$$$$$????? What are these guys thinking???

[JohnT14808]

Better look closer, TrainNut.....some of the entries on those 16 pages are 'discontinued' or 'sold out'.....
I think Jennifer has hit it on the head. Some like the detail and are willing to pay for it, some don't. Isn't it nice to belong to a hobby with such flexibility??!?

[Anonymous]

Orson,

My they have been busy at Sunshine!! The list is 16 pages long!! Thanks for sharing.

[Anonymous]

Geeze you guys! Limited edition high accuracy stuff costs more, and is usually of interest only to a select small group of modelers, NOT because they are expensive, but because kits like this usually represent prototypes of interest to a smaller group of potential buyers. What is there to criticise? You ought to see what its like in O scale and On3, NOT On30 mass produced cheap stuff, but real On3. I would LOVE to have 40 dollar prices for high detail cars......Instead we have much higher prices to pay than HO and N, requiring careful planning of how hobby dollars are spent.

There are plenty of very affordable products in HO and N scale, and also some low volume specialty items that cost much more. Its called 'having choices' .....Please don't get bent out of shape that some special products are offered for a special interest market segment.

[Tracklayer]

I'm on a tight budget, and can't really aford the expensive cars. A lot of my rolling stock is what's known as slightly used/second hand in very good to like new condition, and I'm very grateful to be able to at least get that. Maybe one of these days I'll win the lottery and be able to buy anything I want (dream on Tracklayer...).

Tracklayer

[loathar]

WOW!!! I never thought this post would take on a life of it's own. My oiginal point was-How much detail can you put into a Gon to make it worth $36 plus S/H.???(without trucks and couplers???) It's a cast plastic product that you have to finish yourself??
Sorry guys! I just can't see this.Maybe some of you can, but I can't.[%-)]

[orsonroy]

The biggest problem with Sunshine is that they DON'T have a website. They're sort of stuck in the 20th century in that respect. I think it's probably because the owner/manufacturer is basically running a one man show, and he's basically overwhelmed by the orders he's currently got. Of course, running a large and well-attended prototype modeler's meet in Illinois every year takes up a pretty large chunk of his time too!

One of the prototype modelers online DOES have a PDF file of every Sunshine kit ever produced. It's on the Steam-Era Freight Car website:
http://www.steamfreightcars.com/modeling/new%20products/sunshine/sunkits112003main.html
(there's an updated list on the STMFC Yahoo Group, but you have to be a list member to view it):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/STMFC/files/Sunshine%20Kit%20List/

Westerfield's website is fantastic: www.westerfield.biz
Funaro & Carmelengo has a decent website: www.fandckits.com
And there are several others, including Wright Track and Sylvan (a Canadian company), all of which have websites which are listed on the NMRA RR website directory.

[cjcrescent]

Like the others have said, these are models of specific prototypes that will never be produced any other way. They are fantastic kits and if a detail was on the prototype, its on the model. I got off of e-bay last year a set(5) PRR G-21A hoppers (I think thats the class), and got them for 10.00 each unbuilt. I have several other of the Westerfield & Funaro kits (about 15 total) and they do build into models that rival present day brass. I enjoyed building each and everyone of them.

[JohnT14808]

Well, without going on and reading all the posts on page two, I'll add my two cents here at the bottom of page one.....

Hey, I'm with some others that prefer to shop around the swap meets and resurrect a derelic car that has seen better days, clean it up, repaint, redecal, rewheel, recouple....all for a lot less than $40.00. More fun as well. To each their own!!

[Anonymous]

Eriemer,

My mistake, I haven't been able to find a site for Sunshine either. Do they have one??? I would love to see it.

[ghonz711]

me personaly, i would go for the cheap cars... buy the IHC models and fix 'em my self. These retailers are getting RIDICULES!!!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ereimer

QUOTE: Originally posted by Trainnut1250

Here is the website:

http://westerfield.biz/

thanks trainnut . i've seen the westerfield site before , it was Sunshine models that i haven't been able to find

Even MR doesn't show a weblink to them (Sunshine models).

