kit-bashing
n.— «The term for buying a kit and replacing its materials is “kit-bashing.” Kerr said Dellaquila isn’t the only kit-basher in the society; that is, members who order a kit and then throw away much of the materials in favor of their own custom additions. One member cast aside all the wood in a ship model kit and sent away for Swiss pearwood to complete his vision.» —“Model Citizen” by Tony Marrero in Spring Hill Hernando Today (Tampa, Florida) Feb. 8, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Lisa from Paris, Kentucky, grew up eating a German Christmas cookie at a friend’s house in Miami, Florida. This deep-fried, bow-tie-shaped pastry was made with butter, lemon, and rum, and dusted with powdered sugar. The family called them Hobelspäne...
A Navy veteran recalls hearing the Southern expression fat lighter from his wife’s family in Troy, Alabama. It denotes an old, resin-rich pine wood that becomes highly flammable as it ages. Fat lighter is prized as kindling and often called fat...