Lance Barger dredged up the “Creature from the Black Lagoon” from several kits, including old Aurora, Revell, and Monogram offerings. Hearkening back to the creature and over-the-top car kits of yesteryear, he concocted a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, painted with acrylics and enamels, and used all of his airbrushing know-how to pull it off.
These 1/25 scale “Tall T” models were inspired by Denny Johnson in the January 1972 Car Model Magazine. Tom Purcell scratchbuilt practically everything—MPC 1927 Ford Model T kits supplied the chrome parts—from styrene sheet and rods. House of Kolor paints did the job for both, and he decorated them with homemade decals.
Fierce is a word we’d use to describe Thomas Lindsey’s Revell 1/25 scale ’56 Ford F-100. He widened the fenders, chopped the top, set the body on a ’Vette frame, and rolled the rear bumper. The tri-tone paint job features Createx and Tamiya colors.
House of Kolor Passion Purple under PPG clear definitely gets our hearts racing! Izabella Mattox built her box-stock AMT 1934 Ford pickup to look similar to the box art, using strong modeling skills to clean mold lines, scribe doors, and sand and polish her way to a plum ride.
What a treat! It’s rare to see a finished Provence Moulage resin kit, but Rick Suit supplied a surprise with his 1/43 scale Morgan Aero 8 GT. Decorated for the 2002 Le Mans, it features House of Kolor paint and markings for the Race Sport Salisbury team sponsored by DeWalt and Barclays.
Ken Misin brought in Hobby Design and Top Studio detail sets, Tamiya forks, and Renaissance wheels to complete his 1/12 scale Ducati 119 Panigale. It’s a fantasy Martini racing scheme he came up with that uses aftermarket decals and Gravity paint.
Check out Armando Nava’s glammed-out ’53 Chevy Bel Air. Build from a Monogram kit, the wheels came from Jevries, and Armando spiced things up around the vehicle with Showcase Hobbies accessories. That eye-blasting paint job features House of Kolor Kandy and Flake.
It’s always fun to see what John Teresi brings to NNL West, and this year was no exception. Inspired by 1/1 motorcycles, John built a chopper powered by a radial airplane engine. Combining a Revell kit and his substantial scratchbuilding skills, he crafted this 1/12 scale masterpiece and created the weathered metal finish with Alclad II and FolkArt paints.
Frank Schaeffer built the hood and body of his 1/16 scale “Old 16” 1906 Locomobile from balsa wood—the rest was kitbashed and scratchbuilt based on Hudson Miniatures blueprints. Modeling the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup winner, Frank finished with Floquil paints and weathered it with real dirt.
To make his ’40 Mercury, Gary Juran modified a Jimmy Flintstone 1/25 scale body with extended rear fenders and additional side trim before setting it all rolling over Cadillac hub caps. He painted House of Kolor Purple over a gold base coat and then sprayed a clear coat on top.
Scale auto modeling and model railroading collide in this 1/24 scale “Lumber Co.” bus. Ira Dahm kitbashed a Monogram 1926 Mac Bulldog truck and a Bachmann G-scale passenger car. A tremendous amount of chopping and shortening allowed Ira to combine the kits, which he finished with Tamiya paint right from the spray cans.
The “Mad Max” video game inspired Nick Stegeman to build a post-apocalyptic 1/25 scale ’73 Ford Mustang. Of course, no car in the Wastelands would be complete without spikes, a 50-gallon fuel drum in the back, and wheels and tires meant for more than grabbing tarmac. Nick even put a trusty pet in the passenger seat.
Rusty Price’s Polar Lights 1/24 scale “Herbie the Love Bug” wears Tamiya Racing White straight from the spray can and decals instead of the stickers provided in the kit. He carpeted the interior with Ken’s Kustom Fuzzi-Fur.
Styled after Zipper Motors roadsters, Robert George modified an AMT 1/25 scale 1927 Ford roadster body to fit a swept windshield, scratchbuilt the nose, and placed it on top of a 1929 Z’d frame. He airbrushed a Dupli-Color Harvest Gold base coat and masked for Wimbledon White scallops. The topcoat is clear-polished to a high shine.