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Trainnut1250

Here is the website:

http://westerfield.biz/

thanks trainnut . i've seen the westerfield site before , it was Sunshine models that i haven't been able to find

[Anonymous]

Here is the website:

http://westerfield.biz/

[Anonymous]

I wish I could afford cars like that.[sigh] I use what I can afford, Athearn and Roundhouse (their passenger cars are pretty fun to build). I like kits, most of my buildings are Walthers, but when it came to the railroad station I just had to break down and buy the Campbell’s depot. I just finished about a month ago, I worked on it since March, but it was fun all the way. I think however most people buy Athearn and other low quality, but not Bachman, since my hobby shop has a whole wall filled with the Athearn kits, but not a lot of very expensive kits.

[espeefoamer]

There are modelers who get thier kicks building craftsman style kits. These cars are aimed at that market. I struggle building an Athearn BB boxcar.I live on Athearn RTR,Walthers and Atlas cars.I consider Red Caboose,Intermountain,and Kaydee cars out of my price range.There are all kinds of modelers, and there are cars out there for all interests,and skill levels.As the French say,"Vive la difference"![:)][:D][8D][:p]

[Anonymous]

I won a Rail Yard Models PC X79 boxcar and a show in St Louis. Beautiful kit and must fully assemble and comes wil trucks and Rail Graphic decals but, no couplers. I thought that the price of 31.95 for the kit was expensive but, upon working on the kit, is well worth the price. So, for THOSE OF YOU that bemoan the cost of Craftsman Kits, keep your mouth shut if you don't intend to purchase a craftsman kit.
Ch

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy

Don't worry about Sunshine Terry. They've got more orders than they know what to do with. Their backlog is several MONTHS, and they just moved and expanded their manufacturing plant to keep up with the increased demand. Their freight car catalog is up to several HUNDRED cars, making theirs one of the biggest freight car ranges in the hobby.

sounds like they're pretty busy . as far as i know they don't even have a website (someone please correct me if i'm wrong , i'd love to see it)

if you need a model of a specific car you have a couple of choices . scratchbuild , brass , resin . scratchbuilding freight cars is probably a bit beyond me , brass cars make resin kits look like an incredible bargain , so brass probably isn't in my future either .

it also depends on what type of layout you're going to have . mine will be pretty small so i won't have room for 2 or 3 hundred boxcars . 20 or 30 seems more likely . so if a few of them cost 40 bucks i don't think i'll have a problem , especially if they look great when i'm finished painting and detailing them . my eventual plan is to have no ready to run rolling stock on my layout (rtr locos are fine) . passenger equipment will probably be labelle , ore cares are going to be tichy (i have a couple of dozen kits already waiting to be built) . and there are a couple of manufacturers of other cars thay i like most of them are wood kits in the $20 to $30 range . of course modelling 1900-1910 means athearn / walthers / accurail don't really make much that i can use anyway

this doesn't even take into account that i live in canada , and that $40 resin kit is going to cost me about $55

[TrainFreak409]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Overdurff

Tip of the iceberg, gasoline at $2.75 a gallon, cars at $40 a pop. Pretty soon we won't have to worry about the trip to the LHS costing too much in fuel, we won't be able to afford the stuff in the shop if we could get there!
Will

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO![:0] I AM NOT READY TO ACCEPT THAT! I like my hobby!

Oh, what? Me? No, I didn't blurt anything out...I was just saying that it is a bit too expensive for me, that's all.[:p]

[palallin]

These cars are CHEAP compared to brass!

The resin, limited run kit market is very healthy in every modelling arena. Try $500 resin battleships and $100 resin tanks. . . .

[Anonymous]

These cars are among the best on the market in terms of detailing and accuracy. Most of these kits are of cars that are hard to find accurate models of elsewhere. Where else (other than brass) am I going to find an SP converted boxcar caboose??? They should be compared with brass cars imported by Overland and others. When you look at those coming in at well over $100.00 each, these kits are a bargain.

I can respect the frugality of other posters, but don't diss these cars until you have tried them. Look at the photos of the cars on their website. Fantastic models!! They are a specialty car line for a niche market. There are those of us who have sold off (except the ones with cool weathering) our Athearn, Accurail and MDC cars and bought cars from manufacturers like these guys.....

