As I prepare to paint up my first R/C body, I've been getting many ideas out of my head and onto digital paper. Auto design and creating paint schemes for race cars has always been something I've enjoyed, both from the viewing standpoint as well as the act of creation. As I've been working on possiblities for my first "real life" paint layout, I've caught myself thinking back to my college days and to one class in particular.
Though my college career was focused on digital design, I was encouraged to take courses that focused on, well, improving my hand-drawing abilities. (My style has always been a little rough around the edges, but that's how I operate.). One class in particular was focused on Industrial Design and rendering models by hand. As the only, and I do mean only, digital design student in the class, I felt a little like a fish out of water.
During one critique session, the instructor was reviewing my work and made reference to a term that one of his old professors had used, back in the day. While I don't remember the exact quote, I do remember the core phrase: "Sketcher Madman". I'm sure the term was meant as a word of caution to slow down and rein-in my work and line character, I've embraced it in a different sense. I look at the rough, unruly, and unkempt lines as something similar to a rough clay model that is then refined and tuned to a polished, near-production prototype.
Aside from that stroll down my memory lane, here are a few of the ideas I'm considering for my "budget bodywork" experiment.
Budget Bodywork - Peel & Stick (Pt 1)
While I wait for my new, clear Traxxas Slash body to arrive (budget yes, speedy, not so much), I turned my focus to my stock, Greg Adler Pro 2 body that came with my SCT. I had already made a small addition to the truck back in January when I added an Apple logo to the hood. Taking that a step further, I've removed the stock decals from the hood, fenders, and sides. While the black, silver, and red base scheme looks cool, I still want to make the base my own.
To aid in the customization, I bought a few packs of pinstripe tape from a local auto shop. Once I have all of the stock decals removed, I'll clean the body up, "Goo-Gone" the remaining adhesive spots and apply some striping. Stay tuned for an update on the project!
Hello,
The name is Josh and Tim's asked me to write a little something on occasion for those of you interested in racing on-road. I should probably start by telling you that I don't know it all... In fact, I still feel like I know very little. It's not that I don't know how to race or what to do to set up a car, it's 
simply that I feel it's always a continual process to get better.
I started racing a few years ago after stumbling across one of the best local r/c shops with a track I've ever been to. I took an old Losi Street Weapon I had bought off a coworker and tried to lap the track a few times. Like most new drivers, I was extremely slow and often wrecked... go figure. It wasn't until a few months ago that I dove in full blast and jumped into a points series. Over the next few weeks, I'll dive into my r/c story and how and what I'm racing these days.
Stay tuned...
Josh (@JHowardDesign on Twitter)
The Racer's Edge - Introducing a new contributor to RCNewb.com
When I launched this site earlier in the year, I envisioned it being a culmination of things. A sounding-board for my new-found passion, a place to share tips and tricks related to the hobby of r/c cars and, most-importantly, a place where folks that were also new to the hobby and sport could learn and get advice. It helps to get a little advice for yourself from time-to-time too.
I'm happy to announce a new contributor, Josh Howard to the site who will be sharing his experiences of on-road radio-control racing as he dives into the competitive side of the hobby. From the chats we've had on Twitter, I am excited to have him sharing his thoughts and perspective on the sport! His first post will arrive on Monday, so stay-tuned!
I encourage you to follow him on Twitter for updates on his r/c racing excursions.
Welcome Josh!
