Tomytec Adtranz GT6N trams

[bill937ca]

In December Tomytec will release its first non-Japanese tram models. These are Adtranz GT6N, Berlin 1000 series and Munich 2000 series.  The Berlin GT6N cars were built over a 10 year period from 1994 to 2003. The Tomytec model will be a single end tram, that it drives in only one direction and has doors on one side only. This is common outside Japan, but not found  at all in Japan. It either requires a loop to turn around or a circle line. 

 

http://www.tomytec.co.jp/diocolle/items/pdf/newitem_20170809_06.pdf

 

Tomytec's GT6N has three sections although there are seven sections in some GT6Ns in Berlin now. Each of the three sections of a prototype  GT6N is powered.  For the GT6N Tomytec will use the triple bogie TM-LRT04 power unit.

 

 

 

 

 

A non -Japanese prototype is something new for Tomytec as is the single direction operating configuration.  As the GT6N was a design for Japanese trams in Kumamoto, Takaoka, Okayama and Toyama I wonder if we will really see more European prototypes from Tomytec. If you want them it might be an ideal to scoop them up while they are available. Hard  to say if this will be repeated

Edited July 14, 2018 by bill937ca

[Wonderbolt]

They are making them 1:150 rather than 1:160 which seems a bit daft as they will be out of Scale for German modellers.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Wonderbolt
new facts found

[bill937ca]

1 hour ago, Wonderbolt said:

They making them 1:150 rather than 1:160 which seems a bit daft as they will be out of Scale for German modellers.

 

Japanese manufacturers seem only to think of the Japanese market in their product decisions.

[Densha]

Kato released their Rhätische Bahn models also in 1:150, even though they did all of their previous European models in 1:160. I just fail to comprehend the choice for 1:150, as this completely destroys any European market potential. You would expect the Japanese customers to mind the scale less, because the European models will be out of place with their other Japanese trains anyway. Doing them in 1:160 is killing two birds with one stone.

[Gryphr]

I don't think the scale will be much of an issue as the difference between 1:150 and 1:160 is really small. When running japanese 1:150 and german 1:160 models together I can't really make out any difference in size between them.

Edited September 17, 2017 by Gryphr

[kvp]

The power units are sized for 1:150, so either this or no european models at all. On the other hand afaik the already issued european articulated buses are also 1:150 and it isn't that visible.

[brill27mcb]

I'll take them, whatever scale! The question is where they can be bought...

 

I believe they are for a European distributor and therefore may not be sold in Japan.

 

Rich K.

[ToniBabelony]

51 minutes ago, brill27mcb said:

I believe they are for a European distributor and therefore may not be sold in Japan.

 

They will be sold in Japan, otherwise there wouldn't be announcements and pre-order forms all over the shops here :P

[bill937ca]

11 hours ago, brill27mcb said:

I'll take them, whatever scale! The question is where they can be bought...

 

I believe they are for a European distributor and therefore may not be sold in Japan.

 

Rich K.

Here they are:

 

Hobby Search

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10483596

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10483598

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10421171

 

HS lists them in a separate category:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/1712/0/1

 

AmiAmi

http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=RAIL-24012&page=top%2Fsearch%2Flist%3Fs_keywords%3Dberlin%24pagemax%3D40%24getcnt%3D0%24pagecnt%3D1

http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=RAIL-24013&page=top%2Fsearch%2Flist%3Fs_keywords%3Dmunich%24pagemax%3D40%24getcnt%3D0%24pagecnt%3D1

http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=RAIL-22331&page=top%2Fsearch%2Flist%3Fs_keywords%3Dlrt04%24pagemax%3D40%24getcnt%3D0%24pagecnt%3D1

 

Model Train Plus

 

https://www.modeltrainplus.net/products/pre-order-tomytec-world-tetsudou-collection-berlin-city-tram-type-1000

https://www.modeltrainplus.net/products/pre-order-tomytec-world-tetsudou-collection-munich-tram-type-2000

https://www.modeltrainplus.net/products/tomytec-tm-lrt04-optional-motorized-chassis

Edited September 19, 2017 by bill937ca

[Suica]

The interesing thing is, that it looks like Faller doesn't want Germans (and probably Europeans in general?) to order it from Japan, to sell them locally for a higher price. When I tried to place an order on Amazon Japan I got told that the item can not be shipped to Germany.

Luckily, amiami doesn't care about something like that.

[Gryphr]

19 minutes ago, Suica said:

The interesing thing is, that it looks like Faller doesn't want Germans (and probably Europeans in general?) to order it from Japan, to sell them locally for a higher price. When I tried to place an order on Amazon Japan I got told that the item can not be shipped to Germany.

Luckily, amiami doesn't care about something like that.

Typical business mode for them I guess :D

 

They already have a "Start Set Munich" listed, including Tram, Motor Chassis, Tracks for an Oval and a Power Pack with Adapter for European Sockets...for 230€

https://www.faller.de/App/WebObjects/XSeMIPS.woa/cms/page/pid.14.17.92.721/agid.1961.2014/atid.15563/ecm.at/Tram-System-Start-Set-München.html

I think when ordering all that from Japan one could get away with around 160€-170€ including shipping and Tax.

They also have the Shinkansen Basic sets listed for easily double their original price :D

Edited September 19, 2017 by Gryphr

[bill937ca]

There appears to be very strong demand for this item. It was near Hobby's Search's monthly ranking in August the month it was announced and this is not surprising. As of today the Munich tram is #1 for September, the Berlin tram #5 and the LRT04 power unit #8.

