Harold Wholf
Evansville, Indiana
Thrall, an orc shaman and once-Warchief of the Horde in the World of Warcraft universe, comes to life in this 3D-printed figure. Harold hand-painted Thrall with Vallejo acrylics over black primer. He popped details with dark washes and dry-brushing.
John Tatarelli Jr.
Brookhaven, Pennsylvania
All the sculpts John entered at WonderFest are original sculptures made with aluminum wire, foil, Aves Apoxie Sculpt, and Super Sculpey polymer clay. This hand-painted figure depicts “the Violator,” the terrifying, hellish nemesis from Todd McFarlane’s Spawn comic books.
Gilbert MonDragon
Channahon, Illinois
This amazingly life-like depiction of Lt. Nyota Uhura from the Star Trek original series is a 1/4 scale bust sculpted by Antonio Dato. Gilbert airbrushed the base colors with acrylic paints and finished up with artist oils and inks.
Dodd Harris
Louisville, Kentucky
If you’re a fan of Arcane, you’ll immediately recognize Caitlyn Kiramman from the Netflix animated series. Dodd primed and base-coated the figure with an airbrush and hand-painted the remainder. He used True Metal wax-based paints for her weapons, buckles, and gilt.
Lou Dalmaso
Raleigh, North Carolina
Lou lighted his Cozmic Scale Models 1/24 scale Blue Midget from the sci-fi TV series Red Dwarf. He airbrushed the spaceship “as new,” and then added layers of grime and wash to show its extensive service.
Philip Segal
Calabasas, California
Wall-E continues to clean up Earth in Philip’s 1/6 scale model. He 3D-printed the figure from files on Gambody and brought the little bot to life with blue surface-mount LEDs and finished it with stainless steel washers. He primed Wall-E, airbrushed Tamiya Flat White, and then hand-painted with Vallejo acrylics. The rust effects were accomplished with artist oils.
Brian Duddy
Dayton, Ohio
Brian painted a Life Miniatures 1/10 scale bust of Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, in her World War II Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform. He used artist oils and a Grex airbrush.
Vince Hoffmann
Hayward, California
This scene, called “At Rest,” shows an A.F.S. (Armored Fighting Suit) Mk.I that has been unexpectedly discovered. Vince built the Nitto 1/20 scale SF3D kit out of the box, adding a skull in the helmet for the deceased soldier. He painted the suit using layers of paint, chipping medium, and iron oxide dust.
Roger Fluhr
Anderson, Indiana
Re-creating a scene from the movie Electric State, Roger incorporated parts from the AMT/Ertl Robot kit for the 1998 Lost in Space movie, hands from a Mickey Mouse toy, and lots of scratchbuilding to create Herm the giant robot. It carries a Hasegawa 1/24 scale VW Bus on its shoulder. Roger painted the model with a combination of spray paints and hand-brushed acrylics and made a custom base for his one-of-a-kind model.
David Acker
Levittown, Pennsylvania
David finished a Nerikson 75mm "Gerda the Snow Huntress" figure with AK Interactive and Vallejo acrylic paints. He dressed the base with sticks and twigs and AK Terrains Snow.
Tim Lilly
Cape Coral, Florida
Starting with a resin kit by Steve West, Tim carved the bust’s base to appear like wood instead of smoke. He lighted the crystal ball and painted both with a mixture of airbrush and hand-painting. Tim applied washes for shadows and attached the figure to a real wooden base.
Edward Vinarcik
West Lafayette, Indiana
This Tamiya 1/35 scale Parasaurolophus was built out of the box. Edward sprayed the base coat and then layered colors to finish the model. For the base, he embellished dried tree bark with moss and added a special Easter egg — a miniature Dragon magazine!
Steve Shaffer
Hastings, Minnesota
The Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) was incredibly popular for children back in the early 1980s, and Steve built a 1/24 scale replica from an Aoshima kit. He added lights for the roving sensor in the nose and painted with Tamiya Gloss Black lacquer. He wants us to know that there was a lot of polishing for that final shine. A whole lot of polishing.
Lawrance Wilson
Valrico, Florida
The Swordfish II, as seen in Cowboy Bebop, has become one of the most iconic spaceships in all anime. Lawrance downloaded a design from Gambody and 3D-printed the model at 1/48 scale. He made a custom mix for the main color and pre-shaded with flat black.
