Event Coverage: Kobus—a Model Citizen at NNL East 2026 — Explained
BaT is the kind of place where attention to detail is appreciated. That’s why we were happy to receive this latest dispatch from @kobus about the NNL East Model Car Show. There is something intensely satisfying about these tiny cars and the ingenuity on display in their creation, and we had a lot of fun poring over his photo gallery. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
April 25th, 2026—Wayne Police Athletic League Complex, Wayne, New Jersey
I have many favorite car events, but the NNL East model car show stands out. I missed it the last two years, so this year it was a must for me. It did not disappoint! If you’d like to compare shows, you can read my 2023 coverage here.
Most models were exquisitely detailed and some took hundreds of hours to build.
Of about eight major scale model shows in the USA, this is the one closest to Northeastern modelers’ hearts. They showed up in droves to display, peruse, and purchase parts and kits.
Many hundreds of vintage kits as well as tools and aftermarket detail parts were available. My wallet was stuffed with cash, but I was able to exercise restraint.
For being so small, the trucks were big and varied.
This beautiful 1950 Triumph Falcon Bullet Boardtrack Racer by Joe Martens of Middleport, Pennsylvania, was stunning. Hard to tell it’s just a few inches long.
This Ryan Blaney NASCAR model won Best of Show at the 2025 ACME Southern Nationals in Atlanta; it is truly a work of art by Clay Kemp, who brought it all the way from Indianapolis to New Jersey to treat us to this treasure.
Clay’s buddy and fellow NASCAR fan Jay Savarese of Bedford, New Jersey, brought this beauty that scored him a top-ten at the same Atlanta show. At the awards ceremony, a heavy glass trophy had been placed right behind it, and as an enthusiast reached across the table to congratulate someone, he bumped the trophy over onto Jay’s car, destroying much of it. After months of mourning, Clay restored it to its former glory to show it at the NNL East. The Lumina was painted with Neon Honey Orange, the very same color they used in the ’80s. The paint wasn’t colorfast and just like the real cars, the model’s hood faded as it was displayed in a window that received sunlight. That’s what we call verisimilitude, folks!
Ramon Vasquez from Irvington, New Jersey, brought just a few of his 200+ models. Not shown are his two 1:1 scale Karmann Ghias and his Impala.
Paul Irving of Goshen, New York, grew up in Middletown, and as a kid he frequented the local dirt track where his father raced in the ’50s. His collection features many of the cars that raced back then, recreated using photos from back in the day.
Tom Valenta of Car Modeler Magazine had a very busy day photographing.
Mike Bukauski of Townsend, Delaware, started building models when he was a little kid and brought, amongst other cars, a replica of the 1968 VW Beetle that he grew up with.
Here’s my video walkthrough of the show, and the rest of my images are in the gallery below. Thanks for taking a look!
