Ken Denza’s No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Monte Carlo features a fully wired and plumbed NASCAR engine, a detailed chassis with Arrowhead aluminum accessories, fuel and brake lines, and full ductwork for brake cooling. Ken painted with Tamiya Gold and Black and equipped the racecar with many photo-etched metal parts to complete the replica.
Entered in the Big Drag category was Tony Gordon’s Mopar drag team. Tony’s 1965 Belvedere features a Revell pro street chassis and a fully detailed Hemi engine. The car and trailer are hauled by an MPC Dodge van that is painted to match using the same Tamiya Dark Yellow.
Not intending to build a woody out of his Revell PT Cruiser, Joe Fotschky inadvertently created his own version of a PT Cruiser woody. Joe wanted to test new painting techniques and used Alclad II and Cobra colors to create his non-woody woody.
Irvin Arter Jr.’s 1971 Oldsmobile 442 features wheels and tires from a Revell 1932 Ford kit, and the engine bay and interior are fully detailed. Irvin used Tamiya White and hand-painted all the black stripes.
Entered in the Stock Car Challenge category, Fred Henry’s eye-searing Daytona Yellow 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS graced the table with a wired and plumbed engine and a driveline from a modern NASCAR racer.
Nothing says cruising the boulevard like a custom, flamed, and chopped 1949 Mercury. Brian Burwell’s Merc has a wired and plumbed engine, Caddy hubcaps, cruiser skirts, and a fiery purple paint scheme concocted with Createx acrylic paints.
Jeff McNaire placed his box-stock Mercedes SLS GT in the Box Stock Shootout category. Jeff’s Fujimi kit features beautiful Splash Paints Selenite Gray and expertly applied decals.
Builder Quentin Bennet placed his 2013 Dodge Challenger in the Junior’s category. Quentin’s out-of-box Mopar sports an unknown dark blue automotive base with a clear topcoat.
Entered in the Commercial category, Brent Barton’s 1934 Ford wrecker started life as a normal pickup kit. Brent added dual wheels under widened rear fenders and a parts box wrecker boom and fully wired the engine.
The critics say that pro street is dead. Not so! Jim Padgett’s 1969 Plymouth GTX shows that it is alive and well. Jim used the chassis from a Revell pro street 1970 Coronet under the GTX body, added machined wheels and massive rubber, and wired the Hemi engine capped with machined air cleaners.
Wanting something a little different, Paul Clark built a Mobil 1 sponsored BMW E30 M3 to enter in the Non-NASCAR Competition category. The BMW is a NuNu-Platz kit featuring Scale Motorsports parts, Splash Paints lacquers, and markings from SK Decals.
“Eye-catching” and “unique” are descriptions overheard about Scott Inman’s 1967 VW Type 2 pickup. Scott painted the V-dub in Gulf livery and then weathered it to perfection. The lowered stance and 3D-printed 20-inch steelies set this rig nicely in the weeds. In his first-ever weathering attempt, Scott did an absolutely stunning job.
Darwin Middleton placed his out-of-box Revell 2017 SnapFast Ford GT in the Junior category. This is the first model Darwin has ever built and shows that the young are definitely interested in the hobby.
Tim Goheen placed the first McLaren Senna kit ever seen at the Upstate show. He painted the body a custom-mixed orange, added Studio 27 carbon-fiber decals, and completed the build with Scale Lab 24 photo-etched metal parts.
Entered in the Stock Car/Weekend Warrior category was Joe Scavotto’s “Eight Ball” 1937 Chevrolet Northeast asphalt modified coupe. The ’37 features a matte silver paint scheme, a heavily modified suspension, scratchbuilt roll and nerf bars, and is a tribute build of a 1/1 car from his hometown.
Brian Jackson enjoyed turning Revell’s 1929 Ford roadster into a speedster by cutting down the windscreen, lowering the suspension, using aftermarket wheels and tires, and crafting a custom hood. He draped the body in pearl orange automotive paint.
Taking only three weeks to complete, Mathew Inman’s Aoshima Skyline road-racer was entered in the Non-NASCAR Competition class. The Nissan has been detailed inside and out and features MCW Dark Red enamel.
Junior Henry Coonrod’s 1975 Chevrolet Corvette features a lowered stance, aftermarket wheels and tires, and a victory blue paint job with strobe stripes under a clear topcoat.
Henry Guadalupe’s 2015 Chevrolet Corvette took one month to complete and features Gravity Colors Lamborghini Arancio Atlas lacquer. Henry entered this Stingray in the box-stock Challenge category.
Bob Downie is known for his off-beat and unusual subjects, and at this year’s show, he did not disappoint. Placing his Isuzu 117 coupe on the table, Bob’s box-stock build of a Hasegawa kit features custom-mixed Tamiya lacquer.
If the Ghostbusters had a dark side, Samuel Denehy’s version of their iconic Ecto-1 may have looked like what you see here: dark gray paint, 60 LED bulbs, and a lowered stance rolling on 20-inch steelies. The ghosts these guys are hunting are located in a more sinister realm.
Mike Ramp entered his Dentz D30 tractor in the Commercial category and was a hit with the spectators. Mike painted the farm implement Tamiya British Racing Green and added some light weathering. This was an easy, fun build that only took Mike three days to complete.
Quincy Bennett took a 1980 Dodge Ram Charger glue bomb and brought it back from the dead. The old-style SUV uses a donor chassis modified to sit low to the ground while riding on a set of large wheels and tires. Almost all the parts to complete this build came from the scrap heap.
Al Stengen took a Revell Foose Ford F-100 pickup and gave it a little bit different look. He wired and plumbed the Roush racing engine and gave the effy scorching orange Testors paint.
A custom painter by trade, Gary Seeds never fails to impress with his wild and inspired paint schemes. Gary’s 1976 Chevrolet lowrider is painted in a multilayer scheme with silver and black fades, mesh patterns, and gold pinstripes. Gary lowered the suspension, added lowrider wheels and tires, and cut in a moon roof.