I loaded a few Red Caboose Autoracks with the samples on the right or ones very similar. They (literally) fill that need quick adequately without breaking the bank, even if they may a bit oversized by comparison. Hard to see any discrepancies through the panels.
Back on topic...having second thoughts...hmmmmmmmmm IMHO if the Kato, Wiking & Herpa cars where 50 for $9.00...we would all be modeling rush hour traffic scenes on our layouts ! With that said I was studying the side by side comparisions that Carter posted above. To me the most glaring problem is those side windows ! Which got me thinking...I wonder how hard it would be to trim those side window openings with a #10 Exacto knife blade so the A, B, and C pillars didnt look so thick? The height of the windows could possibly be shaved closer to the roof line and a bit lower on the doors too. A little grimey black on the wheels to tone down the shiney chrome and fill in the depressions. Some paint on the grills and maybe some painted side trim. Would still not be the best but would look a lot better then that thick plastic that looks like armored vehicles. Placed in parking lots or other areas that dont make them the center of attention but fills the needs so we dont look like we are modeling ghost towns ! I think $9.00 for 50 vehicles and a little work could produce something that unless you are photographing scenes for publications none of us would really give those cars a second glance on a layout. I bought 1 less pack of cigarettes today so I can invest in 50 cars and experiment ! LOL
Prieser figures can be bought unpainted and are dressed appropriately for your era. Save money and paint your own-in appropriate colours for the period. They are better proportioned too, remember your era wasn't known for obesity. GHQ have beautiful vehicle kits for your era, yes, I know the wheels don't turn , but...
While the GHQ kits are not designed to have the wheels turn, it is possible to build the 1930 Ford Model A kits with axles that rotate. Most of the more recent GHQ kits for automobiles from the 1930s and 1940s are single piece castings, so any attempt to make the wheels turn would require a lot of cutting and filing. However, the more vintage kits like the Ford Model A have the wheels molded separately from the chassis, so mounting the wheels on an axle and then attaching the axle to the chassis so it rotates is not any more challenging then building the model as designed. This GHQ Model A is part of my "convention display" so it has received a lot of handling by convention goers that cannot seem to keep their hands off of it. As a result of that handling, it definitely needs some touchup paint on the wheels. However, the wheels and axles have never come off, including at one convention when a woman demanded I sell her the model, and she started pounding the table with it when I told her it was part of my display, and was not for sale. All that I did to modify the chassis to accept the axles was file a small groove for the axle, and covered it with bits of thin styrene strips that also had grooves filed in it. Of course one downside to the GHQ automobiles is the windows are solid, and drilling those out is a lot of work! Carter
Quick and dirty implementation. I think the one on the right is definitely an improvement. I also enlarged the back window a little.
A little more trimming on the a and c pillars. Not front of layout material, but definitely an improvement. 5 minutes quick and dirty work. A little sanding...
My wife had ordered and received the Faller 155501 Horses N Scale Figure Set. I think their horses look much better then WS....and there are a few more in each package. We will need many more before we are done. We are building a horse boarding ranch in memory of her mom and grandma that ran a horse boarding ranch in Cave Creek AZ. I placed an order for Kingzer 100pcs N Scale people. thet are 1:150...but mixing them in with other n scale people people I already have they should be ok. Not everyone is 5'2" I also ordered the 50 pack of cars. IronPenguin made his look good !
Anything other the the trains themselves dont need to move...they are static on the layout...so dont need wheels that turn. That beong said...I have even been known to move cars around before running trains...so the roads on the layout dont always look the same each time. People...those I glue down. Dont care if a guy walking down a sidewalk hasnt moved in 5 years !! LMAO!!! Animals...I glue those down too. Same reason as above. Like I said...the scenery is static...nothing really needs to move... Side note: I am a retired truck driver. i haver been known to back a tractor trailer up to a dock by hand now and then on the layout
One thing I did with the Chinese cars is to use ultra-fine markers in black, red, and silver (hard to fine that one) and add details like marker lights and door handles. You can get Micron pens in a craft/art store down to .005 points.
One advantage of having the wheels on axles is there is usually enough "play" to have all four wheels touch layout, even when the surface is not perfectly smooth or level. Carter
