I am surprised to find BLI releasing the CZ coaches so soon after there last release. I had been looking for a set of these coaches for some time and was able to buy a set when they were re-released last fall.
There were a few on line stores who had acquired extra sets of the CZ when they first came out and they were mainly charging rip off prices for these rare coaches. I refused to pay the exorbitant rates they were charging.
It was kind of funny to see their ads disappear so quickly once the newly released coach sets hit the market place. Good to know that one should not have to pay out of line prices if you missed the last production as they will be out this fall.
The BLI coaches are very nice, however, since I bought my Canadian set by Rapido I must acknowledge that the Rapido sure reset the bar when it comes to detail and quality..
I agree. A few people apparently were out to create a monopoly and only sell for prices around double the MRSP. Thankfully BLI offered another run last fall for folks who wanted to pick up more cars for fair prices. I still see the rip-off prices of these dealers on fleabay but there are just out numbered by the fair priced CZ cars right now; some may have dropped out however until the last run thins down. The scalpers can go rot.
The new BLI announcement differs from last fall run in that they are offering some CZ cars as they were used after the CZ was discontinued in March 1970, including Rio Grande Zephyr cars. The problem with the RGZ cars is they are just offering the same CZ cars with no "California Zephyr" on the letter boards over the windows. I might have been interested in the RGZ cars had BLI offered them with no letter boards but it isn't to be so no interest from me. The Canadian cars are indeed very nice. If I were north of the boarder, I'd be all over them but I can't afford them and my focus is on D&RGW and a bit of SP.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
In one of the newsletters on the Rapido site, it was mentioned that at some later date the passenger cars from the Canadian will be re-released.
I would assume that there will be an unlettered version of these cars as well as the Canadian, Via roadnames. Rapido already released most of there smoothside cars in a wide variety of roadnames, as a matter of fact they are also in the process of updating the smoothside cars for the next production run.
Great cars, the Rapido cars are almost too detailed, some of the smaller details will come off, good luck trying to find where some of them go.
I talked to Jason Shron a while ago, and the Budds are planned for later release in other, non-Canadian, roadnames, such as CB&Q (the road I asked about directly).
don7 Great cars, the Rapido cars are almost too detailed, some of the smaller details will come off, good luck trying to find where some of them go.
Good point!
Where do those Rapido cars go?
They seem to sell out quickly, and they are never to again be seen, not even on eBay.
Rich
Alton Junction
And so once again the "limited production" marketing scam proves to just be a lie told by an under capitalized company that does not actually "make" anything. And from what we can tell does not even own the tooling that others use to make things for them.
Of course they are making more - people are buying them and thier friends in China already have the tooling. And they really don't care how many people have been ripped off by their own pricing policies or the by the 'collectable investors".
Seems to me, Athearn, Walthers, Bowser, MDC, and a long list of others have made and sold the same items for runs as long a 40-50 years from the same tooling and had no trouble selling the next batch - without calling it "limited production", and without manipulating pricing, rather simply setting a fair price and sticking to it.
But those items were "batch produced" just like these cars are, just marketed and distributed differently.
I have a lot of model trains, but guess what brand I can count on my fingers?
Because I will not preorder or get sucked into that mentality. And because they are not really interested in my business since I don't use DCC or want sound.
Sheldon
Sheldon, that may or may not be the story with Rapido.
But, what I was referrring to, and perhaps Don was as well, is the absence of any Rapido passenger cars on the secondary market. If you look on the Rapido website, they have some spreadsheets that detail every passenger car ever produced by Rapido. They are a whole bunch of different road names and different types of passenger cars. Whoever initially bought them has chosen not to re-sell them, either in new or used condition. It is extremely rare to see any Rapido passenger car available for sale on sites like eBay except for the most recent, current, offerings.
richhotrain Sheldon, that may or may not be the story with Rapido. But, what I was referrring to, and perhaps Don was as well, is the absence of any Rapido passenger cars on the secondary market. If you look on the Rapido website, they have some spreadsheets that detail every passenger car ever produced by Rapido. They are a whole bunch of different road names and different types of passenger cars. Whoever initially bought them has chosen not to re-sell them, either in new or used condition. It is extremely rare to see any Rapido passenger car available for sale on sites like eBay except for the most recent, current, offerings. Rich
I was not refering to Rapido or your post, simply commenting on Don's intial post.
