Wes Salazar
Wentzville, Missouri
Looking to replicate the traditional lowriders he grew up around in California, Wes scratchbuilt a hydraulic setup for Revell’s 1/25 scale 1964 Impala and dressed up the engine with machined pulleys and air cleaner. He painted the Chevy with House of Kolor Root Beer Pearl and urethane clear.
Mike “Raisin” Garrett
Garden City, Michigan
Mike modified a JoHan 1/25 scale Pro Stock Ford Maverick with the engine bay from a Monogram Mustang and drilled out the solid-molded chrome headlights to accept clear lenses. Slixx decals over Tamiya paint mark it as Dyno Don Nicholson’s Maverick.
Eric Hrymak
Shelby Township, Michigan
After opening the second and third crew hatches on a Monogram 1/48 scale B-58, Eric built full interior detail for the compartments; the landing gear features hydraulic lines. He painted the Hustler with Model Master Metalizer lacquers.
David Wrinkle
Beavercreek, Ohio
David painted an E2046 1/5 scale bust of Hana Midorikawa, a character from the manga series
Prison School, with Tamiya acrylics.
Tim Brown
Louisville, Kentucky
To turn Tamiya’s 1/35 scale Steyr Typ 1500A/01 into a wrecker, Tim cut the body in half to accommodate a scratchbuilt bed and MiniArt boom. A second Tamiya Steyr gave up a set of tires to make the dual rear wheels. He painted it with Tamiya acrylics.
Kevin Foureman
Arcanum, Ohio
Kevin airbrushed base coats onto Midost’s 80mm Elven Archer, but everything else is hand-painted. His arsenal of colors includes acrylics, artist oils, pigments, colored pencils, and inks.
Nathan LaPorte
Saint Clair, Michigan
After replacing the kit seats with resin from Quicboost, Nathan camouflaged Tamiya’s 1/48 scale F-4B with Tamiya acrylics. Alclad II and AK Interactive Xtreme Metal lacquers finished the bare-metal sections. Bullseye Decals provided the markings for a VF-151 commander’s Phantom.
Richard G. Guetig
Louisville, Kentucky
For his action-packed 1/35 scale vignette of Das Reich Division soldiers on the Eastern Front in 1944, Richard posed Warriors figures with a section cut from a Tamiya Panther. He applied Eduard Zimmerit to the tank and painted everything with acrylics, Tamiya for the tank, and Vallejo and LifeColor for the figures.
J.R. Pope
Champaign, Illinois
Revell’s 1/24 scale long wheelbase Land Rover Series III became even longer at J.R.’s hands. After extending the body, he modified the drivetrain to turn it into a 6x6. The finish is British Racing Green from Tamiya.
Brian Acker
Mooresville, Indiana
Brian dressed up the cockpit of a Gallery Models 1/48 scale UH-34D with Eduard photo-etched metal. He painted it with MRP lacquers using Uschi van der Rosten spatter stencils during pre-shading to weather the finish.
Jon Davis
Greenwood, Indiana
Jon modified AMT’s 1/25 scale 1936 Ford Coupe with opening doors, a hinged hood, and mechanical brakes. He painted it black from a Tamiya spray can to finish it as a showroom stock car.
Terry C. Hill
Louisville, Kentucky
Terry posed a pair of Jeff Shiu 90mm German infantrymen on a bench contemplating a scratchbuilt checkers set, modeling a moment’s peace. He painted the figures with Vallejo acrylics except for the faces, which he painted with artist oils.
Dave Welch
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Dave says he “performed major surgery” on nearly all the parts of MiniArt’s 1/35 scale BZ-38 refueling truck to ensure proper fit and alignment. He airbrushed the Red Army truck with Vallejo acrylics and placed it on a base decorated with mostly natural materials
Steve Hustad
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
For his appropriately named diorama “Blown up and souvenired,” Steve cut apart a Hasegawa 1/72 scale Ju 88 and filled the exposed sections with CMK resin and scratchbuilt details. Home-made trees provide a backdrop as a group of Preiser G.I.s pose for a photo.
Kip Pelton
Crestwood, Kentucky
To build a vehicle at home in Mad Max, Kip modified a 1/12 scale Tamiya motorcycle by extending the rear end, stretching the fuel tank, adding scratchbuilt details, and mounting a 3D-printed elk skull. Chipping fluid, Tamiya acrylics, and AK Interactive washes added a post-apocalyptic patina.
Bill Grosso
Fishers, Indiana
Bill’s build of Revell’s 1/48 scale PBY-5A brims with aftermarket details, including SAC metal landing gear, Eduard photo-etched metal for the floats, and Wolfpack Decals for a Catalina at the Battle of Midway. He painted the flying boat with Model Master acrylics.
Dave Mezera
Hobart, Indiana
To build the HMS Hood in 1940, Dave backdated a Trumpeter 1/350 scale kit with a 50-foot steam pinnacle and forward mast. He airbrushed the battlecruiser with Humbrol and Model Master enamels over pre-shading and weathered with pastels and washes.
Lance Spangle
Indianapolis, Indiana
For a build for the Facebook community Fantasy Livery Group, Lance marked a Tamiya 1/24 scale Porsche 911 GT1 with MOMO sponsor decals from Raceworks. He painted the race car with Tamiya Italian Red from a spray can and flowed on thin Tamiya Black to pop panel lines.
