Scale Modeling Forum future?

[Milan]

Hey Technic Forum and Scale Modeling Forum,

Technic and Scale Modeling Staff have been discussing possible changes for the Scale Modeling Forum (SMF).
We have come to an agreement that we should return SMF to the Technic Forum, and we would like to hear your thoughts and opinions.
We have talked to some of the guys who post there, and they all agreed it is a good idea.

Namely, as I am sure most of you are well aware, SMF is terribly inactive.
Jim and I really gave our best to pump life to it by frontpaging nearly every model, moving everything from Technic, that fits to the SMF rules, to SMF, but it is still a very inactive forum. We tried our best.

The worst thing is, people sometimes choose not to show their models at all, due to inactivity.
The main idea is to keep the models visible and to provide for them to get the amount of replies/attention they deserve.


The forum could be renamed to Technic, Modelteam and Scale Modeling Forum, with a requirement for every SMF topic to has the [SMF] prefix/tag.
So, what do you say, guys? How about we give SMF one more try?

[Jurss]

No problem, I approve.

[Andman]

What defines or qualifies a MOC for SMF? The amount of system parts used? The look, means does it look like technic or lego system? But anyway, IMHO merging both forum is a good idea.

[Jim]

9 minutes ago, Andman said:

What defines or qualifies a MOC for SMF? The amount of system parts used? The look, means does it look like technic or lego system? But anyway, IMHO merging both forum is a good idea.

It should be a proper scale model. Definition is in the index of the SMF if I am not mistaken.

I also approve of moving SMF back into Technic  

[Rudivdk]

Yes, let's merge them back together!

The official Technic line is moving closer to scale modelling than ever (licenses, looks, system parts details). And scale model MOCs have a lot of technic parts and functions embedded. So seems like a logical move to put them together. Let's hope it will spark some more scale model builders to share their MOCs again.

 

[1gor]

@Rudivdk just read my mind, so bring those forums back together

[Gray Gear]

For some MOCs from the scale modelling Forum I agree that they'd feel at right at home here in the technic section.

 

But I don't feel that way about MOCs that are basically 100% system and don't contain a single gear. I wouldn't really be happy about those coming here, as they have nothing to do with technic and all the other MOCs here 

Model Team is mostly system too, but it has a  good amount of technic, gears too, so it kinda fits.

 

I don't want to attack the user or anything like that, just an example of what I wouldn't like to see here as it just doesn't fit imo:

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by Gray Gear

[gyenesvi]

So if we believe that official Technic models are moving closer to scale modelling, does that have any implications on the rules when a model is considered a scale model? For example, I have just read the guidelines of scale modelling, and it says that purely technic models simply don't qualify, even if they look realistic and faithful to the real object, because they typically don't have enough bricks / system parts (although they have more and more):

• Built as advanced Model Team, mainly with bricks, plates and tiles, with high level of details and prime execution.
• Not purely Technic

Would it be a good idea to reconsider these requirements, given the evolution of the technic models?

For example, when I did this Willys Jeep alternate, I did try to get as close to the real one as possible, using a blueprint, reproducing key functions and visual features (with the part limitations that it is an alternate build).

I wonder how far this is from being acceptable as a scale model? I don't own a lot of system parts in all colors, but I find it a good challenge to replicate real things mostly using technic parts, with a bit of system parts here and there. Or just look at that recently frontpaged REXX mining truck. It's almost all technic, but it pretty well modelled the real thing, I think. Maybe accepting these as scale models could add more life to the forum (independently of whether it's part of Technic or not).

Any opinions?

[Tarix819]

I don't mind whether it gets merged or not, certainly my MOCs walk the line in terms of scale modelling and technic.

My only concern is that I think a great deal of people viewing the Technic forum are more interested in pure technic, so often MOCs which use the parameters of the Scale Modelling Forum (plates, tiles etc. instead of liftarms and panels) get buried pretty quickly underneath the regular technic discussions, so people interested in SMF are less likely to see them than they would be with it having its own forum. Sure there is more traffic on the technic forum, but MOCs stick around longer on the front page of the SMF, and get more views over time.

