There was a little discussion on the Atlas board about how many N scalers actually detail their rolling stock. I would like to find out, as I am in this field.
I usually do the "minimal" method. I am more interested in capturing the flavor of my prototype. Some locos are actually quite decent out of the box. I prefer to spend my time operating the empire. BoxcabE50
I do the sunshades,the snow plow and occasionally M.U. cables.I have done 3 engines with grab irons,but honestly,it doesn't really show up in N scale.(I am not into photography yet,they do make a diffrence in photos though.)
Oh yeah! I just have to detail my locomotives and rolling stock. Just completed 17 locomotives with sunshades, MU hoses, cables, ditch lights w/ MV lenses on those not having working ditchlights and weathered trucks with an airbrush. Body treatment varies but mostly done lightly with oils diluted with mineral spirits. According to the prototype I've added A/C and beacons. Freight cars get weathering. Mike Cannone San Diego
It depends on what type of freight car it is. Whalters well cars would get etched brass walk-ways, covered hoppers get etched brass running boards, most get Micro-Trains brake wheels and sturrups. All of my freight cars get body mounted couplers, correct weight, and low profile wheels. Most of my freight car fleet is custom painted or kitbashed to reflect a paticular ATSF prototype. As for adding grabirons and such, the extra work doesn't show up so good in N-Scale. Brian
I did not see an option that applies to me. I leave well detailed equipment stock out of the box. (Micro Trains, etc...) If it looks "Decent" I'll let it be until later (read: never). If something isn't the right prototype, I will try to re-detail it to the appropriate prototype. Example: My next locomotive project - converting a Kato Mikado to a C&O K-2/3/4 class mike, including a larger tender (con-cor?), and pumps up front, and a few other minor changes.
What ever happened to the three foot rule? I mean how many of you can't wait for Kato to have operating CRT screens in the cabs of their -9's or 80/90MAC"s I'm about as near-sighted as they come and I enjoy finely detailed models as much as the next guy, but doing your whole fleet?
I also need another choice. "I would detail if I had the skill / ability " With my poor eyesight and shaky hands, detailing is next to impossible, unless of course, I contract someone like Craig to do it for me Bill [ 15 March 2002, 14:34: Message edited by: Chesapeakenscaler ]
I do a form of detailing. All my stock cars have stock in them; IBM, ATT, etc. Actually I like putting stock in the cars, especially when I make a spot for a horse's head to poke out!
I find it kind of interesting that something like two thirds of the respondents do some level of detailing. For me, it's about the challenge and the fact that I guess I'm at least as much a "modeller" as an "operator." It's this same impulse, I suppose, that's now drawing me to kitbashing (removing DB's from a GP38) and scratchbuilding (a DODX flat before Alan started making them). Of course, that's why this is such a great hobby - there's room for all of us!
Thank you all who replied and did the poll. I posted this to see just how many people actually take the time to detail, to what extreme they go, and how many just don't really care about details. I am actually surprised by the amount of you who say you detail period. That's right Bill!
Yoy forgot a spot for those that want to detail, but don't have the parts... Wait... Because they forget to order them/ buy them. Or just generally forget what it was they were going to do on the layout today. HA!
There are N modelers in the world that do go beyond the shake-the-box type of modeling but for the most part I believe that a lot more are interested in creating a reasonable scene than a well detailed model within that scene. Terry Pitts often signs his emails: "Builder of Three foot models. "'Three foot models' - from two to three feet away, it looks like a reasonable representation of what the builder wants it to be, espeically when running well." And I believe that this is a prevailing attitude for a lot of modelers, and not just in N-scale either. For myself I would rather build a model that has as much appropriate detail as possible than I would to have a 10 x 20 ft. room filled with track... but that is just my interest (which leans more to the artistic than it does running trains). Many others are just the opposite and they still enjoy what is done within the hobby for a multitude of reasons...
My detailing concists of sun visors and snow plows plus a touch of weathering.I'm not to bashful about kitbashing something to make it something else either ,and I also concider this to be detailing. Case in point,modified ATLAS 3 window widecab modified to resemble the origonal North American 4 window safety cab.
