Articles about RMS Resins

I've been honored to have my kits featured in several fine magazines and on several websites.  The following are linked or reprinted with permission from the authors:

Articles from Home Racing World 

RMS Galaxie "Saturday Night Special" by Home Racing World

RMS Omega Stocker by Home Racing World

Article from Car On Line Magazine

A few months ago, I was contacted by Alexander Ehl  of Car On Line Magazine, a German Slot Car publication.  Mr. Ehl was interested in writing an article on the buildup of my resin kits.  He sent me a copy of an issue to see what the magazine was like.  I was very impressed - almost completely color with excellent photographs, articles, and reviews.  It is completely in German, but it's probably one of the most complete magazines I've seen yet of this hobby.

I submitted several kits for his article, and here is the fruition of his work.  My German speaking skills are not what they once were, so I've translated it to the best of my abilities. 

When Scalextric produced two Trans-Am slot cars - Ford’s Mustang and Chevrolet’s Camaro four years ago, most enthusiasts hoped that further models of such cars would soon follow, but this desire did not fulfill itself. The reason might lie in that no other vehicles were as successful as these two in Trans-Am racing. 

For the slot car lover, this is obviously a set back.  However, one does not have to regret the small selection offered by Scalextric any longer.  Car-On-Line (COL) reader Denis-Nico Kuhl discovered a small resin manufacturer, Reinecke MotorSports.  The man behind it is David Reinecke from Monument, Colorado in the U.S.A.   He has followed through on his commitment to close a few of the missing gaps in the starting field between the Scalextric Camaro and Mustang.  Under the label of Reinecke MotorSports (RMS), ten additional Trans-Am bodies have appeared, and five more are still are in the plans. 

We had the opportunity to inspect three of his resin kits under the magnifying glass - a 1968 AMC Javelin and two cars of 1970’s, the Pontiac Firebird of Jerry Titus and Sam Posey's Dodge Challenger.  To assist in the building of these kits, we enlisted Denis-Nico Kuhl’s help.  It was agreed that we would evaluate these kits at the end of the builds to determine our satisfaction with such kits.

The RMS Trans-Am kits are generally intended for use on the Scalextric Mustang or Camaro chassis.  The philosophy behind this move is to make these kits equal with the Scalextric offerings.  This also ensures a great running series for slot car clubs.

Obviously, there is a concern for correct proportion in bodies required to fit a specific chassis.  Nevertheless all RMS bodies appear faithful to the original cars from our point of view.  The fact that the kits integrate the posts for the body assembly simplifies the assembly of the chassis to the body. 

The kits are offered as raw bodies without decals (although he sells the decals for them as well). Each kit includes the body as well as the interior with a partial driver.  All parts are integrated into the bodies, which simplifies the build and at the same time ensures there won’t be any loose parts while driving. The bodies are suitably sturdy, ensuring that any off-road excursion from the course should not result in damage.

The resin casting quality is very good with no bubbles and problem spots needing to be filled.  To this extent, the kits are easily built.  We cleaned the bodies in pure water (RMS suggests washing in soap and water) before painting.

Depending upon which Scalextric chassis is to be adapted to the kit, there is usually some minor trimming of the chassis in the front and back.  The interior driver and fire extinguisher are appropriate for the era of the bodies.  The interiors are quite thick and one may need to thin them in some areas to clear the motor properly.  Depending on the body kit, it is possible to modify and use the complete interior from the Scalextric donor.   This was possible with the Dodge Challenger, but it was less likely with the two other models.  The roll bar from the Scalextric donor can also be used and modified to fit.

If the assembly of these bodies is the easy portion of this build, the painting is the most difficult part. The accuracy of the vac-formed window glass was acceptable, but not crystal clear.  The Pontiac had a two-part windshield, while the AMC Javelin and Dodge Challenger had one-piece glass.  With the Pontiac, we filed the inner roof at the front to thin it, as well around the framework to allow the glass to fit better.  It was necessary to mark out the glass with a permanent pen to guide us in trimming.  If one has experience or applies the necessary patience, the glass parts of the RMS models can be made to look satisfactory.  

The decals supplied earn predominantly good evaluations on ease of use.  They fit the dimensions well and cover items such as taillights, turn signals, hood pins and driver’s signatures, which dispensable any detailing work with the brush.  All decorations are supplied in double so that any errors can be corrected.  The decorations do need to be cut out individually.  Enclosed instructions in black and white illustrate the decal placement.  If covering bright basic tones, their cover strength is high. Only with dark colors does any bleed through occur, especially with white Decals.   However, if you apply a double layer with the extra decals provided, the effect is minimized.

Depending on the amount of tinkering you enjoy doing on models, further refining can be accomplished easily.  Plastic tubes can be made to look like cockpit ventilation hoses and Bare Metal Foil can be used for chrome bumpers.

With these Trans-Am bodies from Reinecke MotorSports, a great opportunity exists to round out an interesting field of Trans-Am cars including Mustangs and Camaros of Scalextric.  Our completed Pontiac Firebird came in around 94 g of total weight, so the kits are competitive with the base Scalextric cars.  Other RMS kits should show similar weight comparisons.  With his enthusiasm in building these kits, along with a good feeling for proportions, it is obviously he enjoys manufacturing these body kits.

In addition to these kits, an assortment of four classic Stock Cars (NASCAR) is available. The complete assortment including the available decals is found at http://rmsresins.com This web page shows a large number of ideas for possible Trans-Am of models. 

Another remarkable item; if one has questions for Mr. Reinecke and does not speak English, one can also ask them in German, as Mr. Reinecke is able to converse in this language.

Article by Alexander Ehl

Photos by Alexander Ehl, Denis-Nico Kuhl, and David Reinecke