#Hot Wheels Legends Tour

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Mini 'Mentley', 1983. An Austin Mini, remodelled with styling to evoke the classic Bentley Speed 8s of the 1920s, was named as the winner of the 2024 Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK. Powered by a a 320bhp TVR V8 engine, when boosted by nitrous through straight exhaust pipes, early trials suggest it may achieve 0-60mph in 3 seconds. The car will now represent the UK on the global stage and stake its claim to be recreated as a 1:64 scale Hot Wheels die-cast model.

[martinroyhall]

News: 1979 ‘MG B-EAST’ is 2023 Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK Winner

We are big fans of Hot Wheels up here on the top floor of MotorMartin Towers so we were very excited to see the following arrive on the news desk and are putting the post out in full: A 1979 MGB GT nicknamed ‘the B-EAST’ is set to represent the UK on the global stage and stake its claim to be recreated as a 1:64 scale die-cast model – after winning this year’s Hot Wheels Legends Tour UK at…

[redpencilcreations]

The Bone Shaker at Hot Wheels Legends Tour in Arizona several weeks ago.

[minijenn]

Getting a lot of asks about my apparent plans for UF2 based on the old chapter list, so I went through and wrote out everything I could remember for these chapters based on only their titles and the very sparse handful of notes I still have on hand. Enjoy!

Arc 1: A Wheel in the Woods

Prologue: Welcome to the Universe: Idk, establishing a bunch of behinds the scene shit particularly with Homeworld I guess

Chapter 1: Back to the Falls: Reunion, everyone coming back to Gravity Falls and meeting up again

Chapter 2: Journal 4: Dipper starts writing his own journal (Ford probs gives him a blank one) ala what the end of Journal 3 implies

Chapter 3: Prior Engagement: Soos and Melody get engaged?? I think?

Chapter 4: Gravity Falls Noir: A Noir mystery story idk about what tho, mostly for fun

Chapter 5: Film Festival: Everyone teams up to make short films for a film festival

Chapter 6: Normal Kideon: Gideon (now reformed) asks the MK's help in teaching him how to not be a fucking little meglomaniac

Chapter 7: Techromancy: Something featuring Ford and Fiddleford and Peridot idk what

Chapter 8: Speed Demon: Zoom makes her triumphant return

Chapter 9: Twenty Zodiac Tales (temp): Very short stories featuring all the zodiac characters

Chapter 10: A Wheel in the Woods: The gang fucking discovers that goddamn triangle's statue and they're all fuckin scared

Chapter 10: Trust No One: Idk Bill gets freed somehow but he's not as powerful as he used to be

Arc 2: That Will Be All

Chapter 11: Fusion Foretold: This one was gonna be fun! So a group of magical creatures, pixies I think, saw Stonipbel fighting during Weirdmageddon the previous summer and believe them to be a prophecised hero, without knowing they're just four kids in a tall trenchcoat. Hijinks ensue

Chapter 12: Back Into the Bunker: Return to the bunker, this time with Ford and Fiddleford, basically a flashback on how Rose and the Gems helped them build it

Chapter 13: Summer Snowfall: Fuckin snows in Gravity Falls, its basically just swinter iidk winter hijinks

Chapter 14: Monster Shack: Return of the Monster Falls designs idk how I just wanted to see them again, would have probs featured Monster Stevonnie, Maven, and Stepper bc im obsessed

Chapter 15: Revenge Tour: Stan and Amethyst up to illegal hijinks again, this time roping Wendy and mabel Lapis in?

Chapter 16: A Shoulder to Cry On: Steven/Pacifica fusion, Connie and Dipper are jealous little shits

Chapter 17: A Pines Bros Mystery: Flashback chapter adapting the chapter of the same name from Lost Legends focusing on the young Stan Twins

Chapter 18: Steven's Dream: Same as the show, the gang goes to fucking Korea I guess (said gang including all four of the Pines)

Chapter 19: Adventures in Light Distortion: More or less the same as canon

Chapter 20: Gem Heist: Hinjinks in the zoo, the zoomans also think stan and ford are hot along with greg imo deadass they're right

Chapter 20: That Will Be All: same as canon this time featuring Stonemason foreshadowing

Arc 3: Wanted

Chapter 21: The New Crystal Gems (temp): would have had a name change, same as the ep but featuring Pacifica, Wendy, Soos, and Fiddleford filling in for the Pines, hijinks ensue

Chapter 22: Room for Ruby: Fuckin little shit comes to earth, only Stan and Lapis are able to tell she's sus as fuck

Chapter 23: Tie the Knot: I think this was when Soos and Melody were gonna get married???? Yeah UF2 was gonna have 2 weddings lol

Chapter 24: Alternate Ending: Same as the ep, Steven imagining what it would be like if he did have a sister bc he's a lil jealous of Dipper and Mabel's dynamic

Chapter 25: Alone in the Woods: Something Dipper and Lapis related??? idk

Chapter 26: Doug Out: Same as the show more or less, Aquamarine and Topaz fuckiin around

Chapter 27: Brotherly Shove: Stan and Ford focused, probs would have resulted in them both getting captured by Aqua and Topz

Chapter 28: Are You My Dad: Same as the show, more GF characters captured alongside the SU characters

Chapter 29: I Am My Mom: Same as canon, but with Dipper and Mabel getting taken to Homeworld with Steven and Lars, would have also included Stuck Together

Chapter 30: The Trial: Same as canon, more implications of Rose being a Shady Bitch who worked with Bill in the past; ends with Dipper pulling a self sacrifice essentially so Steven and Mabel can escape, thus officially kickstarting the Stonemason arc

Chapter 30: Wanted: Mabel and Steven desperately trying to find a way to save Dipper, Lars fucking dies, Maven maybe shows up? The kiddos go home and break the bad news that they're now one short oop

Arc 4: Stonemason Unmasked

Chapter 31: Within Without: Aftermath of the Wanted arc, Pines family is a fucking mess, not even knowing if Dipper is still fucking alive; Steven is a guilt ridden disaster

