IPMS Glue Brothers NNL 22 August 2026

The Glue Brothers put on another of their NNL car modeler's events today. I decided to enter this one!

Sallying forth at a leisurely 0914 hrs, we departed for the customary pre-contest breakfast. I chose the old white-people's place. The Cracker Barrel. No shocking pink scrubs for this event. We just went to support the Car Guys show and play models with old and new model friends we ain't met yet.

"Rhino, what is an NNL event?"
This is a model contest for any subject with wheels. From Kubelwagen to Fire Engines and everything in between that may be automotive themed. Everyone votes for their top 5 favorite builds. The prettiest or most unusual model car gets votes. Votes are totalled to determine the winners in way fewer categories than at a regular IPMS rules contest.
Not much judging discipline is involved, as Ray-Ray and Webb have judged in the past. "I like this one, that one and that one best."
I find this to be a rather light-hearted sort of model event.

This event is held in Grimes, Iowa at the Prairie Creek Church. No raffle is held, but door prizes are awarded near the end of the NNL.


50 model makers entered 241 builds. A record for the Glue Brothers! There were lots of pretty "Shinies"!

Under the guise of "Swap Meet" there were also quite few vendors this time. I could not find the Monogram Paddy Wagon kit I wished for and the Tom Daniels Custom kits were few, and very expensive. I walked by a Pro Modeler '70 Torino GT kit several times, but stayed strong!

See here what my buddy Frank Miller has been up to! AFX H/O scale '60-'70's NASCAR stock car bodies and racers. He recently joined the ranks of molding and casting maniacs to make his favorites for himself to play race cars with friends. You can see the TLAR Models TURTLE-NATOR in one frame, in his first NNL appearance.


Here's my favorite of Franks builds. The 1/24th scale 1971 Dodge Daytona Charger, in glorious competition orange! Originally the Daytona Charger parts for the '71 car were to be Masters for a conversion kit. Alas, my friend built the Masters and the production plan came to naught.

More NNL "Shinies" to come!

I liked the paint job very much! For me, admiring car models begins with finshes.

'29 Ford Crew-Cab?

'70 Cobra.




Funny Cars and dragsters.....







A chopped and channeled American LaFrance Fire Truck car hauler, anyone? The '29 Ford Pick-up is an old favorite.


Stretched VW Type 1 Limo was a eye-catcher! The V-Dub whale-tail mod customarily has an external oil cooler built into it.

There was 1 nautical entry, but since it fit no NNL category at all, this seemed like foolishness.
There was one little fellow that built scale drum kits. The musical kind. He hovered around his models to tell anyone who passed by all about how he built his drums and cymbals, but such builds were as out of place as the Skipjack model was.
WHEELS, People! This event was for WHEELS!

Now, this is not meant to chronicle every shiny (or not) Automotive build on display in Grimes this day! As usual, I picked the ones that stood out to me! I made a couple of photo passes, and spent the rest of the time goofing off with Virgil, Frank and other model friends.

When visiting Grimes, one must beware of the Grime-barians and their exploding wigs of death.
Thanks to Dave Lentell and Kevin (Jake) Iuetszler, Gleu Brothers I know, for such a fine time.

We really missed Mark (Elwood) Johnson, but he was under the weather. Mark made most of the cool trophies for his event by hand.

My Sweetie needed to know if Dave wanted to see her matching winning door prize tickets. He said "We're in God's house. I'm sure you can be trusted." The quotable quote of the day.

The kid in mom's arms must have been really frustrated by the end of the day. All those shiny cars and not one he could vrrommm with!

Good report Chris, thanks for sharing. Really good turn out. If car modeler shows ever got away from the shinny shinny kick I might get in.

The TURTLE-NATOR was unawarded. I did sell a kit to one of the Gleu Brothers members!
Modefest in Liberty Missouri next weekend, unless we go to visit the newest great granddaughter baby!

Stay tuned, friends and neighbors!

There is a local model car club that I think has a contest every year. I went last year, but have no idea where it is or was this year.