Despite widespread use, we don’t often see models of the Hitachi ZW100-6 frontend loader. Craig Jarboe built his Hasegawa 1/35 scale kit to depict a loader in NATO service, painting with Tamiya acrylics and airbrushing the camouflage freehand. He applied Ammo products for dirt and weathering.
Dave Roeder built his Revell Germany 1/24 scale Deutz D-30 tractor out of the box and painted it with Tamiya lacquers sprayed straight from the can. He handled the details with a paintbrush.
The Outlaw is what Michael Gross named his custom Lindberg 1/25 scale 1938 Ford sedan delivery. He primed and painted the fades and lace with Tamiya copper, gold, metallic red, pearl white, yellow, orange, and pearl green, all from the spray cans. He wired the engine, ran radiator and heater hoses, hinged the hood, added valve stems to the wheels, installed outside mirrors, and equipped the engine with a 1955 Caddy air cleaner.
John Anton’s Glencoe 1/59 scale Stutz Bearcat has custom wooden inserts for the dash and floorboard. He painted with red pearl metallic and pear white and finished the gold stripes by hand.
David Spivey’s Revell 1/25 scale Chevy II drag car is dressed to impress. Built on a Funny Car chassis, David cut open the chassis and windshield to accommodate the enormous V8 up front. The Pistonator wears red metal flake lacquer topped with three coats of Testors Wet-Look clear.
Maddison Bernardon, 12, proudly showed off her Revell 1/25 scale 1968 Pontiac Firebird and its impeccable green Tamiya lacquer finish. Built out of the box, “It was the first model I did by myself,” Maddie said. Way to go!
A resin carburetor and distributor detail the interior of Mike Good’s Revell 1/25 scale 1969 Camaro. He added a bit of sparkle to the otherwise classic white-stripe scheme with metallic red Testors Extreme lacquer and clear coated with a 2K finish.
Shadow Mendiola calls this sweet confection the “Nomadillac.” A combination of an AMT 1955 Chevy Nomad roof and a resin ’48 Cadillac body, he’s cooked up a dream kitbash. He custom-mixed color-shifting paint for a purple-to-gold “kandy kolor.” Shadow picked out the brightwork with Bare-Metal Foil, dressed the interior with aftermarket details, and taped the steering wheel for a wrapped leather effect.
Except for an aftermarket distributor, Rod Beeman built the Revell 1/24 Radical J-2000 Pontiac pro street kit out of the box. He sprayed it candy yellow, capped by a pearl clear coat, and applied the kit markings. His inspiration for the build was his love of the look of pro-street cars.
For his Aoshima 1/24 scale Liberty Walk Nissan GT-R R35, Shannon Bernardon went old school and used basic modeling techniques—primer, wet-sanding, and masking—to achieve a stunning Japanese supercar. Built out of the box, the flawless decals and high-contrast finish demand attention.
Scott Hoover said, “You got to have a love for what you’re building,” when he brought up his gasser “rollback” and Willys. He chopped off the cab of an AMT Racer’s Wedge and replaced it with the cap from an AMT ’40 Willys gasser pickup. Scott laid down black primer on both models, then painted silver flakes before topping them with a candy blue.
To depict his wife’s fantasy car, Martin Schultz began with a Revell 1/24 scale Snap Tite 2017 Ford GT kit. He removed the molded grilles and replaced them with hex mesh. The custom license plate says HER GT and Martin detailed with KA Models carbon-fiber decals. The lux color is Gravity Lamborghini Viola Mithras with blue pearl on top.
At 1/72 scale, Mark Miller’s IBG Scammel Pioneer takes up hardly any room, but he’s packed it with detail you’d be hard-pressed to see in a 1/35 scale model. He added a water outlet, inlet, fuel lines, air line and compressor, and throttle and winch linkage to the engine. Inside the cab, he detailed with a map and shift levers. Mark also added wire grab handles, a side door for the bed, and a ladder. The stowage in the back comes from Value Gear.
Immaculate was the word we used to describe Scott Burggraf’s Revell 1/24 scale ’66 Ford Mustang GT 350. He detailed with Bare-Metal Foil, plug wires, a fuel line, a battery, and cables. He base-coated the body with Dupli-Color White and painted the stripes automotive blue paint before protecting it all under 2K clear.
