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Why should HO vehicles cost as much as , and sometimes much more than, highly detailed , 1/24 or 1/25 scale cars and trucks? Also consider that most HO scale vehicles often consist of a very basic body shell lacking any chrome trim ,windows, or realistic wheels and tires. Most lack any underbody detail or running gear. There are some very nice and very expensive and difficult-to-build kits on the market, but there's the rub. How much time and money does the average model railroader have or want to commit to an appropriate number of model vehicles for their layout? Who wants to spend over $50. for an HO scale city bus, when for a few dollars more they can get a Spectrum 2-8-0, or a Proto 2000 diesel or perhaps a half dozen or more decent freight cars? If a manufacturer can tool up a very complex and highly accurate depiction of an, HO locomotive body shell or freight car body ( or for that matter, a complete 1/24 or 1/25 scale automobile engine part in a $12. model car kit), why can't they do the same in an injection molded HO scale vehicle? Think about it - do we need scale underbodies or engines? No. Do we need scale interiors? No. Do we need separate chrome parts? No. Why? Because most real car windows are dirty enough that if you tried to see into them from as far away as it is when we look at 1/87 scale vehicles, you couldn't make out any details anyway. When you look at colors from that same 1/87 vantage point they are less bright-chrome parts would be duller even if the car had just been washed! We do need an accurate body shell with trim that can be lightly detailed with a paint stick and a brush, as well as windows that are translucent enough to hint at what's inside, and that could be a generic interior 'tub' of seats, a dashboard and a steering wheel. A basic underframe consisting of a flat plastic piece with locating tabs for 2 thin metal 'axles' and simplified wheels and tires would probably satisfy most requirements, provided that they looked appropriate for the era of the particular prototype. There have been some really awful HO scale vehicles offered in the past and many of them have populated otherwise spectacular layouts, and even graced the cover of Model Railroader, frankly ruining any feeling that you were looking at a realistic depiction of a railroad.; instead it became a flawed work of art. I realize that the model manufacturers argue that they would have to sell large quantities of scale vehicles to recoup their tooling costs but wouldn't most of us buy more vehicles than we do now if they were as I described and their costs were in line? We need to tell the industry what vehicles we would buy; for instance we need basic trucks like the old Ulrich line of 40's and 50's truck tractors and various trailers. We need more modern trucks like Peterbilts and Macks and appropriate trailers. How about a GM city bus from the 50's that often served for 20+ years? Most cars over the years, until the Japanese invasion in the past 30 years have been from Ford, GM or Chrysler and most were 4 door sedans and pickups. Most were relatively the same length and width and consequently, the undercarriage and interior tubs would have wide application to keep tooling costs down. Ditto for wheels and tires. The same applies to the windows, since most GM, Ford, and Chrysler shared bodies within their respective product lines. The same holds true even now and pertains to Hondas, Toyotas and other imports. Seriously what do you think it would really cost for someone like Bachmann, Life-Like, or Athearn/Horizon , or perhaps AMT Ertl or Revell/Monogram, to do what I am challenging them with? Or will it take a savy outsider or newcomer to take a proactive approach and do it instead? In the meantime I think it is stupid to spend $50. for a truck or bus model, and just as stupid to spend hours building a $10. Model T or settling for a cartoon like vehicle (that is still overpriced) that looks more like a parade float than a Chevy. I'm glad that I've got this off my chest and hope that we can look forward for all of us to be heard and that this mostly ignored portion of our hobby will finally be addressed.
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