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Rapido Trains Inc. announces 1:76 scale Birmingham New Look Bus


Andy Y
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The most detailed 1:76 British bus model EVER.

 

Rapido Trains Inc. announces revolutionary 1:76 scale Birmingham New Look Bus

 

Jason-Shron-JOJ976-Rapido-Trains.jpg

Image courtesy of Jason Shron.

 

Wythall, UK - Award-winning Canadian model train and bus manufacturer Rapido Trains Inc. is delighted to announce its first British bus model, a 1:76 scale representation of the Birmingham City Transport "New Look" Guy Arab IV. The model will include details and features never before seen on a 1:76 model bus.

 

Rapido Trains Inc. has been producing models for the North American market since 2004. Last year, Rapido exploded onto the British model train market and was voted "manufacturer of the year" in both the Model Rail and British Railway Modelling magazine polls, with its first two model releases winning "model of the year" in their respective categories. Rapido is entirely run by train and bus enthusiasts, and has built its reputation by incorporating more detail than it was previously believed possible in small scale models.

 

ABOUT THE BIRMINGHAM CITY TRANSPORT "NEW LOOK" BUS

 

With the word "FORWARD" emblazoned beneath its coat of arms, the city of Birmingham has been the industrial and technological hub of the United Kingdom. Reflecting its home at the forefront of industrial development, the adoption of concealed radiators by Birmingham City Transport really made the industry sit up and take notice.

 

Under development from 1948 and delivered from 1950, the New Look buses gained their nickname from fashion designer Christian Dior's "New Look" dresses of the late 1940s. The Birmingham City Transport New Look had a radical impact on bus development in the 1950s, with variations of the New Look front appearing all over the country in subsequent years.

 

Rapido's Birmingham New Look Bus model is a Guy Arab IV with Metro-Cammell body, one of 200 buses delivered between 1952 and 1954 (JOJ 901-999, LOG 300 and MOF 3-102). These iconic buses featured one-piece body construction, a seating capacity of 55 (30 upper and 25 lower), and a tough Gardner 6LW engine. They were rugged and loud, growling through the streets of Birmingham for an entire generation.

 

Rapido-Birmingham-New-Look-1.jpg

 

ABOUT THE MODEL

 

Just as the Birmingham New Look revolutionized bus design, Rapido Trains Inc. presents a radically different approach to British bus models. Our model is based on a 3D scan of the real JOJ 976 in the collection of the Transport Museum, Wythall. This ensures that all of the proportions match precisely to those of the real thing, especially the complex curves of the front and rear domes and the "New Look" bonnet itself.

 

The 1:76 Birmingham New Look Bus will feature:

 

-       100% accurate proportions based on a 3D scan of the real thing

-       Injection-moulded plastic and metal construction

-       All body weld lines, extrusions and rivets accurately rendered

-       Full, multi-coloured interior with no large posts blocking the aisles

-       Separate metal wire handrails and rear platform grab pole

-       Separate etched-metal interior grab poles

-       Steerable front wheels with rubber tyres

-       Flush-fitting windows

-       Accurate, even paint finish that does not obscure the details

-       Several routes/destinations available plus blank destination with transfers included

-       Deluxe versions feature working headlamps and interior lighting

-       Deluxe versions also feature illuminated destination blinds

-       Deluxe versions require a 12V 500 mA DC power supply (not included)

 

The RRP is £39.95 (standard), £49.95 (deluxe).

 

Rapido-Birmingham-New-Look-2.jpg

 

Reservations may be placed now with your local model bus stockist or directly from www.RapidoUK.com

 

Tooling and production progress will be reported regularly on Rapido's web site, Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter. Once a final pre-production model has been approved Rapido will announce an order deadline. Reserve by the deadline to guarantee delivery. The models will be delivered to customers in autumn 2018.

 


 

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Woohoo; a proper Wolverhampton-made bus.

 

I'm surprised no-one spotted it on their website and said anything (if you did and didn't; thank you) as it was definitely on there from at least midnight so I've gone for the Walsall Wumptie; we've got a bridge on BCB which only has two buses on it.

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Woohoo; a proper Wolverhampton-made bus.

 

I'm surprised no-one spotted it on their website and said anything (if you did and didn't; thank you) as it was definitely on there from at least midnight so I've gone for the Walsall Wumptie; we've got a bridge on BCB which only has two buses on it.

