Wade Hachinsky
Lee’s Summit, Missouri
Wade built his Dragon 1/72 scale T-34/76 Model 1942 and added it to a base made from a picture frame, Sculptamold, and railroad ballast. He used a black and white zenithal undercoat to help guide his color modulation. Vallejo acrylic paints helped Wade complete the faded camo. Oil paint and enamel pinwashes popped details, and acrylic glazes and pigments provided mud, dust, and soot.
Brian Eberle
Moon Township, Pennsylvania
This Grapsus grapsus crab-colored mech is Brian’s Kaiyodo 1/35 scale Maschinen Krieger Doyanen Sturm Kofer. The out-of-box mech stands over a hard-packed mud plain made from crackle paint. Winsor & Newton and Abteilung 502 artist oils add a light coat of dirt to the otherwise brightly colored walker.
Cal Wood
Hudson, Wisconsin
Cal added the windshield and radiator shield to his unusual Vargas Scale Models 1/35 scale 1917 Ford Model T with Chase Tracks. An experiment for using the Model T as a personnel or cargo carrier, the tracks were made out of canvas and metal cleats. Cal pre-shaded and painted his model with Vallejo acrylics, and oil-paints helped accentuate details.
Ken Karns
Lancaster, Ohio
Ken added strip-wood decking to the crew area of his MiniArt 1/35 scale British B-Type Armored Lorry that is “On the Road to Antwerp” in his diorama. Tamiya acrylics over gray Tamiya Fine Primer color one of the armored vehicles in service of Royal Naval Air Service Cmdr. Charles Samson’s “Motor Bandits.” The roadbed is real dirt atop a foam base.
David Wassell
Shanwood, Arizona
Inspired by the movie Red Dawn, David built a diorama of Ukrainian-captured Russian T-90 passing a destroyed Russian GAZ Tigr. Using a Suyata 1/48 scale two-in-one kit that included a the tank and infantry mobility vehicle, he built the T-90A out of the box before adding aftermarket stowage and a combination of Peddinghaus and FC Model figures. The GAZ ended up burned rubble on the roadside. “I’m a life-long aircraft guy, and this was my third armor kit,” David said. Building a diorama is one heck of a way to show off a growing love of 1/48 scale tanks!
Brian Campitella
Delmont, Pennsylvania
Brian 3D-printed a maintenance stand and added droid bodies on Tamiya Goliath tread unit around his Hasegawa 1/35 scale MaK Nutcracker. He added Industria Mechanika and 3D-printed parts to the drone hovercraft coming into a maintenance bay for repairs. He primed the unit light gray and airbrushed the camo pattern freehand with AK Interactive, Tamiya, and Ammo acrylics and refined the edges with a fine-tipped paintbrush. Artist-oil washes provide grease stains and accumulated dirt to what turns out to be Brian’s first attempt at a sci-fi diorama!
Brian Campitella
Delmont, Pennsylvania
Brian 3D-printed a maintenance stand and added droid bodies on Tamiya Goliath tread unit around his Hasegawa 1/35 scale MaK Nutcracker. He added Industria Mechanika and 3D-printed parts to the drone hovercraft coming into a maintenance bay for repairs. He primed the unit light gray and airbrushed the camo pattern freehand with AK Interactive, Tamiya, and Ammo acrylics and refined the edges with a fine-tipped paintbrush. Artist-oil washes provide grease stains and accumulated dirt to what turns out to be Brian’s first attempt at a sci-fi diorama!
Brian Campitella
Delmont, Pennsylvania
Brian 3D-printed a maintenance stand and added droid bodies on Tamiya Goliath tread unit around his Hasegawa 1/35 scale MaK Nutcracker. He added Industria Mechanika and 3D-printed parts to the drone hovercraft coming into a maintenance bay for repairs. He primed the unit light gray and airbrushed the camo pattern freehand with AK Interactive, Tamiya, and Ammo acrylics and refined the edges with a fine-tipped paintbrush. Artist-oil washes provide grease stains and accumulated dirt to what turns out to be Brian’s first attempt at a sci-fi diorama!
Chris Causley
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
For an M132 in Vietnam, Chris combined a Dragon 1/35 scale M132 armored flamethrower, an Academy 1/35 scale M113, and 3D-printed parts. He turned to AK Interactive Real Color acrylics for the paint, placed markings from Echelon Decals, and touched the tracks and underbody with pigments to complete the look.
