Calicreaming / fresno -2026
Writer/Photographer: Kai Her - April 28th , 2026
Back from the dead! Oh man, how long as it been since I got the opportunity to wander back on here and actually do some writing again? Way too long! My last coverage was from June 2025 and that was the Wekfest San Jose coverage. That goes to show how long I’ve been out of the writing realm. I’ve actually been picking up books instead. I’m currently reading an autographical narrative about a marathon runner who met a life long friend out in the Gobi Desert in the southern Mongolia and northern part of China. Long story short, the runner finished the race in 2nd place all because of a stray dog who happened to be out at the desert when the event was taking place. He brings the dog back to his mother country and that kind of sums up the novel.
Since the narrative was written in first person point-of-view, I have decided to harness that energy into reminding myself I need to put up more $h!t on my “dying'“ site. Like come on, lets be honest, when was the last time you actually read about Xplicit Projects’ blogs or coverages?
So, as I took a few hours each day to rummage through my photos of the past events I have attended, I dragged out the photos I took at the Calicreaming Show in Fresno a few weeks ago into my desktop and began browsing through my gallery. I deleted a lot more photos than saving them this time just because I couldn’t get a lot of good angles. I reflected why I was not able to get as much content was I wanted. Then I remembered, it was a challenge to have my little family at the show with me as I tried to get coverage, and then on top of that, I caught up with some of the NnovatioN brothers and other enthusiasts that made the trip to central California from the bay area.
I have always wondered how difficult it was to keep up with your own hobbies when my family is growing. I guess some fathers are able to manage their time quite well with their family and their leisure time, but as for me, I’m still tweaking to find the optimal adjustments in my life and time for my family. To align those two things into a single show, it was quite tough, but very well worth it. AND I wouldn’t change anything about it when I have my little family attending shows with me.
I want to give a huge shout out to Sean, this little brother, and his Calicreaming team! They did a wonderful job in hosting another spectacular show in central California. So successful that the show even made it to the local Fresno news the night before the show. Sean was humbly proud showing me the news on his phone when I was able to catch him at the show. I got nothing, but words of praise for these guys! I appreciate the diversity of builds they are bringing into the show and their vulnerability to accept a variety of builds into the show. I see a gradual change in the Calicreaming shows. I have always seen the show catered toword stance and widebody audiences. However, just recently, there has been a gradual shift towards the interest of JDM builds as well.
YES! I said it! From the show in Los Angeles and then to Fresno, it was evident to see more JDM builds. I’m quite biased when it comes to how I would like to see a modded vehicle to be equip with parts of my taste, but each to their own, that’s normal right? Some people like sashimi, and some people would probably never try eating raw fish.
In all, it’s always good to see Sean and his little brother holding it down for us for central California. Thanks for digging some roots for us to establish long lasting and memorable events in Central Cali!
Now that I feel like I have expressed enough about myself and how I feel about the show, let’s get into the coverage!
We will begin with this Ford Ranger. Dropped lower than my S2000 and the fenders tucking in almost the whole tire. The color reminded me of a Tahitian Green Pearl. The green teal color that could be found in an EG civic chassis.
The trunk have been redone as the bed liner have been delicately cut and trimmed so the rear chassis and suspension could have room to allow more space to further drop the truck to meet the ground. The trunk bed showed off some clean and fine work with a custom color matched suspension and a polished fuel cell. Very impressive indeed!
The teal Impala I spotted last year at Weenie Fest made it’s way to Calicreaming. Still looked immaculate and very well maintained just like how I remember seeing it last year. Like I have mentioned, l always have a soft spot on low riders. Before I knew JDM, low riders were just more entertaining for me to look at as a child growing in the south side of Merced. Thanks for bringing back the childhood memories.
When Chevy finally made the switch to make the C8 a mid engine, I knew the vehicle was probably heading in the right direction. Not too far from the release date, Pandem made a wide body kit for it, and I fell in love with how good the kit looked on the C8. This one in particular was right behind a booth so I couldn’t almost spot it as I made my rounds around the show. I’m very satisfied to see the owner sticking with the original color with the kit. A Red Mist Metallic, I think? No wrap is needed and the Vette sits married to the ground.