Chapter 32: Gemcation: The gems take everyone on a trip to try and both cool down and strategize; Stan and Ford get into a fight bc they're stressed, everything is bad

Chapter 33: Kevin Party: More or less same but Kevin wants Stevonnie, Maven, and Stepper at his party (lol kinda impossible for that last one atm imo); Mabel runs into Gabe Bensen at the party and tells him to fuck off, feeling guilt once again for the events of Sock Opera especially now that Dipper is gone

Chapter 34: Shipping and Handling: I think this was gonna focus on Pacifica's feelings about Dipper being missing? Was probs gonna be sad as fuck tbh this entire arc was

Chapter 35: Lars of the Stars: Same but with Mabel trying to convince Lars and the Off Colors to take them back to Homeworld so they can look for Dipper; they don't get far before Emerald attacks tho

Chapter 36: Jungle Moon: Same as before but this time it has a subplot with Mabel being lost on her own on the Jungle Moon, and her first encounter with Stonemason (she doesn't realize who he is yet)

Chapter 36: Sweater Sewing: Gang is back on earth, more focused on Mabel's huge well of emotions about missing Dipper, writing him letters so she can fill him in on everything once they find him/her doubting if they will

Chapter 37: Mindless Education: All our remaining MK have Angst for days and fusion aint gonna help them work through it this time, basically, the MK aren't complete with Dipper ahahah

Chapter 38: The Assassin: Stonemason officially arrives in Gravity Falls and fights the Gems (they still dont know who he is yet)

Chapter 39: The Mask: Second encounter with Stonemason, ends with the dramatic face reveal ahahaha

Chapter 40: Stonemason Unmasked (p1 and p2): deadass just retelling how Dipper wound up as Stonemason in full, introduces Amber and shows how he lost his arm, was conditioned/brainwashed, etc. Was gonna be told as a series of vingette scenes

Arc 5: Break the Chain

Chapter 41: Show Yourself: Reactions to Stonemason's real identity, failed attempts from the Pines and the Gems to basically break Dipper out of the brainwashing I guess

Chapter 42: Deep Cut: Outright fucking war between the Stans and the Gems basically with the Stans blaming the Gems for what's happened to Dipper and Steven and Mabel trying their best to get them to reconcile and work together

Chapter 42: Lullaby: Probs Stonemason focused, showing that Dipper is still in there and is trying to break free but cant bc of YD's conditioning

Chapter 43: Puppet Strings: Bill fuckin returns after like 40 chapters, absolutely taking advantage of this fucked up situation to try and broker a deal with Steven. it doesn't work. Yet

Chapter 44: Crash and Burn: Stonemason attacks Gravity Falls directly, without the mask which will have huge repercussions later

Chapter 45: Forever Together: Maven focused; they go off on their own to try and track down Stonemason, probably having an emotional breakdown or two along the way

Chapter 46: Don't Let Go: Possibly Lapis focused??? How the whole Stonemason thing is impacting her (not well)

Chapter 47: Burnout: Everyone fucking just hits rock bottom unsure of what the fuck to do

Chapter 48: A Final Farewell: Essentially that oneshot I wrote that one time, Amber sending the Gems and Pines a message from Dipper that encourages them to keep going

Chapter 49: Hide and Seek: The gang finally captures Stonemason and restrains him but they have no fucking idea how to help him

Chapter 50: Find the Key: Potentially calls back to both Dreamscaperers and RMD, with Steven and Mabel going inside Stonemason's mind to save Dipper

Chapter 50: Break the Chain: They fight Stonemason in there, break Dipper free, and he's back yay! but he's a lil fucked up actually lol

Arc 6: Rise and Fall and Rise Again

Chapter 51: Yes, My Diamond: Aftermath of Dipper struggling to fully break out of the conditioning ahaha angst city babyes

Chapter 52: The Golden Rule: I have no fucking clue something Stonemason related I guess, maybe the reveal that he's still runnin around inside of Dipper's mind and isnt actually gone like everyone thinks he is

Chapter 53: Blackout: Also don't know about this one, I guess its like emotional reconcilation from other characters?

Chapter 54: Your Mother and Mine: Finally getting back to SU eps, learning about how Rose started the war

Chapter 55: Pool Hopping: Garnet has even more angst bc boy howdy she did not see any of this Stonemason shit happening and she is hella guilty about it but at least she adopts a cat imo

Chapter 56: Raising the Barn: Lapis wants to leave now that Dipper is back, Dipper begs her to take him with her so YD won't find him and control him again; she says she's going to but doesn't imo fuckin ruins her relationship with her son nice going idiot

Chapter 57: Legend of the Dragowl: Dipper sad about his mom leaving, basically finds a cool dragon/owl hybrid in the woods and its basically HTTYD from there as that becomes his pet (names her Luna, she's cool)

Chapter 58: Save the Light: Adaptation of the SU game, Hessonite (who was involved in the Stonemason process) comes to earth and wooo boy everyone wants to beat her shit in

Chapter 59: Knock, Knock: Something something Bill I think? I have no fucking idea

Chapter 60: Rise and Fall: Imma level with yall i Have no fucking idea what this arc ender was gonna be; probs more Dipper angst? That sounds about right.

Chapter 60: And Rise Again: ^^^ Ditto

Arc 7: Dimensional Duel

Chapter 61: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Stepper, my sweet fusion son, returns after being away for so long as Steven tries helping Dipper recover emotionally but oh boy it doesnt work

Chapter 62: Alone Forever: Something else having to do with Stepper, idk what

Chapter 63: Rifts and Memories: More Stepper bc we can never get enough, probs plenty of RMD callbacks

Chapter 64: Open the Door: Ok yeah this one was def Bill making his full comeback, possibly using Steven as a pawn

Chapter 65: Twinning: This was an AU chapter but I honestly couldnt fucking tell you which one imo

Chapter 66: The Home in Homeworld: This was supposed to be the Crystal Falls AU chapter but then I swapped it over to UF itself and then also never wrote it so this is just redundant

Chapter 67: Mother Knows Best: Water Mom AU! Makes Dipper feel even worse about his Lapis being a fucking negligent runaway!

