retro – Gripshiftslide

Saint Side :: 8th Annual John Street Show and Shine

Grant — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 01:45:34 +0000

Every year the Saint Side John Street Show and Shine never fails to impress! This is the 8th year in a row that Saint side have run this event and closed down the entire street to celebrate the birth of the Saint Side brand.

St Albans basically goes into shut down mode when the annual Saint Side John st celebrations are on! With hundreds of custom bicycles on display and a massive range of cars, whats not to like about the Saint Side Show and shine.

Saint Side fans are dedicated, loyal and fanatical! After eight years the Saint side family has definitely grown and it show’s no signs of slowing down.

A subtle yet appropriate styled R33 Nissan Skyline sat among hundreds of custom bicycles that formed a line from one end of john street to the other.

Dj Rod G kept the tunes going all day with some very cool 90’s classic hiphop, with a mix of new jams squashed in between those hits we all know and love!

This TE27 corolla drew my attention immediately as i walked past, its funky Superlight wheels original paint job and missing front flair gave this corolla some real character.

This annual event always attracts a diverse range of cars from Low Riders to Hot Rods to JDM and everything in between!

Because the show and shine takes up the whole of john st other cars are forced to park a few streets away. I always take the time to walk around the surrounding streets to see the other cars that were not able to fit into the main show. This murdered out FG falcon was so evil it made small children run while dropping and abandoning their beloved comfort toys in the street!

Private Bike shows started to spring up across the road from the main show, Saint Side have reinvented the custom bike by supplying fans with the hottest parts out of america and around the globe.

I’ve spotted this very R32 on the freeway in my daily commute to work, boy does it stand out with that bright teal color and 4 stud conversion complete with Hoshino wheels!

This Chevrolet Pick-up truck was stunning with it period correct signage and wooden side extensions plus it also was carrying a tricked out custom bike in the back!

Next year I think Saint Side should run a dog show alongside the other festivities that take place through out the day. There are so many proud owners and there puppies that come to the Show and Shine. Why not put them on show as well as the cars and bikes.

A good variety of cars showed up to the event with many wildly different cars sitting next to each other. For instance take this track driven 86 and a VIP ride sitting side by side.

Do not mistake the Toyota FJ for an over sized Fiser and Price toy car! From a distance this FJ did not look real! but up close you could see its larger than life personality.

This is the first time I have ever seen a two wheeled General Lee! Love the detail they have gone to with the CB radio on the handlebars and confederate flag on the back!

Denim jackets, gold wheels, red beanie’s you could be forgiven if you thought this was a picture from the nineties!

The Saint Side four legged family was in full force showing that not all Saint Side fans have to be human.

Every detail on these custom bicycles was hand picked and placed on the bike’s for a specific purpose.

Likewise the lowriders had equally as much personality with custom pin striping and chrome to match.

Not to mention there where a few tastefully modified classic Hot Rod’s in attendance. Yet the real focus of the show was the custom bikes.

There where so many bikes it was hard to concentrate on just one! There was a bike to satisfy everybody’s taste!

With a huge mix of styles and influences blended together extending the entire length of john st.

Just like a Harley right? The owner deserves credit for creating such a beast!

When the restoration of low-rider bicycles, streetwear, and collectibles come together you know that the Saint Side crew most likely has something to do with it!

The Japanese influence runs deep with plenty of classic Toyota’s and Nissan’s helping to decorate John st.

The Saint Side event brings together Americana, west coast, custom and vintage lifestyles, for a truly unique experience. Mark and the team have been slaving away behind the scenes to make this years show an absolute hit.
With new clothing being released monthly Australia’s favorite streetwear boutique Saint Side is soon becoming a household name. It is by far one of the most well loved shows of the year and we cannot wait for next years show.
Thanks for stopping by,
Grant

Axesent :: Renderings From The Land Of The Rising Sun

Grant — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 03:53:59 +0000

We have long been a fan of Axesent’s work but we wanted to know how all of this started. Seeing Axesent’s sunning image’s across social media and all over the internet we decided to go directly to him and ask some big questions about his work and process.
GSS: How long have you been doing this?
[x_line]
– Axesent: I began drawing cars in the early 80s at maybe age 5, but not very well. Mostly side on profile views of panel vans, for some weird reason. The digital side started in around 1999, when I did a graphic design course and concentrated in mainly Adobe Photoshop.
Back then it was all just photochops until maybe 2007 , I started doing Vexel pictures (like vector art, but within photoshop). Vexel, like vector car art is mostly tracing over a photo. I was later doing the same style but adding race/drift livery over the top.
I wanted a way to render the car, but put decals and designs under the shine and shadows, so it would look more realistic.That’s basically where this style of transparent rendering began.

GSS: Who inspires you?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Nik Blackhurst and Richard Brunning from Bad Obsession Motorsport haha.
I’m not really inspired by people, but more so by technical videos and car builds.
There are many great artists out there, but I never really started because of the “art” side.
I started because I really wanted to build every car I have an idea for, and the only way that was possible was drawing or photomodding them.