(Another angle from the front to capture the sharp nose on the Vette. )
Alright! Here we go! The first Honda in the coverage is this FK8 with a full Mugen kit that traveled from the front of the bumper all the way to the rear. A Racebred splitter is added underneath the Mugen lip and the Type R was sitting on some Magnesium Blue Te37 SAGA’s. This Type R was easily recognizable because I believe the owner owns the HHWHH Hot Wheel’s booth I see regularly at Wekfest San Jose and other shows.
This Ek sat low rocking Work Meister’s while relying on some CTR components (side markers, side mirros, headlights) to still attain the JDM style. A Mode Parfume spoiler sat in the back and the Mode Parfume front spoiler and splitter also sat low in the front. A b-pillar/cross bar sat behind the Recaro seats to further bring out the JDM fashion.
A Subaru Forester painted in the iconic WR Blue Pearl color that you can easily recognize from the WRX’s and STI’s. The SUV is equipped with an unknown lip kit and some two piece Blitz Type 01 wheels. The wheels seemed to have been powder coated into a bronze and then the barrel was left restored and polished. You could easily spot the bright green Brembo big brake kit and the roll cage and bike on top of the Forester were color matched to achieve a two tone color scheme throughout the car.
As all the Nissan enthusiasts are importing the Skyline R34’s into US soil, us Honda heads are importing the Honda Acty truck over with them. Ever since I saw one, I have always wanted one. I don’t think I’ll drive it much, but always pictured myself utilizing it as a golf cart to drive around my huge backyard I am still dreaming about.
This one in particular, has been restored and repainted in black to stray away from the white ones I usually see online. Adding some red asthetics to the car to make it pop it bit more. However, the owner didn’t just stop there but put in a dragon livery that was easily spotted on the side of the truck. The wheels reminded me of the Work Equip 03’s, but I could be mistaken.
(Another angle of the livery that traveled around the entire truck.)
An Eg coupe sitting on some Deep Sea Blue Regamaster EVO II’s. The wheel depended on some reissued white lip decals than the original red you’re used to seeing on the OG’s. I probably would never rock a set in this color on my S2000 because the color is a bit close to the Laguna Blue Pearl compared to the Magnesium Blue on my Te37’s. However, I wouldn’t mind just owning one of the wheel in this color to have as a decor in my garage….if I had the money.
Aside from my wheel addiction, the coupe had some carbon fiber fenders, doors, and a front lip to add on. The suspension have been upgraded into a 5 lug conversion and utilized a pair of Spoon caliper for braking necessities.
I’m quite familiar with Honda four cylinder engines, but not the six cylinders. This motor is probably from an Acura TL-S? A J32? Well, the valve covers have been repowder coated in a Spoon yellow fashion to keep the Spoon theme traveling not just from the wheels or BBK, but inside the engine bay as well. A polished supercharge sat high on top of the motor as the block is held by some Hasport mounts. I just realized the coupe is a right hand drive too.
This H22 was swapped over and into a Honda Accord CD7 chassis. This one is a hatchback so I don’t know if the VIN number is still in that numerical order. The engine bay have been shaved and repainted. Not just that, anything that could be laid a color onto have been powder coated or painted to carry on the bronze-orangey color to match the color of the vehicle.
When I began plugging myself into the car culture, it was during this era. The shaved and tucked engine bay. It always boggled my mind how they were able to achieve such a feat. Little by little, I was able to somewhat give my S2000 a similar engine bay display like this hiding my wirings as much as I could while at the same time retaining the OEM finish. Perhaps on the Civic, I will attempt to follow this route. A “floating engine.”
This Varis wide bodied BRZ/Ae86 came from Socal, I believe. The car was how I remembered it last year when I also wrote about it. Trusty Advan GT wheels and a full Project Mu big brake kit in the front and rear.
My first time ever seeing this Subaru wagon. The Subaru was gutted I’m positive the owner of the vehicle races competitively. The racing Lexan windows and the slicks were a dead give away. No, it wasn’t the obvious humongous turbo. LOL.
