November 2009’s Featured Radicon is vector!

Posted on November 18, 2009 at 1:17 am by gears under Site Updates

TFW2005’s Radicons Customs and Fan Art is proud to present their featured Radicon for November: vector! vector was an active member of our community since 2006. He enjoyed making custom Transformers, especially those from the Alternators and Binal Tech line. He is known especially for his Alternators Ultra Magnus, a concept that he pioneered as a personal venture. Radicons held its first “official” customs contest in honor of his memory. As part of our monthly spot-light, we have an article about vector, complete with his galleries, and his project threads. Also, his Alternators Tailgate custom is an exclusive gallery to Radicons, never seen before! To see this article and other cool features, venture on over to the Featured Radicons forum.

While you’re at it, you can check out our past monthly Featured Radicons.

Discussion / Comments (Jump to this Thread on the Boards)

My interactions with Vector were limited to two occasions when I purchased figures from him. As I recall, he was friendly, everything went smoothly, and I was happy with the outcome.

The figures were Freeway and one of his signature Magnus customs, which remains one of my favorites as it was, and still is, pristine.

EDIT: found I had a third Vector figure, Ironhide.

Gallery of Magnus, Freeway and Ironhide by Vector

I didn't really know him particularly well, but I helped contribute to a memorial of some sort his wife was assembling.

The paradigm of his best-known work was to take a well-established concept and transport it flawlessly to a platform where it had not yet been applied. This made these pieces more polished and legitimate than many other kitbashers- even if they weren't official products, there was no particular reason why they couldn't be.

Often, it seems as though this hobby is more about the people than the toys.

Always enjoyed his work, RIP Vector.

Gone but not forgotten. Miss seeing you around here.

R.I.P.

Kevin was awesome. He was a great guy to talk to about anything. First time talking to him felt like I've known him forever already.

I still have Alt Broadblast he painted up and the paint's still flawless. His paints were so smooth.
In memory of Vector pictures by loebig – Photobucket

Really wish he was still around

I believe by the time I started posting regularly on the forums the tragedy had already happened. But going off the word of what everyone who are his friends or were in contact with him solidly makes that he is a really kind and friendly guy.

I would have loved to have seen what he would have done later on with customs and Alts.

He made me a custrom Trailbreaker and Downshift which are still on display as the only 2 customs in my collection..they're still lovely pieces and he was really great to talk with. he was a really nice guy.

All of you who have customs of his and would like to shoot some galleries of them, go for it! We'll add them to the Radicons Customs Gallery, and give applicable credit of course. It's Radicons like you who allow work to live on Thank you for all you contribute, guys.

I'd like to say again that I really miss my friend. Much of my TF collecting, artwork, and kitbashing is the pleasure of becoming friends with people. vector was certainly one of those. Many people always make this hobby fun, and it hurts when I'm not able to talk to friends, for whatever reason.

During the short time I knew him, he and his work was a real inspiration. I can't look at any Ultra Magnus figure, and not think of him. I'll often eye my City Commander and think that he would have been spazzing out at something so cool.

I was the eventual winner of the original Alt Magnus Vector painted, and it is an impressive paint job close up, and he definitely had an eye for detail. I only spoke with him via email a couple of times, but he did seem a genuinely nice bloke.

I always loved his customs especially that Ultra Magnus. RIP

Man, I almost forgotten about him so thanks again guys for remembering vector. RIP

He was a great man! Out of all the TF's I am selling at the moment, the UM custom will never be for sale…. EVER!!!

guy was a radicon legend. may his work live on for us to enjoy and to inspire us. may he become one with the matrix.

I first posted this in Jan of 08.
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-fan-art/162541-hounor-vector.html

I feel it's right to share it all again

Nemesis Predaking

In the early days for the first "I'm in need of sig" thread Vector made this request

Vector

Here is what I got. But I do not have an animated pic. But I want to lose the girl !!

Name – Black Convoy (BT-17)
Function – Destron Dark Commander

Motto; To rule completely; wisdom, ruthless thinking and evil are a must.

It is said that a mech’s personality can be judged by the glow of the spark within.
However no one ever anticipated the existence of a Binaltech as sparkless and dark as Black Convoy.
His intelligence and wisdom rivals that of Optimus Prime. But where Prime’s actions are driven by kindness and compassion,
Black Convoy is motivated only by the total inhalation of all that Prime holds dear.

I took on his request, for 2 weeks I tryed my hardest to fill his request. the whole time keeping him updated on my efforts.
After trying for so long I gave up, I just was not skilled enough with PS to do what Vector was asking.
I PM'd him and explain that I was unable to make what he was asking for,
He had no problem with that. He was just happy that somebody tryed for him.

So now after hearing about his passing I've decided to try one more time.
Like I said I'm not sure why I felt the need to do this, I just feel it's the right thing to do.

So in my own way to honour Vector I present the request I could not fill so long ago.

Rest in peace, Vector. You will not be forgotten.

Wow, can't believe he has been gone this long. I'm proud to say that the Blue alt Magnus is in my collection, and sits in center stage.
Glad you guys thought to recognise Kevin's work with a "Featured Radicon" piece

r.i.p. to Kevin, thanks again
Did a couple of customs for me :bowdown:

Though I never knew Kevin,

I will always remember that Ultra Magnus. It just WORKS so well, like it was always meant to be.

Vector truly enjoyed what he did and the joy his works brought to others.

