I guess it's pretty obvious from the home page that I have three main hobbies; Model Cars, Music and Photography. My music is a stand alone hobby. But since the late 60s, from time to time I've combined my love of model cars and photography with articles, both in print and online. So, here, in chronological order, are various articles I've written over the years.

Click on the images to see each article.

How to Build an Operating Sunroof
Car Model June 1969

I built my first model car kit around 1956 at age 10. It was the original Revell issue of the Lincoln Futura. About that same time I got my first camera, a simple little snapshot Kodak. So that was where both my model car and photography hobbies got their start. I pursued both from the mid-fifties through the sixties, and also set up a darkroom. In July of 1962 the premier issue of Car Model magazine was published. I immediately ordered a subscription. I merged everything in 1969 and wrote my first article for Car Model, How to Build an Operating Sunroof.

How to Make a Working Fastback Convertible
Car Model July 1969

Seeing my first article in print was fantastic and inspiring! My second article for Car Model was published the following month. That was a very long time ago, but I suspect that as soon as I had finished the first article, I got to work on the second one. How-to articles have a long history in the model car hobby, going all the way back to the very first issue of Car Model in 1962. So that was an indication that type of article was my best bet for getting published. My next one was inspired by the Ford Skyliner of '57 to '59, and was a more ambitious build.

How to Build the 'Vette Lover's Vision
Car Model November 1969

My next article was much more complicated, featuring two builds instead of one. I was also conscious of featuring models from two different manufacturers, AMT and MPC. At that time they were two of the main players in the hobby, along with JoHan and Revell. The MPC roadster was mildly customized, but the AMT coupe had fairly extensive modifications, including a chopped top. Years later I was contacted by one of the main movers of the International Model Car Builders' Museum in Salt Lake City, asking if I would be willing to donate some of my builds that had been featured in Car Model. The pair of Corvettes found a new home there.

Here's a link to the museum's website: https://themodelcarmuseum.org/

Charger Town & Country
Car Model June 1970

My next Car Model article didn't appear until June 1970. The idea was to feature a very simple update of the old Chrysler Town & Country woodies that were produced from 1947 to 1950. In the 60s and 70s it wasn't unusual for me to build several different versions of the same kit, so I already had the Charger in my collection to use for two page article.

A few years went by before I wrote this article for Car Model. The '49 Mercury that I used was the quintessential vehicle for early '50s hot rods and was primarily the car of choice that led to the "lead sled" label (think James Dean in "Rebel without a Cause"). California was the birthplace of many famous '49 to '51 Mercury street rods and customs, creations of George Barris, Ed Roth, Dean Jeffries and many others. I remember pouring over various hot rod and customizing magazines at a young age, long before I started building 1/25th scale versions. This build was homage to that era.

Build a Nostalgic Hot Rod
Car Model March 1974

Detailing with Your Camera
Car Modeler November 1997

The model car hobby experienced a slow downturn of interest from the mid-seventies to the mid-nineties. As the number of model car hobbyists diminished, so did the number of annual model car kits that were being tooled. Gone were the days that had started with the introduction of AMT's 3-in-1 kits in 1958 and expanded throughout the sixties. My own interest in the hobby waned from 1980 though 1995. I sold off a large part of my collection of built models and didn't regain my interest in building until I bought a 1:1 '95 Mustang coupe and used the Monogram kit to build a replica. It's featured in this article that also marked a return to my merging of two hobbies: models and photography.

Building the Modelhaus 1951 Ford Crestliner
Model Cars April 2012

By the time I wrote this article my return to the model car hobby had increased and then surpassed it's former peak. I was amazed at how many of my fellow builders had returned to the hobby as well as many younger builders who had discovered the world of model cars. I was very pleased to find new resources and techniques, especially the offerings of resin casters. The Modelhaus was at the forefront, releasing a huge number of resin kits and transkits of models that had never been done by the major kit manufacturers.

Online Articles

I got my start with online modeling around 1999 when I became a member of the Model Car List. It was a whole new experience, sharing ideas with modelers across the country, and in some cases from locations around the world. It gave me a whole new approach. The Model Car List still exists as the Real Yahoo Model Car List on Facebook, which also has a number of other model car groups.

Around 2003 I created my first website, Model Cars Online. The site had quite a lot of content, but in 2024 I decided to shut it down. I have gradually migrated the content to this current platform.

Click on any of the images to read the full article.

The fifties were the golden age of Detroit’s “dream cars” and at the top of the list was Ford Motor Company’s Lincoln Futura. Billed as a $250,000 rolling laboratory, the Futura not only looked like the fifties version of the future, but also was a fully functioning engineering marvel that foreshadowed a number of features that would later find their way into production.

'60 Ford Sunliner Saga

AMT released the 1960 Ford Sunliner convertible as part of their annual 3-in-1 kit lineup. Like most of the other kits that year, the Sunliner was produced from the promo tooling, with the addition of extra customizing parts. As far as I know, this particular kit has never been reissued, which makes it somewhat rare. I found these three Sunliners on eBay® and although they all needed work, the basics were there. This article has a lot of information on the restoration process.