Air Monkeys Magazine Issue 11 by Air Monkeys

Issue Eleven

M a ga zi n e The Air Monkeys Crew: Joe Eynon • Editor • Feature Writer • Photographer Samantha Eynon • Deputy Editor • Feature Writer • Photographer/ Illustrator Edd Thorpe • Feature Writer Scott Savage • Photographer John Hilton • Layouts Richard Thorpe • Proof Reader • Feature Writer Ed Kellas • Feature Writer Nikola Woodhall • Layouts Martin Cox • Photographer Joss Ashley • Photographer Henry Powell • Photographer

hew!

We have had so much fun getting this issue done for you but now it is done and we can relax. I’m writing this with one week to go before Fueled Society so once we’ve taken part in the Air Monkeys cruise we can relax there for the weekend and have a few beers. Many of you guys ask me at shows how we make money. It was a simple answer last year, “we don’t”, but now we have an online shop and charge for online adverts we pile all our earnings back into the company. We dont make a wage from the company and we still do it because we love it! We had a really busy May, June and July with Apex, Stanford Hall, Alive and VDubbin, Cumbria VAG, Big Bang, Fueled Society and much more taking place. Thank you to everyone who took the time to come and say Hi to us at those events and bought our merch or picked up a flyer/sticker. We hope to see you again. Here’s to the rest of 2014! With Skeg Vegas coming up plus Action and Bug Jam we hope it is a scorcher!!

Contributors: Holly Booth, Richard Booth, Reece Chapman, Jess Edwards, Nick Goodyear, Jon Hancock, Richy Hurle, Daniel James, Nick Long, James Owen, Pete Salter, Dan Smith, Smitherz, Clara Summerfield,

Joe Eynon Editor

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inside? Regular Features Feature Vehicles Spanked! Cool Sh*t Tasty Tees Technical Focus Earworm Show Reports

65 Deluxe

Volksworld Show

Aussie Beetle

Stanford Hall

Apex show

Show Report | Volksworld Show

VOLKSWORLD 2014 Sandown Park, Esher words and photos: Joe Eynon

his years Volksworld Show, (Vowo), was in the same location on the same weekend as last years. In fact it was the same as the last decade. The format remains unchanged for a great number of years. Most shows have to mix the schedule up over the years but Vowo have not. This is not a dig at the show, it is a simple recognition that they do not need to change it. Always seen as the European season opener it attracts crowds from around the globe and whatever the weather it accommodates huge numbers of visitors through its doors due to the show mainly being

an indoors show. The weekend is held at Sandown Park racecourse in Esher, Surrey. An affluent area of the UK which makes it a lovely place to spend the weekend. That is one of the key factors that makes the show one of worlds leading VW shows. There are restaurants and bars all around the venue for you to sample once the show closes in the evening. We certainly did! The most popular haunt for the air-cooled masses to invade is The Bear. A fine pub with great beers and a super atmosphere. The show is a 2 day event opening on Saturday morning. You can camp from Friday night at the racecourse and be queuing at the

Show Report | Volksworld Show

gate come Saturday morning. Due to the time of year and the unpredicability of the UK weather there are also a large number of hotels and bed and breakfasts near to racecourse. This years show was bathed in sunshine but a blanket of snow covered the 2013 show, you see my point? We camped at the show in 2013 so splashed out a hotel for 2014, then the sun shone! Typical! On entrance to the show you walk along Esher High Street.

You could sit there all day and watch a London suburb become overrun with air-cooled VW’s. They come into the town from every direction and you don’t know which way to look! Walking into this years show you passed some club line-ups and the two great Early-Bays you can see above. As a low-light Bay fan these buses were perfect. Once inside the show you passed Seaside Neil’s old school oval and then into the show hall. PJ

Gibbons Judson supercharged Beryl green beetle really stood out plus Graham Angus brilliantly different baywindow on splitrim BBS’s. A lot of work has been put into that bus and it looked amazing on the rotating platform, a proud moment for Graham indeed. Looking at some of the cars in the show hall gives the ticket holders something very special, something that not many shows give; a motivational kick up

Show Report | Volksworld Show

the arse! There will be a car at the show that you would look at with admiration and respect, (with a tinge of green envy), and want to repeat their style and look on your own car. The standard of cars was insane and left all of us in awe. Each year the show puts on a display and

Show Report | Volksworld Show

Show Report | Volksworld Show this year there were two to keep you happy. The first was in celebration of the Bay Window and it had a line-up of various Bays from throughout time. The second line-up was a collection of old speed air-cooled race cars in a mock pits display. A fantastic collection once again. Downstairs there were more display cars including a Meyers Manx display and great mix of campers, Beetles and Type 3’s. Lime Bug also had their Tempo on display down there. If you were looking for that rare part the Karmann Konnection swapmeet was the only place to be on the top floor where you could find some obscure parts for your early VW. Traders from all across Europe and America trade there so it is a good bet they’ll have that rare dash switch, hub cap or decal you’re looking for. All of the club displays were outside, and this year they were spread across two areas and with RSVP, DTA, Rebel Alliance, GFK and The Lower Class amongst the exhibitors there was some great cars to look at. My favourites were Stef Rossi’s 67 Cab, (left) and Niall Wright’s Splitscreen bus, (bottom left). Niall’s bus was particularly interesting when I learnt it was his Grandfathers bus. Plus it was next to a keg of real ale! The splitscreen van club once again turned up in force and looked amazing in the sunshine. The traders at this years show were great as usual with all the big scene names there plus some independent stalls such as Hot Rod Tiki and Aire Valley Speed Shop. I have said this year after year but I’ll repeat myself. Forget about the Friday M25 traffic you have to battle through to get to the show, forget about the potential bad weather you may encounter and forget about thinking it is elitist. The Volksworld Show is one the best show by a million miles in terms of the standard of cars, the venue, the possibility to meet and eat fine food with your friends in the evenings. The show is a must-do on any aircooled fans schedule.

Show Report | Volksworld Show

his month we are introducing you to the amazing comic book shop that is Page 45, based in the City Centre of Nottingham. It sprung into life in 1994, reaching the milestone of 20 years and ever since has been providing a great range of comic books and graphic novels, dished out with platefuls of enthusiasm. We caught up with Jonathan, one of the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s co-owners to find out a bit more.

Feature | Page 45

How and why did Page 45 start? Page 45 is a comic shop whose goal has always been simple: to bring the widest range of quality comics and graphic novels available into contact with as many new people as possible, and to do so with a warmth, honesty and informed eloquence in a relaxed, welcoming and professional environment. To recreate the European model which has meant that comics and their creators there have always been received with the respect they deserve and the sales to accompany it. We started because we felt the UK was lacking just that sort of comic shop. What is it that appeals to you about comic books? Entertainment, pure and simple! We stock over 6,000 graphic novels which we read and review ourselves every week, for all age ranges and of every genre from contemporary fiction, fantastical, speculative, autobiographical, travelogues, politics, history, crime, romance, horror to even the quirky and indefinable, and even some superheroes! So there is quite literally something for everyone, it’s just finding that entry point of what would appeal to any particular reader, which is one of the reasons we offer our online Want A Recommendation service, where we ask a few questions about people’s taste in other medium such as prose books, television, cinema and even music, and then make five or so recommendations. Much like any other medium once you’ve discovered a writer, artist or genre you really like, it becomes easier to find other works which are similar.

Top comics/ graphic novels of all time? Oh, very very difficult to say, especially because we read so much every week, I think it’s probably more accurate to say we will have a favourite book for a while, until something else brilliant comes along like The Nao Of Brown did, which is probably still holding top spot a year later. But every month we pick what we consider to be the best new comic or graphic novel released the previous month in our Comicbook of the Month section, and again, these would be great examples of what we consider to be some of the best material out there. People who are signed up to the CBOTM club get 20% off that choice which we automatically pop aside for them, and people signing up can have 15% off previous choices. Every book in that section will have its own review by one of us and also some interior art posted. Now obviously this selection only covers the last seven years or so, and clearly there are books from before that time that are ‘must reads’, but that’s the beauty of the comics

medium, it is always refreshing itself, always evolving. Favourite graphic artist and why? Favourite writer and why? I will answer those two together if I may. I can think of about twenty artists I would choose for different artistic reasons, and probably a different writer or two (or three!) for every single genre of fiction and non-fiction in comics. So again, it is nigh on impossible for us to have favourites simply because there are so many comics we absolutely love, but if you were to look at the Always Recommended section on our website, you will see sixty or so graphic novels that cover pretty much every genre, and that we would suggest would be a great quality starting point for anyone new to the medium going back over the last twenty years or so. And again every book in that section will have its own review by one of us and also some interior art posted.

Feature | Page 45 You recently reached a milestone with the shop, what have been your highs and lows? Yes, twenty years this October! It’s pretty much been all highs to be honest. How can you not love working in an industry where your customers are your friends, and you receive brilliant brand new comics to read every week? The only real low would be losing Mark Simpson in 2005, one of the co-creators of Page 45, a man once referred to by a comics creator as ‘the John Peel of comics’. An image of Mark actually adorns the ‘About Page 45’ link on the front page of our site. A great man and sadly missed. On the highs side we’ve had some amazing

signings here over the years including Neil Gaiman of Sandman and Bryan Lee O’ Malley of Scott Pilgrim fame with queues literally right down the street into the Old Market Square in Nottingham city centre, but just turning up for work every day, doing something you love is a big enough high in and of itself. Any plans for the future? Many! We’ll be starting our 20th anniversary year this October with a big party at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, plus doing all sorts of yet to be announced stuff during our actual 20th year, culminating in an epic booze bash in Nottingham to celebrate our 21st birthday in October 2015! We thought we might as well make a year of it! Follow us on twitter @pagefortyfive and you’ll find out as soon as we announce these events, plus you’ll also find us chatting about comics in general with creators and customers alike.

