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Bandai Thomas Town
First written December 23, 2024Bandai's Thomas Town (トーマスタウン) was a series of Thomas the Tank Engine candy toys released in series from 1999 to 2009. Each series includes five "sets" that each include a character, some track sections, and some kind of scenery or accessory. All the sets in a series can be combined to make an advertised combined layout or the pieces across series can be connected at random or into a desired scene. The trains are small with sticker details and have two plastic wheelsets hiding behind their molded wheels. Trains and carriages can be connected together with the included connecting parts. The scale and basic design of the characters was adapted for the Pocket Fantasy range, and the two are mostly compatible.
Trains can be dated to a particular series by the date on the licensing sticker. Between variations in the tooling, stickers, and other details I believe all Thomas Town trains can be matched to a series.
| Year | Name | Description | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Thomas Town | The initial Thomas Town series with Thomas, Edward, Henry, James, and Percy |
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| 2000 | Thomas Town 2 | Second Thomas series with Thomas, Gordon, Duck, Oliver, Stepney, and the first truck in the series |
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| 2000 | Thomas Town 3 | Thomas Town series three with Mavis, Toby and Henrietta, Percy with van, Harold, and surprised Thomas |
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| 2000 | Thomas Town 4 | Thomas and the Magic Railroad-themed set with Thomas, Lady, Diesel 10, Splatter, and Dodge |
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| April 2001 | Thomas Town 5 | Thomas, Donald and Douglas, and the first narrow gauge and road vehicles with Rusty and Bertie |
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| November 2001 | Thomas Town 6 | The initial series' character selection with a new track layout |
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| September 2002 | Thomas Town 7 | Series 3 trains with new partially elevated rail layout; trains include surprised Thomas, Toby, Percy, Mavis, and circling Harold |
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| March 2003 | Thomas Town 8 | First series with the new television series characters Harvey, Salty, and Elizabeth as well as Thomas and Percy | |
| August 25 2003 | Thomas Town 9 | Road and rail series with Thomas, Max, Jack, Cranky and truck, and Ben | |
| January 2004 | Thomas Town 10: Let's Run on Sodor Island! Edition | First subtitled set with Thomas, Bill, Bertie, Gordon, and a wind-up motorized van | |
| May 2004 | Thomas Town 11: Let's Carry Your Luggage! Edition | Cargo-focused series with Thomas, Duck, Oliver, Stepney, and Gordon like series 2 |
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| October 2004 | Thomas Town 12: Let's Work Hard! Edition | New track layout with Thomas, Percy, Terence, Spencer, and Emily |
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| April 2005 | Thomas Town 13: Let's Go to the Sea! Edition | Another rerelease of the series 3 selection with surprised Thomas, Percy, Toby, Mavis, and Harold |
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| November 2005 | Thomas Town 14: Departing From Knapford Station! Edition | Series that forms a long, straight layout with Thomas, Edward, James, Henry, and Bertie | |
| February 2006 | Thomas Town 15: Magical Railroad and Lady Edition | Track layout of series six with the Magic Railroad characters Thomas, Lady, Diesel 10, Splatter, and Dodge from series four | |
| August 2006 | Thomas Town 16: Lets Go Together Edition | Thomas, Spencer, Emily, Murdoch, and Percy on a new track set | |
| January 2007 | Thomas Town 17: The Twin Engines Edition | Railroad crossing-focused layout from Thomas Town 5 with Thomas, Donald, Douglas, Salty, and Elizabeth | |
| May 2007 | Thomas Town 18: Harvey's Big Success Edition | Series 4 track layout with Thomas, Percy, Toby, Mavis, and Harvey | |
| September 2009 | Thomas Town 19: Let's All Go See the Windmills Edition | Series three track layout in garish colors with Thomas, Percy with yellow Henrietta, James, Toby, and spinning Harold |
In total, Thomas Town produced the engines Thomas, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby, Duck, Donald, Douglas, Oliver, Stepney, Mavis, and Rusty from the classic stories, Diesel 10, Splatter, Dodge, and Lady from Thomas and the Magic Railroad, and Harvey, Spencer, Emily, and Murdoch from the later model series TV show. Two styles of truck, Henrietta, a van, and two colors of flatbed were produced for rolling stock. Road vehicles included Bertie, Terence, Elizabeth, Jack, and Max. Harold and Cranky were both also produced.