A message from Moto-Art

[AAFO_WSagar]

The guys at Moto-Art have just put out a "press release" of sorts. I'll post it up here so you all can read it. I know they had a lot of supporters who visit here and I'm sure you'll all like to know how they are doing.. sort of "life after the series" report...

***Begin Copied Message***

March 2005

We want to thank everyone for their support of the television series Wing Nuts that aired on Discovery Channel last fall. This was an eight-episode whirlwind of adventure that chronicled the day-to-day trials and tribulations of art vs. commerce at MotoArt. The fun unfortunately ended tragically with the loss of our closest friend and costar Timothy Tyler Roberts, who died suddenly at the age of 39.

When Tim passed away, our whole world was turned upside down. Here we had the grandest opportunity given to us and just as it started to unfold, we received a pre-dawn phone call that changed our lives forever. Tim collapsed on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night from heart failure. We had just completed filming only weeks before, and he was only able to watch just two episodes of the series before he passed.

God rest your soul TR, we all miss you terribly.

Our contract with Discovery is complete. We want to take this opportunity to thank Discovery Communications for the incredible exposure that it gave our young company. MotoArt is a completely different organization today than it was last year, thanks to our many clients who have shared our dream of saving historic aircraft.

Original Productions, which produced our series, has enough footage to create a ninth episode of Wing Nuts for a possible DVD release that would be offered for sale. For more information, send your request to info@origprod.com This proposed DVD would bring the series full circle and also contain footage of the immediate aftermath of Tim s death including the beautiful wake we held for him at MotoArt.

Are we going to film again? Anything s possible

Just as we wound down filming the Discovery series, MotoArt moved into new studios located directly adjacent to the Torrance Airport in Los Angeles. It s an incredible 12,000 sq. feet with 30,000 sq. feet of yard space that has direct runway access to the airport. We have spent the last several months re-creating it to look the part of MotoArt. Thanks to the new space and our devoted employees, MotoArt is turning out some of the most spectacular work we ve ever created.

MotoArt will be introducing some new art pieces in the upcoming months, including refined versions of favorites seen on "Wing Nuts" such as the MK-84 Bomb Aquarium and the C-54 Conference Table. Current prototypes now in production are the F4 Phantom Mirrors, Grumman Avenger Desks and a new and affordable Wing Coffee Tables. Details are available upon request.

Now that the craziness has slowed down we welcome you to contact us any time. If we didn't respond to your last email, we regretfully apologize. MotoArt had emails coming in by the thousands during "Wing Nuts".

Until next time,

Dave & Donovan and the team of MotoArt

Be sure to visit their website and take a look at their "stuff" they make some of the most interesting aviation art out there.. http://motoart.com/

[hattend]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

Hmmm, Eight episodes and it's over. Too bad, I enjoyed the series. Between all these "custom" shows (Wing Nuts, American Chopper and Hotrod, etc) and the PBS show "New Yankee Workshop" I keep getting ideas about what to do when I retire.

Sure, the stuff won't be as finished as theirs but I figure I'll have nothing but time to perfect whatever I choose.

Plus, I have to build that RV-9 (Pssst...hey Discovery Channel, how about a show like that! Building a homebuilt for a client)

Don

[AirDOGGe]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

How sad. I really enjoyed that program, but I think I have a pretty good idea of how they feel personally.

On Jan. 31st, I also lost a very dear friend (Doug Miers) at the age of 42 due to sudden heart failure. He was the lead singer and promoter for a new Bay Area rock band that I work with (I did sound tech and recording duties among other tasks).

The group (Ruckus) had just played their first professional performance in a San Francisco club 10 days earlier when Doug passed on, and had to cancel all the other gigs he had lined up for us. What appeared to be a fun and interesting future suddenly came to a screeching halt.

Like Tim and the boys at Moto-Art, his loss had a huge effect on the rest of us, both in the loss of a great friend and the way that it affected our lives. It felt like everything had turned upside-down and inside-out....Still does.


Dave, Donovan, and the rest of Tim's friends,...I feel your loss, and I hope to see you all on television again someday. It's amazing the huge, empty hole you feel when you lose a buddy that is such a big part of your life. Best of wishes and good luck to the future of Moto-Art. Hope to see you all in a booth at Reno Air Races this year (hint hint).

----

Plus, I have to build that RV-9 (Pssst...hey Discovery Channel, how about a show like that! Building a homebuilt for a client)

I'd watch it, but considering that they already had a show similar to that on the Wings channel, and then dropped the whole format for a military channel format, I suspect your great suggestion would fall on deaf ears (deaf or blind? You pick one, but I feel dropping the aviation format was a bad idea....I hope the mil-format fails and they go back to WINGS someday).

[hattend]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

I'd watch it, but considering that they already had a show similar to that on the Wings channel, and then dropped the whole format for a military channel format, I suspect your great suggestion would fall on deaf ears (deaf or blind? You pick one, but I feel dropping the aviation format was a bad idea....I hope the mil-format fails and they go back to WINGS someday).

Unfortunately, I didn't get "Discovery Wings" channel on my satellite (grrrr). The satellite is so low on the horizon here that I only get 1/2 of my paid for programming. Not Dish Network's fault, the company that I work for bought a used antenna on the cheap and it shows. We're scheduled for an upgrade when the snow melts, crossing my fingers.

That show you mention isn't that guy who attempted to build a homebuilt in 90 days or something like that? I remember a show like that about 5 years ago or so.

