Welcome to this edition of "INFLUENCE".....or should i say that plural? I guess I would like to start off on a more personal note, the Bob Black way. So much has been happening in this hobby lately, or at least to me! I knew this year, 2008 would be my busiest yet! I set goals for myself to follow this year. I made it a point to hold my first contest which ended successfully in Omaha, Nebraska back in February. I attended more shows to do contest coverage for Model Cars Magazine and to meet more people I know from "online". I have only been doing the photography gig since last July, so this is my first whole year! Aside from the shows and meeting more people, I definitely wanted to build more models this year than any previous. I knew all of my goals LONG before 2008 arrived. I started by building the Traditional Rod and Kustom in scale forum, back in October 2007. I really needed to find more people with the same interests as me in cars and lifestyle. Low and behold ,I was not alone in this search! 544 people felt the same way, or at least have enough interest in this to join and watch. Since making these goals, I found myself falling even deeper in love with this hobby and the style in which we love to build. I take great pride in our forum and the members for what they do and how they allow each other to be themselves. I don't keep count of how much I build, but this year I will have at least built 12 or more models being at least one a month. This doesn't mean I am just tearing into kits and throwing paint and glue on them. I spend better than 5 hours a day working on my projects , other wise before now it would take me several months....with only a few hours a week and not even that much at times. I can't do that anymore.....I can't let my projects consume my life, I must stay in the moment with them til' the end! Well, I didn't intend for this to be all about me of course! My influences lately, have come from so many places. These are my personal influences, so I hope you enjoy this! Gene Winfield is my favorite painter and customizer of all time. Gene has been going since the 1940s and doesn't even slow down! What a guy! His style and what he has done for this hobby through the years is beyond amazing! I almost got to drive him to the Kustom Kemps Of America show this July, but my timing was a few hours off and I had to reject the opportunity so I would not keep him or other's waiting on my answer. Maybe next time? I can't wait to meet him in a few days! (I will have a ton of photos posted on the forum) Did you know that Gene has chopped 50 or more Merc's? The man sees something in every car he builds even if it is the same car as the last, other wise he would get bored right? Gene's paint fading is so incredible! Here is my favorite car built by Gene , the Jade Idol. (shown below) (photo from Rik Hoving archives) Not only do real car builders get me going, but there are lot's of modelers that do too. Some of the most recent influences on me have been members of our forum. Steve Boutte, Tom Kren, Steve Hinson, Bill Stillwagon and several others, all have unique styling and an eye for what is truely traditional. (this does not exclude the unmentioned members) TRaK in scale is completely full of builders that inspire me daily , in some way or another. Here are some examples of work that have completely opened my eyes to possibility! Steve Boutte has an incredible sense of correctness when building. Though each car is a peice to behold, what stands out more is his gorgeous interiors! There is really much more to take in, than what you see as a whole in this photo. Each peice, panel or feature has special attention. Because of Steve's interior work, I have been trying to make my own dash knobs and cutting my own pleats to rebuild my own interiors. Tom Kren is constantly surprising me with each new build. This last Revell Merc really made me slobber! Look at how clean and milky that baby is! Tom influenced me with this car not only because of the clean execution, but the colors he chose are so out of the ordinary and daring to be different has nothing to do with it. This car was a complete success as many of his others. Now I have to try something other than metallics on my kustoms. Steve Hinson certainly knows how to do small detail as well as full on "eye candy". This Gold'n Deuce he built just has the "look". This car influenced me to build hot rods that have "sparkle". This Deuce just screams 60s rod! Though he doesn't post a ton of in progress photos, it's always a pleasant surprise to see what Bill Stillwagon just built! When Bill shows his latest.......talk about holy shit! Look at that top, trim work, paint and stance! Thanks to all who put their work in on TRaK! It's because of YOU that I keep doing this! Each one of you influences me and others, making it the BEST and ONLY 100% Traditional Rod and Kustom forum for modelers! I hope you enjoyed the short read. I will try to update this page as often as time allows. If you have a story or any "INFLUENCES".....join the forum if you are not already a member and send me a Personal Message to RodBurNeR aka Bob Black |
