Looking for small Japanese vans

[ianlaw]

Hello,

 

I model in Z gauge. The biggest problem I have is finding suitable cars and vans to give the roads a Japanese look. I recently bought a N scale model of a very small car which looks fine even directly next to my Z scale cars. I know that some japanese vans are very small and maybe they could also double as a larger Japanese van.

I believe that the following are models of a very small van ]http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-Delivery-Truck-and-Van-Kato-23-508-N-scale-/120951860217]

Does anyone have these models and could they maybe measure the size so that I check that the size is suitable before I order them?

 

Ian

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Kato is releasing new Toyotas.

 

Katomodels.com

[Hobby Dreamer]

Hi Ian

 

This page may help....

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/250/0/1

 

If you have not bought from Japan or are concerned about quality etc. just ask!

 

Rick

[Tyler B]

You could always look at companies that supply vehicles for architectural modelmakers, such as:

 

http://www.modelsupplies.net/

 

(p.s. I know nothing about this company, it's just the first one that popped up on Google)

 

The vehicles are in various different scales and seem to range from basic block shapes to vehicles with a bit more detail

[ianlaw]

Thanks for the replies so far.

But I'd still like an answer to my question if anyone has the mentioned models and if they could measure the size of the models.

 

Ian

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Although small prototypes, these models are deceptively large. They measure 2.1 cm in length, although I was in a bit of rush so forgot to measure the height...I can extrapolate their height from the picture to be approx 1.3 cm. Personally, I don't think they will be suitable for Z gauge. They will be far too large, and the detail will look wrong.

 

Z gauge looks to be growing in popularity in Japan, so it may not be too long before some produces something...after all, we have vehicles in T gauge!

 

Something a little different from the usual US or European offerings could be from this lot. Granted they don't do 1:220, but some careful placing could help disguise the difference in scale. Their tree range is something rather special as well...

 

1:200

 

http://www.modelshop.co.uk/category/Model_Detail/Vehicles/1_200_scale,l.html?sortBy=FeaturedDesc

 

1:250

 

http://www.modelshop.co.uk/category/Model_Detail/Vehicles/1_250_scale,l.html?sortBy=FeaturedDesc

[cteno4]

have you looked at the architectural cars from china at around 1/200-1/220 range.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50x-Building-Train-Layout-Set-Z-Scale-1-220-Model-Car-/380329605242?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item588d69387a

 

they are decent with the 1/150 n scale versions. about the right size there. ok from >1ft in detail compared to tomytec. they can be dressed up a little as well.

 

the micro vans from tomytec car collection 14 are about 22mm long and 12mm high. these will probably make it to a 4 car set sometime here, they seem to be re-releasing things like this over time.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[ianlaw]

Thanks Claude and Jeff for measuring.

 

Yes I agree that these vans will be too large.

I was hoping that a model of a really small van similar to this :http://www.motorstown.com/images/suzuki-van-04.jpg might pass of as a larger van like this http://images03.olx.com.ph/ui/2/77/41/24657641_1.jpg

 

The modelshop link has some interesting models, but they are very British.

The cars on the ebay link are even larger than 1:200 and the moulds they use are very crude. Many sell these cars. Some are honest about the poor quality. Others hide this by using small pictures...

 

The problem isn't that I don't have or cannot find any z-scale cars and vans, but that I want to find vehicles that are visibly Japanese (and not European /German). Ideally I'd like a Japanese bus and black cat delivery van.

 

Yes there is a lot of Z scale activity in Japan at the moment but no sign of well moulded Japanese outline road vehicles.

 

Ian

[cteno4]

Ian,

 

yeah i think those micro vans have to be pretty tall, so when used in Z get tooo tall.

 

the chinese vehicles are decent, ive gotten a few orders. not tomytec quality, but ok. little cleaning can make them acceptable from a foot or more away. the few batches ive gotten have been variable batch to batch and w/in the batches as well. great to fill in and use the better cars in the foreground. also great for parking lots and such where view is limited and mass is really needed. perfect for a multistory parking garage! if you are really into it they can be repainted and detailed quite a bit but that take a bit of work. they are great for when a little kid at a show gets sooo attached to all our little cars on the layout to be able to hand them one to keep.

 

ive never tried any of the ones that are called 1/200-220 size. im wondering if some sell the 1/150 as this! they get resold a lot all over the place these days.

 

its frustrating that more z has not come out in japanese stuff. hopefully some will start to come out here, the japanese z market seems to have stabilized and started moving ahead again. maybe rokuhan will get tomytec to shrink some of their vehicle sets. hard work is done, just need to reduce the tooling and manufacture.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[ianlaw]

Jeff,

 

The cars I tried which were sold as Z-scale are 9mm wide-22mm long, where a true Z-scale car is 6-7mm-18m long for a similar type of car and the moulding is really very poor. They would look fine in a scrap yard scene or in a multi story car park. Maybe they do sell the same cars as N and Z scale.

However I noticed that ProZ sold packs of cars which looked very similar. I suspect the Chinese firm went on producing after the initial order using the same moulds, which are wearing so the quality is getting poorer as time passes.....

 

Ian

[cteno4]

Ian,

 

the ones sold as 1.150 are about 30-34mm in length so those are smaller.

 

i think you are spot on with the moulds. the ddf looked to be nice casting of some of the same cars with the crappy flash from the chinese vendors. there are also two different style sets ive gotten.

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

I came across this while researching Piaggio Ape three wheelers.  These are Z scale European vehicles on the Shapeways web site.

