Woah!!

[willimo]

This is a letter written to the magazine Scale Auto and published in their August issue. Just as a disclaimer, it is not authored by the magazine and not their own view, and the letter was published along side a pro-tuner letter. This post is not to indict Scale Auto. I just had to post this guy's letter because it blew my mind.

After reading “Starting Line” in the April 2005 issue, I feel a strong duty to reply about the coverage of the tuner-type economy cars that you are ready to explore. I feel quite confident in saying that my views represent 99% of the readers that were not included in your surveys.

These cars are not the “hot rods of today,” instead they represent a small cult of enthusiasts that base performance on huge exhaust systems, big wings, and obnoxious stereo systems. By and large, the youth of America still drive Chevrolet, Ford, and Chrysler products. This is true, at least in California. By the way, don’t we set the trend for the rest of the country, or do you want to change that too?

Tuners show up at Irwindale Raceway every Thursday night with their turbos nitrous, and of course the wings, to provide filler time while the serious race cars prepare for the next run.

If you guys want to make Scale Auto a better magazine, maybe you should cover more activities in the West and not so much in Hokeyville. I strongly recommend that you cover more competition vehicles: drag racers, Formula 1, NASCAR, and occasionally a GT sedan racing “tuner.”

The majority of your subscribers will appreciate seeing a magazine that appeals to the auto enthusiast, not those who have little to share about our hobby. Tuner-types probably don’t build many models anyway. They tend to spend their leisure hours on the computer playing games or digging on the rap.

Let’s keep the magazine on a straight track; stay subjective about what the subscriber wants to read about, now what you “think” we should “keep an open mind about.” As for your in-house expert [Andy Lilienthal], I find his reviews and articles rather vague and quite often inaccurate. Maybe he should spend a little more learning about the “golden years” and then maybe he will get the “reciprocal respect” he desires.

I have built models for more than 50 years, and am an active drag racer. I have read Scale Auto since 1984 and have seen many changes in the industry and the magazine. Most have been helpful changes, some not so helpful. The “Tips & Tech” articles are a great place to expand coverage.

If you are looking for someone who is knowledgeable about race cars and cars from the “golden years,” look me up.

By the way, Jim, please try to get the Ferraris right the next time you write about them (April issue pp 42-43).

-Bill Brooks as quoted in Scale Auto pg 6.

Woah! Wait. I want to hear this part again...

Tuner-types probably don’t build many models anyway. They tend to spend their leisure hours on the computer playing games or digging on the rap.

So that's why I build so slow! Damn rap. I need to quit diggin on the rap.

I find it interesting that most of today's youth drive 'Merkin cars. Especially in Califronia.

In all honesty, I am amazed to see such an acrid response, and am half surprised, half not that Scale Auto published it. I wonder how aware they are of the huge, polarized outpouring of opinion that it is going to start. I also would be interested to see what Mr. Brooks would think if he saw this place, to see what some of us tuner types actually do when we take our rap 8-tracks out of our stereos. I wish the magazine wasn't so dutifully devoted to it's own message board, because I think that we, here at AF, can show how dynamic a modeling community can be building everything from tuners to domestics to exotics and back again and we are all still quite harmonious. I really find it frustrating when people (be them modelers or gearheads) can't get along just because of something retarded like tuner v domestic! We all dig on cars, right? For that I love it here, AF is a great place where we can all pretty much get a long. Sometimes I wish the rest of the world was more like AF. Added bonus: everyone would talk about cars all the time.

Oh, and one last thing for Mr. Brooks:

"Look, over there! A newly married interracial gay couple buring the American flag!!"

[blubaja]

[99civichic]

What a moron. Even I'll say he's got his head stuck in the old days, and I'm as "'Merkin" as they get. Seriously though, if this mag is looking for someone to write tech articles on cars etc I'd jump at the chance. If anyone knows anyone who might have something to do with anything related to this subject, look me up. I'm a good writer and I know my cars!

[spidereddie]

how about we start a thread with everyone putting in there input or "agreeing" to the fact that car enthusiasts can exist in a non-polarized world (namely, here in AF) where you don't have to either only love muscle or only love tuners. This is the classic 'street gang' mentality of "either you're with us or you're against us".

And let's send the link to the guys at scale auto so they can see that liking 'tuners' doesn't make you a baggy pants wearin, jay-z lovin, non creative good for nothing 'young punk'. I've seen some damn good models on this forum from all types of cars.

I also don't think Mr. 19th century Brooks is in tune enough with the world to realize that the love for 'his' generation's cars was once abhorred by the older generation before him (his grand dad probably said the same thing about him when all his buddies wanted thundering loud engines and racing stripes...punk kids). Trends and change are a part of life, most of these ignorant grumpy old men will be completely out of touch with everything (including their own bladder control) within 10 years. And it is a shame that people like Mr. Brooks don't embrace changes and pass things on to the next generation to help continue a diferent form of the same hobby instead of dismissing it as 'garbage'.

[ImolaEK]

Originally Posted by BIG BROOKS

Tuner-types probably don’t build many models anyway. They tend to spend their leisure hours on the computer playing games or digging on the rap.

He has a point there, I do listen to rap Oh and maybe some of those Tuner Types don't build because they only collect I've done plenty of cars for my friends who collect model cars and want their models nicely done. I guess im one of them "Tuner Types" YAY!

Meh, Seriously, I don't like reading what the readers say sometimes because they can get soo stupid that you begin to think like them

Brooks needs to learn whats up yo! I mean, what da dilly yo~! Whats wrong bro !

