Kato - New Releases

[Yavianice]

RG-R informed me that in order to participate in the lottery for the gold painted EF65, a Japanese address is required.

 

store owners cannot participate in the lottery for obvious reasons. So foreign buyers are out of luck.

[cteno4]

Squid can rent out his address!

 

jeff

[Yavianice]

MTP said that kato is working on a way to make the gold EF65 lottery available for foreign buyers. He will post on how it will work. In response RG-R has also contacted KATO once again to see if he can offer it to foreign buyers also.

Edited February 10, 2021 by Yavianice
added RG-R response.

[serotta1972]

MTP posted on Facebook:

 

KATO started new promotion. Kato gives gold colored EF65 to 65 people. I will enclose a post card for joining lucky draw with purchase of Kato item more than 10000 Yen. I will later post how to fill the postcard. Already confirmed KATO will accept those from oversea customers.

[Kamome]

July releases up. Not a great deal of "newness" and generally a slow month. Hope that means there will be some more exciting things to come. I need some more HO 80000 wamus and good to have some 90000s too.  The EF65 0 is of minor interest but never say never.

 

Looks like the 100 Grand Hikari has a small update whereby you now no longer have to buy 2 of the 2 car sets and then change the car numbers.

 

https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/kato-model/poster/pdf/20210301093201603c360191a98/2021-7.pdf

[JR 500系]

JR marks himself safe in the upcoming July Kato storm   😁

[katoftw]

August is better known for storms anyway

[Kiha66]

The HO boxcars are super useful, tbh they really have been needing a rerun.  Wish I had known this was coming before I bought 20 used ones from auction....

 

The EF65 0 is neat, we'll see if I have the spare money for one when it comes out.  I suppose I should get a EF65 1000 first so I can use it with passenger coaches too.

[Kamome]

1 hour ago, Kiha66 said:

The HO boxcars are super useful, tbh they really have been needing a rerun.  Wish I had known this was coming before I bought 20 used ones from auction....

 

The EF65 0 is neat, we'll see if I have the spare money for one when it comes out.  I suppose I should get a EF65 1000 first so I can use it with passenger coaches too.

Yes, I have preordered a Tomix DF50 so i’d prefer some Wamus more than the EF65 0 and they seem to be common on the used market. 

Still no 20 kei though @Kiha66

Come on Kato. Sort it out!

[Das Steinkopf]

7 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

JR marks himself safe in the upcoming July Kato storm   😁

 

It's kind of scary when we get to the point that there is nothing much for us to buy, it's when we realise the sheer magnitude of what we have already bought.

[disturbman]

😁

 

But is it? Kato almost never produces a set I’m interested in. Every time I see their announcements, I shrug and say: “Meh.”

 

It’s different with MA, Greenmax, and Tomix to some extent.

[gavino200]

I don’t have a 100. I’m going to have to preorder the Hikari. It’s funny I was hoping the other day that Kato would release it. The only question is whether to buy half or a full 16 car train.

[chadbag]

11 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

I don’t have a 100. I’m going to have to preorder the Hikari. It’s funny I was hoping the other day that Kato would release it. The only question is whether to buy half or a full 16 car train.

 

There is a question?

 

[gavino200]

2 hours ago, disturbman said:

😁

 

But is it? Kato almost never produces a set I’m interested in. Every time I see their announcements, I shrug and say: “Meh.”

 

It’s different with MA, Greenmax, and Tomix to some extent.

 

MA and Greenmax focus mostly on rural and small city trains? Is that your collecting focus? Have you drifted this way as your knowledge of Japan and Japanese trains deepened, or was it always your focus? Do you already have a massive collection of all the usual suspects and need to look further afield to find things that are new and interesting to you? 

[Kiha66]

11 hours ago, Kamome said:

Still no 20 kei though @Kiha66

Come on Kato. Sort it out!

 

I'm sure they're waiting for me to spend a small fortune on a used set, then they'll make brand new ones available for everyone else!

Edited March 5, 2021 by Kiha66

[Kamome]

6 hours ago, gavino200 said:

I don’t have a 100. I’m going to have to preorder the Hikari. It’s funny I was hoping the other day that Kato would release it. The only question is whether to buy half or a full 16 car train.

Having the set myself, i’d say you will at least need both of the 6 car sets for running options.

[disturbman]

 

14 hours ago, gavino200 said:

MA and Greenmax focus mostly on rural and small city trains? Is that your collecting focus? Have you drifted this way as your knowledge of Japan and Japanese trains deepened, or was it always your focus? Do you already have a massive collection of all the usual suspects and need to look further afield to find things that are new and interesting to you? 

Greenmax mostly focuses on major private railways. MA is a bit wider, they produce a lot of different stock and use to be the go to manufacturer for anything not Honshu/Kanto.

I do not have a massive collection, probably between 20-30 bookcases. My collecting interests used to be focused on the smaller islands: Hokkaido, Kyushu, and the Seto-Ohashi Line and Okayama station. I have since moved on, sold most of those, and refocused my collecting interest to... a lot of things. I have a long standing affairs with KiHa40s, I have been collecting them quite religiously and still want to add more to my current collection.

For the past few years, my main focus has been the coast of the Sea of Japan around Niigata and Akita (KiHa 40, KiHa 110, Series 115, Series 701, E653) as well as a few major private railways (Hankyu, Keikyu and Tobu). For which I decided to collect a few trains (2-3) per private railways. I also still have a few oddball trains (notably 103s).

To take your terminology: I drifted this way as my knowledge of Japanese trains deepened, and my interests crystalized to rural and suburban settings.  I was never interested in JR East commuter and limited express trains, nor any kind of blue trains, which forms the bulk of Kato and Tomix trains.

[JR 500系]

21 hours ago, Das Steinkopf said:

 

It's kind of scary when we get to the point that there is nothing much for us to buy, it's when we realise the sheer magnitude of what we have already bought.

 

While i'm not sure if i have already amast a sheer magnitude, i may have reached a point whereby most of the releases are not so exciting news to me... perhaps i really did buy too much!  😛

[Hakubi Line]

Good to more Koki 106+107’s! Hopefully I can get a set (or more) this time.

[serotta1972]

On 3/5/2021 at 8:12 AM, gavino200 said:

I don’t have a 100. I’m going to have to preorder the Hikari. It’s funny I was hoping the other day that Kato would release it. The only question is whether to buy half or a full 16 car train.

 

Don't be silly, a full 16 car train of course. 😆

[serotta1972]

@gavino200 Pre-orders are up on MTP and put in mine, it's your turn. 😁

[JR 500系]

On 3/10/2021 at 12:11 PM, serotta1972 said:

 

Don't be silly, a full 16 car train of course. 😆

 

And i bit the bullet on this one! Pricing is great for a full 16-car set, and the 4 double deckers are just too stunning to deny!

 

 

 

I just HAVE to share this, look at the Saphir Odoriko!!!   🥰

[serotta1972]

@JR 500系 Thanks for sharing this video - it's nice to see what is coming and those British trains look good.  

[disturbman]

The Saphir Odoriko will also have a special book case:
 

Link courtesy of @roadstar_na6

[Kamome]

Yes, Shigemon’s regular visits to Kato HQ are dangerous. His last outing sold the Odoriko to me. I think Shigemon mentioned the blue case but nice to have on the 8 car set.  Kato website updated and it will be released on 23rd. I hope i can get my preorder by the following weekend but it usually takes Ami a few days before confirming and then 2 days or so to ship to Kyushu.

 

I must admit I was very impressed by the LNER livery on the 800 as I initially thought the GWR would be nicer. Both are coming along quite nicely. 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Kamome