Bradley Weirick chopped and sectioned an AMT 1/25 scale car body to make his version of a 1940 Ford. He used a 2K primer, base-coated with black, and went over that with silver flake and deep candy red before laying down the graphics in Chromacoat colors. He topped everything with a 2K clear.
This 1965 Shelby Cobra restomod has a Revell 1/25 scale body, a 3D-printed engine, seat belts, Pegasus wheels, carbon-fiber stripes, and photo-etched metal gauge bezels in the dash. All the colors are sprayed on with a Grex airbrush and are well protected under a 2K clear coat.
James Brannan is gonna party all night long with his Dr. Luv KISS-themed shaggin’ wagon. He built the Revell 1/24 scale van and added lights, carpet, visors, and louvers. He used an Iwata Eclipse to paint the flames freehand and light masking.
Pegasus wheels and a scratchbuilt aluminum firewall up the ante on Sam Husk’s Revell 1/24 scale ’37 Ford coupe. He airbrushed the body with nail polish, let it dry, and then sealed it under Testors Wet Look Clear.
“It was very fragile, and I kept breaking the suspension, but I fought it out to finish it,” Danny Edwards says of his Tamiya 1/20 scale Ferrari F70. He decorated those suspension arms with SMS carbon-fiber decals and painted the car with Tamiya Italian Red lacquer from the can.
Jorge Ramos entered his bomb-style 1950 Chevy pickup. The AMT 1/25 scale kit’s suspensions underwent major overhauls to drop the body and frame to the ground. He also went to the aftermarket to get that “bombastico” look just right. Jorge airbrushed the body a classic Ford color under House of Kolor Klear.
This Revell 1/24 scale 1973 Land Rover wears Tamiya and craft enamels and lacquers sprayed from the cans. Mike Felix said he significantly modified the front bumper and added a scratchbuilt winch. He added the spare tire and the load on the roof and replaced the kit’s tires and wheels with resin ones.
Wanting to model an old Shelby race car, Robert Pettine built a Revell 1/24 scale Shelby Mustang out of the box. He painted it Tamiya Italian Red from the spray can over Tamiya White Primer.
Wes Salazar lowered the suspension, wired the motor, and added machined nuts and bolts to the chassis of his Revell 1/25 scale 1941 Chevy pickup. Built in traditional “bomb” style, he painted it with Splash Paints Arizona Bronze and finished with a urethane clear coat.
Model Car World photo-etched metal parts, Shelby additions, and wheels and tires from a Revell ’67 Chevelle round out Irvin Arter Jr.’s AMT 1/25 scale 1967 Ford Mustang. It wears a PPG base coat, black mixed into the silver for the stripe, and a urethane clear.
Jim Smith kitbashed a Monogram 1/24 scale Mustang GT and a Revell 1/25 scale Mustang Saleen Speedster for a special 1995 Mustang Saleen. He lowered the suspension, made a custom spoiler, and installed aftermarket wheels, tires, and brakes. “I always wished the convertible Saleen was also made in coupe form,” he said.
Tamiya primer, Zero paint, and Tamiya clear finish Ken Riley’s Tamiya 1/24 scale Mercedes-AMG GT3 race car in Bamboo Racing livery. He detailed it with photo-etched metal and decorated it with aftermarket decals.
Krylon Light Blue spray paint achieved the right look for Jeff Marsh’s 1/25 scale Ohio George ’33 Willys gasser. He upgraded the AMT kit with fuel lines, ignition wiring, and a resin blower assembly. He stripped all the kit chrome parts and re-chromed them.
Wanting to depict a pickup that just arrived at a campsite, Bryan Guggemos built an AMT 1/25 scale 1984 Toyota snap-together kit. He roughed up the rusty area with a rotary tool, added Value Gear camping supplies, and weathered it with pastels and Mission Models Light and Dark Rust.
