2007 Hall of Fame Winners

Starting in 1992, The International Model Car Builders' Museum joined up with Scale Auto Enthusiast to create the Hall of Fame to honor those who have made the most significant contributions to the history, growth and development of the model car hobby. Balloting for the 2007 Hall of Fame winners was carried out on the Museum's web site and concluded on June 30, 2007. After months of voting, ballots were tabulated and the individuals, listed below , were inducted into the Museum's Hall of Fame for 2007. The names of the winners, below, will be added to the special Hall of Fame plaque that hangs in the Museum.

The Museum heartily congratulates the following worth recipients of the Hall of Fame award for 2007!

Industry/Insider 2007: David Vander Wal
David was one of the founders of R&D Unique, one of the hobby's first aftermarket companies, and through his solid business sense and unmatched customer service, the business continues to thrive today, more than a quarter century after its creation.

Dave made many of the masters that are still in R&D's produce line, and are still enjoyed by hobbyists the world over. Dave was also a contributor to Gary Schmidt's Scale Auto Enthusiast, penning articles that aided many modelers in improving their work.

Dave had connections to other aftermarket companies as well, supplying parts and pieces for other companies in the model car aftermarket as well as companies in other fields such as ship and airplane models.

Dave has also been a big supporter of the GSL Championship, attending that event for many years and bringing home awards. Dave has been, and continues to be, a dynamic and creative force in the model car hobby.

Writer/Builder 2007: Ken Hamilton
Ken has been a model builder for more than 30 years. Although he started out building car models, he developed into an avid model railroader as an adult. By the mid-1980s, he was an award-winning scratch builder whose models took trophies from such organizations as the National Model Railroaders' Association. Then, in 1984, he read about the GSL Model Car Championship. His first entry was a 1949 Mercury coupe that stunned judges with a myriad of tiny working features.

In the years to follow, Hamilton developed a reputation as a diorama builder with a wild sense of humor. His models and dioramas are full of little "gotcha" features that amaze viewers with his ability to reproduce remarkable, in-scale details. Hamilton has translated that ability into how-to articles and a book, How to Build Creative Dioramas for Your Scale Auto Models. In addition, he writes the "Tips and Tech" column for each issue of Scale Auto.