Plarail New Releases 2025 onwards (non-Thomas)

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Does anyone remember the big uproar about the size of rolling stock when Trackmaster II / Revolution came out?

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The style of box for standard Plarail 3-car trains has been changed as of the February 2025 releases.

But the March releases are back in the standard boxes with windows, so it remains to be seen whether it's just the non S-series releases that are going to be in windowless boxes, or indeed if there is any consistent plan at all.

   

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Maybe they are weening themselves down from the windows? The current boxes have two windows on the front whereas those above, the S-47 and S-30 has one window but the S-58 still has two.
Thanks Dr Chris

That's true, but ever since this style of box started to be used in 2014, the number of windows has varied between one or two depending on whether they wanted to used the middle space on the box for a picture of some feature, or a for a window to show the actual second car, especially when it is markedly different from the power car in some way. 

I just did a very rough count of regular (not company limited editions, shop or event releases), and got 76 with one window and 64 with two windows.

Let's just return to the subject of the re-issued Kintetsu Urban Liner Next and E233 Series Keiyo Line, both of which were released yesterday.  These are not railway operating company limited releases, they are shown in TakaraTomy's general release schedule for March 2025.

But the way these are sold is a bit different to anything that has happened previously. They are described by TakaraTomy as 'Local Plarail' (ご当地プラレール - Gotoji Plarail), that " can be purchased at stores in the areas where they run ". 

So the Urban Liner is only available at a long list of stores in nine prefectures in the Kansai and Tokai regions, and the E233 Keiyo Line is similarly only available in six prefectures in the Kanto region, all of which are in central Honshu (Japan's main island) - except that in theory they are also available nationally by mail order from the TakaraTomy Mall, where they are currently both showing as 'sold out'.

There is no special description on either box to reflect their local distribution.  It is anticipated that further 'Local Plarail' releases of items from the back-catalogue may appear in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu and so on in the future.

(The 'My Home Town's Train Set' series of six sets was of course released at the very end of 2002, but although the emphasis of the marketing and subjects was on the local aspect of each one, their sales were not restricted by region and you were encouraged to buy all six to make a combined set in the shape of Japan).

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Thank you Dr Chris 👍

Plarail to release the Hogwarts Express in their 'real class' line https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products//t...og/?pNo=62
   

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OMG>>>OMG>>>OMG and under the Real Class series. WOW...fantastic news T-Real, this is really something to get excited about and I bet all the members and visitors are going to want this. I hope they plan on making a lot...WOW, Anyone else excited?

By the looks of it ,it may be tender driven, wonder why. I want it, in fact I want several to add to my collection of different coaches. Thank you T-Real great find.

I find strange the fact it's a tender driven engine. The engine looks like it's in a similar size as Henry from the Thomas & Friends series, so I'm confused.