Endo Type 923-3000 series Shinkansen Dr. Yellow in HO!!!

[Ho Scale Railfan]

On 7/7/2022 at 4:57 PM, Need for High Speed said:

My Dr Yellow Shinkansen from Endo has shipped and will hopefully arrive in the next two weeks. Looking forward to my lucky yellow box of Shinkansen! The model is DC Only so it will take time to convert it to DCC. I feel that the model companies in Japan should make their trains more DCC ready. Although knowing that Japanese electronics are typically kept relatively simple hopefully this set won't be too hard to convert, Since it has driving lights in both cabs and two motor cars I may need 4 decoders to convert this thing. But Once converted I will be able to run it at train shows and club layouts with my other Shinkensens. I'll share some photos once it arrives.

 

 

 

I agree, that's a good point but sadly I don't see Endo doing another rerun of the Dr. Yellow Type 923 Shinkansen. The reason why I think they even decided to make it in plastic is because some else has already produced Dr Yellow T5 3000 series in Brass, I think it was KTM could be wrong and the covid pandemic made the people running Endo feel that they could cheer up the miserableness of Japan with a yellow bullet train. Otherwise I doubt that they would have produced it. I used argue that there are plenty of HO modelers in West who want Shinkansen in HO to offset the smallish market in Japan. But, in reality Japanese companies are making products for the Japanese market and if a few foreigners happen to buy it so what that's not of concern to these Japanese manufacturers.

 

Endo did announce the E1 Shinkansen in HO recently but, it is a brass model and is insanely expensive like 8 grand or so in USD which is insane. Yes it's sold as a full 12 car set in one pack. I really don't like that many of these HO shinkansen models are very highly priced limited production run models that only rich people seem to afford. I understand that Japan has a different culture around model trains and scales then Westerners do because space is of premium in Japan so HO is seen as the scale you do when you can afford a large house or apartment. But Agree with you "HO Scale Railfan",  I do feel that HO does have its potential in Japan but the mentality seems to be that Brass is more durable which means quality. Whereas plastic is cheaper and seen as more lower end and companies fear people aren't willing to pay lots of money for it because the market is seen as niche by the manufacturers. Although as demographic shift and younger generations may find that the cheaper plastic stuff is just as good. I hope in the future more Shinkansens are produced in plastic with cheaper prices which opens up the hobby to a greater number of people who can't afford ten thousand dollar brass models but want to get into HO scale.

 

There are plenty of HO scale models in Japan its just that hardly any of them are Shinkansens even though the Shinkansens run on standard gauge allowing them to be scaled properly to the track. I really wish Tenshodo would rerun the 500 series in HO scale because it's such a popular train. I also wish that Kato would revisit the N700S and E6 shinkansens for HO scale. Meanwhile Tomix hasn't produced a single shinkansen in HO yet so maybe they will be next to produce a plastic shinkansen in HO. But still, the trains that will be produced in HO in the next 10 years beyond anyone's guess.

I didn't realize you were the same person as "This Boring Modern World" on YouTube (hope my username and profile pic is a bit more obvious). 

 

It would help if Tomix had a website accessible in the US. It would sure make contacting and product suggestions a lot easier.

 

I managed to find Kato's Japan site and a "contact us" page. Perhaps if enough of us request it, they will resurface the Ho Scale E6 and N700 projects.

 

Site for those interested: https://www.katomodels.com/mail

[maihama eki]

That's a beautiful looking model.

 

Before I was a Japanese n-scale devotee, I remember eyeing the Tenshodo 500 Series. They were readily in stock in hobby shops in Japan at that time. They are precious now on the secondary market.

[cteno4]

10 hours ago, Ho Scale Railfan said:

It would help if Tomix had a website accessible in the US. It would sure make contacting and product suggestions a lot easier.

Tomix really does not really listen much outside of japan. They did a half hearted attempt to distribute some n scale track and structures in the us through Walthers, but it was at arms reach and just a place to do some extra sales and it failed pretty miserably. The market for Japanese trains here in the US is a tiny, tiny faction of the Japanese market so I doubt they would listen much compared to listening to the main Japanese market desires. It’s just business, listening to the the core market.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Kamome]

Yes, it’s only really Kato that have an interest in additional markets outside of Japan. I would also add that the licenses most companies are granted are for domestic use only and being (Tomix/Takara Tomy)the largest of all the companies, probably don’t want to break any agreements with other large corporations. For the small number who buy products through retailers shipped overseas, the market is too small for them to need a clamp down, although certain products have been restricted in the past that have additional licensing, I believe the Hello Kitty 500 was one such product. 

