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Ray- I think that your approach is a valid one, and sometimes the less is more approach bears consideration. It's all too easy to overdue a good thing where it overly dominates a scene, and comes across as a carticature of the real thing - unless that's the effect one is after. Slums is slums, and a trip thru a rough and tumble neighborhood now, as it was back then, will reveal less than well painted structures, older rundown and sometimes abandoned vehicles, an occasional boarded up house, bars on some windows of businesses, cracked sidewalks, some litter in the streets, people hanging around, bent street signs, and in general a less than Better Homes & Gardens appearance. But it won't look like Sodem & Gomorah either. (Malcom Furlow was a master of highly sceniced layout scenes, especially large scale, yet I felt that he overdid it and the entire layout looked like the worst of all possible worlds). In the aforementioned slum area, a building or two a bit worse than the others will be far more credible, than the entire area appearing as it's ready for a bulldozing. Besides, hookers only hung out on street corners in plain sight late at night ! Re: Lupo's question - As far as appropriate vehicles - abandoned 20 yr old or so cars, perhaps a couple of weather beaten pick up trucks, a taxi or too (lots of poor folks cant' afford their own cars, as well as taxis - often called to take those overly -ntoxicated home from the local watering hole, perhaps a police cruiser, and any vehicles belonging to inhabitants of the neighborhood would most likely be fairly basic transportation Fords and Chevys type cars - often 10-20 yrs old, with an occassional flashy Buick, Lincoln or Cadillac to represent those with upside down priorities. And there could be the local pimpmobile - like Lupo's Cadillac. (not actually Lupo's, but the one he mentioned - he's not a pimp!) If there are commercial firms doing business in the locale, delivery trucks would be most appropriate, and even a 18 wheeler if the concern is large enough, and near the tracks. Don't forget a US Mail truck, and any thru traffic - which could be most anything else - new or old. A few non-running cars or trucks in someones's back yard, and scattered around a gas station - perhaps missing a wheel, or with the hood up in the air would work as well. Crumple a fender or dent in a door, and lightly weather most of the cars, with one or two, nice and shiny, as if just acquired or belonging to someone who took pride in their possession. Of course a neighborhood used car dealer gives one the possibility to model a whole string of preowned - but probably mostly transportation / work type vehicles - pickup trucks, small vans, and sedans. The owner of that dealer probably drove the nicest car in the neighborhood, however. Just some thoughts on the subject. . . BILL
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