot to crosspost the prizes here. They are however so cool, that I decided to do so anyways even it's a week late ;) 

 

We’re halfway through the month already and we’ve seen plenty of unique and interesting looking WIP stories so far. This is shaping up to be a great year so far, and we’re looking forward to seeing the final entries!

Of course, what would any OcTRAINber challenge be without prizes? We have some new prizes this year from our good friends across the community.

PFx Brick XL Package

This prize was donated by Fx Bricks, and includes the following:

• PFx Brick 16 MB (new injection molded case!)
• XL Speaker
• pinLABsolo Light Accessory Board
• 4x Bright White Fx LEDs

PFx Brick M Package

Also donated by Fx Bricks, and includes the following:

• PFx Brick 16 MB (new injection molded case!)
• M Speaker
• pinLABsolo Light Accessory Board
• 4x Bright White Fx LEDs

BrickTracks Track Packs

BrickTracks has donated plenty of track this year! We have split it up as follows:

R120 + Short Straights Package

• 1 full circle (4x boxes) of BrickTracks R120 Curved Track
• 2x boxes of BrickTracks Short Straight Track

Short Straight Pack

• 2x boxes of BrickTracks Short Straight Track

Lastly, and certainly not least:

LEGO 71044 Disney Train and Station

Prize allocation will be covered in the wrap up article before winners are announced.

We hope everyone is having a great OcTRAINber!

[Hod Carrier]

On 10/25/2019 at 11:07 AM, raised said:

Only six days to go in this years OcTRAINber! How are we doing? Does anybody already know they need a grace period to make sure we get more entries? 

I’m confident that I’ll be finished by the end of October, but not this October.

I’m afraid that I’ve been hampered by developmental setbacks and delays in receiving orders to such an extent that I’m still mired in the testing phase with no clear idea yet when I might start building. I’m so far behind that I’d need an extension until Christmas to have any realistic chance of entering, and that really isn’t fair on everyone else. As a consequence I must inform you that I’m out.

[Beck]

On 10/25/2019 at 3:07 AM, raised said:

Only six days to go in this years OcTRAINber! How are we doing? Does anybody already know they need a grace period to make sure we get more entries? 

Although I digitally finalized the design over two weeks ago, my bricklink orders just arrived a couple days ago. Extending the time limit to Nov 4 would likely allow me to complete the model IRL.

[ScotNick]

On 10/25/2019 at 12:07 PM, raised said:

Only six days to go in this years OcTRAINber! How are we doing? Does anybody already know they need a grace period to make sure we get more entries? 

I've been waiting for an important order since 2 weeks with no reaction from the seller - no tracking ID, nothing.

Even IF the order arrives soon I'm not sure I'll make it in time as I'd need one last order for the rest of the parts...

So a grace period would be very much appreciated, but right now I'm sadly not too confident, that even with that grace period I'll make it in time 

[raised]

Thanks for the feedback guys, really appreciated. Since this years subject has been more of a challenge than the previous two years of OcTRAINber, we think it would be fair to announce a two weeks grace period so that the builds can be finished in same high quality as last two years. Therefore, the new deadline for this years OcTRAINber will be in the middle of Novvember ;)

 

More specifically: This year's OcTRAINber will be extended to November 14th, 23:59 PDT!

[raised]

Hi all,

Short update from our side. Just like last year it has proven to be a quite busy number of months for me, which means the judging has taken some delays again since coordinating the judging is my 'task'. We will try to get it done in max 2 weeks, so still before the end of the year. We will keep you updated on this proces as much as possible.

In the same time, I'd also like to ask you guys for some feedback. OcTRAINber has been a succes for three years in a row for us over at BMR, but we are wondering how you actually think about OcTRAINber. What do you guys like about the contest? What are the reasons to participate, or not to participate? What do you guys think could be done better next year? We look forward hearing from you, to make OcTRAINber 2020 even better!

[Roadmonkeytj]

Here's my thoughts ... I love the contest

... But seemingly everything I could enter I've already posted before the cutoff lol.  

If there was a way to know even a month earlier ... That would be helpful.

I like that your willing to extend the deadline ... Even if I wasn't able to compete this year (Again lol, I have two shows I prep for that parallel the contest).

 

[raised]

OcTRAINber 2019: The Winners!

Last year we published the results on December 9th, this year we are doing so on January 6th. Not everything can be a tradition after three years, but it seems that slow judging is definitely one of them.

So, I’d say it’s nothing more than fair to cut the chase and just announce the winners of OcTRAINber 2019: The Technic Challenge!

Grand Prize Winner

The entry that got the most votes from all four judges on all three categories aggregated is none other than the Canadian Pacific 414501 250 ton Industrial Brownhoist Wrecker Crane by The Brick Files!

Our Guest Judge Mahjqa had the following to say about this build:

Quote

“TheBrickFiles; Wonderful looks and great functionality; this is pretty much everything I’d wish for in a model.”

