Plarail TOMY Thomas NEW RELEASES

October 2021:

JR Kyushu 787 series 36 Plus 3

S-18 Hello Kitty Shinkansen

Departure progress without batteries! Charge with Tekoro E5 Series Shinkansen Hayabusa. Roll it by hand to charge it! It runs firmly electrically when the switch is turned on. (improved translation / explanation to follow, unless Mr. No gets there first)

Departure progress without batteries! Charge with Tekoro E6 Series Shinkansen Komachi

Push and go! Easy for the first time Plarail colorful Tokkyu set
 
Push and go! Easy for the first time Plarail Thomas the Tank Engine set

The clear Shinkansens don't use batteries, you charge it by rolling the train, and then turn the switch on. Here is Suzukawa's video:



Tomy commercials:





PRICE: 4.180 JPY

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JR Kyushu's 787 Series was released several times before, even the black one, I think, but not this variant.
As before, it will be a 2-speed C-battery train. PRICE: 2.750 JPY

Hello Kitty Shinkansen is a re-release of a model that is still selling at the shops. I can't see the reason for such re-releases of recent models. The only difference is that this one will not be released in "SC Series", but in "numbered series", whatever that means. The train is basically the same, and they did not fix the only fault of the previous model: the sticker with the name of the train. Last time I wondered why they made a completely painted (not wrapped) model and then put that one sticker (and you can see it's a sticker) with the name. As far as I can tell, the sticker will stay on the re-release too. PRICE: 3.080 JPY.

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Both Push-and-Go trains use batteries (1 AA). They start by pressing the red button and run following the canvas guides, but can run on regular blue track too. (Well, maybe not all of them; the text says "on existing straight and curved tracks" and that may not include special elements like slopes, switches etc.) PRICE: 5500 JPY.

These two Push-and-Go trains are for kids (1,5 and up), but look at Thomas' face, and all the engines pictured on the mat... Nothing here is "affected" by the reboot.


Tomy commercial:

[Super]

Thanks Mr No for the early heads up of whats to come. I too wonder why Plarail has re-released so many of late. I might be able to see why if they wanted to do upgrades but in the case of that JR Kyushu 787, they are still using the original 'C' battery chassis with those big shell clips on the side.

So that JR Kyushu 787 series 36 Plus 3 is black, I wasn't so sure looking at my computer screen. I wonder what the 'Plus 3' means?  I am also not so sure they had released a jet black one before. I am familiar with one that was a very dark gray/silver though of which I still have.  Mine would look very cool with gold or silver details like this new on though. For some reason my brain is telling me that I had, in the past, 3 versions of this before. The jet black does look very good with all the gold details but maybe not enough for me to buy it.

You're right, Super, the previous one was actually grey, but very dark grey...



... and the silver one:



The new one is the "darkest" one, and it looks good. Well, at least they change something on that model, but on many re-releases they changed absolutely nothing. They really could lose that annoying sticker on Hello Kitty Shinkansen...

And why are there so many re-releases of recently released trains? Did they lose old molds or what? If they are in re-releasing business, I have few suggestions... 

[Super]

I agree Mr No....re-release some of the really old ones, I'll bet they will sell very nicely in Japan although it might upset a lot of collectors.

How about this one from 1972?

All very good suggestions (in our dreams). Meanwhile the Kyushu 787 36+3 is surely crying out for a 6-car release...

@ Super

Oh, by all means, that one is absolutely fantastic! The previous list is not exhaustive, it could be a few pages long!

They could do it without upsetting anyone. You see, there is always at least something that could be made better or more faithful to the original: the pantographs could be painted silver on grey roof, if the lights or some other details are just stickers, they could be painted, and so on.

Then, there are models (like the little Kiha trains above) that haven't been released in the colour schemes of some companies; why not a re-release in some other (previously not released) colours? KIHA railcars come in many other colours, and other trains and trams too. [That goes for recent models too: Wakayama train with Chuggington wrapping is nice, but there are other wrappings on that line that wood look really nice (and would be very popular models) like the Strawberry Train, or Tama the Cat wrapping train!]

So, unless the moulds of the older models are lost, they could easily re-release many models (with improvements) and not just so recently released one (like Hello Kitty Shinkansen). Why don't they?

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About the name of the train 36+3 Express 787:

The meaning of 36+3 is derived from the fact that Kyushu is the 36th largest island in the world, combined with the 3 elements of JR Kyushu, locals, and customers coming together on the new service. Additionally, the number 39 is written as “san-kyu” in Japanese, which is also similar to how “thanks” is pronounced in the language.

[Super]

@Chrisjo
Wow...the real JR Kyushu is beautiful almost like an Emperor's Train.

@Mr No
What are the "3 elements of JR Kyushu" ?

It somehow symbolizes "the coming together of (1) the railway company JR Kyushu, (2) Kyushu locals and  (3) customers".


Another fantastic looking luxury train... From outside, it's looking like a train Darth Vader would take, inside its breathtaking living room-on-wheels:

I imagine the batteryless shinkansen chassis cannot be used with other shells