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Seriously, what is Rapido thinking Locked

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Seriously, what is Rapido thinking
Posted by Motley on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 5:50 PM

I just received this email that I placed my order for the Candian from Rapido.

---------------------------------------------------------

Hi Michael,

As you may have heard by now, about six weeks ago, Rapido announced that they would require a 25% deposit on all orders of The Canadian – this despite that fact that The Canadian had already been announced two years ago and many, many orders had already been placed by distributors, dealers and model railroaders.

According to Rapido, any orders not accompanied by a 25% deposit would be cancelled.

Our Rapido distributor in the US is Walthers. For weeks, Walthers deliberated whether or not they were going to participate in this unprecedented scheme.

Finally, at the beginning of this week, Walthers decided that no, they were not going to participate and that all orders for The Canadian would be cancelled.

Frankly, I don't blame them at all, given Rapido’s track record of consistently missed deadlines.

Furthermore, this deposit scheme sets a dangerous precedent.

Too many manufacturers already announce products without having any idea of whether or not the market wants said product. Too much time is wasted and disappointment caused when model railroaders order these products and they take years to be released – if ever.

Starting a deposit scheme means the manufacturer puts all of his risk onto the distributor, the dealer and ultimately onto you, the model railroader.

What happens if a manufacturer takes deposits and then goes out of business? You lose your money, that’s what.

At Dallas Model Works, we believe that the customer’s money belongs in the customer’s pocket until the product ships.

That said, we have been in direct contact with Rapido and can still fill your order for The Canadian.

However, that does mean we will need an immediate deposit of 25% ($321.50 USD) to keep your order open.

Please note that is deposit is non-refundable. Even if you cancel your order, your deposit will not be refunded. This is simply because we will not have your money; Rapido will have it.

According to Rapido, The Canadian is supposed to go into production shortly after 26 August and be delivered sometime next year. I stress again that we cannot guarantee when Rapido will actually deliver the product; only that we will ship to you as soon as we receive it.

If you wish to keep your order open and make the deposit, please respond in the affirmative by no later than 1 August 2011.

Your deposit will be taken then. If you do not respond, your order will be cancelled.

You may review your order here.


I apologize for this requirement, but there you have it. We at least wanted to be able to give you the chance to keep your order open.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Are you serious, like I'm willing to bet on a NON-REFUNDABLE $320 that Rapido will actually ship this quality product to me, by when...., who knows?

You have got to be joking, apparently Walthers agrees with me.

Michael


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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 5:56 PM

Even if Rapido ultimately delivers, it certainly does set a dangerous new precedent.

Michael, I agree with you and Walthers on your stance. 

Maybe Rapido will reconsider if enough people take the same position.

Rich

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Posted by don7 on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 6:04 PM

Interesting news about Walthers deciding not to participate in the wholesale distribution of the Rapido Canadian.

If anyone had followed the ongoing news of the Canadian on the Rapido site, the deposit of 25% was a known fact.

I want one of these sets, so I will forward my deposit, hold my breath and wait for delivery.

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Posted by Motley on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 6:05 PM

Thanks Rich.

And how many of these preorders from other companies do we see, (on almost a daily basis), we hear the delivery dates keep being set back.

I mean, I'm already *** off at this whole preorder thing anyways, but sometimes when I really want something, it's the only way.

But this thing with Rapido is just out of control. I'll keep my money and spend it on other trains that you can actually see and touch.

I love my LHS, if they have what I want, I walk out with it, take it home. Instant satisfaction. No waiting, no hassles, no promises.

Michael


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Posted by locoi1sa on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 6:35 PM

Michael

 While I do agree with you that this is a bad idea, I am not a lawyer but I believe any deposit is refundable by law. When a deposit is required to hold or guaranty a product delivery this automatically becomes a legal binding contract of an arrangement between two parties. This may not apply to out of country agreements. A 25% deposit is very substantial in my book. This will lead me into another direction and manufacturer. This also leads me to think that the company does not believe that putting up their own capital to produce an item is cost effective. Good luck to Rapido. They will be a fallen flag shortly with a policy such as this.