Chapter 68: The New Mystery Kids: Time travel into the MK2 future, old MK meets new MK its very cute and wholesome

Chapter 69: The One Who Watches: Axolotl introduction, idk what else besides that

Chapter 70: Portholes: AUs collide, basically a bunch of various AU characters from all the AUs we've seen fuckin Interacting

Chapter 70: Dimensional Duel: More of that ^^^ But there's fighting involved??? They all beat the shit out of Bill???

Arc 8: Change Your Mind

Chapter 71: Can't Go Back: They find Lapis on the moon, her and Dipper fight bc what else are they gonna do; Lapis still doesn't go home oop deadbeat mom over here

Chapter 72: A Single Pale Rose: Pink Diamond reveal and also the reveal of the deal Rose made with Bill during the war for her Gem

Chapter 73: Now We're Only Falling Apart: Reactions to the reveal; basically the same as canon as we learn more about Pink becoming Rose

Chapter 74: Reconnect the Chain: Stonemason (who's still in Dipper's head) and Dipper decide to reconcile their differences bc they're mad as fuck that they went through all this bullshit for nothing and decide they're gonna allign to a mutal goal: shatter all the remaining diamonds (except steven for obvious reasons)

Chapter 75: The Question: Rupphire engagement, cutie pies

Chapter 76: Made of Honor: Bismuth angst, fully bringing her back into the CGs (remember she gets unbubbled during Weirdmageddon but she keeps her distance from the CGs out of shame)

Chapter 77: Reunited: Rupphire wedding; Blue and Yellow come to Earth, big fuckin battle and they discover who Steven is

Chapter 78: Legs from Here to Homeworld: Shit awkward as fuck bc the Pines wanna fucking mutally murder Yellow for obvious reasons lol otherwise same as canon

Chapter 78: Familiar: Steven angst with a side of Dipper and Stonemason angst ahaha

Chapter 79: Together Alone: Stonipbel at the party, cute until it isn't; fucking blaze through Escapsim bc that episode sucks

Chapter 80: Battle of Heart and Mind: Dipper/Stonemason try and spectacularly fail to shatter Yellow, the others find out about his plans and are mix of semi supportive (the rest of his family) and not supportive at all (Steven bc he wants to heal the corrupted gems and that cant happen without Yellow) (so basically we get a fight between Dipper and Steven hahaha oh no where have we seen that before)

Chapter 80: Change Your Mind: Confrontation against White, even more dramatic than the actual episode if you can believe it

Arc 9: Ursa Major

Chapter 81: Back Then: Basically adjustment to the post CYM status quo, corrupted Gems are being healed and the MK all finally feel somewhat emotionally OK but there's still an arc left of this shit sooo

Chapter 82: Meet the Pines: Pines parents arrive in Gravity Falls for a surprise visit and are shocked to see what utter hell their kids have gone through; they ultimately decide to let them stay though when they realize just how happy their kids are here despite everything

Chapter 83: The Call: Bill fuckin around one more time, plotting to fuckin just destroy everything out of sheer rage alone; something something Axolotl

Chapter 84: The Unknown: I dont fucking know msot of my plans for UF2's final arc are very hazy

Chapter 85: Without Within: Dipper trying to find a way to make Stonemason his own person bc they've become friends?

Chapter 86: Glow Gem: Something to do with Steven idk what though

Chapter 87: Encore: I dont fucking know

Chapter 88: Sixty Degrees Come in Threes: Was gonna be Bill's backstory until Book of Bill came along and made me look stupid

Chapter 89: The Axolotl's Chosen: So in the Adventures in the Multiverse chapters of UF, the oracle tells Ford that the Axolotl has a "chosen one" that'll take Bill out once and for all and impliies it to be him but it aint lol its Dipper bc this kid hasnt been through enough already fuck

Chapter 90: Ursa Minor: Something something remnant trauma Dipper has not just from the Stonemason thing but shit Bill did to him like RMD and Sock Opera but still deciding to fucking end that motherfucker anyway

Chapter 90: Ursa Major: MK vs. Bill you know how it goes

Chapter 90: Polaris: That stupid motherfucking triangle finally dies for good

Epilogue 1: Mystery and Magic: Cool down from the climax, lots of cute interactions and character moments

Epilogue 2: Of Pines and Gems: Peaceful final resolution, conclusions, foreshadowing to the Movie probs with a scene hinting at Spinel idk

[cliozaur]

This one is really long, so I’ll start with the best part — the most stylish and iconic entrance: “'Would you like my hat?'…/All wheeled round. It was Javert.” This cop does indeed possess a sense of humour! And Javert’s entrance is intertwined with a series of coincidences. In fact, the entire book is teeming with coincidences, it sometimes feels as though Hugo is abusing them, yet this is an integral element of his writing style. Through sheer happenstance, Éponine scribbled "The bobbies are here" to showcase her writing prowess, by a mere stroke of luck, Marius in his stunned state recollected this piece of paper, and through yet another twist of fate, the police happened to arrive just minutes later without even being summoned! I adore the way the genre of the Gorbeau house scene transitions from horror to melodrama (with Marius' moral struggles), then to farce (with the bandits' chaotic antics and poor planning), and finally to comedy with Javert's entrance.

The bandits don't exactly shine in this chapter! While they initially appeared menacing upon their arrival (and there are three more in this chapter) this aura quickly dissipates as they start to act. Their actions are too chaotic, too disorganized, too unprepared for the challenges posed by Valjean’s courage and strength. A trio from the Patron-Minette quartet joins the fray, all brandishing (symbolic?) weapons. I am somewhat taken aback with Claquesous’ “enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.” Wow! Just wow! (on one of the illustrations - at the end of this post - it's grotesquely enormous) They lost Montparnasse along the way (he preferred the company of Éponine over joining the group of idiots assembled at the Gorbeau hovel). Their willingness to accept Thénardier as their leader and trust him with all the planning suggests that indeed, it’s a low season for crime and they are desperate.