[SupaMan89T]

omg that was the best 3 min of my life thank you will you made my day full of electrical 1:1 problems

[drnitrus]

Talk about being stuck in the past. (as Im listening to some rap music and typing on my computer)

Originally Posted by willimo

"Look, over there! A newly married interracial gay couple buring the American flag!!"

He might not be able to see that for.

[jswillmon]

Sometimes it seems like old farts like this look for any way they can to talk about a group of people that are diffrent than them. I guess us tuner-types have to take the heat since he can't get away with hating people because of their race anymore.

[emperorsupra]

Originally Posted by jswillmon

Sometimes it seems like old farts like this look for any way they can to talk about a group of people that are diffrent than them. I guess us tuner-types have to take the heat since he can't get away with hating people because of their race anymore.

couldnt of said it better

[redstang423]

I think Bill Brook's letter was intended to send a different message (that even though I think I know where he was going, I couldn't put it into words if I tried), but he failed miserably. There is a difference between someone who is a "tuner enthusiast" and someone more commonly referred to as a "ricer." I represent part of his group of the youth that drive American cars. I'm 20 years old, and I drive a Mustang (as you can see by my avatar) that I purchased brand new before I even had my license.

I somewhat share his feelings, however I like to believe I'm much more civilized about it. While I am not a big fan of most cars considered tuner cars (ex. civic, eclipse, etc.), I find they can be great vehicles when done tastefully. There is nothing uglier and more annoying than a Civic with a rear wing that would look more in place on a 747, a muffler that sounds like a weedwacker on steroids, a front bumper that looks like something from Jupiter, and body panels painted in 15 different colors with meaningless stickers for NOS and Greddy and AEM when the car is nearly bone stock. What one person considers tasteful will differ from that of another, but I think you understand my general idea.

Mr. Brooks is likely wrong about drivers of these cars not building models. Being much more in tune with the typical driver of this type of car - somewhere around my age - I can tell you they are all big car enthusiasts. The drive what they drive because they are much more affordable than an equivalent American car like a Mustang, Camaro, or Firebird. To a kid strapped with cash, that's the best they might be able to do. Most kids can't just drop $10 or 15K into their civic to make it something everyone might consider tasteful. They do what they can so that they like it. These drivers are also no more or less likely to build a model car than someone like myself.

He's also forgetting the business aspect - hook the kids on the tuner cars now, and when they get older and tastes change, they'll still have them as customers buying that 63 split window vette from them instead of a rival.

[willimo]

I think you are mostly right, redstang, that he is reacting to the poorly composed cars that make up a significant portion of the "tuner" movement. However, I mostly take issue (and a large amount of offense) that he has utterly dismissed anyone with a tuner car as having nothing to offer to modeling. I think he would be very humbled by the works of people like Hiroboy, for example. All he builds are cars from the land of the rising sun, but anybody building any car of any vintage or persuasion can learn alot from his technique. I am not nearly that good, or as good as most builders here, but I feel that despite my personal taste in cars I have plenty to contribute to the modeling community, and find it frustrating because Mr. Brooks will never see that since he is too busy deciding that all I do is play on my computer and dig on the rap. He has played into a very large stereo type, one held by a great many domestic loving and old loving people. Not all of us guys who drive or race or tune Hondas want big wings or obnoxious stereos or junk like that. He needs to get out of Irwindale and go to an autocross or a Club Race and see what's out there, and he would be humbled by Civics and Subarus and such. Or even wait at Irwindale for the drag Supras and the like to show up. I bet these cars aren't at all what he would expect, and if he refuses to respect them just because of the country the originate in, then, well, that's up to him. I really, mostly, take huge issue with this fellows closed mindedness. He can't see two inches past his face to see his nose.

[99civichic]

Bravo, that's well put. Man...I hate rice. I hate people who don't know what they hell is going on under their hoods, but talk big about it like they do. I cringe when I hear anyone call it "tha nawwssssss," I think neons are silly, and I think that 90% of the mufflers people put on cars like mine not only make them sound awful, it makes them slower as well. However, I LOVE high technology cars (which is why one of my fave domestics is a mod motor Mustang, those engines are amazing) and the technology that goes into making two liters pump out 240 HP (think: S2000) is just...wow. (this is the engineer in me speaking) I just wish these punk kids who hot rod their 94 civic hatch with 3" exhaust and autozone stickers just...knew better. Shoot, my BROTHER buys into the ricer stuff. It hurts! Blah. I gotta go, road trip.

[malsheem]

How about judging someone's worthiness and contributions to the car modeling hobby by ... (gasp) ... their models and related build-ups, tips, techniques, etc?

And NOT anything else like what they drive, games they have on their computer, or music they listen to.

[g00eY]

Quote:Tuner-types probably don’t build many models anyway. They tend to spend their leisure hours on the computer playing games or digging on the rap.

rofl i play a lot of Counter-Strike(a lot) but i don't listen to rap. i hate that stuff. there is like one rap song i like. haha.

[Spitfire7]

I actually find myself agreeing with some of the points this guy has made, but that's probably because I'm just not into the tuning world at all. I just don't like all the people who seem to have been heavily influenced by the fast and the furious films etc. This guy isn't neccessarily an old man stuck in the past, as I find myself agreeing with a few of the points while I'm only 17. The type of model cars you decide to build has nothing to do with age.

However it's wrong to suggest that tuning models have nothing to contribute to the modelling world. I've seen some amazing tuner cars on AF which have really impressed me.

Also is it just me or does the guy who wrote this letter comes accross as irritatingly patriotic.