Well, here it is. This is the 300th video in my collection…
If I’ve been keeping track correctly, in these 5 and a half years or so I’ve recorded 129 All Engines Go videos, 13 videos with TrackMaster Revolution trains (never really liked them) and 158 Tomy Plarail videos (which sometimes feature non-Plarail engines on Plarail layout, e.g. older TrackMasters or even “Chinese TrackMasters”), of which 44 are from the Thomas & Friends series, and others mostly Japanese commuter trains, which I happen to be very fond of.
Those who know me better, know that I have never overly bothered with the wishes of the audience, the popularity, or the degree of rarity of a train or set. I simply record videos of trains that I like and love, which I sometimes accompany by a story that comes to me by itself, and I try to find music that fits them. In other words, I like to play and I find that an important part of the life.
Until the All Engines Go series started, I shot most of my videos on my large 5-loop-Plarail-layout that takes up most of an entire room in my house. Over time, I’ve neglected that layout quite a bit while filming All Engines Go videos on smaller, variable layouts (and I do have a life that is sometimes meddling in my plans, of course), so it’s going to take me some time to clean it up, restore it a bit, to make some minor changes and make it suitable for filming Tomy Plarail videos on it again. In the meantime, I’m having a lot of fun filming new videos of some older trains, and I’ve noticed that there are still some that I’ve had for years that I haven’t filmed a video of, and I already have some ideas on how to fix that. New Plarail trains are coming, and I like making smaller layouts for them (especially those “outdoors layouts”)… There are also a lot of cool elements and track sets releasing lately, some of which caught my eye; has anyone else noticed the somewhat bizarre “Flowers and Railways Colorful Scenery Rail Kit”, for example? What a lovely name for a set!
When I look at the almost professional videos some people make, I wonder if they really do it themselves, or if there’s a production company behind them. I’m aware that today’s technical achievements offer more possibilities than I use, but I’m satisfied: for me this is entertainment, not work, I’ll keep it that way.
I don’t think or have ever believed that my videos are anything special. They’re mostly the result of what makes me happy at a given moment and what I’d like to share with others. I’m glad if someone likes some of them, of course. They were filmed on my phone and edited on it using one of the simple & free video editing programs, without a lot of technical tricks, because I don’t mind admitting that I don’t really understand much about technology & stuff. Lately, I’ve been using some of my phone’s technical advantages (i.e. AI) a bit, but always within reasonable limits. It’s really hard to resist making a few tweaks or deleting some unnecessary elements here and there, editing the cover, etc. Luckily, I’m probably a bit too old to succumb to the temptation of being too far removed from reality…
I’ve noticed that some videos are significantly more popular than others. It seems that this does not depend on the quality of the video, but on the audience’s interest in individual trains. For example, some of my AEG videos have had over 20,000 views, which honestly surprised me, because things like that don’t usually happen on a small, demonetized channel like mine. On the other hand, there are videos that only seem to interest a hundred or so viewers. For example, the DisneySea Electric Railway apparently doesn’t interest many people, but I’ll still make a few videos about that railway from time to time because I’m just so fascinated by the model. If it’s not so by other people, so be it.
I see that Mattel’s new “classic” Thomas & Friends engines are trending right now, but I don’t like them at all. I just don’t. They don’t seem classic enough to me, and the proportions are strange (Gordon’s express coach resembles a narrow gauge passenger car; what kind of “classic” is that? It’s a caricature), sometimes the colours are bizarre (military green Duck), poor Annie and Clarabel are kind of ugly, James is weird and chubby, etc. At least AEG were cheerful, imaginative, and different; these are… well, just not my cup of tea.
But I’m glad that Takara Tomy is releasing real classic T&F Plarail models again (they could do a better job with the selection of trains and sets, but at least we have what we have), and lately I’ve been thrilled by the Plarail Real Class trains, and some other trains as well. I’m really looking forward to, say, the “regular” Plarail train Iyonada Monogatari that’s coming out soon (excellent model, faithful to the original, cool colouring), which has a special story; it travels along the sea, travelers and locals wave to each other, and the whole ride is an experience. Unfortunately, I’ll probably never ride it, but at least I’ll get to drive a Plarail model, I hope. Such things I’m looking forward to.
For the 300th video, I prepared a special train. Yes, I already made a video about the Plarail Ancient Egypt set, but now I realized that this set would work very well with one more recent set, so I decided to combine them. The notorious damsels in pink outfits imposed themselves on me again and, naturally, got the most important supporting roles. Who could resist them? The pharaoh has become terribly arrogant lately, and - in the spirit of the times - decided that it was time for some conquests…
Hope you like it.
Thank you all.
With love,
Mister No.
And don’t forget:
THIS IS A TRUE STORY. ✊🎈🎉🍾
