Mac McKellar, Pontiac chief engine engineer, began his tenure in 1937 and retired in 1982. Mike Kollver built a 1/25 scale model of Mac’s experimental 1963 Grand Prix with a 421 OHC V8 under the hood. He used AMT ’64 Grand Prix and ’63 Bonneville kits to make this historically accurate replica.
Pete Altwies modeled a 1/25 scale 1960 Ford ramp truck by kitbashing AMT kits and building the backend from Evergreen styrene products. Painted and marked for a fictitious racing team, Pete came up with the livery with Tamiya lacquers and custom decals.
Harold “H” Helzer built an AMT 1/25 scale Ford Falcon and turned it into a gasser. Up front, he replaced the kit six-cylinder motor with a 427 V8 that H plumbed and wired. He ran gas lines, modeled steering linkages, used the frame from a ’67 Comet, and painted with Bob’s Paint.
“This doesn’t depict any particular Cheetah coupe,” Greg Schmidt said of his 1/24 scale replica with a Mini Exotics resin body. He combined features from different cars to make a replica of the Cheetah he’d like to own. That means a scratchbuilt frame and interior, Accurate Miniatures Corvette Grand Sport engine, transmission, rear axle, wheels, and tires. Greg painted Testors Hugger Orange directly from the spray can.
Ronald Neuendorf’s AMT 1/25 scale 1934 Ford pickup elicited much attention. He left off the fenders, replaced the induction to clear the distributor, added an oil-filler tube from a Chevy Nomad, and appropriated valve covers and headers from other kits.
This Bonneville streamliner came from Victor Demichei’s imagination. He used two Iceman Pro Line Hemis and scratchbuilt the rest of the racer. Victor sprayed Tamiya lacquers through a Badger airbrush to paint the incredibly detailed 1/24 scale model.
John Pawlowski built a Revell 1/24 scale 2008 Bullitt Mustang box stock and detailed with seat belts, lettering on hoses, and engine belts. The ‘stang wears Zero Paints Moss Green under Bob’s Paint Gloss Clear. John painted the chassis, interior, and various other parts with Tamiya and Testors colors.
Vic Rood wired and detailed the motor and interior of his MPC 1/25 scale 1971 Dodge Demon. He painted with a custom red-orange enamel, clear coated, and picked out the chrome with Bare-Metal Foil.
A Moebius Models 1/25 scale 1972 Ford short-bed pickup benefitted from Pegasus wheels, plug wires, and an antenna at Bob Pedersen’s hands. Painting with Testors enamels, he masked and airbrushed the trim with Model Master Chrome Silver.
Wayne Puffer opened an original Monogram 1/24 scale Plymouth Satellite and converted it into a ’71 Road Runner. He replaced the 440 with a completely detailed 425 Hemi and opened the trunk, adding hinges and interior details. The louvers on the back window were scratchbuilt. He painted with HoK lacquers to get a subtle flip.
This sleek ’55 Corvette was built as a Kindig Customs CF1. Ken Boyer started with an AMT 1/25 scale kit and went to town with modifications, including 1/24 scale ’55 Corvette seats, an LS1 V8 with a custom-built intake manifold, a C6 Corvette engine compartment, Tamiya wheels and tires, and custom front fenders. Ken went so far as to make a dash from real burlwood.
Gary Plennes added a 3D-printed engine, battery and catch can, seats, wheels, tires, and brakes to his Revell 1/25 scale 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. Testors Light Grey Metallic covers the body protected by Dupli-Color 1K clear.
Bob Smorey drove to Fort Atkinson from Canal Winchester, Ohio, to exhibit multiple models, including this Salvinos JR 1/25 scale Dodge Charger. He built it as if Bill Elliott had driven a car in the 1970s, hinged the trunk and hood, and painted with a custom-mixed red. The markings are Slixx decals, and DuPont Chroma Clear adds a protective shine.
You can’t miss Stew Edwards’ Tamiya 1/24 scale Porsche GT2 in its Tamya Chrome Yellow paint job. Stew built the model straight from the box, decanted the paint in order to airbrush it, and detailed the rear spoiler with carbon-fiber decals.
This Hasegawa 1/72 scale P-47D Razorback had been parked on Paul Johnston’s “shelf of doom” for 10 years because he was intimidated by the tail decals. Then he decided to go for it and look! It turned out wonderfully! Good going, Paul.
Mike Klessig’s Academy 1/72 scale Vought F-8E Crusader wears markings for VF-111 “Sundowners” to match F-14 and F-4 models he has in the works. Using Model Master enamels, he painted the white first, masked, and then painted the gray.
Most people don’t remember the 1983 Burt Reynolds movie “Stoker Ace,” but Matt Key remembers. He modeled a NASCAR 1983 Buick Regal and marked it with PowerSlide decals for Aubrey James, the main character’s rival race-car driver.
