Kato - New Releases

[David]

No surprises for March (Kato is not getting off to a fast start, hopefully after March things pick up)

 

There of course is the E5, Kato's one and only real new train for the month. Oddly it's a tiny 3-car basic set ala Tomix to make it affordable. Another oddity is that there is no mention of DCC compatiblity. It does have flywheel drive and a tilt mechanism, as well as the connector for joining to the E6 at some point.

 

There is also the replacement for Yamanote cattle cars, sold as a 2 car set so you don't have to buy a new 11-car formation. Kato is also doing a reissue of the train itself, but it looks like it's only the four car basic set (even stranger is that the basic set comes with a cattle car - another 3-car starter!).

 

The last "new" product is a D51 steam locomotive set with retro passenger cars - it appears to be the locomotive and cars from the 10-005 starter set. Previously the only way to get these cars was to buy the entire starter set, of which shipping was prohibitive (the ~9400 yen price tag makes this really affordable now).

 

And then straight reissues:

 

EF200 Freight Locomotive

651 Super Hitachi

Kiha52 in metropolitan paint scheme (single powered and unpowered cars)

Series 583 set and the addons

[David]

I should note, based on the price, that the D51 set is probably the older 1/140 tooling (I can't read all the Japanese text on the poster, and there doesn't seem to be anything to draw attention to it being 'new').

[Nozomi]

<br />No surprises for March (Kato is not getting off to a fast start, hopefully after March things pick up)<br /><br />There of course is the E5, Kato&#039;s one and only real new train for the month. Oddly it&#039;s a tiny 3-car basic set ala Tomix to make it affordable.

<br /

 

Why so negative? The real E5 will start operating in March 2010. This means that the modell and the real thing are operational the same month!!! I consider this rather cool. I never experienced something like that before. <br />You can buy the complete 10-car set for just a few yen more than the Tomix N700-8000 series 8-car set (also a March 2011 release).

[David]

I guess I don't get that excited about Shinkansen since I don't model them. I am more disappointed because Kato has gone from having 2 or 3 *new* items per month, to it being lucky if Kato has 1 real new item. A lot of what is 'new' now is just an existing model sold in a different box. It's a lot like how Atlas has basically stopped new N scale development and just issues repainted models as new. Original, feature rich tooling like that in the E127s last summer got me excited, so I'm eager to see more of it.

[Bernard]

I wonder why Kato doesn't package it as a 6 or 7 car set instead of a 3 basic set plus the add on sets. Is it because it is more inviting to spend less on a 3 car basic set then adding on later?

[KenS]

The idea of a 3-car starter set for a Shinkansen does seem a bit odd.  I realize some Japanese modelers are really limited on space, and Kato clearly wants to lower the cost of entry to sell more sets. But I can't think that the three-car set would look very good on the track. And since there's no two-car add-on, the next choice is a six-car set. I have to believe that 4+4+2 would make more sense than 3+3+4, other than from the cost perspective.

[David]

Kato goes out of their way to mention that the E5 basic set is `affordable for beginners`. Maybe the reduced 4-car basic sets are still not cheap enough to compete with the Tomix 3-car introductory pricing; or just the E5 tooling is more expensive (11000 yen for 3 cars!) requiring Kato to reduce the set size to prevent sticker shock. I hope it's the second, I don't want to start seeing regular 3-car basic sets from Kato (what next, that terrible white foam Tomix uses?).

[CaptOblivious]

*drool*

 

I don't usually care for shinkansen models, preferring instead the exotic shapes and colors of Limited Expresses, but…I like this one :D

[to2leo]

Wake me up when E6 appears.  Also, where's Unitram???

[ToniBabelony]

Another rerun of that horrible KIHA 52 Series? Oh man... Then again, they sure are cheap and with coupler modifications (and adding some extra details) they would look a lot better, more unique and a part of your own.

[clem24]

Another rerun of that horrible KIHA 52 Series? Oh man... Then again, they sure are cheap and with coupler modifications (and adding some extra details) they would look a lot better, more unique and a part of your own.

 

LOL they seem to milk everything for what they're worth. I suppose if they keep releasing and people keep buying, then why not? At least they're way more affordable than Tomix's HG models. If that 583 re-release is the same as the old model (i.e. no body mount couplers, same 80's tooling hahaha)...

