The surprising part is how model customizing and detailing relates so directly to the building of real cars. You learn that you have to cut, file, and fiddle with parts to make them fit perfectly.

Read about how to build your own hot rod rear suspension as the guys from Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop show you how it's done inside Street Rodder Magazine.

Building your own auto from scratch might seem daunting, but car kits can make it significantly easier, like this awesome hot rod kit from Factory Five.

We hope you're planning to enter our HOT ROD National Model Car Contest; this primer is just an introduction to what you can do with scale plastic once you turn your imagination loose on it.