MicroAce - New Releases

[Kiha66]

The Hankyu stuff looks neat, but at that price I'm not sure I can justify it.  

[disturbman]

On 6/4/2021 at 7:29 PM, Kiha66 said:

The Hankyu stuff looks neat, but at that price I'm not sure I can justify it.  

You should. I have one of the last 2800 and it's a beauty.

For more recent news, MA finally announced its Laview. Who will succumb and get themselves a Seibu worm?

http://www.microace-arii.co.jp/poster/img/21_08w.jpg

I uploaded the poster as MA still has not posted it on its website. I'll switch later.

[gavino200]

2 hours ago, disturbman said:

Who will succumb and get themselves a Seibu worm?

 

 

I'm more than half tempted. 🙂

[maihama eki]

40 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

 

I'm more than half tempted. 🙂

 

Me too. I am always attracted to the odd. The Rapido couplers are the only thing putting me off.

 

I wish I knew whether Tomix or Kato may eventually do this one.

Edited August 4, 2021 by maihama eki

[cteno4]

Oscar Mayer wiener train! The odd rules!
 

jeff

[disturbman]

8 hours ago, maihama eki said:

I wish I knew whether Tomix or Kato may eventually do this one.

In the coming years? Doubtful.

 

8 hours ago, maihama eki said:

I am always attracted to the odd. The Rapido couplers are the only thing putting me off.

Simple solution, buy three boxes of 0337. MA trains are designed to take TN couplers… err… MicroAce couplers 😉

Edit: and the item poster shows this: http://www.microace-arii.co.jp/release/pdf/A1030.pdf (bottom, listed as F0002)

Edited August 5, 2021 by disturbman

[Yavianice]

5 hours ago, disturbman said:

Edit: and the item poster shows this: http://www.microace-arii.co.jp/release/pdf/A1030.pdf (bottom, listed as F0002)

Just whatever you do, don't buy Micro Ace couplers. Of any kind. They are inferior to TOMIX couplers in every way.

[disturbman]

Yes, I tried once, eons ago. When I was new to this specific branch of the hobby.

 

They do not even shorten the distance between the cars.

[JR 500系]

The LA VIEW!!! I'm almost heading straight to pre-order, and then it hit me.... hard. Would the LA VEW cause me to spiral out of control into all Seibu trains..... I most certainly dont want that....

[disturbman]

17 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

The LA VIEW!!! I'm almost heading straight to pre-order, and then it hit me.... hard. Would the LA VEW cause me to spiral out of control into all Seibu trains..... I most certainly dont want that....

Better Seibu than sorry.

[maihama eki]

Nothing like taking delivery of your new Y30000 train and immediately hacking on the trucks so you can install decent looking couplers... 

 

I have more than one Greenmax or MicroAce train and the necessary TN couplers sitting on the shelf waiting for me to summon the courage to chop on the trucks to install the couplers. It just pains me to do this even knowing I will like the final result.

 

[disturbman]

MA sets do not need any chopping to be converted. MA's are snapped on, some motorized trucks have a tiny screw you need to unscrew, but that's all. You should give it a closer look, or a try 🙂

But Greenmax and Tomix do need some chopping, which always felt very lazy on Tomix's part.

Edited August 5, 2021 by disturbman

[maihama eki]

Thanks for the tip. I only have 3 MA sets, and you are right on 2 of them. The couplers un-snap for easy fitting with TN couplers, and easy return to original state. That's very nice.

 

The 3rd set is A-8362 Keihan 800 series. It not only does not have the easy-off Rapido couplers, but it's not made for TN couplers at all. Maybe it's too old, or perhaps it is because it is a smaller train. It does have little side warning lights - the amber colored things in this picture. That perhaps precluded the coupler flexibility.

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by maihama eki

[disturbman]

Indeed, the Keihan 800 are not compatible with body-mounted couplers due to the design with the warning lights. Out of three sets, you just happen to have one of the rare sets that cannot be converted to them.

