The creation of a shop truck: The work of JDM Legends & Luke Baumstark...

Tomorrow is the Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, and for the first time in four years I won't be there.  Total bummer.

From the details I know, this event will be a monster, from Nissan joining as a sponsor, to Jun Imai signing limited prints at the JNC booth, to a slew of amazing cars, some of which I have seen and been asked to stop drooling over.

One car that is sure to cause a stir in Long Beach is currently making its way from Utah with our friends at JDM Legends.  Eric Bizek, whose shop is known to JDM enthusiasts worldwide, as well as to Hot Wheels collectors due to his logo gracing models like the Datsun Wagon Super TH, has been working tirelessly to get this car ready, and I will let him share all the details when it is unveiled at the show.  Needless to say, the car has come together thanks to Eric's skill, knowledge, and plethora of tools.  And one of those tools is his trusted shop truck, a much-loved Datsun 620 pickup.

The pickup is such a treat, and a perfect compliment to a shop that is always stuffed with premium j-tin, from C10 Skylines to Mazda Cosmos to S13 Silvias to you-name-it.  And the truck is great inside and out.  Maybe even better inside.  Eric built an 1800 motor with a high compression SS head, twin 40mm Mikuni side draft carbs and 5 speed to replace the 1600.  Try not to stare:

To top it all off, Eric employed his friend Joel Nelson (@nelz_son_jole) to HAND-PAINT a classic NGK-style logo and lettering.

The result is mighty automobile bursting with character.  I love how the paint is untouched from how it came, while almost everything else is upgraded.  And I love those steelies.  It is no exaggeration that every time I visit the shop, the 620 always demands as much attention as its more polished counterparts.

Of course that is not how the truck came, especially when you consider Eric paid $500 for it.  Outside of that shop-truck-ready paint, it was quite different:

Look at those photos, and then compare with the photos above.  Eric knows what he is doing.  Eric doesn't just improve or restore...he creates.

And that is also what Luke Baumstark (@lukeshotwheels) does.  Luke is one of the best Hot Wheels customizers in the business, and we have featured his work here many times.  But Luke's work is so good that it has even broken the binds of the diecast world and been featured on Speedhunters.  That in and of itself is high praise.

So in the vein of what Eric does with his masterpieces, Luke took on Eric's shop truck.  He grabbed a Hot Wheels Datsun 620, took it into his diecast frankenstein lab...

...and did whatever magic Luke does.  The result is a mini masterpiece:

This is where I have absolutely nothing to say.  My words don't do this any justice, and like with Eric's work, I am just not qualified enough to describe how great this is.  Don't just glance at these photos.  Click on these images for larger versions, and go over the details.  Look at how the body was modified.  The wheel wells.  Check out the paint.  The mirrors.  The decals.  The best customs are those that don't look like customs at all.

This custom will be taking up residence at the JDM-L shop, to keep its 1:1 scale counterpart company.  They should make a wonderful pair.

Together with one of the JDM Legends models:

I love art, I love talking to people who are the best at what they do, I love cars, and I love this hobby. It is always a joy to bring it all together...

Happy JCCS everyone...

As is the Custom for August 23rd is now up on the Lamley Customs Blog, and a request...

Just a heads up that Customs Editor Luke has just posted this week's As is the Custom, and you can find it here:

As is the Custom on Lamley Customs

There are some fantastic pieces, to be sure to visit.

We are also making a request.  We have heard from many of you, and we agree:

Lamley Customs needs some variety.  For example, JDM is a hot bed right now, but I am starting to sense a "Jump the Shark" problem forming.  We don't want to overexpose one portion of our fantastic car culture, even if it is yours and my favorite.  While it is more about the talent, and we will always show well-done works, no matter the casting.  Just look at Ricky Silverio's 240Z above.  It is breathtaking, and my favorite custom this week.  I would show that every week.  But, we have heard from a lot of you that you can only see so many Datsun Wagons, Hakosuka Skylines, and Kool Kombis.  My guess is the 180SX will be the next custom must-do.

And by ALL MEANS, take on that 180SX!  We want to see you ideas, and we will post ALL of them we feel merit some attention.  I personally cannot wait to see the output.  But on top of that, let's push variety.  If you know of a customizer doing other kinds of works, send them our way.  If you are doing other types of cars, don't be afraid to email them to us.  Take on Matchbox.  Take on muscle.  Take on police and fire.

We would love to see a plethora of vehicle types on the customs blog, and it going to be our goal to get As Is to that point.  Guide us to what is out there.  Email us at lamleycustoms@gmail.com with your ideas.  This could be really fun...

This week's As is the Custom is now up on the Lamley Customs Blog...

A heads up to all our readers to head over to the Lamley Customs blog to check out this week's As is the Custom.  It is a monster this week, full of all kinds of entries, in many different styles.  Be prepared, because there is a lot to look at and you might be there awhile.  The link is here:

As is the Custom on Lamley Customs

This week's installment was put together by Customs Editor Seth Mananquil, and he is giving a lot of artists a should out.  It is cool to see our three editors starting to create their own voice.  They trade off editing the post each week, and if you are a regular visitor you will see that each post has a different vibe.