      Pete

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Posted by Motley on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 6:54 PM

Yes I was actually thinking about this has to be an illegal business practice.

Take this scenario...

You walk into a Best Buy, shopping for a new TV, you pick out a model, and the sales clerk walks you to the the cashier. You pay for the TV. Then expecting the clerk to bring the TV up front, they say "Oh we don't actually have any TVs here". "we will deliver your TV in a few months, 4, 5, 6 months, hell we don't know but we promise you will get the TV, trust us." And as you're wallking out, they also say "oh by the way, I forgot to tell you, NO REFUNDS!". "Thanks for your business, please come back again".

Now how many people do you think would buy TVs from Best Buy if they did this?

Michael


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Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 7:02 PM

 It's Dallas Model Works saying no refunds - for the simple reason they stated - they will not have the money. Now if Rapido ends up not producing the product, they defintely owe you a refund. You're not paying DMW, the retailer, you are paying Rapido Trains, the manufacturer.

          --Randy

 

 


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Posted by Motley on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 7:04 PM

don7

Interesting news about Walthers deciding not to participate in the wholesale distribution of the Rapido Canadian.

If anyone had followed the ongoing news of the Canadian on the Rapido site, the deposit of 25% was a known fact.

I want one of these sets, so I will forward my deposit, hold my breath and wait for delivery.

OK please tell me where this NON-REFUNDABLE 25% deposit is plastered all over their website?
http://www.rapidotrains.com/canadian.html

Michael


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Posted by Flashwave on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 7:06 PM

I can't say as I can completley diassagree with your concerns, but you are missing the SCOPE. Rapido is a 3 man company with a factory in China. They DON'T HAVE the kind of capital to do the Canadian, but they know people want the train. That's why they are doing the deposit. if you are concerned, and there is history from other companies and that is a massive amount of money, thebn bite the bullet. Hope one shows up on Ebay. That's what it is. Walthers desn't do deposits on trains because they don't need to. Rapido needs to in order to do this project.

And I seem to recall that Rapido announced everything else goes back burner specifically so the Canadian can hit the deadline.  

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Posted by Rapido on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 7:15 PM

Hi Michael,

The issue of deposits for The Canadian has been discussed on this group before, but I will do my best to summarize the situation.

1. The deposits were first mentioned in our newsletter in September 2010, not six weeks ago.  Our direct dealers knew about them in November 2008 (when we first announced the train) and it was my oversight that I forgot to tell my US distributors about them at the time.  We only realized that the distributors were left off the list this past May when some US dealers contacted us about the deposits - they had not heard anything from their distributors about the deposits and were wondering where to send them - and we informed the distributors immediately.  We do admit to being human and we do make mistakes.

2. Rapido is a very small company.  Maybe you think we are in the big leagues with access to millions of dollars of capital.  (I wish!)  We actually only have three full-time employees - Bill, Dan and me.  That's it.  The Canadian is a huge project for us and we simply can't afford to make it without the deposits.  

3. To this date we have not forced anyone to order this train, and we don't plan to.  If you don't like the idea of placing a deposit, don't order it.  There are no other Rapido products that require deposits.

4. Production of The Canadian will start this fall.  All I can give you is my word.  If we do not deliver the train, the deposits will of course be refunded.  The only projects we have not delivered on are projects where the orders were/are too low to start production - the LRC locomotive is a prime example, or the new Super Continental Line passenger cars which were delayed for almost two years because nobody was ordering them during the recession (the first shipment is finally en route now).  The Canadian has enough orders to start production immediately, and there is still over a week to go before the order deadline.

That's it from the horse's mouth.  If you don't approve, you don't have to buy the train.  If you are like me and you have waited a lifetime for an accurate model of this great Canadian icon, then a deposit is not going to change your mind.

