Kendall Brown
Plano, Texas
This Revell 1/96 scale CSS Alabama is anything but box-stock. Kendall used the hull and deck fittings from the 1060s kit, but installed a wooden deck, and scratchbuilt fittings, block and tackle, and cannons. He made the sails from physicians exam-table paper on a roll, lightly sprayed it with Krylon Flat White, crumpled and then stretched repeated until each piece was soft without wrinkles. He developed a method for using Testors Copper enamel with a Dull Earth overspray then tinted each plate with Scale Color washes. He masked every plate with blue painters tape and peels it off to lift layers of overspray for a realistic finish.
James Jenson
St. Augustine, Florida
James' Eduard 1/48 scale Spitfire Mk.Vb celebrates Malta's 1,000th air victory. He upgraded with a Eduard Brassin engine, cockpit, gun bays, flaps, and landing gear, and armed it with cannon barrels from Master. He primed with Mr. Surfacer and painted with Mr. Color lacquers over paper masks to create the camouflage scheme.
David Kimbrell
Norman, Oklahoma
David's Roden 1/35 Holt 75 tractor was built mostly out of the box. He added odds and ends to pick up the detail, including a figure and fine chain. He made the tarps using the tried-and-true method of tissue paper and diluted white glue. He painted and weathered with a variety of enamel, lacquer, and acrylic colors.
Chad Truss
Crystal, Minnesota
Chad turned to a Revell 1/25 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse to model Brian's car from Fast & Furious. He 3D-printed a laptop sitting on the passenger seat blaring "DANGER TO MANIFOLD" and two NOS bottles in the back. To complete the look, he added battery-powered lights for a green underglow. Chad painted with Tamiya Light Green direct from the spray can and topped it with Mr. Super Clear.
Clif Dopson
Shreveport, Louisiana
Clif's version of the Yuanxing Liang-designed 1/2 scale Peach Blossom Island was unchanged except for the addition of eyelashes to the resin parts. The amazing work includes acrylic and oil paints, alcohol inks, metallic waxes, and pastels. "The big trick was painting the underwater part," Clif says. He didn't color the clear plastic but instead ran a line of blue along the edge of the ripples which bestowed a blue hue to the whole piece.
John Tinay
Grand Rapids, Michigan
John fabricated a new roll bar and re-scribed the panel lines for his Marsh Models 1/43 scale Ferrari 350 P4. Inspired to model the 1968 Gunston Tobacco car driven at the 1968 Kyalami 8-hour race, he painted with Gravity lacquers and Tamiya Panel Line Accent. He scribed the lines on the base for concrete, pre-shaded, and then airbrushed gray.
Bob Waltman
Navarre, Florida
This Lakota warrior on a cliff started as a Pegaso 90mm figure. Bob painted with Scale 75 acrylics over Vallejo Black Primer. He added Mark Welberg ground products to finish the scene.
Joseph Lavender
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Don't let the amount of detail fool you, this ship is just 4 inches long! Joseph entirely scratchbuilt the IJN Kongo from wood, turned aluminum, and photo-etched metal totalling more that 2,500 parts. He painted with Scale Colours acrylics and weathered with light washes. Joseph also built the base from spalted tamarind and Patagonian rosewood and made the case from glass and soldered copper.
Gerardo "Jerry" Escobedo
San Antonio, Texas
Jerry finished the Bandai 1/144 scale Unicorn next to a Mayan ziggurat as his own "Gundam-Coatl". After finishing the kit, he marked it with Mexican air force decals and hand-painted the Mayan and Aztec glyphs. The banner is made from "amate," a style of paper used by the Aztecs and Mayans and still used in southern Mexico for art. The base was made from a photo frame with cork for the ground. The pyramid was painted with textured spray paint to simulate stone.
Adelyne Gattmann
Cibolo, Texas
"Pika pika!" That's what we said when we saw Addie's adorable model. Addie, 5, built a Bandai 1/12 scale Pikachu out of the box. She made the pokemon's habitat from a glass candle holder filled with foliage. She painted the ball with black and white acrylic paint--three times for the fine lines! The metal hanger base came as a single part from a craft store. Great job, Addie!
