Kato - New Releases

[Welshbloke]

Looks like another production run of the Glacier Express and the 115 Series?

 

I do find it slightly odd that they keep making the new batches with the same running numbers. People who just want one won't really mind, and you may well sell another to people who want a second.

[katoftw]

Can someone with both Tomix and Kato Kokis, specifically the newer 50000s, 106s and 107s be able to share the thoughts on the differences please?

 

Up until now I have always had Tomix kokis due to the larger number and variety of wagons.  But recently Kato have start rampping up their numbers, eg 10 car set and now more 2 car sets etc.  So maybe a change to the other side can happen.

 

So differences? Pros? Cons? Likes? Dislikes? Between the two manufacturers?

 

Thanks.

[Kiha66]

2 hours ago, Welshbloke said:

Looks like another production run of the Glacier Express and the 115 Series?

 

Are you sure they are the same one?  These 115 are the JR version, while the previous one was the original JNR version

[Das Steinkopf]

10 hours ago, katoftw said:

Can someone with both Tomix and Kato Kokis, specifically the newer 50000s, 106s and 107s be able to share the thoughts on the differences please?

 

Up until now I have always had Tomix kokis due to the larger number and variety of wagons.  But recently Kato have start rampping up their numbers, eg 10 car set and now more 2 car sets etc.  So maybe a change to the other side can happen.

 

So differences? Pros? Cons? Likes? Dislikes? Between the two manufacturers?

 

Thanks.

 

 Don't get me wrong both manufacturers produce great products but I am more swayed towards Tomix than I am to Kato, I have tended to find the Tomix models to be better with physical details than the Kato ones, that said Kato does pay more attention to the decals than Tomix and has a number of small decals that are on the real life prototypes that Tomix seems to neglect. A classic example of this is when you compare the Kato and Tomix Taki 1000's, overall the Tomix model is certainly the better of the two with a lot of fine details and only loses out to Kato model when it comes to the small decals, mind you the price is reflective of this as the Tomix model is more expensive.

 

 Getting down to the nitty gritty of it I wil say the new Tomix 50000's will be a far better model than the Kato one due to the inclusion of the handrails fitted to the end railings, this was first done on their 8714 Koki 50000 with Taillights, Kato 10-1393 is however better than the previous Tomix models such as 2742. The Kato Koki 106's and Koki 107's are very nice models and have plenty of decals, the Tomix models are slightly better with the physical details and have some finer details that the Kato models don't have, that said I am more than happy having products from both manufacturers. Container wise both types can quite happily accomodate containers from a variety of manufacturers, such as Platz, Hogaraka Dou, Kato, Tomix and Popondetta, the only issue the mounting saddle for the Popondetta ISO Tanker Tainers is a bit tight to get on and off the Kato versions, mind you I did accidentaly snap a container lug off one of Edo-San's Tomix Koki 50000's when I was showing him how they looked.

 

 The last issue is close couplers, given both companies have their own unique couplings it does get a little bit frustrating since they are not interoperable, I really like the Tomix TN's for their overall aesthetic as they look like real life couplers, I also like the Kato couplers due to their ease of operation but they don't look anywhere near as good as the TN's. The ability to upgrade to MT10's on the Kato wagons so you can have automatic uncoupling in yards is a big plus, mind you at $5.00 AUD to fit out one wagon not to mention how tedious they are to fit I don't think I will be committing to this in the near future. Overall I would suggest investing in both brands as you can have the best of both worlds,  you can use your Kato wagons with Kato locomotives  and Tomix wagons with Tomix locomotives using their unique close coupling systems.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by Das Steinkopf

[Kiha66]

Are kato/tomix containers interchangeable?  I'd like to get some of the tomix JNR containers to add variety to my kato Chiki5000s and koki 5500s, but I dont know if they'll fit.

[Das Steinkopf]

9 minutes ago, Kiha66 said:

Are kato/tomix containers interchangeable?  I'd like to get some of the tomix JNR containers to add variety to my kato Chiki5000s and koki 5500s, but I dont know if they'll fit.

