fall inside a hole

B/O Tomica/Motor Tomica/Plaroad cars

First written May 2024
Expanded September 2024

In the mid 1990s Tomy developed battery-powered die-cast and plastic Tomica-style motorized cars that ran on a plastic road system. This series was first called B/O Tomica (B/Oトミカ) from its introduction around 1993 until the end of 1996 when the name was changed to Motor Tomica (モータートミカ), perhaps because Tomy introduced other battery-powered Tomica cars that did not have motors but rather lights, sounds, or similar features and the naming may have been confusing. Production also shifted from Japan to China. After the Plarail range was refreshed in the early 2000s the Motor Tomica range was also reformatted in 2004 as Plaroad, primarily as a companion to Plarail (Tomy had previously used the Plaroad name for their later 1980s Plarail-companion road system). Plaroad was phased out around 2008.

Motor Tomica cars were typically powered from the somewhat odd N size battery. Tomy included N size batteries with most sets and individual cars including overseas Tomica World releases. Thomas-series vehicles use AAA batteries, as do the Action Motor Tomica and some later Plaroad vehicles.

B-01 Nissan Fairlady Z (B/O Tomica) (1993)

A red Nissan Fairlady Z was released as B-01 ニッサン フェアレディZ in 1993. Earlier examples from 1993-1994 do not have the black details around the front grill or taillights, and the sides of the doors are also marked 300ZX on the updated version seen here.

The chassis for this car is marked NO.01 as well as Nissan Fairlady Z, B/O Tomica, and made in Japan. This example was produced in January 1996. A yellow version of the car was included in the B/O Tomica Drive Set, and a police car version was also released individually and in a set, with both a standard and patrol car version of the Fairlady Z also appearing in the later Motor Tomica and Tomica World ranges.

B-02 Nissan Fairlady Z Patrol Car (B/O Tomica) (1993)

The Nissan Fairlady Z released in a police patrol car livery as B-02 フェアレディZ パトロールカー. Originally had stickers, often missing them with age as seen here. These earlier B/O Tomica releases have more rectangular lights with a protruding rim while the later Motor Tomica A-13 Fairlady Z Patrol Car has rounded, cylindrical-style red "light" sections. Like the red Fairlady and several other B/O Tomicas, additional painted detail was added around the rear lights around 1995.

This release uses the same chassis as the B-01 Fairlady Z and is thus marked NO.01 like the red Fairlady. B/O Tomica based on the same car tooling often shared a chassis that was marked with the number of their earliest appearance in the range. One of these cars was included in the B/O Tomica Patrol Car Set and both European and America police cars based on the tooling appeared in different Tomica World export sets.

B-03 Toyota Estima (B/O Tomica) (1993)

Toyota Estima individual release in blue as B-03 トヨタ エスティマ.

Also in 1993, a red Toyota Estima was released in the B/O Tomica Intersections Set (B/Oトミカ 交差点セット). The B/O Tomica Highway City Set (B/Oトミカ ハイウェイシティセット) included a turquoise Estima.

These releases, like the ambulance version below, all use the same NO.03 Toyota Estima chassis.

B-04 Toyota Estima Ambulance (B/O Tomica) (1993)

Ambulance based on the Estima released as B-04 トヨタ エスティマ救急車. This example has had some battery leakage that has eaten away part of the white paint and stripped the chrome finish off of the headlight insert piece. The front windscreen also has a chip in it.

Like the Fairlady patrol car, earlier B/O Tomica examples have more squared-off lights than the later Motor Tomica versions which had horizontal cylindrical ones. Differently-decorated versions of these (later Motor Tomica style) ambulances were released for Tomica World as 7471 TW-07 Ambulance.

B-05 Toyota Crown Majesta (B/O Tomica) (1993)

Pearly-white Crown Majesta released in 1993 as B-05 トヨタ クラウン マジェスタ.

Earlier examples produced in 1993 and into 1994 do not have red painted details on the front or rear of the car, but later in 1994 (probably when the black variation shown below entered production with these updated details) production of the standard Crown Majesta changed to include them.

In addition to the individual taxi-style release below, the later B-15 Crown Patrol Car also used the Crown Majesta tooling and this rather nice black and silver one was included in the 1995 Plarail crossover Railway Crossing Set.

B-06 Toyota Crown Majesta Taxi (B/O Tomica) (1993)

Yellow taxi-marked Crown Majesta released in 1993 as B-06 トヨタ クラウン マジェスタ タクシー. I quite like the graphics on the side, and the taxi sign on top is a nice touch too.

This being a 1993 example it does not have the red details on the front or taillights, although later production B/O taxis do. A version that just says TAXI on the side without the red stripes was released as 7470 TW-08 Taxi in the Tomica World export range.

B-09 One Man Bus (B/O Tomica) (January 1994)

A white commuter bus with green stripe and nice big translucent windows showing the tooled seats inside was released as B-09 One Man Operated Bus (B-09 ワンマンバス) in January 1994. Later in the year a zoo animal decorated version of the bus was released individually as B-14 Amusement Park Bus.

The chassis tooling includes the front headlights.

This bus tooling was also used in several set variants including different amusement park or commuter busses for the B/O Tomica New Town Station Set and its variations, both the later Japanese and export Tomica World sets. A variation of the zoo animal bus also appeared as TW-03 in the Tomica World 7421 Large Set.

B-11 Mitsubishi Pajero (B/O Tomica) (January 1994)

In early 1994 Tomy released a silver striped Pajero as B-11 Mitsubishi Pajero (三菱パジェロ).