Thénardier never shuts up in this chapter, he rants and rants. I was utterly outraged when he spoke of Cosette as a lost source of income. Well, he mentioned believing that she “belonged to rich people” and that he “might have extracted enough to live on all my life!” However, given that Cosette did not, in fact, belong to rich people, and considering how he used his own daughters for soliciting out, we can only imagine HOW he might have used Cosette to extract income from her. What a terrible alternative! Yet, he is once again telling some reasonable things about the plight of the poor, such as: “We, it is we who are thermometers. We don’t need to go out and look on the quay at the corner of the Tour de l’Horologe, to find out the number of degrees of cold; we feel our blood congealing in our veins, and the ice forming round our hearts, and we say: ‘There is no God!’”

I'm not inclined to delve into Marius' hesitations and quasi-moral dilemma at this moment. Despite my sympathies toward him, he did come across as rather insufferable here. But I like the fact that he was proud of Jean Valjean. Nonetheless, his contribution was rather minimal, with the sole positive action being the toss of Éponine's note into the neighbour’s room.

Valjean is truly amazing here. He is calm, unperturbed, inventive, and displays remarkable sangfroid. A real icon of stoicism. And I have a feeling that his shocking act of burning his right hand with the red-hot chisel is a clear allusion to the legend of Scaevola, a tale of significance to certain stoics. The emphasis Hugo places on Valjean gripping the chisel in his left hand assures me that my assumption is not unfounded. And I so much wish Hugo had afforded us even a fleeting glimpse into Valjean’s mind during this juncture! While we are privy to every trifling notion crossing Marius' thoughts, at this pivotal juncture in the narrative, we remain largely ignorant of Valjean's inner musings. It’s such a pity. But, at the same time, it makes him so mysterious.

Claquesous' enormous key:

[omegaremix]

Cold Waves @ Warsaw; September 15 & 16, 2022.

If I told you that I was feeling shaky going into attending Cold Waves, you’d write me off instantly. Why would I still feel nervous about attending shows? Sure, the event is everything, but every trip to grandiose New York City is still a major thing for me. It’s still feels like uncharted territory and I’m still not over it but it has everything Long Island fails to provide: the venues, the people, the exciting energy, and an allure I still can’t put my finger on. It’s all for the taking, whereas on Long Island I had way more than enough. Also: anxiety. (Film at 5.)

I was only mere days away and I had to get ready for two straight nights of taking trains to and from Brooklyn. Cold Waves would be the third show I’d attend this year - fourth if I cared going to Ministry’s “Industrial” Strength tour which I didn’t go to. I was a frantic wreck anticipating this industrial legends / synthwave festival. The tremors in my black heart would stop only if I finally arrived at Warsaw. It’s my third visit there. The first was for Hospital Productions’ 20th Anniversary and the second was for Black Marble and Cold Cave on a hot June day - before my world, my momentum, and soul were all upended.

I don my black cap, a Clock DVA shirt, blue jeans, black boots and new black leather jacket. It’s sunny out, a hazy blue sky is being invaded by cumuluses all over the place - perfect conditions for an afternoon drive westward on the Long Island Expressway, down on Sagtikos Parkway, through Southern State to Rt. 231, and heading south to Rt. 27A to the Babylon station. I took no chances catching the earlier one-hour train to Penn Station, then hopped on the ‘E’ line to Court Square’s ‘G’ line to Greenpoint Ave. The train ride was bliss as hardly anyone was on it.

It was 6:15 PM when I stepped off the G and went upstairs to Greenpoint, my favorite Brooklyn neighborhood. It only took me 15 minutes to walk a few blocks down to Driggs Av. in Kings County’s Polish neighborhood. It’s only 6:30 PM and already I’m being greeted by a crowd of three at the very front of the line. One of them saw my DVA shirt and gave me two thumbs up. “Great shit, man!”, he said. I smiled and my heart rate went up 20.00% knowing I made the right choice of t-shirt for night #1 of Cold Waves. I found myself standing at the exact same spot on line more than four years ago when I waited to enter the venue for Cold Cave and Black Marble. It was that very corner where Wes Eisold stood with Genesis P. Orridge before that show. Doors open at 7 PM as all of us trudge towards the venue for our security checks before entering paradise where I’m immediately hit with the smell of incense, a special smell distinct to my Brooklyn travels and nowhere else.

The music existed before the beginning of time and it was pumping. No wonder - DJ Andi (Harriman) was behind the wheels of steel. She’s a fixture of the neighborhood where she fit perfectly with the industrialists and synth-wave demographic that populate there. With me being 15th in line, I won a spot up front. As always without fail. I was feeling great about what was about to go down for the next five hours. The first person I thought of was my Roman goth friend Lira* who I wished was there with me. She would’ve blended in with all these vampires, witches, and mistresses attending; many walking around wearing 242, Wax Trax, Pig, Pigface, Hocico, and Twin Tribes shirts.

7:45PM is here. The dee-jay fades out, the overheads turn off and the first act is ready to go. Cold Waves is finally underway.

Spike Hellis was the first of ten on the roster and kicked off the entire festival. The fresh Los Angeles duo have enjoyed a new sizable uptick of exposure. They were active and had lots of energy on stage; a theme that they’d set the tone for the entire program. Their fast-paced EBM, electro, and electronic hybrid was a fine example of the current sound that Los Angeles had to offer. Both Cortland Gibson and Elaine Chang traded instrumental and (screaming) vocal duties with each other while conveying themes of agony, control, rage, emotional despair, and submission that rubber-stamped their own pandemic-era, all accentuated at the end with an annoyed Chang dealing the finger to an audience member as the cherry on top. Who knows what happened there? What I do know was that someone threw an empty beer can at them during their set and security called him out on it; eyes and pointy fingers in his direction with a one-and-final warning not to do it again.