We have also heard from a few of you saying that you would like to see more variety on the posts, and that things are a little too JDM heavy.  Chris, Luke, Seth and I all agree.  Our goal is to showcase a variety of styles and automobile types, but the fact is JDM is dominating the custom scene everywhere.  We are all digging deeper into certain forums and Facebook groups for entries, but sometimes variety is hard to come by.

So if you are doing something different, or know someone who is, please send their work our way at lamleycustoms@gmail.com.  We would love to see it.

Enjoy the post...

As is the Custom for June 21st is now up on the Lamley Customs Blog...

It is Sunday, so that means more amazing customs are now being featured over at the Lamley Customs Blog.  Follow the link:

As is the Custom on Lamley Customs

Another great week, to say the least.  Be sure you submit your customs to lamleycustoms@gmail.com for consideration, and if you know of someone who might be a good candidate for our Artist of the Week feature, let us know as well.

Enjoy...

Just some of this week's creations:

As is the Custom is now up on the Lamley Customs Blog...

No, it isn't Sunday.  Hopefully it doesn't throw your calendar off too much.

As is the Custom for this week posted late Sunday, and this edition is so epic we wanted to make sure everyone saw it.  So we are posting the link today.

You can find it here:

As is the Custom at Lamley Customs

We wish we could just transfer all of the photos here, as they are all so good, but a few are below.  Just make sure you follow the link.  You won't be disappointed.

As always, send your customs in to lamleycustoms@gmail.com, and also let us know about sites you like to use for customs.  We want all the best work to get credit here.  The talent gets better and better and better.

This week's As is the Custom is now up at Lamley Customs...

Are you happy to have As is the Custom back?  We sure are.

The latest version is now up on the Lamley Customs Blog, and as always there is a wide variety of creations.  Congrats to all who made the post.  You can find it here:

As is the Custom for May 31

And be sure to check out the customs blog for other features from our Custom editors, including Artist of the Week, Custom of the Day, and an upcoming how-to series.  We will also see some guest writers sharing their knowledge.

Remember to submit your work to lamleycustoms@gmail.com, or tag us #lamleycustoms on Instagram.

This week's As is the Custom is now up on the Lamley Customs Blog...

We are now a week in, and all seems to be going great with the new Lamley Customs Blog.  We are so thankful for the positive comments from all of you, and are really happy to have our custom coverage back.

Our Custom Editors Seth and Chris did a fantastic job with As Is last week, and have already added two new features to the blog.  Look for an "Artist of the Week" feature every Wednesday, where one customizer will be featured, and the "Friday Night Likes" feature on Friday (duh), which is an expansion on a custom contest Seth and Chris have been managing on Instagram.

We have also added one more to the team.  Luke Baumstark (@lukeshotwheels on Instagram), a master customizer himself, has joined Seth and Chris to help create content for the Lamley Customs weekly features.  Be sure to look for him on Instagram and Facebook, and if he, like Seth, Chris, or me for that matter, ask you to send in photos of your work, we suggest you do.

Anyway, Luke handled this week's installment of As Is, and we think you will like it a lot.  You can find it here:

May 10th As is the Custom on Lamley Customs

Enjoy...

It's baaaaack! As is the Custom returns to Lamley in a big way...

As we mentioned yesterday, the Lamley Group Blog turns 3 today.  

It seems like it has been around longer in some ways, and it seems like a blur in others.  Nonetheless, it has evolved quite a bit since its beginning, and it will continue to evolve.

Hopefully most of you approve of the evolution of the blog.  What we cover, what we don't cover, etc.  We try to keep it interesting, and something you enjoy reading every day.  Based on your feedback, we seem to do at least a decent job of that.  

Except in one area.

Customs.  When we were doing As is the Custom every week, there was no more popular post.  And we loved doing it.  The problem that as time became scarce, and our desire to take weekends off grew, it became near impossible to do it every week.  In fact, As is the Custom hasn't made an appearance on the blog in months.

And we have heard about it from a ton of you.  And I am glad we did.  To be honest, more than a few times I have crafted a post explaining why Lamley is ditching its custom coverage, only to delete it because it seemed such an integral part of what we do.  

So I have gone through what to do numerous times, and I think we have a solution.  I have asked two big shots in the Instagram custom community, Chris Huntley (@78toy4dr on Instagram) and Seth Mananquil (@mrsenctvt on Instagram) to help create and manage As is the Custom, once again making it a weekly feature.  We at Lamley will still pick our faves, but Chris and Seth will as well, and they will put it together.

And the other major change to our custom coverage?  It is going to have its own home.  We are pleased to introduce the Lamley Customs Blog:

This is the new home for As is the Custom, along with a variety of other custom coverage, including artist showcases, how-to posts, and possibly a Custom of the Day feature.  And we see things evolving from there.  Who knows where it could go...

Here is the address in case you want to bookmark it:

http://lamleycustoms.blogspot.com

We hope this will help scratch that custom itch that so many of us have, as well as allow the original Lamley Blog to move forward with all the plans we have slated for its evolution as well.  Ultimately we hope you all enjoy it...

So you over on the new blog...