Don

[AirDOGGe]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

I too didn't have the channel on a regular basis, as I have analog cable, and the WINGS channel was only available to digital cable subscribers.

HOWEVER, every 3 months or so they would broadcast WINGS on another channel of analog cable for a week or so to attract folks to convert to digital, and pay even more money for the Wings channel (it wasn''t included in the basic digital cable package). I watched Wings the whole week each time.

It wasn't a 90-day homebuilt project, but rather a step-by-step program with each episode working on one small portion of the project. The show was titled "A plane is born".

In fact, the program has it's own website, if anyone is interested in reviewing it:

http://www.aplaneisborn.com/

There was another similar program about building what I think was a Rotorway 2-seat heli as well. They were very informative shows.

Since I heard that cable will be switching to all-digital around 2006, I was seriously debating paying the extra costs to switch over from analog and get the wings channel full-time when Discovery decided to drop the format entirely. Now I will be forced to eventually switch over to digital with no way to justify it to myself.... I see no other channels on the digital system schedules that would make the higher fees worthwhile to me.

[hattend]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

I may have to check out that "A Plane is Born" video. But that wasn't the one I was thinking of. I think the one I remember was on PBS and the guy tried to build a KR-2 or something like that out of scrounged materials and he screwed that up so he built a biplane with a LOT of help from the kit manufacturer.

Does that ring a bell with anybody? (sorry for the thread hijack, Wayne!)

Don

[Propellerhead]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

The show was called "Plane Crazy" and aired around '97 or so. It was hosted by Robert X. Cringely and the airplane was powered by a Volkswagen Beetle engine, if I recall correctly.

As is the case with most shows like this, it was a British production for Channel 4. I first saw it when I was on vacation in the U.K. (missed Reno for the September Duxford Air Display - watching Spitfires take off and land on the grass is not a bad trade, BTW) and then it was televised in the states on PBS. I think I saw the end of the series when things were going better.

Here's a link to Cringely talking about his experiences with the program:

http://www.xent.com/FoRK-archive/july98/0317.html

Cheers!

Rob

[King]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

The show is called "A Plane is Born", they also have a show called "A Helicopter is Born". There are other variations using motorcycles, etc.

I watched the show all the time until the Discovery Wings channel was changed to the Discovery Military Channel. They may still show it, but I quite watching when the main emphasis on "Wings" became "Tanks".

King

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

The show was called "Plane Crazy" and aired around '97 or so. It was hosted by Robert X. Cringely and the airplane was powered by a Volkswagen Beetle engine, if I recall correctly.

Rob, I remember the show well... he was actually trying to design and build an airplane and wasn't the engine a wankel???

Same show???

[Propellerhead]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

Wayne,

A wankel, huh? If the show ended with Cringely building a biplane, it's the same show. I didn't see the beginning of the show when things were, apparently, more "interesting." I only caught the biplane stuff in Ohio and I'm pretty sure that's why I remember the VW engine.

As with all of today's reality programs, conflict and drama are a required ingredient ("Paul Sr. yells at Paul Jr. to get to work and clean up the shop. What won't fit? Will they get the bike done on time? Tune in next time to find out."). I'd like see all of Plane Crazy. The show is available at Amazon, but I'm not sure I'm THAT interested for a one-time view.

Rob

P.S. I do like "American Chopper". I like witnessing the creativity and the how do they do that aspect of the show. But sooner or later the formula or the Teutul's own reality wears on you.

[hattend]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

The show was called "Plane Crazy" and aired around '97 or so. It was hosted by Robert X. Cringely and the airplane was powered by a Volkswagen Beetle engine, if I recall correctly.

Cheers!

Rob

Yep, that's the show. Thanks for the link. If you ever get a chance to see the first half of the show, watch it. The guy's kind of an intelligent moron. LOL. You know the type, "I know you have built the same plane 4 times but I know better than you how to build it."

Don

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

Wayne,

A wankel, huh? If the show ended with Cringely building a biplane, it's the same show. I didn't see the beginning of the show when things were, apparently, more "interesting." I only caught the biplane stuff in Ohio and I'm pretty sure that's why I remember the VW engine.

As with all of today's reality programs, conflict and drama are a required ingredient ("Paul Sr. yells at Paul Jr. to get to work and clean up the shop. What won't fit? Will they get the bike done on time? Tune in next time to find out."). I'd like see all of Plane Crazy. The show is available at Amazon, but I'm not sure I'm THAT interested for a one-time view.

Rob

P.S. I do like "American Chopper". I like witnessing the creativity and the how do they do that aspect of the show. But sooner or later the formula or the Teutul's own reality wears on you.

I agree on the "formula"... I truly can't remember if it was a wankel or a VW but I *think* I remember early on, he went somewhere to look at wankels and got one out of a junkyard... but then I could be remembering something else??

This was the one on PBS where he built the first plane in a sort of storage garage thing.. he did really poorly on the laying up of the fiberglass if I remember correctly??

[hattend]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

This was the one on PBS where he built the first plane in a sort of storage garage thing.. he did really poorly on the laying up of the fiberglass if I remember correctly??

That's the one.

Don

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: A message from Moto-Art

That's the one.

Don

If that's the one, I remember thinking it was going to be pretty good.. then a show or two into it, it was obvious that it was not going to be good. I don't think I watched more than a few episodes.

I've never built an airplane but have built a thing or two and his attitude was so cavilier, it didn't seem as though he was taking the whole thing very seriously.

I do like the old DWings series "From the ground up" and the "A plane/helicopter is born" was.. well... good but a bit "cheeky" as the Brits would say...