Bill Read
Minneapolis, Minnesota
This year, Bill eschewed the race cars and customs and went full-on military with his HobbyBoss 1/35 scale KrAZ-255B. He painted this 6x6 behemoth with colors from Mission Models and weathered it with washes, pigments, and colored pencils from AK Interactive and Ammo by Mig Jimenez.
Bob Halliday
St. Joseph, Minnesota
No stranger to the pages of FineScale Modeler, Bob brought his AMT 1/25 scale 1963 Shelby Cobra 260. To model the first Cobra raced by Ken Miles for Shelby America, he modified the cowling to use the racing windscreen and detailed the engine with Detail Master wires and a Fireball Modelworks carburetor.
Tyler Halliday
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Tyler’s Revell 1/25 scale 2003 Jeep Rubicon was a fun box-stock build. He painted the body with Chrysler F8 Green automotive paint straight from the spray can and topped it with 1K clear. He detailed the seat inserts with upholstery decals from Scale Motorsport.
Chad Truss
Crystal, Minnesota
Tasteful striping accentuates the curvy lines of this Revell 1/25 scale 1950 Ford F-1 in creamy Tamiya Champion White. Chad lowered the pickup’s body, added metal tube exhausts, wired the engine, and hand-painted the truck bed to simulate wood grain.
Tim Graf
Burnsville, Minnesota
It took him 15 years, but Tim finally finished his version of Jim Lytle’s “Quad Al” dragster. Mostly scratchbuilt, he employed four AMT 1/25 scale Allison aircraft engines, 3D-printed headers, and a resin Fiat body to get the job done. A monster model of a monster car that, regrettably, never got to run.
Jim Kampmann
Maplewood, Minnesota
Jim says the Moebius Models 1/25 scale 1965 Nova is a “wonderful kit.” He painted the engine and front suspension with Alclad II Chrome lacquer and finished the rest of the car with Tamiya primer and Testors lacquers. A Tamiya Panel Accent gives the doors and trunk just that added bit of realism.
Toby Halliday
Waconia, Minnesota
This bucking Bronco wears Testors Pacific Blue and Tamiya White under a coat of Tamiya Clear. Toby installed a Fireball Modelworks resin body and suspension lift, wheels, tires, a push bar, and off-road lights into a 1/25 scale Revell kit. Toby also added Model Car Garage photo-etched metal details.
Bob Maderich II
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Bob is known to be epicurean when it comes to modeling, delighting in various subjects and scales. He displayed his Black Bison 1/43 scale Red Bull RB6 Formula One race car and finished his model as 2009 British GP winner Sebastian Vettel's ride. Bob clothed the car in Splash paint and mounted it on a scratchbuilt asphalt base.
Hugh Heidt
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
We’ve seen the Revell 1/25 scale Chevy Corvette C6.R finished in many different liveries. Hugh took his kit and dressed it in Tamiya Black and White paint and Mad-Croc markings from DecalDoc. Scale Motorsport's photo-etched metal parts enhanced the details.
Chris Vick
Newport, Minnesota
Chris challenged himself to convert a Lindberg 1/24 scale 1953 Ford Victoria to a Ford Custom NASCAR racer marked for the Wood brothers. He cut and moved the roof, filled the grille, and modified the fender skirts. He scratchbuilt small details like the hood and trunk hold-downs and made custom decals.
Ben New
Rockville, Minnesota
To make a custom 1953 Ford school bus, Ben shortened a Monogram 1/24 scale S’cool Bus body, lowered it, and provided a new front end with a flip hood. The colors are PPG tri-coat paint finishes.
Howard Quednau
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Depicting the 1970 Can-Am Road America race, Howard’s diorama features an MPC 1/20 scale McLaren M8D driven by Denny Hulme. Howard hand-painted the figures, scratchbuilt the pit box, and painted the McLaren race car with Tamiya colors straight from the spray can.
Coleman Mjos
Golden Valley, Minnesota
Limited to three production models, including the prototype, the Ferrari Mythos first appeared as a concept car in 1989. Coleman built a Tamiya 1/24 scale kit of the rare Italian auto. He wired the engine, provided seat belts, and finished the model with Tamiya Italian Red and five layers of clear coat.
