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12th March, 2006 |
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CONTENTS
Other Pages
Index page of previous Product & DVD
RELEASE INFORMATION
NEWS |
EDITORIAL
More apologies for the delay getting this issue out - there hasn't been a lot of startling news, and I have been busy getting changes done to the layout. There will be a discussion group starting soon for those readers that buy the Tomy and Bandai 'Collection' series items i.e. buildings, car, buses, trucks and figures. This group will allow storage of photos of the items, as well as the opportunity to discuss the items with others and to arrange buying, selling or swapping. More news when it starts up officially ... If you have any comments about this service, and would like to make suggestions as to what you do or do not want to see included, please free free to let us know. Please write to the Japanese Model Train News Yahoo! discussion group with any comments you may have. This Newsletter is available to customers of 'Japanese Model Supplies', as well as members of the 'Japanese Model Train News' and 'JR Forum' Yahoo! discussion groups. We hope to supply at least one issue every week or so, more often if there is more news. Please do not reveal the page addresses to non- members. If they want to see it, they are free to join the group like everyone else. Also please note that the contents of this publication are
copyright, and may not be reproduced without permission. |
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COLLECTIBLE SERIES NEWS See the news in the introduction about new group starting to cater for these types of items. The Bandai Working Vehicle Minibus set is now out, and either demand was greater than they expected, or they didn't make enough, so many suppliers did not get the stocks they pre-ordered. Also the Tomy 'Trailer Collection' is out, and these are very nice models indeed !!! The containers can be used on the Koki200 flat wagon as well. March 2006 Releases I have just found out that Bandai are releasing a special set at the end of March - a 5 truck Nippon Express limited edition set. It will contain different version to the ones in sets #1 & #3, and will consist of 2x Hino Profia FN (6×2) Cargo, 1x Isuzu Forward Cargo FRR, 1x Isuzu Giga FX×2, & 1x Hino Ranger-PRO Cargo FD. There will be three different paint schemes in total. Sorry, but I cannot find any pictures of this yet. The second in the Tomy 'Railway Daughter' series is slated for release this month. Once again there will be 8 figures in the carton, with 6 different figure and 4 colour variations.
Tomy have announced their first HO collection set - a set of cars !!! It will contain 12 vehicles made up of 3 of each of the following ...Toyota Highace van, Toyopet Crown van, Toyota Highace DX, and Toyota Crown sedan. Tomy 'Machinami Collection' #5 Contents are - old style Japanese Inn, Bank, Modern glass corner building (like in Ginza), Movie Theater, old style Public Bath House, and Fire Station. Because these are larger buildings, this time only the Bank and Movie Theater will come in two colours. Tomy 'The Bus Collection' #8 Contains 8x Nishinihon Shatai Kogyo C-1 & SD-1 'Limousine' buses (Fuji Kyuko, JR Kanto, Tokyo Airport, Hankyu bus, Osaka Airport, Hokaito Central bus, Nishi-Nippon Railroad, and Nishitetu Sightseeing) and 4x Fuji Heavy Industries R13 type (JNR bus, Keio Teito Electric Railway, Tohoku Express bus and Miyazaki Travel). Tomy The Railway Collection' #2 Contains 10 items which include cars from - Hitachi Electric Railway, Nagareyama Railway, Cotoden, Kumamoto Electric Railway, Takamatsu Electrci Railway, Niigata Kotsu and Wafu1 and Wa115 freight cars. Reservations for these sets are closed. April 2006 Releases Bandai's 'Working Vehicles' #6 has been announced for late April, and contains 6 different types of cement mixers trucks - Hino Profia GVW20 (do they think our layouts are one big construction site ???) - company names include Shin Meiwa Industry, Pacific Ocean Cement, Tokuyama, Hitachi Cement, and Mitsubishi Materials; and 6 of a type of powdered cement tank truck - Hino Profia GVW22 - company names include Ube Mitsubishi Cement, Shin Meiwa Industry, Pacific Ocean Cement, Tokuyama, and Ryukyu Cement. Advertised sets, without firm release dates yet, are ... Tomy's 'The Car Collection' #3 Keep an eye out for the official release of each of these. As always, early reservation is ESSENTIAL to obtain any of these sets, because the cut-off date for orders is often well before the actual release date. You cannot wait until the release of these items, so you can see what they look like, before making your decision if you want to get them or not !!! 13th March 2006 MicroAce have just announced their releases for August 2006 ... A1592 200-200 series TEC 6 car set (White with green
stripe) - ¥17,500 A1662 205 series EC 6 car set (Yamanote line - early type - Silver with green stripes) - ¥17,500 A2050 Chizu Kyuko Railway HOT7000 series DC 6 car set (1st type -
Silver / white / blue with pink panels) - ¥19,500 A8906 DD50-2 + DD50-3 DL 2 car set (1st type - Red / gray) - ¥10,200 See posters here ... 10th March 2006 The new 2006 Tomix catalog will be out very shortly, and here is a scoop of the cover ...