Adam Anderson
Lubbock, Texas
It may not be "shiny and chrome," but this Mad Max: Fury Road war rig is far from "mediocre!" Adam built the Gambody 3D-printed model kit with weapons and scratchbuilt details. He primed it black and painted with Tamiya NATO Black. He weathered with Ammo by Mig Jimenez pigments.
David Bridges
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
For "Hunter & Prey," David modified a Dragon 1/35 Panther scale kit with resin and photo-etched metal parts to make a late-production vehicle. He painted with Tamiya, Vallejo, and AK Interactive acrylics and weathered with "lots" of oil paints. "The model is a reproduction of the box art from the first tank model I built," David says, a Nichimo Panther G.
Phil Peterson
Kearns, Utah
This poor AT-AT is a Hoth survivor. Built from a 1/144 scale Bandai kit, Phil made the cast for the unfortunate Imperial walker from plaster-impregnated material and the cone was copied from a template he found online. He painted with Tamiya Light Gray from the spray can and weathered with a black wash. Is that Vader we see who signed the cast?
David Green
Sugar Land, Texas
David combined an AMT 1/25 scale Chevy Titan with a Ford LN8000 car hauler, opened the doors, built interior toolboxes, and added trim to the bottom of the hauler. That color is Tamiya Bright Red (No. TS-49) primed with Tamiya White.
Alexandre Bigely
Papeete, Tahiti
Starting with a Mark I 1/144 Hawker-Siddley French Polynesia HS-748, Alexandre went further adding cockpit windows and interior, cut out the cargo door, and replaced the engine nacelles with 3D-printed parts. He masked and painted with white and blue enamels and masks. The markings for Mount Cooks Airlines came from Airliner Decals.
Robert Kempinski
Melbourne, Florida
Robert punched up an ICM 1/24 scale 1912 Model T light delivery truck with wood parts and weathered it for a desert setting. He primed, base-coated, put down a layer of hairspray, painted with acrylics and weathered the paint. More weathering came in the form of artist oils and pigments. The base is a wooden frame around pink foam insulation covered with sifted Bonsai soil.
Ed Mautner
Round Hill, Virginia
Detail Master buckles and sandwich-bag paper make the seat belt in Ed's Etzel's Speed Classics 1/25 scale 1946 Kurtis Kraft midget car. Ed made all the fasteners with silver solder, vacuum-formed the windshield, and scratchbuilt the aluminum dash, elbow guard, hand brake, steering arm, drag link, and steering wheel. The scallops are decals over Tamiya Black with hand-painted pinstripes.The wooden base is from Bases by Bill.
Tom Moon
Spring, Texas
Tom came to San Marcos, Texas, with this AFV Club 1/35 scale Churchill Mk.IV AVRE with SBG bridge. He thinned Tamiya acrylics with Tamiya lacquer thinner and airbrushed a base coat. Vallejo acrylics provided the rest of the color and Tom weathered with pigments and washes.
Brad Growden
Mandeville, Louisiana
"Chewie! Angle the deflector shields!" Here comes the Bandai 1/72 scale Perfect Grade Millennium Falcon. Brad built the Falcon to represent the studio model for "A New Hope." He used a plethora of paints: "Whichever was the closest match," Brad says. The base coat was Tamiya Insignia White over black primer. Several layers of weathering and a final coat of grim muted the underlying colors. He built a custom base with a Panavise universal joint mount.
B. Wade Brooks
Benton, Louisiana
Wade replicated Gordon Mineo's Vega Funny Car from his NHRA 1975/76 run. He upped the accuracy with Detail Master photo-etched metal parts, plenty of parts from his spares box, and Yesteryear drag decals. He primed the body white, laid down a coat of Dupli-Color Silver, followed up with Dupli-Color Blue, then topped it with Tamiya Clear.
Roger Woods
Gastonia, North Carolina
Every part of Roger's 1/25 scale Revell 1999 Mach III roadster has been modified, including aftermarket wheels and tires, an aluminum driveshaft, solder exhausts, Detail Master harness, and a scratchbuilt roll cage. He dirtied the hypothetical SCCA roadster's engine and transmission with washes.
