“Extreme toys, rolling sculptures, and mega-modified machines” created and built by the Blastolene Brothers are sure to be crowd pleasers at this year’s Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show on April 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Half Moon Bay Airport.

	The eco-friendly “Green Monster” by mad scientist Michael Leeds of the Blastolene Brothers

Who are the Blastolene Brothers and what exactly is Blastolene? Michael Leeds, Randy Grubb and Rodney Rucker are the colorful trio that make up the Blastolene Brothers. They have a mutual passion for monster trucks and hot rods.

Blastolene actually is more of an attitude than a substance (think massive frames and enormous wheels). Jay Leno purchased a Blastolene hot rod and the “brothers” were featured on the popular TV show, “Monster Garage”.

“We have a serious medical condition — building cars,” joked Leeds, a resident of Santa Cruz. “The only therapy that works is working on cars. It expresses the identity of who we are. It also expresses this love of speed, power, autonomy and freedom. We create our own superhero identity.”

Leeds is proud of Roadkill, a three-wheeled trike he lovingly calls a “senior mobility device.” The silver, 1100-pound vehicle has a 425-horsepower V8 engine. Leeds’ favorite Blastolene creation is Big Bertha — a purple and maroon hot rod built from a fire truck platform.

“Big Bertha really loves kids,” Leeds said. “We’re going to bring her to the Dream Machines show. We’ll also have a new creation — The Green Monster —  a 1950s semi-tractor that’s been radically modified and runs on bio fuel. Something happens when you see these cars in person; it makes you feel like you did when Daddy brought home the new car.”

Randy Grubb lives in Grants Pass, Oregon. He was responsible for sending positive vibes to Jay Leno, who bought their 8,500-pound, two-seater Roadster in 2002. The hot rod measured 22 feet long and 8 feet wide. It featured a hand-formed aluminum body and an 1800-cubic inch, V12 engine originally designed for the M-47 Patton Tank.

According to the story, Grubb said over and over again, “Jay Leno is going to buy that car.” Talk about karma — somebody knew someone who knew Jay Leno. The next thing they knew, the cell phone was ringing with the late night talk show host on the other end.

 “Jay is a prince among men,” Leeds said. “He’s not corrupted by fame and fortune.”

Leno brought Leeds and Grubb to their third “brother.” Arizona resident Rodney Rucker saw Leno’s new toy and knew he had to meet the masterminds behind the wheels. By day, Rucker cleans up train wrecks. His enthusiasm is contagious and he loves to participate in Blastolene events with Leeds and Grubb. He jumped on board after seeing Leno’s Roadster and has since built a number of cars, including the Dream Rod, a 2500-cubic inch PT boat motor with almost 2000 horse power. The hot rod boasts a massive length of 30 feet and a wheel base of 250 inches.

"Big Bertha"

“We are a group of autonomous artists helping each other along our creative paths,” Grubb noted. “We don’t do it for money. We exchange time and ideas. This is just a whole new way to go and we are having so much fun with it,” he added.

“Not one of the parts in our cars comes from a catalog. A lot of cars today are built with kits. Ours are at the extreme other end of the scale. Every rod end is custom machined in the scale that’s required to build. They are automotive sculptures you get to drive. Some people try to build a car from scratch but it doesn’t flow artistically. It’s all about the scale.”

The complete understanding of scale is the result of two longstanding art careers. Leeds and Grubb are world-class glass artists who are very aware of scale and aesthetic beauty. They met 11 years ago through art, not cars. True to his art, Grubb’s latest hot rod features a beautiful glass grille.

“We’re going to keep building our Blastolene hot rods,” Leeds said. “It’s just totally consuming but it feels like being in the perfect place. There’s a Blastolene brotherhood among people who see the magic in what we’re doing. There are no strangers — just Blastolene brothers we have yet to meet.”