What did you order or the post deliver? (Japanese N Gauge)

[cteno4]

On 5/10/2025 at 4:11 PM, Tony Galiani said:

I am now convinced that @cteno4 has loaded the forum with subliminal "buy now" messages

ARRRRGGGG! @Tony Galiani you outed my 17 year run of putting subliminal advertising on the forums and collecting enough kickbacks to keep my model train habit going! You never felt the blipverts getting to you did you?! I learned everything from Max Headroom. Once you join the forum you are tracked relentlessly! Ha ha ha ha ha [maniacal laughter and hand wringing]

 

Well you got me back Tony, as i had looked at that Shikoku Kiha and little sightseeing car a while back and thought hmmm that looks good for small Ttrak setups or mini onetrak I should get it and promptly forgot to get it. So i just picked one up along with a small pile of other stuff I had waiting… 

 

The forum is really very enabling… maybe we need to set up a separate forum for some group theray or 12 step program…

 

jeff

[bc6]

I've pre-ordered the new TOMIX Yamato container and Koki. I've also pre-ordered the Popendetta Nankai Railways 8300 series 6 car set.

Edited May 13 by bc6

[Steve]

Finally, I could get that Set...

 

[bc6]

Today I picked up a Kato 4 car E231-500  to complete my grail set of a 10 car Chuo-Sobu Line set. I'm so happy to have completed this set.

[Kamome]

18 hours ago, Steve said:

 

Finally, I could get that Set..

 

I keep eyeing these Iida line beauties up too. I rarely seem to run my Iida stock these days but I still love the subtle variety of these old electrics. The Kumoha 52 is such an iconic looking train. 

[Little-Kinder]

Went to joshin super kids in Osaka today.

 

It was fun to discover z scale. Some are very toy like and some are very realistic 

 

I bought one more tramway from tomytech and the engine 

 

And also one sagawa truck with some extra stuff 

[bc6]

Joshin Super Kids is always a treat to visit. You almost don't want to leave so you can see all that they have to offer.

[Kamome]

Some of the most exciting announcements for me this year have been the sheer number of limestone and cement trains as this is an area of interest for me. Not certain as to if or when this train will be produced again, I wanted to get hold of the Shikoku limestone train. 

 

The DF50s have some subtle differences to those released before. 

Right to left. 7009, 7009-2, 7009-5(10-2008)

 

The numbers are now far easier than applying the metal etch individual numbers. At this scale I’m not sure you notice unless you really get close. The new Shikoku version has 2 options for coupler assembly, with or without snowplough, in this case the shorter version.

 

Set 10-2008 has two almost identical 7009-5 locos except one comes with traction tyres and one comes without as Kato has done with its other double loco sets. Also include are some headmarks.

The handrails all have to be added by hand but on this release Kato has a new sprue design with tabs that make fitting way easier than they were previously.

 

The Hoki 5200 have nice printing. The train’s loco ends no longer have a coupling knuckle included but instead the very short fixed couplers (28-187) This is slightly disappointing as you cannot push-couple with them. 

 

 

The printing is excellent. I do like the asymmetrical cab on the end hopper. 

The loads are plastic caps that seem to come out of place easily. I will possibly add ballast material to these or paint to take away the shiny plastic appearance. 

 

The closest comparison will be to the Woki 100 from Microace. They are very similar wagons. MA Woki top, Kato Hoki bottom

[RS18U]

On 4/24/2025 at 10:59 AM, Tony Galiani said:

I wonder why HS does not provide the option to add to an order before shipping?

PJ is the same.  I pre-ordered my Tomix KIHA 47-8000 when the pre-orders opened and as it was a few months out I wanted to add to the order as it got closer to the release date.  After e-mailing PJ I ended up cancelling the pre-order and re-ordering with the added item I wanted.  A bit nerve racking to make sure I still got the 47 but it all turned out fine.

[disturbman]

Costs and possibly a shop system that doesn't allow for it. These can be very inflexible.

If you want the possibility to add to a pre-order when it releases, I recommend that you start shopping at Ami or RGR.

[Little-Kinder]

I went to Joshin, but before that I ordered on their website. The order arrived.

 

I ordered some popondetta lights to remove the flicker I have and also the duck train!

 

You can choose the eyes fyi

[Tony Galiani]

I am not sure how effective my ordering "pause" is at the moment.  Here are the items I picked up during Suruga-Ya's recent 20% discount and free shipping sale.  I spotted two items I really wanted - the truck with the JR container and the JR Shikoku Series 1000 DMU, both of which bring back memories of my first trip to Shikoku.

 

I then added some items to get above the ordering minimum for the sale.  Still very economical.  Some additional container trucks, a Bandai truck (to see what they were like) and some other scenic items.  The film crew as 1) it was really cheap, especially considering the current prices for figure sets, and 2) because I always see people taking pictures of the trains when I travel in Japan.  Packing was somewhat haphazard as is par for the course with Suruga-Ya (and I would not be likely to order anything delicate from them) and pretty quick - ordered on May 11, shipped on May 13 and arrived here on May 19th.

 

As to the memories - I tend to get down to breakfast early but then hangout over coffee while waiting for Mira.  I was at the JR Hotel in Takamatsu which has a wall of windows, relaxing with my coffee when I was surprised to see that truck zip by.  And, when we went to Oboke Gorge, we were passed by a larger truck with three containers as we walked to the boat landing.  After we were back at the station, waiting for our ride back to Takamatsu, a Series 1000 pulled in and sat waiting for the limited express Nampu to arrive for its connection.  It was running late and I noted the driver of the DMU apparently nodding off for a nap while waiting!

 

Ciao,

Tony

[JohnnyG]

Hi guys. Just designing track and looking at buying kato and tomix direct from Japan.

I am looking at buying from Banzai models and Japan plaza. Exchange rate is better for me direct to Canada than buying from Kato USA.

Do you have any other sources you use from Japan. Thanks.

[Little-Kinder]

You can check amazon jp. Not sure about the shipping fee though

Edited 5 hours ago by disturbman
unnecessary quote, answering previous message

[disturbman]

We have an entire section dedicated to suppliers, https://jnsforum.com/community/forum/51-suppliers/. I recommend checking there. All our favourites are listed there and each has its own (pinned) subject.

People usually buy from Ami Ami, Hobby Search, Plaza Japan or Rail Gallery Rokko. There are a few other sources, but they are less used and/or more specialized, like Mandarake.