Just a reminder to everyone:
TCMaker is planning on having a Halloween Contest and Clothesline Race-o-rama on the Saturday preceding Halloween- Oct 24th. They will be accompanied by a potluck dinner, and the current plan is to have them at a private residence near Stillwater (unless plans change).
While supplies last, anyone paying the entry fee for either contest will receive their choice of a
Make: T-shirt or a copy of
Make:18 or
Make:19!
Clothesline Race-o-rama- rules and info
In short, the Clothesline Race-o-rama is a down-and-back race along a piece of 1/8" steel wire. The length of the "course" will be 100', as close to level as we can manage, with the wire under a fair bit of tension so it is not slack. At either end of the course will be a stop consisting of a disc approximately 4" in diameter. Competing vehicles (hereafter "racers") must travel down and back to be eligible for most (but not all) of the prize categories. Racers must conform to the following guidelines:
- Must weigh less than 3 pounds, fully fueled.
- Must be able to fit within a lidded box of 1 foot in all directions.
- Must begin race in contact with the stop at the beginning/end of the course; the contact mechanism for the stop at the other end of the wire may not extend more than 6" from the stop at the starting point.
- Must be fully autonomous after the "go" signal is issued (although any trigger mechanism is allowed for "go").
- Must be able to be placed on the wire without requiring the end of the wire be passed through anything (the wire will be fixed at the start of the day for the whole day).
- May not damage or adulterate the wire in any way (no residue, soot, char, rubber, goop, or anything else left behind).
- Must finish the race with all parts (except fuel) it started with.
- Must be safe for racers and spectators alike.
- Any form of propulsion or motive action is allowed, except liquid fueled rocket engines, jet engines, and high pressure air, water, or steam mechanisms. Solid rocket motors are allowed, with the limitations that they be store-bought, not larger than 1/4A rating in size, and be limited to two per racer.
- Must complete the race to compete in the "vanity" categories, unless otherwise noted in the category.
- Heats will be against the clock; head-to-head races are not expected due to the complexity of the course.
- Two false starts are allowed, after which the racer is disqualified from the time trial. The contestant may, at their discretion, choose to attempt to complete the course in order to qualify for the vanity competitions.
Entry fee is $10 per racer; multiple racers can be entered by a single contestant with a separate fee per craft. Victors will be judged by a panel of non-competing TCMaker member volunteers in the following categories:
Speediest- First, second, and third prize will be awarded to the three competing craft which finish the race in the shortest time. Any contestant with multiple racers may win only one of these three prizes; other racers in that contestant's stable are disqualified from winning lower places.
Silliest- for the racer whose aesthetics best embrace a sense of the ridiculous.
Most epic failure- for the racer which fails to complete the course with the most aplomb.
Loudest- for the racer which completes the course while disturbing the peace the greatest amount.
Smallest- for the racer that can fit- fully assembled- in the smallest box and complete the course.
Lightest- for the racer which weighs the least- fully fueled- and still completes the course.
Most creative locomotion- for the cleverest means of completing the course.
For the speed category, first place will receive a $20 gift certificate to the Maker Shed and your choice of a
Make: hoodie, a copy of
Best of Make,
Best of Instructables, or
Make: Year 4 collection. Second place gets a $10 gift certificate and choice of same items; third place receives choice of the same items. Winners in the vanity categories will also receive their choice of one of those items. There are limited numbers of each type of prize available; if there's not enough of a certain item to go around, the contestants receiving the prizes will be determined by a drawing.
Halloween Contest
Simple- First, second, and third place awarded, as voted by those present at the event. $10 entry fee. Entries can be of any shape or form- personal costume, pet costume, vehicle costume, haunted house special effect, jack-o-lantern, edible monstrosity, or anything else you can dream up. The only rules are that entries must be safe (use best judgement- don't show up with something that creates 30-foot fireballs or has hundreds of whirling blades) and non-offensive (if you wouldn't want someone explaining your joke in detail to YOUR grandmother...).
Prizes for the Halloween Contest follow the same guidelines as the speed category for the racer- all three places receive choice of prize, plus a $20 gift certificate for first place and a $10 for second place.
