When were the Monotech 500 and Monotech 1000 sold? Were they available worldwide or only in Japan?
Try this: トンボ鉛筆 ｜ トンボのキセキ FLIGHT TO 100
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This is awesome
Thank you
Maybe I’m missing something?
I’ve scrolled through this end to end twice but have see a monotech 500 or 1000
Soo good
Ahhh, the best mechanical pencil ever made. The only one ive bought multiples of so ill always have one to use.
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I hope Tombow keeps this resource available. It’s a very visual tool. I have never tried using search on it. Depending on how familiar you are with the line up, it is very much a tool for discovery. I’m still finding cool stuff on it now and then.
Maybe we should try to make an offline copy.
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It’s very informative. Unfortunately I’m experiencing it on my phone. I really need some time with a larger display.
I’ve been through it several times and still have not seen the 500. Have you?
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Im struggling using it on my phone as well. Crash after crash. Might need to buy something other than MPs this week 
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I couldnt even find the dimple pro 1000…?
The .4mm from the 1000 series is slightly rare and costs about 14-20k yen. Others including the 500 series pop up on mercari very frequently under 5k.
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Personal Project: to extract all the info and resources and reformat into a simpler document.
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The Monotech 500 does not appear in the timeline.
But this has gotta be a late 80s/early 90s pencil.
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Thank you for confirming that. I spent a few hours running things through Google translate, thinking I may have missed something.
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I found this site the other day doing a Google image search.
It shows a 500 and a 1000.
I think it’s from Thailand? Anybody speak Thai?
Maybe there is a date buried somewhere…
https://v1.easternpioneer.com/html/newtombow12.htm
Maybe Thai, maybe not? To be honest, my only exposure to the Thai language is basically on the back of a menu 
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Yes it is Thai. Their local Tombow distributor was still listing models like the Trad a few years ago…
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Regarding the ‘missing’ Monotech 500 series, I suppose timelines like this are subject to what a company considers important.
As far as I know, I haven’t seen any references for the MT500 prior to 1990. For example, the partial scans of the 1988 catalog only show the Variable, 300LZ, 500LG and Dimple Pros. So it’s a safe bet that the MT500 came out around 1990 along with the 1000 series.
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Fantastic dynamic history display for TOMBOW!
I didn’t realize just how rich the history of this company has been.
NOTE, if you hover over the timeline bar at the bottom (using a notebook / laptop – not sure it would work on a phone), you’ll see various periods highlighted:
- Chapter I: 1913-1945 - Founding of TOMBOW Pencil
- Chapter II: 1946-1966 - Progress to become a comprehensive writing instrument manufacturer
- Chapter III: 1967-1986 - From writing instrument manufacturer to stationery manufacturer
- Chapter IV: 1987-2002 - Tape stationery opens up a new market
- Chapter V: 2003-2013 - 100th anniversary and becoming a global company
I didn’t realize the ZOOM 707 was designed in 1987. Still in production, it seems.
Notable quote: “The knock part and clip ball also have a charming design that keeps you entertained.”
The “egg shaped” ZOOM 808. What I call Mr. Stubby.
Notable quote: “The rounded form that makes you smile has a mysterious charm that stimulates creativity that is unique to ZOOM.”
The La Nave series:
Not sure which one is supposed to be “wheat.”
Finally figured out what “TRAD” means:
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Wheat is españa (there is a wheat logo on it).
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