Kato - New Releases

[David]

Not sure if it's actually an American/European product being sold under the Kato name (anyone recognize them?)

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10119788

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10119785

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10119787

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10119784

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10119786

 

Looks like they're all the same tooling, just with different paint jobs. 2 car set for $86 suggests it's either a motor car and a trailer car, or that both cars are powered with a simple drive system (i.e. from the photo it almost looks like it could use the pocket train power unit).

 

Could this be an extension of the Unitram system (you have to admit Kato has a pretty easy job if they want to do that, since the reality of cities buying from only a few companies reality means they can release many trams using the exact same tooling - for North America they could easily get away with releasing a Kato quality PCC in half a dozen liveries)

[ToniBabelony]

Hah, cool: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10119787 A local brew ad! These things will probably be a hit again in Germany.

[SONIC883_de]

Looks like a rerun of the _old_ "Hannover gruesst Hiroshima" Tram serval years ago

[David]

The differences seem to be the addition of an advertising board to the roof (the drawing also suggests a slight increase in roof detail, but its hard to tell from one little line) and a big change in price - even for a 2 car set it seems expensive compared to the old model. Is Kato reusing the molds for the body (with an addition to or replacement of the roof piece), but replacing the mechanism with something that won't be as obvious?

[rankodd]

They're also listed as 1/160 instead of 1/150. How accurate are they with such specs?

[marknewton]

Not sure if it's actually an American/European product being sold under the Kato name (anyone recognize them?)]

 

It's the existing Kato model of a KSW single trucker as far as I can see.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[westfalen]

They're also listed as 1/160 instead of 1/150. How accurate are they with such specs?

All Kato products for the European market, TGV, class 66, etc, are 1/160.

[bill937ca]

Those little single truckers with four wheel drive have a tendency to get stuck in switches and crossovers when they hit a dead spot---unless you run them a hundred miles an hour.

[marknewton]

Ha - a bit like a real single-truck car! 

 

We have a Reko-wagen at the museum, and it's very temperamental going through the scissors crossover.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[clem24]

What I really want to know is when Hobbytrain is going to release those dang M6 Duwags...

[scott]

The announcement for Kato's September releases is out. Nothing as exciting as the last couple of months, for me at least, but it looks like there will be three  more trams. The 683 is nice, but a bit steep. I know it's not realistic, but I wish they'd release a 4-car set.

[disturbman]

You are late, this has already been discussed at lentgh on the forum.

[scott]

I'm sorry--I missed that somehow. Is it possible to delete this thread?

[Tosaden]

This is a model of the so called "Aufbauwagen". These cars were seen in many cities in Germany after WW2.

[David]

I'm not sure if there is anything to excite anyone, the reissues don't seem far off what's already been reissued recently. Two new sets, the Tokaido E233-1000 (I might be interested even if the Tohoku Jukan link to Ueno won't be done for a few years) which is probably DCC ready, and the 115-1000 Niigata renewel color 2-car set.

[rankodd]

Woo! I didn't realize that the 113 series was up for re-release! It's one of the trains that I took photos of when I was there in 2004 and I was always disappointed that the set was sold out. Thanks for the post! :)

[KenS]

Most, if not all, of these are available for Reservation on Hobby Search.  They were posted late Friday.

 

It is nice to have the poster up though, as it confirms what should be there.

[David]

Yes, all the reissues where up on HS on Friday, only the 2 new items are "new".

[KenS]

Back at the May hobby show, there was a brief mention that Kato was doing a new version of the Hokutosei "blue train".  HS just put up the reservation page for the basic 6-car set, the expansion 6-car set, and the re-released blue EF510-500, all due in November.

 

Google doesn't find the part number anywhere else yet (not even on Kato's home page, although the EF510-500 is showing up there on the production schedule). And HS doesn't have any photos yet.  A very under-the-radar product release.

 

I already have an EF510-500 (I picked one up last month), but I've put in my reservation for the two sets of cars.  This is one of the last kinds of trains I didn't have a model of (locomotive-hauled passenger cars), and I'm really looking forward to it.

[angusmclean]

I moved too quickly.  I despaired of waiting for Kato to rerelease this coach set, suprising they didn't combine the loco/coach set release date back in June, and opted for the Tomix 7/5 12 coach set instead last month. Also disappointed that Kato did not do a gazzump on Tomix in the November production slot by releasing a Cassiopea liveried version of the EF510.500.

