August 6, 2008WAUKESHA, Wis. — Scott Conner of Leawood, Kan., wins the grand prize in
FineScale Modeler magazine's "Be an Author" contest. The contest required readers to submit an article related to the scale-modeling hobby. A panel of magazine editors selected Conner's project — building and detailing a 1/35 scale World War II-era German Tiger I tank (pictured) — for the top prize from among hundreds of submissions.
Conner, an eighth-grade science teacher at Yeokum Middle School in Belton, Mo., receives $1,000 for his effort. His article is the cover story of
FineScale Modeler's
September 2008 issue, available now.
"When we saw Scott's project," says Matthew Usher, editor of
FineScale Modeler, "we knew it was going to be a front runner. In the end we were sure it was by far the best entry, and we're really excited to share Scott's work with our readers."
Conner, 50, started modeling during the 1960s, building cars, planes, and movie monsters before settling on tanks. He dropped the hobby after high school until his son got him back into the hobby in 1996. Now Conner spends about 10 hours a week working on his models and visiting his favorite local hobby shop,
Hobby Haven in Overland Park, Kan.