Steven Foster
Norman, Oklahoma
Steven wired the engine for his Wingnut Wings 1/32 scale Pfalz D.IIIa with lead and copper wire and scratchbuilt spark plugs from styrene rod. He rigged with straight wire and fly-fishing line and used Gaspatch turnbuckles and anchor points. The biplane wields a pair of Master Model machine guns and keeps its pilot from falling out with HGW fabric seat belts. Steven bolted a Properplane Niendorf wooden prop up front and marked it with Pheon Decals for Hans Bethge from Jasta 30.
Terry Barrow
Clinton, Missouri
This unusual model grabbed our attention: It's a 1/35 scale Skoda RSO pulling a 5-ton trailer. Terry built the set of Riiche and Das Werks kits and then parked a Tamiya Schwimmwagen in the trailer. He rounded out the stowage with parts from MiniArt and Tamiya. He painted and weathered with Tamiya colors and artist oils, and made the base from AK Interactive materials.
Matthew Key
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Matt races real cars and he wanted to build a model of a dream race car and came up with this Shelby Cobra in his colors and numbers. Starting with a Revell 1/24 scale kit, Matt add a helmet in the seat, racing slicks, race wheel, harness, and Gofer decals. He airbrushed Tamiya acrylics and masked for the stripes.
Rocky Sink
Roanoke, Virginia
Rocky's Moebius Models 1/25 scale 1970 Ford F-100 pickup wears Tamiya Grey Green and Racing Green shot directly from the can for a eye-catching two-tone finish. Under the hood, Rocky detailed the engine with Gofer plug wires, heater hose, battery cables. He complete the tasty green truck with a fuel line, brake line, and breather tube.
For her first model, Corrine chose to scratchbuild Hagrid's hut from the Harry Potter movies. She pre-shaded with an airbrush, hand-painted all the stones, and lighted the interior to illuminate the stained glass windows. "They changed up the hut a few times in the movies, so I picked the best pieces and mostly used the hut from the third film," she says.
Miles Peveto
Whitewright, Texas
This sharp-looking VW Type 2 pickup from Miles began life as a Hasegawa 1/24 scale kit. He lowered the suspension, scratchbuilt the mirror and door panels, replaced the kit wheels with resin ones, installed photo-etched metal seat belts and windshield frames, and marked with aftermarket decals. Miles painted his custom truck with decanted Tamiya spray paints and weathered with AK Interactive washes.
Clif Bailey
Alpine, Texas
Clif calls this delightful scene "Tractor Races 2159." You can almost hear the hoots and hollers as the excited racers zoom through the corn tassels. The figures and vehicles come from Bombshell Miniatures and were finished with Andrea, Citadel, Reaper, and Vallejo acrylics and inks in colors similar to current farm implement manufacturers. The corn plants are a model-railroading products.
Hugo Garcia
Edinburg, Texas
This 1/24 scale 1950 GMC commercial truck has parts from Italeri and Testors, plus scratchbuilt and resin parts. He painted with Model Master and Metalizer paints, and used wood and various model-railroad grass products for the groundwork.
Djordje Nikolic
Fife, Washington
Djordje built a Tamiya 1/48 scale German SS-100 heavy tractor from the box and painted with Vallejo acrylics. AK Interactive washes, pigments, and pencils provided the weathering. "I love Tamiya 1/48 scale armor!" Djordje says.
Aile Nikolic
Fife, Washington
Aile, 8, built her Zvezda 1/100 T-28 tank out of the box. She used her dad's airbrush to prime and then base-coat the model. All here dad did was fill the airbrush to let her go at it. She spends time watching her dad applying washes, and Aile wanted to try it on hers to get a weathered look.
Bill Roberts
Niceville, Florida
You don't often see a German Bf 109 in American markings, but Bill shows his G-6 of the JG53 here. He improved the 1/48 scale Hasegawa kit with Eduard photo-etched metal parts, an Ultracast prop spinner, and a Quickboost exhaust. He painted with a variety of colors from Tamiya, Vallejo, and Mr. Hobby. Flory washes provided some dirt.