Is a Walsall Wumptie as bad as a Staffordshire Oatcake......?

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Shame I do N gauge.

 

I used to catch the 6 from Sandon Road to work. They weren't as comfortable as the Midland Red buses and the gearchange was always very rough. In the good old days of Birmingham Corporation these buses turned round pretty much exactly where they met the city boundary. The number 11 Outer Circle is of course an iconic route as it is supposed to be the longest suburban bus route in Europe. Even today people buy a ticket just to go all the way round for the sake of it.

 

I hope Rapido will include the strap that was put across the entrance when the bus was full. 

 

There is also a need for figures either jumping on or off the bus while it was still moving. Nobody waited for the bus to actually stop before jumping off, you used you skill and judgement to decide when the bus had slowed enough to jump off without falling over. Likewise, when we were a lot younger we would run and jump on the bus as it was leaving making a grab for the pole as we jumped. None of this health & safety nonsense in those days. 

 

The link is where the number 6 used to turn round and head back to the city. The road was clearly specially designed for the bus to swing round and wait at the terminus stop which was right by the building which is now Medbank Healthcare. This used to be the local Birmingham Municipal Bank - a bank that was owned by the City Council and existed to help the citizens of Birmingham save . It was not there to make a profit but it provided full banking facilities.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4764728,-1.9679563,3a,75y,357.92h,79.34t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sO2Ftt0p34dz1slV51zoZFw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DO2Ftt0p34dz1slV51zoZFw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D305.99603%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

 

Think I'll have to get one for nostalgia reasons.

Edited by Chris M
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About as useful as a London RT, which is the trouble when model manufacturers go for an individualistic bus operator. The body styling was unique to Birmingham as far as I am aware, an uncomfortable mix of pre-war Met-Camm and tin-front fashion. I doubt you could tell a Guy from a Daimler from a Crossley.  But the Birmingham and Midland Red tin front's started to replace traditional radiators right across the country.

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I see the livery samples show full length front wings, whereas the preserved example has the later cut back style

Also when introduced "trafficators" were fitted, replaced later with flashing indicators in at least two different styles.

Livery samples show only the one type of flasher.

 

Keith

Edited by melmerby
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Actually less use than a London RT, since surplus RTs and RTLs found their way into fleets of independent operators right across Britain, and a few municipalities too. Then there was St Helens, who ordered some new..

 

Well, I'd better get on with building the kits for Midland Red double deckers I have in stock to populate my overbridges. A shame, these had a vastly greater geographic range than BCT New Look deckers. And of course there already is a diecast New Look decker model in 4mm scale, from Forward Models.

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Since I live only 20 miles from the scanning event, I nipped along to see what all the fuss was about. Arriving at the museum, I found Jason rushing around setting up the Rapido stand:

 

rapidostand.jpg

 

There were 3 examples of the Canadian bus plus several US and UK railway products. A display of books and posters helped put the real bus into context for those who knew nothing, although everyone I met seemed to be a proper bus nerd who could tell you the difference between the various supposedly identical versions.

 

Outside, of course, was the bus itself. After a little persuasion, Jason agreed to pose beside it:

 

Jason and bus.jpg

 

After this, along with a representative from one of the bus magazines, we went off to have some Rapido sponsored tea. Jason explained the idea behind the project - the Canadian bus has sold better than expected and so with his Brummy background, he wanted to do a UK vehicle but in Rapido quality rather than traditional diecast form. Apparently, in Canada, the model buses are mainly bought from railway stores rather than model bus emporiums (no, I didn't know there were any either) as the bus collectors aren't yet on board with the idea of a high-end model. Jason expects this to be the same in the UK with the initial production run snapped up by railway modellers who are willing to pay for a very detailed model to match the quality of our existing trains. Bus collectors will "get it" after the first run. This isn't going to be a money-spinner for the company but hopefully the initial investment will pay off in the longer term.

 

About an hour in, the 3D scanning company arrived. An initial scan of the body had been carried out a few days earlier.

 

3dscan.jpg

 

This had identified a few areas to be looked at. Busses are shiny enough to confuse the scanner so much post scanning work will be required. As you can see, the weather was not being kind, so we retired indoors.

 

Gesticulating.jpg

 

As I recall, Jason was explaining that the scan isn't the end of the process. It is used to aid the designer working on the CAD. He compares his drawing to the scan data, a process that will take several months work. You certainly don't chuck the scanner output straight into a 3D printer and make a bus.

