fall inside a hole
Thomas Big Big Loader (1999)
First written May 2024After the success of the Thomas Big Loader as well as the Big Big Loader it made sense to produce a Thomas-licensed version of Big Big Loader to go along with the Thomas Big Loader. The Thomas version of Big Big Loader was first released in Japan in the late 1990s and then worldwide in the early 2000s, staying on sale in Japan and Europe long enough to get some color variations. Thomas takes the place of the dump truck like in Thomas Big Loader while Lorry #1 replaces the scoop loader that became Terence in the original Thomas Big Loader, and Cranky the Crane is worked in as the lift for the rock's spiral run.
Thomas the Tank Engine Connect Big Loader (1999)
In 1999 in Japan Tomy released the first Thomas Big Big Loader as Thomas the Tank Engine Connect Big Loader (きかんしゃトーマスのつながるビッグローダー). The Thomas version of Big Big Loader has a small building cover over the part of the interchange where the chassis would otherwise be seen bare. The inside of the box flap calls it the Thomas 3D Big Loader.
Set contents
| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Power
chassis |
|
| 1 | Thomas shell |
 |
| 1 |
Lorry shell |
 |
| 2 pieces | Cranky the Crane |
 |
| 2 | 1/2 Straight rail (one each grey and brown) |
 |
| 2 | "A" Curve rail |
 |
| 1 | "B" Curve rail |
 |
| 2 | "A" Switch rail |
 |
| 1 | "B" Switch rail |
 |
| 1 | "C" Switch rail |
 |
| 1 | "D" Switch rail |
 |
| 1 | Slope rail |
 |
| 1 | Elevator |
 |
| 1 | Loading Station |
 |
| 2 pieces | Transfer ramps |
 |
| 1 | Spiral |
 |
| 1 | Upper chute |
 |
| 1 | Lower chute |
 |
| 2 pieces | Crane lift |
 |
| 2 pieces | Supports |
 |
| 1 | Loading Gate |
 |
| 1 | Turnabout station |
 |
| 2 | Buffer |
 |
| 12 | Rocks |
 |
| 4 | Traction tires |
 |
The Thomas Big Big Loader features Thomas himself traversing the majority of the set with one of the "Horrid" Lorries introduced to the television show fairly recently at the time along with Cranky the Crane added into the ball-lifting mechanism. Cranky is not actually required for proper operation and takes the place of two cardboard decoration pieces on the original Big Big Loader.
Rather neatly, the portion of the layout that Lorry runs on its brown "dirt" road and the "track" Thomas runs on is grey and matches the Thomas Big Loader. The set includes a variety of track pieces - an "A" curve that is a mirror of the original Big Loader curve but without any reversers and a "B" curve in the Big Loader orientation with a rack and reverser for the ball drop, an A switch with quick reversers in both directions for its perpendicular output, a C switch with the mechanism for stopping the power car to lift Cranky's arm and the balls up, and B and D switches with manual changers for connecting to Big Loader.
There are a handful of changes between the regular and Thomas versions of Big Big Loader including a "station" building covering the interchange where the chassis changes between Thomas and the Lorry and more subtly a slight increase in the height of the elevator entrance to allow the taller Thomas shell to fit.
This difference as well as the compatibility of the Thomas shell and loading bay trough of the regular Big Loader dictate what combinations of Big and Big Big Loader and shell can be used together - A Thomas Big Loader can be used with a regular Big Big Loader but the dump truck shell must be used in place of Thomas as he will not fit into the elevator, and a regular Big Loader can be used with a Thomas Big Big Loader as long as the dump truck shell is used to properly pick up the balls in the Big Loader's loading bay, as its trough it not properly lined up to deposit into Thomas' bunker.
The Thomas Big Big Loader operates entirely on its own with Lorry scooping balls into a loading bay where Thomas picks them up and heads up the elevator to drop them down the ball chute and into the lift which Cranky then lifts up (the mechanism that powers this is embedded into the track and lifting mechanism from the original set, and Cranky is basically added in on top and is not necessary for the set to function properly) to dump the balls down a series of chutes onto the road where Lorry can scoop them up. Thomas then returns to the ground floor and the chassis swaps to Lorry, continuing the cycle again.
When connected to Big Loader, the "D" switch takes the place of the curve at the base of Big Loader's slope and the power car can be swapped between sets whenever one portion "finishes" a cycle and the chassis is headed towards either the B or D switch, depending on if it just finished on Big Big or Big Loader. Click the GIF to watch the full video cycle between the 1999 Japanese Thomas the Tank Engine Connect Big Loader and 1998 Thomas the Tank Engine Big Loader.
Thomas Big Big Loader (American release) (2000)
The box for this version of the set shows Thomas on a white chassis with treaded wheels which is the type included with the regular Big Big Loader, but I do not believe any releases of the Thomas Big Big Loader came with anything other than the smooth-wheel grey chassis.
Set contents
| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Power
chassis |
|
| 1 | Thomas shell |
 |
| 1 |
Lorry #1 shell |
 |
| 2 pieces | Cranky the Crane |
|
| 2 | Straight track (one each grey and brown) |
|
| 2 | "A" Curve track |
|
| 1 | "B" Curve track |
|
| 2 | "A" T-Point track |
|
| 1 | "B" T-Point track |
|
| 1 | "C" T-Point track |
|
| 1 | "D" T-Point track |
|
| 1 | Slope track |
|
| 1 | Elevator |
 |
| 1 | Loading Station |
 |
| 2 pieces | Transfer ramps |
 |
| 1 | Spiral |
 |
| 1 | Upper chute |
|
| 1 | Lower chute |
 |
| 2 pieces | Crane lift |
 |
| 2 pieces | Supports |
 |
| 1 | Loading Gate |
 |
| 1 | Turnabout station |
 |
| 2 | Buffer |
|
| 10 | Rocks |
 |
| 4 | Traction tires |
|
The American Thomas Big Loader release uses the same color selection as the original Japanese release but with some new sticker decals.
