PC: decals

["Patrick Harris" <seaboardempire@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

  Hi all, my two cents worth. I have been a PC fan/modeler since the 1970's
and I know how difficult it is to find PC decals. Now that Microscale is
making sets again (at least for box cars) we should be pleased and patronize
them by buying their decal sets if they are accurate (or at least accurate
enough for a starting point).
     To suggest that the decal makers only desire to see each person buy one
set and then don't care if we make copies from that is ludicrous.
Manufacturers in EVERY industry (including RR decal companies) hope we will
buy as many as we need or as many as we can because they hope to make a
living at making them. These companies do not exist as a public service, nor
do they sell templates. They sell sets of decals, and they have families to
feed, mortgages to pay, just like each of us on this list. If the sets do
not provide all we need, there are custom decal makers who can create sets
we may order. If one finds a $4 set of decals too expensive, how can one
afford the Atlas (or Athearn these days) ALCO to put them on? If it is too
much trouble to cut up individual numbers (and yes, I find it tiresome too),
then perhaps another hobby is best for that person.
     Herald King is gone, which is doubly tragic for us PC'ers, but if we
don't support folks like Tom Stolte at Oddballs or the good people at
Microscale (and Walthers), we will ALL be custom making our decals---for
EVERY railroad. Short-sighted selfishness like that hurts us all.

Climbing down off the soap box,
Patrick
seaboardempire -AT- earthlink.net