A few years ago, at the Matchbox Gathering Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I met Chris Huntley. I had known of Chris’ work on Instagram, as he at the time was one of a small group of collectors who had embraced IG as a place to show customs.
Back then Chris was knows for the stretch and cambered look he gave Matchbox and Hot Wheels basic wheels and used on this customs, and for his unique treadmill rolling videos. I started featuring his work on As is the Custom early on, and he was a mainstay.
So it was a pleasure to finally meet Chris and his wife at the Gathering. He showed me a few of his pieces in person, and within minutes the Matchbox Design Team from Mattel was huddled around him, asking about his process. It was very cool to see.
I have kept in contact with Chris ever since, and watched his custom hobby turn into his own business, which produces custom 1/64 scale wheels for customs. It has been a pleasure to watch Chris build his business.
So it makes sense that one of the early As is the Custom contributors return as a Lamley Partner and sponsor of the As is the Custom weekly feature. You can find his wheels at @7eightoys and @78toy4dr on Instagram, and 7Eightoys on Facebook. You can look at the multitude of wheels Chris has fabricated and order the sets you want.
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So how will this work? 7Eightoys is a sponsor. All the content comes from me, as usual. Chris will have no say in the customs I choose, nor will he give any suggestions. That is an agreement we came to, to make sure As is remains what it has always been: a place to enjoy the work of the many talented artists out there.
So many thanks to Chris and 7eightoys for the support, but most of all thanks to all the customizers out there willing to share their work. Remember to always post on your customs on Instagram with the hashtag #lamleycustoms to make I will see your work.
Enjoy this week’s selections.
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That blue Mercury station wagon is awesome. Those HW's chrome wheels really compliment the casting because chrome RR's look good on some vehicles but not others.
Details on the dogs faces.. wow!
Very clean work!
Yes! It's about time! Chris' work is some of the best I've seen without a doubt. There are many GREAT creator's on IG. I dabble but would never compare to some of these guys. Most seem to be body guys fabricators and even seen a few jewelry guys. Detail is the key imo. You can paint swap wheels but when the detail is 100% you get magic!
So many of these are so ugly
???? Ok I know this isn't the place but I have a question. Why do none of the diecast makers go after Lexus licensing? The AC500 & AC500H are bad ass cars that look like they could compete with some of the upscale sports like Tesla Mercedes and some others. I might have mentioned Subaru too they have some sports that would give some JDM models some competition.. Just saying
Wow thanks for including a couple of mine, compared to the amazing detail on some of them, mine look pretty amateur – which they are I suppose. The Mercury wagon and T2 single cab with working lights, steering etc is just insane!