For those wondering why Rein is being highly praised all over, you’ll see why. One of two solo acts, Rein wasted no time taking the stage and it wasn’t long for her to show everyone why she’s one of the most talked-about synthwave acts of recent. It’s not just her razor-sharp EBM delivery and style but also her choreography which made her perfectly groove to the music. She can seriously move it like no other and also delivered plenty of hard-edged sounds of equal measure. It was more than enough to ask who the fuck Shakira was, because she’s got nothing on her. It wasn’t just Rein who was motioning to the music. I look to my right and seen a good number of people getting into it, too; such as the guy three spaces away from me who happened to be wearing a gas mask through her set. After she closed out her set came another intermission. The next three legendary acts have yet to come into play and right behind me are three belligerent drunks (one male and two females) fighting over who bumped into who, not saying ‘excuse me’, who stood where, and lots of name-calling and f-bombs lobbed at each other’s slovenly faces. Not a dull moment so far.

Portion Control was the third and most enduring act of the festival with their debut cassette release A Fair Potion dating all the way back to 1980. I’ve constantly heard of them through new-wave, industrial, and synthwave circles. It’s my first go at them and Wow. They. Nailed. It. They became one of the very few artists I ever discovered to give me a perfect example of everything I was looking for on the very first listen. Perhaps the hungriest, meanest, and venomous act I discovered live or not. I may have caught them at their best ever and it lead me to the three Seed e.p.’s. Onstage, Dean Piavanni was a vocally sinister, persuasive, and direct force who could’ve easily taken on the audience (and would’ve won); as Jon Whybrew was on the controls transmitting ultra-energetic and juiced-up EBM and industrial techno for the small masses. It was the most exciting payout of the night so far.

If there was ‘the’ reason that attending Cold Waves was an absolute must, it was the team of former Wax Trax and Ministry members Paul Barker and Chris Connelly. They are part of the reason why everyone had some of the best moments of their lives and made for some of the greatest industrial releases ever. Billed as The Revolting Cocks Corpse and in conflict with Al Jourgensen’s version of the band, it would be their last-ever appearance. I hate to admit, a scratch off the bucket list was long overdue and years in waiting. Now, here was my chance of seeing both of them live in one shot.

Want real-deal Cocks classics? You got ‘em. Paul Barker handled his iconic bass logo-ed with the Cocks’ Beers, Steers & Queers emblem on it before kicking off with “38” and brought out former Cock (Front 242’s) Richard 23 on vocals. After that comes Connelly onstage in casual wear in a trucker hat, jeans, and a shirt that’s scrawled “Strong And Pretty” on the front, so we’re getting the nutty version of him. Then the rest of the hits came rolling in: “Attack Ships On Fire”, “Cattle Grind”, “Crackin’ Up”. When Connelly asked himself out loud what else to play, the audience yelled “Let’s Get Physical” (rest in peace, Olivia Newton John). “Well, I didn’t ask for your help!” he said coyly to all of us and we couldn’t help but to laugh. They did cap off their monumental set with “Do Ya’ Think I’m Sexy” and it felt like a dream. Connelly leans on the speakers acting all cute and blowing kisses to the crowd with a smile. Before you know it, he’s laying on the floor with arms wide open like he’s just fallen in love as Barker and company call it a night. Nothing but good times and an ultimate culmination of their Wax Trax output as I hoped for.

Finally, it was Front 242’s turn to take the stage; the apex of an already high-flying night. It would be a bittersweet performance at that as this was one of many shows on what was their final U.S. tour. Many fans thought it was because of Jean-Luc De Meyer health issues but thankfully that wasn’t the case. No matter, it was everyone’s last chance in the states to catch them before leaving North America once and for all with no turning back. I considered Front 242 to be a bonus for me as I was heavily into their pioneering Eighties material during my community college years, their later albums, and C-Tec which De Meyer took part in. I had absolutely nothing to lose seeing them live. All throughout the night I’ve seen photographers-for-hire huddle around the space in-between the rail and stage getting their dozens of shots in. For Front 242, the three-song policy got extended to four. It had to be. Warsaw security managed to catch one snap artist who didn’t know better.“No flash! No flash!” they told him as they pointed at and called him out on it. Which also begged the question: where the hell is Brooklyn’s industrial / synthwave fixture-photographer Nikki Sneakers? It’s been at least five years since I’ve seen her shooting at venues.

Front 242 played their most-recognizable and popular classics that established and pioneered EBM with “Don’t Crash”, “Operational Tracks”, “U-Men” and many more. It was all Richard 23, De Meyer, and Patrick Codenys in their unmistakable iconic tactical outfits with a shirtless Tim Kroker on live drums. They took all the power and energy they had and kept it going all the way, delivering nothing short of a rhythmic and beat-heavy experience they were known for. One funny moment to be seen was when De Meyer stood cross-armed wearing his huge shades and had such a scowl on his face, looking all bad-ass as the other three carried on. After eight or nine songs, 242 left the stage - not to lock targets and catch men - but to gear up for their first encore. We all knew there was more to come and what came was “Headhunter”, one of industrial / EBM’s most historic songs ever written. Two more songs later and 242 left the stage again charging up for another encore. As soon as we all heard the soundbyte “Hey, Poor!”, it meant only one thing: “Welcome to Paradise”. Only then was the perfect Front 242 show complete. The team of 23, De Meyer, Codenys, and Kroker took in a lengthy applause and gave a standing ovation as they all thanked New York City and bid farewell. The lights turn on for all of us to head out of Warsaw. I turn around to get going and behind me I see a female fan being consoled by her husband - and she’s in tears. Either she finally fulfilled her life-long dream of seeing Front 242 or saddened that they would say goodbye and farewell to the states, never to return.

