Clay Kemp how the heck

[old low&slo]

I really admire the man's detail on his builds. So whats his secret ?????????

Is it a lot of research or has he actually built some 1to1 race cars. His level of detail is just unreal.

It just boggles my mind (though it dont take much ) how he does it.

any ideas ??????????

[Chuck Most]

Good points Ken, remember Russ Schwenkler, who was a top level modeler in the 90's & then just vanished? I've always wondered if he suffered from burnout like that as well.

I don't try to top myself with every build I do. Like most average modelers, I hit plateaus that I am happy with & like to stay at a lot, but that doesn't mean I want to stop trying new things & learning more to improve my skills. To me, that's a big part of modeling.

Russ Schwenkler... Isn't he one of the guys who used to run S&S specialties in Owosso, MI? There was another guy, Mike Siegeman (pretty sure I butchered the guy's last name there), who kept it going in Michigan as Detail Resources. Haven't heard of either company in years, though I have used the products!

I love the work of Clay Kemp, but, man... I will NEVER build to that level. To me, just getting everything that... I don't know.. PERFECT, would sap all the fun out of it. Looking at one of Clay's builds, it's hard to imagine it's a model. Maybe Clay is NOT a modeler... maybe he's an inventor, who's using his top-secret shrink ray on real race cars, then passing off the shrunken racers as 'models'! Weigh one of his models to see if the weight scales out to test this theory!

I would think endlessly fussing over the details that Clay seems to add so naturally, as well as the endless research... 'God, I have to read all of this and study these pictures! This is like being in class!' My hat is off to ANYONE with that kind of fortitude! I like Bluesman Mark's statement of hitting a plateau and staying there... I can totally relate to that!

[93Z34]

Clay's work is simply stunning to put it mildly. I can think of many modelers over the years that turned out fantastic work but are no longer heard from or seen in the modeling world. Fonzell Brown was another name that immediately came to mind from back in the 90's. I saw his work firsthand and was always impressed with his celan building style. Another modeler was Al Superczynski from Little Rock Arkansas. His attention to detail was unbelievable. When he was able to actually fill his windshield washer reservoir with actual washer fluid on his 1/12th Camaro project, I was simply left speechless. Al's ability to turn out period correct aircraft was equally impressive and I always tried to build to a level such as Al's.

As much as I love Clay's, Dave T's, Jay S's, Wayne Stevens Jr., Bill Geary's and many others' work, I know I will likely never achieve the height of building acclaim these artists have achieved. I found myself getting more and more depressed trying to build to the level of Clay and Dave with my Nascar builds and eventually just got totally burned out on them and the hobby altogether. I liquidated my Nascar collection and only have a handful of the over 300+ kits I used to have. I left the hobby for over a year to regroup and in that time elarned to enjoy the hobby at MY level, not others. I love to admire the work of the Masters and respect their abilities beyond words. I have just learned to accept that I build to MY level and I have to be satisfied with that in order to keep enjoying the hobby.

[Guest promodmerc]

Is Clay Kemp the member (Clay) that is over in Iraq at this time?

Clay is a member on a couple of other forums I'm on (Randy Ayers and Fred's Short Track aka FRW) and have not seen any threads or post from him lately.

[93Z34]

Is Clay Kemp the member (Clay) that is over in Iraq at this time?

Clay is a member on a couple of other forums I'm on (Randy Ayers and Fred's Short Track aka FRW) and have not seen any threads or post from him lately.

I'm not thinking it's the same Clay. I believe Clay spends a majority of his time on the "other" forum as he does answer alot of questions in SA as they are asked. He does alot of articles for that publication as well while Dave T. devotes his talents to Model Cars Mag, thank God!

[Chuck Most]

I'm not thinking it's the same Clay. I believe Clay spends a majority of his time on the "other" forum as he does answer alot of questions in SA as they are asked. He does alot of articles for that publication as well while Dave T. devotes his talents to Model Cars Mag, thank God!

Nope- it's a different guy. The Clay who hangs out on MCM is deployed in the service now, and the other Clay is a regular contributor to SA.

[Guest promodmerc]

Thank you Chuck. I didn't think it was, but Clay isn't a name you see often.

[Scott Colmer]

My question is ...how long does it take? I've always tried to add detail my builds and to press myself to improve scope and quality. The other side is that it takes over a year to finish one. It blows my mind how Kemp and others can knock these out in such a seemingly short time.

One thing I would like to learn from the top dogs are the fix-it tips. Things do go wrong. Short of starting over, what are the little tricks.

Regarding, burn out. Some may remember Chuck Larsen who won the Hot Rod Magazine Contest back in the 80s with his Porvette. He also built the Little Pink Truck that was another amazing piece. I met Chuck at GSL this year and he brought his Pink Truck. During our conversations, I asked him if he was going to do more high end builds. He said probably not. He felt he had done them and received enough recognition was not really up to investing more time. Nice guy too.

Scott

[Seattle Mike]

I am still around, but not as active as I once was. I gave up on Michigan 2 years ago, and happily relocated to the Seattle area. I sold S&S/Detail Resources to Duane and Susan at Arrowhead a few years ago. Sadly, they took it over at the same time that Duane's serious health problems hit, and so far he hasn't been able to follow through on the plans he had for the line. Hopefully Duane is getting better, and the product will make a comeback.

I haven't heard from Russ in over 15 years. He went through some personal problems, and seemed to lose his interest in the hobby. It was really a shame, as he was one of the most prolific builders I've ever known. He could sit down at his workbench and get as much modeling done in 1 hour as the rest of us would usually take a whole night to accomplish. He had a goal in mind, and set out to complete it without any fuss.

[TimKustom]

It just comes down to how much time and effort you want to spend on a project. A little bit of money also comes into play (those machined fitting aren't cheap as we all know... )

Good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter is a must as well.

I was quite a fan of Russ Schwenkler's work and a google search found what he's up to. Again, more killer stuff.

http://www.dangeruss.net/

[george 53]

Guys is Clay Kemp GeezerMan??? Our man in "the sandbox" is Clay Jones(God bless Him,an ALL our Brothers). I gotta admit, Geezer is one of the most talented,IMAGINATIVE builders I've ever seen! I actually missed him when he stopped postin a while back. To me he's up there with Dave,GrampsXrds, Mr.BIGGS, Raul,Bill G.,even if he's gotta different style than the other guys, He's STILL got a style ALL HIS OWN!! Personally, I think he's in his OWN class, I mean, would YOU'S have used a squirrel skull in a build??? Me either, but dammed if HE din't pull it off with flying colors! That's what I mean about a class of his own. Creativity is a hallmark of a GENIUS, and he certainly fits in with the other guys I mentioned!

Squirrel skull aside, just look at the workmanship in the Rodent. TOTALLY HANDBUILT body,frame,etc. Tell me he AIN'T someone to be impressed by!!! I LOVE his work!!!Oh Yeah!!!

[TimKustom]

Speaking of names I haven't seen in a while, "Tim Kolankiewicz" is one I remember from SAE too! I didn't know you were on this great forum!

If y'all ain't ever seen Tim's "Coral Aura" 61 Chevy custom, you've missed something!!!

Thanks for the kind words, Mark.

I lurk most of the forums. Love seeing all the great models posted.

Life's been pretty hectic for me for the last couple of years, but be watching...new builds are coming that are gonna blow that old Chevy out of the water...

[Fuel Coupe]

Clay, Russ and Tim are modelers that I admired and learned from in the 90's when I was first starting build for contests. One thing they taught me was treat was portion of the model AS a model in itself.

While I dont feel Ive reached their level of building yet I feel these guys are the reason I build the way I do.