Best regards,

Jason

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Posted by Motley on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 7:24 PM

Why is Dallas Model Works telling me that the deposit is not refundable, and if I want to cancel the order, too bad.

What's up with that?

I understand your a small company, I didn't realize this until you said so.

$320 is a lot of money, and would if the shipment date slips? How long do I wait unitl I can say, you're not delivering the product, I want my refund back.

I'm thinking about it, I mean I want the train.

Oh and when I ordered, I was told a delivery date of November 2011. Is this still the same?

Michael


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Posted by sfcouple on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 7:57 PM

Forget the money, how about the quality?  I just logged on to the Rapido Website and looked at the photos of this passenger train.

The A unit has what appears to be a sloppy hatch design right to the left of the F.  And glue residue? on the uncoupling lever, immediately to the viewers right of the right front wheel. 

The B unit has hand rails (immediately to the viewers right of "Pacific") that do not line up with the horizontal and sloppy painting right below the F, along with a drooping coupler.  

No, I'm not a rivet counter and if this was my paint job I'd be very pleased.  But when purchasing a reasonably expensive locomotive/cars I expect more.  Yes, these are the first samples but don't they realize first impressions are very important?

http://www.rapidotrains.com/canadian4.html

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Posted by Rapido on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 8:15 PM

Motley

Why is Dallas Model Works telling me that the deposit is not refundable, and if I want to cancel the order, too bad.

What's up with that?

I understand your a small company, I didn't realize this until you said so.

$320 is a lot of money, and would if the shipment date slips? How long do I wait unitl I can say, you're not delivering the product, I want my refund back.

I'm thinking about it, I mean I want the train.

Oh and when I ordered, I was told a delivery date of November 2011. Is this still the same?

 

Hi Michael,

I'm glad you want the train.  The November 2011 delivery date was our best estimate at the time - heck when we announced it we were aiming for late 2010 - but then we spent an extra two years doing the R&D.  We had no idea it would be so difficult!  All of the real cars (except for one Park car) have been HEPed (converted to head-end power) and the original steam-heat blueprints were uncatalogued at a Bombardier warehouse in Mississauga.  Then once we got them we discovered that Budd did all their blueprints separately - steam on one, air on another, electrical on a third, AC electrical on a fourth, and water on a fifth.  So untangling that mess took over a year.

Long story short - the tooling is done and is in final tweaking stages right now.  Production will begin in September and our goal is to get the first product number out of the factory before Chinese New Year (mid-January).  The rest of the product numbers will arrive about one every month or two (depending on the size of the production of that number) and all will be here by the end of 2012.  Based on our past production experience, I can't see it taking longer than that.  We've never taken more than a year to do production before - once the tooling is done production moves relatively quickly.  It's the start of production that takes a long time - doing the painting masks, getting the metal parts and PCBs from our subcontractors, etc.  We'll start ordering materials next month after the August 5th order deadline so we have a head start on that.

We actually never stated that the deposits are non-refundable.  It would depend on the situation.  By placing an order and paying a deposit, the dealer makes a commitment to buy the train.  If he cancels within a few weeks, saying he made a mistake, then of course the deposit would be refunded as it is early enough to stop production of his train.  However, If the dealer comes to us two weeks before delivery and says "nah, I don't want it - give me my money back" I suspect we are legally allowed to keep his deposit as he is reneging on a commitment and we have already spent the money on his behalf.  I would have to check with my lawyer as I suspect the laws concerning this differ from province to province.

Best regards,

Jason

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Posted by galaxy on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 8:17 PM

I agree this would set a DANGEROUS precedent. I question:

1} what if RAPIDO DECLINES to manufacture the product "due to lack of orders"? Will they REFUND the DEPOSITS paid? And in a TIMELY MANNER?

2} IF Rapido DOES refund to those outlets offering the item, will the OUTLET get the refund back to the orderer in a TIMELY MANNER?

