New Kato stuff

Kato have announced a number of interesting new releases in the last week or so …

Firstly there are 4 old style shops due out in late April – in a matching style to 23-471/474 but this time in a corner configuration …

23-475 – Corner Store 1 (signboard – LH) – fruit and vegetable shop
 
23-476 – Corner Store 1  (wooden – RH) – Japanese-style confection store
 
23-477 – Corner Store 2 (stone – LH)  – Stationery shop
 
23-478 – Corner Store 3  (mortar  – RH)  – Hobby shop
 

Next Kato seem to be starting to follows Tomix’s lead and releasing specific passenger trains, rather than just generic sets of cars ….

Due in June is a 1989 version of the JR Hokkaido ‘Hokutosei’ sleeper train that runs from Ueno to Sapporo.

• 10-804 – EF81 series EL + 3x 24 series ‘Hokutosei’ passenger cars (Car 1 – Kani24, 4 – Orone25, 11 – Ohanefu25)
• 10-805 – Add-on set A – 4x ‘Hokutosei’ passenger cars (3 – Ohane25, 5 – Orone25, 6 – Ohane25, 7 – Sushi24)
• 10-806 – Add-on set B – 4x ‘Hokutosei’ passenger cars (2 – Ohanefu25, 8 – Ohanefu25, 9 – Ohane25, 10-Ohane25)

Due in August is a 1975 version of the JNR ‘Sakura’ sleeper train that ran from Kyushu to Tokyo.

• 3060-1 – EF65-500 series EL (‘P’ version)
• 10-598 – 14 series 8 car passenger set ‘Sakura’ (Nagasaki section – Suhanefu14-22 + Orone14-2 + Ohane14-39 + Ohane14-33 + Ohane14-25 + Oshi14-8 + Ohane14-15 + Suhanefu14-13) 
• 10-599 – 14 series 6 car passenger set ‘Sakura’ (Sasebo section – Suhanefu14-27 + Ohane14-37 + Ohane14-41 + Ohane14-16 + Ohane14-42 + Suhanefu14-2)