Favorite Resin Casters

[David Bogard]

I am always looking for unique and high quality resin bodies/kits. Now that Don and Carol Holthaus have closed Modelhaus Resins, who are the better and most reliable casters out there? Just opinions so nobody needs to get jacked up about it but it would be nice for the "collective" to know which casters are in business and are producing high quality pieces. Thanks!

[Lefturns75]

The ones I have used and can comment on are Time Machine Resins, Missing Link and Big Donkey.  I have used/purchased parts and kits from each of these places and the parts were good quality, no pin holes, no warp and very easy to work with.  I feel I got my $$ worth from each one.  I used Holthaus stuff in the past and it was always good quality.  I never had any luck with Jimmy Flintstone stuff and would not recommend them to anyone.  These are the only vendors I have ever used as I dont do much in resin. 

[Brian Conn]

....Resin casters are a dime a dozen....reputable resin casters that I would order from are farther and fewer between these days.
  No particular order of casters that I would have no issue spending my disposable income with as I have spent some in the past with them...
  Motor City Resin Casters
  Big Donkey Resins
  Futurattraction http://www.futurattraction.com/
 

  In the next few months I'll be dropping some coin for the first time on some resin bodies at Southern Motorsport Hobbies and Model Round Up ....no idea who pours their resins, but they got some must have bodies.

   
 

[Olderndirt]

I’ve had good luck with Big Donkey, and Kitchen table resins. Some of the others are hard to get in touch with.

  Olderndirt

[Brian Conn]

 Motor City Resin Casters   http://www.motorcityresincasters.com/index2.htm 
I've ordered 2 bodies from them.... the '72 Ford Ranchero Trans kit  https://public.fotki.com/outlaw-ford/76-ranchero-sportsman/   and the '69 Torino Coupe Trans kit.

Big Donkey Resins   http://www.bigdonkeyresin.com/
  ordered the tires,wheels and brake drums for this build:  https://public.fotki.com/outlaw-ford/59-galaxie-/
  .....Spoke w/ Larry on the phone before ordering .....he was a huge help.


Futurattraction   http://www.futurattraction.com/
  Ordered some Ford Fairmont Futura bodies and a 351 Cleveland engine from Scott....he has mastered the best 351 Cleveland that I have ever seen.

Morgan Automotive Detail   http://madmodeling.com/
  My go to source for pre wired distributors
 
Teds Modeling Marketplace   http://www.tedsmodelingmarketplace.com/
  This is where I order the Pro-Tech remote oil filters and open element oil breathers than I use on my engine builds.

[James2]

To do this right you should make this a sticky and post the links or contact info all in one continuous post. Just saying...

[Lefturns75]

Before this goes too far I want to remind you that David's request was for "Reputable Resin Casters" not a list of casters you know of.  Following are some resin casters I have bought from, used parts from and built kits from.  I am in no way connected to any of them but will say their products are good quality and have been worth every $$ I paid them.  They may not make a subject you like or would build but they are good reputable casters.  Some will come with some very light flash but remember, these are not coming from half-million dollar tooling like AMT or Revell.  If you dont have the skills to trim some flash, smooth some high spots or test fit you dont need to be playing with resin kits.  Nothing is perfect but these are much better than some of the jokes I have spent money on in the past. 

Missing Link Resins Studebaker Trans-Kit.
This body is crisp, no holes and is as thin as a kit body.  It could pass as a plastic kit body.  The hood is from Time Machine Resins and is free of holes and fits the body like a kit part.  This combined with the AMT 53 Studebaker kit as a donor will fall together like the kit.  Worth the $$$$.