Dustin Dias
Wellsburg, West Virginia
Dustin added a scratchbuilt interior door panel, some seat belts, and a water tank in the back of this AK Interactive 1/35 scale M1008 troop carrier converted into a derelict civilian brush-fire truck. For the beaten and aged appearance, he painted with Ammo acrylics, artist oils, and enamels. Of course, there’s a lot of pigment dust and rust. The base is made of XPS foam coated with mud and soil groundcover products. Dustin completed the look with scale cinder blocks, old traffic cones, a pallet, and rusty chain.
Chuck Aleshire
Shorewood, Illinois
Chuck’s FineMolds 1/35 scale Imperial Japanese Army Medium Tank Type 89 Ko depicts a Japanese tank during the 1939 Khalkhin Gol battle. He brings it to life with Mr. Color paints masked with AK Interactive Camouflage Elastic Putty, and weathered with washes and pigments.
Curt Cayemberg
Wentzville, Missouri
Scratchbuilt jerry can and jack handles plus a tarp made from tissue modify Curt’s Tamiya 1/35 scale SdKfz 232 8-Rad armored car. The faded finish is long-gone Floquil Panzer Gray whitewashed with Tamiya White. Curt went all in with artist oils, enamel washes, and pigments for streaks, dust, accumulated dirt, and chipped paint.
Scott Conner
Roeland Park, Kansas
This brightly colored Hasegawa 1/20 scale Maschinen Krieger 44 Type MK44 Ausf.B-2 Axeknight comes from Scott, who wired the smoke discharges. The weathering is various shades of blue and purple stippled with a sponge over the blue base coat, as well as washes, pigments, artist oils, and weathering pencils. He left the suit open to display the interior and put the power suit on a scratchbuilt base — a slab of concrete from the garage where the Axeknight awaits maintenance.
Dave Pross
Weston, Connecticut
Dave put his Takom 1/35 scale T-55 AMV with aftermarket metal tracks on a solid PVC base. The model depicts a T-55 used by the Syrian Republican Guard (Pro-Assad Elite Force) against rebels in Homs, Syria, during the Syrian Civil War. He used the hairspray technique to chip the acrylic paint. Pinwashes darkened panel lines and pigments tied everything together with a light coat of desert dust.
Mike Petty
Flagstaff, Arizona
After the Indochina war, the French army gave its M29C Weasels to the French Polar Expeditions. You can feel the cold coming off Mike’s scene of a Takom 1/35 scale Antarctic expedition vehicle and figure. The base is a wooden plaque with Apoxie Sculpt and Ammo snow effects for the icy feel.
Michael Hutchinson
East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Michael base-coated his Tamiya 1/35 scale M561 Gama Goat olive green before brushing and dry-brushing other colors for a sun-faded and worn effect. The model sports DEF.Model wheels, camo net pole, and bags; he raided his spares box for the trailer’s cargo. Stains, dried mud, and general grime came from pigments and enamel washes. Michael parked the Goat and trailer on a base made from a leftover oak stair tread he cut to shape.
Lee Fogel
Walton, Kentucky
Lee built a Monogram Snap-Tite 1/32 scale U.S. Army Jeep hauling a Dragon M55 machine Gun Trailer Mount. He added a Dragon jerry can, radio, and stowage and replaced the kit windshield glass with Lexan. Lee painted the model Real Colors Olive Drab over mahogany primer.
Ted Kawahara
Palos Verdes Estates, California
Ted, featuring a Tamiya 1/35 scale kit, depicted an M41 Walker Bulldog overrun by Vietcong. Olive drab serves as the base color, and Ted lightened it with tan to approximate sun-fading. He built a frame for a sun shield from copper wire, and made a ragged tarp from Magic-Sculpt, and used an acupuncture needle as an antenna. Ted marked the Bulldog for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam with aftermarket decals.
Chuck Rothman
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
This AFV Club 1/35 scale M42A1 Duster self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, called “George of the Jungle,” came in with Chuck who wrapped the running gear with AFV Club individual tracks. Paying close attention to his references, he airbrushed Tamiya acrylics and lacquers and applied washed and pastels to replicate the real vehicle for an unusual and striking model.
Mike Sacklyn
Canton, Georgia
We don’t often see IJN Type 2 Ka-Mi amphibious tanks at contests, but Mike’s attracted our attention. Built from a Dragon 1/35 scale kit, he improved it with MasterClub metal tracks, added tarps on the turret, and picked out slight damage. Mike used Tamiya paints overall, and weathered sides to depict salt staining.
