The gels that Don sent arrived last week. They are much thinner than I expected and the colors really "pop". They have great potential, especially due to their thinness, and I look forward to experimenting with them as time allows. (Unfortunately, I have lots of school work to do. Here are some ponderings from last week when I was home sick and so could goof off guilt free.)
Before moving forward with the stained glass windows, I must determine whether to add inside and possibly outside trim to the windows. It seems like I will have to and I think that picking up some bass wood will be the way to go versus painting plastic or cardboard that is cut to size. That means buying some wood (or snagging some coffee stirrers 
).
Here's why I think trim will be needed:
#1 The full diner wall with the windows is 1/16" thick. This version of Whistlestop's model adds a 1/16" thick interior panel that fits just under the windows. The instructions are faint, hence the faint scan. Try and enlarge it if possible:
An aside: This extra layer means that the stove and refrigerator in the kitchen at the end without the door won't fit unless I cut the inside trim as indicated with the red line. I'm OK with that. The kitchen area often has renovations that ruin the diner's original interior. I could skip adding the wall, but I think that using the inside wood will make it easier to paint simplified simulated tile trim that I am planning to go around the interior walls' edges. Plus, the supplied wood is a bit smoother for painting than the larger windowed wall. More about those painting plans later.
#2 The model also has an outside sign that goes the full length of the diner side, and the full height, up to the bottom of the windows. It also is 1/16" thick:
I could just skip the outside sign but if I don't, what all of this translates to is that the 1/16" window frames and their posts are now sandwiched in between 1/16" boards on each side. I'm afraid they will visually get lost. Also, the instructions just to say glue the "glass" in above the inside wall. Well, what's the point of having a nice painted interior wall with some bare plastic pasted above it? Yuk. That would defeat the nice interior detailing like the tiled counter and chalk board menu that are included in the kit. So, it looks like window trim is needed to hide the plastic and to build up the windows to match the width of inside "wall". Window trim on the outside might be less critical/important but it may still be necessary depending on how I address the stained glass window sashes. And, keep in mind that I haven't a clue what I'm doing 
.
Here are links to MELGAR's diner post that show how the model has changed from his earlier kit to mine (unless you made some additions of your own, MG) and also a post by Dave C. The latter post shows the outside windows. Here, the outside gap doesn't look so bad, but Dave's used larger corner trim (for example) than the awfully thin 1/32" trim supplied in my kit. Great models, guys!:
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...68#72101420630074268
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/t...12#71819767801617512
Here are some interior shots of a diner near me, the Moran Square Diner, Fitchburg, Mass. (taken from the web via their FB page and RoadsideArch?). They just scream "Yo! Architect! Window trim is required (ya lazy bum).":
The next photo is my own outside pix. Note how the windows seamlessly blend with the enamel side panels. No, 1/16" gap there ... well, then again ... maybe there is! It's 1:1 scale after all! 
. In addition to its great preservation and fine food, the nice thing about this diner is that the outside trim looks easier to model than the other example that I posted:
And, just for fun, here's a parting shot -- an "art shot" that I took on the same day. It's got three different architectural styles captured in a single frame:
Tomlinson Run Railroad