 

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/ranking/month/104

[Wonderbolt]

5 hours ago, Suica said:

The interesing thing is, that it looks like Faller doesn't want Germans (and probably Europeans in general?) to order it from Japan, to sell them locally for a higher price. When I tried to place an order on Amazon Japan I got told that the item can not be shipped to Germany.

Luckily, amiami doesn't care about something like that.

 

5 hours ago, Gryphr said:

Typical business mode for them I guess :D

 

They already have a "Start Set Munich" listed, including Tram, Motor Chassis, Tracks for an Oval and a Power Pack with Adapter for European Sockets...for 230€

https://www.faller.de/App/WebObjects/XSeMIPS.woa/cms/page/pid.14.17.92.721/agid.1961.2014/atid.15563/ecm.at/Tram-System-Start-Set-München.html

I think when ordering all that from Japan one could get away with around 160€-170€ including shipping and Tax.

They also have the Shinkansen Basic sets listed for easily double their original price :D

Gaugemaster the UK importer or KATO and (and of Faller products coincidentally) has the some sort of set up, ( they sell to other UK stockests to but at overinflated prices) meaning Kato items are far more expensive in the UK compared to Japan.

 

[cteno4]

About the same here with walthers markup bringing over Tomix/tomytec, sad as they have a deal directly with tomytec as a distributor, so should be a good deal and thus pass it along to their retailers. But then again the American wholesale to retail chain tends to have fewer and larger steps than the Japanese. Mokei imports seemed to do a decent business with a much smaller market than walthers bringing over tomix and green max and it being about the same street price for higher volume items in us hobby shops as japan.

 

He was also smart in bringing over catalogs and selling them to dealers near cost and the dealers usually did not mark up much so you could get kato and tomix catalogs than less than Japanese street price and cheap book rate shipping in the us. Smart to get the drool book to folks here cheap to drive up interest!

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

THe GT6N trams as seen by a traveling Japanese railfan.  Video by chuchikomo.

 

 

[bill937ca]

With trains overhead and trams at street level. Video by nekOmask55.

 

 

[velotrain]

On ‎9‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 9:47 AM, Densha said:

Kato released their Rhätische Bahn models also in 1:150, even though they did all of their previous European models in 1:160. I just fail to comprehend the choice for 1:150, as this completely destroys any European market potential.

 

Apparently someone forgot to tell the Europeans that.

[Yavianice]

On 9/17/2017 at 3:47 PM, Densha said:

Kato released their Rhätische Bahn models also in 1:150, even though they did all of their previous European models in 1:160. I just fail to comprehend the choice for 1:150, as this completely destroys any European market potential. 

I think it also has to do with the fact that the prototype is narrow gauge, so 1:150 might make them more proportionally correct.

 

I also do not think that it destroys european market potential, I think european N-scale fans (like me) are already happy someone makes the Rhätische bahn (and the streetcars). Besides, N-Scale is already fractured in Europe since the UK uses a different scale again (1:148). And not to forget that the market for N-scale is smaller than H0 scale in Europe, so there is no real incentive to make this train 1:160 anyway, if most people do not care about minor scale differences.

 

Besides, for the trams, they also intend to sell this alongside their other tram products, and subsequently buildings, which also are 1:150. So producing it in 1:150 makes more sense, to avoid having to produce accompanying buildings etc. in 1:160.

[bill937ca]

Faller 2017 Tomytec Flyer (in German)

 

https://www.faller.de/xs_db/DOKUMENT_DB/www/allgemeines/TOMYTEC_Flyer_2017.pdf

Edited October 8, 2017 by bill937ca

[railsquid]

On 9/17/2017 at 11:46 AM, bill937ca said:

In December Tomytec will release its first non-Japanese tram models. These are Adtranz GT6N, Berlin 1000 series and Munich 2000 series.  The Berlin GT6N cars were built over a 10 year period from 1994 to 2003. The Tomytec model will be a single end tram, that it drives in only one direction and has doors on one side only. This is common outside Japan, but not found  at all in Japan. It either requires a loop to turn around or a circle line. 

 

http://www.tomytec.co.jp/diocolle/items/pdf/newitem_20170809_06.pdf

 

Tomytec's GT6N has three sections although there are seven sections in some GT6Ns in Berlin now.

 

No, I suspect you're thinking of the newer Flexity Berlin.

 

On 9/17/2017 at 11:46 AM, bill937ca said:

 

 

 

 

Used to work literally around the corner from here.

 

Cursing myself now for getting a Fukuram with intent to repaint it yellow...

[Densha]

I think getting kitbashing two of these would have been a better option in that case. ;)

[kvp]

4 hours ago, railsquid said:

Cursing myself now for getting a Fukuram with intent to repaint it yellow.

I think the motor unit is the same, so you could in theory just get the new shell and have both.

[bill937ca]

51 minutes ago, kvp said:

I think the motor unit is the same, so you could in theory just get the new shell and have both.

 

That is correct.

 

And there is also another issue of the Fukuram.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10495974

 

AmiAmi and Model Train Plus are still taking orders for the GT6N.

[bill937ca]

Something interesting I came across in my online travels.  This blog is dated 4 Feb 2017. It discusses Tomytec in 2017.  There are four photos of the Berlin 1000 and Munich 2000 trams months before the commercialization decision was announced.  The track and sensors are all Tomx.  The text translates to:

 

"Streets on the German model: GT6N Berlin and Munich. Drive modules also available separately for own models. Sales in Germany are made via fallers."

 

http://www.modelltram.de/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5239&start=15

 

Just interesting to see completed models so early in the process.  I presume these are hand made prototypes or similar.

[Suica]

The prototypes were shown by Faller in February at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair.

An article about it was published in the MIBA magazine of the same month.