Tomytec GM Bus

[nickelplate759]

At the Portland show I saw the new Tomytec GM bus   I talked with the Tomytec rep.  It's a US prototype - GM model TDH-4512.  Doors on the right.  Comes in US paint schemes  (on the flier it looks like Chicago, LA, and the eve popular red-and-cream).  Doors on the right.

Oh - it can be made to operate on a special roadway (and no, there's no slot-car slot)!

Walthers is the exclusive distributor.

George

[peteski]

There was a rumor that Walthers was dropping the TomyTec (Tomix) line - looks like it wasn't true.

That bus system (vehicles and roadbed) has been around for a year or two (imported by Walthers).  I bought some of the parts (from BLW) back when they first showed up.  They still show up as in stock: http://www.blwnscale.com/tomix-bus-system.htm

But if the new buses have right-hand drive bodies that will be really cool!

Faller from Germany makes a similar vehicle system. Both systems use steel wire buried in the road and a magnet steering the vehicle to follow the guiding wire.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

I wonder if this will lead to a car collection like they do in Japan. I would love various Nissans, Mazdas and Toyotas on my layout.

[peteski]

I wonder if this will lead to a car collection like they do in Japan. I would love various Nissans, Mazdas and Toyotas on my layout.

...all in 1:150 scale... 

[daniel_leavitt2000]

They are making this bus in 1/160 for the N/A market. I would think they would follow through with additional models. Especially since the micro-car market seems to have stagnated in Japan.

[peteski]

Oh, were you contemplating that those Toyotas, Mazdas, and Nissans would be part of the motorized vehicle collections?  I think N scale is still too small to have a commercially-produced motorized passenger cars.  Motors and batteries are the biggest obstacles.

If you mean static models, I don't see Tomix producing a new line of Japanese vehicles in 1:160 when plenty of similar vehicles are already available in 1:150 scale. But it would be nice if they did produce bunch of 1:160 scale vehicles.

[Mark5]

They are making this bus in 1/160 for the N/A market. I would think they would follow through with additional models. Especially since the micro-car market seems to have stagnated in Japan.

Awesome news!

[bbussey]

Is there an ETA?  I'm definitely interested in these as intercity buses.

[victor miranda]

I think they will have to make the chassis smaller to do a 1/160 bus

I think they can do that, and may go to a smaller button battery.

interesting interesting.

victor

[towl1996]

Link or pic?

[Mark5]

Link or pic?

Not to the announcement, but this is the family of buses being modeled:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_%22old-look%22_transit_bus

[nickelplate759]

Here's the flyer I picked up in Portland
George
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[daniel_leavitt2000]

Link or pic?

Try this:
http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/sites/model-railroad-hobbyist.com/files/users/JeffShultz/IMG_5083.jpg

[peteski]

Ah, LiPo battery - that makes more sense than those silly non-rechargable button cells in the original chassis.  I hate replacing batteries! 

[Mark5]

Hopefully the bus will be available without the silly mechanism (the copy implies strongly that they will)