These Revell Deals Wheels kits are fun caricatures of muscle cars. Scott Campell did the Trans-Um Tire Bird in classic blue on white. Scott likes the driver figure flashing a peace sign.
This super-clean custom is the work of Rick Papp. The Monogram ’41 Lincoln has an asymmetric windshield, molded-in headlights, and an art deco style interior. The dashboard was made from a portion of the trunk and has a fabricated speedometer surround.
Arthur Radziszewski did minor modifications to a Testor’s Boyd’s Smoothster. He likes the kit overall, but wanted to backdate the wheels to a more traditional look with big whitewalls and five-spoke wheels from The Parts Box in Australia. The body and interior are box stock. Arthur added aluminum velocity stacks to give the engine some pop.
Did you ever build a project around certain parts you wanted to use? Bob Huard had a set of American Model Products wheels and tires and made a home for them with this ’39 Chevy Coupe. The beater is finished with four different Tamiya colors and some nice sanded primer effects.
Not just another General Lee: Chester Marzec makes us do a double-take with his AMT ’69 Ford Torino as the Dukes of Hazzard ride. The roll cage, CB radio, and American Racing Vector wheels came from an MPC ’69 Charger kit. The graphics were sourced from Slixx Decals.
Joe Morgan took a slightly different approach to the Street Freak genre using an AMT ’67 Comet altered wheelbase (AWB) drag car. Joe added treaded tires, wipers, mirrors, and a license plate to support the street legal requirements. The radical mill is a blown 427 SOHC Ford with dual quads and 3D-printed velocity stacks from Calnaga Castings.
This slump-buster project from Chris Meacham looks pretty exciting to me. Chris used a Studio 27 photo etch kit to enhance a Tamiya Zakspeed Capri road racer. The finish is Tamiya black with 2K clear, and there is some light, race-use weathering in there as well.
The bubble top on Harold “H” Helzer’s Star Gazer show car came from a 1963 Issue AMT T-Bird. It’s integrated with a ’64 Plymouth Belvedere body and a ’68 Road Runner powertrain. The engine has full technical detailing, and the interior is full of cool retro show car accessories like a TV, record player, and telephone. H’s effort earned him first place in the "Custom" category.
The judges appropriately awarded Ed Oclaire first place in the Competition Straightline category for this radical land speed record car. Ed did an amazing amount of scratch-building to execute the very out-of-the-box design. The radial engine is from a large-scale WWII bomber kit, integrated with a Revell rear engine dragster frame. The body panels and many components were fabricated by Ed.
Models like this are what the Box Stock category is all about. Start with an interesting, well-executed kit, apply a clean building technique, and lay down a show-quality finish. Mike “Raisin” Garrett did the Revell ’41 Willys kit proud with his version of the Stone Woods and Cook gasser without any kitbashing, aftermarket parts, or detailing.
The Junior class saw plenty of action at the Detroit Autorama. Michael Brown’s AMT ’70 Dodge Super Bee featured a striking color shift paint job. The Dodge has a 426 Hemi and a blocked suspension. Michael’s inspiration comes from the street racers of the ‘70s.
If it’s a race car, is it really a “curbside?” Tony Buglione says his “pit wall side” Hasegawa Porsche 962C is box stock and finished with Tamiya TS34 Yellow on the body. Molotow chrome augments the wheel finish.
Was it painter Bob Ross who said, “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents?” Brian Downing sprayed Testors Alumacoupe Yellow over light gray primer and wound up with this very ’70s OEM-looking lime green on his AMT ’71 Charger R/T. Brian’s a MOPAR fan, and his favorites are the Chargers.
Monogram show rods are a good starting point for young builders because they assemble into great looking models, even for the less experienced. Levi Herod earned first place in the "Junior" category with his build of the Red Baron. Levi was inspired to do the show rod because Chuck Miller, the builder of the full-sized show car, is his friend.
Gary Besler won "Best in Show" with his highly modified Polar Lights 1966 TV Batmobile. It’s got a removable jet engine with an exhaust tube running the full length of the car. There are plenty of additional features like folding seats, a Batarang, and a Bat Rope behind the seats. The headlamps, tail lights, and Bat Phone are illuminated.
Jimmy Lineberry used the engine and frame parts from a Monogram Plum Crazy ’57 Chevy funny car to extend his AMT ’55 Chevy Bel Air Sedan. The unique green paint job was done with spray cans, green over a white base. The green can was almost empty and began to spit, creating the mottled finish.
Sometimes, a veteran model car is brought to the Autorama for a glimpse into the past. The cool ’40 Ford gasser was built by the late Dave Jurewicz and entered in contests in the early ‘60s, including the ’63 Revell Nationals. His brother Paul Jurewicz brought it to the 2025 Autorama for display. It’s amazing how a good build from so long ago still holds up today. You gotta love the yellow fades in the paint scheme and the corduroy-upholstered running boards.
The Hasegawa Lancia in this 12” x 12” ski diorama by Brandon Hoffman is an excellent model in its own right with airbrushed upholstery, carpeting, and seat belt detail. '80s ski figures from Hasegawa are decked out in premium suits and skis thanks to Brandon’s paint detailing skills. Snow effects from Tamiya create the environment.
The ’32 Ford is the universal canvas for hot rod expression. Here we have a modern take on the ’32 as an EV! Note the extended hood is now a “frunk” and the rear compartment is filled with a battery, controller, and cables. Kevin Kovach installed an Apple CarPlay display to keep the interior state-of-the-art as well.
The "Competition-Circle Track" category at the Autorama gets its share of NASCAR subjects. Tom Tilton displayed Dave Marcis’ Dodge Intrepid with Bobby Isaac #71 tribute livery from Yesteryear Decals.
Bruce Jupp did his Revell Shelby Cobra as an A Production road racer. The clean blue finish is Tamiya TS 53 Deep Blue Metallic. It’s basically a box stock build that took Bruce 3 weeks to complete.
Brishen “B” Davis always pushes himself to try something different. He got good results using Folk Art True Blue metallic paint on his Revell ’53 Chevy. The lace pattern on the roof, whitewalls, and a chain steering wheel round out the lowrider motif.
Young Levi Marzec built his Revell Snap Fast Crown Victoria police car box stock. He had some assistance from his grandpa Chester Marzec, who had appeared in these pages several times before. The build took about three hours, but as they say, the memories last a lifetime.
A fine first time model building effort for 8-year-old William Golembieski. Some additional exterior detailing was done on the Revell Mustang Snap Kit’s marker lights with Tamiya bottle paints. William got the kit from his grandfather, Rick Radecke, the lead organizer of the Autorama contest.
This AMT ’65 Dodge drag car was done as Dick Smith's AFX-class racer using decals from STS. The body was finished in Candy Red over Gold and 2K Clear from Bob’s Paint. Builder Frank Viviano was inspired by real drag cars in magazines.
Nick Zuk’s Ford GT40 MkII is box stock, including the photo-etch rear grille and seat belt hardware. The fine-looking curbside kit was originally offered by Fujimi and also sold under the Revell brand.
This pair of 1/25 scale Triumph-engined motorcycles is offered by Calnaga Castings. Steve Perry built the hybrid 3D printed and resin cast kits with full control cable and ignition wire detailing. They placed a respectable second and third in the diverse "Miscellaneous" class.