Marty McFly's Skateboard - Valterra Splatter Deck Conversion

If memory serves me right the 25th Anniversary boards were $250.00 and they were offered for sale not only at the WGB store but on Madrid's website as well. So far as the number produced is concerned I actually prefer the "Offered for a limited time" approach more than the "Limited to xxx number of pieces" model. I think some of the hardcore collectors prefer the limited number model because of the idea that it makes the pieces more "exclusive" or "valuable" but the reality is all it does is create a windfall for eBay sellers and frustrate the hell out of fans. This is clearly evidenced by the way Nike handled the release of the Bruins and Pepsi the Pepsi Perfect. In both cases what should have been good marketing and PR instead frustrated many fans to the point of alienating them from the brand. I still don't understand why they do this, but I expected it with Nike as it is the exact way they handle their retro Jordan's, which irks me as well. The only problem I have with the Madrid/Valterra boards is that I think they should have also been available for sale on the Madrid website and they should have been in charge of the shipping. We're that the case I think most of the shipment issues fans are experiencing now would have been negated. So far as the boards being for sale is concerned, I don't have a problem with it so long as they have enough backstock to fill the orders, if they are not sure they need to pull the item from the store. They are already having issues with organization as evidenced by the boards shipping almost a month late, it's not going to look good if they are now taking orders they cannot fill because the product is out of stock.
 
They sent an email a few days ago saying the boards will ship Friday the 6th

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Can you please give me that links please!!!!!!!

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SterioDesign and I created Vector files for the top and bottom of the board. Credit goes mainly to him, as he was able to knock them out in quick order.
CAN YOU PLEASE SEND ME THAT LINK TOO? PLEASE!!!
 
I guess they must not care about me, they never sent me a shipping notice. lol

SterioDesign and I created Vector files for the top and bottom of the board. Credit goes mainly to him, as he was able to knock them out in quick order.

Could I get that link as well, for the top and bottom of the board, pretty please?!

Thank ya much!

James
 
I didn't get a shipping notice either. I:)t'd be nice to have a tracking option.

PMs sent with the link to the vector art.
 
I honestly think they are just that disorganized. Every email I have sent regarding shipment was answered with a short, one sentence reply. Have any of you sent an email requesting tracking information and if so did you receive a reply? As I said from the beginning they would have been better off to let Madrid handle the whole thing.
 
I sent an email just now requesting the carrier and tracking information for my packages. I'll let you guys know the results when I receive a response.
 
My order status has not changed to "Shipped" yet. It still says "Processing." Does anyone's order status actually say "Shipped"?
 
Thanks Diana88

Does anyone have a customer support number? There website is rather ridiculous. I tried checking my status by logging into my account, but it says invalid email and won't let me log in. Funny thing is, they sent me my order confirmation to the same email I'm trying to log in with.

James
 
They do not have a custom support phone number, unfortunately. I know it sucks. The only email I could find was sales@weregoingback.com , but I'm not sure if you would get a response :( There is no other way to contact them as far as I know. I will let you know if my order status ever changes. I placed my order on September 5th. Either way, they should send you an email when your board ships, I hope.
 
I placed mine back in mid August, only got the generic email saying shipping from Friday 6th etc etc, I'm friends on Facebook with Joe Walser I've messaged him to see if he can shed any light on shipping ?
 
Good news dear friends! I just got an email from Ken Kapalowski, the Event Director, saying the boards are going out tomorrow and that they'll be sending the tracking number.

Now that is just the email I got a few mins ago, I hope it's the same for everyone else.

And Diana88, when I got the email from Mr. Kapalowsk, I got all sorts of contact information for the company. mwah ha ha So I guess if I have any more questions I'll know who to get in touch with. lol

Cheers!

James
 
Unorganized? Well, yes and no. The We're Going Back events were just so massive. These skateboards were just a drop in giant We're Going Back buckets. By the time we realized just how much more manpower we were going to need, it was way too late and there we had already hit the ground running. The very small team got spread very thin, and we pulled off the massive events, often by the skin of our teeth. It was a gruelling Magilla the likes of which we hope we'll never see again. We definitely bit off more than we could chew comfortably. But, instead of quit or cancel things, a few things are late. Like shipping the skateboards. Ken, the other co-organizer of We're Going Back, has learned a very valuable lesson - that it's much better to say next week, than Tuesday... if Tuesday is a deadline you aren't 100% positive you can make. Someone on here suggested that we just let Madrid handle the shipping, and I'd love to buy that guy a beer. That's exactly what I said, and now Madrid is handling shipping all of the boards. As it should have been all along. Anyway, while shipping wasn't part of my other endless responsibilities for WGB, it is my distinct pleasure to jump in and field questions and take abuse. Go easy on me, I may be able to answer some long unanswered questions about the original boards.

Yes, the original board VALTERRA logo was slanted. It's easy to see if you draw parallel lines across the screws, but it does mess with your eyes. Yes, I know Madrid put round copers on instead of angled ones - we're looking into a solution for that now with Madrid, The bushings on the 30th boards are orange, just like the screen used bushings. The trucks are as close as Madrid could get them without having a supply of vintage trucks. Remanufacturing the trucks was out of reach for us. The wheels were going to be remade with the inset letters, but it didn't work out. I even loaned Madrid a set of unused vintage FLY wheels for use creating new molds. We're still working with them to see what can be done at the wheel factory, but we didn't like the outcome so we went with the wheels from 2010 which are great - except the letters are printed on instead of molded in.

