--- title: "Tombow Play Color 2: 0.4 and 1.2 mm Twin Marker, 36 Colors" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tombow-play-color-2-marker/" description: "Tombow Play Color 2 explained: a long-selling twin-tip water-based marker, a 0.4 mm plastic tip and 1.2 mm fiber tip, 36 colors and 110 yen a pen in Japan." category: "Pens" type: "Marker" published: 2026-11-03 updated: 2026-11-03 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 2 products: - name: "Tombow Play Color 2 twin marker (WS-TP single colors; sets GCB-611, GCB-011, GCB-012, GCB-013)" brand: "Tombow" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Water-based dye ink; 0.4 mm special plastic tip and 1.2 mm polyester-fiber tip (Tombow)" price_band: "$ (under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)" model: "Play Color 2" mpn: "WS-TP03" url: "https://www.tombow.com/products/playcolor_2/" --- # Tombow Play Color 2: 0.4 and 1.2 mm Twin Marker, 36 Colors > The Tombow Play Color 2 is a long-selling twin-tip, water-based dye-ink marker with a 0.4 mm plastic fine tip and a 1.2 mm fiber bold tip. It comes in 36 numbered colors, with pink especially well covered, at 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70) a pen in Japan, and in sets priced from 660 to 3,960 yen. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tombow-play-color-2-marker/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-03 - Updated: 2026-11-03 ![Tombow Play Color 2 twin marker: a magenta barrel with a lighter cap at each end](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/tombow-play-color-2-marker-illustration-16x9.png?v=ced8d2ea) *The Play Color 2 in magenta, drawn in proportion (Tombow lists no size); circle: line widths, 1 mm = 40 px.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Tombow Play Color 2 twin marker (WS-TP single colors; sets GCB-611, GCB-011, GCB-012, GCB-013) | Tombow (by Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)) | Japan | Not stated | Water-based dye ink; 0.4 mm special plastic tip and 1.2 mm polyester-fiber tip (Tombow) | – | $: under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (Tombow Play Color 2 twin marker (WS-TP single colors; sets GCB-611, GCB-011, GCB-012, GCB-013)): Not stated. Tombow's Japanese product page lists tips, colors, sets and prices but no country of manufacture. Check the pack. - Good for: Drawing and sketching. Skip it if you need pigment ink that stays put after water: Tombow lists the ink as water-based dye. ### Tombow Play Color 2 twin marker (WS-TP single colors; sets GCB-611, GCB-011, GCB-012, GCB-013) colors - Ink colors (36 standard, 0 special edition): 03 Yellow; 04 Golden yellow; 06 Yellow-green; 07 Green; 13 Light blue; 15 Blue; 17 Indigo; 18 Purple; 19 Violet; 21 Wisteria; 22 Pink; 24 Crimson; 25 Red; 28 Orange; 33 Black; 40 Ash brown; 41 Chocolate; 42 Navy; 43 Olive; 44 Pale teal green; 45 French blue; 47 Cool pink; 48 Honey orange; 49 Gray; 50 Lime green; 53 Young-bamboo green; 56 Kyoto purple; 58 Cherry-blossom pink; 60 Princess pink; 61 Peach pink; 62 Azalea; 65 Gentian blue; 67 Tomato red; 72 Rose; 73 Sky blue; 74 Aqua. - Per Tombow (Japan) (https://www.tombow.com/products/playcolor_2/), checked 2026-11-03. Tombow shows 36 numbered colors on its product page. Tints were sampled from the numbered cap chips in Tombow's color chart and are representative, not measured; the ink matches the cap only approximately. Names are English renderings of Tombow's Japanese color names. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - One pen has a 0.4 mm special plastic fine tip, which Tombow says is very thin but does not get crushed, and a 1.2 mm polyester-fiber bold tip. - There are 36 colors with number codes from 03 to 74; Tombow says pink is especially well represented. - A single pen (WS-TP plus a color number) costs 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70); four sets cost 660, 1,320, 2,640 and 3,960 yen (about US$4.18 to US$25.06). - The ink is water-based dye, and Tombow warns that it is hard to get out of clothes. - Tombow calls it a long-seller for notes, planners, letters and memos, but gives no pen length or weight. ## What is the Tombow Play Color 2? **It is a long-selling twin-tip color marker for notes, planners and letters.