This Revell 1/25 scale 1950 Ford pickup in placid blue paint is anything but box stock. Erik Flores filled the bed and rear fenders and dressed up the wheels with Modelhaus sombrero caps and wide whitewalls. He says there was a glue mishap the night before the show, but if there was, we can’t tell. Great work, Erik!
Sparkly pink nail polish over a flat black base coat sets this Dodge SRT8 Pro Stock apart. Eric Harding kitbashed this model, setting a street-car body on a drag car chassis.
Patrick Hile used the body from a Moebius Models 1964 Chevy II Nova and put it on a Moebius Models 1965 Chevy II gasser. He 3D-printed the Holley carbs, custom fuel lines, and the intake manifold. He used the salt technique to paint and weather with red, brown, black, and racing white.
Look at this cherry Revell 1/25 scale Ford Del Rio wagon! Alejandro Ramirez customized the roof with a rack, luggage, and surfboard. He painted the sweet two-tone exterior with Testors Burgundy and a custom-mixed cream pearl.
Timothy Martinez’s Chevy S-10 drag truck uses the body from a Revell kit, but everything else is either aftermarket or scratchbuilt. He painted it Ford Toreador Red from the spray can.
Adrian Gudino’s 1970 Pontiac Trans Am sports parts from a 1949 Mercury grille and 1934 Ford hot-rod pickup’s square headlights. House of Kolor Kandy Tangerine fades with Kandy Gold over a gold base, covered in silver and gold mini-flake. He topped it with four coats of clear gloss.
A Revell 1/25 scale Baja Bronco received an Olson Brothers lift kit, wheels, tires, and bumpers, thanks to Tony Rossetto. He painted with spray paint enamel and masked for the two-tone look. “I saw the color combination on a Case tractor on auction through Barrett-Jackson,” Tony says.
Sean Langer built this model of the “Rod & Custom” Dream Truck from a resin kit. He hinged the hood and bedcover and added solder exhausts. To complete the look, he painted with House of Kolor Sno White Pearl with Voodoo Violet Kandy scallops.
Dale King died in January 2022, but his memory lives on. Derek Collins brought in Dale’s 1/12 scale Martini 1971 Porsche 908/3, completely scratchbuilt in the early 1980s, as a memorial.
Jesse Diaz dropped the body of his Revell 1957 Ford, crammed a Chevy 409 between the front fenders, and replaced the interior with one from a 1960 Impala. He base-coated with Rust-Oleum Orange spray paint and went over that with House of Kolor Ice White II Pearl Flake mixed with clear.
As an example of an early custom, Jerry Shoger built an AMT 1/25 scale 1936 Ford three-window. He removed the molded-in single-stock exhaust and painted Tamiya Gold from the spray can.
Keith Brumbley’s Fernando Pinto Resin Models 1/24 scale Ferrari 166 MM was kitted as the ’49 Le Mans winner. Instead, with the help of Tamiya lacquers, Keith turned it into a street car for stylish motoring.
This low custom Chevrolet C1500 has AMT lineage, but underneath rests a resin frame, a 527 twin-turbo big-block engine, and an independent rear suspension. Custom bucket seats provide comfort inside while riding on 3D-printed wheels.
Swamp cooler, wooden panels, gloss black paint—what’s not to like about Henry Espinoza’s resin-bodied 1947 Chevy Fleetline? He dropped the body, scratchbuilt the sun visor and skirts, and wired and plumbed the engine.
John Zweber does amazing paint and decal work, and it shows with his NuNu Models 1/24 scale Audi R8 GTD. The SK decals and Splash Whitest White look phenomenal, and he even added some Hobby Design photo-etched metal details to ratchet up the appearance.
Roy Sorenson’s 1/24 scale Volkswagen Karman Gia with a mid-engine, big-block, twin-turbo motor didn’t come from a kit: It’s all 3D printed or aftermarket parts! “I wanted to show what can be done with a 3D printer and a little imagination,” he says. Roy painted with Tamiya Black and Red and sprayed Testors High Gloss Clear on top.