 

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/steffenszbahnshop?s=36

 

I myself have no experience with Shapeways.

[ianlaw]

Bill,

 

I have a few Shapeways Z gauge vehicles. And it just so happens that I ordered the said three wheeler last week, together with a few other goodies.

[ianlaw]

Today I visited the model fair in Houten to buy some supplies to make trees etc. There I found a very small N-gauge van. The size is h=11mm, b=8mm, l=19mm. I think it looks fine on my Z-gauge layout when viewed from the front or at an angle (as shown of the photo). I don't think it looks out of place compared with the buildings, people and other cars.

(When viewed directly from the side it does seems a little large though). What do you think?

[JR 500系]

Hi ianlaw:

 

There's a Tomytec Car collection series 5 i think, that has this Honda TN-7 truck. The Japanese call them K vehicles, like this TN-7 and the Mitsubishi I featured in the Tomytec car series 14. The Daihatsu Hihet van in series 14 is also a quite a small truck!

 

More info on the Honda TN-7 here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=honda+TN-7&hl=en&prmd=imvnsfd&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=K0x5UK_AI83nrAfl14AQ&ved=0CCgQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=597

 

More info on the Hijet here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=honda+TN-7&hl=en&prmd=imvnsfd&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=K0x5UK_AI83nrAfl14AQ&ved=0CCgQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=597#hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=daihatsu+hijet&oq=daihatsu+hijet&gs_l=img.3..0l10.88405.91073.0.91245.14.10.0.3.3.0.265.967.2-4.4.0...0.0...1c.1.hTH3SfdEUnU&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=c7d8ed9c35ecaa91&bpcl=35277026&biw=1366&bih=597

 

Well, they are susposed to be very small as compared to regular cars, but in a Z scale, i think they look like regular trucks. In my humble opinion, i think they can be easily passed off as a Z scale normal truck ~~

[ianlaw]

Hi JR500

 

Thanks for the suggestions!. Do they only sell these vehicles in sets or can you walk into a large store in Japan and pick up a single van?

I'm not a vehicle collector. I simply need a few vans/ cars that say "Japan" to enhance my streets.

 

Ian

[cteno4]

Ian,

 

the tomytec cars come in the bigger cases of 12 boxes with 2 cars/sm trucks/vans to a box. all the boxes look identical so if you buy a box unopedn you dont know which two you will get. some hobby shops in japan will open them and sell them marked for what is in it. popendetta has an online sotre that will sell them as individual know boxes. they seem to price them about 2x and up from buying a whole case and the popular ones get priced higher. these dont stick around long, usually selling out in a few months, but recently the collections have hung around in stock longer.

 

then usually later tomytec release some of each set in boxes of 4 vehicles for about $15. they are releasing a set with 2 of the small trucks in Nov

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10194970

 

tomytec has produced 3 sizes of these little trucks:

 

lg : 32mm l x 11mm h x 13mmh

 

med: 23mm l x 10mm w x 12mm h

 

sm: 20mm l x 9mm w x 10mm h

 

the sm and medium could definitely pass off for z scale trucks i think. the large one would be a bigger truck but might work in z as well.

 

the sm and med are in the set above.

 

im guessing the size is close to the kato trucks

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10137604

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[ianlaw]

Hi Jeff,

 

The van I bought today is 8mm wide (cost EUR 3). It was unpackaged but on the bottom it says Tomytec 1/150 and it looks identical to the top-left van in your link http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10194970.

I have Z-gauge lorries which are 10-11mm wide. My cars are 7mm wide. I think that even a 9mm wide van would be pushing it a bit...

So really I probably need to be looking for someting like the old model suzuki carry can (without nose) as this will look like its bigger brother (I'm not sure if the newer version with nose has a similar shaped bigger brother), but it doesn't seem that this model exists.

 

Ian

[cteno4]

Ian, yep that's the one. Sorry I did a fast measurement woth a ruler there, should have grabbed calipers  I think these are all right at the edge to go down.to z scale like that. Might look ok on their own but probably pushing it nest to correctly scale z scale vehicles. Might look around on shapeways and see if anyone has things at n or HO scale for sale and contact them to see if they would scale it down to z to sell to you. Should be pretty easy for them to do with the cad file.

 

Jeff

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Actually, that little pick-up looks okay beside the Z gauge car. I have managed to pick up a few if these from Japan Model Railways, based in Germany; also known as Modelbahn Union...

 

http://www.japanmodelrailways.com/index.php/tomytec-produkte/tomytec-fahrzeuge

[bill937ca]

There are also larger versions of the small Japanese trucks like the Mazda Brawny with essentially the same styling. I saw quite a few of these around Lisbon, but with the strength of the Yen they seem to be giving way there to cheap Hyundai trucks.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Bongo

[ianlaw]

Thanks for the replies, and for the link to the German supplier.

[JR 500系]

Hi Ian:

 

Sorry for the late reply, here's some photos for you to actually guage the size of the Kato mini Daihatsu Hijet van with other N scale cars:

 

 

Placing the Daihatsu Hijet (First from left, From Kato 23-508 Mini trucks set) beside a compact car (middle red car, Honda Fit from Tomytec Series 6 car collection) and finally a 'normal' car (Right black car, Toyota Prius, From Toytec Series 12R car collection). We can clearly see the Daihatsu Hijet is VERY small... So i think it should do well as an Z scale truck. Hoped that helps!