Kato - New Releases

[James-SNMB]

Could be a lot worse! I feel spoiled with the timely delivery from the Japanese manufacturers. On the North American side, I pre-ordered some Intermountain cars in November 2018. They are just shipping now...

 

And I have some other cars I pre-ordered at the same time from another manufacturer that I doubt have even started production, and could still be years away.

 

So yeah, I can wait a month for the RailStar. 😉

[railsquid]

I ordered (and paid for in full) a Revolution Trains British Railways Cl. 320/321 EMU in 2016, the first batch arrived in the UK last month; the livery I ordered is in the second batch still to come. And when it does arrive in the UK, no idea how long it will take to ship to Japan... Mind you it was a crowd-funded model and had various issues including change of manufacturer part-way...

 

Closer to home I was bemused to get an email from Yodobashi Camera apologizing for the ongoing delay in delivery of a Kato Kumoya 90 which I had no recollection of (pre)ordering, but the order history says I did so I'm sure I can stomach the delay..

[disturbman]

The Kato - Patlabor project figurines will be released tomorrow at Kato Hobby Center Tokyo, Kato Kyoto Shop and Kato Online shop. If you want one, you might want to contact your favorite personal shoppers as quantities will be limited.

 

https://www.kato-labor.com/

[bill937ca]

Hiroshi Kato profile

 

Since 1957, Sekisui Kinzoku, better known as KATO, has been providing high-quality and accurate model trains for collectors and enthusiasts spanning multiple generations. In this interview, CEO Hiroshi Kato discusses KATO’s long history of bringing joy to hobbyists, how it is able to create such high-quality railroad models and the company’s successes, stemming from a dedication to ‘precision’, ‘reliability’ and ‘durability’.

 

http://www.theworldfolio.com/interviews/kato-the-model-railroad-maker-bringing-joy-to-all-generations/5173/

Edited March 19, 2022 by bill937ca

[Rod.H]

19 hours ago, disturbman said:

The Kato - Patlabor project figurines will be released tomorrow at Kato Hobby Center Tokyo, Kato Kyoto Shop and Kato Online shop. If you want one, you might want to contact your favorite personal shoppers as quantities will be limited.

 

https://www.kato-labor.com/

Dang it!  It's only Alphonse and the Griffon....but I want...I want the full set, which means 3 AV-98's, 3 transporters, the radio car, the squad car & the van 

[disturbman]

The Ouigo didn't waited long.

 

The E129 is coming this Fall:
 

 

@chadbag

Edited April 2, 2022 by disturbman
Images

[gavino200]

Mmm, those trams. That would make three different green movers for three different tram lines. It's like Kato is watching me. 🤣

[Yavianice]

The OIGO TGV is touted to have "more accurate pantographs". I wonder what they look like and if they will be interchangeable with the old ones. \

 

UPDATE: I have received confirmation that they will be interchangeable, so you can update the pantographs on older models easily as well.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Yavianice

[GCS]

9 hours ago, Yavianice said:

The OIGO TGV is touted to have "more accurate pantographs". I wonder what they look like and if they will be interchangeable with the old ones. \

 

UPDATE: I have received confirmation that they will be interchangeable, so you can update the pantographs on older models easily as well.

Great news! I’ll be ordering a bunch of those from Masaharu 🙂 

[brill27mcb]

On 4/1/2022 at 6:16 AM, gavino200 said:

Mmm, those trams. That would make three different green movers for three different tram lines. It's like Kato is watching me. 🤣

 

Yes, more trams!

 

There are more than 3 of these. There are the 2 Kato Piccolo/Piccola ones (plus both also available from Tomytec), and there are the basic-liveried Tomytec one (that has a different vehicle number than the Kato one) plus the set-only Kato version that has another different vehicle number.

 

What I do not quite understand (from the Hobby Search translated descriptions) is that these 2 new Kato liveries are on vehicles 1001 (from 2019) and 1002 (from 2016), which are also the vehicle numbers for the Piccolo/Piccola-liveried vehicles. The first trams of this LEX type went into service in 2013. So are the Piccola/Piccola liveries from 2013? And if they were liveried to celebrate the centennial of the Hiroden tram system, that apparently started in 1910, didn't these vehicles arrive a little late to the party in 2013?

 

Maybe someone here who is better at understanding Japanese or better at web-searching than I am can clear this up, please?

 

Rich K.

[bill937ca]

One livery (with the green stripes) is the Hiroden bus livery applied to one side of a  Greenmover LEX with the other side in the standard Hiroden Greenmover LEX livery. 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/広島電鉄1000形電車_(2代)#/media/ファイル:Hiroden_1001_lex_color.jpg

 

 

The other is a flower livery probably for the Hiroshima Flower Festival during Golden Week.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lastarial/33944132548

 

https://railpictures.net/photoexif/699952/

 

As these are repaints of 1001 and 1002, these will be duplicate numbers to Kato 10-1604.

[JR 500系]

4 hours ago, bill937ca said:

One livery (with the green stripes) is the Hiroden bus livery applied to one side of a  Greenmover LEX with the other side in the standard Hiroden Greenmover LEX livery. 

