Tomix - New Releases

[Kamome]

Tomix always jump on these things first but it’s only a matter of time.

 

As Kato are hosting another diorama competition in Fukuoka this year, seems sensible to produce it for the show. Will the EF510-300 need to differ externally from the other variants in model form? From what I can tell only the signal flare position was different between 0 and 500 variants. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Kamome

[cplchanb]

18 hours ago, Yavianice said:

Both the Twilight Mizukaze and E001 have interior lighting as part of the "Progressive Grade"

 

Pros Tomix:

• More prototypical Cabin, but you must be a rivet counter to really notice this 
• "Tree" in the lounge car
• Superior pantographs
• Electrified Couplers
• The front and closing cars are slightly better

Cons Tomix:

• Huge body gaps because the side parts next to the wheels are independent of the body
• Engine as usual obstructs part of the car interior
• Parts of the body are very thin, which allows the interior lighting to bleed through the roof in most cars
• Writing on the sides (car number, logo's, etc) is invisible except in perfect super bright lighting conditions
• Tomix lights are not flicker free and the electric couplers do not 100% solve this.

Pros KATO:

• No body gaps because the entire body is part of the same shell
• Writing on the sides is easily distinguishable
• Interior Light does not shine through the body
• Engine is perfectly hidden so you can enjoy the interior properly
• Box is better in my opinion, the TOMIX train has the "hah I grabbed you OH NOES the cases slid through the cover" packaging while KATO has the usual KATO sleeve
• Easier to couple and decouple than TOMIX

Cons KATO:

• No electric couplers (but tbh you should really be using the HKTILC/Popondetta lights, so you can have flicker free lights which are far superior to the TOMIX interior lights even with electric couplers)
• KATO pantographs can easily be exchanged with TOMIX Pantographs (which are sold separately)
• The front and closing lights are a bit dim in comparison but you can change this by swapping out the lightboard with an aftermarket version
• Lounge car is not as detailed as TOMIX

Also somehow I thought that the KATO's champagne color was slightly more vibrant while the TOMIX version was a bit less glossy. Depends on your preference I guess.

One thing that I just read up regarding the kato e001 is that the cab side windows are not as crisp as the tomix ones It's molded as a rectangle but in reality it's a trapezoid that has the lower section blacked out...but if you compare both the tomix to me has an edge in terms of the crispness of the seams that define the windows. I'm not sure how much it matters for collectors....

 

[Yavianice]

@cplchanb that’s what I meant with the more prototypical cabin. But to me having a train where the interior light doesn’t bleed through the roof is much more important.

[cteno4]

Little slip of hot dog wrapper (white paper with aluminum foil on one side) between light board and roof might fix the light leak.

 

jeff

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

Little slip of hot dog wrapper (white paper with aluminum foil on one side) between light board and roof might fix the light leak.

 

jeff

I’ve had to fix light leakage issues with a couple Tomix E4 cars. Seems to be very thin roofs. I just used some electrical tape

[cplchanb]

4 hours ago, Yavianice said:

@cplchanb that’s what I meant with the more prototypical cabin. But to me having a train where the interior light doesn’t bleed through the roof is much more important.

 

 

2 hours ago, Bob Martin said:

I’ve had to fix light leakage issues with a couple Tomix E4 cars. Seems to be very thin roofs. I just used some electrical tape

 

would painting the underside of the roof help reduce the bleed?

[cplchanb]

4 hours ago, Yavianice said:

@cplchanb that’s what I meant with the more prototypical cabin. But to me having a train where the interior light doesn’t bleed through the roof is much more important.

do you mind posting comparison pics of both of them? 

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, cplchanb said:

 

 

 

would painting the underside of the roof help reduce the bleed?

Hard to say, would need to be a paint that is quite opaque. Plus tape is undoable.

[Yavianice]

@cplchanb I don't, because I was so disappointed with the E001 from Tomix "Progressive Grade" with the invisible logo's and lightbleed that I sold it.

 

The lightbleed issue is similar to what Tomix has with the Odakyu VSE and E3: It comes mostly from the gaps and the soft plastic around them. So painting would not matter. You would need aluminum foil or electric tape like @cteno4 suggested to cover the holes and the sides of the holes. But that might be iffy in corners and still making the shell fit perfectly.