Grant Mayberry
Glendale, California
These Blood Angels have descended into the sewers to hunt xenomorphs terrorizing this planet. Grant used Space Marines from Games Workshop and scratchbuilt the pipe and interior for a tense, exciting scene.
Lynn Rowley
Midlothian, Texas
Lynn entirely scratchbuilt 1/10 scale Shogun samurai warhorse is made of two-part epoxy putty. He brush painted the model and placed it on a walnut base.
Casey Rupley
Albuquerque, New Mexico
This Academy 1/350 scale USS Reuben James FFG-57 benefits from a Pontos photo-etched metal detail set. Casey sprayed the ship with lacquer primer and then followed with Tamiya acrylics, masking the waterline by hand. He weathered with oil-paint and enamel washes.
Dedrick Brady
Dallas, Texas
Dedrick did a ton of work to his 1/25 scale 1959 Impala lowrider. He built working hydraulics and lighted the head and taillights. What's more, the hydraulics are fully operable from an R/C controller. He painted with PPG 551 Black under 2K clear.
Michael Wheaton
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Michael added blocks, closed hearts, nails, and ropes to his Zvezda 1/72 scale Hansa Kogge. He primed the hull with white then painted the wood grain with a combination of yellow, burnt umber, and burnt sienna oil paints.
Jensen Taylor
Preston, Lancashire, England
Jensen calls this scene "Desolate." The appearance of the Wave 1/20 scale SAFS suit was inspired by the Fallout video game. He metal wire details the broken limbs and creates head protection. Jensen primed the model with Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black then painted with layers of acrylics over chipping fluid and used Oilbrusher colors for the rust effects. The water is resin, and Jensen made the pier from coffee stir sticks.
Manuel Martinez
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Who wouldn't want to ride around with this matching 1950 Ford Dual-Cockpit Runabout and Hydro-Hawk speedboat? Manuel brings the sweet pair together from an AMT 1/25 scale 1950 Ford and Speedboat kits as well as a Jimmy Flintstone resin '51 Studebaker. Manuel says the car was "modified in the style of Chris-Craft dual-cockpit speed boats, [and] the boat largely consists of a 1951 Studebaker grafted to a 1950s Chris-Craft hull." Both models wear Dupli-Color lacquers.
David Hogue
The Woodlands, Texas
David changed the White Ensign Models 1/350 scale HMS Abdiel fast minelayer to backdate it to an earlier fit than the kit and replaced or scratchbuilt almost all the details. He painted with Sovereign Hobbies Colour Coats enamels with a Paasche airbrush. He masked the plating on the hull and funnel and built up the layers with Tamiya primer. David made the water with Celluclay, airbrushed the colors, and then coated it with Pledge Floor Gloss.
Jesus Eduardo Gonzalez
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
This Tamiya 1/24 scale Ferrari La Ferrari has been upgraded with all manner of aftermarket Tamiya detail sets. Jesus says the key to the flawless finish is painting first with Flat Black and then top-coating with Tamiya clear before polishing and waxing.
Rick Keasey
Edwardsville, Illinois
Rick calls his diorama "Hell's Gate." "It [depicts] the desperate German retreat from the Kersun/Cherkassy pocket. The weather was snow, followed by melting, and then more snow." He used figures from Dragon, Tristar, Stalingrad, Panzer Art, and Alpine, a Drgon Panzer IV, and a horse-drawn cart from MiniArt. Rick painted the tank with acrylics and used the hairspray technique for the whitewash. He used the same technique for the weathered wood for the buildings. Rick left no figure unmodified, swapping heads and hands, reshaping them to ridge the tank, and adding items for them to carry.
Matthew Lunn
Herndon, Virginia
It took Matt four months to finish his Special Hobby 1/32 AH-1G Cobra for Vietnam in 1969. Resin and photo-etched metal details were a pleasure to use, he says, and simulated braces on the pylons with lengths of piano wire.
