Here's a project I'm working on. I wanted to make modern hi-cube APL containers to go with my 1:48 scale well cars. Atlas makes the dark-blue 40ft containers, but only in standard height (8ft6in). (Anyways, its hard to find just one of them nowadays, let alone 5 or more Atlas APLs).
I also like the look of the hi-cube (9ft6in) containers that are so common nowadays. I decided I wanted five of them, for more prototypical action on my layout.
To do this I bought MTH 3-container set (20-95064) (two of them cost me about $65 shipped from an online retailer). I also bought Krylon-fusion plastic spray paint for about $5. Finally, I drew the decals I would need in Coreldraw and emailed them to a internet decal guy and he printed one sheet for me (containing 5 complete sets of decals). Cost was about $35 for the decals.
The Krylon spray paint is very close to the prototypical color, and it requires no primer. Three thin coats (after removing the screws in the container to release the plastic bottom) and I was done painting in about an hour. Then I put on my waterslide decals and set them with Walthers Solvaset.
So far I have made two. When I get the other three done, I'll load them into my well cars and post a picture or two.
The paint for this was only about a dollar per container. The containers themselves were the most expensive part of this project, about $12 each after shipping, etc. The waterslide decals were $7 per set (35/5). Overall I thought this was a pretty economical way to get otherwise unavailable containers
If anyone wants to do this project, email me and I'll send you the coreldraw file so you can have someone who can print white (Alps, etc) make them for you.
