Rapido newsletter #165, a survey for N scalers

[keeper]

I like the homage to Pud ..

Me too.

[rail_nut]

Hi again,
How many of you went the next step?
Rapido site
Thank you for completing our survey. The answers you have provided will help guide our N scale future products. You can also suggest a product of your choice directly to us by clicking this link: https://form.jotform.com/210555532174249

Please give them your ideas and let them know the problems you've had.
Right now I want B-unit Fs.

[ai5629]

Hi again,
How many of you went the next step?
Rapido site
Thank you for completing our survey. The answers you have provided will help guide our N scale future products. You can also suggest a product of your choice directly to us by clicking this link: https://form.jotform.com/210555532174249

Please give them your ideas and let them know the problems you've had.
Right now I want B-unit Fs.

Thank you for the link.  I did not see it the first time through the survey.  I suggested an N scale PRR X31A.  It is a signature freight car that was in regular service from the early 1930’s until the late 1960’s that traveled all over North America. 

Jeff

[brokemoto]

have to agree with Brokemoto - would like to see B&O blue and grey FA-2s which I think they did in HO.

They did them in HO.  They offered them in Blue and Grey in somewhere between two and four post-1957 four digit road numbers and either one or two in as delivered three digit road numbers.  Those were the freight units.  The FPA-2s came in Blue and Grey, as well.  There were something like two or three or possibly four (I forget, exactly) in the post 1957 four digits and one or two in the as delivered three digits.  I do not recall that Rapido offered them in the 1959 scheme. Only a few survived to the "dip" scheme era.  I do not know that Rapido offered them in that scheme, either.

LL offered them in plastic frame in the B&O Blue and Grey with the as delivered three digit number.  It offered them in the 1959 scheme in the metal frame.  Atlas offered the RoCo-manufactured FA-whatever in the B&O  "dip" scheme.

[Englewood]

I suspect that the subject of low reservations for certain N scale offerings that Rapido makes public in their newsletters is echoed in the closed door offices of all N scale manufacturers. I seem to recall that Scale Trains was disappointed in the number of orders for their carbon black cars. They also had some weird eastern diesel that didn't do too well. Exactrail didn't sell too many of the waffle sided boxcars, and I seem to think that was their last new N scale car. All companies have produced duds, some are just more vocal about it than others. I don't need the ore cars that Rapido is making, and I never even knew such a thing existed, but prices for rolling stock, and everything else, is getting to where there needs to be more than just a "cool factor" for me to buy it. These days, I'm concentrating more on decoders and metal wheels than rolling stock, although if it's something I need for my modern southwestern layout, then I will reserve it, like the Atlas SD45s. (Mostly because if I wait for the next run in a couple of years, it'll cost 30% more.) If it's just something cool, like the BLI Pennsylvania T1, I'm more likely to pass it up.

[CBQ Fan]

Micro Trains sure seems to pump out freight cars with schemes from the 50’s & 60’s on a monthly basis. Somebody is buying them. I am often one of them.

[pdx1955]

Micro Trains sure seems to pump out freight cars with schemes from the 50’s & 60’s on a monthly basis. Somebody is buying them. I am often one of them.

Yep, they do but I really don't need too many of the applicable body styles anymore. The last MT car that I bought was an NSC special run. What I need is the signature freight cars that you would have seen. I have X29s, wagontops, and ribbed boxcars. I'd love the signature cars that Rapido is doing in HO. I'd even take Canadian mini-box, 8-hatch reefers, and slab side hoppers ( yes I know that there are resin kits of these, but I'd probably just buy only a few, but a RTR car painted in numerous schemes , I'd be there for more). The Rapido reefer is about the first car I've purchased in the last 3-4 years as there hadn't been really anything to get.

[Sokramiketes]

I wonder if we are far enough removed from the release dates of the meat reefer that Rapido is willing to listen to the issues with that car. 

With a bunch of models on the shelf, and the investment they needed to recoup, of course they did battle with Railwire upon release.  They were afraid of getting stuck with a bunch.  And I suspect they did anyway. 

But, time has passed, and are temperatures down enough that they can actively discuss the issue and what N scale expectations are?  That would be a big step forward.  If not, well then I'd prefer they didn't take other transition models off the market with their factory. 

[bbussey]

Of note is that there has been no mention of the 3500pd Flexi Flo receiving less-than-expected interest or needing its reservation closing date pushed back.  I think it's a matter of prototype choice more than anything else that's contributing to less-than-expected N-scale-modeler interest.  The ATSF mechanical reefer is an interesting choice and I will get one because the pilot model looked good at the Springfield show.  But is it more iconic than the FGE prototype that Athearn based their models on?  The FGE reefers went everywhere for 40 years.  How often did the ATSF reefers make it to the east coast?  And the barrel cars I would think is a labor of love, as their presence outside of Canada was minimal at best I think.

As mentioned up-thread, rolling stock costs today are at the point where people won't just buy a model without being able to justify its presence.  In my case, I will purchase a number of 3500pd hoppers (mostly undecorated) because they were ubiquitous in the northeast quadrant of the States for 30+ years.  ATSF mechanical reefers?  The northeast was FGE-dominated territory, even over PFE.  Barrel cars?  Non-existent.