Bruce MacRae
Las Vegas, Nevada
Bruce's Dragon 1/35 scale SdKfz 251/7D benefits from a Voyager photo-etched metal detail kit, and he says "there's a lot of it!" He used JoSonja acrylic colors and custom mixed the paints. He primed with gray Mr. Surfacer 1500 and freehand airbrushed with no post-shading. He weathered with artist oils, pin washes, and thin glazes. Overall, Bruce spent 244 hours to build his halftrack.
Jim Clark
Scottsdale, Arizona
Jim employed Pontos detail sets on his Gallery Models 1/350 scale USS Wasp LHD-1, including the F-35s. The rest of the airwing are 3D-printed models, and Jim modified two HS Models CH-53s with parts from Bronco kits to make MH-53s. Other HS detail sets include the crash crane and deck tractors.
Vincent Beaudoin
Irving, Texas
Vincent built this Revell 1/144 scale Airbus A340-300 Air Canada airliner back in 2002. He built the position and anti-collision lights and added it in 2021, 10 years later. The cargo door decals came from Authentic Airliner Decals, and Vincent filled the cabin windows with Mod Podge for a glassy effect.
Russell Wells
Huntsville, Texas
"I used additional wires for the engine and added photo-etched metal seat belt buckles with fabric belts," Russell says of his Revell 1/25 scale BRE Datsun. He painted with Tamiya acrylics to replicate Jon Morton's 1972 ride.
Alex Hague
Houston, Texas
Alex finished his Profil 24 1/43 scale Ford GT-40 to display the interior details. All the details came in the kit and he primed and painted with Tamiya lacquers.
Mike Stucker
Sugarland, Texas
Mike's 1/35 scale British Sherman ARV has a Cyber-Hobby kit at its heart, modified with a Legend ARV transkit. He added AFV Club jerry cans, MiniArt figures, and fiberoptic antennas. He primed with Tamiya Gray from the spray can and made the base with Vallejo acrylic paste and model railroad grass.
Chris Derks
Alexandra, Virginia
Starting with a Tamiya 1/48 scale F-4B Phantom II, Chris used a Hypersonic conversion kit to update it to an F-4N, detailed the front office with a Quinta cockpit, and improved the back end with Reskit exhausts. His model replicates a QF-4N from Pt. Mugu testing Russian KH-31 "Krypton" missiles in the mid-90s.
Darryl Miller
Forney, Texas
Darryl modeled Lt. Ira Kepford's VF-17 Corsair in 1/48 scale from a Tamiya kit with Techmod decals, Quickboost resin parts, photo-etched metal harness, and UltraCast wheels. He airbrushed a black base coat and color modulated each panel with Vallejo acrylics and artist oils.
Jerry Wells
Lillian, Alabama
Jerry's Airfix 1/72 scale OS2U-3 looks ready for launch on its 3D-printed P-6 catapult base. He replaced the kit engine with a resin one and scratchbuilt the interior, float struts, and rudder.
Reuben M. Feuge
Poplarville, Missouri
Scratchbuilt except for Tichy windows and doors, Model Tech logging hooks, and minor details, Reuben's 1/87 scale snag boat looks ready to clear log jams. Mostly hand painted, he airbrushed the rust and weathering before making a base from scrap wood in his barn.
Mark Kuza
Murfeesboro, Texas
Mark wired and plumbed the engine of his Monogram 1/24 scale 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and painted with MCW lacquers over Tamiya primer for a ride that would make anyone green with jealousy.
Robert Carper
Weatherford, Texas
This Revell 1/48 scale F-15E benefits from an Eduard photo-etched cockpit set, Aries ejection seat, and Crazy Modeler decals. Robert airbrushed Tamiya acrylics and Alclad II lacquers on the exhausts. He pre-shaded panel lines and followed with a pinwash after lightening the panel centers.
Didier Hachem
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Didier gathered figures from Pegaso and garage kits to make his 75mm scene called "The Holy Land." He says, "Many pieces have been modified in order to bring the effect I wanted." Acrylic paints and artist oils finish the figures, and Didier airbrushed the groundwork, which was built with natural products.
