Unfornately I have no pics to show my cheap but effective way to spice up those caboses, passenger cars and engines. Many a kit I have brought because I like the car only to be disappointed after time because there are frames but no windows. Being my railroad’s financial officer (Insert my fiance) has placed me on a shoestring buget, I have had to come up with a cheap solution to make my cars, caboses, engine what ever look better. When most of us buy these things they come in a nice boxe with clear plastic. Or in my case they come with sheets of plastic glass waiting to be cut to size to fit that car, engine of cabose.
“Remember, if women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.”
THE MAN’S PRAYER
I’m a man,
but I can change.
If I have to.
I guess.
Gryphon, I’m not sure if there is any kind of a question involved in your post but I will underscore your premise that there is a considerable benefit to this lost art of superdetailing; I read so many posts today whining about the lack of detail on some of the new offerings from various manufacturers. From 1965 to 1978 all I had money and room for as far as modeling went was to build die-cast locomotive kits from Hobbytown of Boston, Bowser, and Cary/Mantua. Bowser sold superdetailing kits for (some of) their steam locomotive kits but the others came bare-bones and, as an example, I would spend about $45.00 on superdetailing parts for a Cary/Mantua which cost about $45.00 - $30.00 for the Mantua Locomotive and $15.00 for the Cary USRA boiler shell. This enabled me to created a locomotive roster with considerable originality as well as personality. If you could not afford brass - as I could not - this was the way you went. I never bellyached about this $90.00 price - it was something which was expected.
I never really got into superdetailing freight cars - I completed three of my locomotive kits after I retired from the Air Force in 1978 - I say completed because they were either already bought or under-construction - and that was my next step when I made the decision to bolt HO Scale for N Scale in 1981-82. Over the years, however, I saw how modelers could invest a few bucks in superdetailing parts and turn a shake-the-box kit into a quality model. I have really not done very much of that in N Scale although that is one of my chores during my current enforced hiatus. If you enjoy doing this - superdetailing - then keep at it!!!