Kenworth K123 COE ca. 1970
[1/25 scale, completed 2019]

AMT’s classic Kenworth Cabover. I bought it in 1974, partly assembed the engine in 1975, then put it back in the box until 2008. These AMT truck kits are not for the fainthearted. Most parts had shrinkage depressions and required filling and sanding. Keeping the chassis warp-free was another challenge, as was alignment and assembly of the exhaust system. I was pleased to complete it after 44 years.


1966 Mercury Parklane Marauder 2-door Hardtop
[1/25 scale, completed 2018]

I bought this model as a used, built up on Ebay. It was in reasonable condition for a gluebomb. I disassembled it, stripped the paint and re-finished it without any significant improvements to the basic kit other than Modelhaus tail-light bezels and whitewalls.


Brabham BT50, Nelson Piquet, Canadian GP, 1982
[1/20 scale, completed 2018]

Built from a Tamiya F1 kit tooled in 1983. These kits are reasonably difficult to build well and as it was my first one, I was on a steep learning curve. I added some photo-etch parts from Studio 27 and Acu-Stion sets.


Lada Niva 1.7i (1995)
[1/35 scale, completed 2018]

A rare resin and PE kit from Hungary. I bought and built the model because my son has the full-size vehicle.


Fowler Z7 Ploughing Engine, Victoria, Australia, approx 1922
[1/72 scale, completed 2014]

Steam-powered traction engines are fabulous machines of a bygone era. There are very few plastic kitsets of them other than those by Keil Kraft which were tooled in the 1980s. This kit was a lot better than the previous Keil Kraft kit I built, the Greenline bus, and I made a much better job of it. However, the kit is quite simplified and I spent hours examining photos of preserved machines so as to add the missing rods, levers etc to this model. It took a lot of time but was worth it.


Jordan EJ10 Formula 1 Car, Heinz-Harald Frentzen driver, French Grand Prix, 2000
[1/24 scale, completed 2009]

This Revell 1/24th kit lis crisply moulded and ooked good in the box but is quite simplified compared to Tamiya 1/20 scale open-wheelers. It was surprisingly difficult to build due to the location of the upper and lower body join line. This necessitated changes in the construction sequence and care with filling and sanding to make the join less obvious. Nonetheless, the model came first in class at a club comp


March 88C / Porsche CART car, Teo Fabi driver, Cleveland 1988
[1/24 scale, completed 2009]

In 2009 I made the trip to Melbourne to watch the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. It was a great experience and I came back full of enthusiasm to build open-wheel racing cars. I started three, a 1/20 Brabham BT-50, this Indy car and a 1/24 Jordan EJ10. The kit is sound enough, though the fit of some larger body parts is average to poor. Unfortunately, I made a mistake with the placement of the sponsors decal on the wing and by the time I realised my error it was too late.


Green Line Coach T219, ~1934, London
[1/72 scale, completed 2008]

For a change of pace I decided to build this little Keil Kraft bus. The kits have long been out of production but can still be found on Ebay. The model depicts T219, a preserved survivor of Greenline Coach Class 1/7T7/1 AEC Regal, Single-Decker, Front-Entrance. These were built in 1931 and retired in ~1939. They were 26’ long and seated 30. The kit is a shocker and it took a lot of work to make something half-reasonable from it.


1962 Mercury Monterey Convertible
[1/25 scale, completed 2003]

I saw a picture of a full size 1962 Mercury Monterey in a book and loved the look of the car, especially the rocketship tailights. AMT’s kit was one of their Annuals, only released once (in 1962) before the moulds were modified. Unbuilt kits are rare collectors items but I found a built example on Ebay for the relatively reasonable price of US $28. It was a gluebomb. There was a lot of surface glue damage, the windshield was history but the scripts were intact. I stripped and rebuilt the model, added some replacement Modelhaus parts and finished it in lacquer paint mixes as close I could match to the authentic colours. Unfortunately, the colours are distorted in the photos.


1960 Plymouth Suburban, New York State Police
[1/25 scale, completed 2003]

In about 1964, there was a 1960 Dodge Kingsway sedan which regularly parked a few doors down in our street in Auckland. It was a right-hand drive, export version of a 1960 Plymouth. I loved that car, especially its massive fins and it resulted in a lifelong love of American cars of the 50s and 60s. In 1986, when I saw this Johan kit with the same, familiar fins, naturally, I bought it. When I finally got around to building it 16 years later, I put a lot of effort into making a worthy model and used many aftermarket parts and decals. It was a lengthy build and I am still very happy with it.


