G-scale in Japan: where do I start?

[shiawase raichou]

Can anyone suggest a good starting point for exploring G-scale 45mm modelling in Japan?

 

The only thing I know about it is that Aster Hobby makes beautiful live-steam locomotives. Do any shops stock this gauge -- and at affordable prices? I live in Tokyo.

 

Few people in Japan have yards so I understand it may be a tiny market compared with that in the U.S. or Europe. But still, any advice?

 

 

 

[Kabutoni]

This website seems like a good start: http://homepage1.nifty.com/lgb-train/g_gauge_001.htm

 

From what I gather, this gauge is very exotic and anything outside of the LGB range is either custom built or self made. With the sheer size of these models, I think making your own models shouldn't be hard at all. You just need to find the right wheels and powering units and you're ready to build something great from paper and cardboard.

 

I know shops that focus on the rare and exotic, like Popondetta, IMON and probably Tenshodo have some LGB in stock. Don't ask me about affordability, since I have no idea about G-gauge prices in general. xD

[kvp]

European locomotives are in the range of 800-1000 us dollars (and much less for the chinese copies) and mostly cover german and swiss prototypes. There is an even more exotic variant, the standard gauge scale 1, which uses the same tracks as scale G. However I've seen a few videos of japanese made G scale live steam and live diesel locomotives, so they do exists. In the past even hobby search has carried a few german prototype G scale trains (the cheap chinese variant). Building a japanese G scale layout is like building a japanese or us prototype TT scale layout. Every country has its standard scale and japan has N, with H0 and Z in the also supported category and pretty much everything else has to be home made. While at the same time, for a german prototype you can choose between G, 1, 0, H0, TT, N and Z and their narrow gauge variants, while S gauge is something only seen in the US, much like T scale in japan.

 

For G gauge, the most modelled prototype is swiss narrow gauge trains and you can find that almost all prototypes are covered, so most G gauge owners build a swiss (or sometimes german) prototype layout.

Edited January 27, 2014 by kvp