Latest Rapido news - our commitment to N scale

[rapidotrains]

Hi all,

For a refreshing change, our most recent newsletter is quite heavily focused on N scale, including the aforementioned GMD-1 relaunch.

You can read it here:

http://conta.cc/2gP9MHC

Thanks for looking,

Jason

[ek2000]

Thank you Jason and Rapido team for your great products and unparalleled customer focus. Your N scale offerings have been breaking new ground with each new model and I look forward to the Turbo and the new release of GMD1 (owning the 3 locomotives you've produced thus far)

Now where are those SW switchers and the LRC in N scale ? 

[peteski]

Hi all,
For a refreshing change, our most recent newsletter is quite heavily focused on N scale, including the aforementioned GMD-1 relaunch.
You can read it here:
http://conta.cc/2gP9MHC
Thanks for looking,

Jason

Thanks Jason.   I'm quoting the following part of the newsletter because I think that you have found your Niche and that it'll make you quite successful in that smaller scale. 

To make a long story short, we are 100% committed to bringing out new N scale models. Will we bring out as many models as Kato or Micro-Trains? Of course not. And we're not going to try to. We are happy to be a minor player in the N scale market, and we will continue to focus mostly on oddball prototypes. We will do all we can to ensure that our N scale models exceed your expectations.

I'm not sure if your statement was influenced by a recent discussion here on TRW, but regardless, the important thing is that it is now your goal. There is nothing inherently wrong with being a minor player, as long as you make a profit while filling a niche not addressed by other model companies.

I'm very sorry to hear about Bill's loss of both parents. My condolences to him and his family.

[muktown128]

Jason,

Thanks for the update.  It's nice to get a chance to see what's coming and peek behind the scenes of your company.  Keep up the great work and manufacturing of high quality / highly detailed N scale models.

Regards,
Scott

[CBQ Fan]

I think the key to their success in the nscale market will be able to deliver the 1, 2 or 3 products per year on time.  Any major misses on due dates and you are out of the market for a year or more.  I hope they succeed and maybe find room to grow someday. Alco FAs would be sweet.  An annual passenger car maybe.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks, Jason, for keeping with it and keeping us informed. Your outreach style and communications are much appreciated. Looking forward to future N scale projects, hoping you'll keep us west coast guys on your radar.
(That NP 10000 series boxcar is very cool. Would it be hard to shrink it to a more appropriate size? )
Regards,
Otto K.

[OldEastRR]

Ooooo, I hope the rescheduling again of the NH 8600's is only a sign of Chinese factory workers getting lazy and wage-greedy and NOT bad reserve sales. I'm still holding out hope that you'll get as many N scale orders as you did for the HO that you be able to profitably make a N smoker version of the 8600.
But oh well. And I take it that by promising more "oddball models" in N you mean Canadian items.  However, a Fairbanks Morse CPA24-5 (5 axle version) could easily be included as "oddball". Jeez, it even was used by BOTH Canadian RRs and that goofy New Haven (oh and NYC). But then you'd need to be a company that had successfully produced a 5-axle N loco before....hmmm, now who was that? 
Note: Above post may include sarcasm.  (the court ruling makes me add that now)
 
http://www.thedieselshop.us/Data%20FM%20CPA24-5.HTML

[johnb]

Any chance on a N Scale Royal Hudson?

[thomasjmdavis]

Looking forward to hearing more about the items in the design stage. 

We have two new N scale locomotives and one new passenger car currently in the design stage, and we are working with Prairie Shadows on two exciting new projects.

Hoping for something that might have found its way to the US Midwest in the mid 1950s (ie, via the GTW).  Just sayin'...

Keep up the good work!

[Missaberoad]

Ooooo, I hope the rescheduling again of the NH 8600's is only a sign of Chinese factory workers getting lazy and wage-greedy and NOT bad reserve sales. I'm still holding out hope that you'll get as many N scale orders as you did for the HO that you be able to profitably make a N smoker version of the 8600.
But oh well. And I take it that by promising more "oddball models" in N you mean Canadian items.  However, a Fairbanks Morse CPA24-5 (5 axle version) could easily be included as "oddball". Jeez, it even was used by BOTH Canadian RRs and that goofy New Haven (oh and NYC). But then you'd need to be a company that had successfully produced a 5-axle N loco before....hmmm, now who was that? 
Note: Above post may include sarcasm.  (the court ruling makes me add that now)
 
http://www.thedieselshop.us/Data%20FM%20CPA24-5.HTML

Canadian Pacific never owned 5 axle C-liners.
CN however owned the most, including the only B units...

[ek2000]

While I love CN/VIA, I would like to see more Canadian railroads feature in Rapido's roster.

How about them SW switchers in the yellow Canfor scheme. Would look gorgeous pulling a load of lumber cars through a densely wooded or mountainous layout. Look at a couple of these beauties do some serious logging work in the mountains of BC.

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Picture:

https://www.google.com/search?q=CANFOR&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-kcn5q5fXAhWK4SYKHX8wD1QQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1536&bih=759#imgrc=uo3JTJlD60YAxM:

[rapidotrains]

Thanks for the positive words, guys. And yes, the wording of the message was definitely influenced by discussions here.

Though following up from those same discussions I should emphasize we are not abandoning our commitment to detail. As a challenge, we're going to see if we can bring out an N scale model next year that is more detailed than its HO counterpart. We think it may be possible. And if so, it will really cheese off some of our HO scale customers.... 

The 8600 order deadline was pushed to after Trainfest. Orders for them are on target, so no worries there. I'm not sure if there is enough demand for parlors, honestly. Bryan created smokers from our Osgood Bradley coaches. Some of you might want to follow suit and create parlors from our 8600s - a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush and all that.

-Jason

[learmoia]

As a challenge, we're going to see if we can bring out an N scale model next year that is more detailed than its HO counterpart. We think it may be possible. And if so, it will really cheese off some of our HO scale customers.... 

-Jason

Hmmm... MORE detail than the HO model I'm going to guess a the Dash 8-40CM.

[rapidotrains]

Hmmm... MORE detail than the HO model I'm going to guess a the Dash 8-40CM.

I should have been more clear - I didn't necessarily mean that the HO model has been announced yet.

-Jason

[peteski]

As a challenge, we're going to see if we can bring out an N scale model next year that is more detailed than its HO counterpart. We think it may be possible. And if so, it will really cheese off some of our HO scale customers.... 

I like that idea, and I applaud you for trying it.  One thigng that has me worried is that such model will have a fairly large price tag (due to the amount of detail parts which will have to be molded or otherwise manufactured, and due to the increased assembly costs (someone at the factory will spend more time assembling them model).   What I'm worried about  is that the higher price tag will turn away some of the potential buyers and that they won't sell as well as expected (souring you on the entire N scale market).  There probably is a delicate balance between number of details factory-applied to a model and the price for such model that the market will bear.

I think a winning strategy would be not to maximize the level of applied details but to make a model which will have maybe roadname-specific variations. I think the winning strategy would be to produce parts for making different variants of the shell, to make it accurately represent the particular roadname. That to me would be more important than the amount of fine grab irons, lift rings, or other doo-dads applied to the shell.

This type of a model (with several variations of the body styles and its appearance) is now fairly common in H0. It would be nice to have the same available in N.