Rapido LMS Dia. 1666 Open

[Tarifa]

I was keen to get my hands on one these wagons for some time. Finally bought one at Taunton this weekend just to see the quality. Compared to the Ratio and Parkside wagons I have built (IMO) it is not worth £30 per shot. It does however knock spots off the Bachmann £30 efforts. The moulding detail is superb with the solebar rivets a little better than Parkside kits. The brake gear and underframe detail is also excellent, better than Parkside kits. The finish is very good and I admit better than my hand finishing. I tend to hand paint my wagons as I don’t batch build. Would I buy another one, only if they are around £20-£25. In the meantime I will stick to kits and the occasional Bachmann “bargain”. Bottom line, when on the layout it is, to my aging eyes, difficult to see the difference.

It is nevertheless a superb model.

Mike