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Popondetta - New Releases

katoftw

By katoftw
in New Releases & Product Announcements

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maihama eki

maihama eki

Posted
Posted

Does anyone have any of the Popondetta EMU/DMU sets? If so, any review?

 

I've been tempted by several, but never bought. I do have a set of Popondetta freight cars that is well done.

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Yavianice

Yavianice

Posted
Posted

Popondetta will release TOMIX 800 Starlight Anniversary interior light set.

 

ONLY for TOMIX 97939. Does not require DCC (I guess). Not for the KATO version (KATO shop KYOTO will release something similar at a high price, but it doesn't look as great as this does). 

 

https://maker.popondetta.com/maker/?p=1547

 

This is a made to order item. You must send in your reservation before Mid September. Costs 22.000 yen excluding shipping. The link above has the shipping information. 

 

Official promo video:

 

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JR 500系

JR 500系

Posted
Posted

Definitely lovely to look at in the night! Impressive display of lights, but oh boy that price.....  X_X almost the cost of the shinkansen itself ~

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JR 500系

JR 500系

Posted
Posted

Pretty strange where Popondetta's direction is... First they release the Revalty, only to have Tomix do it, then they release the Sakura Liner, only to have MA doing it, and now this ~~~

 

On other hand, i've never had a Popondetta model though... wonder how it is compared to the bigger makers. 

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disturbman

disturbman

Posted
Posted (edited)

@Yavianicerecently received their Revalty.

 

edit: Yes, it felt a bit like that established players were trying to cut the grass under their feet. The issue is that the market is already pretty well covered and Popondetta needs to find its own niche.

Edited by disturbman
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Yavianice

Yavianice

Posted
Posted (edited)

@JR 500系 yes, I am one of the suckers who pre-ordered the Revaty from Popondetta. I only received it last week, together with the door parts.

 

First impressions are:

  • It is less plasticky than TOMIX (if that makes sense. I always fel like that TOMIX has a bit more of a toy-ish feeling).
  • The plastic is thicker than TOMIX, which is a good thing. TOMIX has become very thin recently.
  • There seems to be a bit more detail than TOMIX, but not as much compared to TOMIX HG. 
  • There is no banana shape like TOMIX has in the recent models
  • The door parts are a MUST HAVE and I am still super angry that Popondetta had this as an optional extra. Note that their re-releases will have these door parts as standard and the whole train is approx 10.000 yen cheaper.
  • The Lights are nicely done on the cabin cars. 
  • The interior areas are low quality compared to KATO, but about the same as TOMIX or GreenMax. 
  • Their "close couplers" (which are on the door parts) are thankfully much like TN couplers, and not the crap that Micro Ace produces that is huge and breaks super easily.

So, I prefer Popondetta to normal TOMIX but I still feel ripped off. I think it says more about how unhappy I have been recently with TOMIX than saying that Popondetta's are superior, however. 

 

Edited by Yavianice
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Kamome

Kamome

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the information @Yavianice

 

I’m always very impressed with the look and detail of the Poppondetta freight wagons. I guess it will take time to create momentum behind Poppondetta as a manufacturer and there will be good and bad as they try and push forward with more complex designs and liveries. 

 

There is however,  no excuse for poor quality from a huge company like Takara Tomy. Their HO offerings are always well detailed but i must admit, some of their material choices seem cost saving rather than designed for the job. But you’re right with their N scale stuff, there is a toy-like feel to a lot of their models that you don’t get with other train model manufacturers. Surely if they can produce HG, that should be the standard for everything they make.

 

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disturbman

disturbman

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Kamome said:

I’m always very impressed with the look and detail of the Poppondetta freight wagons.


The recent sets? Because the ex-Kawai sets they had released under their brand, though nice to have, we’re not known for the finesse of their details.

 

I think the issue is also that Poppondetta has been producing relatively expensive sets, which limits the appeal of their products and our – as in us, buyers of Japanese N models – exposure to them. It’s hard to spend 30,000 JPY on the product of a manufacturer you do not know, and that nobody knows.

 

Regarding Tomix, what makes you feel that their sets are more toy-like than Kato or Micro Ace? Is there something in the quality of the details? The finish of the painting? The lack of black wheels?

 

I haven’t really noticed anything that sets them apart – though the silver wheels are quite annoying – but I also almost only own HG sets. It was quite difficult to tell apart Tomix trains from Kato’s when @JR 500系posted its lineup pictures.

Edited by disturbman
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Yavianice

Yavianice

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, disturbman said:

Regarding Tomix, what makes you feel that their sets are more toy-like than Kato or Micro Ace? Is there something in the quality of the details? The finish of the painting? The lack of black wheels?

 

I haven’t really noticed anything that sets them apart – though the silver wheels are quite annoying – but I also almost only own HG sets. It was quite difficult to tell apart Tomix trains from Kato’s when @JR 500系posted its lineup pictures.

