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

[matt_d10]

A parcel arrived for me today containing a few ARU model brass kits. I've picked up a few before when I've been in Japan, but as travel is out of the question I did a mail order with them directly. 

 

 

The cost certainly shoots up when you take into account shipping, customs and handling; but I like the simplicity of the kits and they're fun to make (already assembled 2!)

[Cat]

Very nice! 

I had tried buying some of their kits through ZenMarket, but because ARU Models doesn't have an e-commerce shopping basket, they couldn't.  Did you send them the order in English?

Cat

[cteno4]

Model train plus carries arunine, but nariichi San has not restocked in a while. Drop him a line he may be able to do a special order and he does fedex and DHL.

 

they are way cool and fun to build, much easier than the usual brass model! 

 

jeff

[Cat]

I had tried Model Train Plus before they sold out of the MoW engine and sent a note enquiring about FedEx shipping.  Never heard back, and when I checked later they had sold out.  Looking at the ARU website, it looks like you can only get the full wagon kits with the chasses included by direct order.

 

[serotta1972]

I've been getting these annoying emails from Amazon JP suggesting I might like an item - and they got me. 🙂 Sweet deal on a Eurostar - $130 shipped via DHL.

[cteno4]

Ahh they are in your head jr! In your head!

 

jeff

[Pauljag900]

Few bits and pieces arrived over the last couple of days,

 

I think I have a use for the tomix station building 🤞😂😂

 

[matt_d10]

10 hours ago, Cat said:

Very nice! 

I had tried buying some of their kits through ZenMarket, but because ARU Models doesn't have an e-commerce shopping basket, they couldn't.  Did you send them the order in English?

Cat

 
I just emailed the address on their website and they were back to me within a few days with a price. No restrictions on what you could order from what I can tell. ¥2000 shipping to the UK via EMS. Good service all round!

[railsquid]

Tomix KiHa 55 set, first part of an attempt to put together an early Chuo Line "Alps" formation.

 

Tomix KiHa 55 (early type) by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[Cat]

Just in from 1999: 4 power units and a trio of vehicle caskets selected particularly for the unpainted toy inside!

 

[gavino200]

13 hours ago, Cat said:

Just in from 1999: 4 power units and a trio of vehicle caskets selected particularly for the unpainted toy inside!

 

 

 

You're going to paint them yourself? I've often wondered what people do with the ghost cars. I've never seen anyone here post about painting them. I've been tempted to post and ask. 

 

Are you going to airbrush? Apply custom decals? It seems like an awesome project. Any chance you could document it in a thread as you go? I'll love to see it and I'd bet anything that others would too. 

[Cat]

4 hours ago, gavino200 said:

You're going to paint them yourself? I've often wondered what people do with the ghost cars. I've never seen anyone here post about painting them. I've been tempted to post and ask. 

 

Are you going to airbrush? Apply custom decals? It seems like an awesome project. Any chance you could document it in a thread as you go? I'll love to see it and I'd bet anything that others would too. 

Yes, I'll be painting them.  The minibus and the 12' container are just begging for custom wrappings!  Not sure what wrappings I'll do yet, but for this, I'll probably draw outlines with Sakura Micron Art pens, and then just brush paint between the lines.

On the miniatures gaming side of my hobbies, I'm quite used to hand painting. I never quite got used to an airbrush; so I just use cans of spray paint for a base coat; sometimes masking areas and spraying additional colours.  Then I do all the detail painting by brush, fine details and outlining with pens and especially for lettering if it's going on top of a light paint colour.  The Mon Drian Space Bus for X-Wing gaming is a fun example of my painting, weathering, and lettering techniques: https://goblinhall.com/2016/03/14/space-bus-shoebox-2/

I'll be posting details in the Building Ibaraki Shorty thread as they come along.  Post coming there shortly with my first hand-lettered kanji for the Ginsei movie theater.

