31 replies to this topic

[ravajack]

In 1959, 34 year old Jim Russell was looking for something to do on a weekend when a friend introduced him to a novel new hobby called slot car racing. Russ, as everyone calls him, was hooked.

Then, in early 1963 while refinishing a coffee table, some Behr varnish spilled on one of Jim's cars. He didn't notice until after it dried but the effect was dramatic. Ever the entrepreneur, Jim decided to market his discovery and a new product and company were born.

Russkit was incorporated in November of 1963 but its first product, Russ-Cote, actually hit the shelves in the summer of that year. Russell had quit his job as an accountant and management consultant in April to concentrate on getting a product line together for the new company so he started selling out of his car while he put together the financing and organization for the enterprise. The timing couldn't have been better as interest in slot cars was just starting to climb.

(More on the early days of Russkit here.)

The summer of 1963: The very first Russkit product, Behr varnish is filled in small bottles and re-labeled ”Russ-Coat”.



In late 1963, the very first ad for the new enterprise Russkit appeared in the October issue of the Model Car Science
magazine: "Superleggera" (=featherlight) plastic bodies. (The same ad was run again in the November issue of MCS.)



The next ad to be seen from Russkit wasn't until august 1964, this time in the Car Model magazine. And in color.
A future classic is introduced: The revolutionary pistol grip controller. Patent pending.



Another ad, another magazine. Model Car & Track, September 1964. Pistol grip controller again. Hairy stuff.



Another future classic: The Russkit 22 motor is introduced. Mabuchi becomes increasingly popular, and the small but
powerful motor is soon gaining huge momentum on the market thanks to the Russkit introduction. The first ad is seen
in Car Model in October 1964. (The same ad is issued again in Model Car & Track in November 1964.)

[ravajack]

March 1965, Car Model and Model Car & Track: Tired of losing? Russkit's Victory Kit was the remedy.



April 1965, Car Model, Model Car & Track, Model Car Science: Along came the Spyder; Cooper & Ferrari kits.



June 1965, Car Model: Blueprint for Victory, another ad for the Spyder kits, Cooper & Ferrari.



June 1965, Model Car & Track: Thumb numb, a split spread ad for the new ”Comfort Grip” Russkit controller.





July 1965, Model Car & Track: The Blueprint for Victory Spyder ad in grayscale version.



August 1965, Model Car Science: The Blueprint for Victory Spyder ad in a darker grayscale version.



September 1965, Model Car & Track: Get Down to Brass Facts, stuff for the scratchbuilding buff.
(The same ad was run again in the November issue of Car Model).



October 1965, Car Model: The 4WD ”Black Widow” was the Russkit way of getting rid of surplus stock of old "22" motors.



November 1965, Model Car & Track: The ”Black Widow” ad again — in color!



December 1965, Car Model: The ”Black Widow” grows larger, but the message is the same.

[Steve Deiters]

Great pictures.

It never ceases to amaze me as I look back that at least in format the descendents of the Russkit controller are still the "controller of choice" in slot racing circles 45+ years latter. Makes you kind of wonder if the Cox controllers with the plunger that had "cooling fins" wouldn't have kept hangin" up on the controller halves or if the the Towerstat had switched to a Lexan case that didn't melt giving the nick name of "Toaster", things would have been different. Guess we'll never know!!

[Prof. Fate]

Hi,

As Philippe has observed, the "Black Widow" was a device to just sell off a lot of obsolete Russkit 22s! I have one I acquired in a trade that I like to drag out of the kids and "show and tell".

Fate

[TSR]

Mike Morrissey designed the chassis for the Black Widow according to Jim Russell.

[don.siegel]

Not quite an ad, but a sort of advertorial, as there were so often in the slot car mags... Mr. Russell did nice work!

Don

[don.siegel]

And I can't resist adding this one: Team Russkit!

[ravajack]

February 1966, Car Model: all Eyes are on the Leader – parts galore.



March 1966, Car Model: A new, smaller and less expensive pistol grip controller.



April 1966, Car Model: Same controller ad as in march – only in grayscale.



May 1966, Car Model: A classic debuts – The Carrera pan chassis sidewinder series.



June 1966, Car Model: Mabuchi alternatives — the elusive ”24” and the more common ”34”.



July 1966, Car Model: Big Gun & Small Gun –both trigger finger controllers.



August 1966, Car Model: New heavyweight champion —The Carrera lightweight.



September 1966, Car Model: The Carrera series again.



October 1966, Car Model: The thumb is strong — the finger is quick!



November 1966, Car Model: Track igniters for the scratchbuilder.



December 1966, Car Model: The 1967 Russkit catalog is in the works.



April 1966, Model Car & Track: The Small Gun controller.



June 1966, Model Car & Track: Carrera sidewinder.



August 1966, Model Car & Track: Another Carrera sidewinder.



December 1966, Model Car & Track: The 1967 Russkit catalog ad.



April 1966, Model Car Science: Trigger finger control.



June 1966, Model Car Science: Carrera sidewinder.



August 1966, Model Car Science: Another Carrera sidewinder.



