An extended visit with Tom Woodruff...

[tim boyd]

I am just back from an extended visit with Tom Woodruff and his wife Karen at their Ohio home in September, 2023. I thought I should share some of it with you all here...particularly as many of you are most likely not aware of Tom's role in our hobby over the last five decades...

For those of you who don't recognize Tom's name right off the bat, he is arguably the single most successful and prolific award winner of the entire 11-year MPC Model Car Championship (over 40 regional and national awards including a number of top-five nationwide finishes in the yearly national finals). This was the premier model car contest series worldwide from 1969 through 1979.

Tom (with the enthusiastic support of his lovely wife Karen) is also credited as one of the three original initiators of the first-ever NNL Nationals back in the summer of 1980, and a regular supporter of all the subsequent NNL Nats events right through to 40th and last-ever event in the fall of 2019.

Take a look and be sure to check out all the 57 photos along with the captions below each photo.....yep, Tom is still a very active and highly creative 1/25th scale model car builder and diorama artist as he enters his 80s!  Wow! 

Thanks for looking....and thanks in advance for checking out the latest from one of the Model Car hobby's all-time premier modelers as well as one of its most influential ambassadors for the hobby we all love...TIM

PS - here are just a few images to give you a taste at what is at the link above...TB

 

[foghorn62]

I seriously doubt that there are very many people who have been involved with our hobby over the last 50+ years that don’t recognize the name and accomplishments of Mr.NNL himself, Tom Woodruff.  I am s little surprised however that you didn’t mention just how significant a role Tom played in the birth of the NNL movement.  Were it not for the fact that the first meeting was in held in Tom’s garage, a meeting where the cornerstones of the series were formed, and named, the entire series may never have happened.  The stories have of course been well documented, in writing, as well as video.

I have not seen the builds featured in this segment up close, but the level of cool comes as no surprise.  I love the bike, and the vans!  I have held many of Tom’s builds in my own two hands, and examined their detail and workmanship under flashlight and magnifier.  I have been a fan of Tom’s work since the early 1970s, and continue so to this day.  Thank you for sharing your visit with us Tim.  Tom’s legend is one that should be documented whenever possible.

TS   

[LDO]

Cool story and photos. I really like that Pierce-Arrow travel trailer. It would look great behind a period luxury car. 

[ea0863]

Tim, thank you so much for sharing these photos, as well as the information on Tom (I for one did not know of him). 

[1930fordpickup]

Thank you for posting this Tim.   They were great hosts of the NNL.  

[Casey]

On 9/8/2023 at 10:16 PM, foghorn62 said:

I am s little surprised however that you didn’t mention just how significant a role Tom played in the birth of the NNL movement.  

Don't assume it hasn't been: 

 

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Tim!

Thank you so much for sharing a gallery of Mr. Woodruff's creations. I followed his presence in the hobby over so many years, and I'm always impressed by his imagination and creativity. 

On this forum, he visited and commented on many of my builds, and needless to say, it's flattering to have "Mr. NNL" (or yourself, for that matter) drop by!                        He even shared with me, via personnal emails, pictures of some of the creative kitbashes he is working on... Talk about a scoop! 

Somehow, you discover that those who have been so immersed in the hobby for so long, like Mister NNL and yourself, represent the true creativity and camaderie of this community. 

Regards, 

CT