Exclusive Interview: CHOJIRO D.CRAZY - PART ONE

As a proud owner of over 30 Hells Dept. cars, you can imagine how excited I was to be able to do this interview with the man himself. The past two weeks has been really exciting for me as I had the opportunity to sneak into the life of world renowned top Japanese customizer named Chojiro D. Crazy of Hells Dept. As I go deeper into discovering his past experiences and his love for customizing, I realized that he is not just a genius at what he does but he is also indeed a very humble person. In this interview, 


I have segmented my Q & A into three areas of his life - past/present/future....

Hells Dept. - JDC13 (left) Chojiro (right)

PART ONE  - THE PAST

1) What is your actual name?, why do your friends call you Chojiro?

My name is Shozo Fukushima. I introduce myself as CHOJIRO D. CRAZY when I started Customizing. 

2) what were you doing before you became a customizer?

I was a sub-contract graphic designer designing Hot Wheels for Mattel in 2006 when they were still in Japan. 

Samples of Chojiro's Mattel Hot Wheels:

3) What kind of training did you get to become a customizer?

I have always liked building things during my childhood. I also have the interest in assembling things so naturally it progressed.

4) When did you start customizing?

My first custom was working on the Hot Wheels Thunder Bolt, where I designed the change of the tires in 2002.

5) Who were your early influences? did you have a mentor?

I observed and learned a lot from customizers in the US, my favorite customizers were V-Man, Dave Chang, Bryan Pope, Bone Shaker, Milk Man... just to mention a few.

6) Why did you call your brand "Hells Dept."? when did it start?

We started our operations in 2010 in Osaka, Japan. We called ourselves Hells. Dept. because we wanted to move away from the conventional Mattel stuff. Our intention was to do more radical customs and I also prefer to use handmade parts.

Samples of Chojiro's hand crafted Hot Wheels accessories:

7) What was the first custom that you sold?

My first custom Hot Wheels that I sold was a '59 Cadillac

A COLLECTION OF CHOJIRO'S PAST WORK

LARRY R. WOOD YEAR OF DESIGN 40TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION 2009 JAPAN"RETURN TO YOKOHAMA"
OFFICIAL CODE:3 "VW DRAG BUS"V.B.B. Transporter COE

CUSTOMIZED 55 PANEL BUS "OFFICIAL CODE:3"
HOTWHEELS® 40th Anniversary Celebration Japan 2008

V.B.B. Transporter COE                      

MICRO V8 (a.k.a. Little Blues )

'57 Funny Bros.

'50s CHEVY TRUCK

MORIWAKI Monster

Rocket Oil Alien

Nitro Rocket Legend

VW BUG BUS (PG)

White Metal Kit "CUSTOMIZED 55 PANEL BUS

JB'sTrunado

Interview was conducted by Ronald Wong aka Darthvaderr

PART TWO - THE PRESENT

will be featured on 10 Sept.