Re: any good brass?

I'm not sure I'd recommend Sunset without qualification. Some of their recent stuff has been OK. The first run of the C-16's were awful, the gears didn't mesh properly, the driver's were out of quarter, and they chewed up the nylon idler gear very quickly. I would advise anyone thinking about buying Sunset or PSC, examine the model before you buy it and make sure it runs well on more than just straight track.
There are some good PSC models out there, but I bought one of their painted Crown Pacific Coast Shays and it was a dog. Lots of crooked parts under the paint, so I can't fix them without wrecking the paint job. Another future project when I get time in my next life!
Older PFM, while not always the most accurate or detailed, almost always ran very well. The can motor PFM K-27's with cab interior were beautiful, and the PFM (Fuji-built) K-36's and K-37's were also great. The Westside can motor C-16's were very good, as were the K-28's and K-36's. The K-37's weren't bad, but not as nice and tended to have detail parts fall off!
I think MDC used a Westside C-25 as the prototype for their HOn3 2-8-0. That may explain why it's so big and sits so high, just like the Westside!
Caveat Emptor!