David Wassell
Sherwood, Arkansas
You can feel the history with this 1/72 scale Apollo 11 splashdown from Realspace Models. David scratchbuilt the flotation bags, applied Bare-Metal Foil for shiny metal, and included figures from his spares box for the astronauts. A small picture frame surrounds the base and he used a combination of airbrushing and hand-painting techniques to bring this scene to life.
John Colasante
Mendham, New Jersey
What's better than a single Mustang? An F-82H Twin Mustang! John built the Modelsvit 1/48 scale kit out of the box, primed with Mr. Surfacer 1500, painted with Tamiya and Mr. Hobby paints, and post-shaded with a mix of Tamiya Flat Black and Brown.
Rick Taylor
Everett, Washington
It's not often you can say you've seen a model of New Zealand's Bob Semple tank. Rick build a 1/35 scale Vargas Scale Models kit, painted and weathered with Tamiya and AK Interactive products, and used Silly Putty for the hard-edged camo pattern.
Justin Lentz
Lubbock, Texas
Justin's Ukrainian MiG-27 wears Reskit exhausts, Linden Hill decals, and an aftermarket pitot tube. He primed with Mr. Surfacer 1500 and airbrushed the camouflage freehand with MRP lacquers, both pre- and post-shading.
Dana Mathes
Boerne, Texas
Dana beefed up the details on his AFV Club 1/35 scale Centurion Mk.III with aftermarket gun mantlet, road wheels, tracks, and stowage. He primed the tank Mr. Hobby Gray, pre-shaded, and used color modulation, oil filters, dot filters, pinwashes, pastels, and artist pencils to get the results he wanted. "This is an emplaced Centurion in UN service during the early portion of the Korean War," Dana says.
Russell Butler
Caddo Mills, Texas
You'd be crazy not to ride in this golden chariot. Russel built a Revell 1/25 scale 1966 Suburban and dressed it to the nines with gold wheels, flocked interior, and a spectacular custom paint job. Those are Gravity lacquers and Createx acrylics for the roof under 2K clear.
Gavin Dunn
Thompson Station, Tennessee
Gavin converted his Bandai 1/72 scale Nyuren to 1/12 scale, exposing wires, adding rivets and bolts, and including parts and weapons from Tamiya and Little Armory. He painted with Tamiya lacquers, Vallejo and AK Interactive acrylics, and AK and Ammo by Mig Jimenez enamels. "The idea behind the model was to convert a typically very mech into a more human-scale drone or robot," Gavin says.
Bob Bethea
Austin, Texas
Bob built his Skyhawk 1/72 scale Panzer I Ausf F box stock and manned it with Preiser figures. He airbrushed with Tamiya acrylic paints and hand-painted detail with colors from Reaper Miniatures and Vallejo. The groundwork for the base is tile grout and rocks from Bob's yard with tufts of hobby grass.
Larry Glenn
Sherwood, Arkansas
Larry's Hasegawa 1/48 scale Nakajima B5-N1 "Kate" flew onto the contest table built out of the box. He concentrated on perfecting his paint job with Alclad II lacquers and Vallejo acrylics over Mr. Surfacer primer. An oil wash pops the panel lines.
Tim Campbell
The Woodlands, Texas
Originally a battery-operated, mini 4WD kit, Tim modified a Tamiya 1/32 scale "Wild Willys" Jeep into a humorous, super-deformed off-roader. About half the decals were printed on his ink jet and the others came from Tim's spares. He painted with Tamiya lacquers from the spray can and popped details with Panel Line Accent Color.
Andy Bloom
Haughton, Louisiana
Andy modeled his 1/32 scale USAF HH-43B Huskie "Pedro" from Testors, Hawk, Cobra Productions kits. He painted the airframe Alclad II Aluminum over black. "It's a helicopter my dad flew as a fireman during his tour of Korea in 1966."
