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

[Kamome]

3 hours ago, Szdfan said:

That’s a box. How do we know there are busses in that box?

If we are starting to question whether Sammy has any buses in his order, there is something very very wrong with the world.

[gavino200]

Settle the matter, Sammy! Show those buses!

Edited May 23, 2021 by gavino200

[cteno4]

My bet is he’s rationing, opening one every couple of days to make the case last!

 

jeff

[Szdfan]

Today I ordered some freight cars from Plaza Japan. As I was selecting my order, I realized that everything is black. In contrast to the brightly colored railways of today, the Showa steam era was pretty subdued between all that black and grape brown.

 

 I’m having a mild aesthetic crisis. 🙂

[ia909]

RG - Rokko surpasses itself.

 

Order placed Sunday 23 May, arrived London U.K., Wednesday 26 May. OK, kudos is probably due to DHL too!

 

And even with the courier costs, highway robbery taxes and fees, the total came in at 29% less than I could have bought it for in the U.K. (even if all the pieces had been available).

 

Meanwhile in respect of an item ordered from a well-known model store in South West England, on Thursday 20 May, I haven't even had notification it's been posted.

 

5,924 miles in three days vs. 209 miles in who knows how long!

 

So a happy day (even if the much anticipated red EF510 is being delivered by donkey).

Edited May 26, 2021 by ia909
Typo

[inobu]

Finally receive my order.

 

On 5/23/2021 at 4:23 PM, Kamome said:

If we are starting to question whether Sammy has any buses in his order, there is something very very wrong with the world.

I wonder if they are going to question my order. I have the a tracking number too.

 

 

who cares....lol

 

Inobu

[inobu]

ohh, I need to pickup my other order.

 

Inobu

[disturbman]

We demand to know what is inside that Greenmax case.

[Kamome]

6 hours ago, ia909 said:

Meanwhile in respect of an item ordered from a well-known model store in South West England, on Thursday 20 May, I haven't even had notification it's been posted.

 

5,924 miles in three days vs. 209 miles in who knows how long!

 

So a happy day (even if the much anticipated red EF510 is being delivered by donkey).

You might need to check that they can even get this item. I assume this is the JRF Red Thunder EF510, which Kato haven’t made for a long time. The website for GM states that a lot of stuff is available to order even though a large number of these lines haven’t been manufactured for over 10 years. Unless they have access to a secret Kato archive that no one else knows about, most of their information is incorrect on availability.

 

If you’ve been lucky enough to find one that’s been gathering dust in their warehouse, then i am extremely envious of your find. 

[inobu]

ia909

 

Take heed to what Kamome is stating.

 

I would suggest that you google the shops name and the word "review".

Today's business models have orders processed in days. If it is not a large volume outlet then something else is going on.

 

Inobu

 

 

[inobu]

So, I just opened my "other" order.

 

 

beakaboy

 

Thanks for the manual

 

Inobu

[roadstar_na6]

MIXTO?

[cteno4]

that’s the brand that fell off the back of the truck at the factory making tomix or it’s an inverted Jenny!

 

jeff

[Kamome]

2 hours ago, inobu said:

ia909

 

Take heed to what Kamome is stating.

 

I would suggest that you google the shops name and the word "review".

Today's business models have orders processed in days. If it is not a large volume outlet then something else is going on.

 

Inobu

 

 

Gaugemaster/The Engine Shed is a big company and i believe they are one of the main, if not only distributor of Kato in the UK, ie other outlets get there stock through them as well as what they sell through their shop and website.

 

Having previously lived in Brighton and often taken a quick drive to Ford to have a look at their vast stock of world trains, and having spoken to the very helpful guys that work there, they get a container from Japan once a month. Or at least they did before the world collapsed. 

 

Their stock holding is impressive, especially British and European trains. Their staff are a credit to their business, certainly all that I have spoken with. The only criticisms I have about the business as a whole are:

 

1. Their prices are heavily inflated and even stock already in store has gone through numerous price increases. Casing point is their DD51 Kato starter set (3-001)which they still have after seeing it in store about 7-8 years ago. It has increased in price over the years to the current £360. It came out in 2011 and I'm sure GM would have had to settle their order bill after 10 years. So ordered when the Sterling to Yen was far more favourable to the British. I'm sure it was £275 when I saw it all those years ago. Good luck with that one.