That said, I haven't been around on EB very long, and this is purely speculation, so I could be talking nonsense.

I would still welcome a merging of the scale modelling and technic forums. 

[Thirdwigg]

Seems like a good idea to me.

[gyenesvi]

1 hour ago, Milan said:

Jim and I really gave our best to pump life to it by frontpaging nearly every model

By the way, when I look at the frontage, I see only a few technic models every now and then. I have been wondering whether that's because there are only a few that hit the bar, or because the proportion of technic is that low on the forum, or what else? If I look at Rebrickable front page, I see much higher proportion of technic, so I am guessing there are more technic MOCs than the frontpage here would suggest. Just interested..

[Jim]

30 minutes ago, gyenesvi said:

By the way, when I look at the frontage, I see only a few technic models every now and then. I have been wondering whether that's because there are only a few that hit the bar, or because the proportion of technic is that low on the forum, or what else? If I look at Rebrickable front page, I see much higher proportion of technic, so I am guessing there are more technic MOCs than the frontpage here would suggest. Just interested..

Every topic that get's featured (this can only be done by certain members) will hit the frontpage. Apparently, we (Technic people) don't feature topics enough. I will try to be a bit more active in the Technic forum, so I will try to feature more topics.

40 minutes ago, gyenesvi said:

I wonder how far this is from being acceptable as a scale model?

The fun part is....now that we will be merging the forums, it really doesn't matter that much anymore. They are worth posting here and whether they get the tag [SMF] or [MOC] doesn't really matter (imho).

[Gray Gear]

I know this might seem a bit theorethical:

Is there some way users could filter the what theý want to see? Maybe using the tags? That way the diversly intrested could see everything, SMF, Technic and Model Team, and people that only like technic for example could still only look at technic without having to see the other stuff they arn't really intrested in. It would be the best of both worlds.

[Jim]

2 minutes ago, Gray Gear said:

I know this might seem a bit theorethical:

Is there some way users could filter the what theý want to see? Maybe using the tags? That way the diversly intrested could see everything, SMF, Technic and Model Team, and people that only like technic for example could still only look at technic without having to see the other stuff they arn't really intrested in. It would be the best of both worlds.

I would be hard pressed to find a lot of people in this forum wanting to skip the SMF models.

[Lasse D]

The main problem I have with the scale models is that they take a very, very, very long time to build. For instance, my CT200h took 4 years to complete with several months dedicated to the model. The amazing tug boats and other models shown in the forum might take even longer to construct. Having models that take months seems to be the norm, and with so few builders making content, it is clear why the amount of new content is limited.

[howitzer]

I don't mind the merging at all, I don't see the division between Technic and System very useful anyway. GBC's use a huge amount of System parts while still being natural part of the Technic forum while some official non-Technic sets rely heavily on Technic parts for play functions (10261 for example) but a MOC like that wouldn't probably be considered Technic enough to be in this forum. Model Team of course blurs the line even more, that kind of construction could easily fit into either current forum.

If the Scale Modeling forum is as inactive as it appears, there's no danger of swamping other topics in this forum either, so by all means, merge them. Speaking of swamping the forum, it could be helped by increasing the number of topics visible at each page, maybe something like doubling it. I don't know how much adjustment the current forum technology allows but having pinned topics separated from non-pinned ones would help too, especially during contests when there's a lot of constantly updated topics and the contest-related pinned topics push even more other topics down to the second page.

[Gray Gear]

I agree with @howitzer, for example having the pinned topics in a "drop-down menu" could free up a lot of space on the first page.

[Pato Sentado]

3 hours ago, Rudivdk said:

Yes, let's merge them back together!