Andrew Frill
California, Maryland
Andrew installed Eduard wheel wells, wheels, and ejection seat in his Trumpeter 1/48 scale MiG-23MLD "Flogger-K." He primed with Mr. Surfacer 1500 and airbrushed the camo colors freehand with Mr. Color and Tamiya paints. He weathered with Winsor & Newton oil-paint washes. It depicts a MiG-23MLD in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Victor Maestas
Placitas, New Mexico
A Ravendark 1/1 model, the "Snalien" scared us so much that we had to let everyone know. "It's a resin kit and I only needed to clean up the seams and a few bubbles," Victor says. There are many layers of paint, including Tamiya primer and Model Master enamels. He sealed the paint with Pledge Floor Gloss and blended Tamiya Clear Red, Yellow, Green, and Smoke washes over the top.
John Castanada
Round Rock, Texas
Inspired by the Marvel Comics Thor design aesthetics, John scribed details into most of the armor parts and added LED lights to the head and chest of a Bandai 1/144 scale RG Wing Gundam Zero. He mostly used Mr. Color paints along with colors from Gaianotes and Jumpwind.
Michael Tsoumpas
Sun City West, Arizona
Hands down, one of the coolest models displayed this year, Michael's 1/35 scale French artillery tractor is entirely scratchbuilt. He painted with MRP lacquers and weathered with oil washes, dry-brushing, and AK Interactive pencils.
Michael Miller
Tomball, Texas
Michael added stowage from his spares box and scratchbuilt a mesh screen for camo branches to his Tamiya 1/35 scale M4A3 Sherman (105mm). He painted with Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics, freehanding the camouflage, and then using washes and dry-brushing for details and weathering.
Steve Hustad
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Of course Steve would model a 1/72 scale aircraft, the only question is which one? This time, he came with a Junkers F13 in Luftansa Airlines livery for 1925-1930 from a Revell kit. The cockpit is primarily scratchbuilt, although he did use Eduard photo-etched metal seat belts and a detail set as the basis for the instrument panel, radiator front, and forward cockpit floor. He replaced the clear parts, refined the control surfaces, and painted with Humbrol enamels and AK Interactive Xtreme Metallic.
Jorge Moryera
Simpsonville, South Carolina
Jorge modified the intake to his Platz 1/72 scale Fuji T-1A with an Eduard T-33 intake and exit covers, a photo-etched metal ladder, and a helmet from his spares box. The white it Tamiya primer, while the red is AK Interactive.
Denzil Charles
Southmayd, Texas
Denzil built his Special Hobby 1/32 Fiat G-50 jsut to paint a "really cool" camouflage scheme. Along the way he scratchbuilt details, airbrushed MRP lacquers and weathered with acrylic and artist-oil washes.
Craig Sargent
Auckland, New Zealand
This Desert Storm AV-8B Harrier II, VMA-231, has an Aires cockpit, resin wheels, and Eduard Brassin Mk.20 Rockeyes. That's before Craig got to designing and 3D printing the ECM pod, vortex generators, refueling probe, wind vane, chaff/flare dispensers, pilot step, and antennas. He airbrushed the camouflage freehand with Mr. Color lacquers and placed it on a Bases by Bill base.
Robert Howarton
Palestine, Texas
"An Iranian anti-aircraft crew breaks for lunch during the Marsh Wars in the 1980s," Robert says of his scene. He added armor to the back of the Trumpeter 1/35 scale BTR50 with a Meng 1/35 scale ZSU. He heavily weathered with various washes and Ammo by Mid Jimenez pigments.
John Bonnani
Parker, Colorado
John loaded stowage and rolled tarps in his AK Interactive 1/35 scale Toyota FJ. He painted with Tamiya acrylics and airbrushed the zebra seats freehand. He weathered with Ammo by Mig Jimenez enamels, Oilbrusher colors, and pigments.
Roy McCartney
Houston, Texas
Roy corrected details on his A-model 1/72 scale Yak-25M in and around the cockpit and vacuum-formed a new canopy. He replaced the kit's main wheels with resin parts. Roy airbrushed the fuselage Tamiya Bare Metal, made a mix of Humbrol enamels for the radome, and AK Interactive acrylics for details.
Paul Gloster
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Paul built his BPK 1/72 scale Pilatus Turbo Porter out of the box. He drew his own masks and cut them out on a Silhouette slicer before painting with SMS lacquers. Paul rigged the Pilatus with Uschi van der Rosten elastic thread.