Build your first resin car - 1
Small manufacturers’ products fill
gaps in the market ...
– by Rob McLear
Photos by the author
BUILDING YOUR FIRST
1
1. When you open the
box, this is what you see.
resin house car
I
s there a car on your want list that isn’t available, and
doesn’t seem to be on plastic manufacturers’ to-do list?
The answer may come from one of the resin car manufac-
turers, who make a variety of car types. Some mold the main
body of the car in one piece, and if you are just starting out,
then one of these kits is a good starting point. They are con-
siderably easier to put together If the car you want does not
have a one-piece body, then you will have to assemble the
body yourself. Most resin kits come with the sides and ends
of the body cast as separate pieces. The roof in this kit is two
halves to be mated together.
I found myself wanting a Swift Meat Company refrigerator car.
Luckily for me, Sunshine Models makes a resin kit of this car
and I managed to pick one up. It is their kit number 24.23 for
a 2500 series car with the straight black lettering paint scheme
appropriate for my 1947 era.
The tools you will need to assemble the kit are common, and
should already be part of your tool kit. You will need a large flat
file, jewelers small files, hobby knife with a number of blades,
and drill bits numbers 80 to 74. You will also need a scale ruler,
small machinists square, canopy glue, sanding sticks or an
assortment of various grit papers. Assembly is mostly done
with CA superglue. You need a quality brand. I use Microscale
Thin and Medium consistencies. You will also need wet and dry
abrasive paper. I use 280 grit. It is fast and removes unwanted
material fairly quickly. Some .010”, 012” and .015” brass wire
is good to have, as well as well as .010”, .020”, .040” styrene
sheet, and .010” x .020” and .100” x .040” styrene strip.
These resin kits are craftsman kits. They are not like the nor-
mal plastic ready-to-run car or even a plastic kit. There are no
painted pieces and it all looks rather daunting. It really isn’t so
MRH-Aug 2014
