Like the six-car freight pack with its basic container flat, these two models lack the finer details seen on Kato's higher-end models. On the other hand, they are definitely priced to sell, and with a bit of weathering, make good models for running behind a wide range of electric and diesel locomotives.
Background
The 10000-series container wagons were built between 1966 and 1969. They were designed to run at higher speeds (up to 100 km/h) than earlier designs. At one end is a small platform for an operator to stand on when using the hand brake.
Like other container wagons of the era, they were designed for the JNR standard 10' container. Some were modified to carry two 20' containers (the 11000 and 12000 series) instead of the 10' containers. These modified wagons could not carry 10' wagons. There were some other variants produced over the years, including one series (the 18000 series) built in 1968 for use in the cold climate of Hokkaido.
Perhaps the most unusual variant was the Kokifu wagons. With freight trains being accelerated to 100 km/h, suitable accommodation for the guard, or conductor, became an issue. Existing brake vans (cabooses) could not run at that speed, so instead a number of container wagons were built with a small conductors compartment. These wagons could now only carry four 10' wagons rather than five.
Both the Koki and Kokifu wagons were in widespread use across the network through the 1970s and 80s. The last were removed from service in 1996.
Kato 8002 Container Wagon
What's in the box?
- Koki 10000 container wagon
- Non-removable containers
The wagon is nicely moulded and presented in JNR freight blue. The lettering is simple but effective. The wagon itself is solid, with only basic detail represented underneath the solebar and nothing much on the top. There is a metal weight on the top of the wagon, with all five containers represented by a single-piece that clips into the place. The metal weight seems a bit loose, so I used a drop of glue to fix it into position.
As supplied, the container moulding works, just about, but the gap between each container isn't completely convincing. Weathering makes a huge difference, giving you a reason to run some dark, watered-down paint into those gaps. This makes the gaps look more like shadows. It's also worth painting the metal weight while you have the container removed for weathering. The weigh is easily visible from the side, and if you paint it black, it won't be nearly as intrusive.
Kato 8003 Container Wagon with guard's compartment
What's in the box?
- Kokifu 10000 container wagon
- Non-removable containers
Basic specification much like the Koki 10000 wagon, but with the distinctive caboose, or conductor's compartment, at one end. Again, judicious weathering will really help make the single-piece container moulding more realistic.
On the plus side, this is a quirky prototype that adds interest to any container train. But on the other hand, the low-end specification mean the model isn't as good as it might be. There are no working taillights at the back of caboose, and neither is it possible to add the Kato lighting kit to illuminate the inside of the guards compartment.
Summary
The Koki container wagon has an RRP of 770 Yen (about £4.25 at the time of writing) while the Kokifu one with the caboose is slightly more expensive at 825 Yen (about £4.50). In either case, that's pretty impressive value as the models run well, look nice, and represent a useful, long-lived prototype.
Of course, they're compromised in significant ways. The container loads aren't removable, so you can't swap the supplied containers with different ones to add variety to your trains. Equally, as you can't remove the containers, you can't run an 'empty' train, and even if you could, the wagon frame isn't open and lacks the details such as pipes you'd expect to see on a modern-spec model.
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