> Ever try any Bowser steamers?
You're still in High School, right? So obviously you're under 20, which means I've been running Bowser steam since before you were around.
I even put them together from the kit, including the !@#* rivets on the valve gear. (I've done both, and if you ask me, it's easier to assemble the real thing! Fortunately I think they ship it pre-assembled now, correct?) I've got a Challenger around here someplace, come to think of it, that needs a decent Centipede tender and some superdetailing. Now how can I fit that into a Pennsy them? "Uh, we leased it from the Clinchfield?"
I like Bowser steam a lot, and in fact that's exactly what the BLI stuff reminds me of. Heavy metal bodies and nice details. It's the first thing I compared them to.
Now, here's the tough part... By the time I buy the kit and detail parts, I'm up to $300, the same as the BLI costs if you pay list price.
Now, add in a couple more factors. I have to assemble the Bowser kit (granted, this is part of the hobby, and can be enjoyable) and paint/letter it (which I'll never be able to do nearly as nicely as the manufacturer can) and it still doesn't have sound and DCC.
I like Bowser, I really do. I've ordered a 12 pack of hoppers from them and a couple cabin cars and I'm trying to find a way to fit a trolley line w/ PCC cars in my layout someplace.
But like most folks, I've got limited budgets for modeling.