Jim Drew advises that his 1969 Dan Gurney McLeagle Can-Am car doesn’t have much detail because it’s curbside. Curbside or not, the Fein-Design and Accurate Miniatures combination really draws us in with its realism and a fine finish of Gravity Colors Gurney Blue, of course.
“Not all rat rods are ratty!” says Arthur Radziszewski of his clean and mean ’32 Ford pickup with an injected Ross Gibson big-block Chevy. He converted the ’32 five-window into a truck with a Monogram ’29 roadster pickup box. It rides on motorcycle tires from an Ixo 1:25 Ducati and an American Choppers die-cast model.
Mike “Raisin” Garrett excels in modeling drag racing subjects. Dick Brannan’s altered wheelbase Mustang started as an AMT Mustang fastback. Additional details include brakes from a Monogram ’32 Ford and a steering box from a ’58 Edsel. Raisin detailed the AF/X’er with under-dash wiring and a scratchbuilt roll bar.
Chris Waronek heavily modified an AMT Fireball 500 kit and brought it in for the Customs and Convertibles theme. Modifications include a hard tonneau cover and a new generation Chrysler Hemi with twin turbos. The nose is from a ’69 Corvair.
An unexpected combination is this Lindberg 1961 Impala with a ’97 Camaro roof, glass, and interior. The chassis comes from a ’61 Impala, and the 409 V8 mill has been transformed into a V12. Testor’s Purple Metallic and White enamel finish off Jerry Stewart’s intriguing custom.
Edward Oclaire’s ’56 Ford tow truck is a combination of so many distinct parts that the kit used was listed as AMT MPC Revell. The creativity and scratchbuilding in Ed’s model yield a unique character that draws you in to see more.
Darrell Rischert did a scale realization of designer Gary Campisi’s bike hauler concept. He narrowed and shortened a ’66 Chevy Suburban and modified it further with a motorcycle transport ramp and Lola Indy car frame.
The May theme was Funny Cars and Gassers. Harold “H” Helzer brought this sharp little 1960 Falcon gasser. The model started out as a promo that H converted with full suspension, interior, and engine details. Great gasser design cues are the clear hood scoop over the dual, four-barrel carbs and blue tinted windows.
An illustration on a T-shirt inspired George Garner to build his AMT Craftsman ’64 Ford Galaxie. The super-clean curbside has a beautiful coat of Tropical Glitz orange paint called Florida Grown. George turned out the interior in orange and white with flocking for the carpet.
“Come and listen to a story ‘bout a man named Jed ….” And a modeler named Tom Adkins who brought this nicely weathered AMT Beverly Hillbillies truck for the TV and Movie Cars and Trucks theme. “Cheap primer” from an auto parts store is the base and Tom dry-brushed the rest. Additional details include a couple of Ellie May’s critters.
Joe Morgan built a show-and-go six-cylinder comp roadster for the Anything but a V8 theme. It’s based on the Revell Tony Nancy 22 Jr double dragster kit and the inline six from an AMT ’51 Chevy. Joe gets points for style with the classic Boyd’s Chezoom Teal finish and the diamond-plate firewall.
Fully committed to accuracy and realism is how to describe Cory Baas’ work. He took the AMT ’58 Plymouth Christine and did a super-accurate conversion to a replica of Sheriff Roy Childress’ 1957 Plymouth squad car from the California Kid movie. Changes to the body alone include grille, bumpers, hood, trunk, and taillights. Cory avoids aftermarket parts and prefers to make his own parts for conversions like this.
This Ferrari team hauler started out as a toy available from Hess gas stations many years ago. Michael Carpenter opened the rear doors and enlarged the interior to hold one of the red beauties. Mike is a big Ferrari fan and has about 200 different models of the make, so his large inventory of spare decals helped with the exterior graphics.
The early Funny Cars had batteries and starter motors. Funny Car model detail usually focuses on fuel lines and ignition wiring, but Alan Eskovitz went a step further and did a detailed electrical system with battery, starter, kill switch, and remote charger connection wiring. The beautiful ’69 Hawaiian replica won first place in the Funny Cars and Gassers theme night contest.