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Post by el3625 on Feb 11, 2023 19:47:04 GMT -8
I guess I was hoping that since these were produced a little later than the first batch, they might be little better, my fingers were crossed! I am very hesitant on purchasing anything sight unseen anymore. I know a lot of us are getting more pickier about our models considering how much they cost today. Right now, Rapido does not have a good track record. Getting the right colors is very important also. I do not pre order anything anymore because you never know what it is that you are going to get. If I miss out, no big deal, but usually some will be available any how to purchase. From being a model railroader now for 45 years, I have never been disappointed with Tangent's products, anything that I have purchased from them has been top notch with me. To me, they have the best freight cars and cabooses on the market, hands down. I am glad that they concentrate on freight cars and do not do locomotives. I just wish I get an EL caboose from them!
Bruce
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Post by lvrr325 on Feb 12, 2023 0:46:16 GMT -8
I am back with a reminder, has any EL modeler or EL fan got a Rapido E8 yet? I just got my Lombards invoice for 2 and I am not completing the purchase until further review! I Just thought I would check back in case someone got one already. Thanks Bruce Respectfully, why don't you obtain them and provide your own review? And why stiff Lombard based on someone else's opinion of the models? My guess is he doesn't want to invest $250++ to end up with something he's not happy with just for a review. |
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Post by locochris on Feb 12, 2023 3:23:43 GMT -8
I guess I was hoping that since these were produced a little later than the first batch, they might be little better, my fingers were crossed! I am very hesitant on purchasing anything sight unseen anymore. I know a lot of us are getting more pickier about our models considering how much they cost today. Right now, Rapido does not have a good track record. Getting the right colors is very important also. I do not pre order anything anymore because you never know what it is that you are going to get. If I miss out, no big deal, but usually some will be available any how to purchase. From being a model railroader now for 45 years, I have never been disappointed with Tangent's products, anything that I have purchased from them has been top notch with me. To me, they have the best freight cars and cabooses on the market, hands down. I am glad that they concentrate on freight cars and do not do locomotives. I just wish I get an EL caboose from them! Bruce I don't have an EL, but I did just did receive an Amtrak phase 1 scheme from the second batch. I can post pictures from specific areas of it if you want. Just let me know. The only problem I had was that the horn was not on, which was easily solved. I'm not really sure what else to look for though. |
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Post by wmcbride on Feb 12, 2023 7:23:37 GMT -8
I did not know that one could cancel a Lombard pre-order? More often than I would like to admit, I pick up models that I pre-ordered, and perhaps if I'm not completely happy I just sell them on Ebay or wherever else that I can. It is easy to cancel / reject a Lombard's preorder. I have done it many times on engines either because my interests changed in the year or so between delivery and preorder or I didn't have the money when the engines came in. They have never had a problem with that. When things come in, they either email or call, based on which you specified in the preorder form, and ask if you still want the item. I also recently emailed them to cancel two long-outstanding preorders and they appreciated that for their records. The person to contact is Alex Kovach at alex.lombardhobbies@yahoo.com Bill McBride |
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Post by typhoon on Feb 12, 2023 9:09:45 GMT -8
I did not know that one could cancel a Lombard pre-order? More often than I would like to admit, I pick up models that I pre-ordered, and perhaps if I'm not completely happy I just sell them on Ebay or wherever else that I can. It is easy to cancel / reject a Lombard's preorder. I have done it many times on engines either because my interests changed in the year or so between delivery and preorder or I didn't have the money when the engines came in. They have never had a problem with that. When things come in, they either email or call, based on which you specified in the preorder form, and ask if you still want the item. I also recently emailed them to cancel two long-outstanding preorders and they appreciated that for their records. The person to contact is Alex Kovach at alex.lombardhobbies@yahoo.com Bill McBride They are one of the best shops to deal with. |
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Post by blhs569 on Feb 12, 2023 18:49:37 GMT -8
Can't say that about Factory Direct Hobbies! I explained the issues I had with the preo-orders I previously had with Rapido products prior and I wished to cancel all pre-orders still pending. They were pleasant enough about canceling the orders, but a few days later when I could not log into my account when I wanted to place an order. When I contacted customer service I was told my account was closed as I was a high risk of cancelling pre-orders. Obviously, they made this decision without looking at the history of my previous orders where just a few months before I purchased the BLI T-1 steam locomotive I pre-ordered at way more than any Rapido product plus doing $1,500 of business with them in the previous 12 months. Now they get zip! Now it goes to Lombard. It is easy to cancel / reject a Lombard's preorder. I have done it many times on engines either because my interests changed in the year or so between delivery and preorder or I didn't have the money when the engines came in. They have never had a problem with that. When things come in, they either email or call, based on which you specified in the preorder form, and ask if you still want the item. I also recently emailed them to cancel two long-outstanding preorders and they appreciated that for their records. The person to contact is Alex Kovach at alex.lombardhobbies@yahoo.com Bill McBride They are one of the best shops to deal with. |
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Post by wjstix on Feb 15, 2023 7:25:25 GMT -8
Couple quick questions/comments....