GSS: Have you always been into cars?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Yes, ever since I can remember. My father ran a large automotive workshop/ service station in Tasmania, my mother worked in the office, so every after school and school holiday was spent in the workshop watching the mechanics. I was given an old engine to pull apart at around age 10 and that boosted my interest in the technical side of cars.

GSS: What is your day job?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Full time digital artist. Not only in automotive, but other areas like concept rendering, area development illustration, anime/manga stills
I was very lucky to get a job as a full time mechanic here in Japan, right pub, right time. I worked in a garage in Asaka-shi called “Modify” for 18 months before heading back to
Australia for a short time in 2014.

GSS: Where do you want to take this?
[x_line]
– Axesent: I would like to make a decent, comfortable living from it,
especially with vehicle illustration. The main thing i want to push is stylistic mods. Maybe become the digital Chip Foose (in my dreams) lol

GSS: How do you normally start a piece?
[x_line]
– Axesent: I mostly start by looking at and downloading a tonne of pics from all different angles,
especially if it’s a car I have never seen in real life, as an example American cars that I have only seen in pics. Getting the proportions and knowing how the light shapes the car from different angles is the most important part of the way I render. They are mostly lit as if they were in a studio setting, but layered in a way that I can light the cars for any background needed.

GSS: Do you gradually create over time or do you visualize the finished piece before you have started.
[x_line]
– Axesent: With customers cars, it’s all pretty straight forward. For my personal stuff, I’ll pick a car that interests me, (often odd and quirky) and mostly create as I go. Others I have an idea of what I want. It’s a bit of a mix.

GSS: Do you build the cars from scratch or start with base photos?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Side profile images are mostly from scratch, especially 80s cars. They’re all very angular and simple. Others I will Line art the shape from a photo to get proportions as they are in real life.

GSS: Is there a style that you aim for or a look you prefer?
[x_line]
– Axesent: I really like the subtle, less is more look rather than fireworks, balloons and glitter.
Cars that make you take that 2nd look, rather than slapping you repeatedly in the face yelling “look at me!” haha.
With the renders I really like bringing them as close to a photo as possible, purely just as a personal challenge. I have slightly changed the way I do some cars so they don’t get glossed over as photos. I had many doubters claiming they were just chopped images, so I began my youtube page showing all the layer groupings for pretty much every image I post on Facebook now.

GSS: Did you ever imagine your skills evolving as much as they have?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Not really, I moved to Japan in 2011, after selling almost everything I owned I had some money to just be lazy for a while, but I needed something to do, that’s when I started really getting into it.

GSS: Are your works mainly Japanese inspired?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Not intentionally, it’s just how lots of them come out. I’d say I’m more inspired by late 70s and 80s cars in general.
I’m very partial to old school Japanese wheels, so alot do end up looking a little “shakotan”.

GSS: How long do you estimate most designs take?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Rendering in the transparent style I do really takes a looooong time. Lot’s of people will tell me their friends do a vector in 2 hours. That’s true, but it’s all very trace bias and not a huge amount of detail.
I put lot’s of detail in bits that won’t really be seen on my pics for the internet versions, but on a A1 or A0 size print looking close they stand out more.
Start to finish on a side profile render will usually take between 8 – 12 hours work.
I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so i’ll look at the render for a few days and add little bits, but I’m never really happy, and I end up with 5 or 6 versions of different lighting and colors.
With cars I’m doing for customers, I usually do a little at a time and move to another project and back again etc. because spending that amount of time looking at one image is really very tedious.

GSS: What do you drive? And what would you like to be driving?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Right now, In Japan my transport is a Suzuki Verde 50cc scooter and my mother in law’s Suzuki Swift Sport. Sad times….
Though I still have my UK import Mk2 Golf GTI in storage back in Tasmania.
It’s an Ex Tarmac rally car, It’s no rocket ship but a good all round fun car for Tassie roads.
What would I like to be driving. –
There is not enough room to list them!
Here in Japan, I would really love to have the money to buy and bring over an RS2000 Escort.
It’s hard to be subtle and different in Japan, something hardly anyone here has ever seen would be great, and I love escorts!

GSS: Do you think Automotive art is neglected/unappreciated in the art world?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Not really, I think the old school pencil, paper and marker dudes are doing the best and most amazing jobs. Though I think as certain things get more easy, in the way many are churning out 100% traced Vector/Vexel artwork, the real creative and ornate stuff seems to get lost in the flood.
But my hat comes off to traditional automotive artists like Telly Sahara here in Japan,
also Mame Ozizo for his crazy stuff. Very creative.

GSS: Are there any other artist you work with to create designs?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Yes, I’m often helped along by a mate in Germany “polylinear” .
We often do collaborations. He sends me the basic line art and i basically color it in, haha.
He supplied the line art for a few images on display here.

