BTTF Marty McFly Valterra skateboard

[Adomeitw]

Pulled out my old decks to revisit this. Been a while since I was actively researching the topic. I own an original Valterra Splatter deck. The ones sold in department stores like K-Mart back in the day. It does not have the two-color splatter pattern typically seen. I refer to it as a series one and the other a series two. I recall finding that info somewhere while researching the deck, but have long lost track of all the sources of info. Take it for what you will. I also own the Valterra Splatter deck reissued by Madrid several years ago. The department store deck and the Madrid deck are significantly different in shape and size. The vintage deck is as flat as a pancake. The Madrid deck has a very slightly concave surface as seen with the screen used board. In the photos above with Eric and the pro skateboarder, the decks they are holding match near identical to the reissue board Madrid produced. They do not match the department store board. Here are some pics of both decks, some vintage (4-hole) Invader trucks, newer (6-hole) Invader trucks, vintage orange Sure-grip bushings, vintage white pivot cups, various truck coppers, and yellow Madrid Fly wheels (etched not embossed). Let me know if you’d like any specific info about any of them.

 

[Sliper8]

Pulled out my old decks to revisit this. Been a while since I was actively researching the topic. I own an original Valterra Splatter deck. The ones sold in department stores like K-Mart back in the day. It does not have the two-color splatter pattern typically seen. I refer to it as a series one and the other a series two. I recall finding that info somewhere while researching the deck, but have long lost track of all the sources of info. Take it for what you will. I also own the Valterra Splatter deck reissued by Madrid several years ago. The department store deck and the Madrid deck are significantly different in shape and size. The vintage deck is as flat as a pancake. The Madrid deck has a very slightly concave surface as seen with the screen used board. In the photos above with Eric and the pro skateboarder, the decks they are holding match near identical to the reissue board Madrid produced. They do not match the department store board. Here are some pics of both decks, some vintage (4-hole) Invader trucks, newer (6-hole) Invader trucks, vintage orange Sure-grip bushings, vintage white pivot cups, various truck coppers, and yellow Madrid Fly wheels (etched not embossed). Let me know if you’d like any specific info about any of them.

wow nice thanks for the info what is the size of your Valterra ( in terms and width and length ) also do you have any ideas what the screen used board was based of in terms of the deck? ( my guess is the 1983 concave Madrid explosion but I could easily be wrong )

 

[Spyhunter2k]

Trucks were invader 800

The original trucks were not Invaders. That's what they were originally thought to be, and so were used on some of the replica boards. The accurate trucks were later identified as Tracker trucks, either sixtrax or extrax if I recall, depending on the offset of your re-issue wheels.

 

[joberg]

^^
Indeed; Tracker trucks ExtraX with the right wheels.

 

[PLU]

im doing vector all the valterra skate....and 1955 wood skate too, im doing great progress, next mouth i will put pictures of all.

 

[SlyFox]

ah ok , I've just been a bit confused with hearing the screen used board was concave

I have an original board and they were not concave. Neither was the screen used one as far as I am aware.

according to the valterra splatter deck thread the deck is concave and was built by Madrid

curve in the middle of the deck not very noticeable but it makes the boards stronger ( so good for stunts even smaller ones like riding on the back of cars ) , and would explain why the decks in the movie are a different shape to the Valterra ones also I saw on the other thread it was a deck built by Madrid painted like a Valterra ( product placement possibly )

Yes, the board is curved on its length + one kicktail only. Double kicktail were introduced later when skatepark started to close and everybody switched to the street.

supposedly the movie board was built by Madrid tho and repainted , so It had a slight concave as can be seen here

Sometimes I wonder if it's not a lens distortion; If you look at the sole of his shoe on the kicktail, it's flat on the board (as well as the first line of the big decal).

the board is a different shape to a Valterra tho too , also it looks slightly concave here

"Looks" But, in my book, this is not even a mellow concave (you have 3 different concave options on a board, according to what you want to do with it: mellow, medium, steep). The concave design started in the early '80s...and this board doesn't have it.

Just to settle this debate Jerry Madrid himself has confirmed the original prop skateboard is definitely 100% concave! In fact Madrid was the first skateboard company to make "concave" decks.
The original prop "Hero" board seen onscreen is a Madrid Explosion "M-Tech" deck with the Valterra splatter graphic screen printed on it. The Madrid pro team was using the Explosion "M-Tech" decks at the time too, so Marty was literally riding exactly what the pros were using back then.