 

2. Their website states everything from Kato is out of stock but available to order which is true, but it should also read, “you can order this item but we’ll never be able to fulfill it unless Kato decide to remanufacture it. 

 

As example, sets I’d really like, 10-1386 Kiha 91 Kiso (experimental) was produced in 2017 and 10-456,  157 series royal train produced way before that. These are very difficult to find anywhere in Japan and if they do come up, prices are a bit silly. GM have them both as out of stock but available to order which they’d never be able to fulfill in an acceptable timeframe unless Kato had plans to do another run.

 

Mr. Kato, if you do read this forum, 10-456 again please. 

 

The information is misleading and had I not visited Japan frequently in those days and known a lot about Kato stock availability, I would have assumed the GM website was true and correct. As they stock so many different lines from a wealth of manufacturers, all of which have their own methods, it must be very difficult to keep track of all the products they carry or have carried previously.

Edited May 27, 2021 by Kamome
Correcting spelling error

[cteno4]

I really loathe shops that do this as it’s kind of like a drift net snagging customers and just souring them on the hobby and interest in Japanese trains. 
 

jeff

[inobu]

2 hours ago, roadstar_na6 said:

MIXTO?

 

Ato, Mytec and GrenMax

 

 The bigger bus collection with 10 more buses

 

lol

 

Inobu

 

Edited May 27, 2021 by inobu

[JR 500系]

On 5/24/2021 at 7:36 AM, gavino200 said:

Settle the matter, Sammy! Show those buses!

 

In order to prove my innocence & honesty~

 

 

 

What's an order without buses?  😛

 

3 hours ago, inobu said:

 

Ato, Mytec and GrenMax

 

 The bigger bus collection with 10 more buses

 

Inobu

 

 

I thought you ordered the exact same stuff as me!  😛

 

5 hours ago, inobu said:

So, I just opened my "other" order.

 

 

 

That's an interesting Mixto set you got there! 

[inobu]

2 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

 

In order to prove my innocence & honesty~

 

 

 

What's an order without buses?  😛

 

 

I thought you ordered the exact same stuff as me!  😛

 

 

That's an interesting Mixto set you got there! 

Just took the opportunity to have a little fun.

 

40th Anniversary by MYTEC

 

Yeah, My MIXTO set is really nice too.....lol....

 

Inobu

 

 

[cteno4]

I’m calling Adobe and Inobu is loosing his Photoshop license! Bad dog! 😜 

 

jeff

[inobu]

3 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

I’m calling Adobe and Inobu is loosing his Photoshop license! Bad dog! 😜 

 

jeff

What are you doing up so late?

 

[cteno4]

Snot late, the night is still young for the night creatures!

 

besides Peter Gunn is on.

 

jeff

[ia909]

8 hours ago, Kamome said:

Gaugemaster/The Engine Shed is a big company and i believe they are one of the main, if not only distributor of Kato in the UK, ie other outlets get there stock through them as well as what they sell through their shop and website.

 

Having previously lived in Brighton and often taken a quick drive to Ford to have a look at their vast stock of world trains, and having spoken to the very helpful guys that work there, they get a container from Japan once a month. Or at least they did before the world collapsed. 

 

Their stock holding is impressive, especially British and European trains. Their staff are a credit to their business, certainly all that I have spoken with. The only criticisms I have about the business as a whole are:

 

1. Their prices are heavily inflated and even stock already in store has gone through numerous price increases. Casing point is their DD51 Kato starter set (3-001)which they still have after seeing it in store about 7-8 years ago. It has increased in price over the years to the current £360. It came out in 2011 and I'm sure GM would have had to settle their order bill after 10 years. So ordered when the Sterling to Yen was far more favourable to the British. I'm sure it was £275 when I saw it all those years ago. Good luck with that one.

 

2. Their website states everything from Kato is out of stock but available to order which is true, but it should also read, “you can order this item but we’ll never be able to fulfill it unless Kato decide to remanufacture it. 