The official Technic line is moving closer to scale modelling than ever (licenses, looks, system parts details). And scale model MOCs have a lot of technic parts and functions embedded. So seems like a logical move to put them together. Let's hope it will spark some more scale model builders to share their MOCs again.

 

I agree, official models such as 42111 Doms Charger have slot of purely cosmetic parts, system or not.

[TechnicRCRacer]

I am all for this!

I always thought having the Technic forum include Model Team and not scale model-oriented builds was a bit confusing. I have seen other newer forum members also confused by this so merging them together should fix the issue.

[onzenuub]

Maybe an idea: Model Team Forum as a subforum in Technic forum ?

[Shiva]

Merging?

Upside = More views and replies. I hope.

Downside = Harder to find the Scale Models.

I found this post from the Scale Modeling forum.

 

[2GodBDGlory]

It seems like a good idea, but as others have said, some scale models don't really have anything to do with Technic. Scale models of machines, for example, I have no problem at all having on here, but scale models of static objects don't really make sense to be on the Technic forum. I don't browse the scale modeling forum myself, though, so I don't know what the actual proportion is between static and dynamic models over there.

[Milan]

Thanks for all the replies and opinions

 

6 hours ago, Andman said:

What defines or qualifies a MOC for SMF? The amount of system parts used? The look, means does it look like technic or lego system? But anyway, IMHO merging both forum is a good idea.

Here are the Guidelines for the SMF forum regarding what is accepted:

• Representing a real world counterpart
• Vehicles must be built in minimum scale of around 1:20.
• Ships, planes, and buildings does not have minimum scale requirement,
• Built as advanced Model Team, mainly with bricks, plates and tiles,with high level of details and prime execution.
• Not purely Technic

 

5 hours ago, gyenesvi said:

By the way, when I look at the frontage, I see only a few technic models every now and then. I have been wondering whether that's because there are only a few that hit the bar, or because the proportion of technic is that low on the forum, or what else? If I look at Rebrickable front page, I see much higher proportion of technic, so I am guessing there are more technic MOCs than the frontpage here would suggest. Just interested..

I tend to disagree on this. Let's take this week as an example.
From Monday to today (Saturday), there have been 14 MOCs frontpaged. Of that number Technic had 2.
So 1/7 of every frontpaged model is Technic. Not so bad, considering how many other themes there are on the Forum.
@Jim is working hard on various tools to make that process more automated, so I hope we will make even more than that 1/7 overall

 

4 hours ago, Jim said:

I would be hard pressed to find a lot of people in this forum wanting to skip the SMF models.

100% Agreed. Most of the SMF models are vehicles of some kind, so fitting perfectly with what we usually see in the Technic Forum.

 

3 hours ago, howitzer said:

If the Scale Modeling forum is as inactive as it appears, there's no danger of swamping other topics in this forum either, so by all means, merge them.

These are my thoughts, too. The amount of new models from SMF may be 2 or 3 per week, so no reason to fear that they will flood the Technic Forum.
Quite the opposite, they might add a bit of freshness and diversity. 90%+ of them are vehicles, so they will fit right at home.

 

1 hour ago, 2GodBDGlory said:

It seems like a good idea, but as others have said, some scale models don't really have anything to do with Technic. Scale models of machines, for example, I have no problem at all having on here, but scale models of static objects don't really make sense to be on the Technic forum. I don't browse the scale modeling forum myself, though, so I don't know what the actual proportion is between static and dynamic models over there.

Agreed that some changes in the SMF rules are in order.
As noted above, 90% of the SMF builds are vehicles/vessels, which is fully "compatible" with the usual Technic and ModelTeam builds, but yeah, there is a number of "static" models.

[Seasider]

Totally agree with bringing it back in here.

[MajklSpajkl]

Joining the forums is great idea. To me it seemed that separate forum kinda ment like so many great MOCs are being banned to another place that anyone hardly thinks of it and therefore not getting the deserved attention. I made a bookmark in my browser for SMF, but somehow just didn't use it not nearly as much as the one for Technic forum.