Don Stauffer
Coon Rapids, Minnesota
Don showed up to NNL North with his scratchbuilt 1/8 scale 1938 V8-60 midget car based on a real car his dad raced. He painted it with Testors enamels using his Badger airbrush.
Billy Kingsley
Wappingers Falls, New York
Thanks to Billy, Steve Grissom’s 1996 Chevrolet NASCAR racer showed up. Billy built the Revell 1/24 scale kit box stock, painted the body Testors Light Yellow enamel, and covered it with markings from Slixx Decals. The wheels are done up with Tamiya Fluorescent Red.
Paul Burpee
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Paul started with an AMT/Ertl 1/25 scale 1958 Plymouth Fury kit, dropped in a modified Viper V10 engine, and lowered the body. He painted this custom auto in Tamiya Light Blue (Luftwaffe) and set it rolling on deep dishes wrapped in BF Goodrich Radial T/As tires.
Steven Helfman
Apple Valley, Minnesota
A custom chassis, suspension, engine, wheels, and tires went into Steven’s ’56 Chevy resto-mod. Based on a Revell 1/25 scale kit, he painted it with Splash Bentley Beluga Black under 2K clear, then polished the finish. A black wash brought up detail on the engine, and he displayed it on a base made from a mirror and four six-sided dice.
Harold Wilson
Isanti, Minnesota
Harold modeled the ’64 Max Wedge Plymouth that Hank Taylor raced in many stock-class championships. “This is the first car I have wet-sanded the clear,” he says. Harold painted the model with MCW Red, did a little weathering, and scuffed up the tires to make them look used. He built this model for Len Grimsley, the current owner of the real drag car!
Steve Guthmiller
Hawley, Minnesota
Five coats of Dupli-Color primer, four coats of MCW lacquer, five coats of Dupli-Color clear, and painted bumble bee stripes adorn Steve’s MPC 1/25 scale 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T Hemi. He swapped in a chassis and engine from a Revell ’68 Charger, reworked the interior, and added Fireball Modelworks carbs and tires.
Scott Glatstein
Minnetonka, Minnesota
Scott upgraded a Revell 1/24 scale 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder with photo-etched metal details and opened the vents behind the doors. He primed, painted with Splash Soul Red Crystal and Pepper Black Metallic, and sealed it all under 2K clear.
Michael Gutierres
Minneapolis, Minnesota
This 1/25 scale 1955 Chevrolet 210 sedan was a kitbash project combining Revell and AMT kits. Michael airbrushed enamels for the deep green body and creamy hardtop.
Mike Tinucci
Roseville, Minnesota
Mike lengthened the frame of an AMT 1/25 scale Peterbilt wrecker and added a sleeper. He also installed new exhaust stacks and side boxes. The overall color is Testors Turquoise with Deja Blue for the flames.
Jim Utke
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Three coats of lacquer paint clothe this classic AMT/Ertl 1/25 scale 1953 Ford pickup. Jim added wood planking to the pickup bed and swapped out a bench seat for one from a car kit. Otherwise, it’s a clean build of a showroom stock Ford.
Tom Kasper
Gordon, Wisconsin
Tom went all-out on his 1932 Ford pickup. He began with a resin body, build a wooden pickup bed, dropped an LS 427 engine in front, and popped aluminum wheels underneath. “It’s a custom-built street rod that reminds me of my teens,” Tom says. A bona fide pavement peeler!
Mike Hartjes
Wausau, Wisconsin
Mike’s 1962 Ford Phantom Starliner includes parts from several kits, including an AMT 1960 Ford Starliner base, wheels from an AMT 1962 Ford Thunderbird, and the interior from an AMT 1963 Ford Galaxie XL. He painted it Body Shop Supply Chestnut.
Stew Edwards
Grafton, Wisconsin
Stew painted the body and stripes of this Revell 1/25 scale Porsche 914 race car with Tamiya colors. He extensively modified the kit to include the racing subframe, flared fenders, and detailed the wheels. To top off this pro-road racer as seen at Road America, he marked it with Fred Cady decals.
Dean Kuitunen
Hanover, Minnesota
To complete his AMT 1/25 scale 1932 Ford Victoria gasser, Dean scratchbuilt the straight-axle front end and slid a Chevy small-block from another AMT kit under the hood. He painted with Tamiya and Testors lacquers and weathered with pigments and washes.