Drew Bendler built his Trumpeter 1/700 HMS “Renown” out of the box, adding only rigging and the anchor chains. He hand-painted and airbrushed the camouflage scheme with Scale Colors paints.
To model a Ferguson FF 30 DS, Scott Andeen turned to a 1/24 scale Heller kit. He made the base from foam insulation and went to town with AK Interactive diorama products. He painted the tractor with Tamiya spray lacquers.
Bob Kremer modeled a “nice, well-kept stock truck” by augmenting the molded details of an AMT 1/25 scale 1972 Chevy pickup. He primed, painted with Tamiya lacquers, and finished with a little light weathering.
Known for his demolition-derby builds, Rick “Doc” Buikema took his scratch-bash skills and built a post-apocalyptic “survival vehicle.” Basically built from his spares box from a range of kits, the 1/25 scale tracked marauder has working lights and wears spray-paint camouflage.
Maynard Nigbor built this Hasegawa 1/35 scale Hitachi Double-Arm Working Machine while also babysitting. Built out of the box, the kit wears airbrushed Floquil and Model Master enamels. Maynard weathered with alcohol inks and ground pastels.
Plow trucks take a beating, and Troy modeled this Moebius Models 1972 Ford pickup to show one in action. He ditched the kit bumpers, made a front replacement from a wooden coffee stir stick, and rusted the body with various shades of brown acrylic paints.
Devilishly red, Tom Nowak’s AMT 1/25 scale 1969 El Camino looks mean and inviting. He painted with automotive lacquers, detailed with photo-etched metal parts from Model Car Garage, and upgraded the kit's wheels and tires with aftermarket jewels.
Gary Rockey said he “just wanted something that was a different color!” To that end, he painted his Revell 1/24 scale 1965 Chevy Stepside pickup Rust-Oleum Warm Yellow enamel from the spray can. He also replaced the kit engine with a 348 V8 from a ’59 El Camino.
This Louis Vargas 1/72 scale Ford 3-ton tank wears hand-brushed Vallejo paint for a factory-fresh finish. Bob Clift said the brick wall comes from a model railroad kit and is mounted to a wooden base. Tamiya Panel Line Accent Colors pop the details.
Will “The Kraut” Kirchmeyer built a Dragon 1/35 scale radio Kübelwagen that was a gift from his dad who started him building models. “I paint as I go,” Will said, “shading first, and then adding layers of paint.” Thin washes on the camo add contrast, and metallic paint shows wear on corners and edges.
Heavenly Hearse decals dress up this Hasegawa 1/24 scale V-dub bus from Patrice Borchers. She made shag carpet for the interior from yarn and furnished it with custom curtains, blankets, and pillows inside. Under the decals is a yellow and pink two-tone finish.
Henry Skocz built a box-stock 1/25 scale Wes’s Asphalt Modified from Wes’s Model Car Corner and Salvinos JR. He painted with an airbrush and Testors enamels.
It’s always good to see a Galaxie Ltd. resin kit at a show. Here, Rob Schmidt built a 1/25 scale 1948 Chevrolet Aerosedan, added a visor from an AMT 1950 Chevy pickup, and that delicious factory-fresh finish was made possible with ScaleFinishes enamels.
Christian Gurney painted his Special Hobby 1/48 scale Supermarine Seafire Mk.XV as a Royal Canadian Navy carrier-based bird. He painted with MRP lacquer over Mr. Surfacer, top-coated with semigloss clear, and dirtied it up with Flory washes. The base, of course, is by Bill.
“The jeep was absolutely destroyed when I got it,” Steven Bair said. “I had to completely rebuild it.” Built out of an MPC 1/25 scale Universal Dune Buggy, this Texaco service truck was brought back to life, and Steven added a spare tire to the back end.
Deb Salmon’s box-stock Tamiya 1/24 scale Mazda RX-7 wears a Tamiya Gold base coat under Clear Red for that sparkly, candy finish. Then she masked the body and spray-painted the top black.
Junior modeler Deven Lehst, 16, built a truck that he’d like to own in real life: a 1978 Dodge D-150. This midnight blue bruiser comes from two MPC 1/25 scale kits. Deven cut the frame, interior, and cab and converted it into a crew cab, jumping right into kitbashing.
Troy Deal plants plenty of Easter eggs around his “junk car” builds to keep you looking for more. You’ll find old magazines on the floors, sagging roof liners made of tea bags, masking tape for sloughing door panels, resin trash bags, and Minwax wood stain for oil residue under the engine. That’s all before getting to the weathering with Rust-Oleum Red Oxide Primer, Tamiya pigments, and holes chewed through the body with a rotary tool. Dare we say a Revell Germany 1/25 scale 1968 Volkswagen Beetle never looked more interesting?
This massive Hellboy bust from Mark Warthing was painted by John Eng. He primed and airbrushed layers of acrylic colors. With the base down, John came back with artist oils to fine-tune his half-demon superhero.