TETSUJIN 2019 - A BRIEF RECAP

Tetsujin 2019 may have ended. But it is far from over. That euphoria following a successful event is simply too much for me to bear. After one hectic week, I would expect to be dragging myself to work. But on the contrary, I am grinning from ear to ear. On cloud nine and rejuvenated.

Well, before I go any further, I like to talk about Tetsujin. Everyone should have known by now it was initiated by Hobby Art Gallery (HAG). Its aim were simple, to raise awareness of this hobby, improve local standards and to bring like-minded people together. That is exactly why local/overseas modelers were roped in to help plan the competition.

I had the privilege to be in that team and have to admit that it is the highlight of my modeling journey. I learnt so many things in the process. Due to commitments, I was not able to fully devote all my time to it. That applied to the rest of the team. Nevertheless, we still managed to get things done in the end. And that is what matters.

I feel that this year’s Tetsujin is our best yet. There were vast improvements in several areas. We enjoyed a bigger space by moving to Singpost Paya Lebar from Bugis Plus. We are more organized compared to previous years. But we are still facing that mad rush days before the event.

But personally, the killer move was lady boss’s decision to add that LED screen at the stage. It was costly no doubt but it paid off handsomely. The whole event took on a different complexion. It was as if “shit just got real!”. The whole set up looked more professional.

This Tetsujin we have the usual OOB and Open categories, and a special RX78 category. I noticed a few of the participants were were not clear about the rules and requirements for each category. We will place greater emphasis on them in the Tetsujin 2020.

And I was particularly surprised by the quality of the entries this year. I can see the effort vested in them. I got the opportunity to meet and chat with many of them during submission of entries, new as well as familiar faces. The entries were crazy, especially in the open category.

Open Category. The top three have little to set them apart. We had a dreadful time assessing them. It was down to "Ebony Rider", "Archer" and "The Demon of Apocalypse". There were five judges but views were pretty much divided between Rider and Demon. Archer was a cool third. Workmanship on the remaining two entries were impeccable. Both of them boosted great concepts and the modelers have good technical abilities. Basically, the judges were engaged in a gridlock.

In the end, the Turn X came up tops, amid marginally.

As a local modeler and a judge for Tetsujin, I was in a real dilemma. Both entries were excellent in their own right. There was nothing to pick between them. It was no longer about finding little errors or blemishes. Both modelers have taken their entries way past that stage. Now it was a battle of style, flair and concept.

I went for the X. Simply because I will never look at the X the same way after what he did to it. It was groundbreaking stuff. He did not simply just add parts and make it look bigger/impressive. What he did was so much more. The modeler dismantled everything, scratch build, kitbash, improve the proportions and put them all back together. The kit still look pretty much like Turn X but it is a whole new beast altogether. It was his Turn X and nobody can take away from him. He owned it, big time. And many years down the road, people will still be talking about this Turn X. And for that, it deserved my vote.

Click on the pic below for his WIPs.

Now, many of you may be thinking this fellow won simply because he is from overseas and we gave in to popularity or pressure. Well, I can tell you now that’s utter bullshit.

Personally, I hate to see the Tetsujin trophy heading overseas. But we have to give credit when credit is due and also acknowledge the hard work, perseverance and commitment shown. And that IS the spirit of Tetsujin. We will always be above board and stand up to scrutiny if questioned.

But ultimately, it all boils down to one thing. WHO is more hungry. Don’t you think so?

Besides the top 3 prizes for the 3 categories and numerous merit awards, we do have Judges and sponsors’ prizes. These are awarded based on their preferences and not tie to the results or judging and as I quote Eday:

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“One thing that caught me is in tetsujin, one good piece of work can win multiple awards, this is proof that when u do it right, u will deserve it, just like the Oscars or the Grammys, one single masterpiece will be accorded multiple awards. And that is why there are no winning arrangements in tetsujin.”

I like to congratulate Hobby Art Gallery on another job well done. The crew was very important in this mission. Everyone stuck to their tasks and work really hard for the result. Yes, there were the occasional hiccups here and there and we will continue to troubleshoot and improve. One bad result do not mean the end. We just keep on going. To Joyce, Sam, Kai Seng, Edmund, Jonathan, Leon(s), Eday, Joshua, Patrick, Felix, David Liew and many of you, you all are like the cogs in a well oiled machine. Working together, hand-in-hand and inseparable! Never forget that!

Lastly, my advice to local modelers, let’s work hard and be better at every Tetsujin. It has offered you a platform to shine and the opportunity to compete against overseas modelers. If it’s a challenge you want, it is exactly what you get. Stop whining, the controversy theories and what not. There is no place for such nonsense in Tetsujin. Don’t be contented in a sterile environment. Get out there and fight to be among the best!

You can view the entries from the following links. Credits to Chocofalcon, Mr Toys and Hobby Art Gallery (HAG).

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2307858379266968&type=1&l=50c7bfc930

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2116067448500139&type=1&l=ef27f31c25

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_QLCjznvA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1WTjj97fD1Qvpe32usg1rKFzVbe-y2r7H3leShq1F83vpW3FTiqb7IRUM