Tom Hoffman
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Check out this Moebius 1/25 scale 1965 Chevy Nova gasser in Testors Electric Pink! Tom lowered the front suspension, raised the rear suspension, and detailed the engine with ignition wiring. The markings came from Slixx Decals.
Lisa Hoffman
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Lisa’s 1/25 scale custom ’66 Chevy Suburban began as a Revell kit. She swapped in wheels from a Stepside and gave the body a smooth finish of Testors Extreme Lacquer Mystic Emerald from the spray can.
Steve Kitowski
Apple Valley, Minnesota
Tired of waiting for a kit of a four-door ’66 Chevelle, Steve took Revell’s two-door Chevelle and re-scribed the door panels to turn it into a four-door. He airbrushed three coats of primer, and six coats of sapphire blue, topped with three coats of gloss clear, and then buffed for the deep shine.
Austin Dean
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Austin, 15, stormed into the Junior category with this teal metallic 1968 Chevelle SS 396. Built mostly out of the Revell box, the 1/25 scale model sports custom wheels and represents Austin’s “dream car.” Great job, Austin!
Wesley Dean
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Wesley cut off the back of an AMT 1/25 scale 1940 Ford sedan to make it look like a pickup truck. He primed his Hemi-powered machine and then misted white paint over the top and let the original orange bleed through for a weathered look. “It’s my favorite model ever,” says Wesley. Keep it up!
Neal Engelman
Rochester, Minnesota
Built primarily out of the box, Neal brought in Powerslide Decals to mark his Moebius Models 1/25 scale 1961 Fireball Roberts NASCAR racer. He used Tamiya and MCW paints throughout and weathered the engine, chassis, and interior with washes.
Dave Ekberg
Coon Rapids, Minnesota
To take his AMT 1/25 scale 1940 Tudor to the next level, Dave bolted a Corvette independent rear suspension from his spare parts box underneath and wired the engine. He painted with Tamiya acrylic and lacquer colors to complete this ‘70s street rod.
Frank LuQue
Rockford, Illinois
Frank finished a Revell 1/25 scale 1960 Corvette as the Le Mans class winner for that year. He added hood louvers, spoiler, racing seats, shaved the cove ornaments, and cut a new gas filler. Frank painted with Testors Classic White lacquer spray paint.
Deborah Salmon
Somerset, Wisconsin
This colorful 1/25 scale ’66 Mercury Parklane rolls on Hoppin’ Hydros rims and tires. LEDs illuminate the dash, dome light, and underneath the rocker panels. Deborah used Pinewood Derby stickers for the tie-dye effect and then painted with Testors Metallic Green and a multi-glitter topcoat.
Torben Rothgeb
Minneapolis, Minnesota
A popular subject among NASCAR modelers, Torben displayed his 1/25 scale replica of Richard Petty’s 1970 Superbird. Built from a JoHan kit, he added photo-etched metal hood pins, corrected the wheel openings, airbrushed MCW paints, and finished with Powerslide decals.
Andy Rocheford
Otsego, Minnesota
Andy lowered the front suspension on his Revell 1/25 1940 Ford hot rod, ran a stock suspension in the back with a Columbia two-speed rear end, and brought in wheels and tires from a Revell Model A roadster pickup. He painted the Ford Tamiya British Racing Green with a flat brown interior.
Tim Rocheford
Otsego, Minnesota
Tim brought in this box-stock build of an AMT 1/25 Ford C600 flatbed painted with Rust-Oleum spray paint. He weathered with Tamiya Panel Line Accent and sifted dirt from his backyard onto the chassis. Tim made the base with 1/8-inch hardboard painted black and covered with dirt and Woodland Scenics ground cover.
Marty Neyrinck
Dixon, Illinois
Inspired by the types of race cars he watched as a youth; Marty built his 1/25 scale 1956 Chevy stock car from a Revell kit. He added a header and dump tubes, Cragar mags from his spares box, and tires from an AMT Parts Pack. Marty designed and printed his own decals.
Larry Reasland
Arlington, Minnesota
Building a JR Salvinos kit, Larry modeled Richard Petty’s NASCAR 1981 Buick. He made the car free-rolling with metal tubing and used a paper clip to allow the front wheels to turn. The colors are Tamiya blue and orange. Larry says he primed, painted the blue first, and then followed up with the orange.
