Just add power unit?

[katoftw]

Buy this! - http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10104756

 

Then buy this? - http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10090251

 

Is it that simple?

Edited January 26, 2014 by katoftw

[dabsan]

Buy this! - http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10104756

 

Then buy this? - http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10090251

 

Is it that simple?

Yeah, really simple and will run very good!

[IST]

Yes, it is really so simple. You will get the tram with a static chassis, so you have to simple just unclip it and put the power unit to its place. 5 seconds and done.

[Guest keio6000]

Umm, sorry.. Arent these the same as kato released as a rtr with working lights? Whats the advantage of tomytec then?

[macdon]

Umm, sorry.. Arent these the same as kato released as a rtr with working lights? Whats the advantage of tomytec then?

 

Cost.

 

Tomytec's $45 vs. Kato's $80-$90.

However, Tomytec doesnt have any lighting whatsoever. Lights are really cool, but I still havent swayed myself to getting a Kato tram at that price.

I think you could also add figures to a kato tram (?)

 

Mardon

[kvp]

Another advantage is that you only have to buy as many tomytec motors as the number of trams you want to run at the same time. But you can have a lot more shells and you can swap the motors in two easy steps. You can only put drivers into the tomytec one, but you can add passangers to the kato version. It's a bit more tricky to disassemble and a lot less rugged, so you have to be more careful with it.

[cteno4]

Very eazy pezy. it is fun to have a selection of colors and pop em on to what ever combo you want. they slip on/off very easily. tomytec mech si large and a bit clunky but it works well and is very sturdy. at times hs has had both shells 45% discounted and mechs 35% in the sale bin so you could get them really cheap. The detail on the tomytec is quite nice and finely molded shells (better than some of the other tomytec models). Does have plastic pantograph, but its nice and fully articulated.

 

The big drawback other than the price with the kato is that it has a wonderful tiny motor mechs in the trucks are really fiddly to work on if anything goes wrong. They can break much more easily and once something goes wrong they are very very fiddly to try and tear apart to repair. they also have a voltage reg circuit in them so if its something wrong with that you cant repair it (unless you are an good ee!) A number of folks have had one of the trucks blow out on them. Kato did have a reasonably prices (like 1800yen) whole truck motor mech spare part but those have been OOP/OOS for a long time now and no signs of it popping back up (i want to get some to play with doing MOW equipment since they are such tiny mechs all down on the bogie).

 

i think we have had like 3 kato unitrams have problems in the club and none of the tomytecs.

 

but having almost the full floor in the kato is nice to put people in there!

 

the tomytec shells are also fun if you want to roll your own painted tram. before the tama trains came out i started to do a Tama portram as an experiment. I need to finish it up, was using laserprint transfers and just did a few to see how it would stand up with some time before putting the rest on them

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[macdon]

With photoshop, I attempted to do passengers with a black background for my Tomytec Centram but havent had it printed yet.

My plan was to stick them either on the interior window or very close to it without hampering the mech. I dont wanna use glue on the centram and double sided tape may mess with the mech, so I still dont have a mounting solution yet. Reverse decal perhaps?

 

Tomytec trams are tough and only takes little power to move it. Maybe 6-9v will do. I've run it fast ( shinkantram.... Lol!) and runs slow. I've run it in all my layouts and it was even used as a test vehicle to first tackle my current mountain layout.

 

Mardon

 

[kvp]

 I still dont have a mounting solution yet

The ideal solution could be a wrap around sheet, so the same paper would go above the motor and would be held in place by the roof. That way the paper could be slipped inside the shell, the top of the drive and the back of the driver's cabin (where the weights are). If you ever make a sheet like this, i would be interested if you decide to share it in this forum.

[katoftw]

I brought the Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau Type 0800 (#0801) tram from HS.  HS is out of stock of the power unit, but PJ has it for same price.

[macdon]

The ideal solution could be a wrap around sheet, so the same paper would go above the motor and would be held in place by the roof. That way the paper could be slipped inside the shell, the top of the drive and the back of the driver's cabin (where the weights are). If you ever make a sheet like this, i would be interested if you decide to share it in this forum.

 

Still playing around with it actually. Will need to know actual seating of the tram to position passengers properly. 

Below is a jpeg file of what I was thinking. Those passengers could be manipulated further - seating or standing up.

 

 

Mardon

[kvp]

You can check the seating on the non powered chassis. Generally you have fold down seats and/or bench seats opposite to the doors and people facing each other above the bogies on elevated seats. It's a nightmare, but this is the only way to mount seats above the bogies and the other mechanical parts.  http://www.gkid.co.jp/e/portfolio/images/TOYAMA_LRT_2.jpg