Builder of the Month: Denis Rodier (May 2024)

Meet Denis Rodier, a passionate RC car enthusiast and car body fabricator in motorsports from Germany. He shares his journey into the hobby, his love for building Boom Racing vehicles, and valuable tips for fellow builders. Get ready to be inspired and fired up for your next epic build as Denis shares his wisdom and expertise with the Boom community.

Boom:

Welcome, Denis Rodier, and thank you for sharing your amazing builds with the Boom community. Can you tell us about yourself and how you got into the hobby?

Denis:

My name is Denis Rodier. I'm from Germany. I'm 43 years old. I work for Toyota Gazoo Racing in The Motor Sports. Already as a child, I was involved in model making and RC cars. When I saw the scale cars, I had to have one, and it became BRX01. That's how it all started. Now, I have more than a Boom Racing chassis and have made many new friends through the hobby.

 That's actually easy because I'm a car body fabricator in motorsports; building a car is in my DNA. When I looked at the cars from Boom Racing, I had to build them! And now it's more than one.

Boom:

What was your first RC vehicle? Why choose the model you did? (and the level of detail you settled upon?)

Denis:

My first chassis was a BRX01 that I saw at a friend's house, and I was just convinced that the quality was a dream for me.  I have built a Toyota, of course. My HiLux Xtracap, the gray one. The whole story starts with me. I had so much fun building the chassis and won a prize with it when I visited an event. I was surprised.

Boom:

How did you discover the Boom Racing brand?

Denis:

Boom Racing discovered you through a friend, and I've seen some driving on tracks. I was just impressed by the material quality as a fabricator. And what possibilities such a BRX01 chassis offers for conversion! It is always a pleasure to see how these chassis drive and what performance they have.

Boom:

Can you tell us about your Boom Racing vehicles? 

Denis:

I think all my vehicles are very special and have their own signature. Building them is more than just a hobby. It's my job, and I love to build the things that everyone says don't work. But I think the pictures say more than many words with all the detail and the conversion of the original parts.

Boom:

What's the one tip (when building a new kit & rig) you think everyone should follow?

Denis:

Take your time while building, enjoy it, follow the building instructions, and use the screw lock and the grease that comes with it. And always use and buy good tools if you want to screw and build more; I can also recommend the tool from Boom Racing.

Boom:

If you could build any vehicle from any era (that isn't currently being made), what would that vehicle be?

Denis:

I would like to see a piece of German technical history: a Mercedes UNIMOG of the first generation. It is very off-road and universally applicable. Of course, as a Toyota fan, I would very much like to build a nine-year-old Toyota LC or a current HILUX.

Boom:

Any tips on getting a good paint 'Adhesion' and 'Finish' when painting and detailing hard bodies?

Denis:

Always make sure that the body is clean from grease and salt from your hands. Use a surface cleaner with alcohol. My favorite color is Moltow. It's actually graffiti varnish, but for me, it's the best stuff for the bodies.

Boom:

What do you use for a driver figure and why?

Denis:

I use the figures from the company Neca. The quality is very good, and the size fits very well in the cars. Unfortunately, the figures are only relatively expensive, but they are very good in quality, so I would be happy if Boom Racing would bring out something suitable.

Boom:

What is your experience with installing LEDs?

Denis:

If you look at my models, you can see that I do a lot with lighting and LEDs. The most important thing, in my opinion, is a stable electrical system and a good soldering iron to make a clean cable guide. If you want to have a long use, a good light model does not skimp on it, as well as on good light bars. There I am and can only ever recommend the KUDU components for a good price.

Boom:

When fitting LEDs, what tips would you offer to achieve a more scale-looking light with no bleed-through behind them?

Denis:

I use good aluminum tape and glue it behind LEDs so you can't see any light behind it anymore. I always drill the extinguishers because the LEDs always fit well, and I always glue them with hot glue or UV glue. And always uses quality good LEDs. It always makes a lot of trouble when they are broken to replace them.

Boom:

And finally...What final words of wisdom do you have for the rest of the Boom community to fire them up and inspire them into an epic build of their own?

Denis:

For me, the most important thing is that the builder builds his car according to his own ideas and not for others. And don't let yourself be influenced by others. This is your build, and if you like the build and the idea you have, the only thing that limits you is yourself. Look forward and have fun doing it. That's the most important thing—just do it.        

Build your dream !!!