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Post by 12bridge on Sept 15, 2022 12:59:53 GMT -8
Iphone4 speakers were pretty much the go-to a few years ago. I bought...a lot of them, and used them on dozens of installs for personal and customer, and never once did I have a complaint. They are a fantastic bang for your buck (literally..).
I still have a hard time swallowing the 20$ for a speaker, good sounding or not. Were getting to the point all of the electronics are almost costing more then the models.
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Post by NS4122 on Sept 15, 2022 14:01:07 GMT -8
I have replaced Scale Trains and Rapido speakers with Scale Sound speakers as I can't see the point of spending almost three hundred dollars for a sound equipped model only to hear tinny sounds through fifty cent speakers. The Rapido Iphone speakers were the worst.
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Post by riogrande on Sept 15, 2022 14:15:29 GMT -8
They must not be the Iphone 4 speakers 12bridge commented on then. I purchased 14 of them to have in my stash for sound installations.
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Post by atsf_4 on Sept 15, 2022 15:46:24 GMT -8
Well, I'm going to say it. The Rapido looks better than the Proto to me, despite it's flaws. Late NKP offer the challenge of notching the nose for the bell, too, so that's probably why they did those as delivered. These are bringing close to full price on eBay, the cheapest I see are $200 DC and $290 sound. Are they cheaper direct from the discount sellers? They are now cheaper direct from the discount sellers, with most road names still in stock at some of the discount sellers. I deliberated, and in the end, I cannot justify buying more than just the one PA-1 that I have. It's nice indeed, but there are other nicer models out or coming that imo are or will be better models, that I would rather own. No, none of them is a PA; that is true. Some of us have tough purchasing decisions. My funds for locos and pre-orders are planned out for the next year already. |
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Post by gmpullman on Sept 15, 2022 17:02:43 GMT -8
Ed, great improvement with the lights. The white-only class lights are disappointing. Rapido must have purchased those iPhone speakers in mass quantities and are still burning thru them. I'm going to be fitting the Scale Sounds speakers and Power Packs to my units. I also noticed my New Havens' shells were loose enough to rattle. Thanks, Craig, and all. I found this "sticky-fuzzy" tape to be very handy when doing sound installs: Tesa wire loom tapeIt has a very good gripping ability, is practically light-proof and it is fuzzy enough that it will prevent rattles. It is also handy to prevent light leaks or light bleeding through thin plastic, even in structures. Cut into thin strips it even makes nice — wire loom. Sticks much better than Kapton tape but is not quite as abrasion resistant as Kapton. It is "sort" of like the old friction tape but not as messy. The Rapido speakers I show in the photo fit loosely in those clips and then the clips fit pretty loosely into the chassis. To me they seemed prone to rattling. Anyone who chooses to keep them should at least put a drop or two of canopy cement or tape to help secure them, I'd suggest. Thanks again, Ed |
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Post by lvrr325 on Sept 15, 2022 20:42:45 GMT -8
Looks like they've reached their three week expiration date, like most hobby products the interest cools off about that point. Been that way for at least 25 years. That's when you see increased discounts. Be interesting to see if anybody dumps them for a loss.
Was curious so looked to see what I could still get. No sound, one Santa Fe A/B set, one D&H, all D&RGW, one NH, all three NKP, all NYC, one PRR A-B, one SP Daylight, and with sound one D&H, one D&RGW A/B, one LV, one NYC, one NYC A/B, one SP bloody nose A/B.
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Post by atsf_4 on Sept 15, 2022 21:31:05 GMT -8
Lombard Hobby has plenty and multiple units of some item numbers, $180 dc, and $265 dcc/sound for single units. So that's about 20% off MSRP.
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Post by lvrr325 on Sept 15, 2022 22:41:58 GMT -8
That's probably about as cheap as they'll get unless somebody decides to dump them.
I've seen that before, somebody had a bunch of Walthers Reading and Chessie GP30s from the last run and decided to put them on eBay starting at like a dollar and most sold well under $100 for non sound engines.
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Post by atsf_4 on Sept 16, 2022 5:32:18 GMT -8
Lombard still has Rapido RS-11's remaining from the first run, and have held their prices on those (I think most are down to low quantities). I don't think they'll be putting PA's on sale anytime soon.
