It’s my understanding that individual robots modes absolutely must scale. And they engineer the alt mode of toys so both can happen. But Kaen is supposed to be a beefy boy. I just don’t see how this can happen. That DE10 is way too small to make a proper robot. Really curious what’s going to happen here because it’s not really making sense on where TT is going to meet all the criteria that I’m personally assuming they’re shooting for

 

Yeah, and on top of that, Kaen must have leg joints and waist joint. (i don't think that the head and the leg appendix will be part of Kaen, at this point)

 

Agreed. I think they should have gone with a bigger scale (S scale?) for the smaller trains as some had speculated earlier in this thread.

Sure the Trainbots won't all be the same scale but a small train like Kaen would still be a scaled train model and would at least still look alright with the bigger trains. It would also give the designers more to work with for bot mode and combiner mode.

Getsuei's bot mode looks stretched vertically next to Shouki as a result of needing to make a smaller train have the same robot height. He doesn't even have enough train mass to fill out his backpack, leaving only the train face hanging off his back. I can't imagine Kaen not being heavily compromised in bot and combiner mode.
The big bruiser of the G1 team is now the runt of the MPG set.

I think the leg side guns will probably be parts formed from Suiken and Seizan (the arm bots). They seem to be missing their bogies from the brightened combiner image and you can make out wheels in the leg guns. They likely detach and fold up to form those parts.

 

"N scale" in Japan is generally "inherently fudged" in order to allow that (Cape gauge trains running on standard gauge track)----usually 1/150 or 1/148 trains running on 1/160 track. With wheel spacing adjusted to like 1/130 or something to make that work.

Things are tweaked just enough to make work, and is not very apparent due to the inherently small size. But would be fairly noticeable if done for HO gauge rails or larger.

 

Hey guys, I think you missed something.

It’s Kaen.
You can see the seem lines for transformation. It’s legit.

 

I noticed, I just didn't think it was anything more than an Easter egg. Also I'm not sure it's quite the right loco, but G1 Kaen doesn't quite match anything either, so it's likely to be changed a bit.

 

Does the model have seem lines though? You can see them on the front and infront of the cabin.


The real locomotive doesn’t have lines there, so unless they choose and HO scale model that possess them, I’d say thats where it splits apart for conversion.

 

Kaen was teased in a two pic, but i can't see the transformation lines :/

 

I figured it was a model train rather than him.

Regarding Kaen and his size, I imagine that TakaraTomy will likely work in some magic to get a small train that folds and expands out to a robot the same size as the others.

Would also explain why he probably makes so little of the combined mode, as he's small and condenses to something very small (even smaller than his train mode).

I'm guessing he's kind of the opposite of Shouki, who condenses a lot for robot mode but expands out in train. Or at least that's my theory.

 

I'm super confused about the track gauges now! Surely they're all gonna run on HO gauge track after they made a big thing about it?? And the different trains, all being 1:87 scale, which makes sense, would just have their axle widths fudged slightly to all fit on HO track? Isn't that what they do with real model layouts? I've no idea but looks like you can pretty much only get HO or N gauge track in Japan. Do they really have different track for bullet train models? @David Hingtgen - what's going on? They've apparently, unrealistically, given all the trains the same coupler, but they won't run on the same track???

 

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)

 

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?

 

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.

 

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.

 

Takara Tomy - Transformers Masterpiece MPG-02 TRAINBOT GETSUEI
Chosen Prime has Getsui up for $141 for people in the states

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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.

 

I think we can solve the mistery just seeing what Tomica sells, right? (i can't understand Japanese on their webside, need help)