Best Model Car Parts 50 Olds Wagon Trans-Kit
The body is very smooth and crisp.  The kit comes with all the pieces needed to finish the wagon interior when combined with the Revell 50 olds as a Donor.  Every piece is crisp and has no pin holes and nothing is warped.  Worth the $$$


Time Machine Resins 68 Chevelle Trans-Kit
I guess this subject is kinda moot since Revell just announced the release of a new 68 kit.  Up until then, the only 68 you could get was a high dollar original AMT.  This kit is very smooth and crisp and comes with a non-ss flat base hood, correct front and rear bumpers, red tail lights and correct interior.  Bash this with the AMT 69 and you have a correct 68.  I wanted this one because I owned one and was not willing to pay the high price for an AMT original.  All pieces are as good as kit parts and worth the $$$$


Speed City Resins Dick Landy AWB Kit
This kit is crisp and smooth and thin just like a plastic kit.  There is some light skin flash but it will be no problem.  This kit comes with everything to build the car minus your donor engine and suspension from a Lindberg kit or Revell and decals.  All parts are very well done and look like kit parts right down to the soft resin front tires and slicks.  If this is your cup of tea, it is worth every $$$$



These are Reputable Resin Casters and offer good quality products and I recommend them.  I am sure there are others but I do not have photos of their products to back up my claim.  Even though I do not have photos on hand of Big Donkey Resin products, I recommend them also. 

[Brian Conn]

To do this right you should make this a sticky and post the links or contact info all in one continuous post. Just saying...

  I second that....pin it as a Sticky Topic before it gets buried under the routine post making it more difficult to locate.

  Here are the examples of what I have purchased...I would suggest visiting the websites that I have provided for better pictures and descriptions.

 From Futurattraction



   http://www.futurattraction.com/6.html
  B-FMT-DR1 Drag Race Body Kit  $55.00
Drag race body kit comes with the following items, minus hood....I ordered the B-HOO-FL-1 Extended Flat Hood
2-piece PE grille
PE door handles
PE window sill trim for doors
Grille/headlight door bezel
Taillight bezel
All lenses (headlights, orange parking light strip, red taillights, clear backup lights)
Windshield and rear window glass templates
Cast by Ed Fluck.
  Even though its a drag race body, my intentions are to make it into a dirt track stock car.  Almost hate to ruin this perfect body, its that good.


http://www.futurattraction.com/8.html  E-351C-R 351 Cleveland Racing Engine w/Lenco Transmission  $25.00
  The best 351 Cleveland by far...includes a set of MOROSO valve covers!  The Lenco tranny and dual hi-rise ,of course, wont be used in a stock car build.


From Motor City Resin Casters   


  http://www.motorcityresincasters.com/72ranchero.htm 
72' Ranchero Transkit includes:
 Body, Complete Interior, Hood, Front & Rear Bumpers, Chassis & Clear Red Taillights.
  My picture is not a true representation, but might give you an idea of just how versatile this or any transkit can/could be.  I took a '72 and made it into a '74-'76 by simply changing the grill area and front bumper.


http://www.motorcityresincasters.com/69torinocoupe_complete.htm 
69' Torino Coupe Transkit includes:
 Body, Rear Bumper & Red Taillights.  Future Modified Street Stock build....another body that I'll wait on til my skills improve...its a stellar piece. 

From Big Donkey Resin


 
 Tires,Wheels and brake drum/wheel backs where used on this build.

  Its no big secret that I'm one of the "dime a dozen" resin casters if I may quote myself....only difference is that I cast what I need for a build and what I cast is not available by anyone any where nor do I sell anything that I cast...like the worlds beating my door down wanting anything that I pour anyway.
  With all that being said, to anyone who has a hankering to pour resin,  its less expensive for me to purchase resin parts and pieces from the dealers that I have mentioned than it is for me to do it myself.
  Support those individuals and companies that support this hobby.
     

[Olderndirt]

Have any of you guys bought/used any of the new 3D printed engine parts I see being advertised?

  Olderndirt

[Brian Conn]

  I haven't used any engine parts...yet....but if its anything like a 3-D printed body, you will have to smooth the engine parts to remove the unwanted texture since the material and process used in 3-D printing is entirely different than resin casting. 

[Olderndirt]

I saw a set of 3D printed carburetors in Scale Auto that looked fantastic. Also saw a lot of printed detail parts for many different scales offered on the internet. I was hoping some of you might have used some.

