[Ecurie Martini]

The distinction between brass or, generally, metal) chassis and plastic has become blurred on two fronts:

Performance: 25 years ago there was simply no comparison.  A decently designed and built brass chassis would run away from any RTR plastic.  The introduction of sophisticated multi part chassis by makers such as Slot It and NSR has raised the bar and it now takes a really good scratch-built metal chassis to compete. I believe that part of this can be ascribed to the advent of urethane tires whose superior traction is less dependent on weight for grip.

Construction: Light, strong complex shapes were once the exclusive province of commercial firms whose volume could support the investment in the necessary molds.  3D printing has brought with it the ability of an individual hobbyist to design and fabricate complex plastic parts.

I'm still in the ironmongery world because that's what I like to!

EM