Alan Schwartz' comment sums it up nicely:
I follow Paul's builds, not because they are directly applicable to my projects which they are not but because I enjoy his reasoning and admire the craftsmanship. I think it is both reasonable and productive to ask why something was done/how it was done and even, in appropriate form, suggest alternates.
More to the point:
Derogatory declarations and blanket criticism are of little or no value. Let's not go that way
This should be self-evident, at least to all adults. If Mr. VanPeenen says:
"I'll tell you what Paul lets look at race results and see whose Retro chassis have most major event wins.
I can tell you I never do any of the BS you do when building a chassis"
... then it's clear he is missing some points, although there may be other things going on I'm not aware of. Pablo is one of a very small group of builders (at least that I'm aware of) who has taken the craft of scratchbuilding and elevated it to the level of "art." His attention to every small detail puts him, in my mind in the same general league as Rick Thigpen, Jairus Watson, Steve Okeefe, and a few others whose names I can't recall right now... but you get my point.
When I first came here some years ago and saw some of Rick Thigpen's work, I.... was... astounded. I still am. I almost expect insane perfection from his builds, as if it's "ordinary." I long-ago ran out of superlatives to describe what he does, and that kind of work only comes from real talent and almost certainly at least a little neurosis! 
So here's the thing, does making gorgeous perfectly square cuts on piano wire with micro-bevels on all the ends equate to a faster/better-handling chassis? Does limiting solder flow on multi-rail assemblies so the joints all somehow (!?) start and end at the same points mean the car will be a "world-beater"? Does even being sure a chassis is dead-flat down to NASA tolerances and then polishing the whole shebang to a mirror shine drop a tenth off of lap times?
While there are things that can be gleaned from reading detailed build articles about assembly, soldering techniques and so forth that can apply to builds meant to be raced, the whole point of builds done by Pablo, Rick, Jairus, Steve, etc., is about history and "art," as much as craft and performance... although I am sure any of their builds will perform wonderfully. I've never been much of a chassis scratchbuilder, but I still look at and admire these guys' work for what it is and represents.
As for scratchbuilding for racing, podiums matter of course and there is a different kind of value in that for sure. Then again, there are a lot more variables involved with winning races than just the chassis dynamics. Besides, the nuts and bolts in all that were mostly figured out many decades ago, and today's race-winning chassis often have "stuff" incorporated in them that almost certainly (in some cases) is for eye-candy points.
I don't "know" Mr VanPeenen or his work, even in today's internet sense, but I take it for granted he does good stuff. I do know that a statement from him that the things Pablo does are "BS" is really missing the point.
This topic is locked
i know a 3-1/2 year old kid in Colorado who didn't while his grandfather (not me) took a nap.
