Chuck Thomas
Burns Harbor, Indiana
Making use of Tamiya’s ancient 1/35 scale T-62A, Chuck built a Russian tank as one that was captured and put back into service by Ukrainian troops. He airbrushed Testors Model Master enamels for camouflage and markings and weathered the model with artist-oil washes and pastels.
Scott Bischoff
Wheaton, Illinois
To build a 1950s-style hot rod, Scott cut open the trunk of a Revell 1/25 scale 1930 Ford Model A five-window coupe and powered it with a modified flathead V8 with dual overhead cams like those that ran at the 1951 Indy 500 in the Bob Estes Special. He sourced the block, carbs, and air filters from his parts box and scratchbuilt the rest of the engine.
Chuck Poi
Indianapolis, Indiana
Chuck added fuel and vacuum lines and wired and plumbed the engine in a Revell 1/25 scale 1957 Ford to replicate a car at the Indiana State Police Museum where he works. After spraying the body with Tamiya Gloss Black, he applied homemade decals for the ISP livery.
Tim LaCapra
Spring Hill, Tennessee
Tim’s only addition to his Tamiya 1/24 scale Nissan Z was putting felt-sheet carpet inside. He painted the sports car with Tamiya lacquers for everything but the body, which was finished with Splash colors.
Kip Pelton
Crestwood, Kentucky
Modeling an Iraqi T-55 Enigma abandoned during the 1991 Gulf War, Kip fitted Tamiya’s 1/35 scale kit with Friulmodel metal tracks and painted AK Interactive Real Color lacquers over Mr. Hobby Mr. Mahogany Surfacer 1000. For the debris-strewn base, he added Bondo and gray clay groundwork; cork was used for the road.
Bryan Gill
Lowell, Indiana
To build Mark Martin’s No. 6 Stroh’s Light Ford Thunderbird for a friend, Bryan added custom front grille inserts, a window net, an aluminum driveshaft, an aluminum fuel vent tube, photo-etched metal seat belt, and a custom driver’s floorboard heatshield. He painted the frame with MCW Dove Gray and the body with MCW Dark Blue before applying PowerSlide decals.
Michael Rajki
Noblesville, Indiana
After building Bandai’s 1/72 scale V-33 Stork Carrier and Brady Hound mobile fighting suit from the anime Amaim Warrior at the Borderline out of the box, Michael painted the former with Tamiya acrylics faded and shaded with airbrushed alcohol-based inks. The drone mecha was painted with Tamiya lacquers, weathered with a sponge and brush chipping, and once again faded and shaded with alcohol inks.
Jay Shively
Shelbyville, Indiana
Model Trailways’ 1/12 scale 1869 Allerton Steam Pumper builds from wood, white metal, photo-etched brass and steel, and more. Jay’s only modification was to change the brake lever from the right to the left. He painted the horse-drawn fire engine with spray cans.
Henri Fournier
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Modeling an Afrika Korps recovery vehicle in Libya, Henri added plenty of stowage to Tamiya 1/35 scale Schwerer Zugkraftwagen 18t “Famo.” He placed it on a desert groundwork made using AK Interactive acrylic paste mixed with sand. He painted the halftrack with German gray first, then used Ammo by Mig Jimenez Chipping Fluid to wear a Desert Yellow topcoat.
Preston Stinger
Indianapolis, Indiana
After dressing up a Cyberhobby 1/35 scale 3.7cm FlaK on a Panzer III hull with a Griffon photo-etched metal box and 3D-printed tool clasps, Preston airbrushed the camouflage with Tamiya acrylics. He weathered the hypothetical vehicle with artist-oil washes, chipped it with AK Interactive 3rd Gen acrylics, and piled on mud using Ammo by Mig Jimenez Textured Earth.
Mike Hylton
Indianapolis, Indiana
Mike raced into the show with this terrific 1/24 scale 1915 Mercedes 4.5-liter Indy 500 winner built from a Fernando Pinto kit. He painted the pioneering racecar with Tamiya colors.
Quentin Malicoat
Whitestown, Indiana
“I added photo-etched metal fenders, hatches, straps, and stowage from leftover kits,” says Quentin of his Marder III. He painted the Tamiya 1/35 scale kit with Vallejo acrylics and weathered it with acrylic washes and speckling.
Nathan LaPorte
St. Clair, Michigan
After adding Hauler parts to add details missing from Tamiya’s 1/48 scale Nashorn, Nathan cut apart the fighting compartment doors to pose them open. He painted the German tank destroyer with Tamiya colors and used hairspray for weathered winter whitewash camouflage.