God bless Kevin McBride and may he rest peacefully.

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Kevin McBride, aka vector

autobotx23: [He was] one of the nicest guys I'd ever want to meet, in my short time of getting to know him.

Customizing is an odd hobby, to say the least. I came into it with an artistic painting background, and still I find myself learning new things everyday. When you first start out, there are so many questions that you want answered, whether they [are] big or small. What kind of painters tape should I use? Is label paper the better way over waterslide? How can I touch up details when I used spray paint instead of traditional brush paint? They can go on forever.

These were just a few questions that I asked vector while he was with us, and all I ever received was encouraging responses. Nowadays, before I send a quick short response that sends someone to the tutorials or a sticky thread, I think about how vector handed my questions, and I take the time out to answer them. Because that personal touch, that little but of time to assist can mean the world of difference.

In the month of November, we all take time out to remember him and his contribution to the Radicon family. [vector is] always missed, but never forgotten.

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We're proud to have had you as a Radicon!

REDLINE – My first experience with vector was much the same as anyone else who ever browsed the Radicons forums: his gorgeous Alternators Magnus customs. Sadly, he didn’t get to be an active member of the community for very long, but his impact isn’t going to be nearly so short. Vector was really just getting started into customizing. He made the Magnus, and was quickly swarmed with requests for commissions of this same custom. He did get to make a few other customs, including a variation of the Magnus custom. The thing about Vector wasn’t merely his outstanding skill at painting, but his personality.

Vector was a really nice, up-standing guy; quick to offer feedback; open to suggestions; and (even though he was only around for a little over a year) everyone who was an active member of the Radicon community remembers him. It says quite a bit about a man when he can be so easily remembered, even though he wasn’t around those who [customize and kitbash] for very long. Obviously, the strongest impact left upon us by vector was his sudden passing in January of 2007. TFW2005.com held a Radicons customs contest, with the goal being in remembrance and the honoring of vector. The response was quite strong, and I’d say a smashing success. It still hurts to know we lost someone at such a young age, and even more so someone who left behind a wife and young child.

I’d like for this month’s feature, done the month of vector’s Birthday, to be a chance for everyone to reflect back on their memories of Vector; his impact on a personal level, and remember all the happy things we have of the man. I’d like to give personal thanks to Vector’s twin brother for helping out with this article!

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vector: thanks for all of the fond memories!

Superquad7:After I was into making Alternators/Binaltech customs for a little while, I started making some really good friends that were doing the same types of things. Once Radicons started hopping and I got more and more into posting, I met vector. We really connected quickly because the only customs we were both into were the Alts/BTs because of the scaling. vector and I started talking on and off the board, as I’ve done with many friends, and we continued to become better friends. We’d often share just teasers with each other with what we were working on, bouncing off of each other’s excitement. It got to the point to where we were calling each other at least once a week to just talk about customs and such.

One of our favorite characters (and ultimately his all-time favorite) ended up being Ultra Magnus. While I’m pretty much a fan of each character in one way or another, a lot of people have that one character they’re nuts about. For vector, it was Ultra Magnus. At one point, we started bouncing off fanfic stories of Ultra Magnus off each other, and ended up writing a little bit of our ideas down. We started doing it just for kicks. He started a story, then he’d email me what he had, and I’d add to it to send back. Especially now where much of the customs world is making a piece to sell, it’s the things like this are what always made this hobby fun for me. vector helped remind me that making customs was more than the processes or the tools; it’s about having fun.

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"I'm glad you agree that Ultra Magnus is AWESOME!"

We had even hoped to meet up one day, despite us living on the opposite sides of the country. I often spoke of my involvement with CybCon, and the friends I’d made through my involvement there. He was really getting excited about actually going, despite the fact I couldn't go that year. It was neat to always hear about how excited he was about just the possibility and sharing the hobby with me.

As many know, he really struck gold with his Alternators Ultra Magnus. It was his favorite character, and the concept seemed so likely, that we’d often talked about how Hasbro/Takara would eventually do it. Many people loved his custom, and before he knew it, he had so many commission requests for it that that’s pretty much what he ended up doing for the bulk of his customs work. It was the first time that I’d ever seen a custom become such a hit based on the concept alone. One of his last commissions (it was the very last one that he finished up, to my knowledge) is the Alternators Ultra Magnus that he made for me. To date, it’s still one of my favorite Transformers ever.

I still remember the night I got bad news of vector. My good friend sodawilly gave me a call when I happened to be rearranging my Alts/BTs because I had just completed a new custom. sodawilly and I talk frequently, so it wasn’t odd of him to call me. When he told me of the news, I was simply floored. The shock came because vector had really been working to improve his health after some problems. During those last few months, and made a lot of great progress. vector had spoken to me about how happy he became after he lost a few pounds and started walking some. Things still seem so surreal.
In response, Radicons wanted to honor one of our own. We launched our first “official” contest, in his honor. The customs poured in, ranging from several different versions of Ultra Magnus from all lines. As I looked at each piece, I just knew he would have been so happy to have seen each one. Much like it, the feature this month is chosen to honor vector, his work, and ultimately, his life. He was chosen for November’s Featured Radicon of the Month specifically because his date of birth is this month (November 2, 1971). Congratulations buddy. I really miss you.

The Radicons Staff would like to give a special “thank you” to nemesisconvoy, vector’s twin brother, for his help with this article!

vector’s threads: