Modemo and Tomytec trams 2011

[Fenway Park]

At the Japan Model Hobby Show, Modemo announced their intention to develop the Hiroshima 5000 tram with flywheel drive as well as front and rear lights.  This appears to be a modern low floor type with several sections. but is not the Siemens Combino. 

 

Tomytec are offering the Kyoto and Matsushima bogie trams which are older types. 

 

More details on ngi.blog.eonet.jp

[Guest ___]

One has to wonder how they are addressing the recent incursion into what has been pretty much their only bread and butter for years from TomyTec and KATO.

[bill937ca]

 

Tomytec are offering the Kyoto and Matsushima bogie trams which are older types.  

 

 

Its one car in two paint schemes.  Originally Kyoto cars, some were sold to Matsuyama  in 1979-80 where they were 2000 series.

 

http://ngi.blog.eonet.jp/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2010/10/14/002_3.jpg

[bill937ca]

One has to wonder how they are addressing the recent incursion into what has been pretty much their only bread and butter for years from TomyTec and KATO.

 

Modemo is a product line of Hasegawa, which produces far more than just trams.

 

http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/J-index.htm

 

http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/e-w/E-index.htm

[Jes]

This appears to be a modern low floor type with several sections. but is not the Siemens Combino.  

 

I believe this is the 'Green Mover' combino, which has a modified front and has a different look compared to the standard Siemens Combino (see attached). Is it just dreaming if I hope Modemo will do European versions as well one day?  

[Kabutoni]

I believe this is the 'Green Mover' combino, which has a modified front and has a different look compared to the standard Siemens Combino (see attached). Is it just dreaming if I hope Modemo will do European versions as well one day?  

 

I'm quite sure there will be a market for alternative fronts and decals in Europe. IIRC there was one german manufacturer who did a rather expensive and badly detailed Combino a few years ago.

[bill937ca]

But would the door configuration be right?  Japan is left hand drive.

[Kabutoni]

But would the door configuration be right?  Japan is left hand drive.

There you have a point. Make it a total conversion over the chassis, instead of just the front. *It's Friday and a treasurebox of Störtebeker brew is kicking in. Never mind the adolescent student.*

[Mudkip Orange]

a rather expensive and badly detailed Combino

 

I swear I've seen one of these cruising around East Penn's layout.

[to2leo]

The one you saw is from a hard to get model from Germany which in recent years stopping producing the Hiroshima Tram.

 

I for one am looking forward to Modemo's release.  Hopefully, the price will be more reasonable than the German made one which can cost onwards from $350 US, the last time I checked in Osaka's Joshin in 2009.

 

Top picture depicts Modemo's version to be released in April 2011?

Bottom picture depicts the Germany's version.

[cteno4]

These just went up for preorder for april delivery

 

Hobbyworld has it for their usual 26% off on pre-orders for $109 and maybe by next april the yen will be a bit weaker...

 

http://www.hwjapan.com/sh/MOD10110470.aspx

 

HS at the usual 20% off at $127

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10131951

 

Hobbyworld will do sal or ems shipping. they do take a few days more to get something preordered like this compared to HS, but always done good by me on these orders. i can wait an extra couple of days to get it cheaper!

 

I am hoping the modemo runs better than my hoedi, which grinds a lot and also gets warm when running for a while. Luckily i got my model from germany a few years back for like $170, it then shot up in price. shortly after i got the 3 segment Nagasaki version and it was $180 from japan. it is great to watch it snake through turns and crossovers! interesting modemo skipped over the portrams to this and totally avoided kato/tomytec competition again! guessing they will make a 3 segment nagasaki version as well.

 

it does say possible head and tail lights on the HS english and translating the japanese HS info in google translate it comes out head and tail lights available, so not sure if they are not sure they are doing it yet or it will be set up with clear head and tail lights that then could be lit with a lighting kit, or they are lit and its just lost in translation.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Fenway Park]

Kato now offering Centram 9001/2/3 in white silver and black for early 2011 according to their website.

[to2leo]

Ordered mine with HWJ in a heart beat!  Why Kato didn't jump on this is still beyond me...

[brill27mcb]

a rather expensive and badly detailed Combino

 

I swear I've seen one of these cruising around East Penn's layout.

 

Yes, in our club we have a Hoedl Hiroshima (5-unit), a Nagasaki (3-unit), an Erfurt (3-unit), and an Ulm (5-unit). Pictures are on the website shown below, in the Photo Gallery section. Actually, I think the Hoedl trams are well-detailed models. They have printing on them that I could only read on magnified high-res digital photos of the car. The cars are made from clear castings and the "carbody" and "doors" are then painted on, leaving the windows clear. After all, most modern trams are pretty plain-sided. That's how they made single and double-sided versions. They also locate the pantographs in the right place for each particular prototype, and I have noticed at least two different Hoedl end castings, one narrower than the other.

