fall inside a hole
Super Hikari (1990)
First written March 14, 2024Happy Pi day!
The Super Hikari was a mockup "prototype" cab unit for a future Shinkansen that was exhibited around Japan from 1987 to 1989 to show off the sort of train that would pull the new, faster "Super Hikari" service. Throughout the actual development of the next Shinkansen, the look of the "Super Hikari" prototype was found to be both unfeasible and counter to their goal of increased speed. The mockup was scrapped after being shown off in the spring of 1989 and the eventual next-generation 300 series Shinkansen entered service in 1992 on the new faster Nozomi service. The Plarail Super Hikari was released in 1990 and was briefly the "premiere" Plarail Shinkansen, replacing the older 100 series trains in some sets and receiving a remote control version as well as being exported outside Japan.
The Super Hikari uses a two-speed new power gearbox and several new toolings for the power and tail car chassis and all the body shells. The mockup Super Hikari was only ever a cab section which is the equivalent of the Plarail power car (or tail car, if you want to look at it that way). The intermediate car is, as far as I am aware, an original concept by Tomy made to match the design of the cab. I think it does a rather nice job of this, and I like the large separately fitted translucent plastic windows used on all the cars. It gives it a cool futuristic look (albeit admittedly a sort of late 1980s futuristic look, but I like it that way), almost a bit like a space ship or UFO. I really like it, honestly a lot more than what the 300 series eventually looked like.
I have two Plarail Super Hikaris, one earlier and one later. The earlier Super Hikari has a white power switch and has broken tabs on the power car. The other Super Hikari is a September 1994 example with blue power switch and gears as well as a sticker over part of the front battery contact. This was the first Shinkansen-type Plarail train to use grey wheels and one of the earlier grey-wheeled Plarail trains in general.
I have a few more Super Hikari intermediate cars somewhere, some from the German Tomy Express version shown below. Some do not have the SH201 text on the side. I am not sure what exactly this designation refers to, or if Tomy just decided to give the car an imaginary running number. As far as I am aware there were never any intermediate car designs shown, and the car is purely Tomy's design. There is also a variant of this car without the text.
The Super Hikari was never updated for seventh generation packaging and by 1996 sixth generation Super Hikaris had mostly disappeared as well. For a brief time the Super Hikari was treated like a new regular Shinkansen and a radio control version with lights was produced. An export Super Hikari appeared in the Tomy Express range in the early 1990s as well.