 

As example, sets I’d really like, 10-1386 Kiha 91 Kiso (experimental) was produced in 2017 and 10-456,  157 series royal train produced way before that. These are very difficult to find anywhere in Japan and if they do come up, prices are a bit silly. GM have them both as out of stock but available to order which they’d never be able to fulfill in an acceptable timeframe unless Kato had plans to do another run.

 

Mr. Kato, if you do read this forum, 10-456 again please. 

 

The information is misleading and had I not visited Japan frequently in those days and known a lot about Kato stock availability, I would have assumed the GM website was true and correct. As they stock so many different lines from a wealth of manufacturers, all of which have their own methods, it must be very difficult to keep track of all the products they carry or have carried previously.

Inobu, Kamome,

 

Sage advice. I try to keep myself up to speed with all the Japanese N scale stockists in the U.K., good and bad!

 

In this instance the EF510 (which is 'Red Thunder', Kato 3059), wasn't ordered from GM but a place further west (name withheld to protect the guilty). I've seen the offending outfit mentioned here a few times as being perhaps a little err, generous when it comes to stock levels but I thought I'd give them a chance and I couldn't see one available elsewhere unless I went to Yahoo.jp or similar. If they don't have it, well ultimately I have peace of mind that if they mess me around the nice people at American Express will make sure I get the funds back!

 

My gripe was generally about the too often poor levels of customer service we see in the U.K. At the moment the excuse is Covid, before that it was Brexit, before that, well you get the picture.

 

I agree GM is very expensive and in reality it rarely has higher stock levels than Keith at Train Trax whose online system is 'real time' and doesn't allow you to order more than he has immediately available (though again compared to a fairly modest value personal import order even with taxes, he's still expensive). I do pop into the GM shop occasionally but usually leave with something I don't really need simply to justify to myself, a lengthy journey to the middle of nowhere. You're absolutely right about 'available to order'.

 

Ian

 

 

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I suspect I know who you mean. I used them a year or so ago and that was only for something I couldn't get elsewhere (their poor reputation precedes them, which is a pity as they used to be very well respected). When my delivery turned up (within a couple of days) it was wrong so they had to send the correct model which took weeks of faffing (you have to pick the right time to phone - i.e. when someone actually picks up; leaving messages on the answerphone is akin to talking to the wall for all the use that it is).

 

As an aside, I only live 10 miles or so from GM, but I cannot recall the last time I purchased from them (most of my Kato comes from Train Trax). I occasionally go in for a perv at the continental H0 (which I don't buy from there either!).

Edited May 27, 2021 by Claude_Dreyfus

[Arctic]

I'm new to the hobby this year (First post here, been lurking for a little while) after having played and created Japanese routes on Train Simulator and Densha De Go. I also believe I know the shop in south-west england you are talking about. When looking up where to order from I saw half of their google reviews are 1 star complaints about how they lie about their stock levels, take your money and then never reply to your emails, and that you end up having to get a paypal refund. So I have strongly avoided them. I have only used RG-Rokko and Traintrax so far and their service levels and delivery times have been really really fantastic.

 

To get back on topic slightly, I have the TOMIX JR 103 Series (https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/97935.html) set on reservation from RG-Rokko which should be available soon so I'm looking forward to that 🙂. I would have ordered some more stuff alongside it but my wallet can't take it until next month.

 

 

[ia909]

4 hours ago, Claude_Dreyfus said:

I suspect I know who you mean. I used them a year or so ago and that was only for something I couldn't get elsewhere (their poor reputation precedes them, which is a pity as they used to be very well respected). When my delivery turned up (within a couple of days) it was wrong so they had to send the correct model which took weeks of faffing (you have to pick the right time to phone - i.e. when someone actually picks up; leaving messages on the answerphone is akin to talking to the wall for all the use that it is).

 

As an aside, I only live 10 miles or so from GM, but I cannot recall the last time I purchased from them (most of my Kato comes from Train Trax). I occasionally go in for a perv at the continental H0 (which I don't buy from there either!).

I'm quite sure we (and Arctic) know exactly who!! Called this morning to chase, went to voicemail so I've sent an email as requested. Never tried them before, knew of their poor reputation but I took a punt and never will again.

 

GM messed a payment up over Christmas for a Roco Vectron and in fairness they have given me a £20 voucher as compensation (which just about brings their prices in line with the market). If only they had something I wanted.........