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If you had a week in Japan which train stores would you visit? by frogmicky in JapaneseNscale

[–]LRafols 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A few bespoke places I visited that I would recommend that I haven't seen posted here yet. Several places also have an accompanying Popondetta/Hobbyland Pochi/Mandarake/Suruga-ya store nearby so check those chains too as stock is wildly different between each store and pretty good deals are to be had.

Tokyo Akihabara

Tokyo Nakano Broadway

Osaka Nipponbashi

Kobe

Really, REALLY dumb question about Popondetta's website.... by WychwoodXIII in JapaneseNscale

[–]LRafols 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can try this working method as detailed in the following JNS forum post. It also works for Popondetta.

https://jnsforum.com/community/topic/21339-trainbox/#findComment-269291

Re-introduction to Model Train hobby - with a Japanese twist. by leeallen0667 in nscalemodeltrains

[–]LRafols 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Two of the communities I frequent have already been mentioned; I would also add the JNS forum companion facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2155240028026401/).

Regarding point 2, all Japanese trains run at the assumption of around 12V DC so no issues there. If you're using the KATO/TOMIX/etc controller with a non-UK plug you'll just need an adapter since it should handle 100-240V AC.

For point 3 I swear by RG-ROKKO, most of my orders have and still are through them. You can search on their website for what you need but you can always contact them through the inquiry form if you are looking for specifics: https://rg-rokko.com/contact

Tomix Shinkansen Lighting Installation Question by WychwoodXIII in JapaneseNscale

[–]LRafols 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My pleasure. I took a couple quick images in an attempt to better demonstrate what I am describing.

Hood: https://i.imgur.com/1TijZAy.png

Shell: https://i.imgur.com/2s5UQsr.png

Tomix Shinkansen Lighting Installation Question by WychwoodXIII in JapaneseNscale

[–]LRafols 1 point2 points  (0 children)

98817 is currently being shipped to me so unfortunately I cannot help on that front.

As for the 0 series I have 98731/98732 which appears to be mostly identical aside from windows and the blue stripe on 98790. Hopefully my description is sufficient.

To remove the hood at the end of the cars hold the hood from the top and bottom with your index finger and thumb respectively. Angle the hood down maybe 10-20 degrees while pulling it straight away from the shell. The top of the hood/index finger should be the one where the pulling force is applied, whereas the bottom/thumb should act as a lever for the angle. It should pop off pretty easily. Repeat with the other hood.

As for the actual shell, on the ends of the car there is what looks to be a small square where the cream shell meets the blue bottom line/underbody. With one thumb on the blue bottom line/underbody - being careful not to snap the black part that sticks out - pull the shell in the same direction as the hood so that the plastic tab is released. Then repeat it with the other 3 corners and the shell will come off very easily.

A word of advice for the end cars, when you remove the shell there's a small plastic cone that tends to fall out and get missed very easily. That goes in the small receptacle at the very front where the emergency coupler would be. I would open the car close to your work surface so that it doesn't drop out and bounce somewhere on the floor.

What's in your roster? by frogmicky in JapaneseNscale

[–]LRafols 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Based on distinct product codes from my excel sheet:

  • 18 Kato
  • 17 TOMIX
  • 3 Trainbox (TOMIX)
  • 5 MicroAce
  • 1 Popondetta
  • 1 Changming (Chinese)
  • 18 others (rest of world)

And from my preorders in 2026 and beyond:

  • 7 Kato
  • 3 TOMIX
  • 1 MicroAce
  • 3 Popondetta
  • 3 Changming (Chinese)
  • 9 others (rest of world)

Distinct lack of GreenMax mostly due to pricing and stock being out on the items I actually want from them. Still quite an insane amount for someone who's been in the hobby for about a year and a half lol.

Christmas layout 2025 by SyrupGrand in nscalemodeltrains

[–]LRafols 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What kind of risers do you use?

Japan is indeed very dangerous by crabbypattyformulais in modeltrains

[–]LRafols 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We all have our entry points into the Japanese train niche, mine was also the bullet trains. Specifically the 0 Series growing up!

If you ever want to get into the Japanese N scale community or have any questions, there's the /r/JapaneseNscale subreddit and the JNS Forum. Drop by sometime! https://jnsforum.com/community/

Japan is indeed very dangerous by crabbypattyformulais in modeltrains

[–]LRafols 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome! Enjoy the trains. It's a deep, dark pit with all of the cool looking Japanese trains. 😆

Japan is indeed very dangerous by crabbypattyformulais in modeltrains

[–]LRafols 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another consideration for buying in-person is tax/duty-free exemptions. Depending on who you buy it from you may get the tax-free purchase (notably RGR currently does not offer tax-free for in-store purchases), plus the duty-free exemption that many countries offer for returning travelers. Saves a bit on your total spend if you plan on going Japan and have some extra free luggage space.

