HTCAV Feature – Geoff Vernon

Words & Photos: Geoff Vernon

An early imprint rendered HTCAV’s Geoff Vernon a lifelong car tragic. A boyhood obsession with models blossomed into a thousand-fold collection – possibly containing that hard-to-find model you’ve been looking for. If not, he might make you a model to order…

It was the early 60s. I was around five, on my father’s shoulders watching the drag races at Fishermans Bend. Somehow, I recall the only thing separating us from these fire-breathing dragsters was a length of rope (how all things OH&S have changed…). Since that day I’ve had an undying love for everything automotive.

My next vivid memory – my eighth birthday and getting my first slot car, a 1/24 scale James Bond Aston Martin DB5 complete with all the spy gear. After assembling it in record time, I badgered for permission to cycle down to the local slot car track in an industrial estate off North Road in Huntingdale. For the next four hours, I was like a pig in poo, racing my new car around the banked turns of the track. I didn’t care whether the other kids had faster cars or not. All that mattered was that silver DB5.

A New Fixation

At age 10, my love of model car kits struck. Mum used to take me shopping with her (to carry bags, I recall). One day, while waiting for her in the newsagents, a model car magazine leapt out at me from the bookshelf. In an instant it was in my hands, my eyes like saucers as I leafed through each page.

Then something made me glance up – there on the top shelf, model car kits! Well, I ran to mum so quickly I nearly bowled her over, yelling “Mum! Mum! Model cars! Up there!” Back then, model car kits retailed for about $1.50 - decent money back in ’68 but still affordable for a well-behaved child (smiles at Mum).

I walked out of the newsagents a very happy boy with not one, but two model kits under my arm - a 1969 Pontiac Firebird and an Indy Olsonite Eagle race car. The next day, I cycled to the slot car shop where I purchased a couple of tins of Humbrol hobby paint. I had already started formulating an idea in my head for a kit-bash (the process of modifying an otherwise built-out-of-the-box model).

Mod Sports

I would build the Firebird using the wheels and tyres that came in the Indy car kit. As they were somewhat wider than the standard wheels, I would need to fashion flared wheel arches for the Firebird body. Off to the garage I ran to find a suitable material for the job. My Dad suggested I grab the tub of wood putty he had sitting on the shelf.

I fashioned the wheel arches using the putty and, letting it dry, I assembled the engine and chassis, giving them both a basic paint job. Then I had to sit out the next couple of days to let the putty dry out sufficiently enough. Oh, by the way, all this was done on a sheet of newspaper on top of the chest of drawers in my bedroom, which I shared with my younger brother.

With a paintbrush in hand, I dipped the tip into the tin of Bright Green Humbrol enamel and brush-painted the Firebird body from end to end. Left overnight to dry, I then assembled the whole car the following day. It looked magnificent! And so it began - my lifelong love of model cars and kit-bashing.

The Full Car-tastrophe

I left my hobby for a short while between the ages of 15 and 19, in which period I turned to motorbikes, purchasing a Yamaha DT175 trail bike with money I made working odd jobs.

But when I met my wife-to-be, her younger brother (around 13 at the time) expressed an interest in building a model of some sort. Well, that piqued my interest once more and we were soon on the road heading for the nearest hobby shop. We both came home with truck models and I guided him through the building process. I still have both those model trucks in my collection.

Now some 43+ years later, I have a model car collection - comprising both plastic model kits

and diecast cars - that numbers into the thousands. Don’t ask me how much I’ve spent over

the years, but I’d suggest I could have purchased a new Porsche with the money!

A Mini-Me for your Classic?

The great part about my collection now is that it will provide for me in retirement, as I

either build models to commission for customers, or trade/sell through eBay and other

channels.

My little car hobby sits nicely alongside my big car hobby (my Cortina is for sale in these pages) and keeps me well-occupied, particularly on Melbourne’s rainy days.

If you’d like a model of your race car or road car, let’s see what we can do. I might just have one in my stash, or I can build and customize most models to suit your needs.

And finally, most of my models are for sale at the right price, so make an enquiry on 0429 100 891.