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Hi all, it's been a while since I've been here. No layout yet, but the rolling stock keeps on coming. One of my latest acquisitions was quite lucky, especially after a first attempt at securing one on the Japanese forums but that was probably for the best as I am now in possession of a near mint MicroAce Galaxy Express 999 TV version set. The box is in excellent condition, and I believe everything is accounted for in the set. It looks amazing, and I'm blown away by the size of the mini figures too. I've yet to give the loco a run to see what running state it's in. It was bought new from the shop by the previous owner, and kept as a collector's item so I doubt it has had many runs if any at all. I am also scared to run it somewhat, but I must see it in action and when I do eventually get around to building a layout, it will grace it. I plan to test the engine this Saturday, so will probably take photos of it all on the track. I am interested in the reason why MicroAce decided to provide all 4 guns for the gun car, but I have had the idea of suspending the complete train, or having it on clear perspex to get a shot down the train with the guns posed as some sort of diorama shot.

Bought a Hanshin Commuter Train Economy Kit today at Crosspoint Shimokitazawa (GM Store). There are a few more of these rare kits around, so hurry if you can! Maybe I'll get another one :P I'm going to use this kit as a base for two projects, but I need rare Keikyū 1000 type Economy Kit for that. Eventually I'll find one, but it's going to be a difficult job... • Project 1 will be concerned with the Keisei 3200 or 3300 with a new front. The new front comes from the Keikyū kit and will be attached to the body of the Hanshin kit. The train will eventually look like this: Keisei 3200 (New Livery) • Project 2 will be concerned with the Keisei 3100 with an old front, since these never got the new front anyway. The front comes from the Hanshin kit and the body is from the Keikyū kit. I'm really looking forward to this project, since it's one of my all time favourite Keisei trains (old front, new livery, hell yeah!). The train will eventually look like this: Keisei 3100 (New Livery) The biggest issue will be the underbody stuff, but that'll come in time. ---- Another issue I have is the second MicroAce A-6090 Keisei 3298 I bought. Keisei 3298 (Fire Orange) MicroAce A-6090 This train used to be unique to Keisei so there is no point of repainting or renumbering this train... An idea I have is to rebuilt it to the Keisei 3294 that had been tested for VVVF purposes, a 3150 type, or use the underbody of one of my MicroAce trains for the Keisei 3200 project. • The Keisei 3294 type will involve cutting in the middle cars to move the pantographs to one car. The front cars will remain untouched, but the underbody of the two middle cars need to be changed. If I were to paint this train Fire Orange, the front would need to be changed to square headlight, so I don't want to do that. It's a pretty difficult one, since I wouldn't know what underbody stuff I should get. I presume this isn't the one I'd go for. Keisei 3294 (New Livery, standard front) • The option to rebuild it to a 3150 is a bit silly, since Greenmax makes these as models already in several variations (Fire Orange, new livery, Hokusō and Chiba Express). They are however ridiculously expensive (min, ¥13.000 for a 4-car set). The rebuilt will involve two cars being rebuilt: pantograph moved to the front car and underbody for the middle and front car swapped. It's a pretty straightforward option, but I don't like the idea of cutting into the MicroAce body. Keisei 3150 (New Livery) • The option to use only the underframe for the previously mentioned 3200 rebuild is the most tempting for me, since it doesn't involve cutting into the MicroAce shells. However, it leaves me with four unused MicroAce shells, which will probably not be used ever again. This reason makes the 3150 rebuilt option very tempting... Keisei 3200 (New Livery) --- I'm planning to use these trains in a setting of a fictive company (Sagamiko RR) in a slightly different livery than the original Keisei one, with some in original livery. The Sagamiko RR will be running along the Sagami-Yokohama water supply line all the way to Sagamiko station on the JR Chūō line. This is a pretty straight and narrow footpath with water pipes underneath, large enough for a single-track railway line: http://calmax.exblog.jp/16861118/ This railway line could be operated as a 3rd sector company under Keisei Group and Keikyū for the Yokohama Water Company (or something like that). Here's a rough map of the route: I'm not sure where it will connect with the Keikyū Main line, but I don't want it to pass through the centre of Yokohama, so maybe I'll let it run directly to Kanagawa-Shinmachi instead. Here the company can have a small depot, along with one or two en-route. A large part of line will be single-track, like the JR East Sagami line, since it will be running through rural/light residential areas of Sagamihara-shi (the town community where I live). Through services can go as far as Kojima-Shinden (max. 4-car length trains) and the line can allow the occasional 8-car length trains to Sagamiko for special express services from the Takasago/Shinagawa direction (non-Sagamiko RR trains). These will only be able to halt at few intersecting stations because of space restrictions. The reason being that no investments have been made on the line due to conflicting interests from operating companies and the line's owner. Hence the collection of old rolling stock. Since the line will be co-operated by Keisei and Keikyū, that allows for a mixture of rolling stock in company colours. Planned other trains will be 4-car Keikyū old 1000 type, 1500 type trains and possibly more old Keisei trains in new colours. Now, I'm planning to have some of my trains painted in Keisei livery (as a tribute/revival livery), but also one or two in a fictive/parody livery that is sort of related to Keisei Group liveries. The official liveries are as follows: - Keisei has Red with Dark Blue as a supporting colour; - Hokusō has Dark Blue with Light Blue as a supporting colour; - Chiba Express had Dark Blue with Red as a supporting colour; - Shibayama RR has Red with Dark Green as a supporting colour; - Chiba Newtown has Blue and Yellow as a supporting colour; - Shin-Keisei basically Wine Red with variable supporting colours. I'm not sure what colour combination I'd go for, but the body base will be light grey, like the New Livery from Keisei... Time to experiment! Graphics courtesy by: http://www.mercury.sannet.ne.jp/bal-jaz/index.html

Converted from a Microace model: http://page14.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/s511147273 Not my cup of tea but someone might be interested.