I wonder what is going to be special with these models ?
Do you have a link to these models?
https://rapidotrains.com/products/ho-scale/model-vehicles/ho-scale-chevrolet-caprice-impala
Far too modern for me but they look just fine.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
dh28473I wonder what is going to be special with these models ?
You mean other than the $25/each price? I only mention that because I'm sure there will be the "price is too high and the $3.45 item I can get at Walmart are good enough for me" debate will start shortly.
Other than that, they do look really nice, there are multiple flavors of them, they are common prototypes, and they are 1980 vintage which I don't think are made by anyone else.
Some parts of it, like the front turn signals and the wheel covers are amazing. The woodgrain sides also look effectively well reproduced.
However, that luggage rack looks terrible to me.
-Rapido Image
-Kevin
Living the dream.
maxman You mean other than the $25/each price? I only mention that because I'm sure there will be the "price is too high and the $3.45 item I can get at Walmart are good enough for me" debate will start shortly.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrain maxman You mean other than the $25/each price? I only mention that because I'm sure there will be the "price is too high and the $3.45 item I can get at Walmart are good enough for me" debate will start shortly. Looks like you already started it. Rich
Looks like you already started it.
I'm not going to debate the price, largely because I have no interest - way outside my era.
I had it's Buick cousin back in the day, a Buick LaSabre wagon, even hod rodded it a bit with a hotter camshaft and bigger carb in the Buick 350 V8. and beefed up the suspension with nylon bushings and heavy duty shocks.
Not as good as the Checker, but it was an ok car for its time.
But the good news is my Rapido flat cars are actually on the way.
Sheldon
richhotrainLooks like you already started it.
And I will continue it.
$25 for a car $70 for their bus, a box of Preisser figures for $10, a $100 for a new caboose.
I am 70 years old and I am not going to drop $1,000 to populate my railroad with vehicles and people. Yeah I know I could cast extra people like Mel does and I could cast cars like Mike Budde but that part of the hobby doesn't provide any enjoyment for me.
If this becomes a hobby for just Rod Stewart and Jeff Bezos, there will be less not more.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I am happy right now that my Railroad predates these vehicals.
No I Did Not! But some things are just predictable, like death and taxes.
Like many others they are out of my era as well as my range of affordability. My newest vehicle is 1957 (Chevy).I set a limit on cars and trucks at $10 and rarely exceed it, I rarely go over $6. At last count I have just over 100 vehicles on my layout, most have operating lights. That’s scattered over30 years.I raise my limit on specialty vehicles.I do think that the detail of the Rapido Chevy is outstanding but then so is the price. Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, California Turned 84 in July, aging is definitely not for wimps.
I applaud them for making a nice model from that era. I also think it's too high a price point. It's out of my era anyway.
I do have one of the Oxford Edsels.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
They are too new for my era as well.
I had a '77 2 door Caprice (same car, fancy name). It was a good car except for the suspension which tended to play games with you on uneven roads or if you were towing a trailer.
I agree that the roof rack on the wagons is awful!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I would have rather had them come out with the 65-67 Impala
If he didn't somebody else would. It never fails. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west and model railroaders will still whine about how the hobby's dyin' because prices aren't what they would have been back in the mythical good ol' days.
"If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking"- General George S. Patton
DirtyD696prices aren't what they would have been back in the mythical good ol' days.
Even though they are, once you adjust for, well, everything.
The Rapido Chevys fit a broad time frame, there's a couple in my neighborhood that appear to be daily drivers. Right up my mid-80s era layout alley. The wagon not having a finer roof rack is kinda disappointing.
Wish Neo would re-run their 1:87 north American vehicles, as they have become as Mike Lehman says; 'unobtainium'.
Regards, Peter
They are too new for me, but look great. I would have no issues paying what they want for them if they fit my modeled time frame.
An "expensive model collector"
Well, the CMW 1978 Chevy Impala seems to be going on eBay for around 20.00 or so (several sellers, shipping not included). Don't recall their original pricing. I have one , weathered and rusted up a bit, to denote a "daily driver" (for my c. late 2010s modules), of the sort you'd find on Regular Car Reviews. Not quite Rapidio level but it looks good enough for my purposes.