 

As for HO, Kato certainly have never made any indication about production of the N700. There was a slight teaser from an old Kato channel youtube post after they released their E5, at the end it mentioned the train waits for the E6. Nothing has materialised since that video, shortly after the E5s release in 2013. Never say never but Kato are certainly waiting a while if they do still intend on producing it. Not sure how large the HO shinkansen market is in Japan.

 

Plenty of HO modellers are in the 55+ age bracket who are more inclined to stick to their nostalgia of the JNR era stock. I’m sure there is a market, but probably not as large as those wanting older trains. When I use the rental layouts, there is the odd younger collector that tends to have a few JRF locos and perhaps one or two trains worth of Kokis. Then you have those who have a lot of steam era stuff and the odd one or two that collect modern image of the local area in brass. I think I’ve only ever seen one chap running the Kato E5. The majority are running Kato and Tomix plastic JNR stock.

 

Maybe those with a lot of space collect HO shinkansen but i don’t think it’s the mass market. Plenty of n scale collectors with shinkansen however. 

Edited July 19, 2022 by Kamome
Apple Correct Issues

[JR East]

Looking to the length of a N700 (404,7 m according to Wikipedia, having it in HO (1:87) represent a length of 4,65 m and in Japanese HO (1:80) 5,05m. It's a significant length even for a +55 modeler. That's a reason why - even in N - I do not have Shinkansen at home currently on my (small) Kato V11. 

 

JM

Edited July 20, 2022 by JR East
typos

[cteno4]

Even Kato has not really shown much real interest in exporting Japanese N scale trains to the US market even having KatoUSA. The 500 was the rare one they seemed to do on their own (other attempts were in conjunction with a particular dealer or distributor and very small and just one offs) and even there it ended up in a bit of a disaster as they had a tendency for the diaphragm couplers to break and they were not supplying any replacement parts and that caused a lot of upset. The coupler wasn’t really their fault, just a unique design that no one in the us was use to and then broken with mishandling, it was the not supplying spare parts to fix them that pissed folks off. Again, like Tomix with Walthers, it was more of what of our produced Japanese stuff could we potentially sell some extra of in the US market rather than trying to produce for that market and didn’t work out well (and sort of doubt it ever does).

 

in HO you have a very tiny interest in the US for Japanese trains and then an even smaller subset that is willing/able to pay several thousand dollars for a train. Also since the Japanese HO market is small to begin with you have the increased costs of doing a low number production runs, so they really have to focus on what will sell the absolute best (larger numbers in N scale mean they can go for the less popular and more obscure stuff at not much of a premium.

 

Kamome makes a good point of the particular audience in Japan that has the money will sort of rule on what gets made. jr East also makes a good post that even in N scale a 16 car shinkansen is 2m in length and even with a bigger layout running fast the tend to feel like they are chasing their tails.

 

business culture in japan also tends not to communicate much outside of Japan unless it’s very necessary and then they tend to really want to be able to be very correct in their communication so as not to make a mistake, offense, or embarrassment. So this is why you won’t see many places in japan with English (or other language) facing websites.

 

sorry it’s just sort of the way it is and hard to see a way that it could be changed.

 

jeff

[Need for High Speed]

Thank you all so much for the support, hopefully "HO Scale Railfan" is following along with every one's comments that shed light on the reality of Japan's Model train market but at the same time I don't like deterring peoples wishful thinking.

 

On 7/18/2022 at 4:03 PM, Ho Scale Railfan said:

I managed to find Kato's Japan site and a "contact us" page. Perhaps if enough of us request it, they will resurface the Ho Scale E6 and N700 projects.

HO Scale Railfan, I enjoy your enthusiasm but sometimes we all have to face reality and just accept it for what it is and learn to appreciate what we do have. It took several years to get over myself and understand that in Japan HO is just not the same as it is in the United States or Europe. Sure If I were a rich millionaire yeah maybe I'll go spend 50k+ dollars to buy all the brass shinkansens and a few extras rather than losing it at a casino or on some stupid sports car.  But the reality is I'm not and that's an insane amount of money for a bunch of miniature trains so it seems that HO and especially HO brass is more of a status marker for a select group of people in Japan.

