This is an overdue post – but I wanted to get the auto show stuff out of the way before it was older news than it already was by the time I posted it.

I dropped the parts off with Nick Prah two weeks ago so he could prep and paint them, then I dropped the car off to him last week and finally picked it up on Sunday. I had been anxious all week to get it back because this has been in the works for over a year now. I knew what kit I wanted and I knew how I wanted it to all come together but I had to play the waiting game – like most of you know.

I did a lot of brainstorming, playing around in photoshop and scouring the internet for ideas before I came to a decision on how I wanted the car to look. I’ve mentioned it before, but having a popular platform means that it’s quite difficult to be unique. There are a lot parts floating around and there will always be a handful of popular pieces that get done over and over. I have nothing against this – but I really wanted to stay away from the “cookie cutter” look as much as I could. Of course, the only way to truly do so is to do custom work. With that off my list – the next best thing is to try and put pieces together that you didn’t generally see all the time, and that doesn’t happen easily. The key things that I wanted (and still want) my build to have was quality parts. I told myself that I wouldn’t cut corners to save a few bucks and if it took me another year to get something better – I would wait the year.

Anyway, going back and forth between kits like the oh-so-popular Rocket Bunny and the increasingly popular Varis – I didn’t know how else I could create something that I loved enough that didn’t look like the vision of someone else. Again, I stress that it’s not because I’m trying to be the cool kid by going off the road less traveled… I just wanted to build a car that I could love driving and looking at without being reminded that my car “kind of looks like that guys car on the internet”. A lot of my inspiration did in fact come from all these guys from the internet – it helped me decide what I liked, and what I really didn’t like. At the end of the day, this is the result and I am 110% satisfied with the result thus far… And I’m stoked as hell to share pics and drive the hell out of it this year!

When we rolled up to Nick’s place, it was sitting out front with the sun beaming on it… Right here as you see. The paint shining like it just rolled off the showroom floor.

I seriously could not have asked Nick to do a better job on this. The paint is wet and matches OEM right down to the last metallic sparkle that Raven Black has. No photoshop on the finish – it’s just straight talent and sick workmanship from Nick.

Right after the auto show, I met up with Ricky to take some quick pictures because he had been anxious to see it as well. I snapped some behind the scene shots as well as took my own as you saw in a previous post…

We originally wanted to try rig shots but it was way too bright to attempt it. Instead, we just messed around with the GoPro and took some stills.

Look at the finish of that paint!!

This was not meant to be an official photoshoot. I just wanted to take some quick snaps to show off.

The wingggggggg

TRD x Craft Square

It’s now aggressive and clean looking – the exact look I was aiming for. Everything balances out so well.

A rear shot. The only thing I was not able to acquire this year was a diffuser. I was a little late to the bandwagon before our dollar plummeted and I wasn’t about to pay double for a piece…

Some shots from Ricky’s camera that I edited quickly for him.

I love when other people take pictures of my car – not because I’m conceited or anything – but because I love to see my car in a different perspective. There are always angles that I would never think of and it’s refreshing to see. Being the photographer most of the time means no one shoots my car LOL

Like this angle. Obnoxious as f*** but cool as hell.

As if the wing wasn’t big enough haha

Shots of the fin and mirrors

OEM is best. Just say no to Winjet.

A shot from the passenger seat…

Later that night, we met up again at that same spot and decided to try rig shots again. Here Ricky is setting up while Diana sits in the car. Being preggo and standing outside in the cold isn’t the best combination when you always have to pee, I guess…

Suction cups on… Boom on…

Diana looking bored as hell. Meanwhile, I’m geeking out cause this is cool as shit hahaha

Ricky finishing up the set up…

The set up. So rad! This is the first time I’ve had a rig shot so I’m just standing there amazing the whole time haha

Here’s a few shots that turned out that night. We were kind of rushed since the sun was leaving quick and it was getting cold.

Here’s one dubbed “Ghost Rider”. LOL I was pushing from the other side.

The next day we decided to try one more time LOL… Setting up again…

This time set up on the roof.

It was significantly colder yesterday and we were on top of this big as hill, so it was windy as hell. Tough to stay steady when your hands are shaking and the boom is blowing with the wind.

A shot of the set up…

Ending it here because this was the last set up we tried. I don’t have the pictures from this attempt yet, but once I do I’ll post them for sure!

We’re thinking of trying again next weekend provided the weather cooperates with us. Stay tuned!