Page 45 have just found out that they have been nominated for the 2014 Will Eisner “Spirit of Comics” retailer Award. The winner will be presented at the annual Comic-Con International convention held in San Diego, California, in July, so fingers crossed! Check out the shops website here http://www.page45.com

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Feature Car | â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;72 Beetle

Same service, same parts, new place, more space. After 7 busy years operating from Burgess Hill classic VW parts supplier VW Heritage will be taking a trip down memory lane, relocating to bigger premises, closer than ever to where it all started from and coincidentally next to their neighbour from 25 years ago! The move will see over 16,000 VW parts and a 55 strong team of enthusiasts migrate to a more modern and efficient warehouse over double the size of the existing Mid-Sussex building. Situated only ten minutes from Brighton, and 5 minutes south from the A27 the move shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sound alarms for VW Heritage regulars. For those reliant on their speedy mail order delivery, the website will remain live throughout. Phone customers and shop visitors will notice only a minor disruption, with a closure planned for Friday 29th and Saturday 30th August; apart from that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business as normal! The new trading address as of Monday 1st September will be 47 Dolphin Road, Shoreham-By-Sea, BN43 6PB. Find out more information on the move; check out their website at www. vwheritage.com/moving

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Edison Light Bulb We were led to believe that the days of the filament light bulb were over, as we all switched to ugly energy saving bulbs. Though those have come a long way since, they still donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite compare to these awesome vintage style bulbs that really make a statement, no need for a light shade with one of these beauties! Available in a range of sizes, shapes and fitments from cultfurniture.com

Game of Thrones 80s/90s series Mike Wrobel is a talented graphic designer from France, who is currently based in Tokyo. He is the man behind this image of an up to date Jon Snow. He has created a range of brilliant illustrations of the characters from Game of Thrones, imagining them in 80s and 90s garms. There is a great attention to detail in each piece and they really reflect the personalities of the characters. To purchase them as art prints, or t-shirts head to his Society 6 shop society6.com/Moshikun

Regular | Cool Sh*t

Rechargeable Bottlel ight A perfect little gadget for those garden parties this summer (though you’d probably need a fair few!). This turns your empty bottles into lights. It encompasses a super bright LED light in a cork, so you can plug it into the top of your bottle. A great way of creating interesting lights out of any vintage bottles you might have amassed! Available soon from suck.uk.com

Pipe Match Strike A great looking little product that is functional as well. It provides a place to store your matches, and you can also strike them on the base. Though you must make sure you use it with strike anywhere matches. Regular matches won’t work on the base, though they’ll still look pretty cool displayed in the holder! uk.jonathanadler.com

Whiskey Soaked Campf ire Jerky Well this just sounds like heaven on earth to us! Beef Jerky that has been soaked overnight in Bulleit Bourbon whiskey and slow smoked in a vintage smokehouse with Texas pecan wood for a bold campfire flavour. OK our mouths are watering just thinking about it! The company is based in Texas, but they do ship abroad, Phew! Available from manready.com

Leather Bike Growler Carrier The UK people reading this are probably having a bit of a giggle, but of course by Growler we mean a bottle with a handle on used for carrying beer! Tsk! They can be a bit heavy and awkward to carry, so here is a leather carrier that you can attach to your bike. Imagine rolling around on your cruiser at a show with one of these (as long as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re allowed glass onsite of course!) They are Handcrafted from vegetable tanned leather, and can either be attached to the the seat hooks on the underside of the seat or directly to the post. Available from mwmade.com

Regular | Cool Sh*t

Root Beer Making Kit This kit contains everything you need to make 9 litres of the dark stuff, including root beer extract, a funnel, special brewing yeast and blank labels. When it’s brewed stick a scoop of vanilla ice cream in there and you’re good to go! No nasty stuff here, as it contains all natural ingredients. Available from firebox.com

Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen, and Candy Stripe Nurses: Roger Corman, King of the B-Movie This great looking book, with a really long name, tells ths story of the career and films of Roger Corman; self-proclaimed king of the “B” movie. Told by the man himself and some of those that he worked with. It is beautlifully illustrated and contains dozens of full colour reproductions of classic Corman movie posters, as well as never before published, behind the scenes photographs. www.amazon.co.uk

If you want your product to be featured contact: samantha.eynon@airmonkeys.co.uk

Bay Tubs from Trailer Queens Restorations Trailer Queen Resto’s have produced these new tubs which are required if you are planning on really slamming your post-67 Bus. Made from 1mm sheet steel and bead rolled for strength, they give you enough height to put your beam straight onto the deck and still roll. They’ll be a set of these on the Air Monkeys bay this winter so “watch this space!” You can get these tubs for £220 with free UK postage but they will ship internationally for an extra charge. www.trailerqueenrestos.com

Regular | Tech Focus

A round up of the best products for your VW from around the world.

Column Lock for a 55-67 Bus. Protect you van and install a new high quality ignition lock. No more saggy lock mechanisms and worn keys as this comes with 2 new matching keys. Looks perfectly period and simple to fit. Get yours from Kieft en Klok for €225 www.kieftenklok.nl

Bay Window Grille Trims These grille trims take their inspiration from the trims found on Beetles and Ghia’s. They simply clip around the exsisting grill. Made from Stainless Steel you can be sure they will stay nice and shiny too! Get them from www. aircooledaccessories. com for £59.99

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ddict, nd fellow dub a a , d n ie fr d o o g with our at photos from re g e m so u o eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve teamed up y ng utomortal, to bri A m o fr rz e h it m S rd. bs show in Telfo u D te a im lt U rs this yea it attracts aire se n ca u o y s a but r-cooled event, ead on to hear R te . a rs w o a o d ly s in it a h m g u ro This show is German metal th r e th o e m so s lu cooled cars p f the story: Smitherz side o

Show Report | Ultimate Dubs

W d into the V e k c u s re o and m n the show e tting more h e g w lf o e d s y u o m do y find the winter t passes, I s. But what e a s w u o th h r o s a h e w re y o e h m thos ith eac g more and w season. ecking out in o h d h c n s t e e g tt n a in r d m te n o in e is p-c Scene a dy for the u myself on th e VW scene a d th re n f fi s o I e W . V id .. s ? ir r e d ve le rep d th season is o e water-coo e for #UDP tally re-buil th it to r s r fo ia o d ly h e r s m la e l u fr e ocia partic months to r earch any s s the season, , y f d o a e w lr o a h s ven’t The first big d. If you ha r o lf e T in s b s Ultimate Du mean! ltimate Dub U I t a to h t s w o e h e ls ord plays ather does lf e e T w and you wil h in is e it r tr n B old al Ce uldn’t be , the good o s Internation r h s a e c d th n w , a o h t h rc s s a e fin oor early M acity for ind ee Europe’s s p a c to e Each year in e g c u la h p s the venue ha ate Dubs is im lt U and as the ! s g in e proceed d not spoil th here is min w o h s n o s r ca and missed! uality of the q e h T ion setups ! s n w e o p h s s u r s a c d calculate gets builds r average y d u ll u o b fu y e t r ig o a b n c , ly is bs t on heels dients Ultimate Du thinking tha all of rare w r h fo r e n ft e e key ingre a iv th ll g f r a o h fo e h e n it b O w e case. d rides, sit blowing th le alty! You’d o t y o o o c r n e ir is n a e is d c e s ut th for mm A perfect display. Sla interiors fit ow arena, b . h n s G o A r s o V r o t a d e c g f in d o bu ty the is the varie nu-wave big make it into w o d h n s a l is ta th e f m ess o etro to the succ y stanced r tl c fe r e p e gsid happily alon

Show Report | Ultimate Dubs

example of this was one of the most eagerly anticipate d debuts, Jay McToldridge of Player’s show’s Datsun which altho ugh not strictly a VW, has been built by some of the scenes big gest legends Matt Balls of Balls ’d fame, Simon Emery of Th e Paintbox and Neil Melliard of Pro-Sig n collaboratively and proves that a simple format of seriously low ride height, beautifully patina’d paint and some cool sign wr iting can draw one of the big gest crowds of the day and was easily my car of the show! As good as the indoor show was, for me, the car park or camping ground is the alw ays the best place to get th e true spirit of a show and Ultimat e Dubs was no exception! Telford’s International Centre feature s a huge car park which all ows anyone who is early or luc ky enough to secure a park ing space to be a part of the show to o making Ultimate Dubs a great day out for any VW fan. Take my advice and add Ul timate Dubs 2015 to next year’s show calendar and as soon as all of the Turkey has been ea ten and your Xmas tree is safely pa cked away, search #UDPre p to get in the mood for the up-coming show season!

Show Report | Ultimate Dubs

Feature Car | â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;65 Split

Into the Blue Words: Samantha Eynon

Pictures: Holly Booth

Feature Car | ‘65 Split

ell, what can we say - Richard Booth is a catch if we ever heard of one. Not only is he a fire fighter, but he also owns this beautiful 1965, 13 window deluxe! A winning combination surely! Though we should warn you ladies, he is already taken, sorry! Richard has been the owner of the split since August 2012. He regretted selling his early 60 panel van and wanted to get back into splitscreen ownership, after owning a bay and a Ghia. Rich found this on thesamba. com, it was originally from Washington but was being sold out of LA. He had previously imported around 6/7 vehicles from the states so knew the score with phoning and getting the price down, knowing full well from the pictures it would require a load of panels. He used his local importers, Californian Connection, who he has always found to do a great job for him. It arrived a week before his wedding, so he had to sneakily go and collect it to move it to the workshop, as he was on wedding duties that week! As soon as he arrived back from their honeymoon he made a start on the 11 month restoration. Working on the bus for 2/3 days a week around his shifts in the fire service, with a bit of help along the way from his friend Andy, and the paintwork was done by his friend Anthony. Both of whom he’d like to thank, not just for their hands on help, but for letting him take up half the workshop with boxes of parts everywhere! Richard was inspired by the 60’s surf bus look when he restored the

Feature Car | â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;65 Split

< Though he did have fun three hours before the buses first MOT, when it decided to run on 3 cylinders! >

