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

[cteno4]

Very nice box of train goodness!

 

jeff

[lighthouse]

This month, only two packages arrived... My wife was a little bit confused about the less of packages.... 😂

 

 

 

 

[cteno4]

3 hours ago, lighthouse said:

My wife was a little bit confused about the less of packages....

Better than the opposite! 😜

 

jeff

[JR 500系]

6 hours ago, lighthouse said:

This month, only two packages arrived... My wife was a little bit confused about the less of packages.... 😂

 

The East i D! My guess is it was from Mandarake?  😛 Great to see it got to a forum member, i missed it as it was up and next moment away!

[lighthouse]

3 hours ago, JR 500系 said:

 

The East i D! My guess is it was from Mandarake?  😛 Great to see it got to a forum member, i missed it as it was up and next moment away!

 

Jepp, from Mandarake. I had the same problems in the past... i missed it as it was up and next moment away! 😂

[JR 500系]

Another parcel dropped off by my fav retailer ~

 

 

I bought an entire box of Odakyu 50000 VSE last run haha 

 

 

I'm not lying!

 

 

Always beautifully packed

 

 

It's raining buses! (and i finally got the Hokutosei basic set!)

[Sr.Horn]

Wow restock for the Hokutosei? On website didn't appears.

[JR 500系]

4 hours ago, Sr.Horn said:

Wow restock for the Hokutosei? On website didn't appears.

Nope, i asked Rokko to assist me on Yahoo Auctions, they can do so with a fee. I just had to get that Hokutosei basic set!

[Kamome]

Another HO bus @JR 500系?

 

Probably need some nice HO trains to do them justice. 

 

My long awaited SL Hitoyoshi arrived this evening. Wasn’t gonna miss out on another 8600 loco and as the train has been announced to retire, keen that I included it in my collection. 

 

The “special” outer sleeve is not the most exciting but nice to have a black book case as well. Inside is the usual green and white printed instructions as well as a leaflet to create a Hisatsu-esque layout using Kato’s new red oxide bridges. 

The steam engine 58654 is stunning  in N scale with the gate style deflectors, gold lining and red drive rods. Also the fact you can see under the boiler to the other side just shows how well this model has been engineered. The modern additions are also present such as the GPS antenna, modern water tank and even the funnel gauze is modelled. 

The only thing I don’t like is how large the rapido coupler is. This one certainly looks thicker than the usual Kato ones. As I never use them, it’s not an issue but for those who prefer the shunting ability of rapidos, it’s a monster. 

 

The 50 series coaches are also exquisite with beautiful gold printing. This holds up well to the eye but with a magnifying loupe you can see some of the gold flecks of the paint reduces the ability to get it super crisp. There are some added coupler housings with air hoses which I’ve added to mine. Not sure if there are issues with these for very tight corners as they’re not fitted when you receive the model. Kato includes their medium length knuckles which I decided to replace with the EF66 short shank versions to give more realistic distances between loco and train.

The intermediate couplers between coaches are their body mounted, clip knuckles as used on their 24 series coaches. I still very much favour this mentality as opposed to the Tomix method of fitting everything with bogie mounted rapidos. 

 

Other additions are a black short style re-railer, and a headmark for a DE10. 

All in all, this is certainly a great looking set. It’s a slight shame the outer sleeve couldn’t have been a bit more exciting, perhaps the Hitoyoshi headmark in gold would’ve been a better option. But I cannot fault the contents. A really nice addition that we’ve been waiting a couple of years for. 

Edited November 27, 2022 by Kamome

[JR 500系]

15 hours ago, Kamome said:

Another HO bus @JR 500系?

 

Probably need some nice HO trains to do them justice. 

 

Haha sharp eyed there @Kamome! I hope i'm not venturing too deeply into the HO bus range... and NO sorry no HO scale trains to go along. That rabbit hole is SEALED and PLASTERED shut for me ~  😛

 

Great review on the SL Hitoyoshi! Being the only steam train i have rode, it certainly brings back memories... Didnt know there are so much more work to make the entire train more realistic! How would you rate the difficulty of exchanging the couplers? 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by JR 500系

[Kamome]

56 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

How would you rate the difficulty of exchanging the couplers? 

It’s very straight forward, the usual Kato affair. The loco has a very ingenious clip design on the tender so you push it out, and the whole rear assembly with ladder and grab iron comes off, giving easy access to the coupler mount. I assume it’s the same design for the 8620 model but I don’t have one of these to confirm. 

 

The loco has a short shank included along with optional knuckle and rapido for the front. I chose to keep the fitted dummy on the front.

 

The 50 series coaches have a coupler assembly that removes easily from the coach. I’d suggest taking the leading bogie off first.

 

Already fitted is a familiar two piece Kato assembly with a bent piece of brass as a centre aligning spring. (If you have any other Kato coaching stock, blue trains etc..)

