BenzO!

Another mystery solved...... TCer’s unite!

I always wondered who carved the Tikis at the Tropicana back when it kicked ass.... now we know.

Benz the Best! at least in the summer of 1995, I got shots of most of the tikis and some great 3D shots!! with a state of the art Japanese 3D camera I had just acquired.

Here are some vintage C’AL and Lizzy shots trying to get lucky in Vegas
Bone Productions was in it’s fledgling years of tiki production, Pre-Tikimaina and needing all the help I could get. No internet no TC. To bad that BigAss Tiki isn’t still there, I could still use the help.

the sign says... “Behold Kala Nui * God of Money” bow your head down to Kala Nui & you may be rewarded with riches to last seven lifetimes. The followers of Kala Nui god of money have the luck of the islands and all of their dreams are answered.

God of Money! Lizzy wasn’t taking any chances...
PG13 not for kids

Thanks for the great memories BEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ Edited by: crazy al 2010-04-23 17:57 ]

Can't wait for him to wake up and see those photos!
Too funny.

imagine this one in 3D

[ Edited by: crazy al on 2004-01-15 03:10 ]

Well Hello Crazy Al.
SeenPix of your wild crazy work,,,It Rocks. I Love the detail, StunningI'm speechless.
Any thanks for the Pix Upddates. I had Never seen the sign and Frame addition, whoever did it did alright.
I'll be workin on the Big story a bit at a time.

You guys are great.

I absolutly love that Ben has found this tiki community. It's like we got a little bit of the past back that makes up or tiki culture. It seems very magical. I want to know more, some how I picture Ben as holding some kind of secrets from the past. Maybe it's just me though.

Benzart, I am interested in how you found Tiki Central? :tiki:

After a long time of No carving I had some Ideas about some new tiki product and how to mass duplicate it. I was searching for "Tiki" in google and TC came up. I have not left since. I love it .Not only that TC has lit a big fire and started a huge itch I gotta scratch.

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2004-01-13 19:03 ]

C'Al, funny fotos, i would have guessed you'd be the dude to actually use and develop one of those 3-D cameras. My friend had one, we used it up and never developed them... that was about this time '96 or so. Ben, i like the way you talk dude! You have a certain rhythm that reminds me of my Guatemalan friend from school. I like your mind set too, your hearts in the right place.

at a $1.60+ each print.... i have not shot a lot of rolls since back then ethier.

but if you nailed the shot it was cool.

Ben...How many of the palm wood tikis ( like the ones in the 3D shot) out front in the Tropicana garden did you do?

[ Edited by: crazy al on 2004-01-14 21:05 ]

I did ALL the wood ones.The two Aku concrete 50' guys done by cement finishers.
I did about 60 Tikis spread over 3 years for the front and the 5 acre "Island"inside the gardens.
I have to be honest up in 1 bar there was a canoe with excellent fisherman tikis on it that I did not do,,All the rest,I did. when I got there they had 3 done by a local guy who just didn't have the experience and they were simple and Over priced (easy way to prove young carvers lack experience.Anyway I did all the tikis, I cheated with chainsaw and grinders, for shame,, I was out there a total of 10 to 11 months

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2004-01-14 21:34 ]

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2004-01-15 06:34 ]

I'll have to post the pics i got of the tikis out front on the 'Tropicana tikis' post
at some piot.

Thanks, I'd love to see them as they were constantly Moving them around and re-arranging everything.Plus, I've lost a lot of pix.