Feature Car | ‘65 Split split, wanting to keep it simple and plain. He chose to have it one colour all over, and picked the early colour of L31 dove blue. To achieve the final finish the underside had etch primer then 2 coats of dove blue 2pac and clear waxoil, the top had a dove blue base coat then lacquer to give a flat look. Not being a fan of deluxe trim on a single coloured bus, he smoothed out the trim holes. He also removed the towel rail and overiders from the bumpers and the front number plate to give it a clean, smooth look. Richard has ran with this simple, clean look inside and out. He has had a Rusty Lee Rock n roll bed fitted, a solid oak floor, tongue and groove headlining with simple LED downlights, stained VW heritage panels for the doors and the curtains were made by Faye Simnett, from a fabric he spotted while on his travels, that had a Westfalia feel to them, but for a much smaller price tag! Rich upholstered the front seats himself, and got the rear ones done by a local boat building firm. The bus has been lowered minimally at the moment, as Richard wanted to get it out on the road so he could start enjoying using it for a bit and work out any teething problems before he fiddled with it too much, but he has plans to take it down another 2-3 inches with some adjustable spring plates in the future. The engine is a stock 1600tp which he bought as scrap, but got it running within an hour! Though he did have fun three hours before the buses first MOT, when it decided to run on 3 cylinders. So he speedily took the engine out and found a loose head bolt. He tightened it up, and thankfully after that it ran sweet as a nut, but then ran out of fuel on way to test centre! One of the things we like so much about this van is the fact that, as Rich put it himself, he doesn’t “... wrap it in cotton wool”. Rich and his wife enjoy wakeboarding and often use the van to pop the boards in and go off to the lake, they also use it to camp in and to go to shows. The bus is driven nearly every week, even if it is just a run out to the local pub on a weekend. Its look is unfussy and elegant, and it has been restored with a view to be used as it was intended and enjoyed, and what could be more perfect than that!? Rich would like to give a shout out to his wife, Jenny, for putting up with constant parts turning up and never ending bus conversations, and also to The Vintage Bus Mafia, the collective Richard is involved with.

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Show Report | Stanford Hall

Stanford Hall

his years Stanford Hall was much the same as all the other shows held on the first Sunday in May in previous years. This, like aforementioned in the Volksworld Show 2014 report, works because the set up is just perfect. The only thing that can let this show down is the weather but luckily it was saved by glorious spring sunshine throughout the day. Sunburn was even on the cards if you didn’t take care, (I admit some of our crew fell victim!).

We had arranged an Air Monkeys line up in this years show with some staff cars as well as some past and future feature cars such as Edwin Hannah’s Mark One and Craig Johnston-White’s Type 34 from the Rothfink fleet. We also had Dan and Jess’ splitscreen bus from RSVP and Terry Settle’s aired out lowlight Ghia plus a rare outing for Stephen Key’s Nigerian Beetle. Thank you to everyone who made it such a special weekend for us.

There was the usual range of car clubs in attendence some more interesting than others but the TLC boys had arranged a great line up of slammed beetles which looked immense and the Karmann Ghia Owners Club had a interesting range of cars including Brett Elesmore’s slammed example parked amongst some stock cars. The Concours d ‘ Elegance was, as always, well represented and showed most of us how to build a car. The

Show Report | Stanford Hall standard of cars on display was mind-blowing. Every model of VW was there plus some Audi and Porsches including more 914’s in one place than I’ve ever seen before. The show organisers stand by their traditional rules and try to discourage heavily modified cars into the arena. A few did sneak in but this show, each year, makes a refeshing change to other shows. It is so nice to see standard and stock cars being

displayed and admired. There was as usual a huge Splitscreen Bus line-up organised by the Splitscreen Van Club. This line-up could have kept you entertained all day! With a massive traders area this year there was everything you needed to get your VW back on the road and ready for summer. Plus if you were after something inparticular such as that rare accessory or some pinstriped work then Seaside Neil was there with loads

of Americana for you to choose from. It wasn’t long until people found themselves sitting on blankets, cracking open their vintage coolers and supping on a shandy. The weather was perfect for chilling out and catching up with your friends. My perfect kind of show! Stanford Hall is a great location for a car show with many makes and marques

Show Report | Stanford Hall

having meets and shows there over the years. With its beautiful buildings, green fields and flowing rivers the Stanford Hall VW show is fantastic when the sun is shining. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a different matter when the weather is bad as we found out a few years ago when the show was postponed due to flooding. Due to the hard work from the organisers the show survives these tests and when the weather is on its side the show is unbeatable. For the die-hard air-cooled VW fanatics this show is too varied. I heard complaints that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like the fact that the Audi TT Owners Club have a big plot or that later and newer cars are allowed in the show arena. This show is throwing a big blanket over the VAG scene and actually managing

Show Report | Stanford Hall

a show that is ran on a show-string, (such as the drive into to club stand area being very difficult for lowered cars), but for a few quids entrance fee you get a excellent days entertainment whilst at the same time doing very little. It just works! to fuse the marques together in a positive and cohesive way. Many shows try this but with Stanford Hall not trying to do anything but a car show it works well. There is no entertainment, limited camping and the focus is 95% on the cars. Stanford Hall VW Show feels like an old fashioned car show. Somewhere that you can park up in a field with your friends and enjoy owning and driving your cars. Sure the good weather helps and there will always be draw backs for

Awesome in Anthracite Words: Sam Eynon

Photos: Provided by Nick Long

Feature Car | â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;62 Beetle

ick Long is an ex-pat living in Australia. Prior to up-ing sticks and moving to the other side of the world he had long ago developed his love of Volkswagens. Like many, it was Volksworld Magazine that first introduced him to VW’s in the early 1990’s. He then bought his first VW whilst at college (a ’70 Baja) and went to Avon Parks Night of Fire event, followed by the obligatory annual Run to the Sun event to Newquay with his mates. He has many a fond memory of the journey down and back to this event. Another thing that

appealed to him about VWs was the camaraderie between owners, the friendly wave as you passed another Dub and the willingness to share information and stories. He bought his 1962, Australian built deluxe beetle in 2008 from Sydney. Nick lives in Brisbane, approx. 1,000 kms north of Sydney! He spotted this car online so rang the owner for a chat. Nick asked him to take his phone out to the car and start the engine so he could have a listen. He liked what he heard and what he was told, so committed to

fly down and purchase it. He then drove it back to Brisbanethat’s some good bonding time! Nick is not completely sure about its history but from the paperwork it would seem like there have been 3 previous owners. The Beetle was purchased new from Lanock Motors in Sydney in January 1963, it was shortly sold on to someone else from Sydney, and has a regular service history for up to the 30,000 mile mark in 1967. Then the history is sketchy. The car was being used as a daily driver when Nick bought it in 2008.

Feature Car | ‘62 Beetle

In 2012 he decided he was going to take it off the road to freshen up the paint, as it had a cheap overspray in elephant grey. The original Anthracite could be seen in the interior, and Nick dreamt of putting it back to its original colour. As these things do, it soon became a full on project, and reappeared 14 months later with Nick $10k worse off! Whilst not a nut and bolt restoration Nick says he is really happy with the end result and the amount of attention it gets on the road, at the shops and at the shows, and we can

see why - it looks so awesome in Anthracite, with silver beige side panels. This is the biggest project Nick has ever undertaken, previously he had carried out minor repairs and rebuilt an engine or two, so this was quite a step up. He rebuilt the stock 1600cc engine, lowered the vehicle by fitting an adjustable 2” narrowed beam on the front and 3” drop plates from the.dub.lab on the back, which has bought it down by about 3” all the way round. He has it rolling on 15” Radars, running 185/55 Silverstone on

the rear and 165/50 Silverstone on the front, with front disc brakes and the original drum brakes on the back. Body and paint wise, Nick had help from Benny at Affordable Bodywork in Lawnton. Benny helped get the body lines sorted, the gaps correct and the awesome paint laid down. Meisterberg supplied the interior seat covers and side panels, which were fitted by Michael at Performance Upholstery on Brisbane’s southside. He also had help from Steve Blackaby who did the pin striping.

Bodywork wise the passenger side front wing had previously been replaced with an earlier model, so it had to be reshaped and remodelled and the indicator location moved to match the original wing. At some point in its past it also had a nasty swipe to the passenger side (hence why the wing was replaced) which caused damage to the passenger door and the rear quarter panel. The passenger door was rectified by Benny at Affordable Bodyworks, the rear quarter panel was replaced by Nick with a donor section from another Beetle. Nick carried out minor rust repairs throughout the car but overall the car was in really good shape, lacking the usual rust we’re more used to finding on UK VW’s. The upholstery was completed by Performance Upholstery. Nick restored the original beige stock steering wheel and replaced the original headliner with a cream moleskin headliner. He is currently running it without carpet, after he stripped and painted the floor with black Hammerite, and with a floor as solid and blemish free as his, we don’t blame him! He has avoided cutting extra holes for speakers and the like, by keeping it simple and staying with the original Little Nipper radio and single speaker. Nick has started getting the car out and about now it’s show season, and has already been rewarded with a Top Ten people’s choice trophy at the Gold Coast Dub Club show, and picked up Best Modified Beetle in the pre 67 category and Best Paint Work at the Dubs by the Abbey show.

Feature Car | â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;62 Beetle

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Feature Car | â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;62 Beetle

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Feature Car | â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;62 Beetle

RestoRation & FabRication GeneRal RepaiR seRvice & Mot WoRk ModiFication & UpGRades inteRioRs & conveRsions paint & cUstoMisinG

Newbury, Berkshire

01635 276044

www.voodoovw.com

Shop Tour | 65 Deluxe

Behind The Scenes Interview by Joe Eynon Photography by Henry Powell

e love getting our hands dirty. When you see us at shows in our air-cooled VW’s you can be sure that 95% of the work done on them has been by our own hands. What if we couldn’t though? What if the job was too big or time just wasn’t on our side? What then?

One of the biggest problems we face when owning old cars is who to trust with them. I rarely let other people sit in my cars let alone do a restoration or re-spray! If you are in need of someone to trust then we know just the guy. His name is Jon Hancock.

With some air-cooled VW’s fetching silly prices these days you need to know your dub is in a good pair of hands.

