Still downsizing... (NOT....)

**Super** · **Super** 12-20-2016, 12:00 AM Track Engineer

Wiki has pretty much the same picture. They call it Trackmaster HiT. Does yours say HiT? Maybe the one you have is the earlier release. If anyone would know it would be Muddy on all the variations.http://thomastrackmaster.wikia.com/wiki/Busy_Bee_James

**ripley802** · **ripley802** 12-20-2016, 12:19 AM Moderator

Yeah I checked out the wiki and see that pic that you posted there as well. Here are a couple more that maybe will help. It does say 2006 HIT, where the wiki seems to say 2007,but maybe it was packaged in 2006 and released in 2007?

[Image: 60DC439B-88DF-4C92-A569-EBE773B7AA61_zpsdf21zbqs.jpg]

[Image: BB5B0064-DE74-4CEA-9487-8FF0FB579E86_zps6v8rd9yb.jpg]

(12-19-2016, 11:59 PM)sunhuntin Wrote: it almost looks like they put him in a regular james box, though im not sure if regular james was released in a 3 pack? i never bothered with the repeat characters from HIT, just the repaints i could find.

(12-20-2016, 12:00 AM)Super Wrote: Wiki has pretty much the same picture. They call it Trackmaster HiT. Does yours say HiT? Maybe the one you have is the earlier release. If anyone would know it would be Muddy on all the variations.http://thomastrackmaster.wikia.com/wiki/Busy_Bee_James

@Sunhuntin
That's what I was thinking. I was expecting to to have Bush as. Bee on it like the others seem to have. Very odd.

**Super** · **Super** 12-20-2016, 12:49 AM Track Engineer

The UPC code is correct but the pictures here are they same. He is even facing the opposite way but this site lists it as 2009 so maybe you do have the earlier release before they got to the redesigned box. https://www.barcodelookup.com/045986651181
Muddy...where are you?

**ripley802** · **ripley802** 12-20-2016, 01:04 AM Moderator

(12-20-2016, 12:49 AM)Super Wrote: The UPC code is correct but the pictures here are they same. He is even facing the opposite way but this site lists it as 2009 so maybe you do have the earlier release before they got to the redesigned box. https://www.barcodelookup.com/045986651181
Muddy...where are you?

Yeah.. Muddy where ya at... Big Grin

See that one on the barcode lookup seems to look more like the James goes Buzz Buzz as it has the molded top for the cars, which may be a feature of the later packaging. Maybe I will get lucky and this one is extra rare.. Smile

MuddyPoppins · MuddyPoppins 12-20-2016, 04:47 PM Collector

Sorry I just woke up...it'll be a little while until I can go look, but that Busy bee is exactly like mine!!

MuddyPoppins · MuddyPoppins 12-21-2016, 01:56 AM Collector

Hello..ok I have looked at the pics and see that Ripley's is identical to the one we have...
Massively long, and sits extra tall because the bottom insert has been sealed on incorrectly and is upside down...just labeled "James" / HitToys 2006.
It's a pain to display because it doesn't stack with other releases and is an inch longer than any other standard "greatest moments" packaging...I am glad to see that ours isn't a one-off defect, and this makes me think that they are early 2006 first runs that came out janky as one of the fledgling HitToys earliest efforts.

**ripley802** · **ripley802** 12-21-2016, 02:16 AM Moderator

Perfect. Thanks Muddy for the clarification. Unless we both had knock offs, which I highly doubt then I am glad I picked this one up. I am not sure why but I really like this version of James so having it NIB was a great score. Big Grin

jdogman · jdogman 12-23-2016, 01:34 PM Senior Member

There was no TrackMaster released in 2006. The first releases were in July 2007.

Busy as a Bee James was not released as a Greatest Moments pack, nor were they around until early 2008. All the new items for 2007 were only released by Tomy in Motor Road and Rail in the UK&EU/AUS, and instead by HiT Toy Company in TrackMaster. They may be marked as Tomy though underneath the chassis instead of HiT Toy Company because they were brand new releases. There were only a few 3-car sets releases in the US as "New Friends" which got broad releases, not to be confused with the other 3-car sets which were exclusive to certain stores in the US (I think Toys R Us?).