Mark Spalding
Cumberland, Indiana
Mark scratchbuilt the main wheel wells on a Trumpeter 1/32 scale F8F-1 Bearcat using styrene tube, strip, and sheet, detailed the engine and accessory bay with lead-solder plumbing and wiring, and replaced the kit wheels with BarracudaCast resin. He painted the Grumman fighter with Tamiya, AK Interactive, and Vallejo colors to mark it for VF-126, the unit his father flew with in 1950.
Robert Shankland
Valparaiso, Indiana
After building Special Hobby’s 1/32 scale Morane Saulnier Type N primarily out of the box, including the kit’s photo-etched metal and resin, Robert rigged the French monoplane fighter with EZ Line. The model was finished with Tamiya acrylics and weathered with pastels.
Brian Acker
Mooresville, Indiana
Brian cut the cowling on a Tamiya 1/20 scale 1993 Lola T93/00 Ford to display the engine, sprayed it with MR Paint Gloss Black, and added aftermarket decals to mark it as A.J. Foyt’s last Indy 500 car. The legendary driver retired before the race but drove the car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway one final time in practice.
Steve Wilson
Decatur, Indiana
To model the Ghostbusters ride from the second film, Steve added programmable displays to the roof of an AMT 1/25 scale Ecto-1A. He painted the repurposed ambulance with white enamel and picked out details with acrylics.
Ava Wilson
Decatur, Indiana
After painting an AMT 1/25 scale ’77 Ford Econoline van hot pink, Ava applied custom decals to mark it for the classic ’70s TV show Charlies Angels.
Rod Beeman
Wabash, Indiana
“Love the lowriders!” Rod says. He customized an AMT 1/25 scale 1955 Chevy Nomad with wheels from Pegasus, a Parks wire kit, and a scratchbuilt interior before applying the stunning candy red paint job. There are about 40 layers of paint on the car, he says.
Kevin Foureman
Arcanum, Ohio
Working with a trio of 1/7 scale busts from Blackheart Studios, Kevin finished Lily Munster, Morticia Addams, and Vampira in grayscale using mostly Scale 75 acrylics.
Tom Beck
Carmel, Indiana
Tom improved Revell’s 1937 Ford pickup by wiring and plumbing the engine, adding radiator supports, opening the hood, dressing up the bed with basswood and aluminum strips, supporting the tailgate with a jewelry chain, and installing balsa stake sides to the bed. He painted the sharp hauler with Tamiya Gloss Green and Testors Gloss Black and then hand-polished the finish.
John King III
Tipp City, Ohio
Courtesy of John, Gavia’s 1/72 scale Let L-410UVP got the VIP treatment, literally. He scratchbuilt a VIP-configured interior featuring two tables, four seats, and flight attendant accommodations, and cut open and repositioned the hatch. He also fitted a more accurate resin nose before finishing it with Vallejo acrylics. “Each of the East German air force L-410UVPs had a unique paint scheme,” he says. “This one was called ‘barracuda.’”
J.R. Pope
Champaign, Illinois
While J.R. built Minicraft’s 1/16 scale 1931 Ford Model A pickup mostly box-stock, he did detail the rear with a real wood bed and stakes. After painting it with Tamiya Flat Gray and Black from spray cans, he applied decals to mark it as a Miller Brewing delivery truck.
Jason Holt
Blacklick, Ohio
To build a Cuban border patrol helicopter, Jason applied Cutting Edge decals to an AMK 1/48 scale Mi-17 “Hip” that he painted with Testors Model Master enamels. The model was built out of the box and fitted with EZ Line for the antenna.
Larry Cherniak
Ellettsville, Indiana
A prototype flying boat jet fighter that first flew in 1947, the Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 never entered service. But that didn’t stop Larry from building an Xtrakit 1/72 scale kit of the odd-looking aircraft, fitting it with a homemade vacuum-formed canopy, and painting it with Tamiya Silver lacquer.
Tom Bebout
Milford, Ohio
To kitbash a 1/48 scale P-40M, Tom mated an AMT P-40N fuselage with parts from a P-40E. After airbrushing the camouflage with Tamiya acrylics, he marked it for Royal Australian Air Force service with Tally Ho! decals.
Tom Choy
Champaign, Illinois
Tom added masking-tape seat belts to the ejection seat of a Trumpeter 1/72 scale Chengdu J-10A Vigorous Dragon and painted the Chinese fighter with Vallejo and Tamiya acrylics. He weathered with an artist-oil wash for the panel lines and used oil paints and pastels for stains, keeping the effects light since he was modeling one of the prototypes.