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/広島電鉄1000形電車_(2代)#/media/ファイル:Hiroden_1001_lex_color.jpg

 

 

The other is a flower livery probably for the Hiroshima Flower Festival during Golden Week.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lastarial/33944132548

 

https://railpictures.net/photoexif/699952/

 

As these are repaints of 1001 and 1002, these will be duplicate numbers to Kato 10-1604.

It's such a tough decision here... The Base Green mover Lex model is beautiful, and these liveres are indeed interesting... The Hiroden one, well i am a bus lover so... and the flower one, it's just screams cuteness... 

 

I just researched and realise there is still the 1017 with its colourful variants around...

 

 

 

Then there's the 1018 (Chucklington wrapping):

 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2022 by JR 500系

[cteno4]

Very simple solution sammy, get both!

 

im tempted…

 

jeff

[JR 500系]

2 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Very simple solution sammy, get both!

 

im tempted…

 

jeff

Great idea! 

 

Oh wait.

 

Wife was behind me. 

 

We'll be back after these messages.

[cteno4]

Uh oh, sorry sammy! I think I’m feeling the glare at me from almost 10,000 miles away!

 

jeff

[Yavianice]

On 4/2/2022 at 10:07 AM, GCS said:

Great news! I’ll be ordering a bunch of those from Masaharu 🙂 

KATO 14794-1F is the product code of the new pantographs. 2 pantographs are included per pack. 

[railsquid]

1 hour ago, Yavianice said:

KATO 14794-1F is the product code of the new pantographs. 2 pantographs are included per pack. 

 

I wonder if they will fit the original Kato TGV? The picture shows the same basic 3-legged design.

 

[disturbman]

Same question for the Eurostar. I have the original release somewhere

[Yavianice]

4 hours ago, railsquid said:

I wonder if they will fit the original Kato TGV? The picture shows the same basic 3-legged design.

 

If you mean the original orange SudEste one, I do not know. But the Pantographs I have confirmed fit on all the other previous TGV models. I do not think the pantographs have changed because they seemed identical to me (except that the SudEste ones are black while all others are gray).

 

As for the Eurostar @disturbman, I don't think there is a difference in those pantographs... but of course best would be to exchange the TGV pantographs with the Eurostar ones.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Yavianice

[Yavianice]

KATO Container 23-571-Z, 19D Railway Model Contest 2021 Wrapping, is now available for purchase. 660 yen. Limited 1 per household. 

 

https://www.orientalexpress.jp/23-571-z_19d/

 

Prototype here: 

 

Seems to have limited availability (AmiAmi and Hobbysearch do not sell it), but RG-R has them.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Yavianice

[railsquid]

20 hours ago, Yavianice said:

 

If you mean the original orange SudEste one, I do not know. But the Pantographs I have confirmed fit on all the other previous TGV models. I do not think the pantographs have changed because they seemed identical to me (except that the SudEste ones are black while all others are gray).

 

Yes, the original orange one. In excellent condition except the pantographs on one car were broken; I'll give these a try, it won't break the bank.

[jappomania]

mmhhh.. 🤨

I saw only the 3D draw till now, probably the TGV panto replacement is "good" only for Reseau/PBA/PBKA/DUPLEX family (btw, Kato pantos for TGV family has never been so much accurate)

obviously, if you need a couple just for an empty hole is better than nothing, but the original TGV PSE panto type AM55U+AMDE are another thing, also the AX and GPU type mounted on PSE renov, Atlantique, PBA, Reseau.. are a little bit different, the last one try to resemble the CX

but for 4€ each couple anyway is OK 😋 

 

(if someone would be try to cut & paste one AM55 with HRF160 parts....)

https://hfr160.fr/categorie-produit/accessoires/pantographes/

https://hfr160.fr/notices/notice-transkit-citerne-anf/notice-hfr-085-k-transkit-pantographe-am18/

 

Ciao!

Massimo 

[railsquid]

To be honest, I have the orange TGV as a representative of an iconic train, I've never been on one and would not know what the proper pantograph looks like anyway, so something less broken than the original ones is a huge improvement :).

[jappomania]

of couse! 😋  

anyway, if you are just a little bit curious here you find the brochure about Faiveley pantos,

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alcoalbe/albums/72157649487091330

 

and here some docs about TGVs...

http://actgv.fr/?page_id=167

 

AMDE photos inside.....

TGV-PSE-23-02-2012.pdf

 

scroll down till pag.9....

https://docplayer.fr/198685858-Evolu-ons-de-l-architecture-electrique-des-tgv.html

 

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by jappomania

[Madsing]

14 hours ago, Yavianice said:

KATO Container 23-571-Z, 19D Railway Model Contest 2021 Wrapping, is now available for purchase. 660 yen. Limited 1 per household. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/kaihatusyoten/photos/a.1077536382289008/6393146010727992

 

Nice. I see 19D-90094 and 19D-51188. Are they the only two containers with this special wrapping?