 

The upper piece of this assembly can be exchanged for the included detailed version, with air hoses. There are 2 different versions, A and B,  for the Ohafu 50 701 and 702.  I chose to reduce the gap with a shorter coupler but it isn’t necessary if you just want to fit the medium shank ones included. We’re talking very little difference but as I spent some time converting all my loco and coaches to these, I have a few spares.

 

I have been considering replacing a number of coach sets with magnetic couplers to aid easier loco changes. 

 

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Kamome

[cplchanb]

On 11/25/2022 at 10:03 PM, JR 500系 said:

Another parcel dropped off by my fav retailer ~

 

 

I bought an entire box of Odakyu 50000 VSE last run haha 

 

 

I'm not lying!

 

 

Any unboxing pics?? how many sets per box? 

[bill937ca]

Well, if you want to know how many items fit in a box I've never had a shipment split into more than one box.  Hobby Search's largest boxes would probably take at least four train bookcases plus other smaller items.

 

The only issue is magazines and catalogs which almost always printed on coated paper and get quite heavy although not physically large. 

[ED75-775]

On 11/29/2022 at 6:02 AM, bill937ca said:

The only issue is magazines and catalogs which almost always printed on coated paper and get quite heavy although not physically large. 

So true!

 

At least two more recent arrivals have come my way:

 

 

The RM Re-Library Volume 7 "Century of Usui Pass" book has been quite interesting, even though I don't read Japanese. Plenty of photos of the line from its earliest days through to 1997 when it was discontinued, plus timetable information, line drawings and potted histories of all the special locomotives used on this line - I personally love the look of the Esslingen-built 3900 class 0-6-0RT's! I'll have to get my translation app out to read what the text actually says though. And to my surprise, this was actually thinner than I was expecting, it's actually more in line with the Modelling Guides I've brought in the past.

 

And I don't know why, but the publisher's name makes me think of @Cat for some reason... maybe it's the English translation of 'neko' that makes me think along that line? 

 

And then the one I've been so impatiently waiting for ever since @Kamome got his...

 

 

Yes, it's the SL Hitoyoshi! Having lucked out on round 1 of the Hobbysearch preorders, I went through Plaza Japan instead. It arrived this morning, well wrapped and with a little freebie in the shape of a soccer ball eraser. Very appropriate during FIFA World Cup season! Shown without case here as Kamome did a fantastic review so I don't need to show that. Lovely as it is, I can agree with his comments that the case sleeve could've been a little bit more exciting; when you think about it, the SL Yamaguchi limited edition had a picture of the actual train on the front of its sleeve. Still, at the end of the day it's just a sleeve and we want the train that hides inside the case more than a pretty picture. Am I right?

 

 

Oh, speaking of the Yamaguchi, I dug mine out and put it alongside for fun. A nice little 'one I've ridden and one I want to ride' thing. I swear I've fallen fully under the Hitoyoshi's charm now. I was disappointed to hear it'll stop running in March 2024, but hopefully by then I'll have been to Japan again and taken a ride on the Hitoyoshi - be it from Kumamoto to Tosu, or Kumamoto to Hitoyoshi - it'll depend on whether the Hitoyoshi Line is repaired by then. Like @SL58654Gō, I hope they will repair it. And I'd love to see the 58654 keep running, though as someone involved with heritage rail myself, I can well understand that it's not the easiest thing to do keeping a century-plus year-old vehicle running. Case in point, the steam tram engine I sometimes work with, which at 141 years old is considerably older but no less vulnerable to the fact that one-off parts can be very expensive!

 

Now that the 58654 has arrived, I'm hoping for a JNR-era Kyushu variant of the 8620 class to grace the Kato catalog at some point. Although retooled, scale versions of the C58 and 9600 class wouldn't be remiss either. Much as I love my three 8620s (two Tohoku variants and the 58654), I'm also partial to the 9600s and would love Kato to redo theirs at scale size and with the same level of detail as the 8620s. Oh, and reruns of the 8620, C56 and C59 locomotives would be good too!

 

Alastair 

[Arctic]

Earlier this week I got a delivery from RG-Rokko, some rolling stock to go with the Sakura Liner as well as a few scenery items

 

 

Kintetsu 16200 Blue Symphony and Kintetsu 16000 series (old livery). The Blue Symphony is very nice, and it has interior lights to mimic the table lamps on the real train.

[JR 500系]

32 minutes ago, Arctic said:

Earlier this week I got a delivery from RG-Rokko, some rolling stock to go with the Sakura Liner as well as a few scenery items

 

I'm loving your Kintetsu rolling stocks! Cannt wait for my Sakura liner as well!

[JR 500系]

On 11/28/2022 at 11:50 AM, Kamome said:

It’s very straight forward, the usual Kato affair. The loco has a very ingenious clip design on the tender so you push it out, and the whole rear assembly with ladder and grab iron comes off, giving easy access to the coupler mount. I assume it’s the same design for the 8620 model but I don’t have one of these to confirm. 

