maxdman

Everyone is a human and makes mistakes, gets annoyed, isn't in great moods or what ever it is. Being on such a strict schedule, meeting literally thousands of people every event day, you can't give 110% and be a saint to everyone, it's just not possible. Some make it seem that way on tv or in interviews, but personalities are also different. Some just have more energy and enthusiasm than others. I'm sure not all drivers love pit parties and autograph lines. Sucks to hear it and think about it since we all are fans and love the industry, but they have EXTREMELY long days and nights, both fly in drivers and especially those who own and work on their own stuff.

This is what happens when they give out participation trophies. Everyone gets too soft.

The foot trucks also run heavily cleated firestones which also changes the way the trucks handle in the corner. Chassis CG is a component but you also have to take into consideration wheelbase, tire combo/cleat, shock set up/ride height

I'd rather not have cars at shows versus two cars in an arena and have debris come off into the crowd and severely injure or kill any number of people. That would be the end to a lot of promoters as we know them if something like that happened. Cars or not, now a days the entertainment value doesn't rely on crushed cars at all, so who cares if they aren't there anymore. The industry has evolved past crushing cars as a spectacle, grow and move along with it or get out. All major sports and entertainment make changes away from their roots, just the nature of running a business.

This has to be one of the first times that all 3 stadium series have Saturday-Sundays shows. Looked like LONG hours last night to get trucks prepped for the early shows today, especially Indianapolis.

Expect a trailer for the new THQ/Rainbow Studios game to come out later this month.

You're correct. I believe the most recent Cohens that have rolled out are Hurricane Force, Krazy Train, and Full Boar 2.0. I believe both Team Over Bored trucks (not Wild Side obviously) are Cohen as well, no? From what I recall, Cohen chassis have a vertical (perpendicular to the ground) piece of tubing support just behind the rear shock towers. Cohen chassis have the same rear shock tower supports at an angle behind the rear shock mounts.

Smells like RII trouble and getting stuck on a box van

From other business ventures though, Koehler often times operates in the negatives because of how hard and big that entire team runs. A lot of independents have other forms of income from their other businesses and have their teams as a hobby. Yes some independents can fund themselves but its a 24/7 365 operation with very little off and down time. Drivers and team owners say they do it because they love it, and that' the truth because if they did it for the money, it would't last long at all. I'm not directing this at you because I'm sure you probably know, but just stating info

There's a few reasons. Money, $, money, money $ $ money $$$$$$. Independents often times don't break even after weekends, and if that goes on for months that puts a massive hurt on the operating costs. There's just not enough money involved in the industry to make it where winning means something, where drivers will push their equipment to the edge every single weekend. It's not like NASCAR, NHRA, or other top forms of motorsport that have big corporations backing teams and shoveling money to be the best operation on the track. Monster trucks just simply aren't like that.... yet. Big businesses and brands have been pulling out of motorsports, mainly due to the extreme costs its required to run teams (if anyone follows NASCAR look at Furniture Row Racing, or Ganassi not fielding Xfinity cars this year), if there's no business giving the teams money the operating costs are too high. But that being said, Monster Jam is pulling in contracts with corporations at a time when other major motorsports are losing them, which is an upside. Downside is that it goes to the company and not the teams or drivers (due to FELD owning over half the field which is whatever). And I don't have actual figures but I'm sure the BKT and Great Clips deal aren't anywhere close to what NASCAR sponsorship contracts are. But if saying the word "BKT Tire" and "Great Clips Mohawk Warrior" gets the job done and keeps the industry alive, then say it every run. If you argue that you don't want to hear it, then don't watch motorsports because that's everywhere, Goodyear tire, driver of the number 48 Lowes Chevy. It pays the bills so it gets done. But bottom line, independents don't have the financial backing to bash their equipment every show, because it just simply isn't worth it. If everyone was paid show pay (as discussed before) and on top of that based on points or where the driver finished in the event, then I'm sure it would be a different conversation because operating costs would be covered, and everything else can either go in their pocket, or back into the equipment.

