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Dec 11, 2016 - HO Scale
Rapido - Deluxe New Look Bus Models - HO 1/87 Scale - Reserve Now!
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Dear Rapido Customer,
We are ecstatic to be able to reveal the full details about our new HO scale bus. And if you are not a bus foamer like we are, there is plenty of train stuff here too.
In this issue of Rapido News: |
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Rapido's HO Scale New Look Bus
Pre-production sample shown. |
| HO SCALE NEW LOOK BUS Read on for more information about our new bus model, both standard versions and deluxe versions with lighting and painted interiors. The New Look Bus was the face of North American public transit in the latter half of the 20th century, with almost 45,000 built between 1959 and 1986. Everyone remembers the New Look, also known as the "Fishbowl" Bus. Amazingly, for a bus that had such an enormous impact on the urban fabric of our towns and cities, there have been surprisingly few models made of it. The existing models - in 1/50 and 1/87 - suffer from serious dimensional flaws. The real New Look Bus was all about curves. The body cross section is fairly "tubular" with a pronounced curve to the whole side. The windows, similarly, are not straight. The ends have very distinct curves throughout. Yet every model to date has these areas dead straight. It means that the existing models were designed from rough two-dimensional plans and not from real blueprints. We went one step further than real blueprints. As we showed in our video, A New Look for Rapido, we actually did a 3D scan of a real New Look Bus. And then we shrunk it to HO scale. We can thus honestly say that the Rapido New Look Bus is the only New Look Bus model that is the correct shape. Our first release is based on a T6H-5307N with double-stream rear exit doors. But we plan to do more versions in the future. |
Overhead view of our New Look Bus showing optional roof hatches.
Pre-production sample shown. |
| I'm not exaggerating when I say that the Rapido New Look Bus is a truly revolutionary bus model. The only bus models I have seen that are more detailed are in 1/24 scale. Rapido's train models are known for "pushing the envelope" of what it is possible to do in 1/87 scale. In most of our passenger car models every seat is a separate casting so that you can see through the armrests and the seats can have proper cushion contours. Our lavatories have faucets on the sinks. Our underframes are completely detailed. |
The interior of our Deluxe model showing lighting and two-tone seats
with printed silver handrails. The stanchions are standard on all models. Pre-production sample shown. |
| Yet in the model bus industry most models still have diecast bodies with oversized details, inset windows, smooth surfaces where there should be rivets, one-piece interiors and underbodies without any detail at all. That's not good enough for us. We love buses so much we even own our own. (Click here to read about the real Rapido Bus.) Our injection-moulded New Look Bus comes in a standard version that is head and shoulders above any other bus model in 1/43 or smaller. Rivets, interior stanchions, separately-moulded seats, steerable front wheels - these are standard on all of our models. The deluxe version features painted seatback handrails, two-tone seats (where appropriate) and a full lighting package! A full listing of product features is below. |
One of the undecorated New Look Bus models showing the closed side.
Note some of the optional roof details we installed on this sample. Pre-production model shown. |
| NEW LOOK BUS MODEL FEATURES All of our New Look Bus models include:
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Our Deluxe New Look Bus includes all of the above, plus:
We are also selling some parts separately for you to upgrade your other bus models, including bus lighting kits, bus and truck wheels, and bumpers. Visit our bus parts page for full info. |
Incredible detail, even on the chassis! Note the steerable front wheels.
This also shows you how small our super-detailed bus actually is. Based on the other photos, you are forgiven for thinking it was a 1/24th scale model! Pre-production sample shown. |
Optional rooftop AC unit. It does not yet have its etched-metal grille above the fan.
Pre-production sample shown. |
The interior lighting on the Deluxe models shows off the two-tone seats and
printed silver handrails. The two wires lead to a DC power supply. We're fixing the "wibble" in the window glass. Pre-production sample shown. |
| A NOTE ABOUT STANDEE WINDOWS Our original plan was to print on the standee windows (the little windows above the normal windows) as this is what every other manufacturer of mass-produced New Look buses has done. But that wasn't sitting well with us; you would not get the feeling of the raised gaskets. And Rapido is not known for following what other people do. |
Standee windows insert on the side of the bus shell. The gaskets are raised.
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| Since our pre-production samples were made, we redesigned the area above the windows. Our New Look Bus will come with a recessed area above the side windows. In the assembly process, we will install an etched-metal piece that represents blank sheet metal (as used on TTC buses) or standee windows with raised gaskets (as used on most agency buses, including our own Rapido Bus). The standee windows will be painted and printed to look like real standee windows. This is a compromise, as the windows need to be a scale 3" short in order to fit in the recessed panel. But we think it will look far, far better than just printing them on. |
A sampling of our first run liveries...
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| FIRST RUN LIVERIES The following liveries will be produced in the first production run:
Bus numbers can be found on our New Look Bus web site. *Officially licensed product. **Pending licence agreement. |
I like big buses and I cannot lie...
Pre-production sample shown. |
Product Details
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