 

For a while I had bet on China for producing high speed EMUs in HO scale but once the Covid Pandemic hit and china went into lock down and remains closed in many areas. Meanwhile they have become a lot more strict and their middle class has not maintained the growth that was originally predicted a few years ago. The model train manufacturers over there seem to have stalled and are focusing on HO scale Steam or various locomotives of China Railways and the HSR rolling stock has been mostly ignored. Aside from the CR400AF produced in HO by MoonRail/SinoModel and a couple of N scale EMUs made by Kunter most of which they seem to be selling to the niche market in Japan that is focused on China Railways (why else would you make your nose coupler compatible to Kato's shinkansen models.) Compared to the cost of Japanese N scale Chinese N scale is more expensive and from what people have reported to me the Chinese N scale is pricey and not that good compared to Japanese products. As CHina has become a lot more stricter I've been losing faith that they will develop a large robust model railroad community, market, and network where manufacturers will be able to economically produce more EMU sets. 

 

This leads to a quite strange dynamic where East Asia has more high speed rail and high speed trains than the rest of the world combined. Yet also has the least amount of HO models of them produced. One may say that's because there is more wealth in places like the West or Japan then most of East Asia thus more people can afford expensive hobbies such as model railroading and live in mostly stable safe societies and own houses or apartments to keep their stuff in of itself is a privilege we "Westerners" may not recognize that and should be thankful for it. This is why far more models of trains from North America, Europe, and Japan are most available.

 

So for people like "HO scale Railfan" I wish I could help them find more Shinkansen models in HO but they just don't exist unless you're willing to pay for the Japanese Brass models or 4k dollars for the South Korean KTX Sancheon HO model by DetailedK. The fact that Endo chose to to make a shinkansen in a way where I can afford it, I'm thankful for that, but it's good to keep in mind that this Dr Yellow set is an anomaly not a given. Yet 900 dollars later Im gonna have to spend another $80 or so and several hours converting this train to DCC, it's not fair but that's what it is. I have a friend who is paying several extra hundred dollars to a shop in Japan just to have Dr Yellow converted to DCC ready and then he'll still pay the price for the train itself and plug in his own separately bought decoders. So he will likely end up paying at least a few hundred more than a DIY guy like me.

 

I am specifically focused on modeling high speed trains, 80% of what I own are HO scale high speed trains from all over the world. Yes, there are plenty of trains I want that just simply don't exist as models in any scale in some cases and getting access to blueprints for custom 3D printing projects is nearly impossible for some of these trains even if I had the skills to design my own drive tooling in the first place (which I don't) Although if I can find the Mehano S-100 AVE I can use some milliput and do some plastic surgery on its nose to make it pointier. Then repaint it with the extra blue stripes and I could have myself a Korail KTX-1 from South Korea then I'd have to print my own Decals.

 

 

On 7/19/2022 at 12:33 AM, maihama eki said:

Before I was a Japanese n-scale devotee, I remember eyeing the Tenshodo 500 Series. They were readily in stock in hobby shops in Japan at that time. They are precious now on the secondary market.

I've been searching for a full 16 car set of the Tenshodo 500 series for 5 years now and each chance I get I chicken out and it's gone. Seriously I'll pay up to 3 grand for a 16 car 500 series train from Tenshodo, I want it period. Which may sound like a lot but 3k is pretty good price compared to paying 7 grand for the new 8 car E4 MAX KTM is releasing soon or nearly 10 grand for Endo's 12 car brass E1, I like the E1 a lot but the cost of these brass trains is just beyond insane. Someday I'll get the full set of Tenshodo's 500 series...

 

Finally I think that Tomix might be next to produce a shinkansen in HO because Kato has already done one.  I think Tmoix might go for the N700A or preferably the N700S since they operate on the popular Tokaido shinkansen and the Kamome Shinkansen also has N700S train sets to. Thats two liveries for the same train type and more potential people interested. But again producing full 16 car shinkansens in HO is a lot but there are 8 car train sets of the N700S they could go for instead. But maybe I'm wrong, the future is random anything could happen.  