Can a Canadian company actually own a factory in the People's Republic? My impression was more that while some model manufacturers in China work with several US (or other country's) model train companies, that Rapido had contracted with a Chinese manufacturing company so that company make products exclusively for Rapido?
Scanning a real E-unit produces an accurate version of only that particular engine as it currently exists. If other railroad's E-units had different details (headlights, dynamic brakes, etc.), or if the same engine had different details in an earlier era, it would have to be accounted for when making the model.
Not an SP expert by any means, but in general moving the airhorns from the cab roof to farther back on the engine, and adding grab irons on the side of the nose to allow better access to the area in front of the windshield, were modifications railroads did in the mid-1960s. If the SP model E-unit Rapido made was supposed to be c.1960, having the details described would be correct.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Feb 15, 2023 7:50:17 GMT -8
Couple quick questions/comments.... Can a Canadian company actually own a factory in the People's Republic? My impression was more that while some model manufacturers in China work with several US (or other country's) model train companies, that Rapido had contracted with a Chinese manufacturing company so that company make products exclusively for Rapido? An interesting question. I suggest you watch this Rapido video. Rapido may not actually own the factory. It's interesting, though, that at the end of the video, Jason is seeking more business for "Rapido's" factory. Ed |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2023 8:22:49 GMT -8
Yes, one CAN cancel pre-orders from your favorite retailer, be it online or brick and mortar, but EVENTUALLY they may tell you that you can no-longer pre-order anything from them.
That has happened to me with one very reputable (and large etailer) brick and mortar train shop so far. I try to be very careful which pre-orders I cancel. There needs to be a good reason for the cancellation, something like a significant error in the model as delivered, or I'll burn bridges at another local store.
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Post by riogrande on Feb 15, 2023 9:05:14 GMT -8
I tried working with a couple of vendors that did preorders that weren't past regulars I had typically worked with. I burned my bridges with one after a couple of completed orders - maybe I just had too many irons in the fire and found it hard to keep track of too many and needed to eliminate some of the more fringe cases. Another one was Hogtrainz - I found it difficult to work with and communicate or predict outcomes so stopped pre-ordering with them as well, partly because the products I was trying to pre-order seemed to take YEARS to finally get to market. I have been sticking with a short list of long time vendors that work well for me. Generally I don't like to get too many pre-orders in the queue because it's too difficult to tell when they will ship and if they happen too close together, too much at once. And with prices going up uP UP, I'm trying to be more selective now. Unfortunately one of my regulars, modeltrainstuff recently parted ways with one of my favorite brands, Tangent, so the ticked me off. Tangent was a make I often ordered from them so that's fewer future orders. Maybe they don't care.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2023 10:06:30 GMT -8
Jim--
It's the profit margin. Dealers can almost afford to sell Tangent at the small profit margin available to them so long as the new items fly off the shelves right away. However, within the last year sales of Tangent items seem to have cooled off and they are lingering in inventory longer than before.
The other dynamic is that there are groups of people out there, some loosely affiliated with historical societies, who are going in together to place large orders directly from Tangent to get the best price available AND even free shipping. Then at least some of those folks are turning around and selling the Tangent items at shows and apparently undercutting what other dealers PAY to get Tangent items. I just attended Timonium with a dealer friend of mine, and there was a dealer there selling brand new Tangent items for less cost than my dealer friend could possibly buy them. We figured out that the only way they can be doing that is by placing the large orders with Tangent directly...as a result of my ebay sales I've been personally contacted by these groups of people who are placing the combined orders and they asked me to join them. I declined because I only ever buy a couple freight cars at a time.
Perhaps Modeltrainstuff figured out that other dealers were undercutting them, similarly, and decided to give it up? Idk; I have no contacts there. But it is a very plausible possibility. It can't be a product quality issue, as that is not a concern with Tangent.
