Builder of the Month: Jeremy Kilburn (September 2024)

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Meet Jeremy Kilburn, a recently retired US Army Sergeant Major from the East Coast of Maryland. Jeremy is passionate about RC and wanted to contribute more to the RC industry. You may have seen him representing Boom Racing at various events and introducing our brand to people. Continue reading to learn more about our September 2024 builder of the month!

Boom:
Welcome, Jeremy, and thank you for sharing your amazing builds with the Boom community. Can you tell us about yourself and how you got into the hobby?

Jeremy:
My name is Jeremy Kilburn, and I live in Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA. I am a retired US Army Sergeant Major and proudly served 32 years. I was introduced to the RC hobby when I was 12 years old by Jerry Rosskopf, my mentor and dearly missed friend. He opened J&D Hobbies in my small town and it was a great place to hang out and learn.

Tamiya Grasshopper

Boom:
What was your first RC vehicle? Why choose the model you did? (and the level of detail you settled upon?)

Jeremy:
My first RC was a Tamiya Grasshopper. It was an affordable way to enter RC with my own money earned from delivering newspapers. I still have it and it has been lovingly restored and awaiting a future grandchild to enjoy it with (someday).

Boom:
How did you discover the Boom Racing brand?

Jeremy:
I discovered Boom Racing during Motorama in Harrisburg PA in 2018 when I witnessed it compete in the Recon G6 sponsored scale event. It was about a year later I was able to get a BRX01 for myself to enjoy.

Boom:
Can you tell us about your Boom Racing vehicles?

Jeremy:
To date, I have 5 BRX series vehicles. I started with the BRX01 and pre-ordered the BRX02 when it was announced. I have chassis number 002. I customized that D110 into my dually D130 single cab truck; that build won Best Old Looking Truck at USTE in 2023 (Green dually photo). The remaining BRX02s are the 109, 88 Series 2, and the 88 Series 3. The Series 2 88 is finished in a chrome automotive wrap to pay honor to the polished full size version used by the Queen of England. My 109 and my BRX01 now also include Scale Garage Systems bed and adventure racks to further show off the adventure spirit of the brand. My 109 is a tribute build to the Darien Gap Expedition and nicknamed "la Cucaracha" and it is fully outfitted to look like the real 1:1 rig that completed the crossing.

Boom:
What's the one tip (when building a new kit & rig) you think everyone should follow?

Jeremy:
Read the instructions. Read them again, and then read them again before building. The more comfortable you are with the instructions, the better the results will be.

Boom:
If you could build any vehicle from any era (that isn't currently being made), what would that vehicle be?

Jeremy:
I would love to build a 1972 GMC Jimmy as a hard body kit, of course. This was my first real vehicle when I was in high school, and I would love to see a scale representation at the detail level Boom Racing provides.

Boom:
Any tips on getting a good paint 'Adhesion' and 'Finish' when painting and detailing hard bodies?

Jeremy:
Wash the body with two types of cleaners before painting, one for organics and one for solvents. There are many processes for molding our bodies and packaging and shipping that can contaminate the plastics so make sure it's clean before you attempt to paint.

Boom:
What do you use for a driver figure and why?

Jeremy:
I typically print my figures on my Bambu Labs X1 Carbon Printer. Not a shameless plug but it's the best way to get the proper fit and look that I am going for. My prints are usually resized figures from one of the open-sourced file sharing platforms like MyMiniFactory or YouMagine.

Boom:
What is your experience with installing LEDs?

Jeremy:
Every rig needs lights, it's the single best way to capture realism. I make my own light kits as well as use premade kits for specific vehicles. I would say nearly all my rigs have lights.

Boom:
When fitting LEDs, what tips would you offer to achieve a more scale-looking light with no bleed-through behind them?

Jeremy:
Back the bulbs with black paint before installing. Once installed I try as much as possible to also back them with a black tape to prevent lights leaking into the body.

Boom:
And finally...What final words of wisdom do you have for the rest of the Boom community to fire them up and inspire them into an epic build of their own?

Jeremy:
Build what your mind's eye sees; it is always possible. Plan your builds well before buying things and build as much as you can yourself so you have an emotional bond with the rig. Then, most importantly, drive it. Drive it a lot. Then, share it with others to inspire them as well.