 

The loco has a short shank included along with optional knuckle and rapido for the front. I chose to keep the fitted dummy on the front.

 

The 50 series coaches have a coupler assembly that removes easily from the coach. I’d suggest taking the leading bogie off first.

 

Already fitted is a familiar two piece Kato assembly with a bent piece of brass as a centre aligning spring. (If you have any other Kato coaching stock, blue trains etc..)

 

The upper piece of this assembly can be exchanged for the included detailed version, with air hoses. There are 2 different versions, A and B,  for the Ohafu 50 701 and 702.  I chose to reduce the gap with a shorter coupler but it isn’t necessary if you just want to fit the medium shank ones included. We’re talking very little difference but as I spent some time converting all my loco and coaches to these, I have a few spares.

 

I have been considering replacing a number of coach sets with magnetic couplers to aid easier loco changes. 

 

 

Thanks for the description! 

 

Miyakomokei also made a video illustrating the steps:

 

 

I didnt realise the interior of the coaches require offical Kato lights again due to the light board... 

[Dave K]

Kato DE10 JR Kyushu, P/N 7011-4.

 

Arrived today from PJ.  Three days from Osaka.

 

 

Dave

[katoftw]

On 12/3/2022 at 1:22 PM, JR 500系 said:

Thanks for the description! 

 

Miyakomokei also made a video illustrating the steps:

 

 

I didnt realise the interior of the coaches require offical Kato lights again due to the light board... 

Looks Kato standard.  Couplers where the same for SL Yamaguchi loco and passenger cars.  D51 loco and Twilight Express passenger cars. Etc etc.

[Dave K]

On 11/27/2022 at 6:03 AM, Kamome said:

Another HO bus @JR 500系?

 

Probably need some nice HO trains to do them justice. 

 

My long awaited SL Hitoyoshi arrived this evening. Wasn’t gonna miss out on another 8600 loco and as the train has been announced to retire, keen that I included it in my collection. 

 

The “special” outer sleeve is not the most exciting but nice to have a black book case as well. Inside is the usual green and white printed instructions as well as a leaflet to create a Hisatsu-esque layout using Kato’s new red oxide bridges. 

The steam engine 58654 is stunning  in N scale with the gate style deflectors, gold lining and red drive rods. Also the fact you can see under the boiler to the other side just shows how well this model has been engineered. The modern additions are also present such as the GPS antenna, modern water tank and even the funnel gauze is modelled. 

The only thing I don’t like is how large the rapido coupler is. This one certainly looks thicker than the usual Kato ones. As I never use them, it’s not an issue but for those who prefer the shunting ability of rapidos, it’s a monster. 

 

The 50 series coaches are also exquisite with beautiful gold printing. This holds up well to the eye but with a magnifying loupe you can see some of the gold flecks of the paint reduces the ability to get it super crisp. There are some added coupler housings with air hoses which I’ve added to mine. Not sure if there are issues with these for very tight corners as they’re not fitted when you receive the model. Kato includes their medium length knuckles which I decided to replace with the EF66 short shank versions to give more realistic distances between loco and train.

The intermediate couplers between coaches are their body mounted, clip knuckles as used on their 24 series coaches. I still very much favour this mentality as opposed to the Tomix method of fitting everything with bogie mounted rapidos. 

 

Other additions are a black short style re-railer, and a headmark for a DE10. 

All in all, this is certainly a great looking set. It’s a slight shame the outer sleeve couldn’t have been a bit more exciting, perhaps the Hitoyoshi headmark in gold would’ve been a better option. But I cannot fault the contents. A really nice addition that we’ve been waiting a couple of years for. 

Where did you find the "headmark for a DE10?"

 

 

Dave 

[katoftw]

10 minutes ago, Dave K said:

Where did you find the "headmark for a DE10?"

 

 

Dave 

Comes with the SL Hitoyoshi passenger cars.

Edited December 5, 2022 by katoftw

[Dave K]

4 hours ago, katoftw said:

Comes with the SL Hitoyoshi passenger cars.

Thank you!

 

Dave

[Dave K]

6 hours ago, Dave K said:

Kato DE10 JR Kyushu, P/N 7011-4.

 

Arrived today from PJ.  Three days from Osaka.

 

 

Dave

 

I just don't understand why Kato shipped this with Rapido couplers installed.  

 

I hate Rapido couplers.

[bill937ca]

Kato always uses Rapido couplers. They are the only option for some really tight radius layouts. They're ae supposed to be knuckle couplers in the jewel box.

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by bill937ca

[Dave K]

1 hour ago, bill937ca said:

Kato always uses Rapido couplers. They are the only option for some really tight radius layouts. They're ae supposed to be knuckle couplers in the jewel box.

 

 

Not true.