Steven King Can Survive Automotive Armageddon

Once again DRR goes to press the same day as the newest installment of 3DBotMaker’s Diecast Rally Championship video, so this is where we point out that there is a 24-moratorium on spoilers, which means we won’t be commenting on what happened in the Round 3 video. We’ll just tell you to go watch it and see what’s up for yourself.

In the meantime, we have had the chance to sit down and chat with Steven King, the real-life man behind the character that is the sentimental favorite to three-peat as the DRC Champion.

King started out as a Minneapolis kid who grew up to be a Los Angeles-dwelling artist. He’s loved Hot Wheels since he was a kid. He had a track then. He has multiple tracks now. And he drew the art on this issue’s cover (pictured below).

King is no newcomer to diecast racing fandom. “I’ve been watching 3D and other YouTubers for years,” he points out. “The quarantine did give me time to get more involved, especially on the Facebook pages.

Since he is a driver in the DRC, you might think he has the gift of prognostication given that most of 3DBotmaker’s race drivers are chose from previous guessthe-winner contests, but “for the first DRC it was a little different. We all picked the cars we liked and our names got listed on a wheel for that car. The driver was chosen at random.” King hadn’t even tried to be a driver before. “First try, and I hit it big. I never had before because I didn’t have the time to invest.”

It seems that luck has been on King’s side since the very beginning of the process. But he hasn’t let so much winning go to his head. Nevertheless, you can guess who he’s pulling for on race day: “I really want to try and sound magnanimous here and rise above my own ego, but I can’t... Yeah, I cheer for myself.” He’s not alone. Before the most recent series of races began, “Superman” Steven King was selected by the largest group of fans to win his third championship.

This issue's cover image. The artist's name? STEVEN KING! Yes, that one!

He has fans as well as “anti-fans”, as he calls them, and he shares that “they are all great.” King adds that the fans are “what makes this more than the sum of its parts”. When he’s in the forums he tries to put on a bit of the character of the fictitious version of Steven King that was created by 2D & 3D. “I try to think what someone would say if they are racing cars and found themselves in the same position talking to the people.”

Being a diecast race driver has led to meeting new friends and helped him rediscover “a deep passion” and “a new way to approach” a hobby that he’d seen as a bit off for still being active in.

When not appearing vicariously in races via his fictional self, King participates in a group event called Wasteland Weekend. He likens the sense of community in the 3DBotmaker community to that of the Mad Max-themed group headed by Jared Butler and Adam Chilson. “It is another group filled with amazing people.” And it is also car-themed. In fact, that theme continues in King’s art portfolio, which you can visit at https:// www.deviantart.com/oi101/gallery.

Keeping on the motoring theme, King loves riding his Harley Street 750. And since he hangs with postapocalyptic road warriors you’d be a fool to laugh at his beloved bike.

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