Redo And Redemption Roundup

This month's LUGNuts challenge was called Redo And Redemption. The idea was to take an embarrassing, crappy old creation, redo it better, provide a link to the shameful stupid old creation and make the universe all the better for it. From there we can right all those we have wronged in our silly younger days and then begin the long path toward healing and forgiveness...at least that's what they tell ya in Alcoholics Anonymous. How did we do? Well, aside from Peter's entries, there weren't too many others. Seems like everyone else decided that, like Mary Poppins, they are practically perfect in every way. That's OK, I'm not up for a long round up anyway. You see, I just bought an awesome new electric guitar...an Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy Custom Plus EX in Midnight Sapphire and I've been just a little distracted by it. The kicker is, I don't even know how to play. Yep, not one note, lick, chord or badass solo. But I am trying to learn. Damn these tiny womanish hands of mine! Seems I have to strengthen my left hand and train each finger to move independently...otherwise all I have is nonsensical noise. So lets get to Eddie Van Halen's power solo...uh, I mean...this roundup.

First up in a very long string of entries is Peter Blackert's Shelby Daytona Sports Racer...originally built for the 18th challenge called At The Races where he was trying to beat his own record for the most awesomest power riff or something.



Next on the slab was requested by me, a redo of his Mercedes-Benz W210 E430 T Estate from like 20 years ago. He didn't provide the link but the original was a laughable squarish box on wheels. Redone...and definitely redeemed.



Not only is Peter redeeming old MOCs, but true to Peter style,he is also doing it by request. Here is a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe as requested by new guy dluders. It features gull-wing doors, the Mercedes logo, EMG-85 Humbucker pickups at the neck and an EMG-81 by the bridge.



Here is a redone classic pair of one of his very first LDD models, the 1955-56 Packard Caribbean, in Hardtop and Convertible forms. The hard top sports pink and white two tone color scheme while the GX version features your choice of Black Cherry and Heritage Cherry Sunburst with gold hardware.





Next is another great pairing, a Toyota MR2 MkII in red convertible while the blue sports a hard top and a satin-back, trim-tapered neck for ultimate heavy metal shredding!





No stranger to pairing up rides, Peter strikes a chord again with these Ford Fiesta B256's, which include rally stripes and elegant pearloid and abalone block and triangle inlays on the 1,3,5,7,9,12, & 15th frets and individual volume and tone controls for each pickup.





If you want classic shape and style, you can't go wrong with Peter's pair of Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadsters. You also can't go wrong with a Les Paul, whose timeless classic shape has been lovingly described as caressing a woman's well rounded hips and bottom.





And speaking of a well rounded woman's bottom, Peter's BMW E9 CS Coupe in lovely brown...well, looks nothing like a woman's bottom at all. But how else was I going to segue into how a man feels for his new guitar? I'm sure you see the dilemma here, you sweet piece of mahogany and rosewood, you!



Yes, I'd love to learn the haunting and alluring riff to Led Zeppelin's Kashmir, thanks for asking. Peter also presents an Audi C3 100 Saloon in lovely red...or what I like to call Vintage Cherry.



Another great pair is the Ford Falcon BF XR6 in Midnight Ebony or the 5.4 litre V8 XR8 version in Midnight Sapphire. The first was Peter's first all-new car. Great fun and very fast, but a bit thirsty and impractical, he tells us. Agreed, but if you want to impress guitar enthusiasts and novices alike, its a good idea to spend a bit more on the high quality Prophecy EX or GX.





My buddy Dave is soooo jealous of my new ax! He says dude, its much sweeter than his Les Paul. Even the dudes at Guitar Center were all like...whoa, this thing is much sweeter in person than it looks in the catalog. It barks with authority and has a tougher, grittier, and edgier attitude than the typical Les Paul...which suits my personality nicely. Oh, and Peter presents us the Audi 100 Quattro Avant.



And as an encore performance to round out Peter's entries is a trio from France, the Citroen DS Series I,Citroen DS Prestige Series II, and the elegant Citroen DS Decapotable (Convertible) Series I. Viva la France!







Is that all of them? Great! Time learn to shred with the best of 'em! Oh wait...there's more. OK, almost there. Here goes. The very first thing TechnicNick built with his son's bricks when he was little was the Italian Job bus and now he redoes it better. Its OK Nick, its always best to start small and easy. Learn Smoke On The Water first, then you'll be rockin' out to Crazy Train in no time.



Tim "Rabidnovaracer" Inman revisits his black Mercedes G-Class and this time turns it grey and gives it a second set of rear tires and made it a monstrous 6x6. Don't forget to also check out the video Tim provided of Mr. Les Paul himself, playing his hauntingly beautiful version of Sleepwalk. It brings tears to your eyes.



What also brings tears to the eyes is Lino Martin's redo of his old VW Dragbus. Its German engineering meets American...uh...need to go stupidly fast in a straight line. It was hailed by metal players the world over as the ultimate combination of tradition and innovation and the perfect guitar for serious shredding, all within the stylish lines of the classic Les Paul form.



Lastly Ralph Savelsberg revisits his old Chrysler Concorde 10 wide and plays it again with a tricky 11 wide configuration. In the process its been made better...like when Johnny Cash covered Trent Reznor's Hurt. Now Trent can't even perform the song anymore cuz Mr. Cash spanked him so hard by making his own song so much better.



Ok, is that all of them? Yes it is! Sweet baby Jeebus ,its time to plug in and play! While I do that, come on back next month to see how we do with a little challenge we call Super 70's Sensation...all about 70's era cars, trucks, and bikes. Will yours be a custom super van with shag carpeting and wizards and druids airbrushed on the sides...or will it be a black and gold Trans-Am with louvres and a stereo that only plays Lynyrd Skynyrd? Or maybe a Ford Pinto is in your future. Either way, you're gonna have to come back next time to see how we pull it off. Now, lets see if I can learn Smoke On The Water. 3-6-8/ 3-6-9-8/ 3-6-8/ 6-3. By jove, I think I've got it! See ya next time.