Shop Tour | 65 Deluxe 65 Deluxe looks like a great company. What is it you do and where are you based? 65 Deluxe is basically an extension of my hobby which has got out of hand . We are restorers of air-cooled VW’s primarily , However we have done bodywork and paint on later T25 and T4 vehicles. We do modification and maintenance of mechanicals too as well as servicing and ongoing care for people . We are based in Westbury Wiltshire . From the images we can see you seem to do early VW’s. What do you specialise in? We really love working on early cars , there is a simplicity to them and a real satisfaction from working on something so old. There is also a massive sense of satisfaction getting something back together that if it was a Ferrari, would probably be scrapped. Im not afraid to take on serious projects, either for myself or for customers. Im also happy working on Bays and later bugs as well, We have a few bays in at the moment as well as a 1303 and a final edition Beetle - all in for full restoration. As long as the customer has a passion and a vision of what they want, I can make that happen How long have you been established? I set up about 5 years ago as a part time business running alongside a full time job. About 3 years ago I made the decision to make it full time This was more of a lifestyle choice as I was disillusioned with the day to day stresses of corporate life. I now enjoy life much more and get to do what I love very day. If I have a day off I miss it and want to go to the workshop. Sad isn’t it ? How many people work with you and who do you have ties with?

Shop Tour | 65 Deluxe

It may be my business but it’s also my hobby still. I don’t really have any ties with anyone on a professional level, I have trade accounts as you would expect but no real tie ins - I’m happy to recommend the people doing a good job , have a good product. Rusty Lee beds for example, I have a good group of contacts and will send people in the right direction if it’s something I don’t or can’t do. I work full time (6 or 7 days). I have a prep and painter guy (Chris) as well as a couple of guys who do a day or 2 a week. Finding people who have a passion to do the best work they can on a day to day basis is really hard - to most it’s just a job and that’s not what I’m after .

Can people just come and visit you? Yes, no problem. I’m happy for people to just pop over and have a cuppa - I would always advise they ring first to check we are about no good someone coming in if we are painting in the booth at the time.

There are always quite a few cars in, in various stages of restoration so people can see what we do as well as have a look at what we have around, there is normally something interesting lurking somewhere if you are into VW’s. What projects have you got on the go at the moment? As we have such a big workshop we have the ability to have lots of stuff on the go at once, catering for most budgets. Not everyone has 3k for a job, but they may have 300 a month over a 10 month period. This we can accommodate. Currently we have 15 window split, 11 window split, 4 x bays, 52 zwitter, 1300 beetle, 1303 beetle, last edition beetle, Volksrod, Type 25, 1200 beetle and a friends MG Sprite . As well as my projects. What is your favourite project you’ve ever done? I guess my favourite is Gareth Hamnetts 21 window. This is now having its final fit up and will be amazing when done. I did the metal restoration, then it went to Midland Paint Works and is now being fitted up elsewhere. It’s a 66 lotus white samba and is just going to be amazing when it hits the streets/scene. You’re obviously a VW nut. What do you own yourself and what have you had in the past? Joe, its too many. My first VW was a GT beetle when i was 17 (long time ago) and I’ve had pretty much everything since - Split bus, bay, t 25 t4, Split beetle, small window beetle, 67,

72 beetles, Type 3 fastback, Type 4 (412 ). Easier to say I’ve not had a ghia, notch, 1302 or 1303. Currently I own a couple of projects - 1953 Ambulance, 1964 21 window, I have also got a 911 project and 928’s My daily driver is a T4 caravelle. I am generally a car nut, I have also had a really nice 924, patina’d 1948 chevy step

Shop Tour | 65 Deluxe

side - oh and I forgot my 59 Karmann kabrio and a mk1 caddy, Gti and a couple of Cabio Mk1s! Do you ever venture into other cars/ genres?

Have you ever built a show car? What are the most important things to think about when doing so?

I used to show my 924, it’s still around and still one of the nicest on that scene (google Racer 86 924). I guess that Gareths samba will win a I just love cars Joe. Doesn’t have to be a few awards and be featured in the usual mags VW for me to get exited about it. I also run etc, however I try to work to the same ethic all the time. Do the job the best you can . I try to Autobahn Exiles Facebook page as a bit of fun. Just posting up cars for people to appreciate. treat each part of the job as a project - if you are doing the metal then treat each little piece I’m happy to work on other cars as long as it’s as a project and get that right before you move interesting and the owner has a passion for it . Doesn’t have to be expensive to be cool. Look at on . Having a touch of OCD helps I guess!! all the “stanced” 80s Japanese stuff out there.

Top 3 most important tools in your garage? Welder, Big compressor, Hammer and dollys. Are you apart of any clubs or regular meets? I try to attend the Wilts VW meets every month. They meet in Lacock, just down the road. Im a member of SBS as well. Where can people see your work? I try to show most of my work on Facebook, it allows customers to keep updated on there cars as well as showing what we are doing. Obviously customers take there cars to shows etc, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not generally a media whore.

Shop Tour | 65 Deluxe

What is your favourite show to go to?

other than a liking for the same vehicles.

My favourite show of the year - I have a few. 1 Volksworld - mainly as a season opener, see all the new cars but more importantly catch up with friends from around the world, have some nice food and a few drinks in good company. 2. Bus fest - I am always amazed at how many people are into this scene and how welcoming it is to anyone and everyone - 1000s of people gathered for one reason. 3 DTA BBQ - just amazing chilled out stupidness with a top group of people and some amazing cars that make a big effort for a gathering of just a few hours.

Worst thing about the VW scene?

Best thing about the VW scene?

The attention to detail is getting really good. Every inch of a car is treated like it was in the direct eyeliner of the viewer. I’m also liking the use of slightly different cars - Ned Faux Type 4 for

Friends/people . Every show you go to you end up making new friends, not based on anything

Money. I wonder how long a scene can survive when some vehicles are now commanding 100k. There are some scary numbers out there and it shows no sign of stopping. I can remember when we used to scrap splits because no one wanted them - Oh how times have changed!! What are you loving about the most recent crop of show cars that have been released recently?

example. Cars are made by the choice of wheel and I love rare unusual wheels. My vehicles will not be on rims you see everyday. Stance is all about the owner - I love a stock vehicle as much as a slammed one , but it has to be done right.Taking the top layer off the road when you are just driving along, well I’m too old for that. My Samba is being built with Full Hydraulics so I can get the best of both worlds , and still walk when I get there. I’m a big fan of fully restored vehicles as well and OG paint in any form. Not too keen on the “take a grinder to the bonnet of your MK3 golf estate and call it Patina” look though! Where can you see the scene going in the net few years? Really not sure. I can see a growing number of water-cooled cars getting serious restoration. A surge in Type 25 interest as they

are the only real value out there in a bus. Beetles making a big comeback. Not sure if it will go more stock or custom. I just hope prices don’t put people off getting into it all.

Shop Tour | 65 Deluxe

What do you have on your toast? Im old skool - “we like hot butter on our breakfast toast” Rappers Delight - Sugar Hill Gang! What’s your favourite VW of all time? I’m really not sure - most influential is the Street machine car in the 80’s - like so many we all read street machine and custom car - we couldn’t afford a 34 3 window (still can’t) or a lead sled. However the building of the red Beetle (at Volksworld this year) showed something we could afford and was available over here - that and the influence of Keith Sueme at Custom car did it for me . I was hooked. My favourite car of all time is Hector Bonillo’s original DKP 67 - for me it is the ultimate cal looker. Always the bridesmaid to Greg Aronsens Cal

Looker we all know from the same era, however just like in real life, the bridesmaid is ofter sexier than the bride! Huge thanks to Jon for taking part and being such a good sport. Also massive thank you to Henry Powell for taking these amazing photographs.

Shop Tour | 65 Deluxe

Show Report | Apex Festival

Words: Joe Eynon Photos: Scott Savage, Joe Eynon

his years Apex Festival was our 2nd visit to the Lydden Hill Race Circuit in the furthest corner of the UK near Dover. With a weekend jam packed full of racing in prospect we were more than a little excited! We made the 200 mile journey from the East Midlands to the track early on Saturday morning at arrived there around 10 a.m.. We were met by horrid weather. Being British I thought weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d get the weather out of the way first. As you may have guessed Lydden Hill Race Circuit is well... on a big hill. Therefore if it is forecast windy conditions throughout

Show Report | Apex Festival the UK you can be sure it will be very very windy at the track. It did not disappoint. It was a strong cold wind with soggy drizzle. Not very good for racing or watching motorsport. We remained positive and so did a lot of people. We saw Simon Sergides, (Mr. Apex), walking around all morning in his signature flip-flops and shorts. What ever the weather he fails to disappoint! Our positive attitude, or stubbornness, was rewarded around lunchtime when the rain stopped and the sunshine appeared. The area around Lydden Hill has its own micro climate and you’re advised not to read into any weather forecasts, ever! Once the sun came out the racing could begin! Apex Festival was set up by a bunch of guys who wanted

to make racing affordable and accessible to all. Although it tends to attract a large number of Volkswagen’s it is not just a VW event. Apex themselves label it as Classic, Race, Retro, Performance. Anything is welcome as long as you have a passion for motorsport and obey all the rules. Remember motorsport is dangerous kids!

<It was great to see

everyone getting the chance to drive their car on a racetrack.>

There were plenty to keep everyone entertained throughout the weekend and not just racing, but let’s be honest. That’s what you want to hear about! There was some spectacular cars on display. The Retro Drift Challenge was brilliant to watch and showed how crazy those

Show Report | Apex Festival

guys really are. The Ford Pop, (left) was brilliant as well as the Toyota Starlet. Not normally cars you would hear about in a VW magazine! If you wanted to you could take you own car on the track. We saw everything over the weekend from modern dailies, driveway build race cars and slammed rides. It was great to see

everyone getting the chance to drive their car on a racetrack. The Beetle Cup made a rare appearance during the weekend and finished off the Sundays scheduling with a feature race which saw some fantastic wheel to wheel racing between friends. Plenty of cars found the

gravel traps during the weekend showing that their drivers were finding the limits of the track and more!

