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Builder of the Month: Preston Sykes (May 2025)

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This month, we’re featuring Preston Sykes from New Mexico! Preston is a talented photographer whose amazing shots brought our remote hand straps to life. He also shares his passion for Boom Racing, with 13 vehicles in his collection and why he’s been hooked ever since discovering the brand. Read on to find out more!

Boom Racing:

Firstly, congratulations on being our BOTM. Please tell us about yourself, your background, your day job, and what motivates you daily.

Preston Sykes:

I'm Preston Sykes. I'm from a small town in the United States called Taos, New Mexico. I moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in my late teens for better opportunities with my family. My main career is with Sandia Labs here in New Mexico, where I'm part of the research and development team. I'm also a photographer. I did weddings on the side and amateur wildland photography for a number of years, and it led to some interesting experiences working with National Geographic on different projects throughout the United States. In the beginning, it was all great. Then COVID hit, and I found myself with more time than I could handle, and I needed a new outlet for my creativity. My awesome wife pressured me to get back into my childhood hobby, RCs!!! So I took the leap and found myself in a whole new world of RC technology, racing, fixed wing flying, mini z, RC crawlers, micro crawlers, even! It was wild to me. I never knew how far RC has come outside of drones. After some time, I found myself joining communities in my home city. Still, something was always missing, that itch that couldn't be scratched by traditional RC and RTRs at the time, so I started my journey to super scale. Eventually, I found Boom Racing, and well, the rest is history. I went to Boom Racing and never looked back.

Boom Racing:

What was your first experience with scale RC, and what initially excited you about this aspect of the hobby?

Preston Sykes:

My first experience with scale RCs was 2 years ago at an RC competition. A friend of mine, Kenny, was putting on this competition. There was a guy named Shawn Roche at the Boom Racing booth. He had, at the time, an unreleased BRX02 88, and I fell in love with it immediately. He introduced me to what I was missing; I ordered my first BRX02 D110 just a few days later, and now I can't build anything that's not a super scale. Sometimes, I catch a little friendly banter from my group about it, but it's all about the challenge for me.

Boom Racing:

Which Boom Racing vehicles do you own and can you tell us about them?

Preston Sykes:

I have eight built at the moment that I regularly use and five more in storage for later projects, so 13 total. My main rigs are my two 88s and the BRX01 AWB, which I use daily when I walk the few trails in my area, and my two BRX01s one has a Team Raffee jeep body. The other is the Killerbody LC70. Those are my weekend warriors. My D110 pickup and D110 6x6 are my workhorses; they are able to chew through some of the worst mud and snow I could throw at them. My BRX Frankenstein crawler is a mixture of BRX02 drivetrain parts and a frame and body from RC4WD, inspired by my 85 4Runner.

Boom Racing:

Share a story about you and your Boom Racing rig that encapsulates why this hobby is so important to you.

Preston Sykes:

My favorite memory was when I was out trailing, and a family of about four was walking in the opposite direction. Their two boys were the first to point out my 88 and proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes asking me every question under the sun about it, from the tires to my little Lucky Dawg in the back. The dad was more impressed about how scale everything was, the mom was giggling over my tiny driver, and the kids were unbelievably excited about it. That memory lives rent-free in my head.

Boom Racing:

What are your top 5 tips for anyone wanting to build their first Boom Racing model? What key considerations do you keep in mind when starting a build yourself?

Preston Sykes:

My first tip is to be calm. When you first open the box, it's going to be overwhelming. How do you eat an elephant? One bit at a time, so take the build one step at a time.
Loctite. Loctite everything. If you think you don't need Loctite on it, you need Loctite on it.
Make sure you have some rest before the build. I've made plenty of mistakes because I was tired.
Ventilation: Make sure to paint your vehicle in a properly ventilated area. I can't tell you how many times I've made my wife sick by painting it In the garage.
Enjoy the build, even though the build can be challenging. Try to clear your mind and only focus on the build. You may find it to be extremely therapeutic.

Boom Racing:

If you were given a blank sheet of paper to design your ultimate BRX Build, what would it be and why?

Preston Sykes:

If I were given a blank sheet of paper to design my ultimate BRX, I would base it on the BRX02 linked and use a G900 utility truck as the body, with an IFS front end and a linked rear. That's my ultimate build. I have a soft spot for IFS.

Boom Racing:

Is there an item, option part, or upgrade that you believe we could develop or create that has never been done before by any brand or manufacturer?

Preston Sykes:

A scale IFS. No manufacturer is currently making a scale IFS.

Boom Racing:

Who are your RC role models? Who inspires you to improve and refine your builds?

Preston Sykes:

The community as a whole inspires me. Every truck is unique to the builder, and it challenges me to think differently when it comes to my builds.

Boom Racing:

If you could go anywhere in the world to capture stills or a video with one of your rigs, where would that be and why?

Preston Sykes:

Egypt, specifically the pyramids. I would love to adventure through the desert with my 88.

Boom Racing:

Do you think there are enough young people entering the hobby? If not, what steps could we take as a brand to encourage more youth participation?

Preston Sykes:

As a youth, it's hard to enter any hobby. I remember as a young boy begging my mom for a Tamiya and being told it was too expensive. I believe youth today will experience the same. I've always believed in the saying 'buy once, cry once' when it comes to quality products, but having a more entry-level platform would encourage more young people to want to save and join the community.

Boom Racing:

What has been your experience using the new Scaletra App?

Preston Sykes:

My experience with the new app has been nothing but awesome. It brings a whole new level when it comes to trailing, always pushing myself for those digital rewards. It always brings me back!

Boom Racing:

What benefits do you see it bringing to builders and RC Scale Adventurists globally?

Preston Sykes:

Community integration, now it doesn't matter what RC you have or how you use it. Just the feeling of being part of a bigger community globally is pretty heartwarming.

Boom Racing:

Thank you for answering our questions Preston! For readers who want to learn more about Preston, check out his Tiktok @everythingscalerc.

Author:Peter Gray