Posted on 10/14/2018 11:32:19 AM PDT by ETL
If you, like me, grew up building plastic model cars, and think that it's now a forgotten hobby, you might be happily surprised that it's not only still around, the skill and ingenuity, IMO, has never been better.
Following is a compilation of car and truck model photos from various model car shows, all or most from within the past few years.
I'm sure you'll agree, there is some serious talent out there today.
Tres bien! Thanks for all the fantastic photos!
Closest I ever got to any of this was building 1/72 tanks and troops for table-top wargaming. Everyone else had their troops and vehicles in fresh uniforms and paint. I always gunked mine up a bit. Some guys in soft caps or different netting for their helmets or a mix of newish and well-worn unfiforms. (Sculpting British para berets out of para helmets on 1/72 scale figures was a specialty of mine.) Soviet tanks with slogans that had a bit of paint running off the letters. Turning 1”x1” bases for the figs in micro-dioramas. This platoon slogging through urban rubble. Another stalking through woodland deadfall. Yet another sweeping a scrubby field with some tall grass.
A friend did much the same. But his trick was to buy already-assembled and painted figures and vehicles (to spare himself that effort) that were super “spiffy.” Then, as he put it, “I give ‘em the globby-globby.” Which meant hitting everything with a drybrush of mud-colored paint in various shades. And that bit made ‘em “real”—and his own.
I didn’t see any Accords, Camrys, or Taurus’s.
I don’t mean to brag, but in the 1960’s I had a subscription to a magazine called “Model Car Science”. I have a couple stacks of them in a box.
This thread brought back memories.
There was a huge popular catalog for model car kits back then. Can’t recall the name of it.
Paint was always my undoing.
I used to build things and leave them unpainted “For later” and I handed a few off to a friend to paint.
I could manipulate plastic like an artist though. Wood was my dead-end.
Model Car Science. That is what it was devoted to, but it also had some stuff regarding slot cars.
I love #22. That is definitely the best blast from the past from my childhood in MI
These I think may have been customized by someone. Because I don't recall seeing them being sold anywhere. Unless they came out in the 80s or 90s?
WOW... a Hooptie Class? real ghetto cruiser that one
Holy Bat Crap! Are all of those scale models??
Loved them! But was never too big into the racing part of it. I preferred cruising cool hot rods slowly around the track. Got the idea from my 2nd oldest brother to replace the stock slot car body with a model kit body. This way your choices were practically unlimited. Down size was, if they crashed, they'd break apart or lose pieces.
No, I haven’t ...Who is that guy?
Down size was, if they crashed, they’d break apart or lose pieces.
Did you ever see the episode of "Gas Monkey" where they build a real life Hot Wheels Vette?
The one I remember the most was the sapphire blue ‘29 Model A pickup truck. Used to run it at two places here in New York City, one of which is, incredibly, still around, although much smaller than it was before. They were Polks in Manhattan, and Buzz-a-rama in Brooklyn. Buzz-a-rama is the one that is still there. I think Polks moved to New Jersey, but now specialize in what’s popular today, whatever that is. I doubt it’s anything that remotely compares to the sort of stuff we grew up with.
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