Kato Tsubame 800 Pantographs?

[rpierce000]

 
I have looked all over and cannot find new pantographs for a Kato 800 Tsubame Shinkansen.  I got it used, lovely unit, but the last joint going up to the crossbar and the crossbar is gone. I have looked at Hobby Search and PonPonDetta.  Any other good places for parts?  I hate to send it to Kato Japan, the cost is just outrageous (the shipping, the repair costs are quite reasonable, 210yen plus parts per pantograph).

Thank you for ANY suggestions!

[David]

Most replacement parts are not going to be carried as regular stock at your hobby retailer.

First you need to know what part you need: Check the instructions that came with the model and find the picture of the part you want. There should be a label or an arrow with a label or letter. If it's a letter there will be a chart. On the 800 series sheet you should see the pantograph has an arrow pointing to the pantograph marked "F". On the chart "F" is listed sa Assy "4541F". The cell beside it indicates that, assuming Kato has them, the expected price is 525 yen for a package of 2 (about $6).

If you do not live in Japan there a couple of options:

Email a Japanese hobby shop that serves overseas customers, like Hobby Search, asking to order the part by name (Kato replacement pantograph for 800 series shinkansen, Assy # 4541F).

If you are in the US, try emailing KatoUSA with the same information. It depends on the year and the direction of the wind if they'll help you for no charge, or tell you they don't provide any service for Japanese models.

[Samurai_Chris]

The Kato and the Tomix are exactly the same.. I have both.. If you want to purchase my Tomix 3 piece starter set for the pantograph then I am happy to let it go for AU$20

Chris

[CaptOblivious]

I have looked all over and cannot find new pantographs for a Kato 800 Tsubame Shinkansen.  I got it used, lovely unit, but the last joint going up to the crossbar and the crossbar is gone. I have looked at Hobby Search and PonPonDetta.  Any other good places for parts?  I hate to send it to Kato Japan, the cost is just outrageous (the shipping, the repair costs are quite reasonable, 210yen plus parts per pantograph).

Thank you for ANY suggestions!

Did you try contacting HS or Ponpondetta directly? They can often order parts, especially Kato parts, that are not listed in their online catalog. Lord knows they've done that for me plenty of times…

[keitaro]

The Kato and the Tomix are exactly the same.. I have both.. If you want to purchase my Tomix 3 piece starter set for the pantograph then I am happy to let it go for AU$20

Chris

i take it you like the kato better than tomix   

i like my tomix one but yeah looking at pics they do look exactly the same otherwise you could acquire the tomix pieces on hs

[Samurai_Chris]

Actually I do like the Kato version better. The couplings on the Kato make the connections to the cars look more realistic.. My only problem is that I just wished that it had the Tomix coupler system of power to all wheels like my Tomix N700-8000 has...