Matthew Inman, a monster-truck fanatic, revisited the Monogram 1/24 scale “Bootlegger” panel van, a kit he’d previously built when he started modeling. For this version, he converted the panel van into a “mega-truck,” 3D-printing everything except the body and scratchbuilding parts of the chassis. Matt installed a blown, fuel-injected Ford big-block up front to honor his father who was a “Ford man” through and through.
Fred Henry modified his 1/25 scale 1955 Ford F-100 pickup to have a forward-hinged hood, built the engine from his parts box, and added a wood-grain bed in the back. He painted with OPI nail polish over Tamiya primer and sealed it under 2K clear.
This sleek, light custom Ford 2003 Thunderbird has VW Beetle headlights, Ford GT taillights, a chopped windshield, a scratchbuilt front bumper, JPS wheels, and working LED lights. “I wanted to make a cool, modern, custom cruiser,” said Ryan Keyser of his model.
“I didn’t have a green car in my collection, so I painted it metallic green,” Joe Fotschky said of his AMT 1/25 scale Pontiac Bonneville sport coupe. Built box stock, he trimmed it with Bare-Metal Foil, and sprayed the MCW colors with a Grex airbrush.
Bob Downie, inspired by auction photos of a real car, built his AMT Craftsman 1/25 scale 1965 Pontiac GTO mostly out of the box. He used a Grex Tritium TG3 to paint it Splash Paints Iris Mist and added the tint strip with Tamiya clear lacquers.
Vince LoBosco removed all of the molded-on bolt details from his Etzel’s Speed Classics 1/25 scale 1928 Miller Indy car and replaced them with machined bolts from RBMotion. He replaced the kit wheels and tires with new ones from Harol Bradford Historic Racing Miniatures.
Going for a stock-bodied restomod, Rick Doering took a Revell 1/25 scale 1951 Kaiser Henry J body and went to town with a 3D-printed engine and chassis, a ’62 Corvette dash, custom resin wheels in Pegasus barrels, and reworked the wheel wells to fit. He used Lazy Modeller Masks to paint the flames.
Chris Propst improved his Revell 1/25 scale Ford F-100 pickup with a Connkur wired distributor and Pro-Tech A/C lines and heater hoses. He painted with Tamiya Mica Red lacquer over a black base and upholstered the interior with Dupli-Color Gray. Chris refinished the chrome parts with Alclad II Black Chrome.
“It’s one of the coolest cars in the IMSA GTP!” Ron Francis said of the BMW M Hybrid V8. And what better to do if you like a car than build a scale replica of it? Ron did just that with Wicked Model Cars 1/24 scale kit built box stock.
Andrew Graf completely stripped down and disassembled a Danbury 1/25 scale die-cast 1972 Chevy C10 pickup. He repainted the body GM Tuxedo Black, installed disc brakes and resin wheels, put a supercharged LS under the hood, and shaved the cab lights and the bed-mounted spare for a sharp restomod.
Kevin Rodgers combined kits from Hasegawa and Model Factory Hiro for his 1/24 scale V-dub T1 transporting a Porsche RSK. He used an RSCP transkit to extend the Volkswagen bed, upgraded with Highlight Model Studios photo-etched metal rear window and straps, and fitted the Porsche with seat belts from an aircraft kit.
Wanting nothing more than a simple gasser, Ted Kirkland built a Moebius Models 1/25 scale 1965 Chevy II out of the box and used masks to paint the cool blue and white flames over black.
Bill Cunningham’s 1/25 scale Shelby De Tomaso P70 didn’t come from a kit—he designed it in CAD and 3D-printed everything for it. “It’s a one-of-a-kind car commissioned by Carroll Shelby, designed by Pete Brock, and never raced,” Bill said. He primed the parts, followed by color coats, sanding, clear, and then polishing. Fantastic!
The only modification Kreg Woods made to his Monogram 1/24 scale ’82 Mustang IMSA race car was cables behind the dash. He painted with MCW White and Dark Blue enamel over white primer and placed the kit's original decals.
