For an artist, the worst reaction possible is no reaction at all. The original rusty was a statement of the stance aesthetic taken to cartoon levels (instead of rusty hood - whole car rust - instead of slammed or just hella-flush - tire-destroying camber...). The current iteration is race car meets rat rod meets stance crowd aesthetic. I find it interesting the new box flares have matching rust to the original even though they weren't involved in any fires or the graphics newly added to the box flares are distressed the same as before (many berks given to appear as if no berks were given).
I like expressionist art - but not so much impressionist works of art. I like the aesthetic of group 5 cars (box flares do make everything better), but not so much that of rat rods or stance/hella-flush. I can appreciate the work and vision of Mike Burroughs, but I still like other stuff more. People have different tastes. There isn't a right or wrong for liking or disliking Rusty, but cool to see an artist build a creation that generates visceral reaction. For that, I have a lot of respect for Mike and feel he deserves the attention and notoriety.