As for Rapido stuff on the secondary market, I would not know, as discussed on other threads, Rapido passenger cars are not on my radar at all.
I'm not paying that kind of money for cars that don't couple at scale distances - end of story.
When one of those companies bothers to build an adjustable coupler mount that allows scale coupling AND train set sharp curve coupling, I might take a look.
Here we go again with the Amtrak Zephyr cars. This time I ordered 10 instead of 6 so hopefully they won't cancel the run again. Previously, I have ordered a total of 12 BLI items from my LHS and waited up to 7 years to hear that they decided not to make 11 of them.
I've seen the CZ cars and they're awesome looking, hoping this time it works out, giving me a chance to patronize BLI since they won't make DC engines.
Mine doesn't move.......it's at the station!!!
Good point, finding an older Rapido coach on e-bay is quite rare. You can find a few Rapido new coaches on E-bay being sold by a few on line dealers but older coaches are indeed scarce.
I had picked up a bunch of Rapido CN coaches in the green and black livery when I first became aware of Rapido, they match up perfectly with AB set of Intermountain FP9's. When I received the coaches I was very pleasantly pleased with their level of detail and they track very well. I did have a bit of a problem with one coach with the wheels and Rapido sent me a replacement set of trucks to cure the problem. Rapido has excellent customer service.
don7 Good point, finding an older Rapido coach on e-bay is quite rare. You can find a few Rapido new coaches on E-bay being sold by a few on line dealers but older coaches are indeed scarce.
On the Rapido web site, there is a link to an Excel spreadsheet that contains detail on 1,542 different HO scale passenger cars produced by Rapido. But only the most recent releases can still be found on eBay.
richhotrain don7 Good point, finding an older Rapido coach on e-bay is quite rare. You can find a few Rapido new coaches on E-bay being sold by a few on line dealers but older coaches are indeed scarce. On the Rapido web site, there is a link to an Excel spreadsheet that contains detail on 1,542 different HO scale passenger cars produced by Rapido. But only the most recent releases can still be found on eBay. Rich
And even though I was not refering to Rapido in my original post, if business was still done the old way, quality retailers would still have those products in stock, not Ebay hustlers.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL richhotrain don7 Good point, finding an older Rapido coach on e-bay is quite rare. You can find a few Rapido new coaches on E-bay being sold by a few on line dealers but older coaches are indeed scarce. On the Rapido web site, there is a link to an Excel spreadsheet that contains detail on 1,542 different HO scale passenger cars produced by Rapido. But only the most recent releases can still be found on eBay. Rich And even though I was not refering to Rapido in my original post, if business was still done the old way, quality retailers would still have those products in stock, not Ebay hustlers. Sheldon
Yeah, but what I am saying is that even the eBay hustlers don't have any to sell !
What the heck, topic says BLI CZ cars but the discussion is all about Rapido. Maybe the topic title should be changed to Rapido k?
riogrande5761 What the heck, topic says BLI CZ cars but the discussion is all about Rapido. Maybe the topic title should be changed to Rapido k?
So, you don't see the analogy between the BLI runs and the Rapido runs. In other words, where do all of these cars go once they are released?
richhotrain riogrande5761 What the heck, topic says BLI CZ cars but the discussion is all about Rapido. Maybe the topic title should be changed to Rapido k? So, you don't see the analogy between the BLI runs and the Rapido runs. In other words, where do all of these cars go once they are released? Rich
Well first off they are both likely only producing the minimum run that is practical.
And we know that some large precentage of that is presold.
And only a few dealers or Ebay hustlers are willing to shell out money for "inventory".
So, imagine that, they actually go to consumers who use them, at least some of them actually use them.
There are always jokes about modelers with big "inventories" of stuff still in the boxes, kit or RTR. And to some degree I fit that description because my layout is under construction/rebuilding. But I have no plans to sell anything I have sitting on the shelves - I bought it for me - no matter how long it takes to get around to "playing with it".
BUT, admittedly I must not be like most people, because I only buy stuff I REALLY want, and them I keep it.
I never bought a boat, used it two seasons, sold it to buy a motorcycle, rode that 8 times, sold it to buy jet ski, which broke down so I sold it for a down payment on a sports car............
Rich, I guess you just have to wait until somedeep pocketed old guy dies and his widow puts his trains on Ebay.........
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