I would say not to be upset with modeltrainstuff as it seems they are only responding to current market conditions in the best way they know how (I used to be a customer of modeltrainstuff, but did end up going elsewhere. I do not have any axe to grind against them; they just haven't been having what I needed or else not in the quantity that I needed.)
One other thing: there are dealers, at least at the Timonium Show, that are selling items as "new" that are not new. I know this because there are items I sold on Ebay that are showing up on their tables, and I can find my cat's orange hair in the (still mint like new) boxes. Only thing is, if you look closely, the boxes are not brand new. One can tell they've been opened a couple times. Today's wheelsets can go longer before showing any wheel wear at all, both on freight cars and on locos.
Buyer beware.
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Post by riogrande on Feb 15, 2023 11:37:25 GMT -8
I have noticed that Tangent sales appear to have cooled off, at least looking at how stock on their website is lingering much longer than in the past. The 4750 hoppers and others. Interestingly I noticed some models that were full in-stock suddenly went fully out of stock, so I wondered if someone or some entity went in and bought out the remainder at discount. I knew a guy who complained about the same thing when Proto 2000 engines were discounted under cutting dealers back in the day. I typically only buy a couple cars at a time too, so almost never get Tangents bulk discounts.
This isn't the modeltrainstuff topic so I assume you are responding about that here rather than there. I don't have an axe to grind either, but having what you need is part of why/when you patronize. Logically if they have less of what I need, I order less. There is at least one or two orders I was anticipating that won't happen now in the near-term. Of course as always ... caveat emptor.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2023 17:32:31 GMT -8
Just trying to respond to your post above. Apologies if should've been over there.
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Post by markfj on Feb 18, 2023 4:58:17 GMT -8
Just wanted to add this somewhat unusual photo of NYC E8 4088 sitting on shop trucks at Altoona PA in 1973 (not my photo). Looks like she has got some miles on her!  Thanks, Mark |
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Post by gmpullman on Feb 18, 2023 14:44:21 GMT -8
I am back with a reminder, has any EL modeler or EL fan got a Rapido E8 yet? I just got my Lombards invoice for 2 and I am not completing the purchase until further review! I Just thought I would check back in case someone got one already. Thanks Bruce My former Lackawanna #816 arrived yesterday. Maybe I'm too late to help you with your decision on your Lombards order but here are a few photos:  E-L 816-track-2 by Edmund, on Flickr To my eye those molded grabs are just a bit "too much". Some of them were not very well trimmed off the sprue so have knife gouges or sometimes bits of plastic remaining.  E-L 816-34-nose by Edmund, on Flickr The air intake grille has a bit of a bubble in it (on both sides) but this might level off as the temperatures acclimate in my layout room? The MU receptacle is not only crooked but it angles out in the wrong direction.  E-L 816-broad by Edmund, on Flickr I'll get more photos posted as time permits.  E-L 816-dock by Edmund, on Flickr Operationally, the mechanism seems smooth enough. The Loksound 5 is OK but needs a little fine tuning. At least there's a little better selection of horns and bells to choose from. Some sound awful. I'll have to check photos, I don't remember any E-L units having the Mars light ala-Santa Fe like the model has. [edit] There IS a photo of Lackawanna 816 in Hoboken with a red/white Mars light in the top opening. When it is on the red lens is illuminated too. I rode behind the 816 on several occasions on the Cleveland-Youngstown commuter train. Sometime around 1970 the nose door was replaced with one without the headlight opening. It would really have been a bonus if Rapido had provided a matching painted nose door to replace it with. Some photos of 816 show a door mounted twin sealed beam and nothing in the top headlight opening. Hope that helps, Ed |
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Post by wmcbride on Feb 18, 2023 15:32:11 GMT -8
That same bow in the grill toward the rear shows up in other EL photos I have seen online. Maybe it's a [bad] feature?
Bill McBride
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Post by ICG1411 on Feb 18, 2023 15:46:03 GMT -8
My IC had the same problen with the light belleding through the red lens. I just used a small piece of electrical tape to cover it and it works fine now.
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Post by onequiknova on Feb 18, 2023 16:23:26 GMT -8
The AB set of UP units I've got both have bowed grilles. They seem about impossible to remove without ruining them as well. Oddly enough, they are etched brass that has been (poorly) painted silver.
