A JR East E653-series taking a detour down the Ikea Line
Micro Ace, way back in 1995, started with North American prototypes, but by 1999 had abandoned them in favor of Japanese prototypes. Among the first Japanese models they released was the JR East E653 series. (Micro Ace maintains a pictorial history of releases online.) Even though I have heard these early models were not very good, I pined for one. 10 years after their production, though, and they have become quite rare. (Micro Ace typically only does one production run of a given model, then retires it immediately.)
But Micro Ace has lately begun to issue re-releases of older models, and this gave me hope. Continue reading…
Both models are exceptionally detailed
Here’s a comparative review: Kato’s E231-500 Yamanote Line (part nos. 10-261, 10-262 / repackaged as 10-578, 10-579, 10-580) vs. Tomix’s 209-0 Keihin-Tohoku Lie (part nos. 92329, 92330, 8917). The Kato has since been repackaged and given a new set of part numbers, but is otherwise unchanged from what I describe here. Tomix has just announced that they are re-tooling their E231-500: The differences between the models would be interesting to compare.
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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.
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Tomix 6208 “Casket for Rolling Stock (6 pieces)”
My wife and I both have this strange fascination with organizing our things; we joke that we like to buy things just so we can put other things into them. But it’s true. I just bought this Tomix spare bookshelf case to house an overflowing train. I can’t help it; it’s fun.
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A Tomix Cleaning Car sitting on a siding along the Ikea Line
Well, I promised a review of the Tomix Cleaning Car quite some time ago, didn’t I? I don’t use the cleaning car that often, but it now has got enough hours (er, minutes?) under its belt to warrant a review.
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Trying to figure out what to put in your Kato EF65 or DD51? Click through, and perhaps I can assist you. [...]
Trains on a bookshelf
I love the bookshelf cases that many Japanese model trains come in. They keep your trains tidy and safe. They also, if a little indirectly, put your trains on display. But what about those models that don’t come with a bookshelf case? Many add-on sets and most freight cars and locomotives come in individual plastic cases. Kato and Tomix both sell empty cases, but the foam inserts are geared towards 20m commuter cars—not the best fit for many cars. What do you do with your collection of freight cars? Read on to find out.
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Happy birthday to me! This set was a gift from my wonderful wife. Actually, we kinda picked it out together, for reasons I won’t yet reveal.
The box reads “J.R. Limited Express Sleeping Cars Series 24 Type 25 ‘Yumekukan’ with Electric Locomotive Type EF81″ (which is far more terse in the original Japanese: “JR ＥＦ８１・２４系２５形特急寝台客車（夢空間）セット”).
The centerpiece of [...]
Certain factors have rightly kept me a little too busy to post lately. I can’t say that I mind. Several weeks ago, I received two eagerly anticipated releases from Micro Ace: A3251, which consists of two KOKI 106 container cars, each loaded with two U47A “Eco Liner 31″ 31′ ISO containers; and A3252, which consists of [...]