The reason a Valterra Graphic was used on a Madrid Explosion deck is that Madrid actually split the expensive price for the product placement with Valterra who were already having boards manufactured by Madrid. So Madrid and Valterra actually shared a single product placement, hence both of their logos on the board with the Valterra graphic and Madrid stickers. But don't take my word for it;

“A mid-1980s collaboration between Valterra and Madrid resulted in the “Back to the Future” board design that was an iconic part of the evolution of skateboard technology. After developing some of the first modern concave skateboards, Madrid produced a series of collaborations throughout the ‘80s, including the Madrid X deck incorporated into the Valterra “Splatter” Skateboard used by Marty McFly in the original Back to the Future movie.”

Coolest Wheels in the Industry! - RV Dealer News

Did you know that movie fans and RV enthusiasts share a common history? When Marty McFly rode his skateboard to Dr. Emmett Brown’s garage and Hill Valley High School back in October 1985, his personal set of “wheels” was a Valterra / Madrid model, built by one of today’s leaders in the RV parts...

rvldealernews.com

The latest Valterra Reissue decks from Madrid are probably most accurate to what was originally used onscreen.

We completely redid the splatter pattern so it would be as accurate as possible, including matching all the colors even better. Madrid made a new board jig using the actual screen used board. The wheel well grooves were corrected based on the screen used board. The shape and placement of the grip tape and decals was updated using the screen used board. Every single Madrid decal was completely redesigned using original vintage decals, and all the colors were matched. Plus - we found the original screen used board and then agonized over making the best, most accurate production boards possible for everyone who wanted one.

 

[Sliper8]

Just to settle this debate Jerry Madrid himself has confirmed the original prop skateboard is definitely 100% concave! In fact Madrid was the first skateboard company to make "concave" decks.
The original prop "Hero" board seen onscreen is a Madrid Explosion "M-Tech" deck with the Valterra splatter graphic screen printed on it. The Madrid pro team was using the Explosion "M-Tech" decks at the time too, so Marty was literally riding exactly what the pros were using back then.

The reason a Valterra Graphic was used on a Madrid Explosion deck is that Madrid actually split the expensive price for the product placement with Valterra who were already having boards manufactured by Madrid. So Madrid and Valterra actually shared a single product placement, hence both of their logos on the board with the Valterra graphic and Madrid stickers. But don't take my word for it;

“A mid-1980s collaboration between Valterra and Madrid resulted in the “Back to the Future” board design that was an iconic part of the evolution of skateboard technology. After developing some of the first modern concave skateboards, Madrid produced a series of collaborations throughout the ‘80s, including the Madrid X deck incorporated into the Valterra “Splatter” Skateboard used by Marty McFly in the original Back to the Future movie.”

Coolest Wheels in the Industry! - RV Dealer News

Did you know that movie fans and RV enthusiasts share a common history? When Marty McFly rode his skateboard to Dr. Emmett Brown’s garage and Hill Valley High School back in October 1985, his personal set of “wheels” was a Valterra / Madrid model, built by one of today’s leaders in the RV parts...

rvldealernews.com

The latest Valterra Reissue decks from Madrid are probably most accurate to what was originally used onscreen.

the most accurate to what was used on screen would actually be to reprinted an original 80s madrid explosive deck. ( the reissues aren't quite the same ( not wide enough , among some other things. )

 

[SlyFox]

the most accurate to what was used on screen would actually be to reprinted an original 80s madrid explosive deck. ( the reissues aren't quite the same ( not wide enough , among some other things. )

Only on the 2010 Reissue, I'm not sure which version you've seen but Madrid actually made a whole new board jig directly from the screen used deck! So the shape has been replicated exactly, literally traced from the original prop and it actually differs slightly from a standard explosion deck in addition to the wheel well grooves which explains the discrepancies you're seeing.

We completely redid the splatter pattern so it would be as accurate as possible, including matching all the colors even better. Madrid made a new board jig using the actual screen used board. The wheel well grooves were corrected based on the screen used board. The shape and placement of the grip tape and decals was updated using the screen used board. Every single Madrid decal was completely redesigned using original vintage decals, and all the colors were matched. Plus - we found the original screen used board and then agonized over making the best, most accurate production boards possible for everyone who wanted one.

 

[Sliper8]

Only on the 2010 Reissue, I'm not sure which version you've seen but Madrid actually made a whole new board jig directly from the screen used deck! So the shape has been replicated exactly, literally traced from the original prop and it actually differs slightly from a standard explosion deck in addition to the wheel well grooves which explains the discrepancies you're seeing.

the board doesn't differ from the 80s explosion deck it has the wheel wheel groves also it has been confirmed the deck was a Madrid explosion deck , look at the dimensions of a new explosion / Marty board and then at the dimension of an old one its about half an inch or so off. this was probably to make the board a better board but not as accurate.

 

[SlyFox]

it has the wheel wheel groves also it has been confirmed the deck was a Madrid explosion deck.