3} What if the quality is garbage when the product arrives and you decide not to pay the balance to complete the order...you MUST OBVIOUSLY be out your $320.00?

4}If the 25% down is $320.00 then the whole package must be $1,280.00.? I dunno, unless it is BRASS I wouldn't pay that for a set.

I say this is a time WE SHOW MANUFACTURERS who is BOSS. AND decline to order this item AT ALL sight un-seen with non-refundable deposit!!!

I hope EVERYONE who wanted one will DECLINE the deposit, OR that the deposits don't equal enough to manufacture the item and RAPIDO does NOT Refund the deposits, SO EVERYONE WILL TAKE NOTICE AND NOT PRE-ORDER AT ALL.

Just my  My 2 Cents. Others may differ and I am sure there will be some hobbyists who WILL pay the PReORDER DEPOSIT.

-G .

Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.

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Posted by don7 on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 8:30 PM

As I mentioned before I will order a set of the Canadian by Rapido. I will pay the deposit and then wait for the delivery of the set.

I want a set and based on the quality of the Rapido passenger cars I have purchased I have decided I will take the chance.

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 8:36 PM

I'll just say this, I sure am glad I don't model the Canadian National and I'm glad I have the skills and desire to build model trains rather than just buy them because this aspect of this hobby is getting way out of hand.

Don't get me wrong, I have bought my share of high detail RTR from time to time, as well as building a lot kits and doing kitbashing super detailing. But if this is where this hobby is headed, my RTR buying days are about over.

Sheldon

    

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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 8:55 PM

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

I'll just say this, I sure am glad I don't model the Canadian National and I'm glad I have the skills and desire to build model trains rather than just buy them because this aspect of this hobby is getting way out of hand.

Don't get me wrong, I have bought my share of high detail RTR from time to time, as well as building a lot kits and doing kitbashing super detailing. But if this is where this hobby is headed, my RTR buying days are about over.

Sheldon

LOL

Sheldon, you took the words right out of my mouth.  I, too, am glad that I don't model the Canadian National.  I got better ways to spend my money.

Rich

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Posted by RapidoBill on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:01 PM

I've been following this with... some interest. Jason has already cleared up a couple of issues, but I want to address one more. There are several posts that go on about "What if they don't make it?" This, of course, is a legitimate concern from anybody who has not been following the development of this train for any period of time. I could of course mention that I have two years' worth of pay checks to show for the company's commitment to the design process and production requirements, but I doubt that that would convince anybody. So...

Let me quote from the September 6, 2010 Telegraph newsletter (available on line at http://www.rapidotrains.com/telegraph27.html "Only after everyone has seen the actual model will we close the order desk for The Canadian and take deposits from dealers." Two things to note here. First, the date of the mention of deposits - September, 2010 - not 6 weeks ago as others have claimed. Second, the statement that we would show actual models before requiring firm deposits. For anybody who has been following along, Jason just spent the last month or more touring dealers in Canada with the samples and Dan and I had them at the National Train Show in Sacramento.

So, what can we all take away from this? First, the notion of our asking for deposits is not a new announcment. Second, we have invested a ton (tonne for those north of the border) of cash already in this project which is evidenced by having complete samples of all cars and locomotives that are complete to a point that we are willing to show them publically. Which means, in a nutshell, that we WILL be producing the train. We have invested this much into the train already that it woud make NO sense NOT to make it. We don't need that many expensive paperweights around our offices.

Finally, to the perceived issue of quality on the samples. These samples were hand decorated and assembled at our factory at the end of what was a very long three week visit there by Jason and myself. See http://www.rapidotrains.com/telegraph30.html and http://www.rapidotrains.com/tt_13.html. At the time of the NMRA show they already had several thousand miles of travel on them. Given these factors (hand assembly and travel and display damage), it should be entirley understandable that they show a few imperfections. This, of course, is the danger of showing pre-production samples. We will let the quality of the rest of our recent releases speak for what can be expected.