This is one of my favorite engine bay at the whole show. Didn’t really rely on a shaved bay. The owner stuck with a fully resprayed OEM bay, wire tucked, and allowed the motor components do the talking. Everything looked well placed throughout the engine bay. It’s a work of art. The owner’s IG handle is on the windshield in case you want to check out his build or give him a follow.
A Nissan Skyline R32 widened with an expensive Liberty Walk wide body kit. Loved everything about the kit. The round curves on the front fenders traveled to a boxy/squared style at the quarter panel of the Skyline. The teal calipers are matched to the roll cage inside the car and some Sparco seats were used for driver and passenger seat comfortability. The front spoiler, which almost looked like a splitter is actually a part of the whole LW kit. It extended further than the abnormal long style hood. The vehicle itself is Japanese, but with the kit, it just screams Japanese even more.
I believe spectators didn’t know how fortunate they were to actually see this vehicle with the LW kit at the show. This is a $30,000 wide body kit!
The Skyline took best Nissan 1st place later at the end of the show.
Here is another FK8 at the show equipped with a Varis wide body kit. Lowered and sat on some BBS RE-V7’s that have seemed to be rebarrelled into a two piece wheel? I’m not too familiar with my BBS knowledge, but to accommodate a widen chassis, some aggressive wheels will do.
Inside the main hall where the Calicreaming booth was located, you can spot Chris’ (DSR) Civic at the left side of the entrance. The Civic still looked good as ever with the EXCEED v2 lip kit. A Pracworks intake manifold sat close to the aluminum radiator.
I was a bit surprised to see Chris attending the show since Fresno was probably a bit of a drive for him. However, he made it work because he had business in LA prior to the show and stopped by before heading back to the bay right after the show.
The Civic later took “Best of Show.”
This was Frank’s Integra Type R. It was my initial meeting with Frank as I have never personally met him. His ITR had an EXCEED v1 front spoiler, Spoon mirrors and some Spoon wheels. The color of the valve cover matched up with the raw roll cage inside the vehicle quite well. Black Recaro Pole Positions were the choice of seats and the B18 have been swapped over to a K series accompanied by a Skunk2 intake manifold alongside Mugen and Spoon accessories and parts.
At the end of the line was Wesley’s Ek. Fashioned with a C-West kit. The Civic sat on some bronze Te37s and a Spoon sport caliper was used for more braking power. Red Recaro SR3’s were spotted inside the Civic and I believe Wesley have mentioned it’s a real EK4, or was it an Ek9?
Across from Wesley’s Civic was my S2000 and the NnovatioN line up. The S2000 looked exactly the same as it was from Wekfest San Jose last year. I like the Ce28’s on the S2000 a lot, to be honest. It will be tough to change it up this year for the next shows.
Next to my S2000 was Jackson’s AWD Civic. It’s good to see Jackson still putting some work on the hatch. The four lug have been ditched and put away and a five lug finally made its way onto the Civic. An OEM style carbon fiber hood have also been swapped out to a J’s Racing carbon fiber hood to match the J’s Racing GT wing perched on top of the truck. I’m not so sure if the clear side markers were a new addition to the Civic as well. The Civic is looking better every time I see it. A job well done, Jackson!
Upon switching to a five lug, the wheel choice for Jackson was a set of OG Ce28n that have been powder coated in Magnesium Blue. To add, the Wilwood big brake kit have also been put into storage as a new Endless big brake kit found it’s way onto Jackson’s new set up!
Simon also made it to the show. Last time I saw the EM1 was back at Wekfest San Jose and the EM1 had on Magnesium Blue Te37’s. The wheels have been replaced to the silver MF10’s.
To conclude the NnovatioN line up at Calicreaming this year, Tilong’s AWD EG Civic parked at the end of the line. Similar to Jackson’s choice of parts, Tilong also made the move to Mode Parfume parts (front spoiler, side mirrors, and the spoiler?).
I feel that the MK5 doesn’t get a lot of love from the car community. Considering Toyota bringing the Supra back, you would assume it would be an iconic revival, however I felt that it kind of went the opposite direction.
