Here are the entries and winners from the 1st Annual contest! Being the first year, I and the contestents were 'feeling' out how things would work. I started with 5 Categories but only 3 were entered so I closed the other 2. The 3 categories that survived were "Best Custom Figure" for at show figure entries, "Open Range" for at show set entries and "Virtually There" for entries that could not make the trip to WV.

It was a huge success and we decided to continue!

Category: Best Custom Figure at Show
First Place	"Arnold" Arnold was made with a Mike Hazard figure with a head made from the Marx Arnie golfing game, outfitted in classic Arnie style with hat and clubs. To top it off, Tom used his graphic talents to create a great "Marx-like" box to round out this fantastic figure. By Tom Heaton	Second Place	"Roland of the Dark Tower" With a custom box and hand crafted rose By Terri Coop
	"Nathan Brittles" Using a modified head of John Wayne that was painted using pastel chalks and acryllic paints this figure represents one of the famous John Ford / John Wayne cavalry trilogys. Custom yellow cavalry 'gloves' and dark blue slouch hat made in my basement lab. By Scott Stewart		"John Barley" By Jill Koehler
Category: Open Range - Best Set at Show
First Place	"I scratch built the stagecoach, actually a "mud wagon", using old Abbott/Downing Company drawings. the height had to be slightly modified in order to get the figures inside the coach. (they don't slouch like we do.) The coach steers, has working brakes, and leather luggage boot." By Dave Johnson	Second Place	"1880 Trail Rider Saddle" Hand made leather saddle made for the Marx horses. Supreme craftsmanship and detail. By Ben and Barbara Perry
	"Santa Johnny" Description coming soon By Noah Coop		"The Green Berets" Made using a straight leg Stony body. I added a John Wayne custom head and various uniform items from modern 12 inch figures to create a replica of John Wayne as he appeared in the movie The Green Berets. By Scott Stewart
	"Akando (Ambush)" Akando - Meaning Ambush, The Fighting Eagles Son, a boy warrior Paco - Meaning Bald Eagle, Geronimo's Son, friend of the Bald Eagle By Tom Heaton
Category: Virtually There - Best Virtual Figure / Set
First Place	"The General Store" Entirely created, designed and built by the artist, this diorama measures 31" X 36" X 16" and it is made of hard and soft wood with an antique finish to give a high level of realism. This scenery represents a classic day of the Johnny West family buying some items in the general store. By Daniel Hamel	Second Place	"Cobra on the Run" Sam is decked out in a black duster,a black bandana , leather rig with pewter pistols,a custom painted Johnny West hat,and he also has a sawed off double barrel shotgun. Sam is riding "Weeko" a custom Comanche. Picture was taken near the end of this last winter (2005). By Guy Belair
Third Place Tie	"Thunderbolts" An updated set of the original five colored Thunderbolt horses in the Best of the West series: pinto, palomino, black, sorrel and bay. This new set was customized using vintage damaged Thunderbolts. From the artist: "I tried to pose the horses in such a manner as to accommodate my interpretation of matching the rider with that particular horse. It was my intention that Storm Cloud Pinto was set in a pensive/serene pose, as if an Indian scout or maiden on it's back was overlooking a beautiful red rock canyon at sunset. The black horse is intense and challenging in his pose as the notorious Sam Cobra would dictate from his mount, the Palomino is gentle for a ladies horse, and Jane would adore her, the sorrel and bay are lively and proud for Johnny or a cavalry hero to ride." By Gina Romero	Third Place Tie	"It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" The idea of a 9 year old girl who loves her music, particularly Alan Jackson. From the artist: "At first I simply took a Custer head and put it on a Johnny body to give her an Alan Jackson figure. She built a stage and had her Alan perform a concert for all of our Marx figures. She even invited her G.I. Joes and Barbies to attend. I noticed she had no band for back up so I simply painted a few figures I had in BAD condition, painted an old Maddox head and put some of Marxman's custom heads on the bodies and there was her band. She had instruments from her Barbie collection and they were set up to play. I like the song he did with Jimmy Buffet, "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" so decided she needed a Jimmy Buffet figure. I looked at pictures of him and went through my bag of unusable heads to find one that would work. I simple took a badly mangled Hazard head shaved his hair, made a few adjustments on his cheek bones and smile, filled in with Apoxee sculpt, painted it with gray hair and a nice dark tan, outfitted him with a guitar and the duet was set to perform. Those figures are all a part of her collection today, and still performing! " By Bryan Halpin
Fifth Place	"Flying High!" The horse is a Commanche customized into a jumping horse, He is mounted on an acrylic stand, the stone wall is made out of styrofoam and apoxie sculpt. Jane is an original Jane, Green chaps by Wolf, Saddle set by Ben Perry. By Laura Crocker		"Black Crow & Red Bull" Apaloosa ponies are "Darkcloud" (black) & "Spotted Tail" (brown). Black Crow is a Geronimo head on a Fighting Eagle Body with the mohawk hair taken from the FE head with a hand painted 'Eye Bar'. Red Bull is the Fighting Eagle head minus the mohawk with a red war paint/skull cap. From the artist, "I tried to keep them within the realm of something the Marx Co. would've produced and kept to Marx pieces." By Mark Keach
	"Spirit Talk" This is an orange geronimo outfitted with red accessories, Big Jim eagle, Country Artist rattlesnake, and a corner poster of a desert scene. By Robert Watson		"Sam Goode" Sam is the younger brother of famed sheriff Thomas Goode. He is a Sam Cobra figure custom painted with blond hair. His face and hands are tanned like George Hamilton [artist's inspiration] his suit is white, with gold buttons. The bowler is custom made by Stewarts Attic in soft polyurethane. By Tommy Alligood
	"Blood Bay" It is a THUNDERBOLT, and I resculpted the head, neck, mane, and tail...and added some sculpting enhancements to the hips, and muscles. I also added stallion parts. He is painted a BLOOD BAY color. By Diane Staggs