R/C as an Art Form

These three hobbyists showcase their amazing talents using radio-controlled cars as their canvas.

Nothing beats a well-built, radio-controlled vehicle that has been crafted to absolute perfection. While many of us have created “shelf queens” during our time in the hobby, there are a number of individuals that take their love for the hobby a few steps (or leaps) further. It’s often argued that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but you might find it hard to argue that the three folks listed below are nothing short of true, bona fide artists.

Headquake
While most RC vehicle builds may feature a handful of hand-crafted parts and pieces, one hobbyist/artist takes his love for the automotive form a step further. To say you’ll find a few handcrafted parts and pieces on the rigs that are designed by Headquake, a Canadian radio-controlled vehicle artist, is an understatement.

The biggest custom component of his builds are the vehicle bodies. What makes these unique is the fact that most of them are crafted out of wood, and a not more traditional material such as styrene.  As you can see from his many YouTube videos, the time and effort that is put into each build is painstaking. The result however, appears to be well worth it.

Another reason why Headquake’s builds look so amazing, are the angles and perspective that are applied to the “finished product” photos that he creates. Unless you stare at one of these photos long enough, you might not know that you’re looking at a hand-crafted R/C machine.

Check out these amazing radio-controlled creations from Headquake:

1967 International Scout

1977 Ford

Ramcharger

Want to see more? Check out Headquake’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Danny Huynh
Some creative professionals like to have hobbies that take their minds off of what they do for a career, while others prefer to take what they do full-time and apply it to their hobby. For photographer Danny Huynh, The machines that Danny has created are simply stunning. From the features and elements that are put into each vehicle, along with the overall theme that surrounds them, you’ll get a Terminator-meets-Mad Max-style vibe from most of his many creations.

Starting with a kit and then throwing away the instruction manual, Danny’s creations don’t just feature amazing, decorative scale accessories. What makes these builds truly unique is the fact that the primary accessories, from the driver to other components, have motion built into them so they can be animated and move along with the vehicle.

Using his skills as a photographer, Danny is able to give these builds the visual impact that they deserve, whether in motion or standing still. If you’re interested in seeing more of his work, check out his Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Check out these amazing RC builds from Danny Huynh:

Axial Exo TT Drift Machine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqBTjUHyt3o

Vintage Axial VP Jeep Rod

Axial Bounty Hunter Wraith

Hemistorm
Another hobbyist that takes the pieces that are given to him and turns them into something more is Hemistorm (aka: Chris de Graaf). I have long been a fan of his work, not only for the finished products that he is able to produce, but also for the fact that he will showcase the steps that are taken to get to the point of completion.

While he may prefer traditional materials such as Lexan and styrene to achieve his builds, he does a bit with them to form and create custom creations and shelf-worthy replicas of amazing 1:1-scale vehicles.

A Small Sample of Hemistorm’s Creations:

KING of the HAMMERS 2015 Axial Exo Terra

Axial Yeti XXL

Axial Yeti Overhaul

Ken Block’s Hoonicorn - 1/5-scale Ford Mustang

Check out Hemistorm’s YouTube channel and Facebook page for more of his work.

Art as Inspiration

If a custom R/C build is a project that you're thinking about starting, these extraordinary examples might give you a few additional ideas or push you to think even further outside the box.

Image credit: YouTube screen captures