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Post by Baikal on Feb 18, 2023 17:16:19 GMT -8
The AB set of UP units I've got both have bowed grilles. They seem about impossible to remove without ruining them as well. Oddly enough, they are etched brass that has been (poorly) painted silver.
Shoot some 3M spray adhesive in there. Weigh down with big stack of Model Railroaders for at least 48 hours. Scrape off excess adhesive with a dull knife. Good as new.
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Post by elsdp45 on Feb 18, 2023 17:29:34 GMT -8
My EL units also have the bowed grills near the rear of the unit. I was wondering if anyone knows how to fix that. I have also had some Athearn Genesis F7's do the same thing. I think somebody once said to remove them and glue them back down with canopy cement.
Something still looks wrong with the side cab windows. I think some of the problem lies in the triangular shaped fixed window. It looks like on the Rapido unit that the top comes up to a point. Pictures of the real engine shows the window frame that divides the fixed window from the one that opens to be further back. This makes the upper side of the fixed window to be curved with a very short run of straight before the window frame. You can see it on the F7A in the one picture.
Finally, and I hate saying this, I think the gray is a little light. It is darker than the gray paint on the original first run of Scale Trains EL SD45's, but lighter than the Athearn Genesis units. It looks like seeing the units in bright sunlight.
Chris
PS One good thing, do not have to worry about port holes.
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Post by gmpullman on Feb 18, 2023 17:48:11 GMT -8
I agree about the gray. You can see my Rapido passenger cars (Continental Line, oldies) and those have a "warmer" gray that I seem to recall, and thus, prefer. Also, I confirmed that the speed recorder cable is on the wrong truck. It is on the center axle of the left side rather than center-front. Seems as if the trucks are reversed. The M-U receptacle still bugs me, too. It seems like it is contoured to fit to the left of the door rather than the right. It looks like E-L made attempts to repair the intake grill at the rear, too!  E-L 816, MarionHere's a few more photos.  E-L 816-grille by Edmund, on Flickr  E-L 816-passing by Edmund, on Flickr  E-L 816-broad-1 by Edmund, on Flickr Thanks, Ed |
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Post by wmcbride on Feb 18, 2023 22:08:36 GMT -8
I agree about that fixed triangular window being off from the prototype.
The bowed grill is a big deal for me since several folks are reporting it and I thought Rapido had that swell system in which the grills sat to prevent this.
I was in a wait and see mode for the E-L unit and now I have seen and I'll pass. I have some Proto units to rework anyway and, the nice part is, I already own them and got them on the cheap a while ago.
Bill McBride
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Post by 12bridge on Feb 18, 2023 22:19:07 GMT -8
Those grab irons are beyond horrible. Totally unacceptable for a 2023 model, especially one touted as the be all end all.
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Post by BEDT26 on Feb 18, 2023 23:03:39 GMT -8
My Rapido E8 arrived yesterday and I think it's pretty nice. I'm not too happy with them thick grabirons but that's not what bothers me too much, it's the sound soundfile that doesn't sound like an EMD 567 at all. It sounds generic and distorted.
..
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Post by cera2254 on Feb 19, 2023 6:19:11 GMT -8
My Rapido E8 arrived yesterday and I think it's pretty nice. I'm not too happy with them thick grabirons but that's not what bothers me too much,it's the sound soundfile that doesn't sound like an EMD 567 at all. It sounds generic and distorted. .. It’s probably the crappy speakers they use. I’ll never understand having a big cowl body unit like that, and putting iPhone speakers in it. |
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Post by edwardsutorik on Feb 19, 2023 7:22:55 GMT -8
My Rapido E8 arrived yesterday and I think it's pretty nice. I'm not too happy with them thick grabirons but that's not what bothers me too much,it's the sound soundfile that doesn't sound like an EMD 567 at all. It sounds generic and distorted. .. You can go to ESU's site and listen to the recording they use (S0761). Which may or may not be what Rapido is using. I would recommend having auxiliary speakers connected at the time. So's you can actually hear it. Ed |
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Post by Baikal on Feb 19, 2023 9:16:09 GMT -8
I agree about that fixed triangular window being off from the prototype. The bowed grill is a big deal for me since several folks are reporting it and I thought Rapido had that swell system in which the grills sat to prevent this. I was in a wait and see mode for the E-L unit and now I have seen and I'll pass. I have some Proto units to rework anyway and, the nice part is, I already own them and got them on the cheap a while ago. Bill McBride
If you don't look at the rear of the model, you can hardly see the bowed-out grille. |
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Post by el3625 on Feb 19, 2023 10:00:12 GMT -8
For the price you are paying for these, it should not have a big-time obvious issue. They need to get their act together. Every time you look at it (bowed out grille) and anyone else looks at it, it is the FIRST thing you are going to see. None for me. Rapido is by far the worst manufacturer for supposedly to be one of the better ones out there. Lots of items and good projects, just poor execution on the finished project. Thank you all for all of the feedback and pictures, my mind has been made up. It may not bother some, but that is an issue that should have been corrected before they were shipped. I was wondering also about the color of gray, which I kind of expected it to be off. Now we will wait and see how the EL U25B's look like. I am not really confident about those either. There seems to be issues with everything from them and it is just not acceptable, at least for me.