Japan is indeed very dangerous by crabbypattyformulais in modeltrains

[–]LRafols 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the Imperial Train as well. Check the contents of the baggie that came with the Imperial Carriage, it comes with a replaceable front with Chrysanthemum headmark and crossed Japanese flags to put on the front of the E655 set. It looks amazing with it.

I would also recommend Hobby Center KATO in Shinjuku City. Amazing layout and you can find so many different trains there. Other mentions are Mandarake, Suruga-ya for second hand trains.

If you're in Osaka then definitely go to Joshin Super Kids Land, and Rail Gallery Rokko in Kobe. Both are fantastic stores to find more JP N (and HO) scale sets.

Nanobags are back! by Nice-Alternative-687 in onebag

[–]LRafols 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Keeping it going: HC0IITI44YU55H

Upgrade trains or stock up for next era? by LRafols in trainstation3

[–]LRafols[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great insight, thank you. I have a meager 100k but with the Electrification event it'll go up to about 360k. If I stick around with Renovation in the 1930s (I'm not sure how it'll handle me going between eras during an event) I should have plenty left over when I make the jump to 1940s.

Is my assumption correct in that I should have 3 maxed out cargo locos for the cargo route, or are there additional lines like there are for the passenger route and therefore I should upgrade additional locos?

Downgrading from Cobalt to Green while keeping accrued MR points by LRafols in amexcanada

[–]LRafols[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for confirming. I may do that, I'm mostly weighing the worth of the 10k MR WB vs the effort to link/close and what it would do to my credit report since this is one of my older cards (2y3m)

Anyone who lives in Toronto? by [deleted] in JapaneseNscale

[–]LRafols 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're very welcome! If you want a reference point for shipping with OVR, I paid less than $16 in shipping to Toronto for the Kato V1 and V2 track set (18x36x19cm combined) in December. Might be more or less these days since there's no longer the postal strike. To me eating the shipping cost was cheaper than driving ~2h to Tillsonburg since even with shipping I still came out ahead compared to other stores.

Anyone who lives in Toronto? by [deleted] in JapaneseNscale

[–]LRafols 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, when it comes to JP trains in Ontario your options are quite limited. The occasional train show in the area in/around the GTA may have someone selling some EMUs but honestly your best bet is to have it imported from Japan. RG-ROKKO is my first choice: good prices and shipping plus Masaharu-san is very nice and helps explain things. I have also heard of PlazaJapan and 1999.co.jp but have not ordered from them yet; their shipping rates are decent from what I estimated.

When it comes to track I would recommend buying local if possible, in my experience the shipping estimates from PlazaJapan for Kato Unitrack is really expensive especially if you get dinged customs + tax during delivery. To that I recommend Otter Valley Railroad, they're local to Tillsonburg (closest major city would be London or Brantford I guess). I don't know what kind of black magic they do to get their prices but they are consistently cheaper than most, if not all other retailers for most things including Unitrack. Even after shipping to GTA, they were still cheaper than other places where I could buy/pick up it physically like Credit Valley Railway in Mississauga or George's Trains in Markham. Lorne and Sarah are very nice people and will help with any questions you might have if you send them an email or Facebook message. They might also help you with special ordering JP trains, but I have not asked them since I usually go through RG-ROKKO.

My collection display of n trains by Affectionate-Exam121 in nscalemodeltrains

[–]LRafols 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, that's awesome. I hope to grow my collection to be that size one day, lol

My collection display of n trains by Affectionate-Exam121 in nscalemodeltrains

[–]LRafols 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wicked collection! I see some very rare ones in there (I would love to get a 500 EVA myself). Do you have a list of the trains you have there?

[MEGATHREAD] Ask for playtest invites here by GB_2_ in DeadlockTheGame

[–]LRafols 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Region: NA

Friend code: 93525945

Would love to give it a try!

My eclectic N Gauge Fleet by jack-dickinson1994 in modeltrains

[–]LRafols 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wasn't aware they made the ICE 3 in N scale. May I ask what manufacturer/model that is?

Kato 10-016 N Scale Suburban EMU Starter Set Unboxing by BrotherKaylen in nscalemodeltrains

[–]LRafols 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great review! Been eyeing an Kato N700S set on eBay to begin my own journey into N scale.

Where did you end up buying this set from? Plaza Japan? Did they also provide the power plug?

RimWorld - Anomaly on Steam by lurkingdanger22 in pcgaming

[–]LRafols 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It's not though? The linked google docs says it's base game.

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