Tomix 6208 “Casket for Rolling Stock (6 pieces)”
My wife and I both have this strange fascination with organizing our things; we joke that we like to buy things just so we can put other things into them. But it’s true. I just bought this Tomix spare bookshelf case to house an overflowing train. I can’t help it; it’s fun.
Too much space
But this case has a problem: Tomix has thoughtfully designed the case so that even very large carriages will fit. However, unlike Casco, Tomix doesn’t bother to offer extra foam pieces to buffer smaller carriages. The result is that my rather standardly-sized 20m commuter cars don’t fit! The are far too small for the cutouts provided. The point of a bookshelf case is protection, but this isn’t very good, especially since the other half of the train will be stored in a specially-fitted case that provides a very snug fit.
Buffers trimmed from oversize cutouts
Indeed, the printed instructions on the back of the spare case helpfully suggest cutting up the bits they’ve cut out to make a custom fit. So I did. I used the foam insert from the original case as a template for slicing off a bit from the spare case’s inserts. The foam is easily cut with a sharp hobby knife—maybe just a bit too easily! I worried that an unfortunate movement would ruin my project; no spare pieces are provided, so if you mess it up, well…it’s your fault. Having no spare and a not entirely steady hand always makes me nervous—a martini was thus indicated.
Ah! That's better. A snug fit.
However, despite the tedious work, the end result is good. The carriages now fit snugly inside the case.
Preliminaries aside, I now review the case just discussed. In general, I have mixed feelings about the Tomix cases. In general, there are two styles of case available on the market. Whereas Kato and Casco opt for a soft plastic case stiffened with heavy card stock, Tomix and Micro Ace opt for hard plastic cases. However, the hinges on the Kato and Casco cases strike me as far more durable than the Tomix and Micro Ace cases. Moreover, the clasps on the Tomix and Micro Ace cases can be hard to work. Six of one, half dozen of the other: Both designs involve tradeoffs. Fair enough.
Issues of cladding aside, I dislike that Tomix required that I slice up the foam to fit my trains. Although the spaces are large enough to house even very large carriages, a plus by any account, fitting anything smaller than gigantic requires either a willingness to countenence a poor fit, or a knife. In comparison, Casco cases, as a general rule, provide foam bits to fit any length of train into their cases with no effort necessary on the end user’s part.
So: The short version. If you need a case to match an existing Tomix case (as I did), then the Tomix spare cases are fine. If you are particularly fond of the construction of Tomix cases, then the Tomix spare cases are fine. If not, or if you live in fear of your hobby knife (as I sometimes do): Buy a Casco.
Pros: Solid build, pleasant appearance.
Cons: Have to cut foam to fit your trains snugly.
View the full line of Tomix cases.
The martini sounds like a great idea!
I just received my first ‘spare’ case from Kato. Kato’s storage cases seem to have the same thing as Tomix….very large, oversized outlines. For smaller stock I’ll need to apply the same sort of surgery you described!