Some modelers go deep—real deep. Bob Jernigan did just that for his 1/25 scale 1964 Royal Bobcat Pontiac Grand Prix. Finished in Sunfire Red with a Parchment interior, Bob had custom photo-etched metal details made for his model, opened the doors and trunk of an AMT promo body, and thinned all the panels to scale. But that was just the beginning. Bob had a bulleted list of 30 items either customized or scratchbuilt for his Grand Prix, and that still wasn’t an exhaustive list.
Fonzell Brown lopped off the front of a 1950 Chevy and married it to the back end of a 1948 Ford woody for a retro-rod Chevy Blazer. Inside is a Cadillac dash and interior, cut down to fit inside a two-door ride, and everything rolls on 3D-printed wheels.
Kevin Harvick’s last ride in his final season was the 2023 No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang. Joseph Dumanski built his Salvinos JR 1/25 scale kit box stock, painted with Tamiya Silver Leaf, and placed Powerslide decals over the color before applying 2K clear.
Alex Melnychuk made “too many modifications to list” to his Smokey and the Bandit tribute truck. He combined Italeri and Moebius Models kits to produce the massive spectacle, lowered the suspension, added 26 lights, and employed plenty of resin parts. He emptied six cans of paint on the behemoth and spent only one and a half months completing it.
“It was fun,” said Hunter Lanning, 6, of his Revell Snap Tite 1/25 scale 1958 Plymouth Fury. “You can tell it’s fiery because it shows sparkles in the sun.” Yes, Hunter, that Testors Fiery Orange paint does sparkle, and we’re glad you had a good time building it!
Robert Langoni modified the front valance, made a custom hood, and smoothed the engine bay of his Revell 1/25 scale 1966 Ford Mustang. Inspired by Ringbrothers cars, he painted with PPG automotive colors and clear.
Machined wheels, extra carbon-fiber decals, wiring, and 3D-printed brakes and radiator elevate Clay Kemp’s Salvinos JR 1/20 scale Pato O’Ward 2024 Arrow McLaren Indy car. Here’s how he finished it: Tamiya primer, Alclad II Black base, decals, Omni clear. Beautiful!
To model Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2004 Daytona 500 winner, Jay Savarese began with a Revell 1/24 scale kit and modified every part he used, scratchbuilt others, and 3D-printed still others. He plumbed and wired the engine, and the interior includes a race-exact dash, Koolbox, water bottle, and handwritten note from Stevie Waltrip.
Jim Shepherd replicated the 1964½ Ford Mustang his mother used to drive and still talks about, even today! He built it from a Monogram kit box stock and painted it with colors from ScaleFinishes.com over Tamiya primer.
In tribute to Dick Mann, Preston Holcomb created a “what if” 1/8 scale Honda 750 racer. Based on an MPC kit, he referenced photos online to modify the exhaust, front fender, and hand grips. Preston employed various types of black and metallic paints along with Kustom Canz for the pearl orange.
TJ Royhans painted his Revell 1/24 scale 1985 Chevy Camaro like the 1983 1/1 car he owned in 1989. Built box stock, he used MCW colors over gray primer to get the right look.
Tim Kasper’s Drogon (That’s right, named after the dragon from the TV series Game of Thrones) welds aspects of Monogram, Revell, and AMT kits, plus a whole lot of custom work into a concept Corvette. We’re talking a GM big-block with 8-stack fuel injection; scratchbuilt brass chassis, suspension, shocks, and head and taillights; a Viper rear end; reshaped front fenders; dropped nose and grille; working doors, hood, and trunk; LED head, rear, and interior lights, and a shifting paint color called Dragon Spit from Tiki Paints. This car is fire!
Attracted by the livery, Aaron Thomas built his Tamiya 1/24 scale Ford Mustang GT4 box stock and painted it with rattle-can lacquers.
Michael “Mozzi” Moskov said of his 1/25 scale ’32 Ford hearse hot rod, it’s “what a hardcore hot-rodder would like to take his last ride in.” Mozzi scratchbuilt the body, plumbed the engine, and detailed the interior. Mozzi’s wife made the model’s base from her scrapbooking supplies.
