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Rapido LMS/GWR/BR Gunpowder Vans announced!


Garethp8873
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I seem to remember the Rapido GPV was a pet project one of the RAPIDO companies crew. For reasons that don't really bother me they have made the decision to halt development. The way things probably stand at the moment it's just a case of the financial sums adding up to "gamble/risk" on the right side of the equals sign instead of "making dosh". Top marks to them for letting us know regardless of the reasons.

 

There's still plenty of Dapol GPV bodies to be had for a mere £1.50 and plenty of aftermarket under-frames to clagg on underneath. The inter webby is awash with articles on how to built the various incarnations and sort out the inaccuracies if that floats your boat.

 

I come onto RM web to read about railway modelling, not to get the same people talking the same b*ll*cks  (not a profanity according to British law) that the politicians are spouting 24 hours a day on the news channels, street corners, supermarket car parks, our doorsteps etc... etc... etc...

 

So how about a bit less of the political speculation/opinions/canvassing eh!

 

Thanks Rapido for the statement. At least we know where we stand with your GPV which is more than can be said about the current political situation. 

Edited by Porcy Mane
to re insert b*ll*cks
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17 minutes ago, Porcy Mane said:

I seem to remember the Rapido GPV was a pet project one of the RAPIDO companies crew.

 

My recollection it was Gareth Bayer (now at Accurascale) and Bill Schneider (aka rapidobill) who pushed the GPV as more of a spare time project, with rapidobill being a GWR modeller.

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4 minutes ago, mdvle said:

Bill Schneider (aka rapidobill) who pushed the GPV

 

Big thighs.

 

12 minutes ago, mdvle said:

Gareth Bayer (now at Accurascale)

 

On 18/11/2019 at 17:17, Garethp8873 said:

We imagine another manufacturer will pick them up soon."

 

Gareth Bayer + Accurascale -Rapido x (Good inter-company relations) = GPV  (?)

 

or Jestin wingnut Might just revive his etch in time for Christmas.


P

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7 hours ago, mdvle said:

 

I could be wrong here, but NAFTA/etc. shouldn't have any direct impact on Rapido as they don't make anything in Canada.  The model trains are treated as a China import, even with a detour through Canada.  Also, CUSMA is essentially NAFTA from a Canada/US perspective, the changes (so far) are very minor.

 

 

 

Well if the Trump administration delivers on withdrawing from the existing NAFTA protocol, as they suggested this summer, there won't be any trade agreements, so it will have a direct impact on Canadian exports and imports to the US. The US has already placed unilateral Tariffs on Mexico, USMCA is 'Dead in the Water', friends of mine in the Southern Ontario Automotive industry have indicated that Uncle Sam isn't on the Christmas card list. There's currently plenty of opportunity for unexpected changes to trade agreements across a wide range of commercial sectors.

Model trains are considered toys under the existing NAFTA rules, so there's currently no tariffs on them. If there's no NAFTA there'll be Tariffs.

 

CUSMA is the Canadian title for the US/Canadian/Mexican trade agreement. Rapido is a Canadian company, so I'm looking at it from a Canadian angle, what's your point?

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4 hours ago, PMP said:

Well if the Trump administration delivers on withdrawing from the existing NAFTA protocol, as they suggested this summer, there won't be any trade agreements, so it will have a direct impact on Canadian exports and imports to the US. The US has already placed unilateral Tariffs on Mexico, USMCA is 'Dead in the Water', friends of mine in the Southern Ontario Automotive industry have indicated that Uncle Sam isn't on the Christmas card list. There's currently plenty of opportunity for unexpected changes to trade agreements across a wide range of commercial sectors.

Model trains are considered toys under the existing NAFTA rules, so there's currently no tariffs on them. If there's no NAFTA there'll be Tariffs.

 

CUSMA is the Canadian title for the US/Canadian/Mexican trade agreement. Rapido is a Canadian company, so I'm looking at it from a Canadian angle, what's your point?

 

*I guess the usual disclaimer, not a lawyer, certainly not a trade lawyer, so all speculation based on media reports.*

 

If Trump can cancel NAFTA, which isn't clear(1).

 

The key point isn't the ownership of the company, but rather where the product is made.  NAFTA is about goods made in Canada, the US, and Mexico.

 

Hence the reason why your friends in the auto industry have concerns, as it likely/hypothetically(2) impacts what they make - which is they make cars in Ontario which are then exported to the US.  What isn't hypothetical of course, as seen in the UK recently, is that investment in factories in Canada has seen a dramatic drop as companies wait to see what happens, leaving factories (and their jobs) in Canada in limbo.  Similarly stuff is happening in the US, not just because of NAFTA, but because of the trade war with China and Trump's unpredictability means companies won't make large multi-year investments because there is no certainty/predictability.

 

For Rapido, like I said they don't make anything in Canada(3), their stuff is all made in China and thus it doesn't fall under NAFTA/CUSMA anyway.  Which is why, despite NAFTA still being in effect, the December 15th round of US Tariffs on Chinese goods will impact Rapido.  If the December 15th tariffs are implemented then Rapido products shipped to the US will be hit with a 15% tariff given that they are made in China and are covered in the final group of products that are currently tariff free.

 

So short version, the only effect cancellation of NAFTA would have on Rapido, particularly if the CUSFTA isn't somehow brought back to life, would be the result of the job losses the cancellation would have.

 

1 - Yes, NAFTA has that withdrawal clause, but it's not clear that Trump can unilaterally use it given that NAFTA was implemented in US law by Congress, with the obvious/presumed it would thus take Congress to rewrite/kill those laws.  What is a safe assumption is that there would be immediate legal challenges to any attempt by Trump.

 

2 - I say hypothetically, because no one is really sure what happens if Trump kills NAFTA, at least from a Canada-US perspective.  Prior to NAFTA Canada and the US had a free trade agreement (CUSFTA) which is in a sort of legal limbo having sort of been "suspended" by NAFTA.  What is clear is the US public opinion strongly supports free trade with Canada, but is divided on Mexico, so resurrecting CUSFTA would be a likely outcome if it doesn't happen automatically.  And if CUSFTA wasn't resurrected, I would guess a large part of Canada's auto market would be handed to the Europeans, Koreans, Japanese at the further expense of the Big 3.

 

3 - not sure where the small amount of shirts and other non-model-train stuff is made.

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The economics change over the course of a project, depending on exchange rates and other factors, because these projects take a lot of time. Wagons are a particular problem because of the low final price, hence the increasing use of three-packs etc as that pushes up both the run length and the final sale price. Rapido did say, with regard to North American freight cars (which are bigger and command a much higher price) that the economics were proving challenging but that freight cars were useful to keep factories working between other, larger, projects. 

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18 hours ago, Porcy Mane said:

or Jestin wingnut Might just revive his etch in time for Christmas.

 

 

In time for Christmas might be pushing it but I did have a good look at the artwork again in light of the news. I might get a test etch done in the new year. 

 

Justin

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