MicroAce announced their releases for March, albeit a little later than usual this time ... A0568 183-1500/189 series EC 8 car set 'Shiosai' 9th March 2006 Kato announced the following releases ... 16th March 2006 - Keihin Tohoku line 209-500 EC sets. 6th March 2006 Tomix announced the following releases ... July 2006 - new Kiha183-2550 sets & cars Kawai announced the release of the following in June ... KP-240 Taki35000 tank car (Nippon Rikuun Sangyo) 2 car
set Kato announced the release in April of a Police Station and a Local Government Office. Both of these use the same structure, but have a different bas and other details. See web pages at Police & Government. They have also announced another range of shops for release in May - this time with various methods of front construction (cement, stone, tile etc), as well as a set of interchangeable fronts for variety. See the web page here. 2nd March 2006 Kato announced the following re-releases for June/July .. 3047-3 EF66 EL 1st March 2006 Tomix announced the following future releases ... March 2006 - new Kiha26/55 series DC, EF66 EL
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Rail Journal (03/2006)
This month's issue covers the three 'Chuo' lines - of
Tokyo, Nagoya & Osaka. Tokyo's Chuo line is covered in the greatest
detail. Like all other magazines at the moment, the soon to be
discontinued 'Izumo' sleeper train is also highlighted, as well as an
article on the Fukushima Kotsu local railway. Tomix 92940 'Sayonara Asakaze' set
Not coincidently, this set was released exactly 1 year after the
prototype event - the last run of the Limited Express sleeper train 'Asakaze', which ran between Tokyo to
Shimonoseki (and sometimes Hakata). Kato released a version of this train last year, but theirs was actually the 'second last' run, in that they modelled the 9 car train that ran FROM Tokyo to
Shimonoseki. The Tomix version is the 13 car train (obviously more popular with the fans, as the true 'last' run!!!) that ran INTO Tokyo. Modemo NP-501 Odakyu RSE20000 'Asagiri'
Coincidently released at the same time as it's 'sister' train, the JR Central 371 (by MicroAce), this is one of the Odakyu railways fleet of 'Romance' cars, even though this model does not have the elevated drivers cab that most of the others do. In this car, the driver sits a little lower than normal, so the passengers in the front car can see over his or her head. It is also Modemo's first full electric train release, other than their 313 series sets. It comes in a the standard hard plastic storage case, with a nice blue cardboard slip case which includes a blurry drawing of the train at speed. The cars are white and light blue with red stripes and large blacked out window panels, and the set includes 2 double deck 'Green' cars. The car roofs are a dark gray with molded on air conditioner details, and the underbody details are a light gray. Unfortunately, all the car's bogies have been molded around the wrong way - if you cut off the coupler pockets so that TN couplers can be fitted, you can turn the bogies around so they face the right way, otherwise it is impossible to fix the problem. The power train is a lot more like Tomix's, with the clip-in bogies and no drive shafts to lose like Kato's. The power car runs smoothly and quietly but the headlights are not very bright. Included are rub-on car numbers, and the Odakyu logo, as well as destination board stickers. Now all we have is for TEXT to release the EXE30000 they promised many years ago, or some other more reputable company to do it properly, and the Odakyu express fleet will be completed covered in N scale. 7th March 2006 Kato re-released the Kiha110 cars and sets.
28th February 2006 The Fastech360S styled 'Nekomimi' figure was released and as it has optional legs, arms and faces, I had to get two !!!
Tomix released their 'Sayonara Asakaze' passenger car set - exactly 1 year from the date of the event !!! (see picture in review section), as well as the 'Edo' passenger set.
92769 581 series EC 'Nikko' set 25th February 2006 Kato released the Euromed 10 car set. 23rd February 2006
Kato re-released the Kiha20/25 series DC's. |
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(ADVERTISING) This information service is sponsored by ... Japanese Model Supplies o New and second-hand Japanese trains As mentioned above, this service is sponsored by 'Japanese Model Supplies', the only Japanese-only model train and other hobby item supplier in the world, outside of Japan. Other suppliers have recently been broadening their ranges, and supply other things like computer games, and Chinese & European trains - 'Japanese Model Supplies' will always stay with Japanese-only products. It is often difficult to source these type of items and get accurate and timely information in English, when you do not live in Japan, cannot read Japanese web pages or do not have any contacts there. We have the facilities to access this information and these products, and whilst based in Australia, currently supply customers all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, South Africa, Canada and the USA. Therefore you will find that the items you see presented are not just 'fantasy' items that get released in Japan and you have no way of acquiring them - 'Japanese Model Supplies' CAN get these items, and CAN ship them to anywhere in the world (unlike some other retailers of Japanese model trains, who refuse to ship to the USA etc) !!! See their web page at the address listed above for all the information on what has been
produced and how to get it. If you are in Japan, and visit the Osaka area, I recommend you
take the time to visit "Railcraft Awaza". They have a large range of products
available, together with friendly advice and service (but only in Japanese). Some photos
on this site are taken by them and appear with their permission. For details of
their shop location, see their web page at ... http://www.rc-awaza.com |
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Abbreviation |
Explanation |
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TEC |
Shinkansen (Bullet train) |
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EC |
Electric car (EMU) |
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DC |
Diesel car (DMU) |
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PC |
Passenger car |
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FC |
Freight car |
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SL |
Steam loco |
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EL |
Electric loco |
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DL |
Diesel loco |
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Page contents copyright 2006 - Doug Coster
Photos copyright of the respective manufacturers & Railcraft Awaza Osaka.