 

Lunchtime arrived and the bus was hoisted up into the air. Today's scanning was all about capturing the underside.

 

Liftedbus.jpg

 

Lifting one of these things is a slow job taking around 3 minutes. Once in the air though, it's not only safe to walk under, but to work on too.

 

Garethphot.jpg

 

Rapido's UK operative, Gareth, was sent under to take photos of everything he could point a camera at. You can see he's being protected by the Rapido hi-vis and also the instruction to save the camera if anything happened.

 

Scanbottom.jpg

 

The scanner went to work underneath in 3 different positions to gather as much data as possible.

 

Quite a few people turned up to watch all this going on. We all received a souvenier mug for our efforts.

 

Mugandleaflet.jpg

 

The museum is a bit of a hidden treasure and well worth a visit if you are in the area. Just off the M42, reaching it is very easy and there is a ride on railway, children's play area, cafe with excellent cakes and shop full of bus related things. Check out the Wythall Transport Museum Website for more details.

 

 

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The museum is a bit of a hidden treasure and well worth a visit if you are in the area. Just off the M42, reaching it is very easy and there is a ride on railway, children's play area, cafe with excellent cakes and shop full of bus related things. Check out the Wythall Transport Museum Website for more details.

 

I second that wholeheartedly, as someone who was lucky enough to grow up in a village served by the legendary Green Bus of Rugeley, and later the equally legendary Midland Red, and who had relatives in Walsall which meant regular trips on their eclectic fleet and famous trolleybuses, it was always a racing cert I'd grow up to be a bus enthusiast.  Wythall is a regular haunt and I would have loved to make it over from Wales today although health issues intervened. 

 

Not surprised in the slightest by the choice of vehicle, let's hope it's a success and the next vehicle is a WMPTE standard Fleetline, an equally iconic Midlands vehicle which has never been made in 1:76 and went on to second lives with loads of operators after WMT got rid of them, but were long lived in the West Midlands.

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While the Birmingham Standard isn't for me I wish Jason and Rapido every success in this venture, the pricing looks amazing in relation to some efforts available elsewhere, hopefully it will raise the overall quality of new bus releases, look forward to seeing the progress of this over the next year or so.

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Not surprised in the slightest by the choice of vehicle, let's hope it's a success and the next vehicle is a WMPTE standard Fleetline, an equally iconic Midlands vehicle which has never been made in 1:76 and went on to second lives with loads of operators after WMT got rid of them, but were long lived in the West Midlands.

Actually Paragon Models made a 1/76 1977 WMPTE standard Fleetline as a resin kit, long since sold out though.

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Quite a few people turned up to watch all this going on. We all received a souvenier mug for our efforts.

 

attachicon.gifMugandleaflet.jpg

 

The museum is a bit of a hidden treasure and well worth a visit if you are in the area. Just off the M42, reaching it is very easy and there is a ride on railway, children's play area, cafe with excellent cakes and shop full of bus related things. Check out the Wythall Transport Museum Website for more details.

 

I have just tried out the mug and it works perfectly. A really interesting day, and a chance to see the forthcoming Revolution Trains/Rapido pre- production items. The N gauge Class 92 has an amazing amount of roof detail, and the 00 gauge TEAs, and N KFAs look very enticing. 

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Thanks for the hospitality, was a good day, I didn't quite manage to get all the questions in that I wanted answers to, though pleased to support another heritage museum / site.

The new look bus (NA) samples looked nice. Oh and thanks for the mug!

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I think I'd prefere the MCW parked next to it. Then I could have had one in SYPTE colours. Or in the later mainline/fast line colours (the fast line being the motorway versions).

 

 

Hooray; everyone's got something else to grumble about that 'there's nothing in it for me'. ;)

 

Opens up a whole new world of buswishes, busmoans, busdelays and busprices.

 

Not.

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Hooray; everyone's got something else to grumble about that 'there's nothing in it for me'. ;)

 

Opens up a whole new world of buswishes, busmoans, busdelays and busprices.

 

Not.

 

Well said Andy. This is not my era, not my region, but I will be ordering one. Why? I wish Rapido well with the project and hope that good sales with this will encourage them to do something that does fit.

 

Roy

 

Edited: changed typo of good ales to good sales, although good ales still sounded good to me

Edited by Roy Langridge
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