Jasmine Lim
Santa Clarita, California
This 1/8 scale figure of Kotori Itsuka from the light novel, manga, and anime Date A Live, comes from a Chirubeya Mokeibou kit. Jasmine assembled the kit out of the box, primed and airbrushed most of the figure with Gaia Notes and Mr. Color lacquers. She hand-painted the eyes using the “enamel-over-lacquer” technique, and masked while painting the cloak, skirt, and ribbons. Jasmine gave Kotori’s cheeks some color with pastels and used pastels to shade the figure’s skirt.
Dana Smith
Weaverville, North Carolina
Dana built his Hasegawa 1/20 scale MaK Mk.44 Ammoknights in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene with no power for three weeks. He scratchbuilt the engine, added rough welds to the smoke launchers, and the pilot has to use a stick to keep the front hatch open. “The model kind of looks like how I felt after the hurricane damage,” Dana said. “Just fix it as best you can and move on.”
Dwayne Ayer
Reston, Virginia
“This [scene] depicts the epic conclusion of the car chase and trailer shot of Batman’s approach to the Penguin’s crashed car,” Dwayne said. To re-create the tense moment from 2022’s The Batman, he used a Bandai 1/35 scale kit, scratchbuilt the base, and 3D-printed a resin figure. Dwayne employed many different shades of black from Mr. Hobby to provide the Batmobile with a visually interesting appearance, and painted the engine according to reference photos.
Dwayne Ayer
Reston, Virginia
“This [scene] depicts the epic conclusion of the car chase and trailer shot of Batman’s approach to the Penguin’s crashed car,” Dwayne said. To re-create the tense moment from 2022’s The Batman, he used a Bandai 1/35 scale kit, scratchbuilt the base, and 3D-printed a resin figure. Dwayne employed many different shades of black from Mr. Hobby to provide the Batmobile with a visually interesting appearance, and painted the engine according to reference photos.
Eric Gonzalez
Miami, Florida
This monster Time Slip Creations 1/32 scale Buck Rogers Thunderfighter was finished as a “stealth” ship, according to Eric. He based the look on Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art and built the model to incorporate Stephen Burns’ 3D-printed cockpit. Eric primed with automotive lacquers, pre- and post-shaded, airbrushed acrylics for the main colors, and weathered with enamels. “I chipped it extensively with a fine brush and did streaking with thin gray enamel paint,” Eric said.
Riva Medina
Miami, Florida
“This [Johnny Lightning] model re-creates the 1940s Batmobile in a small, 1/64 scale size,” Riva said. “Made with die-cast metal parts, it’s an easy and enjoyable way to own a piece of Batman history.” Riva, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Beth Bierman
Overland, Missouri
“This celebrates the legendary Red Tails of the Tuskegee Airmen,” Beth said, and it certainly caught our attention. The Bandai 1/72 scale Star Wars A-wing was pre-shaded for panel accents and then airbrushed with colors inspired by the 332nd Fight Group, commonly known as the “Red Tails.”
Jason Walker
Homewood, Illinois
Popularized as part of the Cthulhu mythos, this figure of "Hastur, the King in Yellow," is a sculpt from Loot Studios and 3D-printed by Jason. He hand-painted the figure with acrylics and used enamel inks for weathering.
Doug Corp
Charleston, West Virginia
Doug modified the STL files of this Star Wars: The Mandalorian 1/16 scale Pirate Snub Fighter he downloaded from Gambody to accommodate cockpit lighting. He painted with Vallejo Metal Color and Model Air acrylics and created chipping with Vallejo Masking Fluid. Flory washes tied everything together.
James Lewis
Blanchester, Ohio
James airbrushed the base color of his Hasegawa 1/20 scale MaK Luna Hund and then brush-painted over it with lighter colors for the camo scheme. AK Interactive enamel rust and watercolor pencils provided weathering.
Chase Bohannon
Calhoun, Georgia
This 28mm scene made with a Game Workshop miniature depicts Charon as he pulls up to the pier on the River Styx. Chase made the pier from balsa wood and created the water effects with products from Woodland Scenics. The rocks are cast from plaster, and he applied static grass and tufts of GamersGrass to the hillside.
Jeff Goldsack
Arlington, Texas
Jeff removed the molded wire detail from an Aoshima 1/24 scale Back to the Future II Delorean kit and replaced it with real wire. He scratchbuilt the flux capacitor, detailed the interior, and replaced the kit's wheels with wheels more accurate to the movie vehicle. He airbrushed the body and brush-painted details, all with Model Master acrylics.
Jay Andry
New Orleans, Louisiana
Jay took a Wave 1/20 scale MaK SAFS Snakeyes suit and upgraded it with a Pink Tank “Unicorn” conversion and watch parts for his unique fighting suit. He added lava rock to a wooden base and sprayed them black, blue, and silver for asteroid debris and set his Unicorn floating among the stars.