Are you even reading my replies?
Madrid made a whole new board jig directly from the original prop in 2015, they literally traced the screen used deck!…

Yes I’m aware it has the wheel grooves, and they are in fact not exactly the same as a standard Explosion.

Yes I’m aware the original prop is confirmed to be an Explosion Deck. However it differs slightly in shape which is exactly why Madrid made an entirely new board jig in 2015. The previous 2010 Reissue was not as accurate and did not come from the new board jig.

Ask knightlife yourself, or read his post;

We completely redid the splatter pattern so it would be as accurate as possible, including matching all the colors even better. Madrid made a new board jig using the actual screen used board. The wheel well grooves were corrected based on the screen used board. The shape and placement of the grip tape and decals was updated using the screen used board. Every single Madrid decal was completely redesigned using original vintage decals, and all the colors were matched. Plus - we found the original screen used board and then agonized over making the best, most accurate production boards possible for everyone who wanted one.

A vintage 80’s Explosion Deck is probably the next closest thing, but not quite as accurate as the latest Reissue that managed to capture these finer details with the new board jig.

 

[Sliper8]

Are you even reading my replies?
Madrid made a whole new board jig directly from the original prop in 2015, they literally traced the screen used deck!…

Yes I’m aware it has the wheel grooves, and they are in fact not exactly the same as a standard Explosion.

Yes I’m aware the original prop is confirmed to be an Explosion Deck. However it differs slightly in shape which is exactly why Madrid made an entirely new board jig in 2015. The previous 2010 Reissue was not as accurate and did not come from the new board jig.

Ask knightlife yourself, or read his post;

A vintage 80’s Explosion Deck is probably the next closest thing, but not quite as accurate as the latest Reissue that managed to capture these finer details with the new board jig.

it was confirmed by jerry madrid. also what do u mean by the wheel groves are different ? btw I'm not looking for an argument or anything just have done a lot of research into the topic comparing my 80s explosion deck with the Marty board and am almost 100% sure it is the same deck ( got lots of photos if you want to compare

 

[Bricago]

Pulled out my old decks to revisit this. Been a while since I was actively researching the topic. I own an original Valterra Splatter deck. The ones sold in department stores like K-Mart back in the day. It does not have the two-color splatter pattern typically seen. I refer to it as a series one and the other a series two. I recall finding that info somewhere while researching the deck, but have long lost track of all the sources of info. Take it for what you will. I also own the Valterra Splatter deck reissued by Madrid several years ago. The department store deck and the Madrid deck are significantly different in shape and size. The vintage deck is as flat as a pancake. The Madrid deck has a very slightly concave surface as seen with the screen used board. In the photos above with Eric and the pro skateboarder, the decks they are holding match near identical to the reissue board Madrid produced. They do not match the department store board. Here are some pics of both decks, some vintage (4-hole) Invader trucks, newer (6-hole) Invader trucks, vintage orange Sure-grip bushings, vintage white pivot cups, various truck coppers, and yellow Madrid Fly wheels (etched not embossed). Let me know if you’d like any specific info about any of them.

Thank you for posting this. I have an ‘84 blue and purple splatter board. I’d like to replace the pink wheels with yellow ones. The Madrid Fly wheels seem to be the best option to replicate the Marty board. The pink wheels are 64mm, and the yellow ones are 60mm. Would you recommend any other alterations (truck riser thickness maybe?) that need to be made to compensate for the 4mm difference?

 

[joberg]

Thank you for posting this. I have an ‘84 blue and purple splatter board. I’d like to replace the pink wheels with yellow ones. The Madrid Fly wheels seem to be the best option to replicate the Marty board. The pink wheels are 64mm, and the yellow ones are 60mm. Would you recommend any other alterations (truck riser thickness maybe?) that need to be made to compensate for the 4mm difference?

That would be a good idea; I know they sell those risers in black...that being said, unless your trucks are very loose while riding I don't think they would be necessary to be on your board if it's to display only

 

[Bricago]

That would be a good idea; I know they sell those risers in black...that being said, unless your trucks are very loose while riding I don't think they would be necessary to be on your board if it's to display only

Thank you for the reply. I appreciate it.

 

[Sliper8]

That would be a good idea; I know they sell those risers in black...that being said, unless your trucks are very loose while riding I don't think they would be necessary to be on your board if it's to display only

was there a specific riser used or just one that fits ?

 

[joberg]

was there a specific riser used or just one that fits ?

At the time, in general, you could buy risers for almost every type of trucks in your local skateboard shop. Nowadays, it's getting a little bit tricky since not a lot of skateboarders are using riser...unless you're into long boarding or slalom