 

 

[Shinjinkun]

On 6/10/2022 at 11:28 PM, Yavianice said:

Both the Twilight Mizukaze and E001 have interior lighting as part of the "Progressive Grade"

 

Pros Tomix:

• More prototypical Cabin, but you must be a rivet counter to really notice this 
• "Tree" in the lounge car
• Superior pantographs
• Electrified Couplers
• The front and closing cars are slightly better

Cons Tomix:

• Huge body gaps because the side parts next to the wheels are independent of the body
• Engine as usual obstructs part of the car interior
• Parts of the body are very thin, which allows the interior lighting to bleed through the roof in most cars
• Writing on the sides (car number, logo's, etc) is invisible except in perfect super bright lighting conditions
• Tomix lights are not flicker free and the electric couplers do not 100% solve this.

Pros KATO:

• No body gaps because the entire body is part of the same shell
• Writing on the sides is easily distinguishable
• Interior Light does not shine through the body
• Engine is perfectly hidden so you can enjoy the interior properly
• Box is better in my opinion, the TOMIX train has the "hah I grabbed you OH NOES the cases slid through the cover" packaging while KATO has the usual KATO sleeve
• Easier to couple and decouple than TOMIX

Cons KATO:

• No electric couplers (but tbh you should really be using the HKTILC/Popondetta lights, so you can have flicker free lights which are far superior to the TOMIX interior lights even with electric couplers)
• KATO pantographs can easily be exchanged with TOMIX Pantographs (which are sold separately)
• The front and closing lights are a bit dim in comparison but you can change this by swapping out the lightboard with an aftermarket version
• Lounge car is not as detailed as TOMIX

Also somehow I thought that the KATO's champagne color was slightly more vibrant while the TOMIX version was a bit less glossy. Depends on your preference I guess.

 

Hi guys, I am new in the forum. For the latest two days I have been looking at precisely the shiki-shima train from Tomix. However, on ebay it is at ridiculous prices, and Kato one is even worse...

 

I saw that they are re-releasing the basic sets, but it seems they won't rerelease the "limited set" with the 10 carriages, am I wrong?

According to Yavianice, Kato's version should be better, but if they are not going to re-release it, then it will be a no-go for me.

 

So, if I were to bite the bullet with the tomix one, I have seen that there is an expansion interior pack, named Tomix 10079 (https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10651059). Do you recon buying this one would enhance the train looks? (just for the moment I don't have any rails, motors or whatnot, as I don't have much space, so probably I won't be able to even see the lights).

 

On a completely different note, I am also interested in the Mizukaze train (tomix 97912). I think probably happens the same thing with Tomix-Kato versions. Kato limited edition has been discontinued since 2019, and the f* scalpers are selling it for 600€+ all over ebay... Is it possible that Tomix will re-release the train somewhere in the future (I'm not in a rush, really...).

 

Finally, the last one I am looking for is the Kyushuu seven stars, nanatsuboshi. Is there any version planned or released that I don't know about?

https://www.cruisetrain-sevenstars.jp/english/

 

Apologies for asking so many questions.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

S.

Edited June 14, 2022 by Shinjinkun

[Yavianice]

@Shinjinkun Neither the Twilight Express Mizukaze or the 7 Stars Kyushu have announced re-releases scheduled. 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Yavianice

[katoftw]

Seven stars has previously been released once by Kato.

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10543233

[katoftw]

1 hour ago, Shinjinkun said:

 

(just for the moment I don't have any rails, motors or whatnot, as I don't have much space, so probably I won't be able to even see the lights).

Might be worth only investing in the 5 car basic set from Tomix for these above reasons.

 

10 car trains are 1.5m long.

[Guest]

I tried one of those interior upgrades before, specifically on my KATO Sunrise Express. I was fascinated by the detail that could be achieved.  But in the end, It was a LOT of work for very little gain. I couldn’t even see the difference from the outside looking thru the windows.

 

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Bob Martin

[Wolf]

Welcome aboard @Shinjinkun!

 

Something I had to learn once I joined this Forum here, wich has been helpfull and above to an extend most other Forums could just dream to achieve, is that the Japanese market works a little bit different, so stuff like "scalpers" or "being discontiniued" is not always the correct terminology.

