exciting news from the world of TOMY!

found this link on facebook... it seems tomy is re-releasing the thomas big loader set!
i hope like anything these have a wide release, as i get asked at shows where i have my big loader displays whether they can be bought anymore, and people are always disappointed when i say no, except for used ones.

https://www.amazon.de/Thomas-Freunde-T14...B07BLHFWQP

   

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Good news Sun

Does this new set look identical to the original or maybe a little different?

it is basically the same, but the stickers have been updated, and there appears to be more of them. i dont recall there being any at the bottom of the green piece with terence on it, same with the one on the track under the hopper.
the balls have changed color too, they were black in the past, now they look grey.

if this doesnt get a local release, i may buy some from overseas and sell them at the next show, depending how much they are.

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Thats a good idea Sun

Wait... They're bringing back an old toy and aren't turning it into an unpainted roller coaster?
My friend had this set as a kid, so it's nice to see it again.

lol, thankfully trackmaster didnt get hold of it... who knows what they would have done!!

If this is possible, we might one day see Tomy make its return as the primary merchandise for Thomas in the motorized realm. Baby steps, baby steps...

Until I saw the image in the thread (I wasn't logged in), I was going to break it and say exactly this (including emphasis):

NO! You're all getting confused. This is nothing more than a new Amazon listing for the original set, and the images shown are merely a prototype. If this were an actual release, everything would've been redesigned with CGI faces and new paint, and Terence would've been removed (I was going to say that even though I know Terence was brought back in Season 21).

But, now that I can actually see it, I see you're (hopefully) all correct. Assuming it really is being brought back, then I'm pleasantly surprised they're making this decision. I had the original set before I even knew what Thomas & Friends was (along with some other TTTE toys, until my craze began).

i am glad you didnt post that without checking the pic first, especially as you wouldnt have had all the facts from the photo. the engine faces may be updated, but not shown in the images, as i was expecting that too.

certainly the stickers are vastly different for the most part, and there are more of them than before. i only hope the ones in tricky spots come already attached. looking at my website, the stickers are on par with the japanese set i have. https://sunstomyandfriends.weebly.com/th...-sets.html

why would they remove terence? i dont know of any other character that could do what needs to be done in this set, except i know they used lorry with that attachment in the big set with cranky, which i never understood. i would have liked to see different engines used, maybe swap percy for rosie.

to my knowledge, traditional big loaders havent been available brand new anywhere for some years now, except maybe the odd MIB listing on ebay. i am quite excited about this due to the amount of people i get at shows wanting to buy my store displays. i dont know why tomy stopped making them, as they must have been good sellers back in the day.

I thought he'd be replaced with Jack or something, in keeping with the current (Japanese) market. I do agree Rosie (or even James or Emily) might've been a good replacement for Percy.

It is strange how the normal Big Loader sets may have been discontinued despite their popularity (though I think the decision to license T&F instead of Bob the Builder was even more bizarre and a missed opportunity, but I digress). Now that one of the T&F sets is being re-released, the normal ones might be remade later, which would be even more awesome for your public layouts and for people who don't like the idea of engines in a construction themed toy (if not Thomas products in general).