Whether you like it or hate it, I don’t think it’s not really that bad. The chassis did shrink compared to legendary MK4 and some would even say it resembled more of a BMW Z4 because of the brand collaboration between Toyota and BMW.
This one in particular, had a widen body from Rocket Bunny and a chassis wing mounted behind the bumper.
I’m not a big fan of Volkswagon, but I wanted to include this on to the coverage because I can appreciate the restoration of these old cars. This one has been restored, but the owner have decided to put some bags on it to allow the beetle kiss the ground.
Plus, it was probably my daughter’s favorite car at the show. She kept wanting to put her hands on it when my wife and I prevented that from happening every time she got close to the car.
Another S2000 at the show. In a Rio Yellow, semi lowered and also running some bronze Ce28n’s. A carbon fiber hood sits onto of the front end, and an OEM AP2 front spoiler was added to the front bumper.
A Midori Green Civic was found surrounded by stanced vehicles. This one wore a J Blood front bumper, paint matched Spoon mirrors and sat on some Te37’s. The go-to formula for Honda heads.
Honda and Acura enthusiasts were in great anticipation and excitement when Honda brought news that the Integra will be relived again. I guess everyone, including me, were hoping to see a similar chassis to the DC2 or DC5’s. That didn’t happened and the people got something that looked more like a TLX/ILX.
I personally have never seen one modded in person before so was I saw this one at the show, I had to get a picture for memory. It doesn’t look bad at all when there is actually some kind of lip kit surrounding the car. Diamond Silver Te37 SAGAs were the preferred choice of wheel for the car.
A simple Black EG Civic on Te37’s made its way to the show. The Civic belonged to Larry. Larry and I go way back. Before I had the S2000, I drove a Milano Red EM1 while I knew Larry was building an EG Civic in his garage. He never drove it much, but it’s been years since I actually met Larry again. Last I spoke with him was actually at a funeral a year ago and he quickly revealed that was building another project.
I didn’t expect to see his Civic here. It’s still in the works, but I believe this one is more of a car to enjoy driving around, while another project sits at home. We didn’t get to catch up much either, but I did get the chance to introduce him to the NnovatioN brothers and found out we happen to know some of the same bay area guys, like Chris…and now, Frank. What a small world?
My personal favorite FK8 at the show was this one. I’m not too well-versed with the FK8 and FL5 aftermarket parts, so I am going to take a guess here that the front spoiler is J’s Racing spoiler with a Racebred splitter right underneath it. The Type R looked great with the Rays GO25’s. A wheel I have always wondered how it would look like on a S2000.
(A J’s Racing valve cover accompanied by Chasing J’s titanium accessories.)
This restomoded Camaro looked real good. I sense of fusion of JDM influence was on the American muscle. The carbon fiber pieces up front looked good and I recall the hood was probably also carbon fiber as well.
(A carbon fiber intake, cowl added further JDM flare onto the vehicle. )
(Carbon fiber side mirrors.)
(Recaro CS seats.)
(Toyo R888r’s.)
Well, that sums up my coverage of the show. My coverage only captured only almost ¼ of the whole show. I couldn’t even find time to get some pictures off all the Semi show trucks that lined up at the show. There were multiple buildings throughout the venue that housed even more cars. The event had a section for R/C drifting competition too and many other worthy vehicles that I couldn’t make it back to get photos of.
Covering this show really put into perspective just how deep the car culture runs. Every corner of the venue had something different to offer. It reminded me that it’s not just about the cars themselves, but the people brings to the community, the effort, and the passion behind each build. Even though I couldn’t capture everything, what I did experience was more than enough to leave a lasting impression for me.
All in all, this event was a huge success and a reminder of why these shows continue to grow year after year. Another huge shout out to Sean, his brother, and his team! There’s always something new to discover, and no matter how much time you spend, it never feels like enough. I’m looking forward to coming back next, spending more time, and capturing even more of what makes this scene so special.
Thanks for reading and now…onto the Weenie Fest coverage!