<some fantastic wheel to wheel racing between friends> Michael Flynn, who owns the Air Monkeys featured Kamei

Show Report | Apex Festival

Berg Cup Golf, organised the Retro Rides part of the weekend with all sorts of cars taking part in this. From Golfs and Minis to Mustangs. You could buy yourself a passenger lap in one of these cars too which would have made some peoples dreams come true. If you were feeling especially brave you could even buy a ride in a drift car! The show had some great entertainment on such as a drive-in movie on the Saturday night and live music from the CoolFlo tent all weekend. There was also music from the Dance tent on the Saturday night so

you could party into the early hours. No disturbing the family camping though this weekend as the dance tent was a silent disco!

<it was fantastic to see a thoroughbred race car on the track> The weekend also had the regular show features such as display cars and a small traders area but this is not really what the weekend is all about so it takes a back seat compared to other events. The food traders were great yet again. The organisers make a real effort to get good food at

the show and this year they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t disappoint with great street vendors present. One of the best parts of the weekend was the accessibility it provided. Free grandstand seats, there was no extra hidden charges. You could walk into the pits area and have a really close look at some of the race cars. Plus due to the nature of the race circuits layout you could walk nearly all the way around the track and have a great view of every corner throughout the weekend. My personal favourite view is the exit of turn one. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite

Show Report | Apex Festival

Show Report | Apex Festival a step rise on a corner which is almost 180 degrees. The track itself is only 1 mile long but poses quite a few challenges even for an experienced driver. One of the highlights for me was watching on ex-BTCC Renault Laguna do timed laps around the track. The car was hitting every bump on its way round and leaning into each corner. The driver was not holding back and it was fantastic to see a thoroughbred race car on the track. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!

<Plan your weekend well in advance and you’ll not regret it!> A lot of people in the UK get put off travelling to the event due to it’s location. Don’t let this happen! This event is not to be missed. It is only 200 miles. People travel much much further for EBI and le Bug at Spa and you’ll get much better value for money at Apex. It attracts a lot of European visitors so if they can be bothered to make the trip over the channel for it don’t you think you should venture onto the dreaded M25 and head into Kent. Plan your weekend well in advance and you’ll not regret it! (Lecture over!) I hope to see many more of you there next year!

m o o R r Boile Bus

UK 67 preserved A perfectly ! Baywindow d Thorpe orpe words by Ed r and Edd Th a e y d o o G k ic Photos by N

ne of the great things about being involved in the VW scene is the contacts and friends that you develop along the way. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re often being tipped off to friends of friends cars, who undeservedly sit in the shadows of the limelight while other cars, not unjustly so you understand, go on to form some kind of notoriety within the scene. We pride ourselves on celebrating the unsung heroes of the scene, the cars that are more often found in the car park than the show halls and this makes the magazine all the better! One such vehicle to be brought to our

Feature | UK 67 Bay attention is this stunning 68, F reg, UK bay window Devon camper you see before you. We were ‘tipped off’ to this stunning example by Nick Goodyear of Rustworks. He informed me that ‘Nobby’ is a regular customer of his Peterborough based business. The van was bought by Nobby in completely stock condition around 4 years ago, with an unprecedented amount of history with it (a folder full of which I browsed at Stanford hall with him and trust me comprehensive is not the word!). We’re

talking Delivery Notes, letters to and from Devon regarding issues with seat foam, as well as all service records and MOT’s, which is some going for saying Nobby became the 4th owner of this van, a credit to 3 people’s care and attention over the last 45 years. Believe it or not Nobby put this van into service as his daily driver, getting him to and from whatever building site he was working on at the time. But soon the modifying itch took

hold after regular visits to the Rustworks shop and eyeing up the BRM replica wheels which were serving (literally) purpose as the shop coffee table with accompanying ply wood top..! The mondo exhaust system made its way onto the original engine, before tickling it with the lowering stick..! Nick was strict enough to issue stern orders

Feature | UK 67 Bay that this was not going in the weeds as it had to be a useable daily still.

< soon the modifying itch took hold after regular visits to the Rustworks shop>

Interestingly during the earlymid 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s said original engine developed some kind of fault, with the factory re-issuing a replacement, still in its 1600 single port guise. I got to see this Bay at Stanford Hall and can testify

to its stunning condition. Yes the paint is a little patchy, but underneath is rock solid, credit to the original owner keeping it immaculate by

storing it in the boiler room of their pub in Scotland. Nobby’s friend, Monkey, sat on the Bay for some time, with it resting up in his garage, where they would look at it most weekends and egg each other on about how Nobby would buy it off him. As patience being the virtue that it is, the golden phone call came and Nobby did what he did best and managed to raise the cash (amount unknown to this day).

< better preserved

condition than any of its U.S counterparts> Now if I’d have started this feature off with an insight of how great a condition this bus is really in, how clean all the door shuts and sills are, the solid original paint in the gutters and you’d have thought “here we go again, another dry state import Bus..” Nope. Far from it! Scotland is not exactly famed for its blistering, dry climate now is it? Anywhere in the UK tends to see its fair share of precipitation, and

with it pot hole riddled, puddle brimmed roads which leads to the downfall of many a dub. I’m going to stick my neck out here and say hands down that this is in better preserved condition than any of its U.S counterparts.

A bold statement to say the least. But, I stick by this, in that whilst American buses do have well preserved metal work, anything that is remotely

Feature UK 67 Bay

perishable, such as window rubbers, vinyl seats, door cards and soft even wooden laminates, have a terrible habit of becoming brittle and fragile, with laminates peeling and door cards curling up at the edges. Wiring looms are another pain on U.S buses and often little or no electrics survive due to the brittle nature of the loom, often requiring a total strip out to be considered anything like safe. No such problem here with these supple, good-as-new seats, cab mats and interior

panels. And what an interior it is! I love seeing complete, original Devon interiors in that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so different to their Westfaila cousins. The bed is situated to the far side of the van opposite the sliding door on these as opposed to being adjacent to it, with nifty contraptions such as the fold out stove and shield, which is still immaculate and believed to be un-used! Bar a few (read by many) choicely applied stickers and the aforementioned modifications this van rolls exactly as it did

when first registered in 1968. It is also a great delight to see that Nobby is using this bus for exactly as it is intended, it is by far no trailer queen and is bringing as much joy now as it ever did â&#x20AC;&#x201C; long may it continue!

Feature | UK 67 Bay

p o T r u o Drop Y

by Words and Photos Richard Thorpe

how he became involved with Beetle Cabriolets and gives us a brief outline of how the whole Beetle Cabriolet concept came about from the very early days right through to the 3rd generation Beetle. From his writing style you can tell that he thoroughly enjoys all things Beetle Cab with his excitement shining through and leaping off the pages.

he Beetle Cabriolet has been treated to a full new edition book written by Malcolm Bobbitt and published by Veloce Books. It is printed onto a fantastic quality stock of paper and is quite a read at 128 pages from cover to cover. In the introduction pages, Malcolm tells us

The book is divided into 4 main parts, the first being the origins of the Beetle. Here the book goes into great depth about the early preproduction and development days, with fantastic photos, promotional posters, facts and figures and surviving examples from the very beginning of the Beetle concept, with Karmann, Hebmuller and, of course, Porsches links with the Beetle all documented in detail.

Product Review | Beetle Cabriolet book

Part 2 explains how the Cabriolet evolved, with Karmann being the largest producer, and Hebmuller producing the twoseat body version untilâ&#x20AC;Śwell youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to read the book to find out why they stopped! Again the whole evolution is explained in great detail with original press release photos and cut-away diagrams showing the Cabriolet from every conceivable angle (I personally think that the pre-cabriolet split-window Beetle with full-length sunroof looks absolutely gorgeous). Again the links with different models and companies is explored, with a full technical diagram showing the Beetle chassis being the basis for the Karmann Ghia and Limousine chassis too. The differences between each year and spec level is also explained, again with photos and original VW adverts and press release articles. As well as the original Beetle, the 2nd generation Beetle Cabriolet is also treated to some limelight, with cutaways and official adverts too. Part 3 is about living with a Cabriolet, which I think is a brilliant section to include. It contains Buying Advice with

areas to look out for and also the differences between models, years, countries etc in great detail. Restoration Advice is linked in with the Specialist Advice, which describes which bits you can do yourself and which bits are best left to the pros (or if you are a pro, how to do it yourself), and which areas to pay particular attention to and subtle differences in the evolution of the Beetle. The final chapter is about the New Beetle (2nd generation, as is was originally printed before the launch of the New New Beetle. Pay attention at the back, there will be

questions later). This section explains about the need for a new Beetle, and also how to capture the spirit of the original Cabriolet but with a modern design - from the initial designs at VWs California Design Centre in Los Angeles right up to the production vehicle. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite believe that the 2nd generation design is as old as it is (it was initially designed in 1991 and unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in 1994! Production started in late 1997 and lasted until 2010 when the 3rd generation debuted). The final paragraphs of the chapter explain the end of the 2nd generation and the introduction of the 3rd generation Beetle (or the 2nd generation New Beetle as VW call itâ&#x20AC;Ścall it what you will), with the Cabriolet announced soon after. The Appendixes provide raw facts and figures ranging from the number of

Cabriolets produced each year, original specifications, colours produced and their codes and year of manufacture, and a chronology of upgrades/modifications from the first year of production until the last. Overall, this book provides a fascinating and in-depth look at the Beetle Cabriolet from the very beginning and has something for everyone - from the casual enthusiast right down to the hard-core detailstudying enthusiast, and everyone in between.

Making logos and laser cuts since 2011 www.facebook.com/TrintEastwoodGrafix

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Email. enquires@buddyspaintshack.co.uk or call. 07952 448353

Show Report | Barndoor Gathering

The 1st European Barndoor Gathering words and photos: and Vintage VW Show Edd Thorpe t’s always special to be a part of something new.