[Kamome]

As Endo have produced the Doctor Yellow in plastic, and units sold through relatively quickly, it shows that the market is there, or they’ve at least created one. I’m sure this will push other manufacturers to consider other releases in the future and as the market grows, as will production. 

 

Another consideration of the lack of plastic shinkansen models may be due to the scale difference of 1/80 regular stock and 1/87 shinkansen. The n scale differences of 1/150 regular stock and 1/160 shinkansen can merge relatively unnoticed unless you really scrutinise the models side by side. Does H0J and H0 merge quite in the same way? Possibly not. I would say the market they’re trying to pitch at is the plastic H0J owners (1/80) and the noticeable scale difference may put collectors off, unless, like yourself, they only want shinkansen.

Brass owners can purchase 1/87 H0 12mm regular stock and 1/87 HO 16.5mm shinkansen to keep scale consistent. 

[Giugiaro]

On 7/23/2022 at 11:44 PM, Need for High Speed said:

Seriously I'll pay up to 3 grand for a 16 car 500 series train from Tenshodo, I want it period. Which may sound like a lot but 3k is pretty good price...

 

3 grand for 16 cars in HO doesn't sound so bad for a rare EMU. After all, that's less than twice how much... ahem... Roco, Märklin or SudExpress would charge for a new one.

[Martijn Meerts]

I don't think there's a big enough market to warrant a (plastic) 16 car shinkansen really. Creating the moulds is just too expensive, and very few people will likely want a full 16 car train. Obviously they could release a base set with multiple add-ons, but to make it financially doable, the add-ons would likely be generic and you'd have to install various details yourself, and install decals yourself as well.

 

I think Dr. Yellow sold well mainly because it's Dr. Yellow, and because the set is short enough to be able to run on a layout. A full 16-car shinkansen would need a rather large layout to not look silly. 

[Need for High Speed]

Here are some snapshots taken from a video I took of Dr Yellow at night. its LEDs are very bright.

When I install DCC I will try to keep the Interior lights and roof lights on a separate circuit so they just urn on automatically and the decoder only has to control the motor. For the cabs the head/rear lights including the drivers cab light will be hooked to the decoder and the rest will be on a separate circuit. All depends on how Endo did the electronics for it.

 

If you look above the train the Catenary mast is illuminated by the pantograph lights on the roof. This model is insane.

 

Dr Yellow's tail lights. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo this is a zoomed in snap shot from a video clip.

The rear cab lights up to, is that typical?

 

 

 

37 minutes ago, Martijn Meerts said:

A full 16-car shinkansen would need a rather large layout to not look silly. 

Here is a 20 car long Shinkansen fully DCC equipped in HO scale, two Kato E5 sets linked together a total of 8 motors on this train!

This was before I sold my second set.

A 16 car 500 serie shinkansen is really not that bad when some of the freight trains on this layout are longer than this 20 car shinkansen. This is at my train club although having 20 car shinkansen going full speed can be a bit intimidating but their was no other trains running at the time so I was able to crank it up to full speed and it was very loud. I will admit this was strait up awesomeness. But obviously not everyone has access to a 4,000 sq foot layout with several scale miles of main line track. 

 

A friend of mine in Germany owns a 16 car 300 series shinkansen from KTM. When he visits America in the next couple of years hopefully he will bring it to me. I told him I will install DCC into his 300 series for him for no extra charge and get it running at my club. My other friends will likely show up to see the exotic train and meet my buddy from Germany and if they bring their own sets to such as their E5 and 0 series it will be Shinkansen Palooza! Followed by a special video uploaded to Youtube. I also know another guy in Florida who owns the KTX Sancheon HO model and wants to come see my shinkansens and run their KTX at my club.

 

At some point I will install interior lights in my E5, I herd that the head cab cars use the Kato N scale interior light kit and the coaches use the regular HO scale Kato light kits, all ten kits will get expensive though.

[Martijn Meerts]

Yeah, if you have the layout for it, it looks really impressive, even when not going full speed 🙂

 

I had part of the H0 E5 for a bit, installed a sound decoder in it for a friend. The motors in the bogies was rather finicky, but turned out allright in the end.