As I told a friend on e-mail the other night, we won't force you to buy the train, and in order to get it to market we can't change the terms. It is up to you (each) to decide whether it is worth the investment.

Bill Schneider
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Posted by RapidoBill on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:04 PM

Sheldon,

Not to pick nits, but:

The Candaian National modelers, by and large, have no interest in this train.

The Candian PACIFIC crew are quite enthusistic.

Bill Schneider

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Posted by stilson4283 on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:09 PM

Jason and Bill,

If no one else will say it, I will.  

I am glad there is a company out there doing it right.  Not half way, or good enough, but right.  You past products are precise and exquisite and don't change a thing.  It is great to see a small company like yours doing excellent work time and time again.  Don't mind the naysayers and keep up the GREAT work.  

I cannot wait to see the final product!

Chris

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:18 PM

RapidoBill

Sheldon,

Not to pick nits, but:

The Candaian National modelers, by and large, have no interest in this train.

The Candian PACIFIC crew are quite enthusistic.

Bill Schneider

Rapdio Trains

Point taken, see why I'm not interested. Life is short and I have a saying - I use to be well rounded until I learned what I really liked.

My modeling interests are narrowly focused on the B&O, C&O and WM and my fictional ATLANTIC CENTRAL in 1954. I'm not a "collector", don't own a Big Boy, or a GG1 or a NYC hudson. The newest locos are some SD9's just delivered by EMD and the oldest a few museum 4-4-0's. In fact don't have a display case for them either. All the trains run on the layout , fit the theme and many have been built from kits.

Nothing against your products, everthing I have seen looks very nice, I have had some nice conversations on here with Jason, and I have past experiance in the industry, but if ever higher priced limited production RTR is where the hobby is headed, I'm glad I already own most of what my layout requires.

Even if you were to make a WM Pacific, I'm sure I would not be on board for a preproduction deposit.

Sheldon

    

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:28 PM

stilson4283

Jason and Bill,

If no one else will say it, I will.  

I am glad there is a company out there doing it right.  Not half way, or good enough, but right.  You past products are precise and exquisite and don't change a thing.  It is great to see a small company like yours doing excellent work time and time again.  Don't mind the naysayers and keep up the GREAT work.  

I cannot wait to see the final product!

Chris

Only one person questioned the quality - many are questioning the marketing.

You are most welcome to commission the nice people at Rapido to build you a train - I still prefer to build my own.

Sheldon

    

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Posted by Geared Steam on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:36 PM

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

I'll just say this,

Sheldon

You lied. Laugh

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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:45 PM

stilson4283

Jason and Bill,

If no one else will say it, I will.  

I am glad there is a company out there doing it right.  Not half way, or good enough, but right.  You past products are precise and exquisite and don't change a thing.  It is great to see a small company like yours doing excellent work time and time again.  Don't mind the naysayers and keep up the GREAT work.  

I cannot wait to see the final product!

Chris

Nice, but are you buying one?

Rich

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Posted by fwright on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:48 PM

galaxy

I agree this would set a DANGEROUS precedent.

I guess I fail to see the great danger.  I've put down deposits to reserve products I really wanted.  Virtually all custom locomotive builders work that way.  Even for an item such as a factory-ordered car, the dealer will want/require a deposit for the high popularity models.  To have a production boat built for you will nearly always require a deposit.  I have paid a deposit for materials in various home improvement/building projects I have contracted out.  Since putting a deposit is in some ways an act of partnership, I would not recommend the practice to those who believe in adversarial relationships between customer and manufacturer.

1} what if RAPIDO DECLINES to manufacture the product "due to lack of orders"? Will they REFUND the DEPOSITS paid? And in a TIMELY MANNER?

Rapido already stated they had sufficient deposits and orders to go ahead with the project.  Based on Rapido's reputation, I believe they will refund the deposits should anything go wrong with the plans.  But we likely will never know the answer for sure because I expect Rapido will deliver.

