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3D scanning Rapido's latest UK prototype...


rapidotrains

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Hi all,

 
The 3D brigade was out in full force this week, performing a scan of our latest not-yet-announced British outline OO gauge model.
 
Clues:
 
1. The scan was performed at a location north of Southampton. Maybe very north of Southampton. Definitely south of Wick.
 
2. The prototype rides on wheels, not skis.
 
3. The prototype was or is very widely used and not restricted to one region.
 
4. The prototype has been done before in plastic, but not in a very, very long time.
 
5. It will be a powered model.
 
6. It doesn't tilt. Oh no it doesn't!
 
We plan to have first test samples at the Warley show, provided that they are kind enough to give us a booth.  
 
-Jason
 

 

 

Mmm, I'm wondering if it's a Class 86 - Scan undertaken "north of Southampton" - a Freightliner operated 86??  "The prototype was or is very widely used and not restricted to one region" - the 86 has extended it's field of operation from just the West Coast to the East Coast and east Anglia - geographically a wide area, on a wide range of traffic, not restricted to one region and although most have now been withdrawn (was) is still in use with Freightliner.  "The prototype has been done before in plastic, but not in a very, very long time".  The only current model is the Hornby model from 1979, the Heljan model not being available any more. " It doesn't tilt. Oh no it doesn't!".  Well, I've a few lop-sided Hornby 86s which seem to be doing their best to imitate the APT.  And of course Jason was at Birmingham Uni so would be very familiar with the 86...

 

I could be wrong but I do hope I'm not...

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Actually it's a 2:1 Routemaster. It's only 29 feet tall.

 

Pre-production photo below.

 

-Jason

 

 

attachicon.gifRoutemaster.jpg

Why come to England to scan a Routemaster? You've got more of them in Toronto than we've got over here! And PLEASE don't do the Class 71 in soap - you'll have pages of RMweb full of people telling us about their allergies!!! Or I'm nor pre-ordering because it might give me a rash etc.

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Of course it might be a piece of rolling stock and not something powered.  That fits 'multi-Region' and Rapido make coaches (I think they call them 'cars', odd language American :jester: ).  Lots of fiddly little engineering and detail which Rapido is good at  so it must be an operating mail coach - it's a long time since we had one of those I think - or a Palethorpe's sausages van.

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I can see the elephant in the room so lets just get it out of the way shall we?

I don't know what it is but can I have one in N gauge please?

 

And yes, I will make sure the door doesn't hit me on my way out

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Mmm, I'm wondering if it's a Class 86 - Scan undertaken "north of Southampton" - a Freightliner operated 86??  "The prototype was or is very widely used and not restricted to one region" - the 86 has extended it's field of operation from just the West Coast to the East Coast and east Anglia - geographically a wide area, on a wide range of traffic, not restricted to one region and although most have now been withdrawn (was) is still in use with Freightliner.  "The prototype has been done before in plastic, but not in a very, very long time".  The only current model is the Hornby model from 1979, the Heljan model not being available any more. " It doesn't tilt. Oh no it doesn't!".  Well, I've a few lop-sided Hornby 86s which seem to be doing their best to imitate the APT.  And of course Jason was at Birmingham Uni so would be very familiar with the 86...

 

I could be wrong but I do hope I'm not...

 

You could be on the right track ( no pun intended ) - what about the 87. Long time since Lima did theirs and there have been plenty of calls for it to be done, especially with Bachmann announcing the 90.

 

Or even longer ago, the Triang 81. Seems to be a bit of a resurgence in things with Pans on, I suppose it hangs on how long ago Jason thinks a very, very long time ago actually is!

 

cheers

 

Andy

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Hi all,

 
The 3D brigade was out in full force this week, performing a scan of our latest not-yet-announced British outline OO gauge model.
 
Clues:
 
1. The scan was performed at a location north of Southampton. Maybe very north of Southampton. Definitely south of Wick.
 
2. The prototype rides on wheels, not skis.
 
3. The prototype was or is very widely used and not restricted to one region.
 
4. The prototype has been done before in plastic, but not in a very, very long time.
 
5. It will be a powered model.
 
6. It doesn't tilt. Oh no it doesn't!
 
We plan to have first test samples at the Warley show, provided that they are kind enough to give us a booth.  
 
-Jason
 

 

 

Hi Jason,

 

Will this be another exclusive commission/joint venture or will retailers have the opportunity to sell it too?

 

Steve

Model Railway Imports

Canada

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Hi Jason,

 

Will this be another exclusive commission/joint venture or will retailers have the opportunity to sell it too?

 

Steve

Model Railway Imports

Canada

 

 

The plan as of now is for it to be available to retailers.

 

-Jason

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I reckon thats the outline of a class 170 type body, meaning the model is something of the Turbostar variety. Opens the possibility for Electrostar's and others.

 

I dont recognise the station, but all the detail around it shows its recent. Clever move by Rapido.

 

Bachmann have already done the Turbostar and to a reasonably good spec too. That immediately reduces the potential number of sales, however superior Rapido's products are.

 

A 156 would be a possibility as the ex Lima offering is a bit long in the tooth now.

 

I don't see Rapido doing stand alone coaches (i.e. Mk3s) either, the money isn't in them. Also Hornby have issued super detail power cars so again we have duplication of products if Rapido went for a full HST set.

 

However as has been alluded to before there is quite a untapped market for EMUs out there. As has been pointed out the 320 / 3321 / 322 family have worked in quite a variety of locations including the WCML, ECML, GEML and around Glasgow.

 

Furthermore the main bodyshell of said units is also pretty much the same as the 318 / 317 / 319 units which would further maximise the options if sufficient provision can be made in the tooling for a different cab to be fitted.

 

As regards post privatisation units - while there are lots of Electrostars out there, they are mostly concentrated on Southern & South Eastern services (the exception being a batch now in service with Anglia) and thus falls foul of the statement that "The prototype was or is very widely used and not restricted to one region".

 

Bachmann have done the Desiro which is now seeing service along the full length of the WCML (thanks to TPE and LM) as well as SWT, so as with the Turbostar I carn't really see Rapido taking this on.

 

As much as some complain about the "look" of some of the diesel classes already out there, as with the Turbostar I don't think Rapido would go for head to head competition when most current models are reasonable.

 

It is conceivable that they could go for an 86 given how bad Heljans effort turned out to be - but my gut feeling is they wont

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Just gonna hope that Rapido do a Class 86 or Class 89

 

Falls foul of the "The prototype was or is very widely used and not restricted to one region" statement. The same goes for the 87 / 91 or APT-P.

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Actually, the APT-P did run on two regions, the LMR and the ScR. As to the prototype photo, if it is a photo of the real thing notice the horn at the front, where a automatic coupling would be, and if you look down the side, there is multiple coaches and it's a DMU/EMU.

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