Review: Micro Ace A2896 Keisei AE100

Keisei “Skyliner” on the Ikea Line

Prior to Fathers’ Day ’09, I had but two small Micro Ace sets. My review was not particularly flattering. Indeed, neither was anyone else’s. I enjoy the two sets, but I must admit I was a little soured on Micro Ace. But, as others have constantly reminded me, Micro Ace has a reputation for making models of extraordinary quality. So I thought I would give them another go. Now I own another Micro Ace set.

The Micro Ace A2896 “Keisei AE100-class “Skyliner” Renewal 8-car set” is brilliant.

This model was produced in two variants, the A2896 “Renewal” and the A2895 “Early Version”. The difference consists largely in paint differences: The trucks changed color from turquoise to brown, and the “K’Sei” logo was added between paint schemes. I understand the change in schemes occurred around 2005, but I cannot say for certain. Anyway, this is just to say that what applies to this particular model applies to the other as well.

Did I mention that this model is brilliant? Here’s what it has going for it: Smooth operation and incredible detailing. I’ll start with the movement. The motorized car is flywheel equipped; this is notable because a) Japanese manufacturers have only just recently begun using flywheels and b) this is an EMU, and hiding flywheels in the undercarriage is not a straightforward affair. The model offers exceptional low-speed performance, needing only the lightest nudge from the throttle to get moving and stay moving. Operations are smooth at all speeds. Needless to say, such movement is to be expected from Japanese manufacturers these days, and Micro Ace has clearly met expectations here.

Much of the detail here is not molded on, but is composed of many tiny individual parts added at the factory

The detail is what captures the attention, however. Micro Ace has, e.g., modeled power cables with individual detail parts attached to the body work, rather than simply molding the detail onto the body work as other manufacturers are content to do. The result, even at a distance, stands out.

Even the interior is detailed—the headrests have been painted separately from the seat-backs

The cooling fans are clearly modeled beneath the grills on the rooftops. Even the interiors are fully detailed (as much as can be on such a small model, anyway), including arm-rests on the seats, and individually painted headrests.

Gushing aside, the model is not without drawbacks. The prototype has headlamps with retractable covers (like the Honda Elite 125); to represent this, Micro Ace uses tiny little plastic covers. When the headlamps are turned on, via a switch underneath the body, the covers are pushed out—and are easy to lose! When the headlamps are turned off, you have to insert these tiny covers by hand—a tedious process. One extra set is provided, just in case, but still. Moreover, because the markerlights double as an extra set of headlamps, DCC conversion of the cab car mandates that a decoder capable of bi-polar operation.

Pros: Amazing detail and solid performance. Best of all, it’s ready-to-run: No detail parts to install. A beautiful train.

Cons: Fiddly headlamp covers; cab car circuits mandate bi-polar–capable decoders. These are annoyances, not real problems.

Wrapping paper

As an aside, I’d like to point out something about the Japanese attention to detail. I purchased this train from Tenshodo in Ginza, Tokyo. As one might expect from a high-end retailer (and manufacturer of Z-scale steam), the package arrived in style—wrapped in a single piece of square paper. How many American retailers pay this much attention to the products they sell? Let me hasten to add that I purchased fro Tenshodo because their price was a full 10% below their competitions’, too!