Wes Salazar, a FineScale Modeler contributor, attended the contest with his upgraded Revell 1/25 scale 1958 Impala lowrider. He bolted a 3D-printed LS motor under the hood dressed up with machined pulleys, scratchbuilt hydraulic equipment for the trunk with machined pumps, and added glamour with JPS wheels. He painted the body House of Kolor Passion Pearl with Tropical Glitz Violet Rose on the roof.
John Ruiz’s brother-in-law’s ’66 Nova inspired him to build one of his own. It took John three months to complete his Nova drag car from an AMT kit. He installed a scratchbuilt roll cage and four-link suspension and plumbed and wired the car with electrical solder. The wheels and carbs came from Futurattraction Scale Products.
Forty hours went into Steve Prange’s Revell 1/25 scale “Touring” T. He added surfboards and a suitcase to complete a replica of the Ford Model T driven by Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello during the opening credits of the movie Beach Party.
Living in Akron, Indiana, it seems only natural Jeff Bickel would model a 1963 Ford pumper firetruck in markings from his hometown. He modified the pumper bed from an American La France pumper kit, including upgrading the pumper panel and box, hoses, and hose lays. He corrected the cab and air vents near the doors and detailed the turnout gear and 60/40 seat.
Scott Hoover’s custom Revell 1/25 scale 1966 Chevy Suburban houses a twin-turbo LSX engine, rides on massive, aluminum, aftermarket wheels, and wears PPG Black, Gray, and Clear. He spruced up the interior with a 3D-printed steering wheel and shifter. Why all the work? “For the love of modeling,” Scott said.
A friend gave Rexton Kemp a Revell 1/24 scale 1998 Ford NASCAR truck with Exide markings, and he didn’t think it should go to waste. Diving in, Rexton built the kit pretty much out of the box, painted it the requisite black and pink, polished it, and then topped it with Omni clear. However, he did add the antenna on the roof and the window net.
Gary Hogue almost missed this show because of a broken hand but powered through to present his 1/25 scale ’68 Barracuda drag car. This yellow beast has parts from an MPC kit, a Bob Glidden Thunderbird Pro Stock chassis, and a hemi from a JoHan kit. Gary tinted the wheels and valve cover with Tamiya Clear Yellow and finished the body with a combination of HoK and Testors paints.
Looking to deliver mail faster, Bill White built an AMT 1/25 scale 1973 Pinto, put a pro street tub in it, and dropped a NOS bottle and kegger fuel tank in the back. He polished the plastic, laid down the decals, and called it done, all just for fun.
“I love weird and crazy models,” David Gale said as he showed his custom 1936 Ford pickup. He built a custom frame and bed, extended the cab, ran a completely new exhaust, and painted with colors from rattle cans.
Low and sensual, this ’39 Chevy Phantom roadster is anything but stock. Kenny Reiter combined a Prowler body with a ’39 Chevy fenders and frame, a Corvette engine, and the trunk lid and rack from a ’32 Chevy. He finished with Dupli-Color lacquer and graphics from Ken Bickel. Gorgeous!
Rick Doering’s 1/25 scale pro street Opel GT came about because of a Facebook build-off. Beginning with an AMT kit, he tucked a Revell pro street chassis underneath with Polar Lights wheels, stretched and flared the rear wheel arches to accommodate the ultra-wide tires, and 3D-printed the seats. The engine has machined pulleys, plug wires, and 3D-printed intakes. Underneath are photo-etched metal disc brakes and a scratchbuilt exhaust. And he capped all that with a flawless HoK paint job. We’re swooning!
Old-school Detroit muscle from Tony Franklin and his 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass. He opened the trunk on the Revell 1/25 scale kit, added seat belts and door locks, speckled the trunk interior with overspray, placed a spare with a cover, and fully plumbed and wired the engine. The color is GM Gold Poly from MCW.
Phil Miles built his AMT 1/25 scale 1966 Ford Thunderbird box stock and painted it metallic red. Phil said he loves convertibles, and that was enough for him to build this one for his collection.
Gary Mace’s model club held a contest in which the members all built the same kit: a Revell 1/25 scale 1937 Ford pickup. Unmodified, he spent 30 hours painting the model truck Tamiya Red and Testors Black and picking out the details.