September 1966, Model Car Science: Another Carrera sidewinder again.



December 1966, Model Car Science: An ad for the 1967 Russkit catalog.

[Pete L.]

Bertil,

Really cool stuff...thanks for all the info and pics !

[TSR]

Bertil,
Please note that the Lotus and Chaparral body shown in the May 1966 ad were never issued as such in the kits. The Lotus shown on both this ad and the kit box (pictured on the MESAC track) was a quick and dirty mold by Von Klein just to get things going, while the Chaparral (also pictured on the kit box) was actually produced, but only as a bagged body kit. Both the Lotus and Chaparral bodies sold in the Carrera series kits were of a vastly nicer design, and the Lotus especially is one of the all-time greatest slot car bodies ever produced.

[Noose]

Great stuff! Tony and I raced in that NJ inter store league racing action back then. Wow.

[TSR]

You must be OLD!!!

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

I have a couple surviving controllers with a lot of wear on them and a couple formula 2s that survived because I didn't use them! The regular ones, I have no idea how many times the resistors got replaced, but I just don't remember the self resetting circuit breaker. I am thinking I need to go look!

I have a Carrera, but not the threaded axle mount gear it needs. Sigh, a project for another time, too many old cars in need of restoration.

Fate

[don.siegel]

I'm interested in your experiences here: I was a pretty active racer in 66-68, and I don't really remember seeing any Russkit controllers. They were all Cox, then MRC... can't swear to that, but I mostly remember the Russkit controllers from these kinds of ads. This was in Chicago, at a very local level...

Of course, by the time I started racing again, in 1975 in Seattle, it was all Parma/Russkit controllers.

Don

[Noose]

You must be OLD!!!

Yes, this is true.

[TSR]

I was a pretty active racer in 66-68, and I don't really remember seeing any Russkit controllers.

They began being seriously used by pros in 1969, after Parma bought the tooling from Russell and improvements in resistors and reliability were made, and after Bob Emott began sticking micro switched in them.
But even in 1966, Team Russkit members used them to good effect, and they were quite popular with top pros in the East, such as Howie Ursaner and Sandy Gross.

[tonyp]

I think for over the counter models the mrc at the time was the best controller. That is what we used until bob Emott showed us how to do up a good russkit. If I remember the originals had no wiper button just the metal arm rubbing on the resistor. And of course those cool trigger return springs that would always pop 3 feet before you were getting ready to break for the deadman.

[Horsepower]

Don Which catalog was that color pic of the Russkit team out of? I know I have that same pic but can't remember which catalog it was in.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

The F2 controller had the strip wiper, the regular one was identical to the current parma entry level (sebring?).

In my case, with all the racing going on, I would sometimes go to tracks where I was not known as a "pro" and "poach" on the novices. Sadly for me, this often included a "payout" of some bit that wasn't selling locally. My first russkit trigger controller(blue handle 15 ohm) was one of these. Everyone liked the MRC and cox controllers. AND, if memory serves, the only resistor available locally was the 15 ohm. In the day, the MRC varipower with the parallel resistor was my controller of choice because I could easily not only replace the resistor with different ratings BUT also, change the rating. So, for some motors, the adjustment was 5 to 15, for others it was 2 to 5 for the rewinds.

After using the trigger on an old play car, I think one of my AMTs that I still bore you guys with, I rotated the MRCs to drive with my trigger finger.

Until I could get russkit/parma resistors that I needed, I usually carried 4 or 5 controllers. Which is why when P calls out something with period controllers, I show up with a box. I kept them all!

I tried modifying a Russkit to take MRC resistors, and ended up with a bizzarre device with the 15 ohm Russkit controller and switch selectable parallel resistors. Very unreliable.

Fate

[TSR]

The best and rarest of the Russkit products were never advertised. more likely because of the time they came on the market. Most people have little clue of their existence, but these products are gorgeous. You will have to wait for the new book to see them...

[Horsepower]

AGAIN, THE BOOK TEASE! It's driving me crazy. I have a good mind to ring your door bell and run!

[TSR]

Another three months or so and it will be in libraries...

[Horsepower]

I want it in my library!

[ravajack]

January 1967, Car Model: Left-overs from 1966 — a last full-page, full-color ad from Russkit — featuring Dan Gurney.



March 1967, Model Car & Track: First ad for the Russkit McLaren MkII.



March 1967, Car Model: The first, last and only ad ever for the Russkit Chaparral 2D.
On this page also a rare portrait of the ”Russkit family”: Jim Russell with wife Mimi and their two children.



March 1967, Model Car Science: The last ad ever from Russkit in MCS: McLaren MkII.



April 1967, Car Model: Dan Gurney's All American Eagle F1 again.



May 1967, Model Car & Track: The last ad ever from Russkit in MC&T: Dan Gurney's All American Eagle F1.



June 1967, Car Model: The very last ad from Russkit in ”The Golden Era”: McLaren MkII. The same ad also ran in the May issue of CM.

[don.siegel]

Another three months or so and it will be in libraries...

Philippe,

If you're still saying "library" instead of bookstore ("librairie" in French), you better send me the rest for proofing...

Don