David Meiklejohn
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
“I am a huge fan of woodies, so over time I constructed these five examples,” David says. The 1/25 scale kits built (clockwise from front) are two Galaxie Limited 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Aerosedans, a Revell ’31 Ford Model A woody, a Revell ’49 Mercury wagon, and a Monogram ’48 Ford woody. He painted the cars with Testors and Model Master colors.
Jerry Pavano
Manchester, Connecticut
Looking for a unique submarine model? Then look no further than the Sword, from Jules Verne’s 1896 novel Facing the Flag (Face au Drapeau). This experimental four-man British sub was used to rescue the book’s heroes. Jerry made his model on a 3D-printer based on the version of Sword seen in Karl Zemen’s 1958 movie, The Fabulous World of Jules Verne. He painted the hull with Rust-Oleum Annodized Bronze and trimmed the hull straps and paddles with Tamiya Copper. The keel and motor mounts were sprayed with Model Master Gun Metal, and he used Model Master Euro I Gray for the conning tower, paddles, and searchlight mounts. The lamp itself and hatch wheel were painted Humbrol Brass. Testors Bronze was applied to the prop, periscope, and portholes, before those parts were misted with Rust-Oleum primer. “All-in-all, a very fantastical model and a nice addition to my Verne collection,” Jerry says.
Jonathan Eby
Mary Esther, Florida
Jonathan painted Tamiya’s 1/32 scale A6M2b Zero with custom-mixes of Tamiya acrylics. Most of the weathering was done with pre- and post-shading. He kept chipping to a minimum reflect the durability of the original green-gray camouflage used in World War II.
Peter Ong
San Francisco, California
Peter hand-painted this trio of resin figures with Vallejo acrylics. The roster (from left) is Tarko Stahlen, a 75mm from Scale 75’s Fallen Frontiers series, SOL Resin Factory’s 150mm Muhon, and Hobby Design’s 75mm Luke Hobbs, Dwayne Johnson’s character from the Fast & Furious franchise.
Thomas M. Darlington
Seattle, Washington
After its launch in 1997, the Cassini spacecraft spent more than a decade exploring Saturn and its moons. Thomas scratchbuilt Cassini and the attached Huygens probe in 1/48 scale using photos and diagrams as reference. “The parts are from a collection of random stuff that model builders collect — plastic, jewelry, tubing (brass and plastic), pill bottle lids, small wood spheres, chipboard, gold foil from chocolate bars, LEGO cones for thrusters, cotton for exhaust, etc.,” he says. “The antenna dish is 3D printed. If one looks at basic design of the space probe, it is a center tank with a frame and scientific instruments hung off of the frame in a radial design.”
Anthony Joseph Quartaro
Manteca, California
What is it? Glad you asked! It is a 1/35 scale Forward Support/Reconnaissance Vehicle (FSRV) which Anthony says is mostly scratchbuilt. “The lower half of its body was made from parts in my scrap box — might be from a leftover Bandai kit,” he says. “Top half was made from Evergreen plastic. Many of the components are held together by tiny magnets to ease the posture of the robot while on its base. LEDs were added and a hidden battery pack inside with an switch on the figure.” He placed it on groundwork made from Celluclay, white glue, and dark brown paint covered with static grass and a fence made from coffee stirrers.
Alan Nadel
Kings Park, New York
Alan built a Hasegawa 1/48 scale F4U-4 Corsair mostly out of box, painted it with Tamiya acrylics, and marked it with Impact Hobby decals. “The model depicts an aircraft of the Marine Corps VMF-225 Squadron during the time my father was a mechanic in that squadron,” Alan says.
George Clover
Catheys Valley, California
“Many years ago, when I started dabbling in this hobby, I built the Hasegawa 1/32 scale P-51D as Chuck Yeager's plane,” George says. “Now, since I am a little more established in the hobby, I suggested my adult children buy me the Tamiya 1/32 scale kit for my birthday. Nearly 5 months later, it is finished!” George dressed up the big Mustang with HGW seat belts, Eduard photo-etched metal details, resin wheels, and ammunition bay, armament details from Master Model, and Barracuda drop tanks and cockpit placards and stencils. He finished the P-51 with Alclad II lacquers, Montez masks, and Eagle Cals markings for Hurry Home Honey flown by Maj. Richard Peterson. “I can tell you that there were several moments in which I used choice language, especially with the delicate Alclad II process, but I have to say in the end it is worth it!” he adds.
Mandy Gareza
Lake Havasu City, AZ
Mandy built a Tamiya 1/35 scale Hanomag Sdkfz 251/1 out of the box. He painted the German halftrack with Vallejo acrylics and weathered with pastels and pigments.
Tyler Townsend
Odessa, Texas
“This 1/16 scale 1931 Ford delivery van is the result of me letting my crazy friends Alex and Shane decide what to do with it,” Tyler says. “Basically, it’s an armored post-apocalypse mail-delivery van with a side mural depicting the character Derpy Hooves from the cartoon show My Little Pony.” Tyler hand-painted the Minicraft model with varying layers of Model Master black and rust acrylics along with weathering and corroded holes made with a rotary tool.