 

Personally my interest has shifted away from the modern stuff, but if someone did a new 0 series in H0, i might be tempted o.O

[cteno4]

Yes sorry, was not intended to rain on the parade so much as answer the questions put forward why there wasn’t more Ho high speed trains produced and why Japanese companies don’t have outward facing sites. Just a different world than US and Euro HO market. Wish it were otherwise for you guys to have a more affordable and diverse high speed train collection in HO. Can always dream but not expect it should happen.

 

you’ve done an amazing job @Need for High Speed in keeping your faith in Japanese HO high speed trains and assembling a nice collection over the years with a lot of patience and making the best of finances and availability, kudos. It’s also been great you get them out at the club and public shows almost everyone here’s has never seen one—other than yours I would have never seen an HO shinkansen! The big club modular setups at shows with a lot of space are great for the HO shinkensens and really stand out better than a 60 car coal train.

 

On 7/23/2022 at 6:44 PM, Need for High Speed said:

Sure If I were a rich millionaire yeah maybe I'll go spend 50k+ dollars to buy all the brass shinkansens and a few extras rather than losing it at a casino or on some stupid sports car. 

That’s the spirit! Along with a 4000sqft layout with 60’ straightaways and large swoop curves!
 

interesting point @Kamome on the 1/150-1/160 vs 1/80-1/87 scale differences (6.6% vs 8.75%). Always interesting to see when and where the eye registers a big change, usually is a threshold for the eye then bam feels very different. Don’t know if the larger size of HO over N would make it more or less visible as well. Never seen HOj in the flesh next to HO shinkensens so would be interesting to see.
 

cheers

 

jeff

 

(sorry looks like I forgot to hit submit on this post a few days ago).

[Martijn Meerts]

I can't compare an H0j train to a H0 shinkansen, but I could at some point pull out my Marklin H0 ICE2, and compare that to some H0j stuff. 

 

H0j by itself doesn't look much different from H0 really. You only really notice the gauge difference when seeing the locos from the front or rear. Especially if you have multiple pieces of rolling stock, it's really not very noticeable that the gauge is 12mm rather than 16.5mm. 

 

Once the Kiwa90 is a bit further along, I'll see if I can do a quick lineup of that, the C55, the Hokutan #2 and then the Marklin ICE2.

 

[Need for High Speed]

Obviously I don't own any non japanese shinkansen trains. At one point I was trying to buy the Tomix HO EF-66 100 with the square headlights since that version looks more retro. But I just couldn't find any for less then 250 dollars and gave up after a few months. 

 

But when comparing the shinkansens to other trains they typically appear relatively low and wide while the European trains seem a bit skinny even though they are all technically 1:87 scale. The ICE 3 and ETR610 pendolino in particular appear fairly skinny and tall compared to the Shinkansen. This is partly because a lot of the Western trains have AC units and other equipment on the roof where as the shinkansens similar to some of the Chinese trains have everything squeezed under the floor of the car. Another noticeable difference is that the European trains have relatively low floors and boarding heights. Where as the Shinkansens have higher floors and higher boarding heights which gives you more room under neath to put stuff. But compared to American NEC Amtrak equipment the floor heights are about the same thanks to the PRR's metroliner platform boarding heights.

 

But OO scale from Britain is modeled to 1:76 which is actually slightly larger than Japanese 1:80th scale trains. I own the Hornby Class 395 so let's see how that compared in relative scale and size to Dr. Yellow. 

 

 

1:87 vs 1:76 is fairly noticeable so 1:80th scale is likely to be even less noticeable unless you are used to seeing the trains in their real life sizes.

But given this OO scal Class 395 has a higher floor than the shinkansen the scale difference is quite noticeable. I really don't think the 1:80th scale trains are as stark in size to the shinkansen aside from the track gauge which is likely to throw off the eye the most I guess.

Obviously when comparing sizes in model trains your eye can sometimes play tricks on you. So make of this as you wish.

 

 

When Dr Yellow is compared to other European trains that are normal 1:87th scale such as this Italian ETR500 first gen E404 (I do not recommend paying full price for any model made the italian company A.C.M.E. they are high cost and low quality, not good) The sizes are more reasonable here but you may notice the Shinkansen appears wider than the typical European train.

The height of the boarding platform at my HSR station is about right for Shinkansens and Amtrak trains but sometimes it's a bit high for European trains especially the TGV. 

 

\

Obviously comparing high speed trains to other high speed trains can be a bit of a vacuum. Freight wagon and loco sizes may be a whole nother story. 