This neat red and silver set variant from the 1994 B/O Tomica Basic Set (B/Oトミカベーシックセット) has unfortunately been eaten away inside by a leaking battery

Although the top of the chassis is the standard black, the bottom of the chassis is actually dark blue.

B-13 Mitsubishi Pajero Highway Public Co. Patrol Car (B/O Tomica) (1994)

The original B/O Tomica Pajero was released in early 1994, with this Highway Public Co. Patrol Car (B-13 三菱 パジェロ 道路公団パトロールカー) appearing alongside the Pajero Fire Chief, both sharing the B-13 designation, in later 1994.

The bottom of the chassis is dark blue. A version with different side details was released as 7573 TW-15 Breakdown Van for the Tomica World range.

B-14 Amusement Park Bus (B/O Tomica) (1994)

A white commuter bus with circus animal graphics based on the B-09 One Man Bus was released as B-14 Amusement Park Bus (B-14 遊園地バス) in 1994.

A variation of the zoo animal bus also appeared as TW-03 in the Tomica World 77421 Large Set, with different graphics.

B-17 Nissan Skyline GTR (B/O Tomica) (August 1995)

In August 1995 a silver Nissan Skyline was released individually as B-17 ニッサン スカイライン GTR.

B-18 Crane Truck (B/O Tomica) (August 1995)

In August 1995 the B-18 Crane Truck (B-18 クレーン車) was released. This neat yellow truck has an extending boom arm and a small hook.

The chassis is based on the B-07 Ladder Fire Engine tooling, and is still marked No. 07. The name portion of the tooling has been blanked out - this is also present on ladder fire engines from this point onwards.

 

B-20 Honda CR-V (B/O Tomica) (1996)

Fairly late in the original Battery/Operated Tomica run a blue Honda CR-V was introduced as B-20 ホンダ CR-V. It has a neat slanted CR-V graphic on the side and even has the CR-V tire cover. I must admit that I really like this B/O Tomica, but I am somewhat biased because my first car was a fairly similar looking Honda CR-V - mine didn't have red rims or the CR-V graphics on the sides.

These were some of the later Japanese-production Battery Operated Tomica cars before production moved to China and the range was renamed Motor Tomica in 1997. The power switch color on Motor Tomica cars matches the wheels - presumably they were part of the same injection molding and were produced at the same time on the same machines.

A-02 Honda CR-V (Motor Tomica) (1997)

In 1997 the Honda CR-V became the second car in the revamped Motor Tomica lineup in a new silver-grey color with similar slanted CR-V decoration on the side as well as a new purple and yellow design lower on the doors.

These CR-Vs were made in China like other Motor Tomica vehicles. The tooling for the CR-V itself seems unchanged, and the real CR-V kept looking like this into the mid 2000s...

Also in 1997, the "Tomica Plarail World" Basic Set included a pinky-red Honda CR-V with similar side graphics as the individual Motor Tomica one. A turquoise CR-V was included in the Tomica World Loop Road Set with no side graphics.

A-05 Nissan Skyline GT-R (Motor Tomica) (1997)

Part of the relaunched Motor Tomica lineup was a nice purple version of the Nissan Skyline GT-R previously released in silver.

This one is rather beaten up and has also had a battery leak inside it at some time.

A-12 Toyota TownAce (Motor Tomica) (1997)

The Toyota TownAce is a passenger van based on Toyota's LiteAce van. A blue Motor Tomica version was released in 1997 as A-12 トヨタ タウンエースノア. There is a neat design along the side of the van.

The example shown here is marked TW-04 as it comes from an export Tomica World set. Other than this TW mark instead of A-12, these releases are identical. The Toyota TownAce was included in the Tomica World 1998 Mega Set and the 1999 Super Mega Set version. A July 1999 date code is stamped into the plastic.

AM-1 TV Network Car (Action Motor Tomica) (1997)

The first in the Action Motor Tomica subrange, this neat TV van with rotating satellite dish was released as AM-1 TV Network Car (AM-1 TV中継車).

These Action Motor Tomica cars (all both of them) use AAA batteries, which is nice, although the dish falls out whenever you open the battery compartment. It is easy to pull the dish out anyways, and it is almost always missing from used ones.

AM-2 Advertisement Car (Action Motor Tomica) (1997)

One of only two of the "Action Motor Tomica" series vehicles released, this boxy truck has a rotating banner on one side that changes between a Plarail and Tomica message as it runs along. Released as AM-2 広告ボードカー in 1997.

This truck (and the other Action Motor vehicle, a TV van with rotating satellite dish) uses a AAA battery and has a sliding catch that is used to hold the body on instead of a screw. This catch is pretty tight, and I feel like its going to break... so I tend to leave it unlatched. When I got this example the negative battery contact was broken off so I replaced it by cutting and bending a strip of metal to the approximate shape of the original, drilled out the old rivet, and replaced it with a new one that contacted correctly with the power switch inside.

The small spring-loaded gear on the sliding shaft that engages the rear wheels when switched on was also loose on the shaft, so I glued it back on. Some of the other gears are showing signs of splitting, and several of them are rather small...

C-01 Tobu Bus (Plaroad) (2004)

One of the initial 2004 vehicles in the renamed Plaroad range, a white bus representing a Tobu bus sold as C-01 モータートミカ東武バス (C-01 Motor Tomica Tobu Bus). It is made of all plastic, and there are no nice translucent windows like the Motor Tomica busses...

These newer vehicles used more common AAA batteries instead of N size batteries like the older B/O and Motor Tomica vehicles. This is a fairly early production example dating to June 2004 when Plaroad was still pretty new.