[lock4244]

Is it possible that the known QC issues aren't being addressed because they have so many projects on the go that they lack the manpower to deal with product already released? I count the following N scale items currently in the pipeline but not yet released:

NSC Centerbeam Bulkhead Flat
ACF Flexi Flo Hopper
Procor 5820 Covered Hopper
Santa Fe Mechanical Reefer
NSC Barrel Ore Hopper

Five projects that are all new tooling. Is that a high number? Seems high to me, especially when you consider they probably have a greater number of all new tooling projects underway in HO as well.

I didn't count the second run of the C40-8M in that tally since it's already been released, not new tooling. I really like the C40-8M, have three of them and plan to add two or three more from the second run, but I'm not pre-ordering them... the 73 Rapido products I currently have on order is about my limit. Unless they announce a C630M or M636........

[peteski]

I wonder if we are far enough removed from the release dates of the meat reefer that Rapido is willing to listen to the issues with that car. 

Is this gem from  2015 what you are referring to?

If yes, I actually had a 1-on-1 discussion with Bill Schneider about it at a Springfield show after the model was released.  I ran into him at the Winterfest Hotel (Hilton), and I discussed the model with him. Among the items we discussed was the heavy-handed detailing of the underframe, and of course those board gaps.  He was aware of the problem and agreed that those board gaps were deeper and wider than they should have been. I don't think he was saying that just to pacify me. To me it appeared that he was admitting that they could have made better.

I also revisited that 17-page thread and I recalled that you actually agreed with me on the board gap and other issues.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34320.msg398132#msg398132
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34320.msg398208#msg398208
. . . and few other posts.

Review of that thread also reminded me of  Rapido Jason's attitude.  Some of it was humorous, but few of his comments made me go "hmmmmm".

[GaryHinshaw]

Their choices of offerings are pretty iconic Canadian prototypes.   For better or worse, that is what they are.  I for one am pretty happy with their business model, even if many offerings don't ring my bell. 

While you may be happy with their business model, my reading of the newsletter is that they are not (at least in N scale).

RE iconic Canadian prototypes: that certainly seems to be their business model with locos and passenger equipment (and that's fine), but less so with freight cars.  For example, I don't view the centerbeams, the Auto-Floods, the B100 boxcar or the Flexi-Flo as being iconically Canadian, and those seem to be selling reasonably well.  More power to them for running the barrel hoppers, but if they complain about poor sales for those, they're just not paying attention.

I don't know how much they rely on pre-orders to manage their business, but I for one will not pre-order anything from them until I've seen pre-production samples.  I waited to pull the trigger on a large centerbeam order until they posted samples a few months ago.  (They look great!)   In contrast, the GP20 tankers were a bit of a mess IMO (those railings and vents!):



It didn't help that a bunch of them self-destructed in transit.  That model seems like a classic case of not having enough control of the assembly process to pull off some aspects of their design; and that's the fault of the designer...  (Rapido is by no means alone in this regard.)

I am certainly looking forward to the centerbeams though! 

[John]

   In contrast, the GP20 tankers were a bit of a mess IMO (those railings and vents!):

wow .. that looks like a 3d printed railing that warped during the curing

[CBQ Fan]

Is it possible that the known QC issues aren't being addressed because they have so many projects on the go that they lack the manpower to deal with product already released? I count the following N scale items currently in the pipeline but not yet released:

NSC Centerbeam Bulkhead Flat
ACF Flexi Flo Hopper
Procor 5820 Covered Hopper
Santa Fe Mechanical Reefer
NSC Barrel Ore Hopper

Five projects that are all new tooling. Is that a high number? Seems high to me, especially when you consider they probably have a greater number of all new tooling projects underway in HO as well.

I didn't count the second run of the C40-8M in that tally since it's already been released, not new tooling. I really like the C40-8M, have three of them and plan to add two or three more from the second run, but I'm not pre-ordering them... the 73 Rapido products I currently have on order is about my limit. Unless they announce a C630M or M636........

Is that their schedule for the next 5 years?  Even at 2 per year.

[CBQ Fan]

While you may be happy with their business model, my reading of the newsletter is that they are not (at least in N scale).

RE iconic Canadian prototypes: that certainly seems to be their business model with locos and passenger equipment (and that's fine), but less so with freight cars.  For example, I don't view the centerbeams, the Auto-Floods, the B100 boxcar or the Flexi-Flo as being iconically Canadian, and those seem to be selling reasonably well.  More power to them for running the barrel hoppers, but if they complain about poor sales for those, they're just not paying attention.

I don't know how much they rely on pre-orders to manage their business, but I for one will not pre-order anything from them until I've seen pre-production samples.  I waited to pull the trigger on a large centerbeam order until they posted samples a few months ago.  (They look great!)   In contrast, the GP20 tankers were a bit of a mess IMO (those railings and vents!):



It didn't help that a bunch of them self-destructed in transit.  That model seems like a classic case of not having enough control of the assembly process to pull off some aspects of their design; and that's the fault of the designer...  (Rapido is by no means alone in this regard.)

I am certainly looking forward to the centerbeams though! 

Maybe they use N scale production runs to train their new employees.