Hello all.
I started my virtual RC collection in 2005. At that time I modeled with Sketchup 4 I think…
Sketchup was already a wonderful tool but now with all the plugins and scripts it’s able to tackle nearly any 3D challenge: polymodeling / UV unwrapping / texturing / animation / rendering / node based parametric modeling, etc.
My first model was the Kyosho Javelin, an RC car I had as a kid in 1987. There was a craze amongst kids with radiocontrolled electric powered buggies in the mid eighties (just before the videogame craze) and I remember having wonderful racing and bashing times with friends at school, parks or in backyards.
I modeled it entirely with SU4 native tools.
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At that time (2005) I had a lot of fun with the multiple render options of SU (wireframe, lines, outlines, shadows, Zdepth, colors, shaded, monochrome, etc.). It allowed for plenty of expressive variations.
Here a Kyosho Optima (basically a Kyosho Javelin with a lexan body).
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Eventually I tried to model the lexan body with VertexTools+QuadFace Tools+SubD…
In the meantime I also learned to use WrapR and Substance Painter to paint my bodies.
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The Kyosho Turbo Optima (Vertextools+QFT+SubD+WrapR>Substance Painter>SU+TheaRender)
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Tribute to Gardy Bermudez who designed his own rollcage for the Kyosho Javelin.
The rear louver was fun to model with SubD + QFT + VT as usual. 
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The Kyosho Optima Mid. rendered with Thea Render (I love Thea Render for these scale of product renders).
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I also love the genuine rough sketch style in Sketchup. It tells a different story 
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The Kyosho Optima Mid (1988), Turbo Optima Mid (1988) and Turbo Optima Mid Special Edition (1989)
Just variations on the Optima Mid base… rendered with Thea Render.
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I rendered the images with Thea Render at 6000px large. Here’s a closeup of what the combo Sketchup+TheaRender is capable of. (love the dust speckles on the fiberglass radio plate) 
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Chassis shot the Kyosho Optima Mid long wheelbase (in 1989 the trend following the IFMAR Worlds Championship was long wheelbase for a better handling during long successive bump racing circuits)
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Kyosho Optima Mid long wheelbase side by side shot. (Turbo Optima Mid SP and Optima Mid Custom) in a warehouse. Sketchup + VT + QFT + SubD + WrapR + Substance Painter > SU + Thea Render
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I designed a custom chassis based on the Optima Mid drivetrain x Kyosho Ultima spaceframe chassis.
A good example of the use of VertexTools/QuadFaceTools/SubD for the modeling.
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Kyosho Optima Mid Custom Special.
I never really liked the box art paintscheme. 
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I’m rendering my own project in V-Ray and I don’t have the first clue how to add weathering effects. Your models are astounding!
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Thanks! Weathering effects in Vray? you could probably add a vrayedge texture to get some fake smoothing on the sharp edges, and add another dirt layer in the shader but I simply do that in Substance Painter, it’s easier to manage and faster to render because it will be baked in the textures…?
To do that, you need to have a clean UV map thus ideally pass thru the unwrap phase. The simplest is to stay within sketchup realm and use WrapR of course but it can be a bit slow if your quad model is heavy. If my model is too complex I export to RizomUV to do my unwrapping.
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