N Scale Siemens Venture Trainsets

[High Hood]

I never thought I'd say this, but I 100% agree.

When it comes to features and sophistication, Kato is stuck in the the 2000s. Maybe even 90s.

When it comes to execution, they're great. The build quality is amazing. But when it comes to features, they're at least a generation behind.

My new Scaletrains SD40-2s have number boards that come on independent of the headlights. It might seem like a small thing, but it signals a big step forward in recreating the experience of witnessing the prototype in miniature.

Kato is far, far behind on that front.

When speaking of Kato, one must understand that their American offerings are just a token portion of their business. I don’t see Kato ever offering independent boards and headlights simply because Japanese trains don’t have lit number boards. In regard to freestanding details, their Japanese models do have a few modeler installed parts, but it’s nowhere near the number of grab irons, etc that American prototypes have.

[tehachapifan]

When speaking of Kato, one must understand that their American offerings are just a token portion of their business. I don’t see Kato ever offering independent boards and headlights simply because Japanese trains don’t have lit number boards. In regard to freestanding details, their Japanese models do have a few modeler installed parts, but it’s nowhere near the number of grab irons, etc that American prototypes have.

If it's true that they only consider American offerings as a "token" part of their business, they are not going to be king-of-the-hill here for very much longer (if they already aren't).

I have many Katos, love them and, for a long time, considered them to be the best available. However, they are definitely becoming blander when sitting next to, say, a Scaletrains Rivet counter model. As I mentioned earlier, it will be interesting to see the upcoming Kato Surfliner Charger next to the Bachmann one.

[peteski]

Yes, as far as diesel model locomotive superdetailing (like separate grabs, etc.) is concerned, Kato has not changed much over the years. I suspect Kato has different target audience than let's say Scale Trains with their River Counter models.

Every company has their niche.  I'm sure they'll survive and thrive (especially with their passenger trains). I also have no fear of Kato abandoning their North American market due to lack of sales.

Kato has also made large leaps in detailing and design of certain models.  Perfect example is the Japanese C50 locomotive featured on the dust jacket of Kato's 50-anniversary book.  I wish the entire contents of that book was available in English, but even with just photos alone with the English translation of the captions it is very interesting reading.

First photo is the original model, and then is the current (3rd generation) model of the same loco.  First model (from 1960s) has a rather sparse level of details. The current model has very low friction smooth mechanism with a coreless motor. 





Yes, I'm a big fan of Kato.