The first five acts were amazing. It felt like I did a great service to myself in attending. I already checked off all the boxes I wanted to: take mass transit, visit Greenpoint, see Barker and Connolly play, and be associated with my kind of people. A night out in Brooklyn never fails and the thrills would still continue after the show ended. There’s always the experience of taking the alphabet and number lines - taking the ‘G’ and then the ‘7’ line to walk from 10th St. towards the Empire State Building and then arriving at Penn Station all by one-in-the-morning. Like the ride from Babylon to Penn Station, the reverse ride was quiet and not as crowded as a can of sardines. More exhilarating was the ride from Babylon back home where all the roads were empty and quiet, leading up to driving east on a wide-open Sunrise Highway at three in the morning and getting home all in 25 minutes time.

Night One of Cold Waves was now in the record books.

**********

Friday afternoon? Well, what an adventure. I had no idea that traffic was literally paralyzed on Sagtikos Parkway. It was that point where I knew it would be down to the wire getting to the Babylon station. From then on, I was finding every inch I could to cut other drivers off, find detours, and get head-starts while waiting for green lights and cursing out turtle drivers. Traffic was tight and every decision counted. One minute I thought I was going to make it and the next minute I was doubtful. South on Commack Road, down Deer Park Avenue then Route 231, and finally to Route 27A where I was only a few thousand feet away from the station. I arrive at the parking lot across from the station, bolted out of my car, ran across the street and up the stairs like a motherfucker. I finally reach the platform and - it’s taking off. Fucking great.

I had one hour until the next train to figure out how to unfuck myself and get to Warsaw in time. I tried signing up for OMNY (New York City’s wireless transit pay) months ago but was unsuccessful. Now time to try again. I downloaded the Apple Pay app- and then had to call the bank to connect my card. Now that it’s tied to my phone, I tired again to sign up for OMNY. Success! The 4:35 PM Babylon train arrives and I had 55 minutes to map out the quickest path in getting to my destination. The train arrives at Penn Station and I waste no time hauling ass to the ‘E’ line. Here we go. I hover my phone over the turnstile and - GO. Raced up and down the flights of stairs and I catch the ‘E’ train by five seconds before its doors closed. I take another 20 minutes to cool down before the transfer to Court Square / 23rd Street’s ‘G’ line. I hop off, sprint, and find the ‘G’ train that would take me to the Nassau Avenue stop, the closest one to Warsaw. It took me about two minutes and 1,000 feet to get there. I finally arrive out of breath before I go through the security checks and magic wands before entry. All clear. It’s 7:40 PM. Five minutes to go and I’m at the exact same spot I was the night before. All worship to Lucifer that I made it.

And now, night two begins.

If there was any artist to kick off Friday’s festivities that represented his hometown and carried its flag, then Confines was it. The hard-hitting, beat-heavy industrial-techno / EBM project certainly had some punch to it. Like Rein, Confines was a one-person show who did all of his instruments and movements on his own. Not bad at all. At the time of this writing I learned something about him that totally kicked me off of my seat: Confines happened to be David Castillo, co-owner of Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus bar and venue, host of the Age Of Quarantine podcast, and lead singer of Primitive Weapons. Are you fucking kidding me?! I was on the lookout to spot him at my last visit to -Vitus to see Uniform but I was shit out of luck. Now I finally found him performing at Cold Waves and didn’t even know that was him until after the fact! Fucking right. And it doesn’t stop there. I also learned that both Geography Of Nowhere 1 and Work Up The Blood was mixed and mastered by Hospital Productions’ Kris Lapke / Alberich and laid out by Sannhet’s AJ Annunziata. Wow. Talk about getting five-in-a-row on that bingo card.

Fans of Vancouver musicks enjoyed a two-for-one approaching the middle of the night’s bill. We were all treated to Leathers consisting of Shannon Hemmett (vocals), Kendall Wooding (synths), and Adam Fink (drums). For anyone who wanted the 2022’s tense of what an Eighties’ synthpop / new-wave show would look like? Well, now you have it. It was a treat seeing them perform and also seeing the slender Hemmett as an Eighties dream while Wooding and Fink played a smooth mid-tempo set. But with a wardrobe change and Jason Corbett coming into play, Leathers became Actors and Artoffact’s flagship band was the iteration that appeared on everyone’s radar as of late. They traded in their Eighties’ synthpop and new-wave cool for heavier rock. This time Hemmett took over synth duties and Wooding wielded bass as Fink stayed on drums and Corbett helped Actors push more power and electricity into their second set to keep the excitement steady from start to finish. I tried out both Leathers / Actors before and for some reason they’re not my type of heavy-rotation listening. However, there’s no denying that their talent brought them their well-deserved fanfare and exposure.

Not since Merzbow’s personnel bringing out his gear at Output have I been bracing myself with another artist’s set-up. Lighting fixtures attached all over and bulbs placed in front of huge cymbals might’ve told me that the next set would burn my eyes right off my face. Luckily, I was wrong. That was Kite’s visual set-up and a precursor to their performance. The Swedish duo of Niklas Stenemo and Christian Berg were another act I never heard anything of, and afterwards tilted me to give them a shot. Both were skilled in playing two keyboards at once (or keys- and knobs in Berg’s case) as they delivered a lively performance and Stenemo a few kicks, switching between synth-wave and synthpop. Their latest single “Bocelli” was the highlight on the night, showing their dramatics while also providing a soulful, heartfelt, and at times acclaimed power.

While Kite tore down their equipment, I thought of something. It’s been five years since I attended Hospital Production’s 20th Anniversary. I remember one moment near the end of the showcase when Bone Awl was playing their set - where all of a sudden Dominick Fernow (Prurient and Hospital- label-head) runs to the apron, stage-dives over the pit, and into the audience for a crowd-surf. It was a moment that never escaped me since then. Here I am back again at Warsaw for Cold Waves five years later and I’m at the rail for both nights. During one intermission, something dawned on me - I look at the rail, then the edge of the stage, and then the rail once again. I thought to myself: how in the fuck did Dominick have enough clearance to fly in the air, avoid banging into the rail, and land safely on top of the crowd? Good thing he successfully pulled off that spectacular feat.