But given that Shinkansen high speed EMUs typically stay on separate right of ways and are not usually seen sharing tracks with freight or non high speed passenger commuter trains. So, to some Japanese modelers having freight and high speed on the same tracks regardless of scale or gauge differences may feel strange to them. Where as in Europe and North America it is not uncommon to see high speed trains sharing tracks with local passenger and freight trains. So having a high speed train on your layout may not feel as strange to Western modelers than Japanese modelers especially those in HO and may be another possible reason as to why they aren't as interested in running the shinkansen. The E6 does share the tracks with regular freight and passenger.

So if Kato made the E6 their may be more modelers comfortable with the idea that they could run it on their layouts unless they are sticking to a particular time period before the E6 came about. Unlike the E5 at 10 cars and similar to Dr Yellow the E6 is only 7 cars long so it wouldn't be to much of a lengthy train compared to the E5 thus maybe more desirable compared to the E5. For those who know me, if they announce an E6 or anything shinkansen I'm jumping on it right away and since its kato it will not likely be insanely expensive.

 

American trains seem to be the widest and tallest and the Shinkansens generally feel low and wide and the Europe trains feel more skinny. Never bothered measuring them I don't really care regardless. Unless you have a prototypical high level boarding platforms seen in Japan and North America like me then the low European doors look a bit strange but the Shinkansens seem to fit in just fine. just an observation.

 

I know this is a Forum for Japanese trains not American or European stuff but its interesting to see how things compare in relative size.

 

Edited July 26, 2022 by Need for High Speed

[Giugiaro]

14 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Don’t know if the larger size of HO over N would make it more or less visible as well. Never seen HOj in the flesh next to HO shinkensens so would be interesting to see.

 

The British OO scale is 1:76 on HO track, so it should look more ridiculous than HOj in comparison.
 

https://www.altonmrg.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/scale-gauge-1.jpg

 

[disturbman]

9 hours ago, Need for High Speed said:

The E6 does share the tracks with regular freight and passenger.

 

Not totally correct. The E6s run on regauged tracks and only share with E701s that are equipped with standard gauge bogies on the Tawazako line. Otherwise, they run alongside normal traffic.

Edited July 26, 2022 by disturbman

[Ho Scale Railfan]

17 hours ago, Need for High Speed said:

Unlike the E5 at 10 cars and similar to Dr Yellow the E6 is only 7 cars long so it wouldn't be to much of a lengthy train compared to the E5 thus maybe more desirable compared to the E5.

The length is part of the reason why I think it'd be a good idea to see an E3 Shinkansen made in Ho Scale and I'm legitimately surprised that no company has made them, not even in brass. (Yeah yeah, I know, Japanese market demand, N Scale>Ho Scale, the market outside Japan isn't big enough to warrant making it, etc...) There are also several variants (R Series 5 Car Sets, 1000/2000 Series 7 Car Sets, and a few livery variations like Komachi, both new and old Tsubasa, Toreiyu Excursion, Genbi Excursion and E926 East I), but I realize that it can be a bit of a double edged sword for manufacturers in that you have several options for that particular model, but you'd also need to tool up all the prototype specifics, thus higher cost. If that were the case, I'd pick up any of the examples mentioned in parentheses, if any of the Japanese model train manufacturers were to make them.

 

If length was a serious concern, there are a few Shinkansens that are shorter than 10 cars, namely the mini-Shinkansen sets (E3, E6 and 400 Series), Kodama 500 Series, 700 Railstar Series. and the trains that run on the Kyushu line.

 

But hey, I'm not one to determine what the manufacturers will make. Just as long as they make something to keep modelers satisfied, it's all good.

Edited July 26, 2022 by Ho Scale Railfan

[Kamome]

4 hours ago, Ho Scale Railfan said:

The length is part of the reason why I think it'd be a good idea to see an E3 Shinkansen made in Ho Scale and I'm legitimately surprised that no company has made them, not even in brass

Katsumi have made a number of them.  (KTM) Can’t find the older versions on their website anymore but definitely seen the Komachi and I thought there was a version of the purple pants on head livery too. 