Dennis Caudell
Fairmont, Indiana
For a 1960 Studebaker Lark gasser, Dennis kitbashed a resin body from MCW with parts from AMT’s 1/25 scale Chevy II Rat Packer and scratchbuilt aluminum moon tank brakes, aluminum-tube injector tubes for the 427 Chevy powerplant, and a Corvette steering wheel. He painted the two-tone body with Tamiya spray-can lacquer that he decanted and applied with a Paasche single-action airbrush.
Rich Diaz
La Porte, Indiana
Launched in 1901, HMS Holland I was the British Royal Navy’s first submarine. Rich detailed a Mikro Mir 1/144 scale kit of the pioneering vessel by cutting open the deck vents, the anchor-chain well, and conning tower portholes, and fitting a 3D-printed chain from SSI. Over a base of Tamiya Gloss Black, he camouflaged the sub with Vallejo acrylics and weathered it with pigments and enamel washes.
Ian Bonner
Zionsville, Indiana
Ian improved a Wave 1/20 scale SAFS Type R Raccoon with a scratchbuilt sensor array on the shoulder made from unused kit parts and added weld seams and cast texture to the armor on the Maschinen Krieger fighting suit. The camouflage is splotches of AK Interactive Real Color Chocolate Brown over a mix of Tamiya greens. “I added a 3D-printed teddy bear in his hand since the kit head had a bit of a smirk,” he says. “‘Echoes of the Past’ implies the guy in the suit found a teddy bear from ‘before.’ What that ‘before’ is, is up to the viewer.”
Dave Mezera
Hobart, Indiana
Dave built Trumpeter’s 1/350 scale HMS Kent straight from the box and painted the camouflage with Vallejo acrylics before getting it underway on a seascape of insulation foam, Liquitex gel medium, and other products.
Dave Welch
Fort Wayne, Indiana
To model a Soviet tank from the 1930s, Dave built and airbrushed a HobbyBoss 1/35 scale T-26 with Tamiya, Mr. Color, and Vallejo colors and placed it on an appropriately wintry groundwork of Sculptamold covered with Woodland Scenic snow.
Ken Beckler
Peoria, Illinois
There’s no aftermarket in sight on Ken’s 1/48 scale AJ 37 Viggen. Instead, he scratchbuilt the wheel wells, landing gear with brake lines and disc brakes, ejection-seat padding, oxygen hose, and wine-bottle tin foil seat belts for the ESCI kit. The Swedish splinter camo required three rolls of Tamiya tape and multiple layers of Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics.
Ken Brooks
Memphis, Michigan
Arrrr! Ken added detail, including cannon balls, to the base of an Andrea 90mm Black Beard to pose the famous pirate during a raid. He hand-painted the figure and base with acrylics.
Brian Duddy
Dayton, Ohio
Using an AFV Club 1/350 scale kit detailed with aftermarket photo-etched metal and painted in U.S. Navy Measure 22 camouflage with AK interactive colors, Brian modeled LST-765, the landing craft his grandfather served aboard during World War II.
Mark Statt
St. Bernard, Ohio
Looking to do something different, Mark built an AMT 1/48 scale P-40N out of the box, painted in a natural-metal finish with acrylics, and enlisted it in the Brazilian air force with aftermarket decals.
Patrick Sidley
Oxford, Ohio
A USAF C-141B that repatriated the first group of POWs from North Vietnam became known as the Hanoi Taxi and is preserved at the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Patrick built a Roden 1/144 scale Starlifter as that aircraft using Tamiya paint.
David Guzman
Greenfield, Indiana
Producing one of the more unusual models on display, David built Hawk’s 10/1 scale Stag Beetle and mounted it on a wooden plank for realism. He painted the big bug with Testors colors.
Dan Drake
Roanoke, Indiana
Defining the word impasse, Dan’s 1/35 scale diorama features a Tamiya BT-42 meeting its match in the form of a moose. He detailed the Finnish self-propelled gun with an Aber turned-metal barrel and scratchbuilt the snow-covered base.
Nathan Parrow
North Liberty, Indiana
It’s a Cerastus Knight Castigator from the Warhammer 40K tabletop game. Nathan modified the pose of the 28mm Forge World model and painted it with Citadel acrylics. The armored combatant sits on a scratchbuilt base that he made using styrene foam and resin water.
Bill Hunoway
Tinley Park, Illinois
To build a Royal Air Force Tornado GR1 from Operation Granby, the British name for its contribution to the 1991 Gulf War, Bill improved a 1/48 scale Italeri kit with Paragon seats, flaps, slats, wheels, fin correction, and “Hindenburg” drop tanks. He painted the attack aircraft with Testors Model Master enamels, weathered with artist-oil washes, and applied pastels for the exhaust staining on the tail.