[Nozomi]

I guess I don't get that excited about Shinkansen since I don't model them. I am more disappointed because Kato has gone from having 2 or 3 *new* items per month, to it being lucky if Kato has 1 real new item. A lot of what is 'new' now is just an existing model sold in a different box. It's a lot like how Atlas has basically stopped new N scale development and just issues repainted models as new. Original, feature rich tooling like that in the E127s last summer got me excited, so I'm eager to see more of it.

 

Kato seems to have a new policy: re-do the old stuff and just release a few of the most important new trains but as FIRST manufacturer! They do it with the E5 and they did it extremly successful with the E259 Narita Express.

[HST.]

Is the Kato 583 Series the same as the Blue/Cream Train that can be seen on the Aizu Wakamatsu Web Cam?

 

Dave.

[CaptOblivious]

Is the Kato 583 Series the same as the Blue/Cream Train that can be seen on the Aizu Wakamatsu Web Cam?

 

Dave.

 

I do not know, but even if it is, the Kato model comes with JNR markings, and not JR markings.

[westfalen]

Is the Kato 583 Series the same as the Blue/Cream Train that can be seen on the Aizu Wakamatsu Web Cam?

 

Dave.

 

I do not know, but even if it is, the Kato model comes with JNR markings, and not JR markings.

If you could overlook the JNR markings it's the right train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/583_series

[HST.]

I could overlook the markings as I quite like the look of the train.  The pics of it on the HS site look ok, will just have to wait till it is released.

 

Dave.

[Guest ___]

Is the Kato 583 Series the same as the Blue/Cream Train that can be seen on the Aizu Wakamatsu Web Cam?

 

Dave.

 

I do not know, but even if it is, the Kato model comes with JNR markings, and not JR markings.

If you could overlook the JNR markings it's the right train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/583_series

 

Interesting, I have not seen the 583 at Aizu, in the two years of religiously watching the webcam on monitor two. What times does it arrive?

[HST.]

I usually see it at about midnight and about 9.00am (give or take a few minutes in each case), UK time, seen it every day this week, but it seems to share the duty with Red Train (485?) with the cartoon characters.  I would say 3 weeks out of 4 it's Red Train and then the 583 for a week. 

 

Dave.

[Guest ___]

Odd.. that's usually my prime time for aizu-watching. i might have to go through the screen shot capture archives and see if i have any on there.

[disturbman]

I'm pretty sure you have one. You just forgot about it. I remember a picture of it, sitting idle at the station and people wondering what train it was.

 

HST, yes the "red train with cartoon characters" is a 485 Series in Aizu-Akabei livery (the model is produced by MicroAce).

[Guest ___]

That's possible, Vince, will take a look later on. It will drive me nuts though now as I've fallen in love with the 583 over the course of the past year. I was beating myself up cause I missed on in Osaka, and never did get to see another one..

[westfalen]

Is the Kato 583 Series the same as the Blue/Cream Train that can be seen on the Aizu Wakamatsu Web Cam?

 

Dave.

 

I do not know, but even if it is, the Kato model comes with JNR markings, and not JR markings.

If you could overlook the JNR markings it's the right train.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/583_series

 

Interesting, I have not seen the 583 at Aizu, in the two years of religiously watching the webcam on monitor two. What times does it arrive?

There's one at Aizu Wakamatsu as I type this.

[westfalen]

It's not part of the main announcement, I guess because it's from Kato's Roundhouse offshoot, but HS are taking reservations for a Paleo Express set with C58 due in March. I've already reserved one.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10048345

[Guest ___]

Look what I found today on the web cam. (1830 EST) I also found two pix in my archives dating back to July, 09. (PS: No interest in revising the Perpetual Aizu Wakamatsu thread)

 

I still need a copy of this model.

[David]

Release Poster for April 2011

 

Again, mostly reissues.

 

New is:

 

A 117 series 4-car issue (repaint of existing tooling).

 

EF62 (with matching blue train rerun)

 

And finally an HO DD51 (actually scheduled for the end of March, so don't miss it)

 

 

The rest is reissues, I think I already have everything that interests me. Looks like most of my money in first quarter will go toward decoders.