Wednesday, January 27, 2016 - 03:43 AM UTC
By KITMAKER NETWORK
If you have ever considered requesting a sample from one of the KitMaker sites here is some info that will come in handy to make your request. Also included is the method with with we make decisions on who gets what.
What information should be included with the request:
  1. Your real name or a proper name that can be used.
  2. Your site username.
  3. Your address.
  4. What exactly you are offering to do with the review sample.
  5. Your estimation of the time it will take to finish the project.

Who to make requests to:
Each of our online spreadsheets for samples has fields for this info. Look for the contact field. You can use the sites "About Us" page to find staff emails if needed.

What we expect of you as regards samples:
  1. We expect projects to be completed in a reasonable time frame.
  2. If you are doing an inbox review, it should be submitted within a 4 week window of the item arriving.
  3. A build review is an unpainted build of the model (we accept some areas must be painted during the construction stage). This should be submitted within an 8 week window of the item arriving, but we do allow some wiggle room depending on the complexity of the project.

A build blog does have certain requirements attached:
  1. The blog will ideally be complete on the site in a 12 to 16 week window.
  2. The blog should be updated regularly.
  3. After completion the photos and feedback which you took during the blog will be adapted into either a build feature or build review if that was the stated goal of the project (which is normal).
  4. We are sure you are aware that some blogs take far longer to complete. A good example of this is the blog by Jason Bobrowich covering the M103A2 by Dragon. This blog was started in April 2015 and is just coming to a close now when Jason will submit a feature of this model. We have no issue with this timeframe as Jason has made very regularly updates and now has an excellent model to show for his efforts.

What do we consider when requests for samples are made:
  1. Are they willing to pay postage? Postal charges are becoming an important factor as prices continue to rise. Those offering to pay postage for review items is a major consideration. Jim Starkweather has not made this mandatory for samples he has, but other (unpaid) staff volunteers should be reimbursed postal charges.
  2. What has the requesting member provided for the site or network previously? Only written features and reviews are considered in this respect, photo features do not count other than allowing the editor to assess photographic ability.
  3. What knowledge does the potential reviewer have of the subject requested?
  4. Does the person requesting have a good track record with past projects?
  5. Are there any outstanding items listed against this member?
  6. How long has the requesting member been involved with the network?

Lastly there are exceptions to every rule, but we wanted to make sure the membership is aware of what we consider. Questions? Post them in the forums.

An updated online document with these guidelines is linked here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14F5Mj2BkcWFroBwEb6RGViv6-8i8aJtYjS-QbN2RL_c/pub
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