Transformers "Raiden" Project

Discussion in 'Transformers News and Rumors' started by chchchch, Oct 18, 2019.

  1. David Hingtgen

    David Hingtgen Chromaticon

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2002
    Posts:
    15,195
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Location:
    USA
    Likes:
    +14,443
    It kinda sorta looks that way? Seems they may be going for a "true to scale, static display". Fudging the couplers, and only the couplers, to allow them to connect in a line for display on a shelf as single train----but they would be effectively fixed in place due to having various track widths, each one having to stay on its own bit of track.

    At leash that's how it looks so far.

    As for model trains in Japan----it's the bullet trains that are "right", it's everything else that is fudged/adapted to work with them. (since there really is no Cape-gauge track at all for models)
     
    • Like Like x 2
  2. Hoffman

    Hoffman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    Posts:
    6,950
    News Credits:
    4
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +11,315
    I guess it kinda makes sense given the audience they are going for. It looks like you can still connect all the track parts together, the rails just don't line up.

    They may also be banking on train collectors just buying the trains they like and not the full set. Is that a thing that train collectors would do?
     
  3. Liampope

    Liampope Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2014
    Posts:
    5,937
    News Credits:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    247
    Location:
    Stavanger, Norway
    Likes:
    +16,916
    Yeah so if that's true they're doing something totally different to what real model trains would do??? Makes no sense! Hmmmmmm. Weird.

    I wonder if this narrower gauge track for Getsuei, if that's really what this is, is any real model gauge??

    I'm generally one to be confident in observations made from CAD/prototypes, and these tracks being different is totally convincing, but part of me is 'I'll believe it when I see it' about this.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Liampope

    Liampope Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2014
    Posts:
    5,937
    News Credits:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    247
    Location:
    Stavanger, Norway
    Likes:
    +16,916
    Well thats the thing - if I understand correctly from @David Hingtgen and my own google-fu, this doesn't make sense for the target audience! Model train fans do have their bullet trains and regular trains running on the same track.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. jackisking

    jackisking Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2014
    Posts:
    15,386
    News Credits:
    53
    Trophy Points:
    302
    Location:
    Home of the Polish Boy
    Likes:
    +39,208
    • Like Like x 2
  6. Sy-Rein

    Sy-Rein Rogue Stunticon

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    Posts:
    6,477
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    337
    Location:
    Abbotsford, BC
    Likes:
    +4,282
    Looking into it, it seems there are a variety of standard scales to make it so that the 2 track gauges will work together or be scaled appropriately. In the real world bullet trains use a track gauge of 4’-8.5” while other trains use 3’-6”. In the model train world, there’s HO scale (1:87) with scaled 4’-8.5” track gauge, there’s HOn scale (1:87) with scaled 3’-6” track gauge and it looks like there’s a Japanese specific scale: HOj which is 1:80 scale and makes narrow gauge track match the bullet train track at 1:87 scale.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  7. HeroicC300

    HeroicC300 Chats with Artists

    Joined:
    May 4, 2011
    Posts:
    5,468
    News Credits:
    25
    Trophy Points:
    287
    Likes:
    +1,579
    Thank you sir for more pics to satisfy my train-obsessed brain.

    Kaen be a smol boi but I need to see his specific alt next to normal road vehicles now to appreciate how gargantuan these guys are
     
  8. David Hingtgen

    David Hingtgen Chromaticon

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2002
    Posts:
    15,195
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Location:
    USA
    Likes:
    +14,443
    Most HOn is specifically HOn3, for 3ft, which is "the most common narrow gauge". But Japan would need/use HOn3.5, which exists, but is very rare.

    HOj is purely a "body fudge scale", the wheels are rails are still to normal HO standards and gauge. It's *a* solution, but is still "mixing up proportions and things" and doesn't appear to be what Takara's going for.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  9. David Hingtgen

    David Hingtgen Chromaticon

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2002
    Posts:
    15,195
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Location:
    USA
    Likes:
    +14,443
    I do for a few, but generally 95% of my stuff runs, together. But there's plenty of people who buy a loco, put in on a shelf to display, and never ever run it, much less hooked up to others.
     
  10. Onilink

    Onilink That's my secret, captain, my head always hurts

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2017
    Posts:
    3,113
    News Credits:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +5,535
    I think we can solve the mistery just seeing what Tomica sells, right? (i can't understand Japanese on their webside, need help)
     
  11. Liampope

    Liampope Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2014
    Posts:
    5,937
    News Credits:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    247
    Location:
    Stavanger, Norway
    Likes:
    +16,916
    Pretty much just N and HO, which is why this is wierd. The most likely solution would have been HOj for the not-bullet trains - i.e. make those guys larger 1:80 scale and slightly fudge their wheels onto HO track. That seems the common model solution in Japan and would have had the added benefit here of making the bot and combined mode engineering simpler with the trains all closer in size.