The 1967 Alfa Romeo GTA is definitely a pretty car, and Scott Ridley is an unabashed fan. As such, he couldn’t resist building a Provence Moulage 1/43 scale kit and dressing it in the colors of the day. He primed with white, masked for the yellow, and then masked for the red, painting everything with Splash Paints and his Paasche H3.
Roy Vaughn built his AMT 1/25 scale 2022 Ford Bronco box stock and used an Iwata airbrush to paint it with ScaleFinishes.com lacquers.
Tom White built a 1/25 scale 1941 Willys pickup from a Revell chassis and Jimmy Flintstone body. He rounded out the model with 3D-printed wheels, suspension, and seats, Pro-Tech braided lines, and a Morgan magneto.
How about a modern street rod for touring? That’s what Dwight Clements set out to build with his kitbashed 1/25 scale Ala Kart. He painted with Rust-Oleum from the rattle can without a clear coat or polishing. The base is a roofing shingle on foam insulation.
Robert Pedersen built his Revell 1/25 scale ’71 Olds Cutlass out of the box. He painted with Testors Extreme Lacquer Mystic Emerald and painted the trim Silver Chrome. Just look at the detail painting on that engine!
Marcus Jennings finished his Tamiya 1/24 scale Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing to replicate the car built for Count Philipp Constantin von Berckheim. Built box stock, he painted Tamiya lacquers directly onto the bare plastic without a clear coat or polishing.
Jonathan Bishop worked on his Revell 1/25 scale Ford Roadster off and on for four years. Painted Tamiya Dark Yellow, the little road warrior has a tubular X member, resin quick-change Model A rear wishbones, and resin rear wheels.
The body of Glenn Kaeser’s AMT 1/25 scale 1971 Plymouth Duster wears MCW Dark Green Metallic lacquer with a clear gloss finish. He wet-sanded, polished, and painted the trim with Molotow Liquid Chrome. Inside, Glenn went with Tamiya Semigloss Black and Racing White. He said the model is a close replica of a car he once owned.
Dan Gurney’s 1956 Volkswagen Beetle entry for Nassau Speed Week hits 1/24 scale thanks to Jeff Edmondson. He built a Gunze Sangyo kit, swapped in a bumper from a Revell boxing, painted with Tamiya White and Red decanted from the spray cans, and marked it with Umi decals.
Ken Mouton scratchbuilt the wire wheels, brake drums, and dash for his Heller 1/24 scale Talbot-Lago T26C. He detailed the engine and body and painted with Tamiya lacquers. The markings are for the race car driven by Louis Rosier for the 1950 season.
This ’62 Ford Texaco service truck came to the show with Roger Sitzes, who built it from an SMP 1/25 scale “screw bottom” pickup. He sprayed the box-stock build Rust-Oleum Machine Gray out of the can.
Tom Oriole added wood-grain decals to the bed, flocking to the interior, and ignition wires to the engine of his Monogram 1/24 scale 1929 Ford pickup. He painted it “dark red metal flake” nail polish.
Shane Harold lowered an AMT 1/25 scale 1957 Chevy pickup to model this shop truck. He laid down a coat of automotive primer, covered it with Kylon Yellow, and then sanded through it to reveal the primer below. He turned to acrylic colors for the rust textures.
To model this Timbuli Racing Porsche 911R from the 2012 24 hours of Nürburgring, William Bauer chose a Fujimi kit as a base and brought in a Love GT40 Modelworks body. He upgraded the kit wheels to with Scale Production replacements and bought the markings from DecalDoc in Germany.
Patrick Parnell detailed his MPC 1/25 scale 2000 Toyota GT with a brass linkage, fuel system, photo-etched metal wheels, interior trim made from fine wire, and carbon-fiber inlays on the dash and door panels. He painted this beauty Tamiya Titanium Silver, stripped all the chrome, refinished it with AK Interactive Chrome, and top-coated it with 2K clear.
Taking inspiration from a photo he saw online, Mike Hackey built a Revell 1/25 scale 1965 Mustang Fastback box stock and painted it Model Master Burgundy Red Metallic sprayed through his Paasche H airbrush.
