Since I have not always been a fan of Rapido products and have publicly aired my complaints with some of their past products, I thought it would be worthwhile and the right thing to do to note that Rapido's product assembly, quality control, etc. seems to be on the upswing.
I recently bought 4 of the second run HO Scale RS-11, and they are much better than the first run units. The motors and decoders seem to be better; they are running pretty cool to the touch--barely any perceptible heat at all (unlike some of the first run units which ran warm and experienced too many motor/decoder failures). The amperage draw in dcc with sound and all lights on for me is lower than many competitors' units, in the range of 0.16 amps at full speed with a modest length train, which is actually excellent. (I do not have them fully broken in yet; as they run in they run noticeably better than they do right out of the box).
The metal handrails with molded on plastic stanchions are actually outstanding this time. (The 4 units I bought happen to have the newest handrails, actually the earliest Alco handrails for these particular units). I did have one rather crooked stanchion on one unit. With the help of a little nail polish remover and a new xacto knifeblade, I was easily able to loosen it just enough to slide it to the correct vertical position without breaking anything, which is awesome. (The handrails were not leaning side to side at all). I was also able to buy a very nearly exact paint match from Tru-Color to touch it up.
I would have to say that the painting, fit and finish on the RS-11's that I received is really as good or better than anybody's loco that I have ever received.
I have one brand new Northeastern caboose so far, a Chessie one, and the painting, fit and finish is actually outstanding, also. The ladders and grabs all seem to be appropriately sized (I am aware some folks have issues with some other models, which I have yet to receive).
John Mock