Rapido N scale New Look bus now arriving

[cfritschle]

They’re a shoe-in for next year’s vehicle of the year award.

They will definitely be nominated.  New models were in short supply for this year's awards.

And, I just placed the order for the two I had "reserved" at MBK.   

[tehachapifan]

Wow! Looks like they all sold out at MBK already! That's nuts!

Glad I sprung for the Speed bus in time!

[ncbqguy]

Did Rapido mention or anyone determine what GM model the bus is?
The model is outside my era (cutoff 1958) but the local bus line in my Chicago suburb (West Towns Bus Company which is a corporate descendent of the Chicago & Northern Pacific!!) had TD-4517 and 4519 that, not being a bus modeler look like the Rapido model and tempt me…
Charlie Vlk

[cfritschle]

Did Rapido mention or anyone determine what GM model the bus is?
The model is outside my era (cutoff 1958) but the local bus line in my Chicago suburb (West Towns Bus Company which is a corporate descendent of the Chicago & Northern Pacific!!) had TD-4517 and 4519 that, not being a bus modeler look like the Rapido model and tempt me…
Charlie Vlk

Charlie,

Since Rapido "scaled down" their HO bus, I would assume it is either a 5303 or 5307.  This is from the description of the HO model:  "Era-correct rear engine door available in either early (5303) or late (5307) styles"

[bbussey]

I think the N scale models are based on the GM TDH-5303 model.

[kscessandriver]

Got mine today, very happy with it, very well detailed for N scale. I hope Rapido does more vehicles in N scale.

[ZZone]

I think the N scale models are based on the GM TDH-5303 model.

Yes, they are generally TDH-5303's.

In my opinion, the 5 big spotting features between the 5303 and the 5307 body styles were: tailgate, exhaust, marker lights, GM nameplate style, and left hand emergency exit door. Tailgate, marker lights, and the GM nameplate could be swapped/ replaced over the years. The left hand emergency door was there for good, even if an operator might have disabled the door at some point in time, unless some body work was done. Very rarely was the exhaust ever changed. Rapido has managed to get most of the features right for a 5303, but got a big spotting feature wrong by going with the smaller 5307 marker lights. They did this on the HO scale version too.

I haven't seen a pic yet of the 5307 tailgate, but, I have a sneaking suspicion that Rapido didn't do the upper exhaust that would have been appropriate as well. That means for a T6H-5307N model bus you have the right tailgate and marker lights, but wrong exhaust and the fact the left side emergency exit door exists.

I would have preferred if Rapdio had just done the 5303 with the correct marker lights and not attempted to include the 5307 option.

Some caveats. Rapido is a Canadian company. Up here in Canada the T6H-5307N was the most prevalent New Look model. The TDH-5303 was around but in lesser quantities. In the US however, the TDH-5303 was the most numerous New Look. The T6H-5307N was rarer in the US, with the T6H-5307A being around, but, the T8H-5307A was the most common by a long shot. I'm not sure how many (I am MUCH more familiar with Canadian buses) US T8H-5307A's, had lower exhaust, but at least some did. No doubt on account of no wanting to suck hot exhaust into the A/C system. In a round about way, that actually means for a US T8H-5307A, the lower exhaust could be accurate.

Overall I am very happy with what Rapdio produced. I still have my concerns with it when I think they could have done a bit better given how they advertise their attention to detail, and are so worried about how the underbody detail is there. However, for the price, I can overlook those marker lights. I was A LOT more annoyed with my HO scale models having the wrong marker lights which I paid a lot more money for.

[Nato]

          Rapido owns a Prototype bus that was a Toronto bus which they like to drive to events, so I'm pretty sure their spotting features on the model were based on their actual bus. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[bbussey]

As nice as these N scale versions are, I'm disappointed that features on the HO model aren't included here.  I realize that the N model is too small to credibly tool the roof edge skylights, but why wasn't the aluminum sectional trim printed on the body along with the dark tint "windows"?  No Bat-Wings or roof hatch for the green New York City bus, which is what I remember from the decade I rode them in the 1960s, so now I have to research to see if there were green Metropolitan Transit Authority buses with no wings when they were delivered.  I'm almost certain there weren't any without wings when in the two-tone blue scheme in the 1970s.  And no markings of any kind — no bus numbers, no destination decals, no MTA decals.  Yes, most of us here are skilled enough to add the missing elements.  But if these features were on the HO model, they should have been included with the N model as well. At minimum, all the markings should be present.

[ljudice]

Although I don't need any, I would have gladly ordered a pair of NYC busses if they had markings on them. Why were these left off?

[Wutter]

In my opinion, the 5 big spotting features between the 5303 and the 5307 body styles were: tailgate, exhaust, marker lights, GM nameplate style, and left hand emergency exit door. Tailgate, marker lights, and the GM nameplate could be swapped/ replaced over the years. The left hand emergency door was there for good, even if an operator might have disabled the door at some point in time, unless some body work was done. Very rarely was the exhaust ever changed. Rapido has managed to get most of the features right for a 5303, but got a big spotting feature wrong by going with the smaller 5307 marker lights. They did this on the HO scale version too.

Can you post a picture showing the differences between the 5303 and 5307 marker lights? I'm wondering if that is something that can be manually fixed on the model?

[dem34]

Although I don't need any, I would have gladly ordered a pair of NYC busses if they had markings on them. Why were these left off?

Didn't want to pay the licensing fee. Also not helping is that bus decals aren't exactly common. *

*looking around I can't really find any either from the usual decal sources.

[peteski]

Comet cars had the road number decals included. Too bad that they didn't do the same here, but I guess if they had the decals printed, they would have to get licensing.

Mine are on the way from Hogz. If the MBTA buses have no markings I will (eventually, when I get to it), design and print the appropriate decals to apply to my buses.  I can print extras and make them available, but there is no timeline of when I'll  do this.  I keep digging myself deeper and deeper into my pile of projects 

[ZZone]

Can you post a picture showing the differences between the 5303 and 5307 marker lights? I'm wondering if that is something that can be manually fixed on the model?

Rapido's own page on their bus shows them well:
https://rapidotrains.com/rapido-s-new-look-bus

All pictures of their bus on that page show it with the regular 5303 style marker lights, except the shot of it in the Spruce Meadow's paint as 656 which shows it's smaller (and no doubt commercial off the shelf) 5307 marker light.

For a standard 5307:
http://bgallery.barp.ca/gallery/upload/2021/10/23/20211023232712-d94ead63.jpg

Even then however, the 5307 has the marker light mounted more forward than the 5303, and that is what Rapdio choose to do for the 5303 for whatever reason.

Didn't want to pay the licensing fee. Also not helping is that bus decals aren't exactly common. *

*looking around I can't really find any either from the usual decal sources.

Unless it's a significantly large licensing fee, I don't think that was the reason as Rapdio offers the GO Transit model for $5 more to cover the licensing fee from that agency.

[dem34]

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.