About

After a cross country move, part of my DIECAST collection was damaged.  I tried to sell a scratched 1:18 scale ERTL 69 Road Runner through an auction site but luckily, nobody would take it off of my hands, so it sat.  Then one day a few years ago I decided to make it totally worthless!  With little to lose, I added dents in the door, trunk, and quarter panel, and carved up the windshield. With minimal success in painting, I wanted to try something new. 

Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I finally discovered a multi step process to make real rust on the car.  After multiple attempts I was satisfied with the end result.  It looked strikingly real, so I went a step further and developed a junkyard scene for it.  

It was surprising to see the attention the "ruined" Road Runner received. Rusty and damaged, was the eye popper!  In other words, "Junkyard" or "Barn Find" condition trumped "Showroom Fancy"!  

At the suggestion of a relative, I reposted my creation on the auction site, selling it  quickly for much more than I expected.  From there I did a few more and found a significant demand for rusted cars and trucks.

Other models were purchased for destruction and were sold as "Barn Find Cars - Model Art".  At the end of 2021 the decision was made for a name change to "Junkyard Model Cars", which is shorter, easier to remember, fits my love for "Junkyards", and incapsulates what the alterations best represent. 

Over the last few years I have shipped rusted model cars and trucks all around the world.  Some are on display in museums, car dealerships, a restaurant in New York City, a major car collectors garage in Los Angeles, even a tattoo parlor is decorated with a dozen of these creations.  Yet, most are parked in display cases of regular car buffs that appreciate something a little out of the ordinary.

These rusted diecast models are a great way to surprise and bless a friend or relative, making great gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Father's Day and yes, even Mother's Day!

About Me?

JMC has a huge employee list...one.  That should explain "About Me" instead of the usual "About Staff".

I am the janitor, CEO, creator, artist, acquisition specialist, and the shipping department all in one.  Unfortunately, also the e-commerce specialist, which may be the weakest of several weak links in staffing. (Someone close to me, suggests that "janitor" is a weak area as well.)   As a retiree and hobbyist it's highly unlikely weak staffing issues will be resolved in the near future. 

Married to my high school love for over fifty years, together we have raised eight wonderful children and currently have 18 grandchildren.  We enjoy family and travel, and have visited many countries of the world and nearly all fifty states.  We escape our midwest home for part of the winter, spending time on the gulf coast...together of course!  

No matter where we are, I can be found discovering what's out there.  A 67 Impala SS in Idaho, an abandoned 70 Challenger in Washington, a rusty 50 GMC pickup on a farm in Nebraska, or a rare 60 Cadillac Convertible in Missouri....and the list goes on.  In other words, as a pastime I enjoy surveying the alleys and byways for interesting automotive relics that can be modeled. I've come across many, pictured a few, and have recreated many.  

I love rust!  Something most automotive people understandably hate to battle with!  I also love hearing a person's life story.  Vehicles aren't people and are  light years apart from having the same value that you, your family, or your neighbors have, yet, under every rusty automotive shell I also sense a story waiting to be shared.  Once new and shiny, somebody's baby, pampered, striving to complete a primary purpose, and then when the clutch fails or the brakes are too expensive to fix, it gets put to rest.  Literally, out to pasture in many cases.

While every car or truck is my favorite when I'm working on it, one I really enjoy is the 1:24 scale 1953 Chevrolet Pickup by Danbury Mint.  Most likely because my grandfather taught me to drive his real one the summer I graduated from elementary school.  My parents were not very happy about that!  Memories!

Primarily, I work with 1:24 and 1:18 scale DIECAST metal models, working from my basement studio I carefully create these "masterpieces" one at a time. 

After seeing the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, Spain, it became apparent his art doesn't appeal to everybody, and I recognize that mine doesn't either.   I remain satisfied that at least a few others enjoy it.