Ferrari 275LM, Ecurie Francorchamps Car
[1/24 scale, completed 2003]

Following on with my surge of building model cars, I tackled this Academy / Minicraft Ferrari 250LM kit. It is quite a decent kit, a marked contrast with their McLaren M8A. I made a few detail improvements incl PE mesh for grilles, PE windshield wipers and a hand-made lower instrument panel. My first attempt to finish the model as the Maranello Concessionaires #23 car in red with a Cambridge blue flash/stripe, was a failure. I stripped the paint and finished the model in the overall yellow of the #26 car


1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible
[1/25 scale, completed 2002]

I originally built this kit, my first 1/25th car, in four brief periods of focus in 1975, 1979, 1987 and 1990. I painted it in black enamel but I was never happy with how it looked. So, 12 years later, in 2002, I stripped the paint, made a number of detail improvements and re-finished it in red lacquer. I also replaced the tyres with whitewalls by The Modelhaus and refinished the kit chrome parts with Alclad. It looks a lot better than it did in 1990.


Honda CR-X Del Sol
[1/24 scale, completed 2002]

I made this model because a friend had the full size car and I tried to replicate it in miniature. Matching the paint was difficult. I decanted 4 Tamiya spraycan colours and mixed them until I found the closest match.


1966 Pontiac Bonneville
[1/25 scale, completed 2002]

The full size ‘66 Pontiacs were great-looking cars and Hasegawa’s kit looked quite straightforward in the box. However, appearances can be deceiving and I ended up replacing a number of incorrect parts with resin ones from The Modelhaus. I also had frustrations with the Tamiya metallic lacquer topcoat but it was certainly a learning experience. The first 2 photos show the model as initially completed, whereas, the last 7 photos show it with replacement wheels and the attempted paint fix to the hood


1940 Ford Coupe
[1/25 scale, completed 2002]

This old AMT kit had been in my unbuilt stash since 1979. After finishing 3 car models from 1999 to 2001, I got on a roll and decided to put a collection of new builds together. I have always liked the style of American coupes of the late 1930s to 40s. The 1940 Ford epitomises them. I replaced the kit tyres with the correct stock style from the spares box. I used Alclad and BareMetal foil to replace the kit chrome.


Nissan Sylvia S15 model, 2000
[1/24 scale, completed 2001]

I had my own full-size Nissan 200SX exactly like this model, for 10 years. It was the best looking car I ever owned. Fujimi’s kit is a good likeness. I made a couple of minor improvements to the kit and painted it with Tamiya yellow lacquer to match my car. In 2002, I modified the rear track so that the tyres did not extend beyond the bodywork.


McLaren M8A, Can-Am Series 1968, Car
[1/24 scale, completed 2000]

Bruce McLaren is a legend in New Zealand. As a fellow Kiwi, I wanted to make a model of one of his famous Can-Am cars. At the time I started the project, in 1993, the Academy kit was the only option I knew of. Unfortunately, it was little more than a motorised toy. The body is a strange hybrid of the M6A and M8A cars. Even knowing that, I had no idea it would take me over 200 hours to complete the model. I hand made a huge number of parts in plastic, brass and aluminium tube. I made RTV moulds of Heller 1/24 McLaren M7 wheels and cast copies. Accurate Miniatures also came to the rescue with interior parts and the windshield. I used Fred Caddy decals.


Porsche 936/78,
[1/24 scale, completed 1999]

In the early 1990s I became interested in Le Mans and Sports Prototype Racing. I started this model as my first in the genre. The Tamiya kit was designed for motorising and it needed quite a lot of work to improve its authenticity as a static display model. I made improvements to the Naca ducts, the wheel arches and the cockpit, using reference photos for guidance.


Mercedes C-9, Le Mans 1989
[1/43 scale, completed 1999]

Heller had a range of 1/43 car kits. In 1993-94 I became very interested in sports racing cars and started this simple little kit as a result. It proceeded slowly, in fits and starts during the 90s until I finally finished it in 1999.


Ford C-800 Stake Truck
[1/25 scale, completed 1991]

I first saw AMT truck kits for sale in Auckland in 1974 and immediately started collecting them. I started this one in 1975 and quickly worked out that it was a complex model and not a simple project to build quickly. I worked on it in four bursts of enthusiasm over a 16 year period and upgraded it further 12 years later with stake sides and cargo. Despite the basic finished model being over 30 years old now, it still looks pretty good.


1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible
[1/25 scale, completed ]

This is my original build of the AMT 1957 T’bird which I bought in 1975. I finished the model in black enamel which I polished as best I could. The chrome-work is a mix of kit plated parts and airbrushed silver enamel. I completely rebuilt the model in 2003 (Model 104). The photos are rephotographed analog prints from an old album.


Ken's Models (2023)