Anyway, here's a photo of Marty's hero board. You can see the round sticker damage clearly in the opening scene of the movie.
Valterra.jpg
 
Woooh I want more pictures of the screen used board! It's so nice to see some clear pictures of this board with its original stickers!
 
Unorganized? Well, yes and no. The We're Going Back events were just so massive. These skateboards were just a drop in giant We're Going Back buckets. By the time we realized just how much more manpower we were going to need, it was way too late and there we had already hit the ground running. The very small team got spread very thin, and we pulled off the massive events, often by the skin of our teeth. It was a gruelling Magilla the likes of which we hope we'll never see again. We definitely bit off more than we could chew comfortably. But, instead of quit or cancel things, a few things are late. Like shipping the skateboards. Ken, the other co-organizer of We're Going Back, has learned a very valuable lesson - that it's much better to say next week, than Tuesday... if Tuesday is a deadline you aren't 100% positive you can make. Someone on here suggested that we just let Madrid handle the shipping, and I'd love to buy that guy a beer. That's exactly what I said, and now Madrid is handling shipping all of the boards. As it should have been all along. Anyway, while shipping wasn't part of my other endless responsibilities for WGB, it is my distinct pleasure to jump in and field questions and take abuse. Go easy on me, I may be able to answer some long unanswered questions about the original boards.

Yes, the original board VALTERRA logo was slanted. It's easy to see if you draw parallel lines across the screws, but it does mess with your eyes. Yes, I know Madrid put round copers on instead of angled ones - we're looking into a solution for that now with Madrid, The bushings on the 30th boards are orange, just like the screen used bushings. The trucks are as close as Madrid could get them without having a supply of vintage trucks. Remanufacturing the trucks was out of reach for us. The wheels were going to be remade with the inset letters, but it didn't work out. I even loaned Madrid a set of unused vintage FLY wheels for use creating new molds. We're still working with them to see what can be done at the wheel factory, but we didn't like the outcome so we went with the wheels from 2010 which are great - except the letters are printed on instead of molded in.

Anyway, here's a photo of Marty's hero board. You can see the round sticker damage clearly in the opening scene of the movie.
View attachment 554426

I am saying disorganized in the sense that obviously there was a planning issue with regard to either staffing and/or anticipating the sheer number of orders you guys would receive, then assuring there was adequate staff to handle processing, shipping, customer service etc. As I said I think that it probably would have been best to have Madrid handle the whole thing and offer the board for sale on their site as well. As to the frustration I think it is largely a communication (or lack thereof) error that is the problem. When most folks order something from an online retailer or even an auction site like ebay, they expect a timely response and shipping information. When they do not get that information and/or little to no communication aside from vague one sentence responses it sends up a red flag. While that "red flag" may not be completely warranted it is going to occur, especially at $300 per board.

That leads me to the accuracy issue. While I fully understand that every part and piece used on the original boards may not still be in production, most of those companies are still around and (in the case of skateboard companies) should have archives (sometimes they call them "Vaults") where they store examples of their original product. Over the past several years almost every big skateboard company from the 80's has reissued vintage decks, wheels, trucks and other items with almost perfect accuracy. In fact some of them were so accurate that the manufacturers made sure to hallmark them as "reissues" to avoid fraud issues in the vintage collector market. They are also able to offer complete boards at considerably less than the Valterra/Madrid deck. In an earlier post I pictured several of these boards including a Powell Tony Hawk and SMA Natas deck, Both of which were bought as completes (meaning it included reissue trucks and wheels) for under $200. In both of those cases there were not any accuracy issues. That in mind I am not complaining about the price (I know the profits go to a great cause), but more that for that price these boards should be as close to perfect as possible, not seemingly halfa**ed in an effort to save money or clear dead stock (screen printed Madrid Fly wheels). I can somewhat understand the truck issue ,if that company is no longer in existence, if not then I'm at a loss. With regard to the silkscreened wheels and incorrect copers, I'm not sure it is lazy, cheap, or both, but it does show a certain lack of detail on what was promised to be the "Most Accurate Replica" based on the screen used boards. I do know that about a month prior to the Valterra board being announced Madrid pulled the Fly Wheels from their retail site, which tells me they were likely more interested in clearing that back stock than making sure the boards had screen accurate wheels. My point is that most other companies have reproduced their vintage products for reissue with stunning accuracy. In every case where they have not (Vision being the prime example) is because the manufacturer was more interested in saving $$ than creating a faithful reproduction. I guess that I'm just a bit upset that for $300 and with the screen used board in hand these details are not accurate. It irks me even more that those making the board knew they were incorrect and easy to recreate, but did not care to take the time and effort to get it right, probably because they thought nobody would notice. Honestly, I'm sure Madrid still has Fly wheel molds and Z Flex, still produces the flat bottom coper in black, so they obviously still have the mold and surely could have done a limited number in white.

All of that aside I have a few questions regarding the screen used board. What type of trucks were used on the boards? They are obviously not Gullwing, Independent, or Tracker as all of those had very distinctive design cues and distinctively styled copers. Based on what I can see in the photo it appears they were either Venture or Sure Grip. Also were the original decks concave? It appears as they are in all of the photos. Since I'm sure that the screen used decks were not actual Valterra products, but rather pro quality Madrid decks painted and screened with the Valterra logo I'm guessing they are, but I'd love to know. Also, like Emma above said I would also like some good photos of the screen used board as well.
 
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