Edited July 18, 2020 by Cat

[Cat]

Oh, and if other people don't paint theirs and would like to find a good home for any, especially the minibus here, please give me a shout!

[nah00]

On 6/21/2020 at 9:46 PM, defor said:

It's so very true- that said, I STILL have more cars than containers to put on them.

I've been thinking that the better option for Platforms is to make "fake" stacks- 3d print the stacks as one large piece, paint, and decal.

 

 

I have the exact opposite problem - more containers than cars. When I saw the new ONE containers coming out I had to get 2 more KoKi 200s. 31 foot containers really take up space fast on KoKis. 

[defor]

Few things I got in the mail two weeks ago that I forgot to post:

[defor]

On 7/10/2020 at 9:42 PM, Pauljag900 said:

Hi Bill,

I bought that tram a couple of weeks ago and I had the old version,runs a lot better with the new motor mate👍😀

New motor....?

when did this new motor come out (I have a tram I bought for my daughter last summer) and can it be purchased separately to upgrade existing?

[gavino200]

3 hours ago, defor said:

Few things I got in the mail two weeks ago that I forgot to post:

 

Those look great! What are they?

[bill937ca]

They look like advertising trucks found in places like Akihabara.

 

 

[railsquid]

Given that the wording on the sides indicates the trucks belong to transport companies, and the pimped-up cabs, I'd say they're "normal" delivery trucks from the era where they were often massively pimped up. I'm sure there's a term for them but don't know what.

[Kamome]

They’re not advertising trucks, but independent drivers who customize their trucks. The generic term is Bosozoku but not quite sure if this applies to trucks but mainly to the bike gangs. There are some horrendous car and Toyota Hi-ace customisations too. I probably see more than you Squid as I live in a more rural part of Japan,  instead of the sophistication of the capital.

https://www.drive2.com/b/375906

Edited July 23, 2020 by Kamome

[katoftw]

I love bosozuku vehicles. Cars mostly but the trucks that some race teams have are awesome.

[railsquid]

58 minutes ago, railsquid said:

Given that the wording on the sides indicates the trucks belong to transport companies, and the pimped-up cabs, I'd say they're "normal" delivery trucks from the era where they were often massively pimped up. I'm sure there's a term for them but don't know what.

 

"Deko-tora", i.e. "decorated truck".

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekotora

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/デコトラ

[cteno4]

Ooooh where do you score the dekotora?! I have about a dozen but have not seen any thing pop up in the last 5 years or so! these look to have been run like 10 years ago as kids toys and look to be about 1/144. Friend found a few in a used thrift shop and the rest I’ve found on us ebay.
 

sooo want to run fiberoptics in mine to light them up with programmable leds.

 

Jeff

[defor]

27 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

Ooooh where do you score the dekotora?! I have about a dozen but have not seen any thing pop up in the last 5 years or so! these look to have been run like 10 years ago as kids toys and look to be about 1/144. Friend found a few in a used thrift shop and the rest I’ve found on us ebay.

 

I ran across a bunch completely by accident while browsing YAJ and couldnt resist, having seen a two of the trucks one day by Akihabara Station on one of my trips- they are hilariously lit up and garish- it's great!

 

As mentioned, they are indeed Decotora from a Lawson stores promotion.

 

ローソン限定　デコトラ　コレクション

Lawson Limited Decotora Collection

 

They appear to have been sold as part of a "buy 2 cans of coffee, get a random truck out of 5" thing. The containers clip onto the tops of Japanese coffee cans from what I can tell (there's a warning about the truck being hot if the coffee is sold hot). Also, they're by Aoshima, and legitimately 1:150

 

Anyway, while searching just now, i ran across a page on them (it also google translates pretty well):

http://429k.net/dekotora.html

 

[cteno4]

Cool! None of mine came with the paperwork or containers. Makes sense, usual Lawson’s toys! At least not the star trains with the horrid life saver candy to classify it as food product...

 

I keep hoping that Tomytec would just do a set of dekotora, that would be grand!

 

jeff