Glad I could be of help 🙂

Edited August 5, 2021 by disturbman

[katoftw]

Just needs rapido pocket close fit TN couplers...

[Das Steinkopf]

13 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

The LA VIEW!!! I'm almost heading straight to pre-order, and then it hit me.... hard. Would the LA VEW cause me to spiral out of control into all Seibu trains..... I most certainly dont want that....

 

Didn't you get the Gudetama livery 30000 Series once upon a time?

[Das Steinkopf]

5 hours ago, maihama eki said:

Thanks for the tip. I only have 3 MA sets, and you are right on 2 of them. The couplers un-snap for easy fitting with TN couplers, and easy return to original state. That's very nice.

 

The 3rd set is A-8362 Keihan 800 series. It not only does not have the easy-off Rapido couplers, but it's not made for TN couplers at all. Maybe it's too old, or perhaps it is because it is a smaller train. It does have little side warning lights - the amber colored things in this picture. That perhaps precluded the coupler flexibility.

 

 The 800 Series are a "relatively new" model with the first one being introduced in October 2014, A8362 was the gateway drug to my addiction with Japanese trains, it was the first N scale train that I had ever purchased after admiring them trundle up and down the main street outside of the hotel we stayed in on our first trip to Japan in 2015. 

[cteno4]

LOL perhaps we should have a topic of “what was your gateway train?”

 

jeff

[disturbman]

9 hours ago, katoftw said:

Just needs rapido pocket close fit TN couplers...

Always a possibility, though my experience with them is not super positive. There is also Kato and Greenmax couplers. The 800 is supposed to be able to run on very tight, urban curves. The Rapidos might  be the most convenient solution in this case.

[Tony Galiani]

Maybe the purchase of the LAview could be considered an investment?

 

After seeing ogogogjwe's video of the iD3 E193 in Hokkaido, I thought that might be a nice model to have.  I grew up in third-rail country and often say the FL-9s that could run either on electricity or diesel.

So I started a search for a set - MicroAce A3391.  Not sure if they actually sold for these prices but I found eBay listings at US$500, US$700 and one at US$900!

 

So no iD3 for me.  But I guess some people made a nice return on their initial purchase.

 

Ciao,

Tony Galiani

[disturbman]

I don’t think – hope – that anyone ever pay that kind of crazy prices. I think the E193 and E493 usually sell around 20,000 or so yen at YJA. They are quite sought after models. I kind of expect MA or someone else will soon do a rerelease.

 

edit: I pre-ordered my Seibu Worm.

Edited August 7, 2021 by disturbman

[JR 500系]

On 8/6/2021 at 9:53 AM, Das Steinkopf said:

 

Didn't you get the Gudetama livery 30000 Series once upon a time?

 

Yap i did... Great memory mate!!! But it remains a static train since it is a Tomytec ~~ I liked Gudetama and it was sort of an impulse buy but oh well....

 

On 8/5/2021 at 8:21 PM, disturbman said:

Better Seibu than sorry.

 

Hahaha, and i was watching youtube videos on the LA VIEW and realise it actually runs into Seibu Chichi-Bu, which is directly connected to Chichibu railway, and oh well, we all knows where that will end up!!! 😨

[JR 500系]

21 hours ago, disturbman said:

I don’t think – hope – that anyone ever pay that kind of crazy prices. I think the E193 and E493 usually sell around 20,000 or so yen at YJA. They are quite sought after models. I kind of expect MA or someone else will soon do a rerelease.

 

edit: I pre-ordered my Seibu Worm.

 

Yeah, that and the 215 series, which actually had annouced a re-run and later to cancel it, causing much distress to those who had pre-ordered it and sold off their older models!

 

Now i'm thinking VERY hard whether to jump onto the worm wagon....

Edited August 8, 2021 by JR 500系

[Kamome]

6 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

Now i'm thinking VERY hard whether to jump onto the worm wagon....

Me too!

 

I like the large windows.

[katoftw]

I must be the only one with zero interest. I think it is a fugly train. And I normally love stainless.

Edited August 8, 2021 by katoftw