** Tombow calls it a long-seller among color sign pens, with a very thin plastic tip at one end and a fiber tip for bolder writing at the other, in water-based ink. It is meant for choosing a color to match your mood in notebooks, planners, letters and memos, and comes in 36 colors. The newer [Play Color K](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tombow-play-color-k-marker/) has a 0.3 mm and a 0.8 mm tip. We read Tombow's Japanese product page and color chart on November 3, 2026. ## What are the tips like? **Two different materials, two widths.** Tombow's page lists these. | End | Width | Tombow's description | |---|---|---| | Fine | 0.4 mm | A special plastic tip, extremely thin but hard to crush | | Bold | 1.2 mm | A special polyester-fiber tip, easy to draw illustrations with | ## Which colors does it come in? **36, each with a number code.** The swatches in Product facts show all 36, with the codes from Tombow's chart. The page says pink is especially well covered: Tombow's names include Pink, Cherry-blossom pink, Princess pink, Peach pink and Cool pink. The chart also lists neutrals such as Black, Gray, Chocolate and Ash brown, and blues from Light blue to Navy. The tints are samples of the cap chips in Tombow's chart, so the real ink on paper may look a little different. ## Which set should you buy? **Pick by how many colors you will use.** | Set | Model | Price with tax | Per pen at 110 yen | |---|---|---|---| | 6 pens | GCB-611 | 660 yen (about US$4.18) | 110 yen | | 12 pens | GCB-011 | 1,320 yen (about US$8.35) | 110 yen | | 24 pens | GCB-012 | 2,640 yen (about US$16.71) | 110 yen | | 36 pens | GCB-013 | 3,960 yen (about US$25.06) | 110 yen | Tombow's text lists only the model and price of each set, so the pen counts come from our arithmetic at the single-pen price of 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70), 100 yen before tax. ## How does it compare with the Play Color K? **Thicker tips, and a different 12 colors.** | | Play Color 2 | [Play Color K](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tombow-play-color-k-marker/) | |---|---|---| | Fine tip | 0.4 mm plastic | 0.3 mm | | Bold tip | 1.2 mm polyester fiber | 0.8 mm fiber, 40% more durable than Tombow's earlier tip | | Colors | 36 | 36 (24 shared, 12 different) | | Single pen with tax | 110 yen (about US$0.70) | 110 yen (about US$0.70) | ## Who is the Play Color 2 for? **It suits note-takers, planner users and colorers who like a thick bold tip and a wide choice of pinks.** - **Drawing and sketching:** Tombow lists a 1.2 mm fiber tip made to draw illustrations easily and a 0.4 mm fine tip, in 36 colors. Skip it if you need pigment ink that stays put after water: Tombow lists the ink as water-based dye. For other picks see our [best pens for coloring](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-pens-for-coloring/) and [best pens for journaling](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-pens-for-journaling/). ## What should you watch out for? **Stains and shocks.** Tombow warns that the ink is hard to remove from clothes and that dropping the pen or hitting it can make ink leak. Cap it after use, keep it from small children and use it only for writing and drawing. ## Where is it made, and what does it cost? **Tombow's page doesn't state a country of manufacture.** At 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70) a pen, it is in our $ band (under $5). ## Frequently asked questions ### What tips does the Play Color 2 have? A 0.4 mm special plastic fine tip and a 1.2 mm special polyester-fiber bold tip, one at each end. ### What is the fine tip like? Tombow says the 0.4 mm plastic tip is extremely thin but hard to crush. ### What is the bold tip for? Tombow says the 1.2 mm fiber tip is easy to draw illustrations with. ### How many colors are there? 36 water-based colors with number codes from 03 to 74. Tombow says pink is especially well covered. ### What sets are sold? Four sets: GCB-611, GCB-011, GCB-012 and GCB-013, at 660, 1,320, 2,640 and 3,960 yen with tax, which is 6, 12, 24 and 36 pens at 110 yen each by our arithmetic. ### What ink does it use? Water-based dye ink. Tombow warns the ink is hard to remove from clothes. ### How is it different from the Play Color K? The K has 0.3 and 0.8 mm tips; the Play Color 2 has 0.4 and 1.2 mm. Each has 36 colors, 24 of them shared. ### Where is it made? Tombow's page doesn't say; check the pack. ## Sources - [Tombow (Japanese): Play Color 2 product page (tips and line widths, 36 colors, sets, prices, cautions; read November 3, 2026)](https://www.tombow.com/products/playcolor_2/) - [Tombow (Japanese): Play Color 2 color chart image (36 numbered colors with Japanese names; read November 3, 2026)](https://www.tombow.com/files/2012/12/palycolor_item_01.jpg)