GSS: What is your favourite software to work with?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Adobe Photoshop.
My style is very reliant on soft brushes and soft erasers to generate the gradients and keep it transparent over the base colour.
This can be seen in my videos on Youtube

GSS: Are you a Motorsport fan and what is your favorite Motorsport?
[x_line]
– Axesent: Yes, very much, but back to the 80s – 90s. Old Gr.C and Gr.A touring cars, the 500cc 2 stroke era of Motorcycle GP. Now my favourite form would be WRC
Thanks to Axesent for taking time to answer these questions and letting us share his amazing work.
-Grant
Want to see more? check out Axesent’s Facebook Page –Youtube Channel –Tumblr – Website

The bird is the word :: Bluebird U

Grant — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 12:31:00 +0000

In the early 1960’s there was not a great variety of small cars available for the Australian market until the influx of Japanese imports that is. Datsun really lead the way at the time and for good reason! Their cars were ahead of the time in design and reliability. Launched in the 70’s the 610 Bluebird-U was a stand out model with all the ‘mod cons’ of the time.

This classic Bluebird has only been in Mitch’s hands for three and a half years. Lovingly restored bit by bit, Mitch knows every nut and bolt on this car. Taking just under two and a half years to fully restore Mitch has spent countless hours in the shed putting this car together night after night, weekend after weekend.

Why did Mitch get into Datsuns? “My mate had a Datsun Stanza and then a 1600 rally car I liked them and it just went from there”
Mitch had caught the bug. Datsuns are more than just a brand they are a style of their own.
An unloved Datsun can use as much oil as it does petrol! That’s not the case with Mitch’s Bluebird. The engine has received considerable attention and not only does it look immaculate but it also runs like a dream.

This L18 is putting out more than 110 horsepower at the flywheel. This standard engine is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face. Rather than go for cheap power like an “SR20 for example” Mitch decided to keep the car original.

The engine bay is ridiculously clean and not a spot of oil or grime can be seen. You could almost perform surgery on metal like this. Mitch always makes sure the bay is looking fantastic and when it does get dirty he cleans it straight away.

Rebuilding this Bluebird from the ground up has cost some serious dough but to have something classic looking this good is totally worth every penny. The satisfaction that comes from building your own car is second to none. Mitch has done the majority of work in restoring this car! He knows every curve and every bolt in this machine.

Mitch did not simply buy a car and be done with it. He knew what he wanted and within a month or two he had found the right car! The Bluebird he had found was in what most would consider “good condition for its age” but Mitch saw more potential in this little Datsun.

The one surprising part of this build is its gearbox. With the standard box the car would be screaming down the highway at 4 to 5k but with new 6 speed s15 gearbox it purrs like a kitten.

Changing a gearbox in a car this old is no joke! It takes a lot of planning, research and dedication. Matching the 6 speed Nissan S15 SR20 gearbox up to the original bellhousing wasn’t a walk in the park but with some gentle persuasion and patience it all came together.

One of the major things that initially attracted Mitch to this car is its shape which takes many cues from different cars of the time. The Nissan Bluebird U 610 combines the best features from models like the 180b, 240z and many other memorable Datsuns.

This car is basically a Japanese car enthusiasts wet dream. The paint the wheels, the black interior, the entire package is just awesome!

One of the most striking aspects of the Bluebird is it’s unique paint job. It really helps set this car apart from the boring standard colours of the era. This particular colour blue comes from Fiat but it suits this car perfectly! If only Nissan had offered such a colour in the seventies.

Mitch wasn’t really into Datsuns until five years ago when the shape of the 610 Bluebird inspired him to go on a journey that till this day has not stopped. Originally he had planned for the car to be a daily driver but it soon turned out to a whole lot more special and soon became a weekend only car.

It’s quite obvious that Mitch takes a lot of pride in his vehicle. Not only does it get cleaned before it is taken out but it also gets a light clean when the car is bought home.

The interior of the car was kept relatively stock however some things had to change to keep up with the times like moving from the imperial to metric system. The ‘speedo’ had to be changed to work with the new gearbox along with the added benefit of being able to now read what speed you are doing without converting MPH to KMH .

One of the biggest problems with the restoration was a giant rusted out section in the parcel self that was almost the size of a human head! Mitch was thinking of patching it with scraps but the shelf had so many weird angles to recreate that it made the job almost impossible. Lucky Mitch soon found a donor parcel shelf from a Datsun of the same era.

The Nardi steering wheel adds a nice touch to the interior; giving it a sporty feel while being relatively period correct. As Mitch said “Sometimes I do wish I had a more modern project car but the hard work always pays off and I love the classics.”

Things on the outside haven’t been left untouched. There has been a fair bit of re-chroming and re-glossing of original plastics.

It is good to see that Mitch hasn’t stanced or slammed this classic Nissan; and has instead kept it clean sitting on 15×7 performance wheels all round. With just enough offset to give the car a traditional vintage look these wheels really help to add an extra hint of class and sophistication.

Shortly after this photo shoot Mitch’s diff let go and in true spirit he rebuilt it himself! The car was back on the road just in time for the Classic Japan Car Show where his car received plenty of praise from the the public. Mitch never stops working on the car and there is plenty more to come for this spunky blue Datsun.