The 1st time any show is held is pretty monumental, and signifies the Herculaneum effort it takes to piece together everything it takes to lay on a gathering. It’s even more amazing to be a part of potentially a new, official World Record for anything, but to combine a brand new show and a record attempt is the stuff of dreams! Sure enough, over the Easter weekend of the 19th-20th of April, Niels Timmerman, of Air Mighty Megascene and a dedicated crew did just that. Held at the original railway import sidings of the Wagenwerkplaats Amersfoort, the setting made it even more appropriate being the actual place where VW Type 2’s were transported by rail into the Pon dealership Network in Holland. This show has earned the nickname ‘The Ben Pon Show’ largely because of the influence that the Amersfoort born and bred man made on the Volkswagen vehicle range. Having been a shrewd and clever businessman, he personally visited the Wolfsburg factory in 1946 to oversee the purchase of vehicles for export to Holland. It was on his visit to the factory that he saw what the factory were using as a parts moving vehicle, known simply as a “plattewagen”. Convinced

something better could be devised, Pon made the now famous sketch in his diary of the ‘box on wheels’ on April 23rd 1947. Pon also saw the potential of the humble Beetle in U.S markets, having established a firm reputation throughout the Netherlands with his Pon’s Automobielhandel (“Pon’s Car Dealership”), and was actually the first dealer outside of Germany to sell vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen. In 1949 he personally shipped a single Beetle into the U.S to convince the new market that the humble Beetle was indeed the future.

<The show had a really relaxed and friendly atmosphere, even among such precious, rare and valuable vehicles> This show seeks not only to celebrate the concept of the Type 2 Volkswagen but to commemorate a man who’s vision has arguably changed the scene that we know and love more than any other individual (bar perhaps Major Ivan Hurst, but that’s another story..!)Without a doubt, cracking the U.S market sculpted the custom culture we follow today, imagine no Cal-Look, Drag Bugs, or Rat Lookers, no Beech Buggies or Baja’s.. all of which owe

their routes to their American Counterparts..! The Wagenwerkplaats is a beautifully preserved and still operational railway maintenance facility and museum, think York Railway meets Holland! The perfect setting to gather what was to be a new world record for “The Most Barndoor VW Buses in one Place” with a firm figure of 85, beating the previous U.S-held record of 58. What a sight that is to behold! The organisers carefully arranged all of the buses into the main square, even arranging a line of near identical Sealing Wax Red and Chestnut Brown 23 Window Sambas, something which has to be seen to be believed! There was plenty going on elsewhere, with the vast camping areas available hosting some fantastic VW’s of all models and ages, and some weird and wonderful creations thrown in for good measure. On the other sidings and yards around the site, VW’s were arranged in their model type in vast numbers for display, with all Beetle’s arranged in one yard, and Type34 Razor edge Ghias for example lined up together. This again makes for a truly remarkable spectacle, and also makes it rather difficult to explain how rare something is when you see a large number of them all in one place! Only in Amersfoort!

The show had a really relaxed and friendly atmosphere, even among such precious, rare and valuable vehicles, which made for a fantastic weekend, blessed with some scorching weather, making wandering among the many stalls, private traders and large firms alike, all the more enjoyable. The opportunity to meet new people was taken well on board, with a large number of UK guys heading out, some of which took in the various open houses such as the Klassic Fab open day on the Friday, and some stretching out the weekend with the Kieft en Klok open day on the Easter Bank Holiday Monday.

<Niels

proposed to his long term girlfriend on the dance floor on the Saturday night!> It is here that I would personally like to take the opportunity to thank a couple of people, firstly to Niels for inviting us to attend the event and I only hope this feature pays homage to just how fantastic the show really was (ooh and congratulations on your Engagement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Niels proposed to his long term girlfriend on the dance floor on the Saturday night!) â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hayburner Vicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for the chip I pinched and also to my Brother, Rich.

Show Report | Barndoor Gathering

He was all lined up to be going to Amersfoort for this event, but due to last minute commitments with the RAF, was unable to attend. Rich selflessly handed over the ferry crossing and press pass; despite being gutted that he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t attend. I think we all need to take stock of what our armed forces personnel

sacrifice on a daily basis so that we can enjoy our freedoms. Enjoy.

<something which has to be seen to be believed> Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re already looking forward to the next one!

can only mean at th d an e er h is er Finally Summ one thing, Barbeque! r the smell of fo ng lo e w r te in w All through isce over last years in m re d an es ag us sa burning e trouble is, by Th s. ng to st lo ng lo e hunt for th ar I find myself ye e th of Q B B d ir the th me bland burnt sa e th of d re bo e tl getting a lit riment and play pe ex to t ar st I So . fodder dips to make d an es ad in ar m w ne around with ing can be th ry ve E g. in st re te in life a little more to store and sy ea is d an e nc va made in ad excuse for y an er ng lo no is e transport, so ther frozen burgers of x bo d sa a h it w turning up and a weak apology.

Feature| With Love Bakery

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Feature| With Love Bakery

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S’mores!

the coals d n a r ve o is e u q Barbe Ok so now your but still to r e g n ba r e th o n a mate are to cool to cre at do you do? h W . ve o m d n a y hot tr ores! It’s ’m S e m so e k a m r and Grab another bee hile you are busy w s id k e th r fo a perfect job lf, they will love e rs u yo g in y jo n e chatting and romise they p t n ca I t bu y ss me getting sticky and will sleep later. You will need: arshmallow’s 1 large bag of M ally, just chop re cy n fa u yo g in th Some chocolate, any to melt easily. h g u o n e ll a sm n w it do any firm biscuity r o ( bs o N b o H 1 packet of substitute) enjoy. We tend ay m u yo s g n lli fi Any random Jam, Bananas, y rr e h C , r e tt u B t to use Peanu y Marmalade. k n u ch r o s ie rr be Straw ugh to wrap o n e e id w il fo e som Cut yourself off

your biscuit and plac e one into the midd le of it stacking carefully on to your chocolate, fi lling and marshmallow finishin g this special sandw ich off with another biscuit and wrap tightly. R est it o top of your still war coals and turn from time to time so they don ’t burn. Soon they will be oo owie and goowie an d ready to squadge and eat. Careful though, they will be hot!

Feature| With Love Bakery

Huge Thanks to Jess Edwards from With Love Bakery and Dan Smith for helping her with this article.

Interviewer: Samantha Eynon Photos: courtesy of Outreach and Richy Hurle

An Interview with ... Richy Hurle (tattoo artist)

We have been trying to catch up with Richy Hurle, having admired his artwork for a while, and now he has opened his own tattoo studio it felt like a good time.

So first off who are you? My names Richy Hurle, I’m 29 and I own and tattoo full time from Wood Street Inc tattoo studio in Calne, Wiltshire You did plenty of artwork before becoming a tattooist, what is your favourtie medium to work with? My favourite medium to work with varies, tattooing aside I’ve painted on most things from

walls to sheds to shoes using pens, paints and ink, but I still above everything love basic black fine line pens on pastel paper, I’ve never moved away and found anything i enjoy more so I guess that’s my favourite How did you get into tattooing? I fell into an tattoo apprenticeship in a local studio and was lucky to be taken on, having exchanged artwork with the owner I expressed

An Interview With | Richt Hurle

interest in learning to tattoo which she agreed to. It was something I considered when I was younger but never got into it, and had started an apprenticeship in furniture making instead. I’m glad I waited now, as I feel my 18 year old self wouldn’t have stuck at the constant watching and late nights working in the studio in the working up to doing my first tattoo. I was also working full time at a funeral directors in order to pay the bills at the same time, and eventually reached a point where I could make a living from tattooing full time, that was a good day. Could you tell us a little about your tattoo shop? Our (mine and my business partner and now gorgeous missus) studio is called Wood Street Inc, we’re in Calne, Wiltshire. We got the keys to our part-renovated and unloved shop in June 2013, hoping to be open by July/August, however there was much more work involved than we’d hoped for. The shop had been derilict and boarded up since 2004, and had no doors, windows, floors or electric. We undertook all the work ourselves with help from a few mates,

and used re-claimed materials for the front shop area, the oak floor was taken from an old pub being renovated, the walls are individual pages from 1930’s encyclopaedias we cut and pasted up, and furniture was hunted from eBay, the main reception desk I made from leftover materials from a garden decking project and a house clearance. The studio is a clean and modern room we designed specifically for tattooing and piercing, and every inch is home to various things that make us smile from toy cars to bikes to artwork. We’ve tried to make the shop a place where we enjoy being and not just a workplace, and where friends/family want to do the same outside of work hours, we’ve got decking for bbq’s in the summer and pinball machine for entertainment inside, if it had a garage attached it’d be perfect. How would you describe your style? I wouldn’t stay I have a exact defined style, I love tattooing footwork/pattern work, along with illustrative designs both being favourites, but I also enjoy most forms tattooing, I think sticking to only one kind of work would for me be boring, part of the fun of the work is variation.

An Interview With | Richt Hurle

< ... I eventually reached a point where I could make a living from tattooing full time, that was a good day >

< Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to draw all over a camper, for someone who has a white shiny van and wanted a huge mehndi/geometric design on it....thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be fun >

An Interview With | Richt Hurle

What would be your ideal tattooing job? My ideal tattooing job is when a client comes in with a cool idea and an open mind so we can create something a bit different and have fun with it. What would be your worst? On the opposite, my least favourite is a combination of people who can be set on an idea that as an artist you can see won’t work, be it from the actual design or the positioning on the body, if people aren’t willing to listen to advice it can be frustrating as you’re only trying to help them get what looks best. That and people who avoid basic hygiene, it’s not cool to come in after a long gym session smelling like it. Which artists do you look up to? I look up to people from varying art backgrounds, they include Ralph Steadman, Spzero76, Mydogsighs, Little Swastika, Noon, Koop are among the many, all of these peoples work blows me away, but I find new artists all the time who do work that makes me want to do better. What would be your ideal job? My ideal arty job, it’s hard to chose but I’d love to draw all over a camper, for someone who has a white shiny van and wanted a huge mehndi/geometric design on it....that’d be fun Is there an art skill you’d love to learn? There’s loads Id like to learn, I’ve recently started to practice pinstriping so would like to develop that further, and also traditional signwriting I’d like to learn too.