Travis Collard
Louisville, Kentucky
The AA-60 is an airport firetruck built on the Russian MAZ-543 military transporter (famous as the Scud launcher). Travis painted Trumpeter’s 1/35 scale AA-60 with Mission Models acrylics mixed with Pledge Floor Gloss over pre-shading.
Matt Deck
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Mating a Takom 1/35 scale Hanomag SS100 with a FlaK 37 8.8cm antiaircraft gun, Matt produced this scene of the German army on the move. He refined many of the truck’s details, added Panzerart wheels, and added brake lines with a detail gun.
John Harachis
Columbus, Ohio
It’s a Legio Custodes Caladius Grev-tank Annihilator from Warhammer 40,000! John painted the 28mm vehicle from Forge World with Citadel and Ammo by Mig Jimenez acrylics.
Steve Nelson
Battle Creek, Michigan
Steve used bits from his spare parts to replace the engine and prop of an Antares 1/72 scale Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk and added more spares and scratchbuilt details to the cockpit. He painted it with Mr. Hobby acrylics to model a scout plane from the ill-fated USS Indianapolis.
Larry Cherniak
Ellettsville, Indiana
After building Dora Wings’ 1/48 scale Curtiss AT-9 Jeep out of the box, Larry primed it with Mr. Surfacer 1000 that he sanded and buffed to a shine. With the foundation laid, he airbrushed the trainer with Vallejo Metal Color Chrome and weathered it with graphite on an artist stump.
Ron Francis
Fredericktown, Ohio
Ron applied the sharp finish on his NuNu 1/24 scale BMW M6 GT3 with Zero lacquers. He detailed the race car with NuNu photo-etched metal and carbon-fiber decals and added ribbing to the tow hooks
Mark Harmon
Westerville, Ohio
Mark built Tamiya’s 1/24 scale Ford Zakspeed Capri Turbo box stock and painted it with Dupli-Color Pearl White and Testors Clear. Decals for the Liqui Moly livery came from Auto-Color.
James R. Price
Divernon, Illinois
James built HobbyBoss’ 1/48 scale F-111E for an old squadron-mate who worked on F-111s at RAF Upper Heyford in the mid-1980s. He replaced the molded static wicks with fine wire, scratchbuilt intake covers, and painted the camouflage with Mission Models acrylics.
Greg Agee
Lexington, Kentucky
Lt. John “Wild Bill” Crump named his P-51D after his high school sweetheart, but the image on the side is of Jeep, Crump’s pet coyote. Greg added Eduard photo-etched metal seat belts to Tamiya’s 1/72 scale Mustang and painted it with Tamiya Bare-Metal Silver.
Brian Duddy
Dayton, Ohio
Brian finished Young Miniatures’ 1/10 scale bust of U.S. Navy aviator as Lt.J.G. Ira Kepford, a Corsair pilot with VF-17, using artist oils. He added lieutenant’s bars, headset wires, and dry-transfer markings.
Scott Weir
Monroe Center, Illinois
Scott’s Super Sabre shines under a layer of Testors Model Master Metalizer Buffing Aluminum Plate decanted from a spray can and airbrushed. Scale-Master decals mark the ESCI 1/72 scale F-100D as a fighter from the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing.
Kyle Harris
Hobart, Indiana
While Kyle built a Supernova 1/100 scale Gundam Sandrock Custom out of the box, he customized the look with airbrushed Mr. Color lacquers.
Tom Choy
Champaign, Illinois
“I grew up in Malaysia and Singapore, so my subject of interest has been military aviation in the region,” Tom says, explaining his build of High Planes 1/72 scale Mirage IIIO as a Royal Australian Air Force fighter at Butterworth, Malaysia. He painted it with Tamiya acrylics.
Duane Tripp
Shelbyville, Indiana
Duane built MPC’s 1/25 scale 1988 Dodge Daytona Turbo out of the box and painted it with Dupli-Color Metallic Red and Clear. It’s a great kit, according to Duane. “Honestly, it is an amazing kit few people have given a chance — great detail and well designed.”
Curt Cayemberg
Wentzville, Missouri
To build a Marine Corps vehicle in Iwo Jima, Curt added a scratchbuilt gun shield and ADV Club tracks to an Italeri 1/35 scale LVT(A)-4. He painted the amphibious landing craft with Model Master enamels and Tamiya acrylics and weathered it with artist oil fading, enamel washes, and pigment dust.
Mark Statt
St. Bernard, Ohio
The Swiss air force used a Siebel Si 204D interned from the Germans at the end of World War II as a parachute trainer. Mark built the captured plane from a Special Hobby 1/48 scale kit and painted it with Army Painter acrylics.
T.J. Misiolek
Columbus, Ohio
After dressing Tamiya’s 1/35 scale SdKfz 9 FAMO halftrack with a large spade and filling the bed with stowage, T.J. painted it with Tamiya acrylics. An artist oil wash popped the panel lines and details.
John Tinay
Grand Rapids, Michigan
John’s model represents the Chaparral 2K that Johnny Rutherford drove to victory in the 1980 Indy 500. He painted the Formula Models 1/43 scale model with Gravity lacquers.
J.R. Burggren
Muskegon, Michigan
Don’t go looking for a kit of J.R.’s 1/25 scale USAC dirt midget. He scratchbuilt the frame, body, fuel cell, suspension, part of the engine, header, muffler, and bead locks. After spraying the model with Testors White Lightning and Blazing Black, he hand-painted the numbers.