 

The HG sets are very good and really the way all Tomix stuff should be made IMO (although not all HG sets are worthy of the 'high grade' nomenclature, the terrible E001 and boring Yufuin no Mori that is inferior compared to its Micro Ace counterpart being good examples).

 

But their normal stuff is just very very toy-ish. Especially (but not only) their Shinkansens. The feeling, the type of plastic, the glossyness... I dunno. It feels like it is made for people who play with their trains a bit more roughly or don't care about the details so much... (I also have some models that are the same from Tomix and some other brand to compare). Perhaps I am just very sensitive to it but other brands feel much more like model trains to me, but I'm glad I am not the only one who noticed 😄 

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disturbman

disturbman

Posted
Posted

😄

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/friends/images/c/c3/The_Friendly_Finger.gif/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/231?cb=20180424162330

 

Cheap shot. 

These were honest questions. I only have a handful of similar models by different manufacturers and have never been able to compare their models in large quantities. My last trip to Japan was more than 10 years ago now.

I have had KiHa 40s by Tomix and Micro Ace - Tomix are better detailed. 115 series from Tomix and Greenmax - I have not had time to compare them. As well as Tobu 8000 series by Kato and Micro Ace. My main beef with Tomix (and Greenmax) is the non-darkened wheels, it takes a lot of the realism away and makes their models feel cheaper.

 

So I was wondering what else could give this feeling of toy-ishness away. What others could be sensible too. Also because what triggers that feeling can be hard to pinpoint in N scale, compared to other scales.

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Kamome

Kamome

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, disturbman said:

Regarding Tomix, what makes you feel that their sets are more toy-like than Kato or Micro Ace? Is there something in the quality of the details? The finish of the painting? The lack of black wheels?

I own only a handful of Tomix N scale locomotives which are all nice models. The silver wheels are an irritation but the general modelling is good, although the split chassis design on a few tends to cause some running issues from time to time.

 

The HO locomotives are very nice models, have metal etched parts, good deep colours on the body paint and tons of details to add. There are however areas where some of the included detail parts are very delicate, too flexible and brittle in some instances.

 

I have had some challenges with air hoses, shunting steps, snow ploughs and sanding pipes. As mentioned, these parts feel rushed or produced at low cost. They often have flash or very pronounced mould lines to clean up.

 

These or similar details on Kato HO always feel far more robust without the need to clean up parts.

The trade off is with Kato you don’t get the finer details like metal wipers, etched builders plates etc..

 

Then factor that a Kato locomotive from most of the main retailers costs around ¥18,000-20,000. This, in most cases has an 8 pin DCC socket to easily add a decoder, be it a bit old fashioned these days or working tail/shunting lights.

The equivalent Tomix is around ¥25,000-32,000 and you don’t always feel that you’re getting anything for the extra 30% investment. 

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Das Steinkopf

Das Steinkopf

Posted
Posted

I have plenty of stock from both Tomix and Kato and I can’t say one is inferior from the other, they both have their pros and cons but overall there is no great difference. That said when it comes to modern freight stock I prefer Tomix over Kato, they have a greater range and the details are quite good, prime example is the KoKi 104’s, Kato has persistently offered their model without the footsteps on the platform end of the wagon, whilst their KoKi 106’s and the newer KoKi 107’s have them. The TaKi 1000’s make an interesting comparison, the Tomix model has far better physical details, the Kato model has more detailed markings with the decals, it wasn’t until the recent release of Kato 10-1669 and 8081 that they fixed the paint work on the ladder, Tomix had that from the start. The only spot where I see Kato being better than Tomix is with the printed details, they do have a greater level of detail with more markings on their models.


 Kato does have the rather lazy habit of just slapping paint on a model and presenting it as a certain variant, this is more visible with their Shinkansen models where Tomix puts more attention into detail and accurately captures the variant, the 500 Series EVA and E2-1000 Yamabiko being prime examples.

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maihama eki

maihama eki

Posted
Posted

These Metro sets come with Arnold couplers - presumably truck mounted based on some prior Popondetta releases ... grumble.

 

Does anyone know if they can be easily replaced with body mounted close couplers like TN style?

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KateM

KateM

Posted
Posted
On 3/18/2022 at 9:21 AM, disturbman said:

New announcements for 2023:

Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line / Fukutoshin Line 17000 series, https://maker.popondetta.com/maker/?p=1733,

Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line 18000 series, https://maker.popondetta.com/maker/?p=1821,

Nagoya Municipal Transportation Bureau N1000 type, https://maker.popondetta.com/maker/?p=1840.

 

Popondetta cancelled all the Tokyo Metro sets. N1000 is still planned though.

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Das Steinkopf

Das Steinkopf

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, disturbman said:

Popondetta announces Tokyu 5000 and 5200 series, this one will probably be safe.
 

 

I'm hoping they do the 1 and 2 car variants of the 5000 Series used by the Kumaden, I know it's a big wish but it would be great if they did.

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