Tag Archives: OcTRAINber

Contests

OcTRAINber: Some Extra Information on the Rules

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There have been some questions asked over at the Eurobricks Train Tech forums OcTRAINber thread regarding the contest, which we have tried to answer the best as we could. For completeness, we have decided to post some clarification on the rules here as well.

Sizes

For us here at BMR, we normally use the same way of measuring as other scale modellers do, meaning:

US: Over the couplers
EU: Over the buffers

It’s a rule of thumb, so all trains that have buffers are measured like the EU, and all trains that just have automatic couplers are measured over the couplers.

Also, there is no limit on the width of the entry.

Entering old entries in the contest

OcTRAINber is a building contest, meaning that you have to submit a new model specifically build for the contest. To keep in mind: We have set up this contest to inspire people to actually build, so please no old models that have been posted already!

(If it wasn’t put online before, we would be willing to consider it. In the end, the pre-announcement did state that we encourage finally finishing those previously half-failed ideas for something long.)

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: Yes
Clones: No

Flickr

All entries have to be posted on our BMR Flickr. For this you need your own Flickr account, but trust us, there is an awesome community out there you can be part of!

The Swoosh

There were some questions about how the swoosh should look like. We didn’t state any rules for this so that’s up to your own imagination!

Types of consists

Lastly, there were some questions on what type of units you can send in. To give some clarification on this: Everything that has train wheels underneath it is allowed. So think locomotive, passenger carriage, goods wagon, etc. For semi-permanently coupled units you can think about trams, rescue trains (think SBB in the alpes), MOW equipment, Truck-Train combos like Hupac, the Eurotunnel LeShuttle, etc etc.

Good luck with building and enjoy your OcTRAINber!

Contests

OcTRAINber: The Contest Begins!

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As you might have seen and read in our previous post, this October (meaning from tomorrow on) BMR will run our first ever contest! So, without further ado, we would like to introduce this contest to you.

OcTRAINber

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

The Rules

The rules are simple. Build something with train wheels attached to it that is long enough to look absolutely silly to go through a R40 curve, better known as the Regular Lego Train Curved Rail. To make sure “silly” is an objective term, we have made a minimum size requirement: 60+ studs for any single item (can be a carriage, a locomotive, a crane, you name it) and 70+ for a combined (and permanently coupled!) consist. This means we are accepting anything from a steam engine + tender to a diesel loco + slug, or maybe even semi-permanently coupled freigh carriages or EMU’s. However, this also means we will not allow a consist of loco + carriage. It has to be semi-permanently coupled!

Both Real Life and Ditigal builds are allowed and both will have their own category. Since BMR is a weblog that emphasises and supports building Real Life models, the prices in the Real Life category will however be bigger and better (if you ask us at least!) then the ones in the Digital category.

Please keep in mind that this is a building contest, meaning that only new or unpublished builds are allowed.

Points

Points will be awarded for 3 things: Length, credibility of the prototype and “The Swoosh”.

First of all, length. This is a short one; The longer, the better. Simply put: any studs over 60/70 (depending on if you build a single or a semi-permanently coupled unit) gives you pluspoints.

Second, 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?

Thirdly, The Swoosh. What is The Swoosh, you ask? Well, thats pretty simple: it’s a video of your train running through a R40 curve. It’s the same as The Swoosh as the Spacers know it, but even more awesome, because it uses a train and track. Please keep in mind that only R40 curves are allowed for The Swoosh!

The Judges

This contest will have four judges. Why four? Well, because it’s more than three, and, as you now should now, we are a fan of ‘more and longer’. The judges will be, in no particular order:

All four have a history in building trains that look absolutely silly when going through curves and are thus the perfect people to judge!

Timeline

Since this is OcTRAINber, entries will be accepted from October 1st to October 31st.

Entries

Entries are to be send in via our own BMR Flickr! There are two discussions; one for the Real Life entries and one for the Digital entries. Next to that, please also add your pictures in the pool!

The Prizes

No contest without prizes! We are very happy to tell you that The Lego Company was generous enough to donate four sets which we will be giving away as prizes. Next to that, we are at least equally happy that BrickTracks has donated some of their new curves as well. Which prizes specifically will be made public as soon as possible, so to keep the hype train running for a little bit longer!

Extra Parts

We here over at BMR are very, very excited about this first contest 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 beast of a train / loco / waggon that you always wanted to build, but never did.

During the contest, we will regularly post updates about the entries that have entered the contest here at BMR.

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

All aboard OcTRAINber!