We loved your polo that you doodled on, what did you use to do it, why did you do it? Have you done anything else similar? My breadvan polo was a standard 1 owner car that was plain white, and ended up being used as a giant white-board, I actually did it during the quieter days at my old job as a funeral directors, sat on an office chair in a full suit with a pen in hand. I hadn’t planned it, just seemed like a good idea one day and nothing was predrawn, I just free handed the design using various paint and ink marker pens, covering the drivers side and bonnet over a couple of days, I’d always intended to do the entire car but it died before that happened, many memories in that polo but now at least it’s the coolest car in the scrapyard. I’ve painted a few cars and vans since, but I’d love to have the chance to do another polo or early golf. Could you tell us a bit about cars you’ve had and your interest in them? I’ve owned a bit of a variety of cars since I was 17, these include a Renault 5, 3 polo breadvans, 1 of which we drove 3000 miles across Europe on a charity rally, a 16v mk2 gti, 2 300+bhp

Nissan 200sx’s, a skyline, a handful of mk1 golfs, but the one I regret selling most was an original mk2 ford escort rs2000 x-pack bought out of a garage with the owner being clueless to what it was and wanting it gone, I sold it on and it ended up on the cover of classic ford. Currently I have a mk1 golf Gls from Jersey, in a fetching gold that I’ve put a mk1 golf gti engine/box in, and a 79 bay window bus that is more a mobile beach-hut and used as much as possible. I also race hillclimbs and sprints with my dad in a car he built, a Sylva Phoenix powered by an Alfa Romeo engine. I’ve been brought up on classic competition cars, and gained a collection of Vw’s and now try to combine to 2, my current golf is a nod to that, I could’ve put a bigger 2.0l engine in but wanted to keep it all mk1 and period parts, I’ve got no interest in slamming it on BBS wheels as there’s already too many of those, slightly lowered on Opel wheels and I’m happy, and it’s perfect for playing on the country lanes round my way, all my cars are built to be driven and have fun in, a few scratches and dirt are all part of it. What are your plans for the future? Future plans for cars are in action as I’m

An Interview With | Richt Hurle

currently searching the States for a 30th birthday gift to myself in the form of some American muscle, for the shop i’d like another full time artist to work there eventually and maybe allow me a bit more time to spend with my better half, and finish a few side projects off. What else do you like to do? Other hobbies, mainly art based as I have 100’s of ideas I’d like to try out, large scale illustration is always fun I’d like the chance to do more, usually spare time is spent drawing up tattoo designs for work. I like to collect anything that catches my eye, searching bootsales to auto jumbles for anything a bit old and sorry looking. I collect toy cars, mainly VW and American, but anything really, it’s no fun buying them all online of rather rummage

through boxes of them at shows. Vintage bikes are building up in my house, currently his and hers 40’s Hawethorns and a 50’s Rollfast, all with a touch of patina, are my favourites, but there’s a handful waiting for rebuilding and modifying. I’ve crudely slammed a lowrider using flat steel bars so it’s basically unrideable, I’m not a fan of showy chrome so I figured I should build something that represents that. I should mention my girl who puts up with my constant wandering mind and child like desire to keep collecting and rescuing items from skips/ charity shops etc, and her 2 children being the coolest kids ever, I’m sorry for what you chose to deal with and I’m thankful for it :)

Show Report | Stonor Park

Stonor Park

Words: Ed Kellas Photos: Reece Chapman

Show Report | Stonor Park Stonor

(pronounced Stoner or Stonner, if you’re John Daniel who runs it)

This jewel in the calendar again was typically sun drenched, JD has made a pact with the devil it seems. We entered the venue by the (non-existent queue) show car gate and drove up to check in. This cost us £5 as we pre-booked. That’s £5 PER CAR, so four people can get in for £1.25 each when you show your car but only if you’ve pre-entered. Enter on the day and it’s £10 a person and £5 to show your car,…. which would you choose?? The show classes had been slightly re-jigged to make an aircooled or watercooled avenue of Pride and Joy which looked fantastic, yet with some other classes still sadly under-subscribed which is a shame.

Show Report | Stonor Park

Classic Porsche had two entrants, which both won (by turning up) or other low turn out classes should’ve been full looking at the array of rides in the general car park. I do think something should be changed here with shiny rides being offered reduced rates at the entrance perhaps, someone knowledgeable on the gate to aid this guidance too? Onto the subject of judging, Pride and Joy are self chosen by the other entrants which makes a nice change for such a rigorously stringent mark sheet’d checklist show. This year again however Resto-Cal was won by a Cal-looker and Cal-look was won by a “Resto-cal” of sorts. Strange as!! The internet has killed parts suppliers turning up to shows to sell their wares at show prices. You can easily do this online now so they save a lot of money on expensive show stands. We also missed the nice German sausage dude who used to come over every year to trade but now chooses Edition38 instead later in the year sadly. The autojumble was fantastic as always though, maybe this is the new way of selling these days, with the added bonus of tarpaulins of rusty tinwear not existing anymore!!

Show Report | Stonor Park

Going back to the Show & Shine I’m sure some of the judges had a tough job with some of the awesome rides on show. Some were truly stunning, and all tastes were catered for. I rubbed my thighs (in a Vic Reeves style) many times whilst getting burned under the fine British sunshine, I’ve been going since the mid 90s and it still has only rained hard possibly twice in that time. In summary, it’s still cheaper to show your car than to pay on the gate.

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Music that has been doing the rounds at Air Monkeys HQ

White Denim Corsicana Lemonade Pete Salter

Even the most able of musicians have experienced the acute Ennui that comes with witnessing a fellow craftsman produce something so incredibly impressive, it makes everything else seem inferior by comparison. White Denim are one of those bands that make you consider packing the whole damned business in altogether, such is the quality of their song-writing and musicianship. Latest album, Corsicana Lemonade is a much more mature, polished effort than any of its predecessors. A phenomenally good record from start to finish, it’s absolutely fit to burst with 70’s rock riffs, psychedelic groovy bass lines and frenetic, jazzy percussion. Vocalist James Petralli’s soulful, crooning voice is the cherry on top of a particularly delicious, musical cake. At Night in Dreams is an undoubted highlight that will remain in your head long after you’ve heard it. Let It Feel Good (My Eagles) is another high point with its fun, uplifting chorus and Come Back is a wonderfully bluesy rock number that channels the likes of Cream and Free. This is a great album by an incredible band and wouldn’t you know it – they’re a good-looking bunch too. Bastards. Sounds like: Grinderman, Captain Beefheart, Cream Stand out track: At Night in Dreams Rating: 10/10

Regular | Earworm Manchester Orchestra Cope Sam Eynon

Andy Hull’s voice is just incredible, it can be haunting, quiet and understated, or pained and full of raw emotion. This album doesn’t match up to Simple Math in it’s variety and ability to go from beautiful and incredibly intimate, to stadium rousing rock, but Hull aimed to make this album “What was missing in rock today.” and in that he has succeeded. Cope thunders along, coming in at 38 minutes, their shortest album to date, and it leaves you wanting to listen to it again immediately. There is not a bad song to be found here, but many fit into the same formula, which can make them bleed into each other, and makes it lack the roller coaster feel of previous albums, but this album was made to be turned up loud and bellowed along to, and I’m pretty happy to do just that! Linkin Park The Hunting Party Joe Eynon

Chester Bennington has been working on his new role as the latest frontman with the Stone Temple Pilots, so many thought the latest effort from LP was going to be half-hearted. In fact the opposite is true. It appears different enough whilst still keeping its core qualities. The emo Linkin Park is dead. The Hunting Party has a darker richer sound, with more of the screaming and energetic vocals we’ve been expecting for many albums. Mixing their signature sounds with new collaporations including a Rakin sample, makes the album deeper and seems to tie up loose ends that were left undone in previous albums. The band appear to have gained some strength from somewhere and it is all for the better! Sounds like: Atreyu, Drowning Pool, Billy Talent Stand out track: Guilty all the same Rating: 8/10

Sounds like: Bad Books, Kevin Devine Stand out track: Rating: 9/10

First Aid Kit Stay Gold Sam Eynon

The Söderberg sisters return with their third studio album Stay Gold. It is again produced by Mike Mogis and is perhaps the most consistent and confident of their offerings, although there are no songs here that can quite stand up to the pure beauty of Emmylou. Since their last release they have moved to the major label of Columbia, and this is telling in the production, which is much grander. The beautiful close harmonies are of course present, with big choruses and a 13 piece orchestra. It is a sun drenched offering of Americana that is an easy listen, however, one can’t help but wonder where they can go from here to avoid sounding formulaic. Sounds like: Laura Marling, Fleet Foxes, Hello Saferide Stand out track: My Silver Lining Rating: 8/10

Eels The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett Joe Eynon

This album is supposed to be a gut wrenching tale from the heart about missed opportunities and stolen loves. The problem is that Eels are a festival headlining band who when sing about their misery and destruction, I just don’t buy it. A great album but with too much emphasis on its meaning, rather just making a good album. Some of the tracks are typical Eels and some are just a bit mundane. Nothing new but why bother with new when you’re already different to the norm. Sounds like: Stars, Sufjan Stevens, Beck Stand out track: Agatha Chang Rating: 7/10

Regular | Earworm Jack White Lazaretto Pete Salter

Lazaretto, the follow up to Jack White’s 2012 solo debut, Blunderbuss, provides further demonstration that the Michiganborn songsmith is at his most interesting when working alone. The enviably talented multi-instrumentalist’s latest release is almost impossible to pin down in terms of genre as it leaps from bluegrass and garage rock to funk and psychedelia, stopping off almost everywhere in between. Lead single Lazaretto is the star of the record with Jack’s urgent, staccato vocals topping off an infectious, bouncy, fuzzy guitar hook and bombastic chorus. The Beatles-esque Alone In My Home is pretty beautiful – a charming piano-led number that you’d be hard pushed to resist and album opener, Three Women – a tale of dastardly postcode-spanning polygamy – is as good a rock and roll song as you’ll hear this year. A final word – if you’re going to get this record, pick up the luxuriant blue vinyl version. If you’re not convinced it’s worth the extra pennies, look it up. It’s a record collector’s wet dream. Sounds like: The Raconteurs, The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes Stand out track: Lazaretto Rating: 8/10 Tune Yards Nikki Nack Sam Eynon

