[EricH]

What about doing something similar during, say, Week 3 or 4? That will give teams enough time to hash out their designs, and possibly have a mini-competition for any team that wants to test stuff out. Then, just before ship, have a full-fledged mini comp to test, get the robots working, help repair them, etc. The SCRRF Pre-ship Scrimmage usually runs that way; often, one or two teams need help, and they get it.

The SoCal method of doing this:
-October/November or so: Fall Classic/Battle at the Border (draw new teams, train new members)
-November/early December: Fall Workshops (one day of training open to all teams that register; covers all topics)
January/February: Build Season. If you need help, ask another local team.
Last Sunday before Ship Date: Pre-Ship Scrimmage. Bring the robot and/or any parts you want to work on; to compete, get in line, to work, just get to work. You are not required to pass inspection, but you may be inspected by the regional inspectors to have problems called out.

And yes, we still have some teams building or rebuilding their robot at the event. I suspect that that's mainly because they didn't really participate in the full range of events beforehand. (Or, they didn't pass inspection.)

Oh, and for the record: Teams with non-kit frames would still (probably) not have their base undesigned and/or unwelded. We have been known to wait until Week 4 to cut out frame metal--we only did that once, but we rarely, if ever, cut metal before the start of Week 3. Some teams are like that...