 

in Japan, stuff gets produced with a lot of pre-notification. We even here on the Forum discuss the new announcements (like in this thread here for Tomix) a lot. Most stuff will be produced according to the pre-order interest that they stirr, alongside margains for store shelfes, and most of the time, thats simply it. So pre-ordering is sometimes the only surefire bet to receive something for sure.

 

Yes though, there are occasions were items just rocketeer in prices after release, like the E001 you are looking for (hunting for it myself, also Yahoo Auctions Japan is far less pricey), or the Evangelion 500 Shinkansen, or the 7stars in Kyushu one you mention. So there is a chance you might end up overpaying.

 

That said, and on the occasion of the E001 itself, I am fairly sure Kato as well will re-run the production at some point, the thing unknown tho is WHEN, although it already has been stated it might not be too far off now.

 

As for your other question, Tomix is re-releasing the full train, just in two separate packages, a 5 car starter package, and a 5 car add-on package with the "missing" 5 cars, something that is quite common to do in Japan, sometimes up to 3 packages.

 

I hope I was able to help, sorry to everyone else for massive OT on this thread. Also, as I am new myself, everyone correct me on wherever I told utter crap XD

[disturbman]

@Shinjinkun to find those trains, you might want to look for them on Yahoo Japan Auctions, the local eBay. There are some scalpers, but Kato sets are listed relatively often. You can use either Buyee or Zenmarket to bid. Buyee gives you the possibility to set email alerts for specific searches. From what I have seen, there is some competition for those items, and you should expect to pay about 30k JPY.

Edited June 14, 2022 by disturbman

[Shinjinkun]

9 hours ago, Yavianice said:

@Shinjinkun Neither the Twilight Express Mizukaze or the 7 Stars Kyushu have announced re-releases scheduled. 

 

@Yavianice Well, I suppose I can only wait then...

 

7 hours ago, katoftw said:

Might be worth only investing in the 5 car basic set from Tomix for these above reasons.

 

10 car trains are 1.5m long.

 

@katoftw I also considered this option, really, as I have like 75cm bookshelf. However, I am also kind of a "completionist", and I would feel like I am missing something 😛

 

6 hours ago, Bob Martin said:

I tried one of those interior upgrades before, specifically on my KATO Sunrise Express. I was fascinated by the detail that could be achieved.  But in the end, It was a LOT of work for very little gain. I couldn’t even see the difference from the outside looking thru the windows.

 

@Bob Martin That is an interesting comment, indeed. I never tried doing something like this, so I don't know how much time it would cost. In the end, I don't dislike mounting things, but I have loads of plamodels pending, and can never find time to assemble them T_T

 

5 hours ago, Wolf said:

Welcome aboard @Shinjinkun!

 

Something I had to learn once I joined this Forum here, wich has been helpfull and above to an extend most other Forums could just dream to achieve, is that the Japanese market works a little bit different, so stuff like "scalpers" or "being discontiniued" is not always the correct terminology.

 

in Japan, stuff gets produced with a lot of pre-notification. We even here on the Forum discuss the new announcements (like in this thread here for Tomix) a lot. Most stuff will be produced according to the pre-order interest that they stirr, alongside margains for store shelfes, and most of the time, thats simply it. So pre-ordering is sometimes the only surefire bet to receive something for sure.

 

Yes though, there are occasions were items just rocketeer in prices after release, like the E001 you are looking for (hunting for it myself, also Yahoo Auctions Japan is far less pricey), or the Evangelion 500 Shinkansen, or the 7stars in Kyushu one you mention. So there is a chance you might end up overpaying.

 

That said, and on the occasion of the E001 itself, I am fairly sure Kato as well will re-run the production at some point, the thing unknown tho is WHEN, although it already has been stated it might not be too far off now.

 

As for your other question, Tomix is re-releasing the full train, just in two separate packages, a 5 car starter package, and a 5 car add-on package with the "missing" 5 cars, something that is quite common to do in Japan, sometimes up to 3 packages.