 

https://etrain.jp/newitem/?p=5145

 

http://www.ktm-models.co.jp/JRtopics_E3-2000-tsubasa.html

 

 

 

 

[Ho Scale Railfan]

14 hours ago, Kamome said:

Katsumi have made a number of them.  (KTM) Can’t find the older versions on their website anymore but definitely seen the Komachi and I thought there was a version of the purple pants

Okay, that was my bad. I searched up Ho Scale E3 Shinkansen and nothing came up.

[Kamome]

Actually not that easy to find. But sadly only brass for a measly ¥400,000 for the 7 car set.  If money and space were no object, i’d definitely collect JR East shinkansen for the design variation and liveries. Obviously if the plastic HO shinkansen do kick off with the success of the Dr. Yellow, I’d want an E4 to start.

Edited July 27, 2022 by Kamome

[cteno4]

@Ho Scale Railfan try translating some of your search terms into Japanese with google translate and using that to search, may bring up some additional items. Also try 1/80 and 1/87 as well.

 

oooh a brass E4! 

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Ho Scale Railfan]

8 hours ago, cteno4 said:

@Ho Scale Railfan try translating some of your search terms into Japanese with google translate and using that to search, may bring up some additional items.

Thanks for that little tip. I took your advice and did a little search. Turns out KTM did make all the mainline service versions of the E3,

 

On 7/26/2022 at 5:56 PM, Kamome said:

but definitely seen the Komachi and I thought there was a version of the purple pants.

 

 

including both the original Komachi livery and the modern Purple Tsubasa livery. However the special versions, Toreiyu Excursion, Genbi Excursion and E926 "East I" are yet to be produced. But that's again understandable due to some noticeable tooling, interior and livery differences.

 

I would still think that the E3 would be a worthy contender for the next plastic Ho Scale Shinkansen, due to its overall length, being short enough to not look ridiculous on a small layout, and its multiple variants (again, I understand that it's both a benefit and drawback for manufacturing and tooling). Again the point of length can be valid for all the Mini-Shinkansen sets. It all just boils down to opinion and what the manufacturers decide to make.

 

 

12 hours ago, Kamome said:

Obviously if the plastic HO shinkansen do kick off with the success of the Dr. Yellow, I’d want an E4 to start.

 

8 hours ago, cteno4 said:

oooh a brass E4! 

 

(Opinion segment, don't read if you dont want to.)

 

I didn't think I'd be voicing my opinion on the matter of "Shinkansen you'd want to see produced in Ho Scale Plastic" and I don't mean to 'dis your Shinkansen favorites choice; but if I had the $8k USD for a Brass E4 Shinkansen, I wouldn't buy it as it's (no offense) my least favorite mainline service Shinkansen in terms of design. I'd buy a KTM E2 and still have enough for an Endo DR Yellow on the secondary market. Of course, this is opinion subjective.

If it wasn't obvious, the one I'd like to see most in Ho Scale plastic is the E2. But I highly doubt it'll ever be made unless the Ho Scale Shinkansen demand in Japan booms, and even then the E2 isn't the most popular of the JR East Sets.

 

At this point, if one gets announced, I'd consider buying any Ho Scale plastic Shinkansen, just because of how niche the market has become (even if it was an E4).

Edited July 28, 2022 by Ho Scale Railfan

[cteno4]

To each his own.

 

E4 is something you have to experience in person to get the full feel of it. When it slides into a station it’s amazing to stand and watch that nose grow with a very graceful curve. It looks actually more streamlined than most of the shinkansens from a close view in person. This grace gets lost in pictures and models with scale and perspective changes. It’s a monster but it’s incredibly graceful in real life.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Kamome]

5 hours ago, Ho Scale Railfan said:

E4 Shinkansen, I wouldn't buy it as it's (no offense) my least favorite mainline service Shinkansen

Heresy!!🙉

 

I think it all stems from some of the ridership memories of certain trains. Yes, she's a big girl, not the fastest, not the best looking. But she just has something I like.😄

It was the first train that got me interested in Japanese railway modelling and is still my favourite.

Also seen an E4 getting fitted with some new bogies on an open day near Sendai which was just impressive on a twin deck monster and have fond memories of riding E4s out of Tokyo and getting an awesome view of the train yard just outside Ueno filled with blue train locos and rolling stock. You won't get that view anymore due to multiple reasons.

 

Like-wise the sensation of passing through stations at full pelt from the lower deck when your nose is at platform height.