The_Ghan Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I'm getting off topic ... so I'm starting a new thread on catalogs ... http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,4125.0.html Cheers The_Ghan Link to comment
Claude_Dreyfus Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Some interesting comments here... Just as a point of clarification; I am a pretty useless salesman. I was rubbish working in a shop selling booze and fags, and barely broke even when I was running an ice cream van...items which you'd think would have a ready market. I can assure you all, there is no intention for me to go anywhere near opening a shop! A couple of observations to make at this point... Buying Japanese model railways has never been easier. Even as recently as ten to fifteen years ago you would not have a hope in obtaining items from Japan with such ease. You were at the mercy of a very limited number of shops, whose stock take was governed to a certain extent on what orders they could receive in advance. There would be a small number of speculative punts on the part of a shop-owner, but that would be a risk. Now, I can buy pretty much what I want direct from Japan...I really don't need to use my local shop at all; or for that matter any shops in the UK. That said, I (as well as most on here) purchased my first Japanese train from a local shop - in my case the aforementioned JR Models in Somerset. Again, this is something that may start to reduce, partly due to places such as this forum where many modellers buy direct from Japan without too many issues, thus taking away the fear-factor for any possible first-timers. This hypothetical shop would not be too concerned with this…it would not be exclusively geared to Japanese modelling; the Kato range would probably account for about 2% of the total stock level. What it would do would be to display a number of high-profile models provided by Kato that may turn the head of someone browsing: The modeller looking for something different. I cannot say for other countries (although it may well be a common-held view), but I suspect that the majority of Japanese trains owned by modellers in the UK are novelties or bought as something a bit different – that little beacon of quality amidst a sea of Bachmann and Farish. At my local club, another two members have some Japanese stock – one has a couple of Bullets to supplement his fleet of TGVs and Swiss stock, another has a Kato C11 impulse buy to accompany his 1940s-50s US collection. Come to think of it, many of us on here have models for countries other than Japan… At the risk of opening up a risky debate; part of this stems from why are Japanese models still under-represented (if of course we believe they are?). Their quality is legendary; the range is enormous and the designs bright and innovative. Also the range of accessories far exceeds almost any other country – with the possible exception of Germany/Austria/Switzerland. With the ease of obtaining items from Japan, it is surprising that the number of established exhibition layouts in the UK covering Japanese prototypes number less than ten. Is the dealer proudly displaying a 500 series Shinkansen wasting their time…condemning it to a future of idle curiosity as it gathers dust on a shelf? Incidentally, the 500 series that sat at my local dealer (obtained as a speculative punt on their behalf) sat in the display cabinet for about a year before I finally took the plunge and bought it. Although not my first Japanese train, it confirmed my route down that slippery slope (although I had to wait another five years before this initial four-car set was united with the remaining 12 carriages to complete the train!). Link to comment
westfalen Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I'm not sure what prices are like in the UK but here in Australia most modellers are initially drawn to Japanese trains because of the price. They don't care what they look like just that, even at Australian hobby shop prices, you can get a Japanese loco for half the price of any other or a full 16 car shinkansen for less than what European manufacturers want for a measly 3 or 4 car ICE train. Twice the quality at half the price is what gets them in. Link to comment
The_Ghan Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Claude, My N guage is 100% Japanese. Years ago, my OO was completely Hornby UK. But I'm like that. Westfalen, Being in Sydney I can agree with your comments relating to cost. There were four factors that resulted in my going Japanese: Nostalgia - I went to highschool there Range - there is certainly something for everyone Availability - there are plenty of local and on-line suppliers Affordability - the prices (on-line) are good That said, I haven't found a reasonably priced local supplier for Japanese models. For example, I can still get a Kato 10-453 Series 0 Shinkansen 8 car for under $200 plus $35 delivery on line. The same train in Sydney CBD hobby shop is $399. Kato 10-821 Narita Express 6 car set is $180 plus $35 delivery on line but $330 in Sydney. Do, even if the law was changed to add GST, I'd still save 35% on the local price. Cheers The_Ghan Link to comment
keitaro Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 yeah i'm in syd too and agree. thing is in aus the wholesalers and retail are being greedy and not adjusting the price according to the value of the dollar. I know it's more complex than that but thats the basics of it. I may have mentioned this before but i may be moving to jpn Stress "MAY" and if i do i look forward to your business :D Link to comment
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