My copy of the Thomas Big Loader is from some point after 2002 when the character shell license information was renewed. The instructions included inside are dated 2001 and use the new squared-off Tomy logo. Unlike most other export Big Loader sets, these sets apparently came with replacement sets of traction tires.
The new Tomy logo also appears on the rear of the elevator. Funnily enough, the old Tomy logo was used on later Big Big Big Loader elevators.
The two-level action and the ball spiral and lift in the Big Big Loader are pretty neat, the balls make pleasing noises rolling down the spiral and falling into the lift and then the lift makes a big thunk as it falls back down and the balls bounce off the pegs in the chutes. A cycle of the American Thomas Big Big Loader connected to an American Thomas Big Loader can be seen here.
Thomas the Tank Engine Big Loader Connected Wide Set (Toys R Us Exclusive) (2002)
In 2002 in Japan Toys "R" Us released an exclusive "Wide" set containing both Thomas Big Loader and Thomas Big Big Loader as the きかんしゃトーマスのビッグローダーつなげてワイドセット Thomas the Tank Engine Big Loader Connected Wide Set. This set includes the components to early 2000s Japanese-issue Thomas loaders minus the extra power car, Thomas shell, and curve track left over from combining two sets regularly.
Thomas the Tank Engine Connected Big Loader (Second Japanese box) (2002)
In 2002 new redesigned boxes were put into print for the regular Thomas Big and Big Big Loaders in Japan. Other than the updated plastic power switch chassis and 2002 dated body shells, the colors and stickers were the same as the initial Japanese release.
Thomas the Tank Engine Big Loader Dockyard Cranky (2008)
In 2008 a new colorway of the Thomas Big Big Loader (and regular Thomas Big Loader) was released as きかんしゃトーマスのビッグローダー港のクランキー Thomas the Tank Engine Big Loader Dockyard Cranky. This version used different plastic colors for many components as well as new stickers and the box was updated to fit the then-current style of Tomy Thomas boxes. The rear panel of this box is orientated the other way around so it could be shown on store shelves either way around, tall or wide.
The top inside flaps of the box has three cutout character standees. This is also one of the only versions of the Thomas loaders to actually call the balls coal instead of rocks (or mail).
Set contents
| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Power
chassis |
 |
| 1 | Thomas shell |
|
| 1 |
Lorry #1 shell |
|
| 2 pieces | Cranky the Crane |
 |
| 2 | Straight track (one each grey and green) |
 |
| 2 | "A" Curve track |
 |
| 1 | "B" Curve track |
 |
| 2 | "A" T-Point track |
 |
| 1 | "B" T-Point track |
 |
| 1 | "C" T-Point track |
 |
| 1 | "D" T-Point track | |
| 1 | Slope track |
 |
| 1 | Elevator |
 |
| 1 | Loading Station |
 |
| 2 pieces | Transfer ramps |
 |
| 1 | Spiral |
 |
| 1 | Upper chute |
 |
| 1 | Lower chute |
 |
| 2 pieces | Crane lift |
 |
| 2 pieces | Supports |
 |
| 1 | Loading Gate |
|
| 1 | Garage |
 |
| 2 | Buffer |
 |
| 12 | Coal (Rock) | |
| 4 | Traction tires |
|
| 3 | Cardboard standee cutouts |
 |
This recolored Big Big Loader changes and updates some plastic colors and is slightly more "themed" and refers to the balls as coal. The cardboard cutout characters add to the idea that the set is supposed to take place at the docks.
I have the instructions for this set which show how to apply the stickers, set it up, and how to connect it to the period Thomas Big Loader. Unfortunately, my copy of the set is missing its lighter grey D switch, and I do not have the 2008 Japanese Thomas Big Loader to properly connect it to anyways.
I like the color choices for some parts of this updated set like the garage building and the darker green Cranky but I think the lighter grey track and green road - grass? is a little odd. It is, however, different, and that is interesting in and of itself.
Thomas & Cranky Coal Loader (2009)
In 2009 the new Japanese color scheme of Thomas Big Big Loader was localized for the European market as the Thomas & Cranky Coal Delivery Big Loader. My copy of this set is rather sun-baked and yellowed.
Set contents
| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Power
chassis |
|
| 1 | Thomas shell |
|
| 1 |
Lorry #1 shell |
|
| 2 pieces | Cranky the Crane |
|
| 2 | Straight track |
 |
| 2 | "A" Curve track |
 |
| 1 | "B" Curve track |
 |
| 2 | "A" T-Point track |
 |
| 1 | "B" T-Point track |
 |
| 1 | "C" T-Point track |
 |
| 1 | "D" T-Point track | |
| 1 | Slope track |
 |
| 1 | Elevator |
 |
| 1 | Loading Station |
 |
| 2 pieces | Transfer ramps |
 |
| 1 | Spiral |
 |
| 1 | Upper chute |
|
| 1 | Lower chute |
|
| 2 pieces | Crane lift |
 |
| 2 pieces | Supports |
 |
| 1 | Loading Gate |
|
| 1 | Garage |
 |
| 2 | Buffer |
|
| 12 | Coal (Rock) |
The track in this set is all a tannish brown instead of the split color scheme of the previous versions. The roof of the shed is not painted and the stickers have been redesigned. These sets did apparently include the D switch needed to connect to a Big Loader, but my copy was missing it. I wouldn't mind getting a copy of this set that is a little more presentable.