This interview was done by our newest contributor, Kidd Kaos

I had the pleasure of talking with Pinky Howard the owner and operator of Pinkys Custom RC’s. A huge RC enthusiast with a colorful character, and a larger than life personality, Pinky took time from his busy schedule to give RC Soup the Inside Soup…

Could you tell our readers about a day in the life of Pinky?
Foremost I am trying to build a business. I’m up between 5 and 7 am checking messages, placing orders, and then pick my project for the day. I work on that then take it out to the course for running and testing. After testing it’s back in the shop to tweak and improve. I also do a lot of networking, talking to potential sponsors, distributors, and customers. Talking to people who message me even if it is to say hey. An average day is usually 12-14 hours.

Before becoming an RC builder, what did you do?
I am a Tattoo artist, an auto mechanic, and a general contractor, I have always done something working with my hands, usually having more than one iron in the fire, running multiple businesses at one time.

What caused the transition to RC?
Man that’s a good question. Being a tattoo artist, I had enough free time and spare money to get into the hobby. It fit my personality, and challenged my technical abilities. Since I was a little kid I loved working on cars, but at this point in life working on cars in a shop or my driveway is not a possibility anymore. Its too hard on the body to be crawling under cars and picking up transmissions, and this fills that void. I would say that a lot of scale builders have the same story. As for going into the RC business, new laws being passed in my area caused me to have to relocate my tattoo business or switch over to a new profession and it seemed a no brainer to make RC a business and it’s fine by me because it is what I love. The funny thing is, my hobby became my career, and my career as a tattoo artist became my hobby.

Did you have prior RC building experience?
No. I have only been into RC for about a year. Building and customizing just came naturally from years of being an auto mechanic, and doing auto restorations.

What is your most favorite build?
I love them all equally. They are all different. Each one presents its own level of difficulty whether it’s electric or nitro, buggies, truggies, touring cars, drift cars or scale trucks. When I first started as a business I thought I could get my name out there by having a ton of RC’s to post pictures of, but I realized that by focusing on just a couple of trucks I would prove my skills through quality over quantity. I build better trucks now that I am down to just a couple of trucks in my personal collection that I focus on instead of a dozen. They reflect my skills and abilities with RC vehicles. I build them tough and work them hard. Dealing with customers, and working on their trucks, leaves mine on the shelves a little more than I’d like. And that slows my filming, but that’s part of the business.

What RC brand stands out to you?
From owning 1/32 to 1/8 scale I’ve had everything. I find that scale trucks are the best and as far as brands go I would say Axial is by far the best you can get. For out of the box performance and durability, from the beginner to the seasoned builder, they are just impressive vehicles. Tamiya also makes great kits. I have been acquiring these trucks used and some are 30 yrs old and they are still running. That says a lot for their brand. They are easy to modify with little money. One of the most solid trucks I’ve ever put my hands on.

What is your worst experience as a builder?
Not being paid for a build. Nothing specific but there are a lot of scams in this industry. It makes the online trading and dealing aspect of RC difficult, and has forced me to have tough policies.

How did you get into filming?
I got my first scale truck from a friend, who told me to check out RC Sparks on YouTube for some ideas and that sparked my interest. I actually starting filming to see how the trucks performed, and so I can see how things were really working. I was using video to see what worked with tuning and it just evolved into filming. As an artist by trade I loved it, and started putting music to the videos and uploading to YouTube and just gained a following.

Do you have anyone that’s influenced you on building or filming?
DJ Medic of RC Sparks is a huge influence and the reason I started the scale end of RC. Rivas, Ferndogg310, Extreme Scale Performance, JRP RC… the guys you see on YouTube, but Headquake137 is an RC GOD. He is who made me want to build the cabins and garages. I would love to meet, shake his hand and go play with rc trucks for a day with him.

What do you recall as your best RC memory?
My best RC memory…  I had a guy who I had never met just drive with his family up to visit me and go play with scale trucks. I spend so much time working and filming rc, but to have someone who I’ve  never met come visit me in person and play based on what he’s seen on the internet! That was a thrill.

What’s next for Pinky’s Custom RC’s?
I’m looking into bigger trucks like the Capo, and 18 wheelers, they are my next step in the evolution of this. Seriously though I can’t imagine where I’ll be ten years from now; the sky’s  the limit. I’m a newb as far as I’m concerned. I am just a guy in my garage office building these trucks. Facebook is the reason I’ve gone as far as I have, the likes and praise make me want to do more beyond my own personal drive. I have gained a ton of following and it drives me to do more.

What’s your favorite kind of soup?
You know man… RC Soup!

You can checkout Pinky on Youtube

He’s also on Facebook

KK