Asterisk: New York City was supposed to receive Stabbing Westward as the closer to Cold Waves but had to bow out. That’s where Cold Cave gladly stepped in and ultimately sealed the deal for Cold Waves’ entire New York City stop. “Remember when we last played here?” lead singer Wes Eisold asked the audience. Yes I do, Wes. Yes I do. Seeing Cold Cave again for the second time in the same venue was another special bonus to me, and always a welcome one at that. I walk through previously-ventured territory and this time it was just as exciting as the last. All hits and zero misses from Eisold, his lady Amy Lee, and company. “Glory”, “People Are Poison”, “A Little Death To Laugh”, “Confetti”, “Rainbow Girls”, “Godstar”, “Theme From Tomorrowland”. You named it, they played it. For 50 minutes they kept a steady upbeat energy of synthwave and classic goth pedigree; not to mentions tons of smoke and fog fired towards our way to where I’m seriously considering getting myself screened. The only difference between their 2018 appearance and this one at Cold Waves? No sign of Max G. Morton, and Eisold’s heroine Genesis P. Orridge who joined him on guest vocals had sadly passed away since then.

But there was one shining onyx that fit the head jewel of the crown: when Eisold and Amy Lee brought their daughter out on stage. How fucking amazing was that? The audience collectively melted. Imagine being in your single-digits and having an amazing story to tell your friends back in school about how your rock-star dad brought you up on stage to sing for the crowd. Through their entire set, Cold Cave never let up and missed any of their targets as Eisold, Amy, and the rest played through their last encore and that’s all they wrote.

Before I knew it, it’s 12:20AM. Cold Waves in New York City was now history.

**********

I walk out of Warsaw and away from the busy volume of the patrons standing around in front of it. The night skies changed their tune to a purplish overhead. They were nice enough to wait until my moment was over to return. I’m now processing how to put the last 48 hours into words and also my place in the universe after being where I wanted to be. I head west on Driggs Street through McCarren Park weaving through the pedestrians walking towards me and observe a few small groups of people congregating and chilling on park grounds with their portable speakers. It’s only a few more blocks before I enter the ‘L’ line that will connect me to the ‘2’ line.

If only I can tell you the city’s delights that I’ve seen during my travels to Penn Station. I’ve seen female torture artists and double-pigtailed mistresses in their black onesies and shiny knee-high boots. There’s an Asian girl my height in a low-cut purple dress and her thigh is all bloodied and bandaged up; situated below her very visible purple underwear. Across from me was this gay guy who was the stunt double for The Ukiah Drag’s Tommy Conte, kissing his boyfriend on the cheek and sad-gazing in his boyfriend’s eyes who boarded off the ‘L’, but not before he blew Tommy a kiss goodbye. Another couple hopped on our crowded car. His blonde girlfriend’s neck and chest were literally covered red with hickeys and didn’t give a soaring aerial fuck about all the eyes and stares aimed at her. The ‘L’ ends and I transfer to the quick ‘2’ which only took five minutes to get me to Penn Station, leaving me with a half-an-hour wait for the Babylon train to arrive. Lather, rinse, and repeat with a left-hand forward ride to the station and another Sunrise Highway night drive back to my quiet-as-night neighborhood. A return to silent normalcy.

**********

Chicago has been widely known as the industrial capital of the U.S. It’s where Jim Nash and Danny Flescher established Wax Trax as a record store and the label that’s given birth to the careers and legacies of Ministry, KMFDM, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Meat Beat Manifesto, and countless other acts. It’s also where Public Image Ltd.’s Martin Atkins created Pigface and Invisible Records and gave life to Chemlab, Damage Manual, Dead Voices On Air, Murder Inc., Ritalin, Sheep On Drugs, and Test Dept. All these artists made my identity, or part of it. Throughout the years I’ve followed all of my favorite artists and have never given up on them. They were there for me during my difficult times at community college and to this day I’ve never tired of their projects. It wasn’t until recently when I revisited the classics that I realized that these artists and labels were in my heart all along. Millions of industrialists join each other in various online groups to share their stories and live memories and say “hi!” to the many legends who lurk around and keep that cameraderie going. I see the company around me in Greenpoint who share similar interests, qualities, and aesthetics and those are the people I want to be associated with.

I thought attending just one Boy Harsher show was a rite of passage. Yes - more in the synthwave world. I’ve also attended shows for Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and Killing Joke and that’s more than enough for me to hoist my flag for this genre. (Naysayers will wave their filthy unclean fingers at me and say “not so fast” because I wasn’t able to go to a Skinny Puppy show.) I’ve heard many great things about Cold Waves that I’d be a fool to miss out. Mutuals who went told me it’d be amazing and they were double-right. With Front 242’s final American appearances and with Braker and Connelly having to quit the RevCo name, this year was a non-negotiable. What started out as a one-night benefit and an honor of Jason Novak (Acumen Nation, DJ? Acucrack) and David Schock’s fallen friend Jamie Duffy evolved into an (almost) annual round of the best and legendary industrial, synthpop, and synthwave acts. Like my attendance with the previous Cold Cave and Black Marble shows, attending Cold Waves was a thank-you to the scene that gave me an identity but also to a certain number of acts that helped build it.

It’s been one of the best and most exhilarating moments of the year, ranking as high as Sacred Bones’ 15th anniversary. If the line-up for next year is as good or better (how could it?), then I guarantee you I’ll be returning.

[unhingedwomandiaries]

Christ on a bike, someone at work's asked me for dating advice again. Me! The walking disaster zone of romantic mishaps. They're like "Would you enjoy going for drinks?" which is about as useful to me as x's dietary advice. I don't even drink, you muppet. Actually, thinking about it, I can't remember a single proper pub date in my colorful catastrophe of a dating history.

Let me take you on this magical mystery tour of dating disasters, shall we? First up, we've got teenage me, absolutely cocking it up by inviting my best friend along as a third wheel while my dad's grilling burgers. Because nothing says romance like your mate watching some twat try to assault you in the woods. Best bit? Said "friend" then started dating him. Because apparently that's what passes for friendship these days.

Then there's the long-distance legend, splitting time between France and Toronto like some discount jet-setter. First date? Twelve hours of RuneScape over Skype. Proper Romeo and Juliet stuff, that.