They sometimes wait patiently until they are the last dealer remaining that has some items, and then they get their price.
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Post by craigz on Sept 19, 2022 5:48:14 GMT -8
Lombard still has Rapido RS-11's remaining from the first run, and have held their prices on those (I think most are down to low quantities). I don't think they'll be putting PA's on sale anytime soon. They sometimes wait patiently until they are the last dealer remaining that has some items, and then they get their price. The first run RS-11s? With the Smoke-o-Matic motors and the shells secured to the drive with Diebold-grade security? Those RS-11s? Yeah, no thanks. I have some already. |
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Post by middledivision on Sept 19, 2022 7:18:44 GMT -8
^^^
The best is the "instructional" video from Rapido showing how to remove the shell and the guy breaks a handrail doing it.
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Post by wmcbride on Sept 19, 2022 8:44:39 GMT -8
^^^ The best is the "instructional" video from Rapido showing how to remove the shell and the guy breaks a handrail doing it. Yeah, I did the same without the advantage of the video "how-to." Let's not forget those ginormous, thick wind-deflector/mirror things on the side cab windows. It was not the effort I had hoped to see. Hopefully, run 2 will be better... Bill McBride |
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Post by atsf_4 on Sept 19, 2022 9:12:16 GMT -8
I really am sorry if I sometimes come off as having a very cynical or negative attitude toward Rapido, moreso by far than any other manufacturer ever, but for me they have just earned it and continue to earn it by seemingly not getting out of their own way on some models.
I liquidated all of my RS-11's due to QA/QC issues with most of them, and I generally do not buy Rapido products anymore. I have two Penn Central X72 boxcars remaining, and had to have just one PA-1. I would like more PA-1's but there are a number of issues preventing me from buying more, to the point that I'd rather buy the Proto 2000 units or especially the new Walthers Proto units of some roadnames over the Rapido model.
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Post by lvrr325 on Sept 19, 2022 9:27:05 GMT -8
It seems like everything they make has one or two issues they shouldn't have, whether it's incorrect details, bad motors, or just plain they don't roll that well. So you have to evaluate each product individually.
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Post by zephyrgray on Sept 24, 2022 7:45:01 GMT -8
I always find it somewhat amusing that Rapido “pounds it’s chest” on using 3D scanning from the prototype. That’s great. So do they need help in locating paint guides? The Southern Pacific Historical and Technical Society sphts.org/ a really nice book and maybe, just maybe they’ll start painting the lettering (okay paint pad) white instead of off white, gray, silver…. |
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Post by Baikal on Sept 24, 2022 8:13:00 GMT -8
I always find it somewhat amusing that Rapido “pounds it’s chest” on using 3D scanning from the prototype. That’s great. So do they need help in locating paint guides? The Southern Pacific Historical and Technical Society sphts.org/ a really nice book and maybe, just maybe they’ll start painting the lettering (okay paint pad) white instead of off white, gray, silver….
SP lettering was light gray until they started using Scotchlite in 1978. Some late units including those with DRGW-inspired "speed lettering" were white.
Is Rapido painting something incorrectly?
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Post by zephyrgray on Sept 24, 2022 13:24:39 GMT -8
I feel that the lettering is too dark on the scarlet and gray scheme. Based on the photos found online on my ESPEE MODELERS Home Page and Southern Pacific Western Division from White River. All in all it looks like a really nice model and I see Circus City now makes number board numbers if you choose that route.
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Post by atsf_4 on Sept 30, 2022 7:10:50 GMT -8
I was looking at my Rapido PA-1 model and saw some things that just don't look right, and then looked back at the prototype photo of the Missouri Pacific unit in this thread a few pages back, versus the photo of the restored "NKP" unit also a few pages back, and it does appear that Rapido's model is faithful to the 3D scan of Doyle McCormack's "NKP" restored PA-1. However, along the outside edges of the front windshields it is also clear that Doyle's unit does not look like the Missouri Pacific unit did back in the day. In reconstructing the front windshield area, it appears that the restoration is/was not exactly the same as the original.
The Walthers Proto PA-1 may have thick windows recessed a bit far, but it seems Walthers/Lifelike captured the look of the cab front a bit better.
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