Nikki Nack is the third full length recording from Merrill Garbus, and it fizzes with playfulness. It is probably the most reserved of her albums, though that is not saying much; it stomps, claps, chants and bounces along with all the energy of a playground. Tune Yards has such a unique sound that blends Haitian grooves, African music, blues, jazz, RnB and everything in between. Some of the tracks can feel a little disconnected at times, but it is all pulled together by the sheer force and confident delivery of Garbus. Sounds like: Menomena, Davic Burne & St. Vincent, Dirty Projectors Stand out track: Water Fountain Rating: 7/10

We Have Band Movements Joe Eynon

If any band out of the recent crop of electronica infused artists can make a room of people stare into a bass induced trance then We Have Band are that band. This is the third album from them and yet again gives the listener heavy bass beats and true sounding drums with active snares like a rattlesnake in your living room. When listening to this album you become aware that you’re partaking in some very special sounds. This band should be bigger than they are, but sometimes the world just isn’t fair! Overall this album packs a punch although it is a punch slowed down by time and hits you at a speed that just invigorates you and surges adrenaline through your veins. Sounds like: Citizens!, The Rapture, Bloc Party Stand Out Track: Someone Rating: 9/10 Connor Oberst Upside Down Mountain Sam Eynon

In his teens Orbest was already writing superb music, at the age of 19 he had written three Bright Eyes albums, and the phrase “New Dylan” was thrown around with gay abandonment. However, having such an accolade thrust upon you at such a young age can be a bit of an albatross around your neck, and over the years he has struggled to meet people’s lofty expectations. However, with this album, Orbest has done his damnedest to be worthy of the early praise. The album is sincere and tinged with melancholy, though there are some brighter tracks to be found like “Hundreds of Ways”. Orbest’s voice has lost none of it’s vulnerable quiver, which adds to the confessional, story telling feel of his work. The addition of backing vocals on many of the songs from First Aid Kit certainly adds to the album, their beautiful harmonies perfectly complementing Orbest’s trembling lilt. Sounds like: Bright Eyes, Phosphorescent, Wilco Stand out track: Zigzagging Toward the Light Rating: 7/10

Regular | Earworm Blink-182 Enema of the State Joe Eynon

When I was a teenager people listened to two different types of music. The internet had not quite managed to fill our minds with endless bands and artists so we still had a smaller selection to choose from and an even smaller selection made it into the mainstream. Young men aged 12-18 either listened to HipHop or Pop-Punk. There was about 1 year when everyone listened to nu-Metal but this tended to be the rule. The guys who listened to HipHop played football and the guys who listened to Pop-Punk skateboarded. Those days pretty much wrote my future for me. We thought life was so difficult. School sucked, our parents made our life hell and all we wanted to do was grow up but stay young! Bands such as Yellowcard, Less Than Jake, Saves the Day, The Get Up Kids, Sum 41 and Fenix TX helped us find ourselves in our youth but there was one band who not only shaped us but also shaped all other pop-punk and modern punk for years to follow; Blink-182. The band managed to capture the minds of a troubled generation and pointed us in the direction that we wanted to go. Whatever direction that was. With bands such as The Wonder Years, Mayday Parade and You Me at Six

all stating they would not excist without Blink-182 their influence is obvious. The band formed in 1992 and released a number of albums before releasing Enema of the State. Up until this point the band consisted of Mark Hoppus, Tom Delonge and Scott Raynor, 3 high school friends who wanted to play in a band and skate. Scott left and in came Travis Barker who was at the time playing with Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies. This was the catalyst of a major change. M.C.A put them on their major label and with Travis’ drumming, (seen as many as the best drummer in the world), made Blink-182 into a much more complete band. They were transformed from tin can, tape deck, school hall pop rock to stadium fillers over the course of a few months without actually changing who they were. Enema of the State was their breakthrough album. Released in 1999 it created a whole new genre of music overnight with many others following soon. The album is filled with Blink’s signiture toilet humour as all their previous albums, Dude Ranch and Cheshire Cat, had but a sense of maturity had enveloped them. Maybe they recognised their fanbase was getting bigger, maybe the had now finally got some life stories to tell. Whatever it was it created songs such as Adam’s Song which was penned back in 1997 by Mark Hoppus based on a sucide letter written by a high school student. Controversey soon came when the song was heard in the background on a loop as 17-year-old Greg Barnes, a survivor of the Columbine High School massacre, hanged himself in the garage of his family’s home. The album did also have the typical dick jokes and gafs we expect from Blink with a fully nude music video to “What’s my age again” and the sickeningly pop friendly “All the small things”. This album is not only a great pop-punk album, it’s a great punk album. One of the best. With this album Blink went on to write some amazing work and became one of the biggest bands in the world. Sounds like: Fenix TX, The Wonder Years, Sum 41 Stand Out Track: Adams Song Rating: 10/10

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Show Report | Dubfreeze

Dubfr

eeze

Word s Pictu : Joe Eyn res: Jame on s Ow en

2014

ong thought of as the season opening show Dubfreeze appears to fall in and out of vogue on a yearly basis. This years show must have been an â&#x20AC;&#x153;inâ&#x20AC;? year. The event has a simple and fuss free set-up with very little changing in the last few decades it has been established. Unfortunately the day show in Stafford has had to try and reinvent itself in recent years due to the popularity of swap meets diminishing thanks mostly to the use of online auction and sale sites, such as Ebay, for the transfer of parts and accessories.

Years ago it was the place to be in order to grab that last all important part for that winter restoration. Now the show focuses on trade stalls

Show Report | Dubfreeze

buses lined up in the show hall. The prizes were great too with our own Edd grabbing a couple with his fresh cal-look 67. Freddie Lynch’s beetle also proved popular amongst the show goers.

rather than an autojumble, (although a large autojumble remains), and a popular show and shine with some great cars and

The show doesn’t pretend to be anything big, new or clever and seems content to sit in Volksworld’s shade as a season opened but as long as the attendance is good, (which it was this year), this event has a great atmosphere and is well worth the entrance fee.

Show Report | Dubfreeze

Tasty Tees!

Each magazine we try to bring you the freshest T-Shirts by cool brands and independent artists and makers. If you want to be featured contact: samantha.eynon@airmonkeys.co.uk

Regular | Tasty Tees

7 1- Fanous Sci Fi Ships- society6.com/ artist/moviereplicars 2- Less is Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;more tee- modcloth.com 3- Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry- thuglifeshirts.com 4- Addict x John Burgermanurbanoutfitters.com 5- Carhartt Canned C- blue-tomato.com 6- Kr3w Siamese- surfdome.com 7-Speed Kings- dudes-factory.com

Santa Pod Raceway

Big Bang 2014

Show Report | Big Bang

words and photos: Edd Thorpe

tarting out the season ‘properly’ with the first overnight show for us at Big Bang is something of a tradition now at Air Monkeys. Though the team itself only consisted of Edd and Sasha, we resumed the tradition of going to the show with the Birch Trees Dubs guys, including customers-turned friends and ‘MD’ John Massey, who’s ’56 single cab featured on the cover of issue 4! This year the weather promised to be a lot better than last, as we did actually get snow in 2013… Driving down in convoy set the precedence for a fantastic show season, sun shining, 5 vehicles deep made for a great spectacle, especially considering the variety in our group. 2 T4’s a Chevy Day Van, my ’67 cal-looker and a Baja bug makes for some interesting looks on the A14 for sure! Once pitched up things got rather civilised with an actual Cheese and Wine Party, grapes et all making for some great laughs to kick off the weekend. Santa Pod has always proved to be a fantastic venue for the Big Bang Volksworld Camper and Bus show, providing a little something for everyone. Our Baja-loving friend, John, made his way over to the far side of the strip where a purpose made course had been set up ready to rock, whilst the rest of us had a good old wander to suss out what was where trade-wise. Nefarious pin striping was pride of place again next to the fire up lane, with Fat Bobs stall making a great section of spin-off

hobbies in the trade area. Some non-VW specific traders such as the sun glasses hut were there in force again; if not your cup of tea it always makes for a good wander. <anticipation was nicely bubbling ready for the full day of ¼ mile fun on the Saturday>

Show Report | Big Bang

Big Bang has always acted as Round 1 of the VWDRC (VW Drag Racing Championship) and produced some epic runs from guys itching to test their metal after the off-season tinkering. It is worth noting that Big Bang was a couple of weeks earlier due to the way Easter fell, and Santa Podâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own Festival of Power dates, making the tinkering season all the shorter, making for some late nights getting cars ready for the strip. The preparation was certainly not in vain, with some blistering passes put in from the RWYB (Run What You

With the weather behaving itself Friday the show atmosphere was great, as a steady stream of vehicles entering the camping fields as people finished work later. The VWDRC made full use of their track hire on the Friday to fine true setups and dial ins. Anticipation was nicely bubbling ready for the full day of Âź mile fun on the Saturday.

Brung) session. This is usually a great opportunity to see some genuinely street legal cars (most of which were actually driven to Santa Pod) put in some terrifying passes! Fastest among which were Andy Searle in his Beetle, with an incredible 11.9145 @ 109.91mph, fastest aircooled van went to Phil Jalvis in his Panel Van putting in 13.2772 @ 95.7mph.

<street legal cars (most of which were actually driven to Santa Pod) put in some terrifying passes> The Saturday night is traditionally a more chilled out affair among our clan, what with the prospect of having to make the trip back home at some point the next day, and so some of us ventured out into Fueler’s Bar to see The Lazzy Band who

according to John were ‘Awesome’. No fairer review than that! All in all a top weekend was had by all which set the show season great for 2014, leaving us all excited for the next set of shows, be sure to check out the NAS sister events.

Air Monkeys 2014

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