Wild Engine Swaps, Custom RVs & More: Car Culture in Scale at NNL West
Now that we've had an overview of this year's NNL West model car expo in Santa Clara California, it's time to go in for a closer look at some of the creative builds on display this year. There's something for everyone here, so take a look and see why we think these five scale projects stood out at this year's event.
Ford Galaxie Wagon 4x4
The two themes for this year's model car display were by 4x4s and vehicles from the year 1970 and this '70 Ford Galaxie Country Squire built by Larry Gill manages to tie in both of those themes in a pretty awesome way.
Everything about this is awesome. The dark green over woodgrain trim, the giant all terrain tires and especially and the roof rack. This is one of those scale creations that would be awesome to see in real life.
Acura Integra "Teggy Sue"
Larry actually had several models on display which caught our eye, one of which was this Acura Integra that he's dubbed "Teggy Sue."
It's a replica of a modified tuner car that's seen better days, and he's nailed it—from the faded paint, mismatched steel wheels and the early 2000s era body kit. It's the kind of car we've all seen rolling around in the real world.
While model cars are great in that you can build vehicles that would be prohibitively expensive to build in real life, it's also a lot of fun to see hobbyists replicate the more relatable stuff, and this a perfect example of that.
Toyota-Powered Chevy Nova
Last but not least, Larry also built this radical '66 Chevy Nova that looks like a classic American machine bitten by a tuner zombie.
The widened, rust-covered body is laden with aero parts and even bigger surprise lays under the hood.
In the engine bay sits a twin cam inline six from a 1980s Toyota Supra affixed with a giant turbocharger—a fitting powerplant for a genre-bending build like this one.
Lux'd Out GMC Motorhome
The GMC Motorhome of the 1970s is surely one of the most recognizable RVs ever made.
Model builder David Champion has taken things to a new level with this custom project sporting a beautiful gold flaked paintjob, dropped suspension, custom wheels and a whole lot more.
The interior of the RV has been equally tricked out and features custom upholstery, champagne glasses and a very luxury lounge feel. This is another model build that we'd love to see done in real life. Anyone up for it?
Paradise Road Shop Diorama
Last but not least we get one of the latest projects from Armando Flores, one of the most talented lowrider and custom model builders on the planet.
This time Armando brought how his incredible diorama of Paradise Road, a well known custom car shop from Aichi, Japan.
Along with the insanely detailed shop building and garage itself, the diorama is filled with recreations of well known custom cars from both Japan and the US. It's no wonder that Armando's work is so well known in both the scale and real life automotive scenes.
We've got one more look at our favorite scale builds from the 2020 NNL West show on the way, next time with an emphasis on the amazing pickup truck builds at the event.
