Hello from Minnesota, US!

[infraredbob]

Hey guys! just another weird railfan here being converted to like the Japanese trains now. I only do HO scale, but I think I'll get the hang of what you guys are talking about.

 

Anyone know of a good 0 series Shinkansen in HO scale?

 

Thanks guys!

 

John

[cteno4]

Welcome to the dark side John! Glad you have seen the light (well, err, dark that is).

 

I think you will find lots of interesting things here and folks to chat with to feed the new Japanese train habit.

 

Unfortunately, Japanese HO is very pricy, especially the shinkansens. Not like us trains where HO and N scale are close in price. There does seem to be a slow and steady increase of Japanese HO though. There are several avid Japanese HO modelers here on the forum that can help I'm sure.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[marknewton]

G'day John, and welcome to the forum.

 

As Jeff says there's a few of us here working in HO scale. I agree with him up to a point about the price of Japanese HO, say if you're comparing them with US models. But having said that I think that in every respect - accuracy, detail, finish and performance - they're superior, so I reckon you get your money's worth. There's a link in my signature to my Flickr page, where I've posted photos of some of my fleet. Have a look, it'll give you some idea of what's available. I have RTR models from all the major manufacturers in the Japanese market, as well as RTR and kits from some of the smaller companies. I can honestly say that I've never been disappointed by any of them.

 

A few years back a company called Zoukei Mura released an HO scale series 0 Shinkansen. I can't comment on their quality as I don't have one, but another forum member does, and he seems very happy with it. I do have a pair of DD54 diesels from them which are superbly detailed, finished and run beautifully. If their 0s are as good they'd be worth having.

 

One other thing worth mentioning is that are two different scales in Japan that are marketed as HO. One is 1/87th scale on 12mm gauge track, usually known as HOj. The other is 1/80th scale running on 16.5mm gauge track. It's commonly referred to as No.16 gauge. All the mainstream Japanese manufacturer's model are 1/80th scale. HOj tends to be the preserve of high-end, high-price craftsman kits from manufacturers like Imon and World Kougei.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

Edited December 4, 2014 by marknewton

[Sascha]

Hello again.You made it to the forum.There are great people here. :)

[cteno4]

I totally agree with Mark, all the Japanese HO that I've seen has been top notch, wonderfully detailed and much better than most all other HO models I've seen up close from around the world, so he is spot on that you are getting something for the higher price! The really high end Japanese brass can be out of this world in detail -- and price -- as well!

 

Jeff

Edited December 4, 2014 by cteno4

[Mudkip Orange]

Keep your American HO and set up a parallel separate Japanese N collection. That's what I did 

[infraredbob]

Thanks for the input, guys. yeah I've heard of Zoukei, and the 0 models are really nice, but they're about the price one would expect from a brass model. They're crafted form plastic - but very finely detailed.

 

The only Japanese train I have right now is Kato's E5 Hayabusa, which is awesome. one of the best trains I've ever bought.

 

Interesting about the 1/80th scale trains. I was wondering why they never marked the trains as true HO 1/87. Why don't they just keep the 1/87 scale and use N gauge track? N scale track is narrow gauge to HO 1/87, isn't it? maybe I'm off base.

 

Thanks for the replies!

 

John

[cteno4]

John

 

well n gauge at 9mm for ho scale at 1/87 would work out to 783mm, quite a bit narrower than 1067mm cape gauge in japan.

 

z gauge track at 6.5mm works out pretty close at 1/150 (would be almost spot on for 1/160) n scale at 975mm and some regauge their n scale wheels to z gauge and use z track to make it closer (the tomytec mechs can do this pretty well).

 

did you get the HO E5?

 

cheers

 

jeff

[infraredbob]

John

 

well n gauge at 9mm for ho scale at 1/87 would work out to 783mm, quite a bit narrower than 1067mm cape gauge in japan.

 

z gauge track at 6.5mm works out pretty close at 1/150 (would be almost spot on for 1/160) n scale at 975mm and some regauge their n scale wheels to z gauge and use z track to make it closer (the tomytec mechs can do this pretty well).

 

did you get the HO E5?

 

cheers

 

jeff

 

 

Ah, gotcha. still, There's some of that stuff I wish was in true 1/87

 

yeah, I got the E5. beautiful train. glad I can drift away from wanting all of the big American freight trains. everyone here models the same thing

 

John

[Martijn Meerts]

There is 'true' H0 as well, which is 1/87 on 12mm track, usually referred to as H0j .. It's not mass manufactured though, so it's pretty much all brass (either pre-built or kit), and there's not that much to choose from. The detail on the more expensive kits is pretty incredible though, https://www.imon.co.jp/MODELS/GOODS224.MBR/c57

[cteno4]

John,

 

That's what's so nice about Japanese n scale is that there is such a huge variety available you don't have everyone having the exact same things! Even in our club of a dozen guys, many with pretty good collections now we all can have out quite a number of unique trains no one else has!

 

Must be really fun running the HO E5, bet there only a few of those in the us, if any besides yours! Truly unique also with a Shinkansen on an HO layout. Most n scale clubs have a couple of guys that have picked up one or two n scale shinkansens (kato has even imported some to the U.S. now and then) so you usually see them take some laps on most club layouts at shows.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[marknewton]

Must be really fun running the HO E5,

 

I hope so - I've just taken the plunge and ordered a 10-car set. All jokes aside, it will be my son's christmas present. Harry's had a bit of a rough time this year health wise, but he's never complained or been difficult no matter how unwell he's been, so I think he deserves something special. 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[cteno4]

Mark,

 

Oh man that's hard to hear, my best to the little dude and getting well soon. Sounds like a trooper, amazing the fortitude kids can show compared to adults at times. He's got a super dad, I'm sure Xmas day will be a HUGE smile on his face! Good on ya guy!

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff

[miyakoji]

Mark, I hope all is well.  Happy holidays, good health, and good railroading to you and your family.

[infraredbob]

Hey Mark, sorry to hear that. The E5 runs magically. you guys will have fun with it, no doubt. have a great Christmas!

 

John

[marknewton]

Thanks to all for your good wishes, he's on the mend and looking forward to Xmas. So am I! :)

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[Trevor]

Dear John,

I am new to this forum so I apologize if my information is already known. You asked about HO models of 0 series shinkansens. Lima of Itally made a 3 car set with plastic bodies some years ago. They are reasonably cheap second hand and can be detailed/painted up to look quite good. KTM also made 0 series models with brass bodywork. They can be bought second hand but generally run to about 5000 yen per unpowered carriage and double/triple that for a powered unit. I hope that this is useful to you.

Best regards,

Trevor