Micromark selling hello kitty trains

[cteno4]

Very odd that micromark is selling Tomix hello kitty 500 shinkansen and 281 Haruka. Micromark is a big modeling tool shop here in the us and do sell a smattering of HO, but almost exclusively very classic American stuff and a tiny, token bit of N scale. They also have a lone tomytec hello kitty bus. I’m guessing they are getting them thru Walthers (i think their train wholesaler) as they list them as tomytec trains not Tomix and have a big markup. I guess someone at micromark is a hello kitty fan! Can’t see this as a real big seller with the usual folks that might by trains from micromark...

 

It’s interesting as these hello kitty’s are not being sold for export by the usual suspects, but only amazon.co.jp afaik, so maybe walthers is asking Tomix not to allow export so they can try to sell these more unique and maybe sell to some odd niches.

 

https://www.micromark.com/TomyTec-Hello-Kitty-281-Limited-Express-Haruka-Kanzashi-6-Car-Set-Train-Only-N-Scale

 

https://www.micromark.com/TomyTec-Hello-Kitty-Shinkansen-8-Car-Train-Set-N-Scale

[Kiha66]

Very strange!  Micromark always has an odd selection of trains that aren't quite a deal, wonder how well they'll sell.  

 

Model train stuff has also listed a bunch of kato Japanese N scale, however when you click on them they're always sold out.  I was very tempted by a few things before it turned out they didn't have any of them.

[cteno4]

yeah it seemed a bit cutsie for micromark which sort of usually pretty stodgy in its look. But they definitely do put their fingers out into new niches a lot and have a very broad customer base. I always do wonder who buys trains from micromark as they are usually pretty high priced and not really their mainstream business, more providing the tools and that audience buying their tools are well versed in where to buy trains. Maybe for folks coming to micromark from other hobbies for tools and getting interested or presents for kids and just buy at micromark as they trust them. Micromark does do quality stuff and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten anything junky from them. Usually a bit high priced, but quality and sometimes you just can’t find it elsewhere. But at times they gouge like 1mm pitch pcb male and female pin connectors they charge about 30x the real cost for them.ntheir customer service can be a bit brusk at times, but functional.
 

Model Trains stuff is a big Kato distributor and they use to get like a gross of Kato japanese trains from kato japan every few years (12 of 12 different trains) and they would sort of sit there and slowly sell then they would fire sale them at good prices and sell most all off but they would still be listed but sold out for a while and go again. I think the last time was like 4 years ago. Last big stocks were e5/e6 shinkansens and a few other trains. I wonder where the store will go with the owner passing. They closed the storefront earlier this year, think it just cost too much for what it was worth compared to their internet store. It had moved way out from downtown and I think their in person business went down as we would go over a few times a year at all sorts of different times and the old store downtown a decade ago always had 3 or 4 customers in it (and uber narrow isles so it was tough to get past folks). But out in the berbs rarely was anyone else in the store even though you could fit 100 as it had like Walmart sized isles!

 

Brooklyn locomotive works use to stock a smattering of Tomix way back which I think was all supplied by Mokei imports. I seem to remember buying a few on sale (they would periodically put them on sale, I don’t think they moved much) and they had his stickers on them. They finally just stopped restocking and let everything dwindle off. With mokei gone I doubt they will do walther’s marked up Tomix.

 

jeff

[Tony Galiani]

Brooklyn Locomotive Works has several Kato sets on sale in the Odds N Ends section.  Prices seem good but I don't really know for sure.

Tony Galiani

[chadbag]

Amazon JP still has the Haruka available from Amazon itself with reasonable shipping.  I would have thought it would have been sold out by Amazon itself and only the third parties would still have it.  

 

If I was not on moratorium I'd buy it.  I like the looks and my daughter likes Hello Kitty (she already has the Shinkansen).   We tried to ride the actual one in 2019 but, while we saw it go through a station while we were on another train, when we were actually trying to catch it it was no where to be found...

 

[cteno4]

I usually draw my line on the painted trains at the boy/girl bands and hello kitty, but the haruka caught my eye, but I must resist, I sucked up a few of sam’s trains there...

 

jeff

[railsquid]

2 hours ago, cteno4 said:

I usually draw my line on the painted trains at the boy/girl bands and hello kitty, but the haruka caught my eye, but I must resist,

 

Yes, you must resist.

[cteno4]

I know, I’m scared of Mrs squid’s reaction if I were to breakdown...

 

jeff

[chadbag]

The Hello Kitty Shinkansen is very nice!  Looks great on a layout!

 

[cteno4]

I’m still terrified of retribution from Mrs squid...

 

jeff

[Martijn Meerts]

9 hours ago, cteno4 said:

I usually draw my line on the painted trains at the boy/girl bands and hello kitty, but the haruka caught my eye, but I must resist, I sucked up a few of sam’s trains there...

 

jeff

 

You must save money for the inevitable H0 purchase 😉