Motor Tomica Plarail New Town Set

[Super]

For some reason my old brain cells is recalling reading somewhere that the individual train wasn't available until sometime after the release of the big set but my tired old mind may be confusing this knowledge with something else. 😒

You are dead right, Super, the TGV set is in a box with the 1998-2000 logo (TOMY in red on blue arch) on it, while the 3-car is in a box with the 2000-2002 logo (TOMY in blue away from blue arch) on it.

[Super]

There is still hope for me yet???

@chrisjo

They sold the silver TGV individually? You learn something new everyday lol 😂 I've never heard of, much less seen a silver TGV sold individually, heck, even the times I've seen the TGV advertised for the Japanese market (including on the promo tape I own) only the orange version was ever shown.

[Super]

I am not absolutely sure but I don't think that the Tomica World Series Brand were released for retail sales in Japan or the East for that matter. I believe that the series was only available in the so called 'Western' Countries...UK, USA, Australia and the like but I hope our experts will correct me if I have this wrong. Do I have that right?

The orange TGV was available in Plarail, maybe that's what PMU is thinking of?



1999/2000 catalogue



We do seem to have wandered away from the subject of the original post!

Yeah, that's what I meant about the TGV in the Japanese line!

I got a Plarail promotional VHS (IIRC I posted it here?) where the orange TGV and Eurostar were both clearly featured as part of the Plarail line, and I know I've seen a picture of the Eurostar in it's Japanese package somewhere here on BPT (and Jauce as well IIRC) - Can't say I'd seen the TGV's Japanese package until now though, the video was my only proof it was definitely a Plarail model, not just a Tomica World one

Incidentally, if we're talking about Plarail TGVs, I think it's fair to mention the Plarail KTX, which although a Korean exclusive (I think), is clearly a somewhat modified version of the Plarail TGV mould - Appropriate given the KTX-I (which the model is supposed to resemble) is itself derived from the TGV (actually, Korea's early high speed network was partially built with French involvement so shares a fair bit of commonality with the TGV network, including the trains)

.... the Plarail KTX, which although a Korean exclusive (I think), is clearly a somewhat modified version of the Plarail TGV mould ...

Hmm. Not so clear to me. Note the faux wheels on the KTX, I've never noticed these on a Plarail train before, as far as I recall.

@chrisjo

I see what you mean, I'd never seen the model in anything other than promotional shots, and never compared directly to a Plarail TGV so I'd concluded they were probably from the same mould with some modifications.

Looking at your photos, it's very clearly another mould altogether albeit one that shares a few similarities to the earlier TGV, mostly in profile and carriage shape more than anything, which I guess is due to the common heritage both trains share in real life

To bring the topic back around to the OP, while I think about it, am I the only person who thought it slightly odd that the 485 Series (guessing that's what it is because it's one of several JNR EMUs where they had a raised cab arrangement) in the station set only has 2 coaches?

Plarail trains are usually 3-car, and of course the original model they used as a basis was 3-car, so why was the centre car omitted? Always puzzled me that did.