Josh Cochran
Plano, Texas
Who shot first, Han or Greedo? No matter your opinion, Josh’s Blaster Factory 1/1 scale DL-44 makes you feel like a scoundrel when you hold it. He painted the weighty replica with Rust-Oleum High Performance Black enamel, Tamiya Flat Black acrylic, and weathered it with Abteilung oil paints.
Russ Laarman
Fruitport, Michigan
“This model depicts an ancient satellite orbiting around a moon in the Proxima Centauri system,” Russ said. He scratchbuilt the 1/72 scale model from styrene sheet, greeblies, and 3D-printed parts digitally kitbashed in TinkerCAD. Russ primed with Rust-Oleum Flat Gray and then airbrushed various metallics for the final appearance, masking when needed. Electronics onboard provide a pulsing blue light to depict the satellite’s energy source.
Jeff Camp
Carol Stream, Illinois
Jeff finished his Earthbound Studios/Pestilence Labs 3/4 scale The Bride of Frankenstein to look like she just stepped off the silver screen. He painted this amazing model with Liquitex acrylic gouache, using black Stynylrez for a base, gray for midtones, layered in shadows, and painted the highlights. The base is the bottom section of a candle holder mounted to the bottom of the model.
Natalie Janney
Columbus, Ohio
Natalie wanted to do something different and striking with the Redpiano Miniatures 90mm "Cyberpunk Cowgirl," especially since she was the first to have the figure. All of the painting is freehand with acrylics and acrylic inks. She made the base from Aves Apoxie Sculpt.
Kenny Walch
Columbus, Ohio
Immersing himself in the world of Battletech, Kenny depicted a scene from the Battle of Tukayyid with a 1/200 scale "Summoner" mech. He reposed the original figure, scratchbuilt internal details, and kitbashed the base from a number of 3D-printed buildings. Kenny brush-painted the entire scene, feathering and layering the colors for volume and visual interest.
Curt Haskell
Huntsville, Alabama
Curt printed the 1/6 scale "Evil Knight" figure designed by D-Warhammer and airbrushed it with Pro Acryl and Green Stuff World acrylic paints.
Matthew Guiroz
Corona de Tucson, Arizona
Industria Mechanika kits are seen less and less, so it was a pleasure to see Matthew’s finished 1/8 scale "The Chrononaut." He added sand and grout groundwork and plastic plants to round out the resin kit of a time-traveling dino hunter. Matthew airbrushed everything using Tamiya acrylics, cut with lacquer thinner, AK Real Colors, Alclad II lacquers, and Winsor & Newton oils. He based the uniform colors on those of Napoleonic British Dragoons.
Joe Schmidt
Holland, Ohio
Joe combined the Revell Build and Play 1/28 scale Han Solo Speeder and Imperial Patrol Speeder kits to create this exciting scene. While the kits didn’t require paint, he used adhesion promoter and a clear coat so he could weather and detail with craft paints. Joe made the base from foam core and cork.
Peter Melillo
New Hartford, Connecticut
This Shadow Kreations 1/8 scale Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein scene needed a little more than what came with the kit. Peter added a half-wall near the door and the Edward Gorey picture on it. Finished entirely with acrylic paints, pastels, and artist oils, varied washes created a convincing carpet for the base.
Curt Haskell
Huntsville, Alabama
Pro Acryl and Scale 75 acrylic paints color Curt’s "Arconic Disintegrator." He combined an airbrush and hand-painting for a unique, steampunk car with an enormous—and probably extremely dangerous—cannon.
Todd Malnar
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Todd’s 1/6 scale scene of Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor, is inspired. He only adjusted the tilt of the head on the Sci-Fi Models figure, but the rest of the diorama was completely scratchbuilt. Todd painted the figure with both a brush and an airbrush, utilizing a mix of techniques to get the black-and-white appearance just so.
John Aiello
Cottrellville, Michigan
This Dark Horse 1/8 scale Frankenstein porcelain kit was cast in two large, heavy pieces, and that meant it was difficult to hold onto and paint without getting fatigued. John persevered, however, using a combination of Vallejo and Reaper acrylic paints for most everything except the skin tone. He turned to Daler-Rowney acrylic inks for that. Several layers of pastels finished off transitions on the figure, and John replaced the kit chain with a finer one from a craft store. He also added a plywood base underneath to support the figure. Did we say that it was heavy?