 

Angus

[KenS]

It's not clear to me if this is a simple re-release, or an updated version. The previous set (10-804/805/806) was also a 12-car set of the train, but it came with the EF81 (used up to this year).  This one has a new model number (10-831/832), and they're re-releasing both the EF510-500 and DD51, which I believe are the present motive power as of June.  So there could be differences in the cars to update them also (I'm not well-versed in passenger-car details to know what's changed in the last few years).

 

The lack of a Cassiopeia-liveried version of the EF510-500 is an odd oversight.  I have to believe they're going to do one.  But Kato always seems to march to its own drummer, and not do things that are "obvious" to the rest of us (like Unitram switches, for example).

[Fat Al]

I moved too quickly.  I despaired of waiting for Kato to rerelease this coach set, suprising they didn't combine the loco/coach set release date back in June, and opted for the Tomix 7/5 12 coach set instead last month. Also disappointed that Kato did not do a gazzump on Tomix in the November production slot by releasing a Cassiopea liveried version of the EF510.500.

 

Angus

 

You can never move too quickly.

 

You just have to buy all of it, that's all. 

[KenS]

I turned up a Japanese blog, and another one, with details of the sets.  Assuming I've read this correctly, the cars in the sets appear to be an exact match for the post-2008 12-car consist described on the Japanese Wikipedia page for the Hokutosei, with the first six cars owned by JR Hokkaido, and the second six by JR East:

 

Ohanehu25-2  (32.5-37.5t, standard class, sleeper, HU?)

Ohane25-562  (32.5-37.5t, standard class, sleeper) “Duet”

Ohane25-563  (32.5-37.5t, standard class, sleeper) “Duet”

Ohane25-566  (32.5-37.5t, standard class, sleeper) “Duet”

Ohane25-552  (32.5-37.5t, standard class, sleeper) “Solo”

Suhane25-503  (37.5 - 42.5t, standard class, sleeper) “Lobby, Solo”

Sushi24-505    (37.5 - 42.5t, catering car) “Grand Chariot (dining car)”

Orone25-505  (32.5-37.5t, green class, sleeper) “Twin Delux”

Orohane25-502 (32.5-37.5t, green class/standard class, sleeper) “Royal Solo”

Orohane24-553  (32.5-37.5t, green class/standard class, sleeper) “Royal Delux”

Ohanehu25-215 (32.5-37.5t, standard class, sleeper, HU?)

Kani24-505  (over 47.5t, luggage car)

 

The wikipedia page suggests that the first Ohanehu has "B compartments" (which I think is Googleese for "Bed Compartments"), but that the second Ohanehu has "open bed B", but that's the only difference in the two lists. Anyone know what "hu" stands for?

 

Note: I used the list of car types (Ohane, etc) on the Prototype board to translate the names to the parenthesized info.

 

The text on both sites is similar, and sounds a lot like the usual Kato description, and apparently came from a FAX sent to hobby shops (again, if I'm reading it correctly).  The cars take the usual 11-209/210 interior lighting sets. The two end cars appear to be equipped with Rapido couplers (and something called a "Nakkurukapura" is included). A "Hokutosei" end sign is included.

[westfalen]

It's not clear to me if this is a simple re-release, or an updated version. The previous set (10-804/805/806) was also a 12-car set of the train, but it came with the EF81 (used up to this year).  This one has a new model number (10-831/832), and they're re-releasing both the EF510-500 and DD51, which I believe are the present motive power as of June.  So there could be differences in the cars to update them also (I'm not well-versed in passenger-car details to know what's changed in the last few years).

 

The lack of a Cassiopeia-liveried version of the EF510-500 is an odd oversight.  I have to believe they're going to do one.  But Kato always seems to march to its own drummer, and not do things that are "obvious" to the rest of us (like Unitram switches, for example).

 

I wish Kato had said they were re-doing the cars when they bought out the loco. I couldn't wait for a train for my EF510-500 to pull so I grabbed the 10-804/805/806 when I found a set, they only have 11 passenger cars plus the EF81 which I didn't really want but I guess you can never have too many engines.

 

I may have to get the new sets and have pre-2008 and post-2008 trains.

 

The 10-804/805/806 sets come with interior lighting already installed.

BTW "Nakkurukapura"=knuckle coupler

[David]

Most of this already thin month has been known. Interesting that the "hyper" controller isn't marked new - have we overlooked the possiblity that it's really one of Kato's old 80s controllers being brought back (it certaintly looks like the old color scheme)?