cteno4 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My tomytec box came yesterday with the new visual scene collections for bikes, scooters and motorcycles. Overall im pretty happy with them. heres what each set has: one motorcycle with rider riding two scooters with riders riding two bicycles with riders standing next to the bike and one bicycle with rider riding (no partridge in a pear tree though) http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10081189a/20/1 http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10081191a/20/1 http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10081186a/20/1 the detail is great and nice paint jobs. only problem is that the bicycle frames are a tad heavy (since they are plastic and painted) and may be a big heavy looking next to etched brass painted bikes (the other bikes i have). In the end since the stand off so well on their own and the heavyness actually helps draw the eye in and defind the bike outline better im going to give up trying to make riders for the brass bikes i have and just use these for the moving bikes in scenes. i do wish they had two riding and only one standing bike rider or gave you a couple of extra figures, but oh well. i think all the brass bikes will work well in making large stands of bikes in racks you see all over the place as the bulk of a lot of bikes will make up for the thinness of them (i try to fatten them up a tad on the wheels with an extra coat of paint). also means i can be less careful in detailing the paint jobs as painting 1:150 bikes can get tiresome! the scooters look great and will be wonderful to add into traffic! Not sure about the big motorcycles for much use on japanese roads. they are the big american type bikes not the slick racer bikes. will probably keep a couple and sell the rest as i expect us modelers will love them! yell if you are interested in any of them. i also got the new walking people series 029, 030, 031. as usual they are the same set of 12 figures with three different paint schemes. this works well to add some motion to scenes and the different paint colors help make them not look the same well with this series. they are getting a tad more expensive at close to $5 for a pack of 12, but still the best value for higher quality/detail figures out there. cheers, jeff Link to comment
CaptOblivious Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'd love some of your excess bikers. I'm thinking of doing a biker gang scene actually… Link to comment
cteno4 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 I'd love some of your excess bikers. I'm thinking of doing a biker gang scene actually… LOL my only thought outside of a lone bike out on the road was to park 4 or 5 of them in front of one of the old town bars to make it a biker bar! you got em! cheers, jeff Link to comment
scott Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 How much are these Tomytec sets? And where do you find the brass bikes? I'd like to set up an Amsterdam-scale bike-parking area outside our Centra(a)l Station. Link to comment
CaptOblivious Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Yeah, I'd like to know too, 'cause I've got a moderate sized bicycle parking lot to model… And I'm looking forward to transforming those Tomytec motorcycles into proper bosozoku rides: Link to comment
cteno4 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 Well the transition may be tough! surprised no one has come out with more modern bikes yet in n scale! maybe thats tomytec visual scene collection 45 and 46! pro hobby also has one set with a big hog and you can get numerous older British bikes. the tomytec mototcycle/scooter/bike sets are about $8 for a set of 6. you can get them at hobbysearch (ems shipping only) http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/1224/0/1 hobbyworld (ems or sal shipping and backordering stuff is usually really fast, the site is just horrible to navigate!) http://www.hwjapan.com/sh/TOM217916.aspx http://www.hwjapan.com/sh/TOM217916.aspx i expect jun will have them at plazajapan sometime soon here. pro hobby also has a scooter in one of their sets http://tinyurl.com/c9kmld for brass bicycles there are a few options. pro hobby has some mixed in with some of their various 1:144 scenery details. Gold metal models has a couple of bike etchings, one with also with standard front wheel bike racks. Langley, fleet, marsh, artitec, and shire all have brass or cast bicycles also. langley is easy to order directly from them and their shipping is cheap airmail. fleet and shire stuff i get off english sellers on ebay. good time for that stuff now as the pound is really low against the dollar! the brass bikes run about a dollar each usually. http://tinyurl.com/d3mxfc http://tinyurl.com/cnhtnp pro hobby set with bikes http://www.hwjapan.com/sh/PRO820079.aspx finally there are the tomix bikes (mountain bike and traditional bikes) you can get painted http://www.hwjapan.com/sh/TOX3581.aspx http://www.hwjapan.com/sh/TOX3582.aspx or large sets of unpainted. http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10025245 cheers, jeff Link to comment
scott Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Wow--thanks for all the links, Jeff....I'll do some digging. Amsterdam-in-the-basement may still happen.... Link to comment
cteno4 Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 youre welcome, yes doing bikes can get expensive in places like japan or amsterdam, just be glad its not vietnam, bikes there on the streets can be 20 across! its like going into a school of fish! cheers, jeff Link to comment
Martijn Meerts Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 The advantage of bikes in Amsterdam, is that they can all be broken and missing parts.. It'd be very prototypical =) Link to comment
CaptOblivious Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I took this photo in Shinjuku. I stood about halfway down the length of the bike rack—it went on as far as I could see, it seemed. Link to comment
SubwayHypes Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Nice! I am most definately gonna be buying a few packs of those tomix bikes, i have little alleys i want to stick racks of them in. Japan has bikes EVERYWHERE, its crazy. Yet i dont see any people take their bikes on the train like people always do in the bay area. Link to comment
scott Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I took this photo in Shinjuku. I'm a bit of a bike geek, but I've never heard of the "Communist" brand of bikes... Link to comment
cteno4 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Nice! I am most definately gonna be buying a few packs of those tomix bikes, i have little alleys i want to stick racks of them in. Japan has bikes EVERYWHERE, its crazy. Yet i dont see any people take their bikes on the train like people always do in the bay area. Here is one reason you dont http://tinyurl.com/cej2tl (sorry you have to wade through the ads first to see the video on the post version in english, but its worth it) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE4fvwTBtno (more extensive in japanese) most japanese probably have good public transportation on one leg of their train commute so a bike is only needed or convenient on one end! cheers, jeff Link to comment
CaptOblivious Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Indeed, as I recall, bicycles are not allowed on JR trains. Often, commuters will bike to the nearest station, stash the bike at the station, ride the train, then get on a second bike they keep stashed at the destination station! This is why I need model bikes: There is a huge lot underneath Akiba station for commuters to stash their bikes overnight! Link to comment
Bernard Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 I love that video! How the Japanese invent things that will provide as much space as possible and in a timely manner. When I was in Japan in 98 there were inventions I was seeing there that only until recently have come to the USA. Link to comment
Martijn Meerts Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Cap, so, are you going to make a working version of one of those bike storage area's then? =) Link to comment
CaptOblivious Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Cap, so, are you going to make a working version of one of those bike storage area's then? =) Yes. The chain-link fence is going to keep thiefs and free-riders (er…parkers) effectively out of the lot ;) The lot at Akiba station is just that…a lot, under the tracks, cordoned off by a simple fence…I have no ambitions to model that contraption mentioned above… :D Link to comment
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