Donald B. Klein
Palos Hills, Illinois
Donald hand-painted Young Miniatures’ 1/9 scale British paratrooper bust with Vallejo acrylics over Tamiya base coats.
Dan Cummings
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Having some fun, Dan detailed a Bandai Haro Gunpla Mobile Suit with metal tube couplings for the shoulder guns. He finished the model with acrylics.
Jeff Myers
Cincinnati, Ohio
“A coworker mentioned to me that he wanted to restore a Mustang,” Jeff says about his diorama, Chris’ Dream Garage. “I ran with it after that.” He used parts from Estes, AMT, Scale Ltd., Mini Décor, and more, adding details until it looked real. He painted the scene mostly with Tamiya colors, either from a spray can or hand-brushed.
Darrenn Canton
Louisville, Kentucky
Darrenn sculpted Slugger, a dragon-man barbarian, based on his own painting. He finished the fearsome figure with various DecoArt mediums, and Golden Fluid and High Flow acrylics over Badger Stynylrez primer. Prismacolor pencils detailed small areas on the face, hands, and feet.
Edward Vinareik
West Lafayette, Indiana
Using several Bandai 1/144 scale Star Wars spaceships out of the box and a base scratchbuilt from a section of aluminum and assorted greeblies, Edward modeled a typical Rebel bomb run on an Imperial target. He painted the model with a mix of acrylics and enamels.
Lance Spangle
Indianapolis, Indiana
To build a 1/25 scale 1980s dirt-track racer, Lance placed a WFC vacuum-formed body on a 90% scratchbuilt chassis; the front section came from an AMT NASCAR kit. He painted it as a car that might have been driven by sprint-car legend Jack Hewitt using Tamiya spray can paints.
Britt Urbancic
Elizabethtown, Indiana
Up the Irons! Eddie flashes a “victory sign” from the cockpit of Britt’s Revell 1/32 scale Iron Maiden “Aces High” Spitfire. He painted the fighter and the figure with acrylics.
Jeff Bickel
Akron, Indiana
At one time, Jones Truck Lines, based in Springdale, Arkansas, was one of the largest privately held trucking companies in the United States. Jeff modified a 1/25 scale AMT International Transtar into a 4070A five-window day cab, shortening the cab by ¼ inch, cutting out the side vents and rear panel for windows, trimming 1 inch from the frame, installing a single exhaust and air intake, and modifying the fuel tanks. He hooked it to a box trailer and painted it in 1970s JTL logos using Testors spray-can enamels.
Christopher Mayton
Lafayette, Indiana
Vrooom! Christopher, 10, did a nice job on this MPC 1/25 scale 1984 Corvette, painting it with Tamiya Mica Red from a spray can.
Brady Sorrell
Huntington, Indiana
For the terrific camouflage on his A6M2b Zero, Brady applied Mr. Hobby, Model Master, and Tamiya colors freehand with a Paasche H-1 airbrush. Eschewing decals, he masked and painted the insignia and tail numbers for a fighter from the Junyo fighter group at Rabaul in April 1943.
Paul Gloster
San Diego, California
Paul added a detailed Merlin engine to an Eduard 1/72 scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII and applied SMS and MR Paint lacquers to finish it as a fighter from the No. 457 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force, known as the Grey Nurse Squadron. He used hairspray as a release agent to chip paint around the leading edges.
Juan Benitez
Lafayette, Indiana
After dressing up the cockpit of Meng’s 1/48 scale EA-18G Growler, Juan applied custom mixes of Tamiya acrylics to mark it as the CAG aircraft from VAQ-132 when it was involved in Operation Odyssey Dawn over Libya in 2011. Pre-shading added variety to the light and dark ghost gray camouflage, and he weathered it with AK Interactive and Tamiya enamel washes and pastels to depict a heavily used aircraft.
Travis Collard
Louisville, Kentucky
Starting with a 1/48 scale TX-130 Saber-class fighter tank from the Star Wars Legions miniatures game, Travis added a detailed interior and lighting and painted it with Mission Models acrylics for a Clone Wars vehicle. It sits on a picture-frame base populated with aquarium plants and foliage.
T.J. Misiolek
Columbus, Ohio
T.J. added a Verlinden interior to Tamiya’s 1/35 scale M8 Howitzer Motor Carrier, then set it towing an M8 trailer from Tiger Models across Celluclay and Woodland Scenics groundwork. He painted the models with acrylics and artist oils before weathering them with washes, pigments, and pastels.