Compare the leading cars

Shinkansen profile studio

Compare the cab outlines along a common baseline. Each cropped study has its own illustration scale. Windows and seams are schematic.

Monochrome

**0 · 1964**A round cap sits ahead of the upright cab.

**E5 · 2011**A long, low green nose above a pink dividing stripe.

All train studies · 26

**200 · 1982**Early rounded cab in the northern green livery.

**100 · 1985**A pointed tip projects below a raised cab.

**300 · 1992**A low wedge replaces the projecting nose cap.

**400 · 1992**Silver body and dark glazing on the first Tsubasa sets.

**E1 · 1994**Two decks behind the high cab; original blue-grey scheme.

**500 · 1997**A rounded tube tapers into a long, pointed nose.

**E2 · 1997**Dark-blue roof above a long, shallow cab slope.

**E3 · 1997**Compact silver cab; original Komachi colour scheme.

**E4 · 1997**Two decks meet a much longer, lower nose than E1.

**700 · 1999**Broad, low bill with a distinct rise to the windscreen.

**800 · 2004**An uninterrupted rounded slope and upright cheek lamp.

**N700 · 2007**The cab rises behind a low, sculpted shoulder.

**N700A · 2013**An N700 development; side profile alone is inconclusive.

**E6 · 2013**A red crown follows the extended, narrow front end.

**E7 · 2014**Blue crown, ivory body and copper-coloured belt.

**W7 · 2015**Sister design to E7. Check the operator or set marking.

**H5 · 2016**E5-derived shape with a purple belt on the Hokkaidō sets.

**N700S · 2020**Angular cheek treatment refines the N700 profile.

**E8 · 2024**Purple crown and safflower-yellow belt on the Tsubasa.

**N700 · 2011**Eight-car S and R sets share the pale-blue scheme.

**N700S · 2022**Six-car Kamome uses a vermilion lower body.

**922 · ドクターイエロー**Inspection train. A 0-series-derived rounded front.

**923 · ドクターイエロー**Inspection train. A 700-series-derived broad bill.

**E956 · ALFA-X・10号車側**Experimental train. The two ends have different noses.

Identification clue	Upright headlamp
Formation	6 cars

800 series

Look for the upright lamp on the cheek of the rounded nose. The plate shows the early design. Later 800s have more rounded lamp housings.

If the platform angle hides the nose, check the formation display: the 800 runs in six-car sets on this line, while the Kyūshū-serving N700 has eight. The 800 can work Sakura or Tsubame wholly within Kyūshū. The service name alone cannot identify the vehicle.

Identification clue	Wing-like shoulder
Formation	8 cars

N700-8000

Look for a broad shoulder sweeping out from the base of the cab beside the flattened nose. The plate represents JR Kyushu’s eight-car R set.

This feature separates the N700 from the rounded 800 when both are plausible. JR West’s closely related eight-car S sets are the 7000 subseries. A distant nose view cannot distinguish S from R reliably. Look for the set marking or vehicle number; without it, record only “eight-car N700”.

When the view is incomplete

Look for a side view of the cab or the full formation. To distinguish two similar N700 sets, look for the set marking. Check the individual plates for the source of each clue.