Automotive modeling inspiration

I don’t write about automotive subjects often enough, if only because I build aircraft, armor, and figures. That said, I really enjoy ogling over a well detailed model of a car or truck, especially those intended for the racetrack. I have a couple of car models in my stash, so I’m always looking for inspiration to finally crack one open and see if my skills can do them justice.

There was no shortage of great looking automotive models at the IPMS National Convention last month, but one caught my eye. Daniel Valencia’s Italeri 1/35 Opel truck, which won first place in its category, Automotive Conversions and Scratchbuild.

The good folks with the Silicon Valley Scale Modelers kindly uploaded the convention awards presentation slide show with the scale modeling community, but the one photo of Daniel’s model wasn’t enough to indulge my curiosity, so I contacted him and he kindly sent me a few photos that I share here.

Daniel has a background in racing and has fabricated race cars himself, so he has an understanding of these vehicles that aided him immensely in this build. He said the model consists of roughly 3,000 parts. Many of them are scratchbuilt of course, and those that come from other models invariably required modification.

I hope you find Daniel’s work as inspiring as I do.

If you’d like more information about this truck, Daniel explains all of the design considerations that go into building the actual vehicle on his YouTube channel.