I must admit to being "iffy" about IM's quality. Mainly as noted about bits that fall off. I have several of their 3 bay, rib side covered hoppers and also the 2 bay versions (Halliburton placards). Operating on club layouts it's disconcerting to find details missing when packing up and have to search large layouts to try to find them. I have gone over most now and spot glued virtually everywhere and anywhere the might be the slightest chance of something falling off from airpipes to steps/ladders, hatch covers and in the case of the Halliburton cars, the name boards on the sides. The 3 bay ones (RTR assembled) were obviously made from the kits and most notably had poor fit of parts, particularly around the stirrups and their bracket supports to the extent that the stirrups were bent inwards, not across the car, but along their length (10 cars all the same), giving the appearance to the car of having the side frames curved up in the middle. I also have a dozen or so of their laser cut wooden decked 60' flat cars, nothing greatly wrong with them, and I do like the real wood decks (even though it's a thin veneer). The disappointment there is that center wooden "boards", which are cut to represent longitudinal planks, have the grain running across instead of inline with the planks, becomes obvious when stained/weathered.
By comparison I have a good number also of the MTH 60'ers (similar price range) which seem to have only been produced once, and although the decks are plastic, are detailed to the point where the channels that the chain tiedowns lock into, have the tiny notches along them for that purpose, molded into them. Really beautiful cars (sprung trucks to boot).
I have been impressed of late by Athearn's RTR rolling stock offerings, and the detail on many is now almost the same as their Genesis lines (cheaper trucks in the main), but the stirrups on them are really too thin for club use. I did get 21 of their Ethanol tank cars and spent hours going over all them when I lost one of the Hazmat diamond placards off the side. They would have to be the worst mounted of that item I have seen, sitting in a recess that is too large and basically secured by the paint. The same can be said of the brake wheel assemblies on the end of the car, barely hanging on. All of mine have also developed a white powdery substance on them since unpacking, which is streaky, guess it will pass as weathering.
I guess if we insist on fine detail on plastic models, there are compromises.
