I’m thrilled to announce that, kicking off November 1st, I’ll be hosting this blog’s first ever giveaway! And believe me, it’ll be worth stopping by. I’m not going to be giving away a decal set or some warmed-over repop of a kit whose molds are 40 years old. No, I’ll be giving away one truly droolworthy kit to one lucky winner. And…you will have a hand in determining just what that kit will be!
Details follow down-post, but first I hope you’ll humor a rambling explanation of why I’m hosting this giveaway.
What Gives?
For the better part of a year, I feel like I’ve been living in the present, in a day-to-day grind that makes it difficult to pull back and see the forest through the trees. And from that perspective, the past year’s been pretty awful. If you want to take it back a full 365 days, I’ve had a company I worked for and loved get bought out and more or less destroyed. A fantastic boss and good friend get laid off. I myself switched jobs, and then I, too, got laid off. Two car accidents. A summer so relentlessly hot that Hell would have seemed refreshing by comparison. Wildfires pretty much in every direction.
But, when I force myself to step back and take a broader view, I have to admit that I’m in a pretty friggin’ good place. I have two beautiful, vivacious children. My relationship with my wife is better now than it has ever been. Despite the layoff and the stress of the job hunt, I’ve landed in a very good place, surrounded by whipsmart people, making more money than I ever have before. And in a few weeks, we’re moving to a new house. The house our kids will hopefully grow up in.
And I have a hobby that brings me satisfaction and provides a perfect way to decompress after a long day.
Taken as a whole, that’s pretty hard to complain with.
And so, in my own small way, I want to do something to mark it. Not out of charity. Not out of some quest for blog traffic. Merely because I’ve discovered over the last few months that lightening up and being generous with what you have tends to bring rewards all its own.
So Here’s How It’s Going to Work
On November 1st, I’ll put up the official giveaway post. Within the post will be a poll where you will vote on which kit I will give away. As I said before, this won’t be some warmed-over repop, or something dredged up from the bottom of my stash. Every kit will be a new, high-value kit worth at least $50.
To enter, all you’ll need to do is:
- Vote on a kit
- Leave a comment (with an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!) discussing your favorite build, and why it’s your favorite.
On November 8th, one week after the post goes up, I’ll take the names of everyone who’s commented, drop them into RandomPicker, and announce the winner, who will then receive their choice of the top vote-getter in either aircraft or armor.
Oh, wait, did I say one winner?
After the first winner picks, I’ll announce a second winner, who will receive the top vote-getter in whichever category the first winner doesn’t choose. So if the first winner goes for the armor, the second winner will receive the aircraft.
As of right now, this giveaway is entirely self-funded. But I may reach out to one of the online retailers to see if they might offer a discount or some smaller prizes in exchange for sponsorship. Of course, none of that’s decided as of yet.
But…consider this fair warning…and mark your calendars for the 1st of November!
Doogs Models 
heck yeah! I’m in!
what a neat idea!
yup…should generate a bit of traffic
Two’s in!
Interesting way to deplete “the stash”!
Vance – actually none of these will come from the stash. These will be new-purchased, and in all likelihood sent to the winners straight from wherever I purchase them (why pay shipping twice?)…
That’s very generous of you! I hear you about taking a step back, while my life hasn’t gone through trails and tribulations like yours, the business environment has been tough the last year. However, I am thankful for all the things that I don have and still provide for my family. Good luck in your new job, and oh yeah… I”m in for the givaway!
Nice…
Very cool Doogs
Doogs, what a great way to share with the modeling community …
Hopefully, the lucky winner will share his/her winning experience as well as the build-out and display of the winning model …
You’re ‘Aces’, Doogs
pepper
Doogs, (I dont know if everyone here knows your real name, so I’ll refrain)
I love what you’re doing with the blog. And quite a loyal readership I see! Keep it up.
Cheers,
Mark W. in Dallas
Yeeeha!
Love your blog……
Hey Doogs, a fellow FSM member saying, great idea!
I’m counting the days!
Hey,..im a FSM member also! I will look for y’alls builds over there!
Hi Doog
Been following silently on your blog for a while, and I’ve really enjoyed reading your stuff. Probably the best modeling blog out there for my money.
I’d love to enter your giveaway (obviously) but I live in the UK. I suppose that disqualifys me due to shipping etc but thought I’d check before I count myself out.
Keep up the good work with the blog, I’ll be sure to comment on more of your future builds, especially anything WWII fighter, and thanks for providing such a great website to pick up tips and opinions.
You know I’m in Doogs….
Great cause and for good reasons.
Doogs,,, did the effort run outta fuel?
Bill – not sure what you mean – it’s already come and gone…
https://doogsmodels.com/2011/11/08/fall-giveaway-and-the-winners-are/
Well,..thought the site dropped off the net,… hmmmmm…odd im not getting the e-mail updates either,…posted to the contest but it never showed,…just checked ALL the comments. did a nice build/favorite model write up for a father in-law who served in the pacific,……wow. somthing up with the internet traffic I assume…..?
Anyway,..glad it went well for those whose posts registered….maybe next time I assume…….
Roger that Doogs,,,, I do see that now. I guess I was awaiting updates / notices. I lost track of time as well,,, been busy around here.
Glad things worked out though!
No worries, Bill! There’ll be more giveaways in the future. Perhaps not on the level of this one (well, until next fall) and perhaps taking on different forms, but they’ll be there.
The best ways to keep up with new posts is to subscribe to the blog – that way you’ll receive e-mails of new posts as they go up. Or you can always follow the blog on Facebook. I’ve been sharing new posts there as they go up.
It’s all good Doogs,,,, We’ll be “seeing” each other in the forums as well.
Thanks for the replies
Bill
gott_cha – that’s strange…not sure what happened with the site dropping or not getting e-mail updates. Your comment did show up though – but you posted it against the poll versus the thread. Never fear – I added you to the final tally regardless. Stay tuned…I’ll probably continue holding smaller giveaways on a more frequent basis…and another big one next fall.
In addition, you can follow the blog on Facebook as another means of receiving updates.
I did re-sign up for the blog just in case…..seems the updates were getting sent to the spam folder in my Yahoo account….I hate Yahoo…Anyways,………..wasnt grumbling and hope y’all didnt take it as such,…was just venting my self at the internet….maybe Ive got it all fixed now.!
Im going to assume you and the family are all moved in and set up now? Moving can be a pain,..We did a state to state…N.C. to S.C. a cpl years ago…bought a small farm…anyway…moving is a hassle and hope the worst is over for you.
It was a very generous give away contest Doog…..I hope it adds traffic for the site and makes it grow. Maybe you can get the recipients to post a small build log on the winning kits, that would be interesting.