by ZachC

 

I look at a lot of buggies in the course of researching my column, and as many of you know I do come across incidents of texture theft far more often than I like. This past week I came across a buggy that was interesting in that regard. I’m not making any accusations; I’ll leave that for the designers in question to deal with. This time though, I thought maybe you’d like to take a look. 

I could have shown the comparisons I did by checking the dds files, but some moron would probably take them right off the site and use them for a buggy and then claim it wasn’t texture theft “because I found them on the internet.” So instead I pulled the appropriate buggies and one Scion out and did some comparison images for you.

I won’t identify the buggy in question, or the designer…even though he’s no longer in world (well, not using the same account anyway), but I can identify the other buggies. First and foremost is the WWD Canary Chavelle SS by Buffalo Bill and Jinxed_Karma. As you can see from the images the shine on the fenders is virtually identical. I can tell you they line up perfectly in the dds files too.  The instrument clusters are slightly different, yet it’s obvious that the other buggy has used the upper part of the dash from the WWD buggy. The upper portions of the rear ends are also very similar and yes, they too line up in the dds files. You think the hoods are different? They are, sort of, but that dip under the windshields does line up perfectly. Are you getting the idea yet?

 

Moving on, the rims on the “other” buggy look great. Interestingly enough they look almost as great as those on the SSW Camario Bumblebee by samsw28 and with the exact same shading and style! Sam’s are sharper and clearer, but that’s the difference between the Scion template  and the Buggy template. In addition when a file is converted to a dds it loses sharpness because of the averaging it uses. If you copy a dds you’re multiplying the averaging and so the pixilazation.

 

Next, I thought the roll bar looked a bit familiar too… sort of like any of the M:Core buggies by Mullchops maybe? I checked, and yeah, those templates line up too. But interestingly enough, once I checked the roll bars, I discovered that the lower parts of the rear ends are the same too! More and more interesting! Need I mention that once again they match up in the dds files?

 

I should have been done by now, but those treads looked vaguely familiar. They aren’t an exact match, but they are pretty close to the Black Trident by Ziplock. They’re even backwards like his. I remember talking to him about that, and he was upset he hadn’t caught that. They were corrected on his red one. The tread on the “other” buggy was stretched and lightened, but you could see that they were the same especially in the dds files.

 

Since none of the buggies in question is a ZMW there’s nothing for me to report. I hope that if this really is texture theft the other designers do so. In the meantime BigD26, who’s had his own experience with thieves, is looking for more. 

On to more pleasant things, BigD did come out with a new buggy last week. It’s shiny with great detail. Green isn’t my favorite color but the seats and especially the dash on this one are extraordinary! The best part is that he actually did it himself. That provides a sense of accomplishment no thief will ever understand. The DMC Seight XR-08 is listed for 18,850 making this a great bargain.

 

It’s possible I have, but I don’t recall ever reviewing a hoverboard before, so this week may mark a first. The Autoboards by Rasel caught my eye. They’re builder boards, but instead of going for some dramatic creation that probably wouldn’t work anyway, he came up with a board that’s simple, elegant, and just plain fun. They come in a green version; which looks great in spite of it not being my favorite color, and a black, which is beautiful. The paint is well done, the detail is excellent, and the model is simplicity itself. They’re priced at only 9,250t which to me is another great bargain. If you’re into boarding, you really should check these out.