 

Thanks for your detailed comment, @Wolf I am also a figure collector, so I have an idea of how the japanese market works. Furthermore, I have seen that even amazon japan has these "non-cancelable" products, trains included... it is really annoying, especially when you have to preorder 6 months or more in advance. I have no idea what could happen in this period, so if I have the necessity to cancel the order, they would punish me...

I will look for these auctions, but I am not a big fan of them... sometimes, the price could be even higher than just buying the product somewhere else.

Yes, about the train re-release in two packages, I was looking for the package that had both together, as I find it more of a collector's thing. Obviously, the final result will be the same, but I read that when they released the package in the past, was like 33000 Yen, that is a bit cheaper than buying the two separate packages now.

 

4 hours ago, disturbman said:

@Shinjinkun to find those trains, you might want to look for them on Yahoo Japan Auctions, the local eBay. There are some scalpers, but Kato sets are listed relatively often. You can use either Buyee or Zenmarket to bid. Buyee gives you the possibility to set email alerts for specific searches. From what I have seen, there is some competition for those items, and you should expect to pay about 30k JPY.

 

@disturbman I know zenmarket, I already bought a couple things from there. Regarding buyee, I will take a look. The problem I see is that I could have problems with local customs if I were to buy through those platforms. Amazon is safe because they use IOSS, so it arrives home without stopping in customs. The issues of living in Europe with the new legislation...

 

Thanks to all for the responses!

[disturbman]

8 hours ago, Shinjinkun said:

@disturbman I know zenmarket, I already bought a couple things from there. Regarding buyee, I will take a look. The problem I see is that I could have problems with local customs if I were to buy through those platforms. Amazon is safe because they use IOSS, so it arrives home without stopping in customs. The issues of living in Europe with the new legislation...

It shouldn't be a problem. You would only need to pay VAT plus maybe a processing fee on top after the customs are done clearing your package. Which would be the case with any other retailers than Amazon. I never had any issues importing model trains with the German customs.

Edited June 14, 2022 by disturbman

[Shinjinkun]

3 minutes ago, disturbman said:

It shouldn't be a problem. You would only need to pay VAT plus maybe a processing fee on top after the customs are done clearing with your package. Which would be the case with any other retailers than Amazon. I never had any issues importing model trains with the German customs.

Well, I am not sure about how well german customs work, but here in Spain we have something called ADT, part of the Correos group, and they always try to charge you with the "processing fee", that sometimes is ridiculously expensive... I am trying to avoid that if possible...

[disturbman]

Every forwarder makes you pay a processing fee here as well. Basis is 6€ but it can climb to 15€ with some of the express services. It's annoying but not exactly a problem.

My own problem with Amazon, is that their shipping cost for pre-orders are very high, based on some magic numbers, and are not actualized at shipping. I prefer to pay the processing ransom than ridiculously expensive shipping.

Edited June 14, 2022 by disturbman

[Giugiaro]

Weird. I only pay a flat 2€ of Customs service fee when shipping through JPost/CTT when shipping to Portugal.

I also do the paperwork and VAT payment for customs right as the parcel is leaving Japan, instead of waiting for the parcel to arrive and be processed by Customs.

 

As long as the article is released by customs before Monday, by Tuesday it should be going on my way. It seems to be true that all parcel arriving from North America and Asia leave customs on Tuesdays.

 

Hence why I avoid DHL. Their processing fee goes from 30€ upwards, and I'm in no mood to pay almost as much fee as I do shipping + VAT COMBINED.

[railsquid]

Pro-tip: move to Japan, not only do you get Japanese stuff easily and cheaply, the Japanese customs is very relaxed about inbound model railway packages and over the years I think I've only ever had to pay them twice (and the post office happily collects the money in the comfort of your own doorstep) 😄 .

[disturbman]

3 hours ago, Giugiaro said:

Weird. I only pay a flat 2€ of Customs service fee when shipping through JPost/CTT when shipping to Portugal.

Fees are slightly different in each European country, I think we had a thread on the subject.

[cplchanb]

14 hours ago, katoftw said:

Might be worth only investing in the 5 car basic set from Tomix for these above reasons.

 

10 car trains are 1.5m long.

they have the add on set as well for rerelease so you can get the full train.

[katoftw]

4 hours ago, cplchanb said:

they have the add on set as well for rerelease so you can get the full train.

re read what I typed.