2} IF Rapido DOES refund to those outlets offering the item, will the OUTLET get the refund back to the orderer in a TIMELY MANNER?

That would be the responsibility of the outlet, wouldn't it?  All the more reason to buy products from outlets you trust rather than shopping on price alone.  I put value on personal relationships with businesses I deal with, and am willing to sacrifice a little price advantage for personal service.  I stopped doing business with banks and other companies who I thought were less than ethical, and gave my business to those whom I believe I can trust.

3} What if the quality is garbage when the product arrives and you decide not to pay the balance to complete the order...you MUST OBVIOUSLY be out your $320.00?

The same happens on eBay.  I offer a complete refund if you believe the product I shipped was not as advertised.  I've only had one person complain, and that was about wheel wear on a used locomotive.  I offered to refund his money, including return shipping, when he returned the item.  I never heard from him again.  I know from all the reports I read Rapido stands behind their product.

When you buy on-line or mail order, your credit card is charged before you receive the item.  You are trusting the business to deliver as promised.  You are trusting them to make good any damage during the shipping process.  You are trusting them to refund your money should the item not be what you ordered.  Little difference except the length of time Rapido is holding your money.

4}If the 25% down is $320.00 then the whole package must be $1,280.00.? I dunno, unless it is BRASS I wouldn't pay that for a set.

I get it.  You are not going to buy the product regardless of pre-order requirements.

I say this is a time WE SHOW MANUFACTURERS who is BOSS. AND decline to order this item AT ALL sight un-seen with non-refundable deposit!!!

I hope EVERYONE who wanted one will DECLINE the deposit, OR that the deposits don't equal enough to manufacture the item and RAPIDO does NOT Refund the deposits, SO EVERYONE WILL TAKE NOTICE AND NOT PRE-ORDER AT ALL.

I have to wonder why you feel the need to control the behavior of others.  If they want to pre-order (with deposit) from a company you don't like a product you are not going to buy anyway, I don't understand why you want their partnership to fail.  I don't model the same era or region you do.  But I don't encourage the projects to make the models you want fail - even though I won't be buying any.

I think Jason said it very well.  Without the pre-orders and deposits, he doesn't have enough capital to produce the product.  That model train would simply not be made.

There is no requirement to pre-order or buy said train, or even buy any Rapido products.  It is your choice.  If you want a model of the Canadian at Rapido quality and prices, you help make the production happen by fronting some of the money.

I believe Jason to be honest enough that were production not to happen for any reason, the funds would be refunded, irrespective of what it would cost him personally.  Rapido at least has a track record of delivering the products as advertised.

Most new manufacturers don't even have a track record, but still must take deposits to raise the necessary capital to enter production.

Many of our present train manufacturers got started in a similar way.  "Somebody" decided they wanted a particular model that wasn't being made, or wasn't being made to their standards.  The somebody interested some friends to put up some money to make additional copies of the model for said friends.  The model is produced, and the profits (if any) are re-invested towards starting production of the next model.

as always, my thoughts, your choices

Fred W

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Posted by AntonioFP45 on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9:57 PM

Guys,

If you haven't seen it yet take a look at this clip. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X0BIyntWaU

I'm not a Canadian modeler but am a Budd fan and consider my interest in passenger trains very strong.

The sound of the locomotive's 567's baritone chant is quite pronounced, the lighting looks good. The metalizing (plating) on the Budd cars looks smooth with a visible sheen (even under that bright light), the underbody detailing also well done......and guys did you notice? > The window shades in the cars are in various positions.  I'd probably do a back flip if Walthers ever produced a "Champion" or "Silver Meteor" with this level of detailing.

This train looks like a grand slam home-run!YesCool

"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"

 


  • Member since
    May 2011
  • 114 posts
Posted by Fastball on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 10:23 PM

RapidoBill

Sheldon,

Not to pick nits, but:

The Canadian National modelers, by and large, have no interest in this train.

The Candian PACIFIC crew are quite enthusistic.

