Dave Shuklis was one of the truly phenomenal craftsman of our hobby. Beset by a crippling physical condition, he pioneered working convertible tops, lights, operational doors and exquisite details. Named as the Technical Consultant for Car Model magazine (Dave worked for both Oscar Koveleski who jointly owner Auto World and Car Model magazine (Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to pdf files of the January and February 1964 issues of Car Model Magazine coverage of this model), Dave’s work was broadly presented in feature articles, columns in CM, and building models that were featured in special instruction sheets that were promoted on advertising sheets that were used to promote and market AutoWorld products
The Museum is proud to own all of the surviving 1/25-scale models that Dave built in the early Sixties. A great story is presented here, first written in 1996 when the models were acquired with the help of Oscar and Norm Veber after which a cadre of leading builders restored the models, after which the models were placed in the Museum.
More recently, in late March of 2024, Jim Baker contacted Mark S. Gustavson and asked if the Museum would like to have Dave’s scratchbuilt 1/8-scale ‘32 Ford that was featured in the January and February issues of Car Model magazine (see links at bottom of the page). Mark almost fell off his chair by exclaiming – Yes!
The saga of that model ‘32 is fascinating. Once completed, it appeared occasionally alongside Dave in his columns in Car Model. Once, he held it on his lap when Budd “The Kat” Andersen paid a visit – that image is seen here. After that, Dave apparently modified it by changing the intake set up, adding pinstripes, adding the name “Big Red” to the body and other more minor changes. Because of this addition, it is not officially referred to as “Big Red.” The model then apparently was displayed at the Auto World showroom in Scranton, PA where it was eventually placed in a box, thrown up on a shelf, and abandoned in a state of significant disrepair.
Jim worked for Koveleski when he was 15 years old, in 1975, doing miscellaneous jobs. One day, someone directed Jim to clean up some shelving in the warehouse which led to Jim ‘s discovering of Dave’s model which sat, in disrepair, on a top shelf. Jim asked employee Joe Lapinski if he could take the model home and clean it up. Jim did say, he kept the model, thereby preserving it for history.
After Mark called fellow Museum Steering Committee member Dale Horner, Dale drove to Archbald, PA on March 2, 2024 and picked up the model along with a wealth of other very rare Auto World ephemera and rare documents.
Dale carefully examined the model and talked with Mark about how to restore the model. The Committee discussed to what extent the model should be revived, eventually deciding the preserve the features of the model as received from Baker (rather than returning the model to its level of detail and equipment in the Car Model articles).
In sum, we will be re-plating the chrome items, laboriously cleaning the body and paint, re-attach parts and do our best to return this model to the spectacular condition that it had in 1964.
We will cover the restoration and completion of the model on this page.
Our thanks to Dave Shuklis for his incredible work and leadership in the hobby, and to Jim for saving this bit of history and donating it to the Museum.
Check out these photos – that’s Jim Baker posing with the model at the time of donation:
Here are some of the “Before” photos
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January 1964 Car Model Magazine pgs 18-24
February 1964 Car Model Magazine pgs 10-44
Don’t miss Dave Shuklis, Modeling Pioneer