John Wendt
Monument, Colorado
A mercenary stands outside his Land Rover ready to support National Liberation Front of Angola (FLNA) in 1975. John placed an Italeri 1/35 scale Land Rover Series III 109’(LWB) at the center of his vignette, converting it to left-hand drive, placing an AFV Club 106mm recoilless rifle in the back, and dressing up the front end with a photo-etched metal grille from Eduard. Vallejo paints were used for both the vehicle and figure, and the cracked desert terrain was made using AK Interactive Light and Dry Crackle Effects.
Jeremy Coyle
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Jeremy went Tamiya all the way on this 1/35 scale M1025 Humvee. He painted the Tamiya kit with Tamiya acrylics sprayed through a Tamiya airbrush. Finished for service during March 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom, Jeremy’s Humvee sits on a craft-store base and has been upgraded with aftermarket parts.
John Hale
Okeana, Ohio
A TMD Resin hull and turret and HD Models 3D-printed details helped John convert an Asuka 1/35 scale M4 Sherman into Thunderbolt V commanded by Lt. Col. Abrams in Europe during World War II. John airbrushed AK Real Colors lacquers to show a tank in Normandy, giving its all for the 37th Tank Battalion commander.
Rick Keasey
Edwardsville, Illinois
Rick’s diorama, called “Your Destiny Awaits - Normandy, 1944” shows a Panzer IV rolling through a French neighborhood along with German infantry. The tank commander speaks with a wounded soldier who points toward the front, while other injured Germans lean wearily against the buildings or slump on the ground. Rick cut up a Custom Dioramics kit for the facade, built the Panzer from a Dragon kit, and the figures came from various manufacturers. He scratchbuilt the cobblestone road and added 3D-printed shingles and products in the store windows.
Brad Belsheim
Avon, Ohio
A couple of weary British tankers rest a moment outside their A34 Comet in Brad’s scene. The tank is a Tamiya 1/35 scale kit upgraded with aftermarket handles, tracks, and mantlet cover. He post-shaded the Comet and finished it with artist oils and pigments for a slightly worn look. A Dio Dump wall kit and base places the tank and crew in the Netherlands, late 1944.
Rick Taylor
Everett, Washington
Eduard photo-etched metal, Perfect Scale Modellbau resin details, and custom decals upgrade Rick’s Dragon 1/35 scale M752 tactical ballistic missile launcher. He converted the missile from a conventional warhead to a nuclear one, and scratchbuilt the exhaust, seat cushions, and seat belts. Rick used Silly Putty to mask the camouflage pattern and airbrushed it with Tamiya and Real Colors paints.
Scott Graupner
St. Charles, Illinois
Scott said he didn’t use any aftermarket parts for his Ukrainian T-72, built from a Trumpeter 1/35 scale Russian T-72B/ B1. However, it does incorporate the parts from the three photo-etched metal frets provided in the kit. Scott unified the green, dark yellow, and black camouflage scheme under several filters and pigments. Cork, styrene sheet, AK Interactive asphalt, and Martin Welberg Scenic Studios grass tufts.
Lou Ursino
Clementon, New Jersey
Lou’s vignette, Under New Management, depicts a StuG III Ausf G captured by the U.S. 104th Infantry Division in December 1944. Using the accompanying photo as reference, he improved a Dragon 1/35 scale kit with 3D-printed tracks, and airbrushed it with Scale Colors and Real Colors paints. Tamiya colors brought the Custom Dioramics resin base to life, and he hand-brushed the Alpine figures with LifeColor paints.
Raul Urbina
Westford, Massachusetts
Raul used the kit’s decals on his HobbyBoss 1/35 scale Vickers Medium Tank Mk.I. He added rivets to the fender supports, an Accurate Armor folded bag, and Friulmodel metal tracks. After priming with Mr. Surfacer 1500, he airbrushed his Vickers AK Interactive Khaki Green and dirtied it up with mud paste, pinwashes, and dry-brushing.
Victor Hernandez
Chicago, Illinois
Victor placed his out-of-the-box AFV Club 1/35 scale M3A3 Stuart light tank on a base with a wall to show it “somewhere in Europe.” Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics handle the heavy lifting, while Winsor & Newton artist oils and pigments help tie the tank to its surroundings.