 

Got my Hiroshima Green Mover for under $200 and have been very pleased with it. I'm glad Modemo will offer new ones, and they can probably make a 3-unit Nagasaki version as well. I doubt that Modemo will make any non-Japanese ones -- out of the over 100 trams they've made so far, 0 are non-Japanese.

 

Rich K.

Tomix / EasyTrolley Modelers' Website

www.trainweb.org/tomix

[bill937ca]

Good to have you on JNS, Rich.

[Bernard]

Rich - Welcome to the forum and thanks for link to the club.

[cteno4]

Welcome Rich! great to see you over here!

 

for those that dont know Rich (ill out him!), he is the chap that started the Tomix Easy Trolly concept and has been coming up with all sorts of cool ideas. he runs the Tomix yahoo group and the tomix modeler website.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tomix/

 

http://www.trainweb.org/tomix/

 

great resource to have poking around JNS now and a great guy to boot!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[brill27mcb]

Welcome Rich! great to see you over here!

 

for those that dont know Rich (ill out him!), he is the chap that started the Tomix Easy Trolly concept and has been coming up with all sorts of cool ideas. he runs the Tomix yahoo group and the tomix modeler website.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tomix/

 

http://www.trainweb.org/tomix/

 

great resource to have poking around JNS now and a great guy to boot!

 

cheers

 

jeff

 

 

 

Well, my intention was to just quietly slide in here, since I do not specifically model Japanese railways. My interests in N scale are trolleys and (with my son) "high speed trains of the world." It's just that so much of the good stuff comes from Japan! I have been reading this forum silently for a while, but kept feeling the urge to add information, or  a correction, or just another opinion...

 

Rich K.

[Martijn Meerts]

There's plenty of us who don't model specifically Japanese. That's one of the nice things about the forum, there's no "Japanese or nothing at all" attitude =)

[cteno4]

Sorry to out you rich, but your knowledge of tomix and easy trolly are great resources to this group even though you dont specifically model japanese trains. easy trolly concept is great for modeling japanese style!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[quinntopia]

There's plenty of us who don't model specifically Japanese. That's one of the nice things about the forum, there's no "Japanese or nothing at all" attitude =)

Here here!  I do a little of Japan, but most of my trains are European (which-for the multi-lingual challenged- is almost impossible to get information about in English!), so I really value the tolerance and acceptance that the folks on this forum display!  Hands down this is the friendliest bunch of folks online!  In fact, I would say my interest in Japanese trains was stoked by several of the members on this forum and their warm welcome to me!

 

So...welcome Rich!  I've also enjoyed your site and the information you share!

[bill937ca]

Here here!  I do a little of Japan, but most of my trains are European (which-for the multi-lingual challenged- is almost impossible to get information about in English!), so I really value the tolerance and acceptance that the folks on this forum display! 

 

Are there any trams in particular that you want to know about?  I've had a life long interest in trams and streetcars before I got interested in Japanese trains (well, I would really call it Japanese traction) and some information on European systems in my files.

 

A good general source of information is the LRTA  http://www.lrta.org/

 

Photo galleries http://www.lrta.info/photos/photogallindex.html

[Kabutoni]

Even if Modemo just announced the Combino tram, they are already pimping around with the first results of the moulds!

 

http://ngi.blog.eonet.jp/photos/20101106_modemo/

 

Looks like power is only delivered to the font parts, but does that mean it has two individually powered bogies? I don't like the sound of that... Could be troublesome in the future. I also hope it has power pick-up over all wheels. All in all, this release might even persuade me to gain an interest in street-level platform trams!

[marknewton]

Well, my intention was to just quietly slide in here, since I do not specifically model Japanese railways. My interests in N scale are trolleys...

 

LOL! Your screen name gave that away! Welcome to the forum, Rich. You'll find a number of like-minded types here.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[cteno4]

Even if Modemo just announced the Combino tram, they are already pimping around with the first results of the moulds!

 

http://ngi.blog.eonet.jp/photos/20101106_modemo/

 

Looks like power is only delivered to the font parts, but does that mean it has two individually powered bogies? I don't like the sound of that... Could be troublesome in the future. I also hope it has power pick-up over all wheels. All in all, this release might even persuade me to gain an interest in street-level platform trams!

 

Toni,

 

this looks to be the same strategy that kato used in the portrams with two independent low profile motors. works well there. would be nice if the center wheels also picked up power and all wheels had a common bus.

 

if this is the prototype with the mechanism in there, then they have done a great job at lowering the mechanisms. usually the modemos are stickin gup into the windows quite a bit! guess kato reset the bar on this point, nice to see maybe modemo is following suit. only down side is that these low profile, independent mechanisms are much, much harder to work on, so hopefully they run flawlessly for a long long time...

 

thanks for the link to the picts! did you ever find the interview post they mentioned? i poked around but could not find it.

 

cheers

 

jeff