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Yes. Yes! That's it! I have a camera! It is old but it should work. Perhaps you could bring me images of inspiring landmarks?Michael Angelo

Classic Inspiration is a side quest in Fallout: New Vegas.

Quick walkthrough[]

Side Quest: Classic Inspiration 
Speak with Michael Angelo in his workshop on the Strip
Use the Codac R9000 to take pictures of:
the Dinky the T-Rex statue in Novac,
the McCarran Airfield sign,
the HELIOS One logo,
the Bison Steve Hotel's sign in Primm and
the Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters' bottle statue. 
Return to Michael Angelo on the Strip. 
Reward: 500 caps (additional 150 caps per photo)
950 XP
Strip fame 

Detailed walkthrough[]

Artist's block[]

The quest is started by talking to the eponymous owner of Michael Angelo's workshop, Michael Angelo, located in the southernmost section of the Strip across from the NCR Embassy; Angelo is typically located either in his room in the north end of the ground floor or on the catwalks above the main chamber. When first speaking with him, the artist will suspect the player character of working for Mr. House and bringing new requests for signage from him (this happens regardless of whether one actually sides with House during the main story). One can say they are not, or pass a 40 Speech skill check to lie and claim that they are, then pass either a 45 Speech or Repair check to persuade him to offer a bribe, for which a final 55 Speech check must be passed to unlock the option to gain a bonus of 300 caps. At any time, even after the final Speech check, one can choose to pass it off as a joke, declining the caps, and move on. One can return to the extortion dialogue again by passing a separate 50 Speech check.

Michael then reveals more about himself, including his previous name of Sheldon, being Sarah Weintraub's brother and once living in Vault 21 prior to its takeover by Mr. House, then onto the steady decline of his artistic output due to some unknown issue with his "inspiration." One can pass a 55 Medicine skill check to offer a medical diagnosis of acute agoraphobia, to which Michael asks for suggestions on how to get around his disorder to recapture his inspiration. Of the options available, the suggestion to escort him through the wasteland will continue the rest of the quest. Michael decries the thought of leaving his workshop, but then hits on the idea to have the player character do the sight-seeing for him by taking pictures of notable Mojave landmarks to use in his creative process.

He offers up the use of an old Codac R9000 for taking the pictures along with some camera film to load it with (if one somehow runs out of film before getting all the pictures, Michael can be asked for more). An optional dialogue will confirm with Michael that he will pay 150 caps per photo taken and brought back to him.

Picturing the Mojave[]

Michael suggests a total of five locations that he wants to get pictures of from the player character, consisting of:

Using the Codac R9000, when a picture is successfully taken of one of the above landmarks, the player character can return and receive 150 caps, while returning with all pictures taken will garner a total 500 caps. Additionally, successful photos grant increasing, small amounts of XP at 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200 respectively. Once Michael is given all five landmarks photos, he will thank the player character for their help restoring his inspiration, completing the quest with an additional 200 XP, for a total of 950 XP and gaining Strip fame.

Quest stages[]

StageStatusDescription
10 Michael Angelo wants pictures of famous signs around New Vegas.
20 Take a picture of Novac's Dinosaur Thermometer.
30 Take a picture of the Bison Steve sign.
40 Take a picture of the McCarran Airfield sign.
50 Take a picture of the HELIOS One sign.
60 Take a picture of the Sunset Sarsaparilla Headquarter'sIn-game spelling, punctuation and/or grammar Bottle sign.
70Quest finishedReturn to Michael Angelo for your reward.
80Quest failedMichael Angelo died. You won't be able to help him any longer.

Notes[]

  • Michael can still be asked for more camera film even after completing the quest despite it and the Codac R9000 no longer having any use.
  • In the case of the Sunset Sarsaparilla bottle statue at the headquarters, it is only required to get close enough for the label on the bottle to appear (go between the street lamp and New Vegas wall past the old Poesidon gas station from McCarran). One does not have to walk all the way to the building or across the highway. It is a bit harder to accomplish trying to do the same for the McCarran sign, as it is a much smaller target.
  • If Sarah Weintraub is killed at any point before or during Classic Inspiration, the quest will be failed. Michael will not continue the conversation after she has died.
  • After triggering Don't Tread on the Bear! during the main story, it is very likely to run into an NCR military police that will attack when returning to receive the reward.
  • If one successfully extorted Michael during the first meeting, completing the quest may no longer be possible.

Behind the scenes[]

This quest was designed by Jorge Salgado; it was one of the first pieces of content that he worked on for the game.[Non-game 1]

Gallery[]

References[]