Brian Fowler
Tarpon Springs, Florida
For his diorama, Failed Gamble in the Ardennes, Brian built a Meng 1/35 scale German SdKfz 173 Jagdpanther to help tell the story of the defeat of Germany’s 12th SS Panzer Division. He made the base from styrene sheet, the ground is CelluClay, and he planted trees and tufts of grass before modeling the snow and ice.
Gary Owsley
Independence, Missouri
Gary modified the explosive reactive armor that came with his Takom 1/35 scale M60A3 to match that preferred by the Texas Army National Guard. He freehand airbrushed the three-color NATO camo adopted in the mid-80s with Tamiya acrylic paints.
Rick Carlson
Erie, Pennsylvania
Rick turned a Trumpeter 1/35 scale M1083 cargo truck into a “War Pig,” stripped down to the bare necessities to act as a “mothership” for special forces operating far from resupply bases. The conversion was made possible with resin and photo-etched metal parts from a Black Dog set and Live Resin Dragon Browning .50-caliber machine gun. Ammo Dark Wash and dry-brushed artist oils top the Model Master enamel paint. Rick made a base from floral foam and made groundcover with a mixture of garage sweepings and post-winter cleanup.
Brian Gill
Lowell, Indiana
Brian improved a Dragon Models 1/35 scale M67A2 flamethrower with a wire-mesh bustle rack and Tamiya stowage. Black Mr. Surfacer 1500 provided the Squadron USMC Medium Green a good surface to adhere to and provided shadows, too. Brian marked his tank as Flame 23 with the Marine Corps 1st Tank H&S Company operating in Vietnam during the late 1960s.
Matt Deck
Fort Wayne, Indiana
This Tamiya 1/35 scale Marder I started as something to slam together over a weekend, but Matt said advanced modeler syndrome quickly took over. Suddenly he found himself adding an Eduard detail set and a kitbashed gun from a more detailed Dragon model. Then he wired the radio and scratchbuilt headphones. Bits and bobs showed up from his spares box. By the time he finished painting, he couldn’t stop himself. The Marder obviously needed a base, so he made one from CelluClay and textured the ground with cat litter and sand. He painted them for an appropriately muddy European site and finished with some scrub grass to provide a balance of color.
Nathan LaPorte
Saint Clair, Michigan
In 2014, the Ukraine 11th Defense Brigade modified a Russian MT-LB to use against separatists, and Nathan wanted to model it. Starting with a Trumpeter 1/35 scale kit, he added slat armor, a machine gun and mount along with an armored gun box, and scratchbuilt side skirts and a crew compartment. He also included more details in the engine bay before masking and painting the digital camo.
Dave Welch
Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Dave’s M40 155mm self-propelled gun looks ready to fire. He added chains and cables to the Tamiya 1/35 scale kit, and made a barrel swab, too. He primed the model black and airbrushed it olive drab. Washes, pinwashes, and real dirt Dave sifted for an extremely fine texture unify the gun and its base.
Bruce MacRae
Las Vegas, Nevada
Bruce decided against modifying his Alpine 1/16 scale U.S. tank crewman in favor of “testing new painting ideas.” He used Jo Sonja artist oils painted in thin layers for natural skin tones and a realistically worn and stained uniform.
Jim Majon
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Jim added 3D-printed tool clasps to his Takom 1/35 scale Jagdtiger SdKfz 186. He airbrushed the three-color camo with Tamiya and Real Colors paints. Shadows and streaking were accomplished with extremely thin Tamiya Flat Brown and NATO Black.
Robert Hullack
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
For a Jagdpanther crossing a ditch in a snow-covered field, Robert built a Dragon 1/35 scale kit with Friulmodel tracks and Eureka XXL track cable. Ammo Atom paints and an airbrush provided the camouflage, while AK Interactive washes, pigments, and snow give the vignette its icy bite. Robert made the base from foam and covered the sides with balsa wood. VMS Smart Mud XL 2.0 with grass tufts helped create believable terrain.
Ted Oktabetz
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Modeling a Vietnam War U.S. Army 2 1/2-ton gun truck, Ted began with an AFV Club kit and swapped out the quad .50-caliber gun for one from a Dragon kit. He also added a gun shield, replaced the ammo boxes on the quad, and scattered spent shells in the truck bed. Ted sprayed the truck with Tamiya Fine Primer directly from the aerosol can, pre-shaded, and then airbrushed final colors. Pigments and washes helped place the “War Wagon” in theater.
