I picked up a black Rapido Canadian Pacific gondola at LHS yesterday.
At $50.00, I expected (and got) the fantastic detais and great free rolling trucks but not the poor lettering resolution.
I can barely read the “blt” date and other reporting marks are completely unreadable. I have KaDee and other cars that have better lettering even at large magnification so it isn’t my eyes.
Is this one a “one off” or do all Rapidos have this quality of lettering?
Bruce,
You must have missed this, posted by Bogp40 four days ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTYQR3KvmR0&feature=youtu.be
I would get in touch with Jason at Rapido and ask him. The add. is right after the short video.
Frank
Yes I did see it Frank. That is why I bought it!. It IS a great model but I expected less fuzzy lettering.
I will call Jason on Monday
Thanks.
The two I got had very crisp lettering, Algoma Central and TH&B. Though I did need specs to read the fine print!
I was surprised that they came with Kadee # 5 couplers vs. scale and that you can see in between the wall and floor of the car. A little disappointed for the amount of money that I paid.
My gondola has unclear markings compared with my Kadee boxcars. I confronted Jason when I saw him and he didn’t seem to care one way or another. My LHS offered to take the car back but I will keep it. I just won’t buy any more Rapido products.
The Rapido gons look really nice and I woudlnt’ mind adding a bit of the “great white north” to my fleet, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to spend that much on a “gondola”. I’ve only spent that much on a few other freight cars ever and they were, for me, signature freight cars like the ExactRail 3843 Bethlehem quad hopper and the 1962 F-70-7 SP bulkhead flat car 
If you want to add something Canadian then I suggest getting either a classic box car with large CN noodle (get CNIS or CNA because I think you would traditionally see cars with those marks in the states), a hawker-siddeley grain hopper, or a centre beam whenever one comes up. I think those are more unique than a gondola.
[quote user=“big daydreamer”]
riogrande5761
The Rapido gons look really nice and I woudlnt’ mind adding a bit of the “great white north” to my fleet, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to spend that much on a “gondola”. I’ve only spent that much on a few other freight cars ever and they were, for me, signature freight cars like the ExactRail 3843 Bethlehem quad hopper and the 1962 F-70-7 SP bulkhead flat car
If you want to add something Canadian then I suggest getting either a classic box car with large CN noodle (get CNIS or CNA because I think you would traditionally see cars with those marks in the states), a hawker-siddeley grain hopper, or a centr
British Columbia Railroad/ Pacific Great Eastern, BCR/PGE carried a lot of natural resources south of the 49th. Newsprint and lumber probably being the biggies.
