Rapido N scale New Look bus now arriving

[wazzou]

Beats me then. I just hope it doesn't devolve into another case of hip new manufacturer forsaking N scale because they chose to shoot themselves in the foot with a bizzare decision.

I really doubt some of the things that were overlooked will keep this from being a wildly successful project for Rapido.

[dem34]

I think they'll sell. But there was the usual
"Despite this being a highly requested item, N scalers aren't putting their money where their mouth's are"

[Englewood]

I think they'll do well. They look right and that's probably the standard most of us have. I know that I don't have the time nor the inclination to do research on a model bus.

[ZZone]

I think these will do fantastic for Rapido. The price is really fantastic for what you get, considering they are lit too. Frankly, I don't have much use for interior lighting, but head lights and tail lights are indeed nice to have.

I just would have hoped that if Rapido was worried about replicating the grooved rubber floor and underbody details, they could have done better with features like the standee windows and marker lights.

I have 12 on order myself. I swear I only remember ordering 6! Having brought up some of my concerns, I must admit I'm not too worried about those details on the N scale models. I worry about locomotive and freight car details in N scale, I worry about bus details in HO scale and larger and to that end I have upwards of 30 kits of the Rapido buses to get nitpicky details right on.

[ncbqguy]

Isn’t the HO and N model based on a scan of the real bus that Rapido owns?
Maybe check out photos of THE prototype before debating what details the model should or should not have?
Charlie Vlk

[bbussey]

I rode the New York City MTA prototype for years in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Regarding the two Rapido MTA schemes — the HO models are prototype-specific with accurate prototypical markings. The N scale models have no markings and are lacking specific details, such as the Batwings and roof hatch.

[ZZone]

Isn’t the HO and N model based on a scan of the real bus that Rapido owns?
Maybe check out photos of THE prototype before debating what details the model should or should not have?
Charlie Vlk

Rapido did the scan based on a TTC T6H-5307N. The TTC has a very unique set of features that are pretty much unique to the TTC, and Edmonton Transit's T6H-5307N fleets. They feature double stream, 4 leaf rear doors and no standee windows. There are quite a few other transit agencies that had New Looks with double stream, 4 leaf doors, or the folding version, but most of those agencies still had standee windows. The double stream rear doors were still overall the minority rather than the majority of New Look production.

As a result of using a TTC bus with those particular features, that was why Rapdio's first HO scale New Look offering ended up being the not as common double stream body style. Worked out fantastic for me as my primary interest is Edmonton Transit who had the same specs as the TTC buses.

After that was when they then adapted their designs to offer the single stream rear doors, different tailgates, changed the design of the standee windows, and made an option for an emergency exit door. These features matched their own TDH-5303, expect they never adapted the marker lights to be the same style as their bus, which otherwise was a typical looking TDH-5303. They also tooled up the batwings for that release.