Okay, so for the questions involving RTR or DIY when it comes to modeling I've always assumed the rolling stock in question was an actual model of a prototype. This got me thinking. Since N Scale relies so much on foobies (proto paint scheme on non proto car), what this mean for all the foobs in N? From the RTR side, is it reasonable (from the buyers side) to pay the same price for a highly detailed foobie as you would for a legitimate prototype model? From the DIY side, would adding extra details increase the foob factor on a car? For instance, if you add details proto specific details from your road (certain type of truck, grabs, etc.) to a foobie, would they decrease the foob factor due to actual proto specfic details? Or increase foob factor because the model's prototype never had them in the first place? I hope I'm making sense. Maybe I'm just overthinking it, but I'd like to hear your thoughts!
Think of how many different prototypes (Freight Cars, Passenger Cars, Cabooses, Steam Locomotives, Diesels, Electrics, MOW Equipment) there are for EACH Class 1 and Shortline Railroad in North America My guess is you are talking about tens of thousands of potential models without even factoring in slight variations within each class We are living in The Golden Age of Model Railroading where Proto-specific stuff that would have gotten a big laugh ten years ago if you suggested it for a production model (Centipedes, Pioneer Zephyr, Aerotrain to name a few) have been made. Yet there are some roads (maybe like the Virginian) that haven't been touched except for the close C&O 2-8-4). Some really esoteric stuff may be RapidPrototype only but I expect to see more "Interesting" choices in the future as N Scale runs out of common no-brainer holes in the market that need to be filled. Until somebody can be convinced to do all the classes of CB & Q steam, freight and passenger cars and road-specific detailed Diesels I'll still be buying stand-ins. Charlie Vlk
It's been mentioned here, before, that perhaps the major factor preventing most companies from offering models of some of the more "interesting" (or relatively obscure) prototypes is the minimum production quantities imposed by the manufacturing subcontractors. If a company planning to offer a given model isn't confident that they can sell at least as many units as the subcontract manufacturer requires for a production run, then nothing gets made. For the majority of model railroad companies that don't own (or have much control over) their source of manufacture, is there any workaround for this situation?
