Tomytec
From JNSwiki
Tomytec is a division of the toy maker Tomy. This line consists of N scale (1:150) vehicles, buildings, figures and scenery parts and HO scale (1:80) cars and busses.
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Introduction
in 2003 Tomy started a line of N scale (1:150) busses for primarily collectors, but also for use on N scale train layouts. These were released in collections of 12 busses at a time and were boxed individually in identical packaging so the buyer would not know what bus they were getting unit the package was opened. If a full case of 12 busses were bought they would receive one of each bus in the collection. In 2004 they added a Town Collection line with volume 1 consisting of 12 small buildings and a Car Collection line consisting of 12 cars. in 2005 they added a Truck Collection line consisting 12 different trucks. In 2006 they added the Visual Scene Collection line of figures, trees and other scenery parts. Each of these collections have been added to at the rate of 1-3 new sets per year per collection.
Tomytec Town Collection
The tomytec buildings are really little diorama scenes, with weathered paintings, bases, scenery extras, sometimes even figures. These kits are all pre-painted with simple press fit construction not requiring glueing. The tomytec building collections are all of the same approximate quality and detail. The collections started with the Town collections of older, smaller buildings first, with Town Collection Volume 1 in 2004. Town collections volumes 2-4 were released over the next two years. Sets 1-4 were each a set of 6 different buildings and a case of 12 buildings had each six buildings in two different paint schemes (all with all the same parts/features.) Volume 5 came out in March of 2005 and were larger, more modern buildings and just had 8 buildings in a case (so two were random duplicates and only a single paint scheme.) All the boxes were printed the same so you did not know what you were getting from a particular volume if you bought an individual box. If you bought a whole case you would get the complete set. Many of the buildings have a lot of detailed scenery items inside and out as well as figures. Some of the shops have complete interior detail on the first floors! in 2007 volume 6 and 7 came out with 7 being 12 modern 3 story down town bldgs, and collection 7 is 12 older wooden style 2 story japanese houses and apt bldgs. Again both are 2 sets of 6 buildings in two different color schemes. In 2006 they began rereleasing the older Town collections and to date Town Collections Volume 1 - 4 have been rereleased.
Tomytec Building Collections
In 2006 tomytec started releasing the individual buildings, first with the farm buildings, followed by the small factory buildings, then the first shrine set, then houses, then the railroad buildings, fishing port, bus depot, then second shirne, and recently some apartments. These are the same quality/system as the town collection. Each have the same level of details, features and painting, but usually with larger scenes than in many of the Town Collection. In 2009 they also began releasing the buildings of Town collections 5 as single Building Collection items and sets of 2 buildings from Town Collection 1.
Tomytec Visual Scene Collection
In 2006 Tomytec started the Visual Scene Collections. These started with series of 12 figures that would go with each of the new Building Collections: first farmers, then factory workers, train workers, passengers, shrine visitors, etc. these are sold in sets of 12 different figures. there are usually 2 or 3 variants of each line of figures, the only difference being the paint job on the set of 12 figures. The figures are not quite as fine detailed or painted as kato, pressier, or other hight quality figures, but the tomytec figures cost a fraction of that of the other major figures do.
In addition to the figures the scenery collection now includes many different tree kits consisting of plastic armatures and ground foam to glue on them. It also includes fishing boats, park details, catenary poles, street signals, Mikoshi portable shinto shrines, festival stalls, food carts, cemetery stones, bicyclists and animals.
Tomytec Bus Collections
In 2003 the Tomytec line was started with the Bus Collection volume 1. This consisted of set of 12 n scale (1:150) busses. Each bus was individually packaged in identical packaging so that the buyer did not know what bus they were getting until the packaging was opened. This was probably done to stimulate buying in a collectors market. If a case of 12 busses was purchased, it contained all 12 busses of the series. Each collection contained a few different models of busses painted for different municipalities. To date there have been 14 different Bus Collections. In addition Tomytec has released a few smaller, special collections of busses of one locality. In 2008 Tomytec began releasing single busses in HO scale (1:80). Tomytec also makes cases for the N scale bus collections. These are standard sized Tomix train cases with foam inserts cut for the busses.
Tomytec Truck Collection
Tomytec Car Collection
Tomytec Train Collections
The last items in the tomytec series are the bus, car, truck and train series. these are all pre-built vehicle models. these are fantastic quality vehicles, especially for the price! these were all being released as collection series in the past where you would get a case of 12 boxes that were all different, but the boxes were the same so it was luck of the draw if you bought them individually. trucks and busses come in sets of 12 different vehicles. cars would come in sets of 12, usually with 4 different models with different paint schemes and some done as police cars and each box has 3 cars in it, thus you got 36 cars in a case. then with car set 5 they were really vans and light trucks and they came two to a box so 24 in a case. then car set 6 which was compact cars it was only 2 to a box with very small cars! the biggest line are the busses and these were the first series they did as busses are big fan items in japan by themselves. the truck series have mainly been heavy cargo trucks, with a few odd other things mixed in like fire engines. There are also two trailer collections with mainly container tractor trailors and a couple of flat bed trailers.
Tomytec is now starting to release some of the cars and light trucks form the released series in packs of 4 vehicles that you can see what you get. the first is three 4 car series from car collection 4 which was 50-60 toyotas. the next will be light trucks/vans from car collection 5 in the spring.
The vehicle series are focused popular collectable vehicles. This is because these mostly sell to the collection market and the train market was secondary.
Tomytec also produces cases (same tomix train cases with foam rubber inserts) for the bus and truck collections to store them in! Tomix even has some little backdrop pdfs on their web site you can download and print out for the vehicles and structures.
