Matt, you ask tricky questions... "Easy" is such a slippery term.
The Bowser kits are not "shake-the-box" kits, by any stretch of the imagination. There are lots of fiddly small parts that need to be added (the deluxe kit comes with all the superdetail parts). On the up side, all the holes in the boiler and tender are pre-drilled for the details, and the valve gear is pre-assembled. On the down side, there are still a lot of parts, and the fit may not be perfect, so you may have to ream some holes to get everything to go together.
This is not an Athearn Blue-box kit by any stretch of the imagination. It's going to be a fair bit of work. But, in the end, you will have a very good looking, good running loco.
Are they easily convertable to DCC with sound?
IIRC, (it's been awhile since I built a Bowser loco) you need to isolate the motor from the frame. Not a big deal, but it means you'll have to run a wire from the decoder to the motor contact, and one to the frame.
They're not plug'n'play, so you'll have to figure out where you're putting the decoder (probably the tender) and you'll need to drill holes to let the sound out (probably the floor of the tender).
Are they easily assembled?
"Easy" is such a relative term. For a mechanic, swapping out the transmission in your '95 Honda is easy. For someone else without all the tools and experience, it's not so easy. As I said above, the deluxe kit is "easier" than the regular kits in that the valve-gear is pre-assembled, but it ain't no blue-box, baby!
Are the instructions clear?
Yes, I find them so, but you can judge for yourself:
here's the instructions for the I-1 Decapod.
How about Standard Hobby?
Has anyone dealt with them?
Are they good people to deal with?
I haven't dealt with them, but they've been around a long time. I think that says something for them.
If you do decide to go for it, I want to see a build thread in here!