 

I have swapped a whole host of containers around and did't have any issues, mind you I don't have any of the old C Series containers by am assuming they shouldn't have any issues considering I swapped around a range of 12', 20' and 30' containers to test them out.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Das Steinkopf

[Kiha66]

Thanks!   Time to go throw more money are Hobby Search then.

[EH500 (12)]

On 28.12.2017 at 7:30 AM, Kiha66 said:

And the rest of the May releases 

http://www.katomodels.com/product/poster/files/2018_5a.jpg

A new Koki 106 set!

 

[Welshbloke]

9 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

 

Are you sure they are the same one?  These 115 are the JR version, while the previous one was the original JNR version

Ahh, didn't see that in the images! Point still stands with the Glacier Express though, making future runs with different numbers would surely improve sales.

[Das Steinkopf]

1 hour ago, EH500 said:

A new Koki 106 set!

 

 

I wasn't really keen on getting more Koki 106's as I already have 12 in my fleet, but given they are in the new livery with the JRF logo removed I think I will get them, I am also tempted to get the EF200 to add to my locomotive fleet.

[Gordon Werner]

looks like Kato has a Kyoto station shop exclusive of the Eizan Electric Railway 900 system <Kirara> (Maple Red) car w/printed head-mark

 

 

NGi has a ton of (better) photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/inHNsRx1hFZePF0m1

Edited December 29, 2017 by Gordon Werner

[katoftw]

19 hours ago, Das Steinkopf said:

 

 Don't get me wrong both manufacturers produce great products but I am more swayed towards Tomix than I am to Kato, I have tended to find the Tomix models to be better with physical details than the Kato ones, that said Kato does pay more attention to the decals than Tomix and has a number of small decals that are on the real life prototypes that Tomix seems to neglect. A classic example of this is when you compare the Kato and Tomix Taki 1000's, overall the Tomix model is certainly the better of the two with a lot of fine details and only loses out to Kato model when it comes to the small decals, mind you the price is reflective of this as the Tomix model is more expensive.

 

 Getting down to the nitty gritty of it I wil say the new Tomix 50000's will be a far better model than the Kato one due to the inclusion of the handrails fitted to the end railings, this was first done on their 8714 Koki 50000 with Taillights, Kato 10-1393 is however better than the previous Tomix models such as 2742. The Kato Koki 106's and Koki 107's are very nice models and have plenty of decals, the Tomix models are slightly better with the physical details and have some finer details that the Kato models don't have, that said I am more than happy having products from both manufacturers. Container wise both types can quite happily accomodate containers from a variety of manufacturers, such as Platz, Hogaraka Dou, Kato, Tomix and Popondetta, the only issue the mounting saddle for the Popondetta ISO Tanker Tainers is a bit tight to get on and off the Kato versions, mind you I did accidentaly snap a container lug off one of Edo-San's Tomix Koki 50000's when I was showing him how they looked.

 

 The last issue is close couplers, given both companies have their own unique couplings it does get a little bit frustrating since they are not interoperable, I really like the Tomix TN's for their overall aesthetic as they look like real life couplers, I also like the Kato couplers due to their ease of operation but they don't look anywhere near as good as the TN's. The ability to upgrade to MT10's on the Kato wagons so you can have automatic uncoupling in yards is a big plus, mind you at $5.00 AUD to fit out one wagon not to mention how tedious they are to fit I don't think I will be committing to this in the near future. Overall I would suggest investing in both brands as you can have the best of both worlds,  you can use your Kato wagons with Kato locomotives  and Tomix wagons with Tomix locomotives using their unique close coupling systems.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to type that up.  Sound like one is not better than the other.  So I might as well just stick with what I got.  I loathe the black couplers on grey cars, but if I make the switch, they'll be something else I'll loathe.

[Das Steinkopf]

2 hours ago, katoftw said:

Thank you for taking the time to type that up.  Sound like one is not better than the other.  So I might as well just stick with what I got.  I loathe the black couplers on grey cars, but if I make the switch, they'll be something else I'll loathe.

 

I despise the arnold couplers as well thats why I went to the effort to change to TN's and Kato close couplers, it would be nice if both systems were compatible but alas they are not, that said I have enough Koki's and Taki's of either manufacturer to keep their respective locomotives busy.

