PlaRail Real Class - Odakyu RomanceCar 3100 NSE

About a week ago I posted about finding some of the Tomy PlaRail Real Class train packs on AliExpress.  Well not to be one just to tell people and let them take the risk I decided to buy one partly to check they are genuine (which it seems they are) and partly because I've just never seen one of these trains that everyone keeps talking about.

The one I went for was the 'Odakyu RomanceCar 3100 NSE' a 4 car set with leading (powered) and trailing (unpowered) cars and two central cars.  It also has 3 pieces of straight track, presumably so you can display it instead of running it if that's what you get them for.  I've not opened up the car yet, but the mechanism looks to by typical PlaRail based on the wheels etc... Dimensions are also PlaRail typical, although the finish is much improved to the point you even get glazed windows and interiors.  I was a bit disappointed to find that the 'detail parts' have to be fitted yourself, this includes roofing and the pantograph's and frankly not a lot else.  The instructions are a typical plarail little A5 sheet of double side printed paper and a little card with a QR code, presumably to a site telling you more about this set or the range (not looked yet).

So having seen one what do I think?  Well they are a definite improvement and do look quite a bit more realistic apart from the stubby dimensions PlaRail delivers.  Whether they are worth the extra money is another question, I would probably say it is on a knife-edge as I don't see them being that much better than some PlaRail I've seen in the past, although of course the current stuff is definitely getting the FP dumbing down treatment so I guess they are massively better than the generic range.  Anyway here's a bunch of pictures to show you more, apologies for the dodgy pics, but they were just taken with my phone camera with the LED illumination on

[Super]

Has it been a while since you last purchased Plarail Nigel?

I love my Real Class Odakyu Romance Car and like you, the only one I own. Only thing I am disappointed in the Real Class line is the use of fake bogies similar to the Chuggington trains.

I was a bit disappointed to find that the 'detail parts' have to be fitted yourself, this includes roofing and the pantograph's and frankly not a lot else.  

It is like that so you can choose to either make the train more realistic, or make the train fit to run under standard Plarail girders and bridges (for which you would apply the flatter ones on).

I was a bit disappointed to find that the 'detail parts' have to be fitted yourself, this includes roofing and the pantograph's and frankly not a lot else.  

It is like that so you can choose to either make the train more realistic, or make the train fit to run under standard Plarail girders and bridges (for which you would apply the flatter ones on).

Ok, that makes sense then I guess at least they thought about it.  But, maybe its because I also collect OO/HO gauge 'real' models that I expect more detail on a PlaRail claiming to be 'Real Class'.  The standard carriage length I can cope with as that is for compatibility sake, but the lack of detail is not really so excusable, even if it is moulded on detail rather than individually mounted parts it would make sense.  But, apart from the internal seating for example I don't really see much more detail than you get on a standard PlaRail and is in my opinion a bit of a missed opportunity by Tomy.

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Has it been a while since you last purchased Plarail Nigel?

I love my Real Class Odakyu Romance Car and like you, the only one I own. Only thing I am disappointed in the Real Class line is the use of fake bogies similar to the Chuggington trains.

I know mate and I don't intend this to be a return to the product, especially with the standard line being so dumbed down now.  If I were to buy anymore it would be older models that have more detail rather than these tubes with stickers on them.

I only really bought one of these to see what all the fuss was about and to see if they live up to the 'Real Class' tag and price premium.  Personally I think they've missed a big chance to make a mark and establish a sort of 'PlaRail 2.0' and can see this going the same way as Advance - the discontinuation of which was what really dropped me out of love with PlaRail.  The Romance Car while nice is not exactly earth breaking.  Apart from the glazing, internal detail and the 'fake bogies' you mentioned (I didn't even really notice those) there is very little extra detail on these than you used to get on the older PlaRail and Advance models.  It really is a chance missed to establish they are serious about this new line and in my eyes I can see 'Real Class' going the same way as Advance unless they up their game and give people way better specified models that really sell so they can justify increasing the production rate.

My take on this is that Plarail Real Class products are still intended to be toys, not model railways. They are targeted at nominally 'grown-up' (ha-ha!) Plarail fans who have a bit of spare cash, as opposed to pocket-money. Tomy are never going to make a Plarail spin-off that could be seen as competing in any way with Tomix.

If the product line were to be discontinued, nothing would be lost because Real Class trains and rail are seamlessly integrated with regular Plarail, unlike the Advance range that needed its own switches and so on.

Whether of not they've got the price-point right is a matter for the individual, but for me it doesn't seem too bad even with international shipping. Availability does seem to be more of an issue than it was at the start though, unless you buy from the TakaraTomy Mall using a proxy, which I haven't tried yet. The recently released station seems to have been made from unobtanium, for example. Nigels' links to Chinese vendors are interesting.

I take your point, and I suppose the price of the Real range is comparable to 4/6 car trains in the standard PlaRail range so they are not massively expensive, or alternatively the 4/6 standard PlaRail are over priced one or the other.

Out of interest what is the normal selling price from Japan and Shipping?

Out of interest what is the normal selling price from Japan and Shipping?

Mostly I've bought from Amazon.jp, and bulked up the order to the max that they'll allow without deducting import duty at source, so as to bring down the shipping cost per item as far as possible.

On this basis the cost per Real Class train including shipping has been in the order of £40-£45.

Is this a single or two-speed engine?

Is this a single or two-speed engine?

2-speed. See 9th picture in original post - switch marked OFF-ON-HI.

Out of interest what is the normal selling price from Japan and Shipping?

Mostly I've bought from Amazon.jp, and bulked up the order to the max that they'll allow without deducting import duty at source, so as to bring down the shipping cost per item as far as possible.

On this basis the cost per Real Class train including shipping has been in the order of £40-£45.

Well that's cheaper than I paid, so maybe they are better value for money than I thought based on what the one I have cost me, as Super said I've been out of the PlaRail scene for several years now thanks to the discontinuation of the Advance range so had no real idea of the cost.  Although it may also be the cost to me was skewed a bit by shipping which they tend to build into the price on Ali as normally you can buy cheaper on Ali than elsewhere, although of course like eBay there are always exceptions to the rule...