I've noticed in general their roof detail is good, the pans are very fine. Even older models are pretty good. I suppose where the vast majority of their stock is overhead the makers have got good at it, much like UK stuff tends to have very good underframe detail.
British sellers of foreign stock on eBay tend to sell at excellent prices, normally because the interest just isn't here. Although I've noticed recently the real dark horse is Kato from Japan. There is a BR 425 EMU which is UK RRP of £175 but new from Japan on ebay is £110 and depending on seller about £15/20 shipping.
Among the articles was one on prototypical short train formations in Europe, right through from France and Spain to Switzerland, Germany and Poland etc etc
Ever since I looked at the photos, I've been interested in the railways on the European Continent but I tend to find the more rural branches and secondary routes more interesting than the main lines. Though these days they really look and operate with sometimes stock little more than 10 years old often newer, a lot of the interesting stuff has gone...
And I prefer DB 103s to 120s anyway, but that's by-the-by!
https://www.vagonweb.cz/ is my bible, put in seemingly any train number and you'll get normal formations going back years. Unfortunately the Talent and FLIRT families are now taking over the branches and the days of 111, 112, 143 and 218s seems to be coming to an end. RE and IC services however are still a bastion of loco hauled stock. Always space for a 103 on a railtour...