Kenneth J. Armstrong
Bloomington, Minnesota
Kenneth built his Moebius Models 1/25 scale 1961 Pontiac Catalina as part of a build-off on Facebook. Modifications include 3D-printed wheel inserts, LSX engine, disc brakes, center console, amps and speakers, license plates, aluminum wheel rings, rubber tires, resin seats, and much more!
Cameron Jamison
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cameron built a Tamiya 1/24 scale Martini Porsche 935-78 “Moby Dick” out of the box. He decanted and airbrushed Tamiya Pure White and sprayed it over Tamiya White Primer. Then Cameron sanded the paint with a micromesh kit and polished it with Novus.
Bob Hood
Forest Lake, Minnesota
How did Bob turn an El Camino into a 1959 Chevrolet Brookwood wagon? He started with a 1/25 scale AMT kit and then went to town with Modelhaus aftermarket parts and know-how. He custom-mixed Tamiya paints to get the light green he wanted and painted the roof Tamiya British Racing Green.
Robert Hyman
Burnsville, Minnesota
The 1971 Plymouth GTX is Robert’s favorite version of the muscle car, so it makes sense that he’d model it. He built Revell’s 1/24 scale kit and added a more realistic photo-etched metal grille up front. House of Kolor paint over gray primer gives a cool appearance to a hot car.
Harold Gerber
Mora, Minnesota
Harold wanted a black ’66 Nova Pro Street machine, but the paint fought him. He stripped and repainted it three times before he stripped it again and came up with the current finish you see now, completely by accident. Harold liked it so much that he decided to keep it.
Tom Finch
Wyoming, Minnesota
A pair of Tamiya 1/12 scale 2009 Yamaha YZR-M1 Moto GP motorcycles tell the story of team rivals Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi. Tom scratchbuilt the screen walls from styrene and finished the bikes with Zero paint and PPG Omni Clear.
Jeff Early
Cambridge, Minnesota
Finished in grayscale to depict a scene from the 1958 Robert Mitchum feature “Thunder Road,” Jeff’s diorama features 1957 and 1950 Fords during a chase in the mountains. He scratchbuilt the scene from foam, used cork for the road, and painted it with Createx Wicked colors. The cars' head and taillights are lit with LEDs and there’s even a soundboard that plays the movie’s theme song.
Erik Zabel
St. Paul, Minnesota
Erik finished a Roden 1/72 scale Opel Blitzbus as a German city bus in service before World War II. He built the kit box stock and mixed his own colors from Tamiya paint.
Ryan Chatleain
Arlington, Minnesota
“My daughter’s favorite color is yellow, so I decided to build this,” Ryan says. He painted the parts of Revell’s 1/25 Camaro Concept Car with automotive lacquer and then let his daughter snap the model together. Then he applied black stripe and Transformer decals from Slixx. A great father-daughter project!
Tristan Morgan
Bloomington, Minnesota
Inspired by the racing-themed anime “Initial D,” Tristan built this 1/24 scale Aoshima 1983 Toyota Trueno GT-Apex AE86. He detailed the engine, painted with Tamiya colors, and clear coated with Splash 2K gloss.
Tom Wagner
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Tom rumbles up to the line with his Revell 1/25 scale Dodge Dart Hemi. Using ScaleFinishes paint, he airbrushed a black basecoat and followed with bronze. Tamiya Panel Line Accents pick out the doors and trunk.
Troy Stahnke
Randolph, Minnesota
We’re suckers for El Caminos, and Troy took advantage of that! Using an AMT 1/25 scale ’68 Chevy El Camino, he made an L88 hood by combining parts from two other kits; the engine comes from a ’57 Corvette street machine and is fully detailed and wired. He primed, painted Testors Pure Gold, wet sanded, and then coated with gloss clear.
John Robinette
Watertown, Minnesota
John calls this diorama “Grandpa’s Barn-find Man Cave.” Taking parts from many kits and scratchbuilding with wood and other materials, John took inspiration from Minnesota farmland and buildings to come up with this scene of a man working on his machine.
Randy Metts
Hutchinson, Minnesota
Elegant is a fitting word to describe Randy’s ’34 Ford fenderless three-window coupe. Combining AMT and Revell kits as well as powering it with an Oldsmobile engine and giving it a Corvette rear, Randy dares us to dream what it would be like to drive this car. He painted it Tamiya Champagne Gold.