Oh, and let's not forget the famous one - underage drinking through New York like proper delinquents before I snuck him through my bedroom window like some budget Shakespeare play. Mom nearly called the cops on him - turns out future millionaires can still smell like they've been dumpster diving.

The highlights reel continues: Olive Garden guy who thought breadsticks were the height of romance (though the mountain hike after wasn't half bad), Waterbed Wonder who introduced me to his parents on date one (nothing weird about that), and the Atari heir who wooed me with frozen yogurt and vintage video games.

Then there's the Polish bodybuilder - absolute weapon who thought "no" meant "please maul me during Denzel Washington" and left me walking home with more spots than a leopard. My ex's response? I "deserved it" for dating after we broke up, while he was already planning his wedding. Because that makes perfect fucking sense.

The parade of peculiarity marches on: Jeff Beck concert guy (too busy watching guitar solos to actually date), Blanket Fort Builder (How To Train Your Dragon marathon, because why not), the absolute madman who took me - a Yankees fan - to Fenway Park (some people just want to watch the world burn), Thrift Shop Romeo (making us both look like charity shop explosions), and Car Track Guy (bless his autistic heart).

We've got the European backpacker who knew a girl needed pancakes, Mr. London Eye-Hot-Tub-Boat (subtle), World Cup Tickets (showing off much?), Boat Pancake Man (bit of a theme developing here), Lord of the Rings and Hot Chocolate guy (actually quite sweet that one), and the Leukemia Liar who probably catfished half of Sussex.

Finally landed on my husband - proper Lord of the Rings final film date. Because apparently that's my type: nerdy film buffs who don't try to assault me in the woods.

So no, Head of R&D, I won't be recommending pub dates anytime soon. Unless you're looking to recreate scenes from a dating horror story, in which case, fill your boots.

[chillwithsabi]

A miniature marvel from the HW Dream Garage series. Designed by Craig Meaux and Manson Cheung, and a winner of Hot Wheels Legends Tour 2022. it’s a must-have for collectors!

[patchedd]

Daily Forza Car #29: Award Winner

Well, this is an interesting one. And the first of the several Hot Wheels branded cars on the list, the International-Harvester Loadstar done up by Calvin Lutz. While only a finalist in the 2019 Hot Wheels Legends tour, being the winner in Arkansas, it is still quite the piece of machinery to behold. Mid-engined, the whole rear of it turned into a sort of performance truck... it is a beauty of a piece.

Seriously, that mid-mounted V8 is a beautiful centrepiece to the whole thing. For a truck pattern used to make schoolbuses, larger trucks and several other industrial uses, this thing looks built for the drag strip. And somehow, it was built in three months. To take a big ass truck designed to have the driver sit above the engine and slide a V8 halfway back, then slap that massive spoiler on it in just 3 months is insane to me.

In the owner's own words, it "drives like a Cadillac" and has "enough oomph to get you in trouble if ya want." It is something for Lutz to be proud of, for sure. Hell, I'm surprised it didn't win, especially seeing the winner, which we will see later. But, I guess it is fairly niche, being a converted semi and all.

But god, do I love it.

[aiautos]

The 1972 Dodge-Mattel Ultra-Challenger was a custom collaboration between Mattel and Dodge, created off of the blazing success of Hot Wheels. They decided to collaborate in tribute to one of their first cars (the Deora) though building this one in house, rather than being from a customizer. Hot Wheels' design team took a given 1972 Dodge Challenger (A preproduction model, destined for the cutter's torch otherwise), and built an entirely new body, using the 426 Hemi originally installed, while also adding speed lines and hyper-emphasizing the futuristic design. One full-size car was built, and is on display today regularly at Hot Wheels shows, and recently the 2022 Legends Tour. The car has inspired the Ultra-Challenger II, made in 2012 for the 40th anniversary of the original, using the underpinnings of a 2012 Challenger to create a 600 horsepower, turbine powered monster, shown alongside it to this very day, in the same shows.

[actionfigureinsider]

Hot Wheels™ Legends Tour Top Ten Finalists Announced Ahead of Global Grand Finale on November 16

Presented by Mobil 1 and in partnership with Walmart in the U.S., the world’s largest traveling car show comes to a close during the Global Grand Finale on November 16, 2024, at 9:00AM PT/ 12:00pm ET After events across 13 countries, the 10 global finalists for the 2024 Hot Wheels Legends Tour have been announced – with the winner to be forever immortalized as a Hot Wheels die-cast Photos of the…

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Volvo P1800 Gasser, 1969 (2021). Owned and built by Somerset-based Lee Johnstone the Gasser has a 600bhp big block supercharged 454 Chevrolet V8 engine, which has powered it to run a quarter mile drag race in 10.01 seconds and reach a top speed of 133mph. It was the winner of the 2021 Hot Wheels Legends Tour

[whatodoo-austria]

HOT WHEELS MONSTER TRUCKS LIVE™: GLOW-N-FIRE | Legends Backstage Tour - Vienna, Austria | 1 Feb, 2025.

Find out more / Buy Verified Tickets.

[redpencilcreations]

..::another new wrap for the Twin Mill and will be changed again for this years Hot Wheels Legends tour… kicking off in Miami in a couple months. Honestly - this one is my favorite hands down 🤘

[teragames]

¡Conoce al finalista de Hot Wheels Legends México 2024!

¡Conoce al finalista mexicano del evento "Hot Wheels Legends México 2024" para conocer quién nos representará ante los mejores de @Hot_Wheels!

La sexta edición de Hot Wheels Legends México volvió a encender motores y capturar la atención de los apasionados de la velocidad, mostrando los autos costumizados más sorprendentes del país. Este año, la competencia se intensificó y, tras una emocionante jornada se coronó el finalista que representará a México en la fase global del tour. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Polestar…

[lucy-mors]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Hot Wheels 2022 Legends Tour Winner Dream Garage Volvo P1800 Gasser 1/5 (3+) New.