  Olderndirt

[dirtmodwrench]

I've ordered a few items to kick start my scratch builds.  First resin pieces came from Big Donkey.   Two '66 Cuda bodies and a bunch of miscellaneous parts
IMG_2137 by Mark Shea, on Flickr  IMG_2138 by Mark Shea, on Flickr

Second vendor was Speed City Resin.  Got two small block Ford fuel injection units to use on sprint car builds, along with Firestone Drag 500 tires to use on modifieds
IMG_2128 by Mark Shea, on Flickr

Third was not resin, but 3D printed plastic from Shapeways. Check out the Coil Over Springs - excellent detail.  Also ordered a few full containment seats.
IMG_2129 by Mark Shea, on Flickr  IMG_2135 by Mark Shea, on Flickr IMG_2130 by Mark Shea, on Flickr

[Brian Conn]

... I was notified today that B-N-L Resins is closing down  "12/4/18 - We will be closing down until further notice if your order has not shipped yet you will receive a refund" ...same message appears on their homepage ....kind of sucks for us Ford builders...they had quite a selection of complete Ford engine/tranny combos.

[Brian Conn]

  David, I could not agree with you more.  I have missed out getting resin parts and pieces more often than I care to admit because of my own procrastination and thinking that the caster will always be around.
   And if can elaborate on something you have said about building.....
  I have stated this before and it bears repeating....Being in my early to mid 50's I am of the last generation that really built kits in our youth....a Generation X baby boomer.  The generation that fallowed , the Y generation... those born during the 80's and early 90's, for the most part, could not care less about the new release kits or even being able to sit long enough to put one together.  Instead of developing attention and patience skills needed for kit building, they where almost to the point of being gorked out on Ritalin for Attention Deficit Disorder and their escape from day to day functions or dysfunctions became video games which was quickly fallowed up by the computer.
  Each generation has their "things" that they do to pass the time, interact with others, etc. etc. I can not completely blame the "Y" generation for not flocking to this hobby like the gen "X"er's did.  How many of us tried to get the some one from the  next generation really interested in this hobby?  I didn't .....in that hiatus that I took from building models that lasted from the mid 80's til 2007 I was practically doing everything but building kits.
  As we, the demographic that still builds, gets older and develop physical conditions that simply prevent us from building or we simply die off , the hobby dies with us.         

[Brian Conn]

  I do my part to support those who support the hobby with their resin parts and pieces...my hobby room looks like an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive (and that's not much of an exaggeration)....it was a decent sized bedroom before I remodeled it.
   
 AND speaking of trains, here's a derailment of the thread....
...Actually the model rail roaders are in a more dire situation than we are....
  The ones that I talk to at the LHS have ALL voiced concerned along the same lines as what I said in "when we die, the hobby dies with us".  These guys are retired or close to it age wise.
  The dire situation comes mostly from cost.....The young boys ooh and ah at the big 30' x 20' HO scale set up at the local mall during the Christmas season....heck I've seen that set up several times myself and it still empresses me.  As it is with young boys, they get all excited and tell the folks that they want a train set for Christmas.  The folks start pricing things...a HO scale train(entry level Bachmann) set starts around $100.00 and goes up to around $200.00 for a basic diesel power unit, caboose, and 2 box cars and enough track for a circle lay out.  They figure that the boy will probably want to build a layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood where a grand or more could be spent on additional rolling stock, buildings, scenery etc. etc.  Then they inquire about cost with one of the old rail roaders at the mall set up asking about the prices of some of the units and rolling stock on display there....a diesel power unit will set you back just North of $200.00, steam power some where in the ball park of $250.00 to $300.00 rolling stock anywhere from $40.00 to $60.00 per car......course the power units have sound and lights which make them so expensive.
  After mom and dad recover from sticker shock, they do their absolute best to change the boys focus to something less expensive and something that he will continue to use and play with beyond Christmas break from school.