I see where Athrean is doing another run of their C series Ford cab overs with 28' wedge trailers. Nice models BUT the SRP is $54.95 for a plastic truck they have already done before. And the UPS version is $59.95. I wonder where the next low labor country will be for all these toys of ours ? First Japan, then South Korea, then China who is next ? Mexico or South America or Africa ?
We are one of only four people in the U.S. who still have a landline phone.
We get many, many bogus calls and phishing calls each day.
My wife asked why they keep doing this, and I told her that if they didn't make money at it, the calls would quit.
The same is true for prices on just about everything.
York1 John
York1We are one of only four people in the U.S. who still have a landline phone.
Not true. I and my sister both have them, and my neighbor has one. So those three and your one makes four. So there are at least seven.
My land line is a VOIP, part of my cable bundle. Does that count?
EnzoampsMy land line is a VOIP, part of my cable bundle. Does that count?
I guess Maxman and I can admit you to the club. We may have to start admitting club members into several different classifications inside the club.
KemacPrr I see where Athrean is doing another run of their C series Ford cab overs with 28' wedge trailers. Nice models BUT the SRP is $54.95 for a plastic truck they have already done before. And the UPS version is $59.95. I wonder where the next low labor country will be for all these toys of ours ? First Japan, then South Korea, then China who is next ? Mexico or South America or Africa ?
NittanyLionNittanyLion wrote the following post 3 days ago: DirtyD696 prices aren't what they would have been back in the mythical good ol' days. Even though they are, once you adjust for, well, everything.
DirtyD696 prices aren't what they would have been back in the mythical good ol' days.
Just me spouting off -- I could be wrong, usually am. I think modelers who need this detail would be those very much into the photography aspects of the hobby. The cars look really good.
-Matt
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
chutton01 Well, the CMW 1978 Chevy Impala seems to be going on eBay for around 20.00 or so (several sellers, shipping not included). Don't recall their original pricing. I have one , weathered and rusted up a bit, to denote a "daily driver" (for my c. late 2010s modules), of the sort you'd find on Regular Car Reviews. Not quite Rapidio level but it looks good enough for my purposes.
I got a bunch of CMW 1978 Chevy Impalas for $5.99 each. There was a vendor selling a couple of the colors at that price. I was thinking about using them on tri-levels although that would be pretty heavy. Some have reportely gotten it to work but had to use special wheel sets.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Matt,FWIW, by inflation alone, $100 in 1960 = $948 today, and in 1969 that $100 would be $780 today. Check out the prices of today's train sets from Bachmann:https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=258_269_270The lowest new trainset price is $169 in the link above. Even the most expensive non-sound set is $445. This is well short of a hundred bucks in 1960s dollars.There are 18 train sets at the above link for less than $300, and 7 of those are under $200. Keep in mind that in inflation-adjusted prices, these sub-$200 trainsets would be less than $20 in the 1960s.
Another important point is that Bachmann still uses very high prices for MSRP. One of their Spectrum heavyweight cars is $109.00 vs. a Rapido "Comet" passenger car at $99.95. Why? Because most manufacturers use a shorter discount to distributers and dealers. A $100 Athearn item is probably sold to a hobby shop for $70. Meanwhile, a Bachmann $100 item is sold to a dealer for $50 (or less!). Which means the street price of that $169 train set is probably more like $120 or so.Taking that $120 street price for a new train set made today back to the 1960s would make it under $15 for that decade.I think Bachmann has the cheap trainset market nailed down. Who could compete with them? You'd have to make things even cheaper than they do, which would be darn near impossible.
Paul3Matt, FWIW, by inflation alone... ...darn near impossible.
riogrande5761 chutton01 Well, the CMW 1978 Chevy Impala seems to be going on eBay for around 20.00 or so (several sellers, shipping not included). Don't recall their original pricing. I have one , weathered and rusted up a bit, to denote a "daily driver" (for my c. late 2010s modules), of the sort you'd find on Regular Car Reviews. Not quite Rapidio level but it looks good enough for my purposes. I got a bunch of CMW 1978 Chevy Impalas for $5.99 each. There was a vendor selling a couple of the colors at that price. I was thinking about using them on tri-levels although that would be pretty heavy. Some have reportely gotten it to work but had to use special wheel sets.
Use Bi-level auto racks, that would cut down on one level of autos/cost/weight.
I try to ship vehicles on Bi-levels and keep Tri-levels empty.
Of course the year 1978 may produce enclosed auto racks.