[nah00]

On 12/29/2017 at 5:35 PM, Das Steinkopf said:

 

I have swapped a whole host of containers around and did't have any issues, mind you I don't have any of the old C Series containers by am assuming they shouldn't have any issues considering I swapped around a range of 12', 20' and 30' containers to test them out.

 

I've occasionally had problems with Hogarakadou or Platz containers being too loose but the only problem I've had with Tomix/Kato ones are the Tomix Tetsudo Musume ones which don't seem to want to snap on to any Koki, Tomix or otherwise. These can all be fixed with hot water and some light bending in though. 

[Kiha66]

2 minutes ago, nah00 said:

I've occasionally had problems with Hogarakadou or Platz containers being too loose but the only problem I've had with Tomix/Kato ones are the Tomix Tetsudo Musume ones which don't seem to want to snap on to any Koki, Tomix or otherwise. These can all be fixed with hot water and some light bending in though. 

 

So the Tomix JNR C series can fit on kato cars?  The hot water bending is a good trick!

[nah00]

On 12/28/2017 at 10:21 PM, IST said:

The Panzer car is interesting, but I should buy first an M250 set, then Shiki-shima, then Eizan Series 900s, then E235, then...

 

I would get the Panzer car if you're even remotely interested, with the last movie coming out it will sell out fast. 

 

1 minute ago, Kiha66 said:

 

So the Tomix JNR C series can fit on kato cars?  The hot water bending is a good trick!

 

I only have a few older Kokis and containers but I haven't had any problems with swapping them. 

[westfalen]

On ‎29‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 6:25 PM, Kiha66 said:

Are kato/tomix containers interchangeable?  I'd like to get some of the tomix JNR containers to add variety to my kato Chiki5000s and koki 5500s, but I dont know if they'll fit.

My containers have all gotten mixed up to the extent that I'm not sure who made some of them or if the kokis they are on are Kato, Tomix or Micro Ace.

[Densha]

New Kato pics: http://www.jp-ngauge.info/ngi/2018/01/kato-e265.html

 

Looks like, as expected, the new KiHa 58 model is a bit more detailed than Tomix's High Grade release. The Rhätische Bahn Ge4/4 II also looks really cute.

[Kiha66]

The Kiha 58 does look good, but I have so many tomix kihas that wouldn't be compatible I probably wont switch unless this one is DCC ready.  I find it funny that kato has used the same c57 for all the "reveal" pictures over the last few months, as the right side smoke deflector has had a broken strut the whole time. 

[Yavianice]

Does anyone know what KATO 10-1475 will look like? Hobbysearch and other stores do not show an image and it's a bit hard to tell from the release poster. Is it the completely blue color scheme or the blue/gray color scheme?

[katoftw]

26 minutes ago, Yavianice said:

Does anyone know what KATO 10-1475 will look like? Hobbysearch and other stores do not show an image and it's a bit hard to tell from the release poster. Is it the completely blue color scheme or the blue/gray color scheme?

All dark blue with seven ribbed car. No smooth 885 cars. Go a few pages back. There was some dicussion on it.

[Welshbloke]

Definitely want one of the Ge 4/4 IIs, waiting for that rather than buying another III for my EWI coaches. Have Kato announced a release date yet as the schedule on their website just has a vertical line in that column?

[gavino200]

I'm not certain this is new info. This is from the 2018 Kato catalog. I was asking a question about the Kato/Lemke ICE4 in another thread. Densha asked if I'd post these pages here. These are screenshots of the PDFs from my scanner. 

 

 

 

IMG_0003.pdf

[katoftw]

D51-200 and 35-4000 Yamaguchi coaches would be nice.  Tomix have shown interest in the coaches also.  Hopefully a C57-1 get a re-release also.

 

And a new wooden station?

[Densha]

At least the ICE4 and the E235 were already announced a while ago, but I can't remember seeing announcements for most other items mentioned here.

 

I'm really surprised and excited about the JR Shikoku 2000 series and Hiroden 1000 type, but I'm sure E353 and new station buildings will sell like hotcakes too.