The I'm Driving the Super Hikari Set (ぼくがうんてんする スーパーひかり号セット) was a large radio control set produced from 1988 to 1991 that features a remote control Super Hikari prototype 300 series Shinkansen with horn, lights, two speeds, and the ability to reverse as well as a large layout with bridge and panel station. The example shown here is a circa 1990 box reprint with components manufactured in 1991 - earlier print run boxes did not mention that they were the 27mhz "A" frequency on the boxes seen on the front and rear. In 1989 a similar set with the same Super Hikari was released with one of the remote control point rails in the even larger I'm Driving the Super Hikari Remote Control Point Set. In 1992 the set was replaced with a version featuring the real 300 series, the Nozomi. The later Nozomi sets and all examples of this set that I have seen are the "A" 27mhz frequency, but it is possible the larger remote control points set may have come in a "B" variation - I have never seen it with the box.
Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
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1 | RC Super Hikari |
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1 | Control Box |
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11 | R-01 Straight Rail |
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6 | R-03 Curve Rail |
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1 pair | R-11 Turnout Rail | |
4 pieces | Slope Curve Rail (two each "A" and "B") |
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8 | J-15 Mini Bridge Pier |
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8 pieces | Panel Station |
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4 pieces | Suspension Bridge side pieces |
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10 | Single Overhead Wire |
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6 | Single Overhead Wire Stand |
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The train in this set is the very cool radio control Super Hikari which is an attached three-car train with three driven wheels, controllable lights and horn, and two forward and a reverse speed. This set was the first release of the Super Hikari in any Plarail form, with the regular release appearing in 1990.
The example shown here is a fairly late example of this set, being produced in August 1991. This set went out of production and was replaced by the Nozomi version of the set in 1992.
The controller has controls for the horn and light, the speed, and the direction, although the train only seems to run in the slower speed in reverse. Parts of the "display" change with the controls with plastic linkages moving plastic parts with stickers on them to show different parts through cutouts in the tooling.
In addition to the very cool train, the set also includes a nice single-level panel station and two spans of white suspension bridge, a tooling previously used with Plaroad and later for Motor Tomica and TomyTrain.
Track in this set is Japanese-production treaded-over-roughtop rail that was in use during the early new power era. Slope curves, mini block piers, and the panel station are made in Thailand in this later 1991 example, but would have been produced in Japan in 1988-1989 copies.
There is a lot of straight rails (12, if you count the panel station) plus turnouts and a mix of regular and sloped curves, and the box suggests a few other layouts with sidings that the remote control train can enter. Single overhead wires are also included, some with red bases so they can be stood alone and others bare to be inserted into the block piers and slope curve rails. This set cost 9,800 yen in 1990.
The set comes with a paper manual that covers how to set up the accessories and use the train. The back page is mostly troubleshooting steps about replacing the batteries, interference, and some of the Plarail accessories that the train does not work with properly - the three-wheel-drive, for example, lets it overrun stop rails.
The train runs nice and fast - the gearbox is single-speed, but the electronics control the voltage going to the motor to speed it up. The light and horn buttons must be held down when you want them enabled.
This remote offers good control over the train and the set itself has some nice accessories and scenery as well as lots of straight track for the Super Hikari to run fast around. Paired with the remote control switch system from 1989/1990 and the ability to change points without reaching over to touch the rail gives an even better feeling of driving on a real railway, switching points around remotely and hitting the horn...
Set name | I'm Driving the Super Hikari Set | Release period | 1988-1991 |
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Notes: | Price | 9800 yen |