 

Grand Prize Runner Up

The entry that got the second most votes from all four judges on all three categories aggregated (by a very close margin!) is Casey Jr. from the Dumbo movie by Narmot (Chris Stone)!

Our Guest Judge Mahjqa had the following to say about this entry:

Quote

“Narmot: Impressed by all the functionality, the writeup about animation principles really sold it for me. “

 

Winner of Movement-Factor category

The entry that got the most votes from all four judges on the main category, the Movement Factor, is the Railway Moving Box by FlipUS (Phil B)!

Our Guest Judge Mahjqa of course also had to say something about this design:

Quote

“FlipUS: great concept, fun to see everything in motion.”

 

Winner of the Credibility category

The entry that got the most votes from all four judges on the Credibility of the build, is the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge by Robwd12 (Robert D.)!

As per tradition, our Guest Judge Mahjqa had the following to say:

Quote

“Robwd12: Solid model, very interesting function. Most novel movement function this year. “

 

Winner of the WIP-story category

Last but not least, the builder that kept us in the best way up-to-date about their build, but also tried to explain some of his building behind the scenes, is the Railway Test Bench with SNCF 140 C 314 Ajecta by denis.h.garnier (Denis Garnier)!

And, ofcourse, our Guest Judge Mahjqa also had something to tell about this design:

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“Denis H Garnier: Very unique concept, good looking model. “

 

Prizes

Yes, prizes, the most important part of any contest! This year we have been able, thanks to our sponsors FX Bricks, BrickTracks and TLC, to arrange five Prize Packs. Since we know that every builder might have some different ideas how to use any of these items, we are giving the first winner the first chance to pick one of these five Prize Packs, the second winner the second chance, etc. etc. all until the Winner of the WIP-story category, who will receive the final Prize Pack. One of us here at BMR will reach out to you on short notice (we promise, it won’t be as long as you have been waiting for the results) to arrange things with all five of you!

PFx Brick XL Package	PFx Brick M Package	Bricktracks Parts Pack 1	Bricktracks Parts Pack 2	TLC
PFx Brick 16 MB (new injection molded case!)	PFx Brick 16 MB (new injection molded case!)	1 full circle (4x boxes) of BrickTracks R120 Curved Track	2x boxes of BrickTracks Short Straight Track	LEGO 71044 Disney Train and Station
XL Speaker	M Speaker	2x boxes of BrickTracks Short Straight Track
pinLABsolo Light Accessory Board	pinLABsolo Light Accessory Board
4x Bright White Fx LEDs	4x Bright White Fx LEDs

Words from the Guest Judge

In fact, Mahjqa reviewed all posted models, so we thought it would be good to post these as well, just so you guys know what to do to score even better next year!

Quote

 

“ColletArrow: Solid model, lots of functionality in a small package. 

Brett Wiebold: Gorgeous model, doesn’t skimp on functions. 

The Chestertonian: Very entertaining concept, works like a charm.

Sparks Again: Great concept; wish the function was more functional instead of just decorative.

William.Cooper: Love that you managed to fit a very functional mechanism in such a tiny model.

Beck: A very solid effort overall. 

JMChisel: Very out-of-the-box, it’s obvious a lot of effort went into this.

Brickmodder: Hilarious function, very appealing.”

 

 

Final Words

First of all, you guys might remember we had a Direct Drive and Indirect Drive category where entries could be submitted. In the end we decided to combine both categories, because it turned out our differentiating between both categories was very unclear, even for us…

We were again stunned by the high quality of the entries and the amazing functionality that you managed to cram into your designs. Even though some of you weren’t able to finish in time, and some even weren’t able to do so after the extension, we have seen some great stuff from all of you. Even after three years of OcTRAINber, the creativity still amazes us. Congrats to the winners, but definitely also kudos to all other builders that participated!!

It has been a lot of fun for us here at BMR to organize this event for the third year in a row now. Yes, some things could have gone smoother, and we apologize for this. Running BMR, writing articles and also keeping a contest afloat takes a lot of time, definitely because it’s just as much a hobby for me as it is for any of you.

Oh, and yes, we still very much would like to receive some feedback on this years OcTRAINber, and the two previous editions, so that we can come back with an even better OcTRAINber 2020. Feel free to drop your feedback in the comments!

 

(crossposted from https://brickmodelrailroader.com/index.php/2020/01/06/octrainber-2019-the-winners/)

Edited January 6, 2020 by raised
added link to BMR

[Phil B]

@raised, thanks to you and the team at BrickModelRailroader.com for organizing. I had a blast working on the challenge this year, and am super stoked having landed the Movement Prize! 

In terms of feedback - I participated in the last Railbricks contest before they shut down but skipped the first 2 BMR OcTRAINbers, so I don't know if I can add much to what was already contributed on Flickr and other sites in terms of feedback. Maybe for the next challenge have both an "in the brick" as well as a "digital build" category with different prizes so that both types of participants feel included? 

Keep up the good work though - already looking forward to next October!

[Pdaitabird]

Congratulations to the winners!