Joe Kozak
Burr Ridge, Illinois
Joe modeled something unusual for this year’s competition from AFV Club and Dragon 1/35 scale kits: an M54A2 delivering an OH-6A Cayuse helicopter. He airbrushed the models with Tamiya paints and added dirt and dust with Tamiya Weathering Master and AK Interactive pigments.
Ron Damrotowok
Tinley Park, Illinois
A base made from XPS foam supports Ron’s AFV Club 1/35 scale M35A1 gun truck with a Dynamo M45 .50-caliber anti-aircraft gun mounted to a Swoose 3D-printed A1 cargo bed. He scratchbuilt the truck’s armor, painted with Tamiya colors, and applied AK Interactive pigments for an Army vehicle serving at Tuy Hoa Air Base, Vietnam.
Mikkel Petrich
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Mikkel started “Moment of Contemplation” with a Meng 1/35 scale Russian ZSU-23-4 Shilka, added a resin interior and VoyagerModel photo-etched metal parts, MasterClub tracks, and designed and 3D-printed interior details. A Paracel Miniatures figure sits atop the Shilka’s turret. Mikkel used the hairspray technique to chip the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun’s paint and further distressed the exterior with artist oils and pigments.
Brandon Gentry
Indianapolis, Indiana
Styrene sheet forms all of the armor Brandon’s Vietnam-era M37 3/4-ton gun truck. He 3D-printed nuts and bolts and ammo boxes for additional details. Painted black overall, he broke up the monotone finish with Abteilung 502 oil-paint washes and filters to provide weathering and subtle tonal shifts.
Mac Johnston
Salisbury, New Hampshire
A coal load, steering chain, and homemade decals are just some of the changes Mac made to his DModels 1/35 scale Fowler B6 World War I-era steam tractor. He also had to adjust the left wheel mounting to clear the winch cable and align the brake. With that accomplished, he airbrushed the B6 flat black and hand-brushed the details. Pigments added a bit of rust where rainwater would gather.
Brandon Jacob
Houston, Texas
Brandon’s vignette displays a Nazi Germany Horch 4x4 pulling a trailer hauling a 120mm mortar on the Eastern Front during World War II. It does not look like the vehicle or its crew are having a good day. Modeled from Tamiya and Zvezda 1/35 scale kits, Brandon installed Tank Workshop chained tires underneath the Horch and a Panzer Art engine deck and canvas cover. Between the hairspray chipping technique, oil paints, and AK Interactive Wet Mud Splatter Effects, Brandon set the his Horch in a miserable situation somewhere on a road in the USSR.
TJ Haller
Purcellville, Virginia
Basing his model on a photo of a tank belonging to the 8th Princess Louise’s Hussars, 5th Canadian Armored Division, TJ 3D-printed bogies and tracks and added a metal barrel to his Asuka Models 1/35 scale British Sherman “Firefly.” Post-shading and color modulation was toned back and unified with artist oils and enamel weathering.
Mike Dikos
Knox, Indiana
A Monogram 1/32 scale Panzer IV created the foundation for Mike’s German Bergepanzer IV. He scratchbuilt the jib boom, come along, tackle, fence around the engine deck, and wooden work platform. The welding gauges, hoses, and regulators were all handcrafted, too. The whole model was airbrushed with Tamiya acrylics over Krylon primer. Judicious application of Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color and various pigments brought out details, chipped paint, and provided an appropriate level of dirt for a working recovery and maintenance vehicle.
Kenneth Childres
Sherwood, Arizona
For a British Firefly in Germany, 1945, Kenneth chose an Asuka 1/35 scale kit and upgraded it with welds and armor texture made from Green Stuff two-part epoxy putty. He also made a hessian net from gauze and foil, installed a turned-metal barrel for the gun, and improved the tracks with 3D-printed replacements. His diorama, The Queen’s Gambit, focusing on the Firefly, incorporates a wooden and XPS foam base topped with VMS Smart Mud XL, static grass, and AK Interactive Ice Sparkles.
David Steelman
Conway, Arizona
David’s Takom 1/35 scale AMX 13/90 French light tank benefits from a few scratchbuilt details made from wire, tape and styrene. He painted the camouflage according to the kit’s instructions, masking with Silly Putty. Washes, stains, and powdered pastels did the trick for dirt and grime. David clad the sides of an XPS foam block with 1/64-inch plywood and applied acrylic textures and paint for the base’s pavement and scattered rubble.