    But seems they might be going HOn3.5, i.e. keep them all to scale - 1:87 - and the not-bullet trains run on 12mm gauge track instead of HO 16.5mm. But that seems super uncommon. Will be interesting to try and accurately measure the gauge of Getsuei's track from the CAD and see if it's 12mm.
     
  12. David Hingtgen

    David Hingtgen Chromaticon

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2002
    Posts:
    15,195
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Location:
    USA
    Likes:
    +14,443
    12mm track (TT gauge) works very well for "pretty darn close in all aspects" HO-scale models of Cape-gauge equipment. But as above----that's not at all what Tomy has ever done before AFAIK, and not very common in Japan regardless of manufacturer. (I think it's more common among Oceania modelers----Aus/NZ have a good amount of Cape-gauge tracks)
     
  13. Furyan

    Furyan Furyanicon

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2012
    Posts:
    766
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    187
    Likes:
    +177
    Alright I gotta jump in on this,first TT Masterpiece combiner and I want in plus it's just too neat. Cheapest joints to preorder these two? Links? Thanks!
     
  14. onslaught714

    onslaught714 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2013
    Posts:
    219
    Trophy Points:
    162
    Likes:
    +340
    If this is really Kaen I don't understand what TT is doing here. They take the smallest train there, and...make it even smaller? Is there anyone here super knowledgeable about Japanese diesels that can confirm whether or not it's Kaen? He looks too short and stubby for it, though
     

    Attached Files:

  15. HolyCulture

    HolyCulture Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2013
    Posts:
    6,244
    News Credits:
    32
    Trophy Points:
    307
    Likes:
    +21,944
    Jesus you guys. That’s not a transformer behind Getsuei in the pic. It’s not even a model DE10. It’s close but it’s not the right model train. Look at the EF65 to the left of Shouki. It’s tiny. The two robots are the only robots here ya dinks. Everything else is N gauge. Those little trains are half the size of the trainbots.
     
    • Like Like x 10
  16. David Hingtgen

    David Hingtgen Chromaticon

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2002
    Posts:
    15,195
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Location:
    USA
    Likes:
    +14,443
    I want to say it's a SD-style loco, very similar to Bandai's "B Shorty" toy trains, but not exactly that because they wouldn't use a competitor's toys. But I can't really find an equivalent Takara-Tomy line, nor an exact match from any company.
    BshortyDE10c.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2022
    • Like Like x 1
  17. Bubblegunner

    Bubblegunner -----< ̄ ▽  ̄>-----

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2022
    Posts:
    1,202
    News Credits:
    148
    Trophy Points:
    187
    Likes:
    +11,150
    jnrDE10-2h-ms.jpg IMG_5715-743x392.jpg jreDE10-2r-hm.jpg jrf_de10-1576_20140313_A5007.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2022
    • Like Like x 6
  18. David Hingtgen

    David Hingtgen Chromaticon

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2002
    Posts:
    15,195
    News Credits:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    387
    Location:
    USA
    Likes:
    +14,443
    • Like Like x 4
  19. Bubblegunner

    Bubblegunner -----< ̄ ▽  ̄>-----

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2022
    Posts:
    1,202
    News Credits:
    148
    Trophy Points:
    187
    Likes:
    +11,150
    Accurate or not, some interesting images from one of the many discussion threads on China's TF tieba about Raiden's combined height.

    Quite a nice mock up of the combined mode. I'd be happy if it turned out close to this.

    One thing about MPG Raiden's torso I'm not a fan of is the backpack sitting high up and visible from the front. Kind of like Sunstreaker's backpack.

    71e4c339b6003af311cc79b1702ac65c1138b6a0.png b528a8096b63f6247d2b9cd2c244ebf81b4ca3a0.png fe0f8d504fc2d562526d13f4ba1190ef76c66c7e.png
     
    • Like Like x 15
  20. jackisking

    jackisking Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2014
    Posts:
    15,386
    News Credits:
    53
    Trophy Points:
    302
    Location:
    Home of the Polish Boy
    Likes:
    +39,208
    Think @Liampope estimate was 13 and some change. If Shouki is 3.5 and a leg is 7 in long, pretty plausible you could get the rest from Kaen and the head.
     
    • Like Like x 2