Luis Perez calls this pair of Tamiya 1/24 scale Ford Mustang GT4 models Wild Stallions. He spent eight months building them—one curbside and the other modified and augmented with scratchbuilt, 3D-printed, and aftermarket parts to show it during maintenance. The livery comes from Luis’ imagination.
This one’s gonna need to visit the big and tall section! Joshua Morgan consumed two Moebius Models kits to build a four-door cab for his 1972 Ford F-350 SEMA pickup. He scratchbuilt the chassis, bumpers, and suspension. The resin compound Cummings diesel has a scratchbuilt turbo kit, and Joshua rooted the show truck with R/C tires and aluminum wheels for good measure.
Who wouldn’t want a flying Ford Mustang? Tim Brown calls this model Stangroid the Flying Mustang, and to build it, he cut up the underside of a Revell 1/25 scale ’71 Mustang kit to fit parts from a Bandai 1/72 scale Star Wars Y-wing.
“I saw this car compete at the first sprint car race I attended,” Rob Spires said of his Revell 1/24 scale Steve Kinser sprint car. He improved the kit with a resin hood from his spares box and scratchbuilt wing supports. The seat came from a NASCAR kit. Rob weathered with real mud from a World of Outlaws event that he mixed with flat clear acrylic and spattered with a paintbrush. What a way to bring two hobbies together!
Ken Denza painted his Monogram 1/24 scale 1940 Ford convertible Black Gold Tangelo Pearl with a 1K clear on top. He picked out the body trim, windshield, and radio antenna with Bare-Metal Foil. He replaced the kit engine with a 302 powerplant from a ’32 Ford, wired it, and added a fuel line, alternator, battery cables, braided hose, and an aluminum transmission cover.
Mike Kenney always liked the Revell 1/25 scale Dan Fink Speedwagon but didn’t want to paint it blue. Instead, he chose metallic red under Tamiya clear. He installed a photo-etched metal grille up front and cut the roof off to make it easier to paint.
A Ford flathead from a ’49 woody with a custom tri-power intake and resin headers sits proud on Paul Grala’s Revell 1/25 scale ’29 Ford roadster. Inside reside custom seats from a ’58 Chevy, aluminum tubing for the steering column and driveshaft, and Paul ran fuel and brake lines, too.
Gary Seeds rolled a Moebius Models Funny Car up on a lowered MPC Racers Wedge for this 1/25 scale drag-racing team combo. He airbrushed the eye-catching metallic green and gold scheme with House of Kolor paints and added razzle-dazzle with JPS 3D-printed wheels.
Josiah Chan styled his Aoshima 1/24 scale Toyota 86 Rocket Bunny as a SEMA show car with a low stance and gloss paint. He dressed up the interior with embossing powder for the carpet and applied chrome vinyl mirrors. He painted HoK Diamond Blue and impregnated the 2K clear top coat with color-shift pigment.
Jennifer Grala primed her Heller 1/43 scale Kenwood race car, sanded it, airbrushed two coats of color, and one coat of clear, and then applied decals. Boom! Done.
Not a lot of rat rods at the show this year, but Wes Haffenber arrived with his Revell 1/24 scale ’29 Ford pickup made up as a shop truck for a salvage company. He modified the kit to have a right-hand drive and mounted a Lincoln flathead V12 out front. Wes used the salt-chipping method to weather the pickup’s paint job.
“I lowered the stance by cutting leaf springs,” said Hector Guadalupe of his Monogram 1/24 scale 1940 Ford pickup. He used aftermarket wheels and tires, grille, and flathead engine. He wired the engine, hit the trim with Bare-Metal Foil, and painted with Tamiya lacquers.
Skip Farrell “civilianized” his CMK 1/35 scale Volkswagen 4x4 Kommanderswagen and turned it into a beach buggy. He 3D-printed the tires and wheels, surfboards, and roof rack, and extended the exhaust tailpipe. He painted with both Tamiya acrylics and lacquers.