Strange happening with EXE

[JR 500系]

Didn't know where to post this, but i'll try here:

 

Thing is, I recently got my hands on MicroAce A6595 Odakyu 30000 series EXE 4-car basic set. Please refer to pictures.

 

The strange thing is with car number 9:

 

The pantograph is supposed to be in front; i.e. in-front when connecting to car number 8.

 

Yes?

 

But look at the seats...

 

I opened up the body, and the seats are pointing backwards; i.e. facing car number 10. Now, if the pantograph is at the front, the door and the open space, I believe is the toilet area, are all at the front. If you see the arrangement on the train interior, it shows it's at the back, if you want the seats to be pointing forward to car number 8.  

 

If I were to turn the interior plate, it will become the door spanning across the seats; wrong.

 

If I were to place the pantograph at the front; i.e. right after car number 8, the seats are facing to car number 10, wrong.

 

So how do we get the seats to face forward to car number 8, like all the other carriages, instead of facing to car number 10?

 

Is the body piece wrong, or is the interior plate piece wrong? I checked HS photos and theirs are like this too; i.e. the seats facing car number 10, backwards....

[katoftw]

If this is thr 5th car from the 6 car set, then year it is the wrong part.  On that car the seating should be facing the toilet area.

 

On the 2nd and 3rd cars the seating faces away from the toilet area.  Seems interior piece you have is for 2nd/3rd car.

 

I just had a look at HSs pics, they are facing forward.  Car 6 is facing backwards.

 

Edit//  Just relized you are talking about the 3rd car of the 4 car set, car # 30003.

 

The seating for all 10 cars is different.  Some face forwards, some face backwards.  End cars seating faces the direction of the drivers cab.  Toilet cars have the seating facing away from the toilets.

Edited August 27, 2014 by katoftw

[E6系]

Hello Mr JR500,

 

I have the full 10-car consist.  Please allow me to investigate over the next few days and report back here.  I have never noticed this before.

[JR 500系]

Hello Mr JR500,

 

I have the full 10-car consist.  Please allow me to investigate over the next few days and report back here.  I have never noticed this before.

 

Thank you E6 san! Appreciate that~

 

So I did some research on youtube and found out that the car number 9 (as to third car in the 4-car basic set), when placed behind car number 10 (towards Shinjuku direction), as seen here in this video (around 0:26, gotta look real carefully and perhaps pause to see it), the toilet is behind, which explains that the carriage on car number 9 on the model is correct with the toilet behind.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpDFfqvYq88

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CXVi2j0hos

Which we see here also on car number 9. (directly after the front car, number 10, at 0:45)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAYwF_lc8fM

Here, at 5:25, the car number 9 shows the toilet at the front. (towards Odawara direction, 6 cars in front of 4 cars)

Then at 1:05, the car number 9 shows the toilet at the rear (towards Shinjuku direction, 4 cars in front of 6 cars)

 

As we examined further the model, we can see if the model is placed car number 10 first, followed by 9, then 8 etc. for towards Shinjuku direction (4 cars in front of 6 cars), the consist is correct. The seats for the carriage is facing the right direction and the toilet is at the rear.

 

But, if we were to place it the other way around, 6 cars in front followed by 4 cars behind for Odawara direction bound, the car number 9 is wrong, either with the toilet in front (which is correct) but the seats facing the wrong direction, or with the toilet at the back (which is wrong) with the seats facing the right direction. Alternatively, we can swap the car body and have the toilet in front and the seats facing the right direction (front), but the door is right smack in between the seats as the interior is wrong.

 

Not trying to be 100% prototypically correct as i'm not, but just kinda strange how the model couldn't work out. I have the Tomix 50000 VSE too with the wrong placement of the door on car number 6.

[E6系]

Hello Mr JR500,

 

I have Tomix 50000 VSE also.  Please tell me about the problem with car 6 ... I didn't know about that!!!   :(

[kvp]

I think this seat placement might have something to do with that fact that the only difference between the two cars is that the seats are facing the other direction relative to the doors, since they are used in the consist turned 180 degrees relative to each other and the seats are turned around at the terminal (at least for the older odakyu romancecars they did this). The manufacturer can choose to make two interiors, so in one direction all the seats are good and in the other all the seats are wrong or just use the same part for both cars, making them 50% good in both directions. Afaik the end cars have seats looking out through the windshields regardless of direction, so they could usually get away with the same arrangement in middle cars. If car 5 and 8 didn't accidentially face the same direction, then one of them would also have the seats in the wrong direction. Cars 6 and 7 are cab cars, so in that case the seats could face towards the cabs too. (could you check is this is the case?)