Federico Gassmann
Schaumburg, Illinois
If we see a Macross Valkyrie, it’s a rule that we photograph a Valkyrie. In this case, it was Federico’s Hasegawa 1/48 scale VF-1S Skull Squadron finished as Roy Fokker’s fighter. He picked panel lines and recesses with Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color, and airbrushed the scheme with Tamiya acrylics and Mr. Hobby lacquers.
Paul Gertsch
Roswell, Georgia
A 3mm red LED makes Paul’s 1/12 scale Star Wars Imperial probe droid all the more intimidating. He based the 3D-printed figure on top of broken rocks and groundwork covered with baking soda for snow.
Meredith Alsip
Indianapolis, Indiana
This Creepytables 1/9 scale bust is called “Cozy,” and Meredith added the post and plinth to base it on. She primed the figure with Reaper primer and then painted with Winsor & Newton artist oils. She applied multiple layers and shades, allowing the oils to dry between coats. A last touch was a wash and some black lining to pick out details. Meredith calls the piece “Break Time” because she looks like she’s taking a much-needed break.
Gino Lomelino
Cincinnati, Ohio
“This was my first attempt at painting a Gundam,” Gino said of his Bandai MG 1/100 scale Sazabi Version Ka. Being ambitious, he went with a candy paint job, base-coating with Mr. Color Super Metallic Gold 2 over black primer and following up with Tamiya Clear Red. “I did many color tests before painting.”
Duncan Scott
Monroeville, Pennsylvania
This Bandai MG 1/100 scale RX-77-2 Guncannon is finished as Hayato Kobuyashi’s unit. Duncan added tinted lenses to the rifle scopes and painted with Tamiya lacquers and Vallejo acrylics. He post-shaded before painting the main colors and weathered with pastels and washes. Duncan made a base from wood and covered it with sand to depict a desert.
Randy Van Dyke
Ada, Michigan
Randy received a beta copy of the new Filmy’s Girls 1/5 scale "Aurora" bust before the dragon was finished. He got and painted the dragon on Friday afternoon at the show! He added the hose for the airbrush, painted with a variety of paints, and masked with Silly Putty, when necessary, for clean lines.
Joe Hudson
St. Louis, Missouri
Joe’s “The Mummy” was designed by Inna Diklich and made by NY30 Creations. He airbrushed on Monument Hobbies and AK Interactive paints over a Tamiya Sky Grey base coat.
Brett Avants
St. Charles, Missouri
Airbrushing and hand-painting, along with lines and grab handles, make Brett’s Nitto 1/20 scale Maschinen Krieger Kröte stand out. He weathered and chipped the war-weary machine and created a dynamic base where it has crushed the remains of a Volkswagen.
Robert Hickl
Birmingham, Alabama
MPC’s 1/24 scale Green Hornet "Black Beauty" is flanked by the titular hero and his trusty sidekick Kato. Robert built the car out of the box, and the figures are from Jimmy Flintstone. Not letting the kit box go to waste, he used it to make the concrete on top of the wooden base.
Basil Roberts
Louisville, Kentucky
Basil, 11, entered his Bandai 1/144 scale 30 Minutes Mission R-Nova at WonderFest this year. He painted and weathered it with acrylic and did so entirely freehand. Looks great to us!
Rob Schmitt
Colorado Springs, Colorado
This is a “close encounter between a baby T-Rex and a Queztalcoatlus,” Rob said. He finished the Cretaceous Creations 1/5 scale model with acrylic paints, glazes, and washes, simulating mottling and veins over numerous layers. He added brush to the base for the tiny T-Rex to hide behind.
Steve Hilby
Issaquah, Washington
Steve calls his scratchbuilt 1/350 scale sphere ship Aldulio. Built from a craft sphere, florist’s tube, and styrene sheet, Aldulio flies high above a forest of sponge trees inhabited by dinosaurs and accompanied by a flock of birds. The bridge inside the florist tube is detailed with photo-etched metal controls and crew.
Paul Rathbun
Bothell, Washington
Paul’s Cretaceous Creations 1/350 scale "Gojirhaganthous" was an absolute monster. Built out of the box, the kaiju’s fiery appearance was accomplished with skilled airbrushing, glazes, washes, and dry-brushing.
Pat Dakon
St. Joseph, Missouri
Sean Kyle Studios produced a 1/6 scale steampunk take on The Bride of Frankenstein, and Pat couldn’t resist. He used acrylics only to paint the figure and base, and hand-painted everything except the Bride’s face, which he airbrushed. Pastels offered the right medium for weathering.