Some of what you said is correct, but there are other legal issues that FELD is taking action against. I read the suit and it's deeper than FELD just being mad at Mattel. Yes FELD ended the contract (not sure if it was terminated or not renewed), in 2018 but the contract they had between each other was that the products would be produced until the end of the calendar year (2018). Not only were there accusations of Mattel reporting false statistics when FELD asked about distributors and other business metrics, but Mattel didn't restock suppliers when they reported shortages of products, Mattel also cut supplies of Monster Jam molds, and other properties to manufacturing in replacement of their own Hot Wheels Monster Trucks line, thus violating the contract between Mattel and FELD. So now not only are less Monster Jam/FELD products on the shelf (during the fourth quarter which FELD reports as their biggest and most important quarter for selling products), but Mattel replaced what they should have been producing (FELDS/Monster Jam products through the end of the year) with their own Hot Wheels Monster Truck branded items, in a way stealing profits from FELD as Monster Jam products should have been on the shelf. The lawsuit talks about Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live but isn't taking action on that and doesn't really care about that tour from what I gathered. They are upset over the loss of royalties they would have gotten had Mattel not violated the contract and finished out 2018 with the proper production and marketing of their Monster Jam products. Were Mattel could get into hot water with is that while Bone Shaker and Tiger Shark and other names are their own property, they were advertised and sold under the Monster Jam line of toys. FELD is claiming that some versions of Bone Shaker, Rev-Treds, Stars and Stripes, and Mattel Hotweiler were purposefully made and designed using concepts from the FELD Monster Jam product line, violating not only the contract between Mattel and FELD, but FELD is claiming that Mattel did this purposefully when they quit giving suppliers FELD products, began to advertise and brand their own line (Hot Wheels Monster Trucks) based on trucks with FELD's trademarks to purposefully confuse customers and drive their own (Mattel's) sales. The trucks in question of the trademark violation are a specific version of Mattel's BoneShaker with FELD's Grave Digger, Mattel's Stars and Stripe Rev-Tred with FELD's Stars and Stripes line, and Mattel's Hotweiler with FELD's Monster Mutt Rottweiler. Not going to lie, FELD does have some basis here from what the suit is claiming. Mattel did report false figures and didn't properly restock suppliers with what their contracts said they should have. I think that has more basis rather than the trademark issues, but we'll see what the jury decides.

Soon.

Dooms Day beats by Dre. But these have to be customs. The Kraken render has a nitrogen/coil over shock package which FELD wouldn't do in a render because their fleet doesn't and wouldn't run that. Can't say its a new shock set up because Coty is working on and putting on a new shock set up and trying things on his new chassis for 2019 to test it for the fleet and they're all nitrogen.

It's called forced perspective. Yes I'm aware there are texture issues. Still working the bugs out.

Cheers 🍻

I'll give it a try the next time I export something and let you know. Thanks I appreciate it!

I've been using this one for all of my tracks and have had the same issues when I try to do crowd textures, but that only happens sometimes so I'm not sure if it has to do with which material file the transparent texture is on (like a collidable one or not) or what. But for the sake of this example this is whats in the .material file for the track shown above. material TreeLine2/SOLID/TEX/TreeLine3.png/VertCol { technique { pass { scene_blend alpha_blend alpha_rejection greater 0 depth_write off texture_unit { texture TreeLine3.png } } } } material BlueDay/SOLID/TEX/treeline.png/VertCol { technique { pass { scene_blend alpha_blend alpha_rejection greater 0 depth_write off texture_unit { texture treeline.png } } } }

So I've had this issue since I started messing with transparent textures. To sum it up its when one texture is in front of another that is transparent, they get all goofy shown below. If I can somehow resolve this I'd want to update my Monster Jam University as one big going away gift to the community. Also I want to one-up the people who made the current one FELD has lol. If someone has a suggestion on how to correct this please let me know

Your race lanes don't look steep enough on the back side to get poppers and other two wheel skill tricks. Also don't use a van in the stack on top of the pad, use a box truck or the blue ambulance I used on Bridgeport Speedway. Your blender work aside from those points looks good, you've improved a bunch

Looks good! I have a different light tower model that is a bit more true to scale and realistic then what you have on there now. If you want me to upload it or send it to you I can. I used them on my custom Eagen County Fair track

Last I spoke with him they were running both PEI's in the same trailer for first quarter, and keeping MOD as is. I didn't hear anything of 2017's Stinger chassis, but I have seen that they got a new pit cart for the A-Team trailer (as he put it). They may be keeping MOD and Stinger 2017 chassis (not sure the identity) and hauling a second trailer (B-team) for the spring and summer shows since they still have a second hauler to the best of my knowledge