Bill Schneider

Rapdio Trains

Thanks, I was wondering if any one else was going to catch that. 

Now, if I may enter this discussion by saying that I am extremely wary of how I spend my money.  I'm an N scaler but that does not matter since this appears to be a discussion more on how a company does business and how a customer reacts to that rather than a discussion on a certain HO model.  Plunking down 25% of a rather stiff MSRP would put me into hesitation mode based on a couple things.  One is the long delayed delivery date.  This train was announced in 2008?  Wow.  It's 2011 and closing in on 2012 fast.  The anticipated full delivery date is in late 2012, another year away.  I'm old, I could die by then. The other thing that would bother me is I went to take a look at the preliminary mock ups of The Canadian and I noticed the shortcomings mentioned by an earlier poster.  This would give me pause for concern that hopefully these issues would be ironed out.  I have a several Panorama Line passenger cars in Canadian National and VIA livery and am quite pleased at the workmanship.  I realize that Rapido is a small scale operation, three employees, but to me the delay of nearly four years scares me.  Currently I have two future-release N scale passenger cars on order from two different manufacturers and depending how long the wait is will tell me if I ever do that again no matter how upscale the quality is.  I am of the mindset that I want to see it before I buy it, and I have so much stuff now, one less passenger car is not going to make a difference on my layout.  For me to purchase something at this stage of the game, it has to be either something never before produced or something that is so extraordinarily fantastically off the charts correct and detailed that it blows everything else made before it out of the water.  That's what gets my attention.

-Paul   

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
  • 15,797 posts
Posted by hon30critter on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 11:34 PM

What is Rapido thinking? I believe that Jason is trying to pursue a dream of bringing an iconic train to life with the best detail possible. He clearly has limited resources (don't we all!). He is asking for financial support from those who would like to own said train.

I see nothing sinister here. I don't think he is out to defraud anyone. I do think he has spent far too long perfecting his dream. I also think he has stretched his reach to the limit.

We model railroaders have two choices - if you want the Canadian then put down the deposit, but if you don't want one or are afraid of losing your deposit then the rest is obvious - don't put down a deposit.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 11:38 PM

Canadians have had a history of being unable to get many things produced in Canadian versions of just about anything. Not just train related. With a small population, the market just wasn't and often still isn't there for manufacturers to make a profit. It wasn't until CP and CN started moving south of the 49th in a big way that U.S. modelers became interested. Thus more and more CP and CN models are becoming available to all of us.

As far as "The Canadian" by Rapido is concerned, I think the only way we Canucks will get our hands on this piece of history is to help out by providing deposits. I am sitting on the fence as to whether I'll bite or not as MRR has taken a back seat in my life right now. If I do, I have no problem in this case giving a deposit that is little more than a couple of tanks of diesel for my truck.

I attended the presentation by Rapido at PWR here on the West Coast and was very impressed with what I saw. The Rapido guys are great and I trust their integrity 100%. The model had incredible detail and I think the price is reasonable.

I don't know the business end of it but I don't think the quantity of sales would be there on a train that is special to Canadians but may not be as big a seller elsewhere on the planet to bring the cost down.

I have eleven Rapido coaches and think they're great. I hope they come out with a few CP heavyweights to go along with my Sunset Models "Selkirk" if I get one.

I will not give advanced deposits on anything else. But sometimes we have to pull together to get special things done. I think this is a special circumstance.

 

                                                                   Brent

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 11:46 PM

fwright

 

 galaxy:

 

I hope EVERYONE who wanted one will DECLINE the deposit, OR that the deposits don't equal enough to manufacture the item and RAPIDO does NOT Refund the deposits, SO EVERYONE WILL TAKE NOTICE AND NOT PRE-ORDER AT ALL.

 

I have to wonder why you feel the need to control the behavior of others.

Fred W

I was wondering the same thing.

A past Canadian Prime Minister once said "government has no business in the bedrooms trainrooms of the nation"Laugh

 

                                                    Brent

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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