 

Imho the cheapest to manufacture setup is this:

-car 1: facing the cab

-car 2: facing car 1

-car 3: facing car 1

-car 4: facing car 1

-car 5: facing car 1

-car 6: facing the cab (towards car 10)

-car 7: facing the cab (towards car 1)

-car 8: facing car 1

-car 9: facing car 10 (it's just car3 turned around)

-car 10: facing the cab

This means if my theory is correct, then car 6, 9 and 10 should have reversed seats. Is this correct?

[katoftw]

kvp - pretty much my thoughts from my post.  and i think you are right on the seating arrangements.  cheaper to make one interior, and have a few cars with seating facing the opposite direction, than make a single interior for car 9.

[Mudkip Orange]

CTRL+ALT+DEL

[JR 500系]

Hello Mr JR500,

 

I have Tomix 50000 VSE also.  Please tell me about the problem with car 6 ... I didn't know about that!!!   :(

 

Hi E6 san:

 

Yap the car doors were wrong on the 6 car, and Tomix has officially apologize. They also provided a free service to change the body. Actually, it was just a simple 'turn-around' to rectify it. Previously discussed here: http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/998-what-did-you-order-or-the-post-deliver/?p=88208

 

 

I think this seat placement might have something to do with that fact that the only difference between the two cars is that the seats are facing the other direction relative to the doors, since they are used in the consist turned 180 degrees relative to each other and the seats are turned around at the terminal (at least for the older odakyu romancecars they did this). The manufacturer can choose to make two interiors, so in one direction all the seats are good and in the other all the seats are wrong or just use the same part for both cars, making them 50% good in both directions. Afaik the end cars have seats looking out through the windshields regardless of direction, so they could usually get away with the same arrangement in middle cars. If car 5 and 8 didn't accidentially face the same direction, then one of them would also have the seats in the wrong direction. Cars 6 and 7 are cab cars, so in that case the seats could face towards the cabs too. (could you check is this is the case?)

 

Imho the cheapest to manufacture setup is this:

-car 1: facing the cab

-car 2: facing car 1

-car 3: facing car 1

-car 4: facing car 1

-car 5: facing car 1

-car 6: facing the cab (towards car 10)

-car 7: facing the cab (towards car 1)

-car 8: facing car 1

-car 9: facing car 10 (it's just car3 turned around)

-car 10: facing the cab

This means if my theory is correct, then car 6, 9 and 10 should have reversed seats. Is this correct?

 

You're absolutely right kvp san!  

 

While I don't have the 6-car set to verify more, my 4-car set has the following seating sequence:

 

Car 7 (Cab car) - seats facing the cab. Correct for Hakone direction since it will be linked to car number 6. But wrong for Shinjuku direction.

Car 8 - seats facing car number 7 (I think). Since it's the motor car, the seats are only half done so it's not so obvious. Correct for Hakone direction . But wrong for Shinjuku direction.

Car 9 - seats facing car 10. Correct for Shinjuku direction. But wrong for Hakone direction.

Car 10 - seats facing the cab. Correct for Shinjuku direction since it will be the first car (4 in front, 6 behind). But wrong for Hakone direction (6 in front, 4 behind).

 

So you're right, and I think the moulding part u mention is true too. To save money, they might as well just make the same mould as car 3....

 

But there are instances whereby the seats are correct in a single direction:

 

Tomix 92486 N700-1000 N700A set comes with the cars number 1 and number 16 seats facing all in one direction (please see picture)

 

I think there are others, might I need to find out more. Come to think about it, most of my trains are like this, with the seats facing the cab since it's cheaper to do as it's just a mirror of the other car...

[katoftw]

Tomix 92486 N700-1000 N700A set comes with the cars number 1 and number 16 seats facing all in one direction (please see picture)

 

I think there are others, might I need to find out more. Come to think about it, most of my trains are like this, with the seats facing the cab since it's cheaper to do as it's just a mirror of the other car...

interesting way tomix of got around the issue, have the seating sit in grooves, and just spin the seating 180 degree and snap 2 row of seat off to refit.