What would you like to see in Takara Tomy assortment?

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Takara Tomy makes great stuff but we could always wish for more. I know we have the wish lists thread, but here I want to raise some questions. You see, some trains (and scenery) from the past they never reissued, some they never made (while others, like Trackmaster, made them). There is an obvious demand for some earlier items (their prices are going sky high on eBay and other auctions), and there are possible new items long desired, but never made.  What are your plarail desires and dreams? Here are some of mine:
 
The commuter trains
 
It happens that I like commuters. Takara Tomy made bunch of them, but some of them are so rare and can't be obtained in any other way but through some auctions or from some extortion sellers on eBay. Also older, long-time-stored trains (even in sealed boxes) can come to you with cracked cog-wheels or something like that. Why don't make new ones? There are many new re-issued shinkansens, but what about the commuters?

Also, there are many trains made for a certain railway companies; they sell such trains in their shops at their stations. Some of those trains are very nice – shouldn't they sell it online for all customers? Why there is no official Takara Tomy Online Shop?  Of course, you can get those trains on eBay and Yahoo, but they usually come with the unbelievable price tag. 

Thomas & Friends

There are plenty of Thomases and Tobys and Percys…. But try to get Stanley! Why don't they produce some items any more?
Moreover, why are some items from that range only rolling-stock (not motorized), like Philip or Lexi? I liked Lexy in the movie and I'd really like to have her as a "proper" engine. Anyone wants real Merlin? Trackmaster made Etienne and Flora (The Sodor Tramway). Why Tomy didn't? What about Daisy? I would like to make a video titled: „Daisy Meets Enoden Trains on Mister No's Plarail Layout“…
 
Why are some train types „privileged“?
 
You can get a shinkansen with lights, but why not the commuters? Sotetsu 7000 and some Tokio Metro trains are exceptions. I believe there are six tipes of plarail-Enodens: why there is not one made with lights? That would be nice!

Furthermore, why did they made only shinkansens that are able to couple with another shinkansen with those special joints (S-03 + S-14 for example), and not commuters? I would like to have my beautiful Hanshins coupled together, but no such luck… And real Enodens are commuting in couples (2+2) nowadays, so it would be very appropriate to make the double set. But no such option for Plarail Enodens – why? It won't be that hard to make a front and/or rear coupler on those trains… Yes, there is a (somewhat useless) common rear coupler on Enoden Type 20, but that's it…

Look how 2 Hanshins or 2 Enodens could be great if coupled together:

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[Image: IMG-20200119-130344.jpg]

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Rare items

I don't like shinkansens too much, but I like the (real) Evangelion Shinkansen (Eva Type 500), and I would like to have it as a plarail model. But of course: that one is rare and expensive. Again, the Kamakura station would be perfect on my Enoden layout. But, it's of course rare, and extortionists on eBay want 700 bucks for it. Why Takara Tomy does not make this station any more? They make some similar stations that are not so rare.  

That must be the case for other items too. Do you have such an example? 
And - - ever heard of Yoshitune Enoden?

[Image: IMG-20200117-142215.jpg]
 
There are some Tomica Town scenery articles that are also rare. For example, you can buy the 7-Eleven for a few bucks, but the similar building (Post Office) is rare, hard to find, and pricey. Why on earth is that so? I really like that Post Office…

There are also „event-only“ items and items produced in collaboration with some private railway companies. I understand there are exclusive items. That's OK, but couldn't they produce them for general public after a few years? Would that be such a big deal?
 
Scenery for double-track layouts

I like to have „proper“ lines, not just unconnected circles of track, so my layout is (much of it) double track. Takara Tomy makes great double track items, including straight and curved tracks, switches and everything… However, double track scenery is hard to find, rare, or non-existant. Hundred years ago produced, the double track tunnel is nowhere to find:

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Also, other items are made for single track only. Why not make a Double Crossing with Sound? Or a Double City Station? That wouldn't be so difficult…
 
Sets that customers like to modify

Since Suzukawa Ayako made a presentation of her custom-assembled double Dokidoki Mountain Set - the set with the fortress and the other one with the heliport with the sticker, connected with two long bridges and excluding the steep downhill slope, - I made similar double Dokidoki layout myself. It looks great:

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Not everyone likes the steep downhill slope, you see, and the double Dokidoki set with no steep slope would be appreciated. But there isn't one.
Also, the original Dokidoki sets are made for slow uphill ride, and a quick downhill fall with a special braking track. They are not designed for downhill drive round the mountain. The consequence: only shorter (or somewhat rounded) trains (like Thomas, Enoden 502+552 or Meitetsu 510) can go downhill round the mountain, others will (slightly) hit the edge of tunnel at the middle of the mountain. My Enodens Type 1000 are too long to pass the downhill loop without hitting the edge of the middle tunnel. So they can't operate my Dokidoki Line without removing the middle tunnel from the mountain. Why not make that set as a double-mountain set and correct this problem in the process? Now that would be nice.

I suppose something similar could be the case with many other sets that customers would appreciate to see slightly modified… Is there one you would like to have in that way?
 
