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Kato announces Class 800 in N


Mike Harvey
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That was unexpected. Very exciting and I think I am definitely going to get one.

 

An LNER Azuma please Kato!!

 

What's also interesting is the new brand if I may call it that - "Kato British Railways". Is going to be a new line of British items from Kato? Will we see more British themed models from them? Hope they get into the EMU market. Lots of scope there in OO and N gauge.

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Hi,

I note that discussion on the N Gauge Forum has questioned which scale Kato will use, in particular Ben A:

Quote

From my brief but interesting discussions with Mr Kato at Warley last year I got the sense that he cannot understand why anyone would want a model that is not the correct scale/Gauge combination, and would need some convincing to put out an "incorrect" Kato model.

I suspect the Class 800 will be to 1:160, but of course he will be attending TINGS so maybe this is a good chance to lobby him?

Cheers

Ben A.

Surely  the majority of UK modellers will want to run these alongside their existing 1/148 trains, the correct scale/gauge combination for the UK market. If Arnold, who primarily produce in 1/160, can issue their Brighton Belle in the standard UK scale then it would seem to me to be very odd indeed for Kato not to do so unless they see this only as an addition to their World Market strategy?

 

Regards, Gerry.

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38 minutes ago, steam-driven boy said:

Hi,

I note that discussion on the N Gauge Forum has questioned which scale Kato will use, in particular Ben A:

Surely  the majority of UK modellers will want to run these alongside their existing 1/148 trains, the correct scale/gauge combination for the UK market. If Arnold, who primarily produce in 1/160, can issue their Brighton Belle in the standard UK scale then it would seem to me to be very odd indeed for Kato not to do so unless they see this only as an addition to their World Market strategy?

 

Regards, Gerry.

 

That’s a strange quote from Kato considering they make the Swiss RhB models as n gauge standard gauge, whereas they should be narrow gauge

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Well maybe they will want to think about an APT as their second British train :jester:

 

From a world market perspective a Pendolino, a HST and one of the latest Eurostar trains if they keep with their theme of iconic fast trains from around the world.

 

if they venture into the mundane then it could be interesting, but this is all years away, the 800 is still a couple of years off and whilst we reading into a title it could be the only thing they have planned.  Let's face it, it is a model of a Japanese train by a Japanese company, if they were going to pick a train it would be this one.

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22 minutes ago, Ryde-on-time said:

 

That’s a strange quote from Kato considering they make the Swiss RhB models as n gauge standard gauge, whereas they should be narrow gauge

Not just the Swiss models - all the Kato Japanese 3' 6" gauge prototypes (their pre-Shinkansen 'standard' gauge) in 1:150 scale run on 9mm rather than 7.1mm track, so the statement about wrong gauge really doesn't make sense. Come to think of it, the majority of their model range is probably running on the wrong gauge.

Edited by BernardTPM
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6 hours ago, Fenway Park said:

Kato uses 1:150 for their Japanese N Gauge 1067mm stock but 1:160 for Shinkansen. 

I would have thought the model would follow British practise.

 

It all depends on where Kato things the primary market is - if they view it as a "collectable" for Japanese customers who want a model of a Japanese designed/built train then they may well use the Japanese standards.

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But there’s already a Japanese equivalent - the White Sonic. This is definitely a British model. I can’t see wide appeal in Japan, unlike the Eurostar/Glacier Express sets to capture the tourist market. 

 

It would seem to be an immense own goal if they insist on releasing it in anything other than 1:148! 

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Given the other news about Kato teaming up with Peco for Welsh locos in OO9, maybe they are seeing opportunities in the UK market generally.

 

The degree of any crossover into their domestic market arising from the Japanese origins of the Class 80x should be fairly easy for them to gauge.

 

As ever, if you want to see more releases of UK prototypes from a new entrant to the market, buy the first one.

 

John

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34 minutes ago, njee20 said:

But there’s already a Japanese equivalent - the White Sonic. This is definitely a British model. I can’t see wide appeal in Japan, unlike the Eurostar/Glacier Express sets to capture the tourist market. 

 

It would seem to be an immense own goal if they insist on releasing it in anything other than 1:148! 

 

Agree. They would be more a curiosity in Japan, and unlike the Eurostar which can be seen along TGVs and ICEs (already in the Kato 1/160 range), the 800 is a domestic train. Whilst there will be those who would buy it irrespective of being 1/160 or 1/148 (or it could be 1/150 for that matter), I would suggest that by making it 1/160 to appeal to the wider European market would lose more UK modeller's purchases, than gain European buyers.

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Apparently there is already a 1:150 scale White Sonic from Kato, and the concern expressed on the N Gauge forum is that Kato will stick with that tooling rather than retool  'as the UK market is so small'.

BUT that doesn't gel with Ben A's quote about compromising Scale/Gauge ratio's or Kato partnering with Peco in 009 or, hopefully, the fact that as Revs have sold 1000 Pendos and are now doing a re-run that must indictae that the UK market would support a 1:148 800/801/802 (especially the 802 in TPE livery pretty please).

 

Mr Kato will be at TINGS, there's the opportunity to put the scale thing to bed, or not!

 

Regards,

 

John P

 

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The JR Kyushu type 885 'White Sonic' unit has been in the Kato catalogue for a few years now...

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10072858

 

They look radically different. I genuinely don't believe Kato would compromise so significantly, better not to enter the market in the first place if that will be the approach. 

 

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This announcement is really welcome news. The running quality of Kato models is usually first class so I think this will do well (and I’d be surprised if it’s not 1:148 scale). 

 

It’s interesting that neither Graham Farish or Dapol have announced a class 800 to date given that they cover the class 220 and HST respectively. 

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2 hours ago, jpendle said:

 'as the UK market is so small'.

 

 

Kato's Japanese market seems to account for more than 80% of its sales leaving 20% for the rest of the world. That is the main reason for not producing their catalogues in any other language than Japanese!

 

Kato USA is a different entity from Kato Japan, as is Kato Lemke.

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This has the potential to be a key model. I wonder just how many will be produced. Whilst it falls massively outside of my chosen modelling period it does fall within the location. Something to think about.

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Hi,

Reported on ngauge@groups.io by Julian Thornhill:

Quote

From the Keyboard of Mr Kato himself, it will be 1:148

regards

Julian Thornhill

and also on the NGF topic:

Quote

Someone I know who is in direct contact with Mr Kato by email. Mr Kato confirmed last night that the class 800 will be to 1:148 scale.

Regards

Julian Thornhill

So hopefully we'll see an official verification presently.

 

Regards, Gerry.

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16 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Given the other news about Kato teaming up with Peco for Welsh locos in OO9, maybe they are seeing opportunities in the UK market generally.

 

 

I've spoken to Mr Kato at the past two Warley exhibitions, where he and two of his staff were looking around the exhibition to assist in assessing the UK market. He's a very nice guy and I suspect if this and the Peco collaboration does well, it could bode well for the UK N gauge market.

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Hello all,

 

This is great news IMO, and a huge vote of confidence in the British N gauge market.  

 

It's very early days of course, but it does appear from the marketing images seen so far that this is intended to be the launch of a brand, not just a single model.

 

As has been said above, it's now over to us.  If we want more Kato we need to buy more Kato!  An 800 of some description will certainly be finding its way into my collection.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

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