Non-game

Main quests
Act 1Ain't That a Kick in the Head · Back in the Saddle · By a Campfire on the Trail · They Went That-a-Way · Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
Act 2Wild Card (Wild Card: Ace in the Hole, Change in Management, You and What Army?, Side Bets, Finishing Touches) · The House Always Wins (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII) · Render Unto Caesar · Et Tumor, Brute? · Things That Go Boom · Kings' Gambit · For the Republic, Part 2 · You'll Know It When It Happens/Arizona Killer
Act 3No Gods, No Masters · All or Nothing · Veni, Vidi, Vici · Eureka!
Side quests
New California RepublicAnywhere I Wander · Back in Your Own Backyard · Bitter Springs Infirmary Blues · Boulder City Showdown · Can You Find it in Your Heart? · Climb Ev'ry Mountain · Don't Tread on the Bear! · Emergency Radio · Eye for an Eye · Flags of Our Foul-Ups · Hard Luck Blues · I Don't Hurt Anymore · I Put a Spell on You · Keep Your Eyes on the Prize · Medical Mystery · No, Not Much · Pressing Matters · Restoring Hope · Return to Sender · That Lucky Old Sun · The White Wash · There Stands the Grass · Three-Card Bounty · We Will All Go Together · You Can Depend on Me
Caesar's LegionBeware the Wrath of Caesar! · Caesar's Favor · Caesar's Foe · Caesar's Hire · Cold, Cold Heart · I Hear You Knocking · The Finger of Suspicion · We Are Legion
The StripBeyond the Beef · Bye Bye Love · Classic Inspiration · How Little We Know · Pheeble Will · Talent Pool · The House Has Gone Bust! · The Moon Comes Over the Tower
Freeside & Outer VegasBirds of a Feather · Bleed Me Dry · Debt Collector · G.I. Blues · High Times · Someone to Watch Over Me · The Coyotes · Wang Dang Atomic Tango
BoomersAnt Misbehavin' · Sunshine Boogie · Volare! · Young Hearts
Great KhansAba Daba Honeymoon · Cry Me a River · Don't Make a Beggar of Me · Oh My Papa
Powder GangBooted · I Fought the Law · Run Goodsprings Run · Why Can't We Be Friends?
Brotherhood of SteelEyesight to the Blind · Still in the Dark · Tend to Your Business
OtherCome Fly With Me · Crazy, Crazy, Crazy · Ghost Town Gunfight · Guess Who I Saw Today · Left My Heart · My Kind of Town · The Legend of the Star and A Valuable Lesson · Unfriendly Persuasion · Wheel of Fortune
Companion questsED-E My Love · For Auld Lang Syne · Heartache by the Number · I Could Make You Care · I Forgot to Remember to Forget · Nothin' But a Hound Dog · One for My Baby
Unmarked questsA Bit of Slap and Tickle · A Final Plan for Esteban · Access Powers · All Fired Up! · An Ear to the Ground · Andy and Charlie · Arachnophobia · Arizona Scavenger · Barton the Fink · Bear Necessities · Big Winner (Atomic Wrangler, The Gomorrah, The Tops, Ultra-Luxe, Vikki & Vance) · Bounty Killer (I, II) · Brotherhood Bond (I, II) · Caching in at the Cove · Cajoling a Cudgel · Claws Mended · Claws Out · Dealing with Contreras · Defacing the Humble Stone · Democracy Inaction · Eddie's Emissary · Exhumin' Nature · Fight Night · Flogging a Dead Corpse · Friend of the Followers · Gland for Some Home Cooking · Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger · Hat's Entertainment · Help for Halford · Hidden Valley computer virus · Highway to the Danger Zone (I, II) · Honorary Rocketeer · I Love Bananas · Iron and Stealing · Keith's Caravan Charade · Laurifer Gladiator · Lenk's Bad Debts · Lily and Leo · Long-Term Care · Malleable Mini Boomer Minds · Maud's Muggers · Meeting an Equal · Missing a Few Missiles · Most Wanted · Not Worth a Hill of Corn and Beans · Old School Ghoul · A Pair of Dead Desperados (I, II) · Papers, Please · Pistol Packing · Playing on the Old Joana · Powder to the People · Power to the People · Razzle Dazzle! · Reach for the Sky, Mister! · Rest and Resupply · Ringo's Caravan Rules · Rotface's Loose Lips · Saving (or Savaging) Sergeant Teddy · The Screams of Brahmin · Silus Treatment · Short-Term Treatment · Smooth-Talking Criminal · The Star Showdown · Strategic Nuclear Moose · Straus Calls · Strip Search · Suits You, Sarah · Tags of Our Fallen · A Team of Moronic Mercenaries · Thought for the Day · Tourist Traipse · Trudy's Radio Repair · A Trusted Aide · Useless Baubles or Fancy Trinkets? · We Must Stop Beating Like This · We Must Stop Meeting Like This · Wind-Brahmin Wrangler · You Gotta Break Out a Few Eggs · You Make Me Feel Like a Woman
Cut contentCut questsAuto-Inject Quest · Bright and Shiny · Chip Provenance · Debug Topics · Exploring Vault 74 · Jailhouse Rock · Meat of Champions (quest) · TempMan · Underpass Water Purifier · Viva Las Vegas! · Welcome to Fabulous New Vegas · World Changes Post-Endgame
Add-on quests
Dead MoneySierra Madre Grand Opening! · Find Collars (8: "Dog", 12: Christine, 14: Dean Domino) · Fires in the Sky · Strike Up the Band · Mixed Signals · Trigger the Gala Event · Put the Beast Down · Last Luxuries · Curtain Call at the Tampico · Heist of the Centuries · Big Winner, Sierra Madre · Return to the FountainCut content
Honest HeartsA Family Affair · Arrival at Zion · Bighorners of the Eastern Virgin · Chaos in Zion · Civilized Man's Burden · Crush the White Legs · Deliverer of Sorrows  · Departing Paradise · Flight from Zion · Gathering Storms · Gone Fishin' · Happy Trails Expedition · Prisoners of War · Retake the Bridge · River Monsters · Rite of Passage · Roadside Attraction · Sanctity of the Dead · The Advance Scouts  · The Treacherous Road · The Grand Staircase · Tourist Trap
Old World BluesAll My Friends Have Off Switches · A Brain's Best Friend · Coming Out of Her Shell · Field Research · He Came... And Went · Influencing People · Midnight Science Fiction Feature! · Old World Blues · On the Same Wavelength · Picking Your Brains · Project X-13 · Sonic Emitter Upgrade · Welcome to the Big Empty · What's in a Name? · When Visitors Attack! · X-2: Strange Transmissions! · X-8 Data Retrieval Test · X-8: High School Horror! · X-13: Attack of the Infiltrator!
Lonesome RoadThe Reunion · The Silo · The Job · The Launch · The Tunnelers · The Divide · The Courier · The End · The Apocalypse