One of the coolest models at the contest was Steve Prange’s MPC 1/25 scale Willys Jeep, all crated up and ready for shipment overseas during World War II. He scratchbuilt the shipping crate from popsicle sticks and coffee stirrers. Based on photos he found, Steve painted the Jeep Tamiya lacquers from the spray cans.
The color of Barry Setzer’s 1973 Vega Pro Stock caught Mike Garrett’s eye, so he decided to build a model of it. Using an MPC 1/25 scale kit, he lowered the body and scratchbuilt the engine bay with Evergreen styrene and installed a more accurate motor from an AMT ’66 Nova. He primed the body with Plasticote White Primer, base-coated with Tamiya Gold, and followed up with Clear Red.
Sprint cars always stand out, and Tony Gallaway’s 1/25 scale ’70s dirt-track gladiator reminds him of his time at the track watching as a kid. He installed aftermarket velocity stacks, 3D-printed front tires, and resin rears. He airbrushed a combination of Tamiya, House of Kolor, and automotive paints for the red-and-white scheme.
Mini tubs in the back allowed Paul Lovely to squeeze bigger rears under his Revell 1/24 scale 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A, a replica of his 1/1 car! He airbrushed the body colors with Createx acrylics and protected them with a spray-can clear coat. A simple black wash detailed the rims, engine, and panel lines.
David Herndon is concentrating on tuners, and his Tamiya 1/24 scale 1971 Nissan Skyline was among the models he brought to Freeze Frame. He added a carbon-fiber hood and strut brace, Optima battery, and spark plug wires.
Built box stock, Keith Price finished his Galaxie Limited 1/25 scale 1948 Chevy Fleetline Aerosedan to look like a real car he’d seen in a documentary about Route 66. To get the look, first, he applied Tamiya White Primer and followed with Krylon Seafoam Green. After masking, he painted the roof Krylon Leather Brown. After clear coating, he applied decals for the woodgrain. Keith picked out the panel lines with a Gundam paint pen.
Bill Spainhower chopped the top of his Revell 1/25 scale 1937 Ford pickup hot rod, wired the motor, and made the glass for the partially rolled-down windows. He painted with acrylic colors straight from the spray cans.
Ron Price was surprised that we wanted to photograph his AMT 1/25 scale 1940 Willys coupe. But not as surprised as we were by the audacious purple-glitter paint job. Ron sprayed the paint, expecting it to dry smooth, but it ended up with a texture. Disappointed at first, as he continued to work on it, the finish grew on him and became the car's theme.
Celebrating the lives of those with cancer—survivors and those now gone—Clyde Thrasher built this pink AMT 1/25 scale Dodge D100 pickup and damper. He painted with Tamiya spray colors straight from the cans and wired the engine.
One of the most unique models at Freeze Frame this year was Robert Staley’s 1/25 scale Oldsmotrike. If you haven’t already guessed, he kitbashed an AMT 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass and an MPC trike kit to get this hellacious combo. Robert lifted the rear rims and tires from a die-cast model and crafted a custom frame for the three-wheeled monster.
John Shelton specialized in big rigs and brought his 1978 White Road Commander 2 and dump trailer. The tractor comes from an Auslowe transkit built on an Italeri chassis, and John scratchbuilt the trailer. The wheels all around are Mo’luminum resin parts. The truck colors are Tamiya Champagne Gold and Metallic Green.
Mike Pulliam kicked up his AMT 1/25 scale 1960 Pontiac GT with seat belts, a tachometer, and a stereo. He airbrushed an orange fade over a silver basecoat and says he was inspired to make something that a high schooler would drive.
Doug Haviland spent 45 hours building the enormous Agora 1/8 scale 1965 Shelby American 427 Cobra SC. Built box stock, it is an impressive model that looks ready to start right up and hit the open road.
This AMT 1/25 scale 1955 Chevy Cheyenne is the first model Chad Abbott built in 30 years. It’s jaw-dropping when you think about the wired engine, tissue-and-glue tap in the back, the spot-on weathering using a sponge to model the rusty patina, and the aesthetically appropriate base. Superb work, Chad!