Bruce
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ictom
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Post by ictom on Feb 19, 2023 13:02:44 GMT -8
I decided that I have several expensive kits, not truly RTR locos: - The speakers are dual sugar cubes, but the LOK decoder has no provision for equalizing, which is how Athearn makes them sound good with their Tsunami decoders (plus a little reverb always helps). I doubt seriously there is anything wrong with the LOK decoders or their sound files. In fact, it's pre-programmed for a decent delay between the two 567 startups, which is nice. The thing to do is put in the Scale Sound Systems speakers, but admittedly - a cost we shouldn't have had to bear.
- I have bowed grilles on both B units that I have. I've already been in contact with Rapido and they've sent me a replacement for one. However, I've tried several times to see how difficult it is to swap them out and I'd rather try a gluing method on the existing grilles as mentioned above. If they're clamped in place with sufficient curing of some glue, they'll be fine. Otherwise, they're held on with square tabs that insert through the body. Those tabs are at top and bottom all along the entire length of the grilles and they're about as thin as aluminum foil. I was barely successful at restoring a few of them that I bent without rolling them up into foil balls. I'm glad they sent me a spare grill in case I mess up, but replacing one would not be my first choice.
- Horns bent. Reports are elsewhere and Rapido also replied to me in an email that the horns are brass. They bend easily without breaking, so no issue with mine (2 or 3 were bent).
- One of my B units had a broken fuel tank skirt, but I blame that on HogTrainz for poor packaging in shipping. It's a clean break so some white glue will fix it.
- The bottom headlights need to be turned (at least on IC units) so that the two "bulbs" are horizontal, not vertical. I notice the EL units above seem to be vertical, too - might be something to check. I don't know how easy this is to do - yet.
It does need to be emphasized that Rapido is very responsive with just about everything I've contacted them about. That goes for any question on any of their products I've purchased.
Another nice thing is that the E8s are very easy to work on (except for replacing grilles). There's a guy on Facebook's Southern Railway Modelers site that has put lighting inside the body that shows through the portholes. There are some extra "X" pads on the motherboard that are very easy to solder and the LOK decoder can control the pads with one of its built-in functions. He hooked up several of those pre-wired SMD yellow-white LEDs from Ebay and Kapton-taped them to the sides of the motherboard in a few places. It looks pretty cool, IMHO, and rather than focus on the porthole issue, maybe it'll distract from them, instead.
Fuel Tanks -
I haven't seen this mentioned here, but over on one of the *.io groups someone said that the UP-version fuel tanks were flush, or within a half-inch, of the outside of the body, with the hanger steps recessed into the tanks. He had photos to back this up. However, in looking at many IC photos for the ones I have, it does appear that the fuel tanks were recessed slightly in the IC locos and the hanger steps stood out separate from the tanks. They got that right on the IC versions.
I can't compare to Walthers, but they're still vastly superior to the Protos. Had those (E6, 7, & 8), hated them, got rid of them. Maybe some of you are OK with the Protos because the paint colors were OK for a few roadnames. However, Life-Like/Proto really messed up the paint jobs on the IC units and others (C&O also comes to mind). The chocolate brown is practically magenta on the IC versions and the orange stripe is school-bus-yellow. I also couldn't handle the coupler pockets, either - very poor design, IMHO. I have the E6 and E7 BLI versions. Except for the paint job, they're not in the same class as the Rapidos, either.
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Post by zephyrgray on Feb 19, 2023 19:22:22 GMT -8
Question for anyone who still has an E8A; Is there doors or plates to cover what would be the opening for the steam line in the “goody bag?” That opening reminds me of the old Athearn Blue Box engines…..
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