Parts that come only in sets

I would like to have the Tokio Station, but it is produced only in a (rather old and therefore rare and expensive) set with a shinkansen and whole track circle I don't need. Why? For someone who has a layout wouldn't it be nice to buy just a station? Dokidoki Mountain – same story. You can get it only in a set with Thomas and a log car (or troublesome trucks) and plenty of rails you don't really need.

There are many other items produced only in sets. Think the Automatic Transfer Station with Doctor Yellow Set. I really would love to have it (the station) – without Doctor Yellow.
Did they produce the station separately? You surely can't buy just the station (auctions excepted). And it's so cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM8jLGhSfxE
How many Doctor Yellow and ATS sets do you have to buy to create, for example, this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPpORs_3kKk ?

The point is: many times we buy sets just to get only one or two specific items out of it. And collect Thomases and simple straight and curve tracks in the process.
 
Missing scenery, trains and other items that were never made

Yes, we can buy a Tomica police station, or a car-wash, but where are the houses, apartment blocks and such? Why they don't make them? Many plarail layouts have Chinese RMZ Diorama houses or something similar (mine included) or custom made houses and skyscrapers because while making the „Hyper City“ someone in Japan forgot to make houses.

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What about trains and other vehicles that could be easily made (just in different color or slightly modified, for example), but never were? Do you have some suggestions/wishes in this department?
 
In conclusion: I'm not complaining, I like plarail as it is – it offers a lot of items and possibilities. Those were just some of my ideas and thoughts on possible "improvements". - -  Feel free to add yours.
My YouTube Channel: Mister No
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There are a lot of ideas in the "I Wish Tomy Would...." Thread HERE but I would think there are more ideas like some of yours since then.

Although I wouldn't disagree with any of your wishes and quite often I want the same, it would be a bummer for me if after taking so long and expense in acquiring rare items they started to mass produce them. In my old age now and after amassing most of everything I have wanted, I would much rather see newly designed stations, rail pieces and scenery and not so much just copies of the originals. Of course only if they don't cheapen them like some of the accessories in sets in the last couple years.

One thing I totally disagree with is your "extortionist" definition as I don't see it that way at all. Price and worth are two different things in my book. If I have a stone and sell it for a thousand dollars its worth it to the buyer. He wasn't forced to buy it. If something is rare and hard to find it should cost more. Even if the asking price is a ridiculous amount, way over what other exact items sold for, its not worth that until somebody pays that. I have been known to pay way over for rare items that later I found out were selling for less but it was worth it to me to get what I wanted even though I wish I had waited lol. Worth and Want...now that would be an interesting discussion.

One of my biggest wishes was for all blue track items were also made in light gray, the color of the elevated rail especially the Auo-Switches (2 & 3 way) They do make a gray railed Auto transfer Station but I think that was only included in one set so very hard to find.
[Image: super-smiley-emoticon.gif]
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Thank you for your opinion, Super.

Nobody expects that they make exact copies of the earlier items all over again. But what about new plarail fans? Shouldn't they have a chance to buy some nice Tomy/Tomica products that were produced once 20 years ago and never again, without owners of those products to be displeased seeing rare items back in stock? There is a simple solution to that problem: they could make a similar (even improved) product. For example, that Automatic Transfer Station is such a nice part - it would be a shame if they don't make it anymore. But if they do, they could do it in a better way - say a bit longer (and not only as a part of some set)! That would be just perfect, now wouldn't it? In that way the owners of the old discontinued items would still have their "antiquities", and the buyers of the new & improved products would be happy as well. Or another example: I have two Knapford Stations. They were not expensive fifteen years ago, now they are rare and pricey. And I wouldn't mind if they make a new Knapford Station, possibly with some new details, slightly different colors.... and half the straight track longer. That would be an improvement, I'll still have my old Knapfords, and new buyers will also be able to get a wonderful station. Everyone is happy. You see, sooner or later they would have to think of new plarail fans. What about them? How could anyone have a Thomas & Friends layout without the Knapford Station, or an Enoden layout without the Buddha, for that matter? Smile

And in time, all the supplies of an old item will be gone. What then? I think that happened with that double track tunnel: it's nowhere to find. So I really think they could make a new one, but with possibility of combining two or more in a row, i.e. they could make it in a way they made the underground straight rail R-25. Consequently the new edition would include an improvement that would be surely welcomed. The new edition of the Kamakura Station (really beautiful station, why leave it in the past?) could also be made with the track attached to the platform, like some other stations. And so on.

As for the very high prices of some discontinued products: I know diamonds are not expensive because they are diamonds, but because they are rare and hard to find. When something is rare, the price is rising. Nobody should have problem with that: if something is too expensive, you can decide not to buy it, I agree. But surely some sellers stashed some items, waited awhile, and now they sell it for big bucks. That's business. I used the term "extortion" in a humorous way. I don't think they are literally extortionists; obviously there are no threats or intimidations in their actions, I'm aware of that. But I just can't appreciate what they are doing. OK, they can double or triple the price, but to sell something (anything) seventy times the price is just outrageous in my opinion.
My YouTube Channel: Mister No
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I wish Tomy would come out with a Booklet that shows all the Limited 3 Trains in one box releases. Each three train box always include one train that is exclusive to that set and because of that, those single trains are now rare and hard to find.
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