Expensive ?? You bet!! I figure its a long life and there is plenty of time to build a roster. I don't need to buy 30 of em' today.

My two cents,

[tstage]

No harm done, Fergie. [:)] I was sorta agreeing with Loathar and Adam, but not. (I.e. I was both acknowledging and elaborating further on what you don't get with a resin kit. It's not just lacking trucks and couplers.)

I enjoy and prefer kits! I only buy RTR if I absoulutely HAVE to. My two Walthers 46' gondolas and two 30' NYC cabooses are evidence of that because no other models were available at the time I purchased them. (Before the Trix NYC caboose came out recently.)

Fergie, I agree with you whole-hearted. [^] The "entertainment" factor can NOT be minimized when you put a kit together yourself. The 100 hours I "poured" in my Suncoast coaling tower were both frustrating AND exhilerating (substitute "entertaining" for the latter two adjectives) because I was able to take on the challenge of and learn something I had never tried before: putting together my first "semi" scratch-bulit kit. (Quite a different animal than an Accurail box car. [:D])

Tom

[vsmith]

$40 a car? jezzuz what are they made of? I recently picked up a well detailed large scale boxcar from B'mann, less than $30 and 9 times the volumn of an HO car.

The more I read about the costs associated with HO and N, the more I realize large scale is identical, if not less in many cases. Seriously, some of that stuff is in crazy land price wise.

[Anonymous]

These cars are examples of what PT Barnum was talking about, but hey, if they can sell them, why not charge that much money[:0]

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

To add insult to injury, it's NOT even RTR, painted, nor decaled. If you like and appreciate fine detailing, resin kits are top notch. Resin kits also tend to be small runs so that contributes to the higher price, as well. I'd have to agree that they are a bit pricey for me, too. I may someday buy one - ONLY on the condition that it's a model I REALLY want and can't find elsewhere.

I wish other companies like Accurail made gondolas. Walthers is one of the only other companies that make a shorter non-resin gon (46' and under).

Tom

Tom your missing the point here! Your not only paying for the product but your also paying for the "entertainment " value of putting it together and the privelege of saying " I did that!"

Think of it as paying for a course at the local college or better yet a correspondence course and you get to keep the car!!

Gee whiz some people expect so much!!![swg]

Seriously, somwbody is willing to pay the bucks as they are still in business and as it was said before someone is willing to pay for the accuracy.

All said and done I'll stick with my accurail, LifeLike and Atlas. They more than satisfy my needs.

Fergie

Ps Sorry if I was pick'n on you Tom but it was worth the entertainment value and it was free![:D]

Fergie

[tstage]

Personally, I try and get the best detailing that I can affortd. If that's an Accurail boxcar, so be it. (I LOVE the look of their wooden ones!) If, at some point, it's a Sunshine gon, then I'll save my pennies and buy one. I'll take detailing over "quantity" anyday...but I also like a good bargain, too. [:)]

Tom

[loathar]

Well that's fine if there as could as a few have said. I can appreiciate good detail for a good $. ( I haven't heard of either of these companies.).I'm still scratching my head on the Gon though.

[simon1966]

This all goes to prove that this is a fun diverse hobby with something for every wallet and interest.

[Cox 47]

I am sure they are fine cars but I could'nt and would'nt If I could I would'nt I would'nt give 40.00 for a six pack of them with couplers and trucks and a mail in rebate Those of us who are retired and on fixed incomes find prices like that ajoke. Yard sales mark down table at the LHS junk boxes Carefull shopping on Ebay and internet and just plain make due ...Cox 47

[West Coast S]

Sunshine Models produces fantastic kits of unusual protoypes not likely to be produced by others, If I modeled in HO I would not hesitate to be a frequent customer. I assume those bemoaning the forty dollar cost would also boycott Westerfield as well? This constant negativity and bashing of manfactures will stifle those who want to expand beyond the ready to run stage

If you have the means to devote hundreds of dollars for each plastic diesel, supporting kit manfactures with a occasional purchase is not too much to ask.


Dave