A plea from Jas___ Rapido

[w neal]

Perhaps N Scalers are just plain more hesitant on pre-orders, Period. We have gotten burned by the pre-order routine so much in our "careers" that we simply avoid the pre-order. Perhaps we just plain need to see something in the final product flesh first before committing so much $.

It may be just that simple folks.

An example might be when China decides to give us a beautiful model, only to paint it in a shade of paint that the prototype NEVER had. Or when the model rides much higher on the trucks than the picture showed. Pre-production artwork? Forget it! That is a guaranteed non-reservation.

 You must understand that many of us have been fooled too often. We will not spend, or even resreve, until it hits the shelves.

[johnb]

Former Life-Like/Walthers?

yup

[basementcalling]

I wouldn't exactly be counting on anything made in China arriving on time given the world situation at the moment.

[Tallmatt]

If I'm honest I've struggle to make head or tail of what LRC cars would run together and what a typical corridor formation looks like. A master class would be handy.

[CBQ Fan]

I also think that while the transparency is good, it could hurt their cause.  They actively tell us they don’t understand us.    Some will take the wait and see approach, as in wait to see it on the shelves than decide. I applaud their efforts to discover a way to translate the communication breakdown.

[w neal]

I applaud their efforts to discover a way to translate the communication breakdown.

I agree!!

[thomasjmdavis]

If I'm honest I've struggle to make head or tail of what LRC cars would run together and what a typical corridor formation looks like. A master class would be handy.

At least Rapido, in their description, gives a fair amount of useful info on dates and a bit on paint schemes.  https://rapidotrains.com/products/n-scale/passenger-cars/n-scale-lrc-coaches  You might also take a look at the HO listings, as they have different info (since in HO it is available in more styles/paint schemes). 

That said, as several of us have been saying for the past couple decades, manufacturers would be well advised to provide as much info as possible on the prototypes for the products they sell.  Something that they could easily do, for instance, is to publish the "bibliography" of magazine articles and books they used as references in choosing and developing the product- or make a small donation to one of the historical societies that helped out in exchange for linking to an article on the car or loco published by the historical society.  While the LRC is academic for me (outside of my layout timeframe), the more info the manufacturer provides, the more likely I am to purchase the product.  As I frequently say "if you want me to buy one, show me a photo of it sitting in Dearborn Station, Chicago, in 1956 or earlier". (or words to that effect)

[mmagliaro]

I resurrected this thread because I just got the periodic emai newsletter from Rapido.  In it were

USRA boxcars
NP 10000 series wood sheathed cars with radial roofs
A natty looking GM bus.

... but only for HO...

So, if these were offered in N:
I would use, and buy, about 5 of the rolling stock.  I would replace my NP "stand in" cars from Microtrains with the accurate
ones, and they showed SP&S examples of the USRA car which would look better than what I currently have.  I am not one of those guys who will chime in here and say, "I NEED 20 of those!" or "Put me down for dozen", because I know I won't buy that many.  No way.  But I would buy a few. 

The bus, I cannot use because I don't have the right scene for it.  But it's still a nice  bus.

Would enough people buy them in N to make it profitable for Rapido?   I have no idea.  I can only tell you that I would
be interested.  And I would hope that there would be some savings at Rapido's end by reproducing an existing model in a different scale rather than start from scratch.

[CBQ Fan]

I resurrected this thread because I just got the periodic emai newsletter from Rapido.  In it were

USRA boxcars
NP 10000 series wood sheathed cars with radial roofs
A natty looking GM bus.

... but only for HO...

So, if these were offered in N:
I would use, and buy, about 5 of the rolling stock.  I would replace my NP "stand in" cars from Microtrains with the accurate
ones, and they showed SP&S examples of the USRA car which would look better than what I currently have.  I am not one of those guys who will chime in here and say, "I NEED 20 of those!" or "Put me down for dozen", because I know I won't buy that many.  No way.  But I would buy a few. 

The bus, I cannot use because I don't have the right scene for it.  But it's still a nice  bus.

Would enough people buy them in N to make it profitable for Rapido?   I have no idea.  I can only tell you that I would
be interested.  And I would hope that there would be some savings at Rapido's end by reproducing an existing model in a different scale rather than start from scratch.

I just deleted my email and contemplated unsubscribing because it is frustrating to see month after month HO announcements that I would know would sell in N scale.

[wcfn100]

I might have my first Rapido purchase!  MTC 17A New Look Bus.

I used to ride that bus to go downtown.

Jason

[peteski]

I might have my first Rapido purchase!  MTC 17A New Look Bus.

I used to ride that bus to go downtown.

Jason

But it's H0!
Don't worry, I bough one of their H0 "fishbowl" GM buses last year.  I used to ride those to High School for 10 cents (using my Pupil pass). 

[wcfn100]

Now IDK, it looks like this new run is custom through a 3rd party.

Jason

[mplsjct]

New look bus in N scale please, I used to ride them too, 10 cents each way.

Fond memories, even if they swayed to beat the band on corners.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

New look bus in N scale please, I used to ride them too, 10 cents each way.

Fond memories, even if they swayed to beat the band on corners.

Or an RTS bus. I would LOVE those.

[u18b]

Even though I can paint my own locos, I would be open to buying an accurate CSX F40PH.

Why Kato has not made one is beyond me- at least an accurate one.

CSX has 4 F40PHs.    9992 and 9993 are phase 3- which Kato makes. (Q fans which are sunken in radiator section)
9998 and 9999 are phase 2 which Kato does not make (DASH-2 fans on a plate that is not sunken).

Kato has never produced a CSX F40PH in their regular line, but several years ago they did offer a pair in their Kobo line- and they painted the pair as 9998 and 9999 (which is the wrong number for their phase 3 model    ).   There is no way I was going to pay almost $200 for an error.   http://www.tophobbytrains.com/176-9001F40phcsxdarkfuturewboxcarlogo9999nscale.aspx

Thus...... if Rapido could get it right, I'd be in for an accurate CSX F40PH in phase 2 or 3 (2 would be better since Kato makes phase 3).  My first choice would be the Bright Future scheme (which was only on the phase 3 pair).
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1280555

Though I'd be open to buying the early Dark Future scheme.  Like this: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=291358

Here is a shot in Dark Future boxcar scheme (current scheme) that shows the variation.  The lead loco is phase 2, and the trailing is phase 3 (which Kato makes).