On Saturday, October 12, 2024, Cleveland’s North Coast Automotive Modelers (NCAM) hosted the 2nd annual Plastic Undercover model car show and swap meet in nearby Akron, Ohio. The goal of this NNL-type show is for model builders to build friendships, gain inspiration, and acquire materials for future projects. Six trophies, including the Show Stopping Performance Vehicle sponsored by Hawk Performance, were awarded by the host club. More than 400 models filled the display tables with builders traveling from as far as Iowa to attend, making it hard to know what to shoot, but we hung in there. Enjoy the fruit of our labors.
Jim Tester built a resin PZY & Kitbox 1/24 scale BMW Z4 out of the box and painted the body black before applying Miniature Decals for the Goodsmile Racing livery. He sealed the finish under 2K clear.
Although the students of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland could not attend the show, their group build, an AMT 1/16 scale ’64½ Ford Mustang, grabbed plenty of attention. The pony car features a wild scheme of craft paint and glitter and wears the optional daisy-style chrome-plated mag wheels and wide Goodyear tires from the kit.
Based on a concept he dreamed up in high school, Wes Liptak added all the right go-fast parts to this AMT 1/25 scale Custom Pumper. Mods include a chopped top, sectioned bed, and scratchbuilt jet engine, airfoil, and diffuser.
A luscious coat of MCW Finishes Flame Orange and an overall clean build earned Curtis McGinnis a Best Ford award for his Revell 1/25 scale Foose FD-100 pickup. A detailed engine bay and real wood in the bed added to the appeal.
Long-distance friends Rob Smorey from Ohio and Rick Suit in Nevada agreed to a build challenge of the Thom Taylor Frankenstude by Jimmy Flintstone Studios. Rick’s gleams under HOK paint and rolls on gold five-spoke wheels, while Rob’s boasts a stretched and smoothed rear end and deleted rear window.
Mike Blaskovich had a clear vision for the custom interior of this MPC 1/25 scale Dodge Ram Van, while the wild exterior was designed on-the-fly. He employed wood grain, marbling, a fade, and other paint tricks, before adding a driver figure and a set of Cragar mags to fit the ‘70s truckin’ vibe.
This short-track, semi-modified Mustang is a meticulously built replica from Clay Kemp. Inspired by the car’s unique history and the wild look of the body and wings, Clay used tin roof flashing to craft interior panels and the spoiler. It’s topped with custom decals and powered by an inline, six-cylinder engine from a Moebius Models kit.
Perhaps the only true “street freak” on the tables was Tim Stuper’s 1974 Plymouth Roadrunner, highlighted by metallic violet paint from Mr. Color, traction bars from the parts box, big and bigger Hoosier tires, and the front end from a ’78 Dodge Monaco. Tim’s build of the MPC 1/25 scale kit has no shortage of attitude.
According to a Hemmings.com A-12 Super Bee buyer’s guide article, the fifth symbol of the VIN should be M. Sam Husk understood this to mean “marvelous” and brought his rendition, a Revell 1/24 scale ’69 Dodge dressed in Rallye Green paint and wearing the correct wheels, tires, and carburetors from Fireball Modelworks.
Dan Popeko had a Monogram 1/48 scale Corsair kit with missing parts and didn’t want to throw it away. So, he added four wheels among other modifications, and created a jet-powered salt flats car. The subtle wording “WHAT IF” on the fuselage tells the story of this driver’s endless quest for speed.
George Pavell set out to treat this Volkswagen New Beetle to an old-school powerplant and new-school tuner styling. Under the hood rests a Pontiac 421 SD motor and four-speed transmission. Up front is a modified Dodge Viper unit, and George scratchbuilt the rest of the chassis.
Michigan builder Chris Meacham put his own twist on AMT’s 1/25 scale ’32 Ford Vicky, adding a functioning bikini top, suicide doors, and a plumbed and wired cross-ram 302 engine. He also fitted 3D-printed parts, including the frame, interior panels, and seat accessories.
Inspired by his late friend Mike Siegman, Rick Suit rolled in a trio of 1/43 scale cars: a Mercedes CLK-GT 1997 by BBR, a Penske ‘68 Chevy Camaro by Cutting Edge Technology, and a ’95 McLaren GT BPR by Provence Moulange. Sharp!
Taking inspiration from a truck seen on Hoovie’s Garage, Jerome Andrews built and detailed a Revell 1/25 scale Ford F-150 SVT Raptor with a scratchbuilt roof rack, push bar, roll bar, and trailer hitch. Dressed to kill in Go Mango and orange pearl, the killer pickup rolls on 3D-printed wheels.
To get an AMT 1/25 scale ’63 Ford Galaxie into A/SA drag race spec, Dave Johnson removed the console and bucket seats in favor of a bench, borrowed the engine, transmission, and headers from a Ford Thunderbolt, scratchbuilt the quarter windows, and applied Fred Cady decals.
When Chuck Homolka saw this famous kid’s car from Iceman Collections, he decided it needed a makeover including flared fenders over 3D-printed wheels. Real wood for the sides and a surfboard in the roof rack fully realized his vision.
While Steve Jacobs enjoys building 1/12 scale cars, he admits they take up a lot of room in his house! When he was preparing to build a Tamiya Porsche 910, the challenge was finding color reference pictures of the real car in unrestored condition. He used primarily Tamiya paints and spent about 8 months on the build.