A LITTLE MORE LOSI HISTORY

[FasterLouder]

Being both actively involved in RC cars and skateboarding since I was 12,I've always thought the link between Gil Jr.'s RC endevours and his older brother Allen's skateboarding carrer and company were really interesting.
You can read more about this connection in the last Losi scan I posted...

But,I just found an ad in an old copy of Transworld Skateboarding,advertising Team Losi...Skateboards,later to be 'L.S.D.' -No,not THAT L.S.D, Losi Skate Designs!
So,at the time of this advertisment,there were actually two Team Losi' around...I'm guessing Allen changed the name of his company to avoid confusion between the two Team Losi'.
At this time,skateboarding was migrating out of the pools and ramps and onto the street and Allen Losi issued a street skateboard deck...The 'Street Weapon'!
A friend of mine actually owned one.
Guess Gil Jr. thought it was a cool name for the XX4 derived touring car all those years later and hey-It was already copyright Team Losi!

Even though my knees are broke,I'll keep skating and racing RC cars 'till the day I die...Or am in a wheelchair.

Anyway,here's the scan,complete with the Street Weapon' deck.
Enjoy.

[FasterLouder]

If I may add...Pop Losi owned a skateboard company called Variflex,which was a reasonably successful company and Allen Losi rode for them.
After Pop Losi sold the company to a toy store chain,Allen started up the first Team Losi.
Pop Losi also owned a very popular skatepark,called the Del Mar Skate Ranch,where Gil Jr. built his first RC car off road track.
The track got so popular that they moved it...And the Ranch Pit Shop and track were born.
Guess they liked the name 'Ranch',or wanted people to remember the link to the Del Mar Skate Ranch skatepark?

If you want to see Allen Losi in action,at the 1985 Spring contest at Del Mar,here's the link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoVUGVQTFAs

You can hear the crowd chanting "Losi,Losi,Losi"!

Butter smooth frontside airs and a killer fakie 360 handplant to tail tap,but then he slammed on a simple fakie rock.
Such is life...

[fakiee]

Wow, I never knew that I have also been into skating and RC cars all my life, even owned a variflex when I first started skating

I've heard of Allen Losi before but never made the connection, what a cool family that must have been to grow up in

[FasterLouder]

My first board was a Variflex,but it was after Losi sold the company.
Allen Losi is still alive and kicking....Playing in a Punk Rock band!
Go Allen!

[Brandon G]

They made yo-yos too after starting up the RC business.

Good article in one of the latest RCCA's regarding rivalrys....

Gil helped in the development of the RC10. Pops allowed this with the precondition that they get a number of the first RC10 kits to sell in the hobby store. The deal fell through in some way, and that prompted the development of the JRX2.

At least that's his side of the story...

[reign79]

Cool bit of history i also have been sk8ing sense 88 and still am. It seems like rc and skating for me have always gone hand and hand allthough my knees Man they hurt not so solid at age 31 but im still rocking most my tricks with 15 minute brakes inbetween

[FasterLouder]

That's an interseting story,Brandon!
I knew Gil Jr. helped develope the RC10,but I didn't know about that deal.

Lookey what I came across,this must be Allen's last Pro board.
Released under the 4th skate company he rode for,after Losi Skate Designs collapsed,this his last company-Alan Losi Skates circ@1989.
He had a pretty long Pro skate carrer for a 'lesser player'.
I'm tempted to buy it and hang it on the wall,but I know if I start collecting vintage skateboard decks,on top of my 30+ RC collection,all sorts of hell will break loose!
One of them being financial...

[faceman2k]

That's an interseting story,Brandon!
I knew Gil Jr. helped develope the RC10,but I didn't know about that deal.

Lookey what I came across,this must be Allen's last Pro board.
Released under the 4th skate company he rode for,after Losi Skate Designs collapsed,this his last company-Alan Losi Skates circ@1989.
He had a pretty long Pro skate carrer for a 'lesser player'.
I'm tempted to buy it and hang it on the wall,but I know if I start collecting vintage skateboard decks,on top of my 30+ RC collection,all sorts of hell will break loose!
One of them being financial...

I have been Watching that skate board on the bay as well. I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger. Having a losi skate board hanging on the wall with all of my losi cars would be cool.

[longboardnj]

Being both actively involved in RC cars and skateboarding since I was 12,I've always thought the link between Gil Jr.'s RC endevours and his older brother Allen's skateboarding carrer and company were really interesting.
You can read more about this connection in the last Losi scan I posted...

But,I just found an ad in an old copy of Transworld Skateboarding,advertising Team Losi...Skateboards,later to be 'L.S.D.' -No,not THAT L.S.D, Losi Skate Designs!
So,at the time of this advertisment,there were actually two Team Losi' around...I'm guessing Allen changed the name of his company to avoid confusion between the two Team Losi'.
At this time,skateboarding was migrating out of the pools and ramps and onto the street and Allen Losi issued a street skateboard deck...The 'Street Weapon'!
A friend of mine actually owned one.
Guess Gil Jr. thought it was a cool name for the XX4 derived touring car all those years later and hey-It was already copyright Team Losi!

Even though my knees are broke,I'll keep skating and racing RC cars 'till the day I die...Or am in a wheelchair.

Anyway,here's the scan,complete with the Street Weapon' deck.
Enjoy.

thats funny they have a Street Weapon deck and a Street Weapon rc car.. i always heard growin up sk8ing and using rcs of the losi name in sk8ing..i always thought it was just the same name and kids talkin crap.. then i saw a pic of losi sk8in with a rc track in back (a post on rc10 talk) plus this post ,i gess its the real deal

[FasterLouder]

That park would be the Losi owned Del Mar Skate Ranch,that's where Gil Jr. had his first track.
Guess the 'Ranch' name stuck,huh?
They jack hammered Del Mar a while ago,now.
The big pool there had some sketchy transitions,man!

[FasterLouder]

I just can't help myself!
Here's Allen Losi appearing in a Variflex ad in Transworld Skateboarding magazine.
Must have been the last days of Variflex...

[Y'ernat Al]

I remember by the time I started skating Variflex had been sold and was mass marketed into in every cheesy chain sporting goods store. Like RC cars, there are some skate decks I wished I would have saved.

[markt311]

The Ranch in Del Mar was Awesome! it was the first place I saw RC cars race when I was about 7. That place had everything, slotcar track, nice roadcourse, of course the offroad track (home of the first offroad worlds), mini golf, skate park. Right across the street from the Del Mar fairgrounds, thanks for bringing back some old memories.

[FasterLouder]

Del Mar was always one of those places I always dreamed of skating,when I was a grommet.
YouTube has some good '85 contest footage with Allen Losi,Hosoi and Tony Hawk.
Lance Mountain skated for Variflex,too,before Powell Peralta.
Here's his Variflex Deck...I only have a few old decks hangin' on my wall,but none of the ones I wish I'd saved!
They would be my Santa Cruz Rob Roskopp 'Ugly',My Schmitt Stix Lucero 2 and my Vision Gator.
Let's not get into Gator's..Um..Unpleasantness,though!
I just loved the graphics...

[FasterLouder]

Thanks for posting the cool photo of Allen,BTW!
Dude had a grimace when he skated,man!
He's playing in a Punk Rock band,thesedays, so I hear.
If you want to see some cool footage,the documentary on Christian Hosoi is great.
Lots of early Del Mar footage in that one...