If you're going to use a custom painter, there are a few things you should find out before deciding on one.
First is what is the cost. Is this based on difficulty, # of colors, type of paint used, are the decals included.
Second is how long will it take. Many painters have a backlog of several months, and some will take on your job, but not actually get to it until August.
Third can they show you some examples of their work. A custom painter that can't show you some good close-up photos of their work, wouldn't be one that I would use.
Fourth can they tell you their process in painting, as in, "I will disassemble the loco down to the chassis, clean all the old grease and oil out, strip the old paint, and make any detail repairs of parts that fell off doing this. Then the loco will be media blasted to give the body some teeth for the paint to hold to. Then the loco ....."
You need to find all this out. A custom painter that answers these questions is one to trust. I was a custom painter for almost 30 years. When I got a "bid" on a paint job, this was just some of the information I provided to the client.
First is what is the cost. Is this based on difficulty, # of colors, type of paint used, are the decals included.
Second is how long will it take. Many painters have a backlog of several months, and some will take on your job, but not actually get to it until August.
Third can they show you some examples of their work. A custom painter that can't show you some good close-up photos of their work, wouldn't be one that I would use.
Fourth can they tell you their process in painting, as in, "I will disassemble the loco down to the chassis, clean all the old grease and oil out, strip the old paint, and make any detail repairs of parts that fell off doing this. Then the loco will be media blasted to give the body some teeth for the paint to hold to. Then the loco ....."
You need to find all this out. A custom painter that answers these questions is one to trust. I was a custom painter for almost 30 years. When I got a "bid" on a paint job, this was just some of the information I provided to the client.