Kato 10-1134 Eidan 500 series Marunouchi Line Subway - No interior?

[gavino200]

I got this train around a year ago. I like it a lot. But there's one thing about it that I've always thought was a bit weird. It has no interior. No seats, Nothing. Just a shell and 'glass' plastic. I haven't seen a single other Kato train like this. And I've looked for an "add on" interior part, but there doesn't seem to have ever been one.

 

The train was bought new btw. I bought the main set at the Kato Hobby Center, which should be a legit source. And I bought the add-on set from a super legit Japanese source that many of us buy trains from. So I have no doubt that this is the way the train is supposed to be. I didn't really examine the train much before I bought it. I just saw it on the shelf at Kato and recognized it from the exhibit at subway museum. So I had to buy it. I'd probably buy it again, but I'm just curious what's going on with this train.

 

Are there many other Kato trains issued without an interior? Are there interior seating sets available for this train? What on earth was Kato thinking with this model.

 

This is the Kato train.

 

http://www.newhallstation.com/store/product_info.php/products_id/1201

 

This is the prototype. It clearly has seats.

 

http://discover-railways.jp/blog-entry-308.html

 

 

 

[bill937ca]

At $77 US it is probably a beginners set, i.e. aimed mainly at children. That amount often isn't enough to get you a tram let alone a train with couplers and functioning head and tail lights. 

Edited December 25, 2017 by bill937ca

[gavino200]

8 minutes ago, bill937ca said:

At $77 US it is probably a beginners set, i.e. aimed mainly at children. That amount often isn't enough to get you a tram let alone a train with couplers and functioning head and tail lights. 

 

Interesting. I didn't know they did that. I bought it because it's a beautiful little train. Not because it was cheap. I would have gladly paid the extra for seats. But it's nice to know that Kato is thinking of kids as a market. 

[katoftw]

Its got no interior and only Kato will know why. From stock photos on other websites, the model doesnt have an interior.

Edited December 25, 2017 by katoftw

[gavino200]

1 minute ago, katoftw said:

Its got no interior and only Kato will know why. From stock photos on other websites, the model doesnt have an interior.

 

Maybe I should write them and ask. 

[bill937ca]

The whole Pocket Line category is basically beginners sets.  Powered by a $10 11-103 drive.  No interiors in the Pocket Line trams.  I know I"ve taken one completely apart.

[railsquid]

Hmm, it's one of the 3 or 4 car "basic sets" with add-on sets in a proper book case available; I don't see how it would be aimed at children, especially as it's quite small and fiddly. Certainly not a "Pocket Line" set. Apart from the lack of interior it's to the same general standard as any other Kato model, also has DCC sockets for the end car lighting.

 

TBH I've had mine for 3 years and would never have noticed; you have to peer really closely at the cars to see.

 

The Ginza 01 cars are slightly better in that respect, even though the end cars have raised floors for the DCC socket, there are at least representations of seat backs.

Edited December 25, 2017 by railsquid

[gavino200]

1 minute ago, railsquid said:

Hmm, it's one of the 3 or 4 car "basic sets", I don't see how it would be aimed at children, especially as it's quite small and fiddly. Certainly not a "Pocket Line" set. Apart from the lack of interior it's to the same standard as any other Kato model, also has DCC sockets for the end car lighting.

 

TBH I've had mine for 3 years and would never have noticed; you have to peer really closely at the cars to see.

 

The Ginza 01 cars are slightly better in that respect, even though the end cars have raised floors for the DCC socket, there are at least representations of seat backs.

 

I have to agree with you on this. It's very intricate in every respect except the interior. 

 

I noticed it when I installed the decoders, but haven't given it a thought until I recently put lights in it. 

[gavino200]

8 minutes ago, bill937ca said:

The whole Pocket Line category is basically beginners sets.  Powered by a $10 11-103 drive.  No interiors in the Pocket Line trams.  I know I"ve taken one completely apart.

 

It's not listed as a pocket line train. Also the box is the same as the box that other regular Kato trains come in. Hold on. I take a photo of it.

 

http://www.katomodels.com/product/nmi/pocket_line_e.shtml

Edited December 25, 2017 by gavino200

[bill937ca]

8 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

 

It's not listed as a pocket line train. Also the box is the same as the box that other regular Kato trains come in. Hold on. I take a photo of it.

 

http://www.katomodels.com/product/nmi/pocket_line_e.shtml

 

Sorry. I didn't mean it was a Pocket Line train. Just pointing out Kato does produce very cheap items which get sometimes get labelled as beginners sets and sometimes don't. 

[railsquid]

17 minutes ago, railsquid said:

Hmm, it's one of the 3 or 4 car "basic sets" with add-on sets in a proper book case available;

 

At the moment it seems this is only available as basic sets 10-1134 and 10-1135; see: http://www.katomodels.com/n/metro500_300_marunouchi/

 

There is/was a 6-car bookcase set 10-1109, but not currently available.

Edited December 25, 2017 by railsquid

[railsquid]

1 minute ago, bill937ca said:

 

Sorry. I didn't mean it was a Pocket Line train. Just pointing out Kato does produce very cheap items which get sometimes get labelled as beginners sets and sometimes don't. 

 

But it's not a very cheap item, it's in the same price range as e.g. the Yamanote E233-500 (ca. 10,000 yen RRP).

[gavino200]

Here's the box. It has a slightly different color scheme than the NEX and Shinkansen boxes. I don't know if that means anything. 

 

 

 

[Socimi]

6 hours ago, gavino200 said:

Here's the box. It has a slightly different color scheme than the NEX and Shinkansen boxes. I don't know if that means anything. 

 

 

 

 

The Kato 500 series is a "Best Selection" set, wich is the group of the best-seller Kato trains (for example the Yamanote Line E231-500, Tokyu 5050, Shinkansen E5 and so on...), with a price range between 9000 and 12000 yen, and they all come in a basic formation (4-car sets for 10-car trains and 3-car sets for 6-car trains).

 

Itself, the Maronouchi line 500 series is special among the "best selection" because it's the only train that has been retired, and it's the only basic-set with the add-on set in the same category (something that doesn't happen for the afromentioned Yamanote Line E231-500, Tokyu 5050....).

So for a special set, there is a special package (which unlike the oter "Best Selection" boxes, has an illustration and the display reprouces a subway tunnel)

 

About the interior:

 

 

There is actually none.

 

Other Kato models in the same range have a pretty basic interior. This one probably has none because it's smaller than the others, it's hard to see inside and it's designed to run underground, so it's wont be much visible.

 

You can always improve the interior following this guide by Sumidacrossing:

 

http://www.sumidacrossing.org/ModelTrains/DetailingaKatoEMU/

Edited December 25, 2017 by Socimi

[kvp]

Looking at the inside photos of the original cars, the gray plastic cover looks to be at the height the seat tops would be along the walls, so the interior details should have been sunk into this plate. Actually, the front and power cars would need this plastic to cover the motor and the decoders, but the 3 unpowered add on cars could have a detailed interior. Imho at this point Kato simply decided that if the front and middle cars couldn't get an interior, then it's not much use to add one to the extension set. If Kato dropped DCC support, then 5 of the 6 cars could have received a proper interior, which is benches along the walls and pretty much nothing else. The Tomytec subway cars have these interiors too and you only have to remove the one in the powered car for adding the motor. In this case, i think a few colored inserts and figures cut in half glued on top would help to make the interior lights look nice. (one thing though, those light holders are ugly, fixing the light boards to the roofs and removing the columns would go a long way)