ERTL Personalised Thomas Money Box - Signed by Ringo Starr

This was a bit of a birthday present for myself and what a present it was! Today we are going to be having a look at an ERTL Thomas money box signed by the then narrator of the TV series Ringo Starr.

Image Credit: Thomas Wikia (Why is his flag black though?) 

Ringo Starr is better known as the drummer of The Beatles, but to us Thomas fans he is known as the first narrator of the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends TV series. Despite only narrating two seasons he has had a lasting impact on Thomas the Tank Engine. For example in the UK the series has always had a Liverpudlian narrator since the debut of Ringo Starr. Beyond that many Thomas fans grew up with his voice as the first two season's episodes were featured on so many of the compilation video tapes we all had and probably still have! I know I do. He also provided the narration for the Ladybird audio cassettes. You can read more about Ringo Starr in an article from the Radio Times.

I have been collecting Thomas the Tank Engine and Railway Series merchandise for a long time now and I can't say I have ever come across any merchandise signed by Ringo Starr. I am sure it does exist, but it is certainly a rarity, especially now that he has stopped autographing merchandise for fans. So I was incredibly excited when I came across this fantastic piece of Thomas history. Ringo has signed the actual toy itself on the side and, perhaps because it was rather faint, he has also signed the top of the box.

The Model

No, this isn't a reference to a Kraftwerk song! I have never actually owned the ERTL Thomas money box before, I have seen it in old advertisements though. I don't think it comes up all that often. It was released in 1985 and as you can imagine it is a basic retooling of the Remote Control Thomas from the time or vice versa. The only differences being the lack of traction tyre, guide wheel and obviously wired control. It comes with a simple piece of brown track that you can 'personalise' by writing your name on the front.

On the back of the box it mentions two toys, the remote control Thomas and a "Radio Controlled" Thomas. Was the Radio controlled one ever released? I can't say I recall ever seeing one. I imagine it would be a noisy back and forth affair, much like the RC one, just without the cable to trip over! 

The Comparison

In the video I have provided a brief comparison of the model/toy (no need to get triggered) to the other Thomas's in the ERTL range at that time. These are the Remote Control, Motorised and standing 'free-rolling- die-cast. To clarify there are three RC Thomas's included in the video, two un-boxed (one with remote control, one without) and one boxed. I deliberately selected the versions with the white running boards, despite those not necessarily being the best condition. I have also provided some picture of an old RC Thomas I found still in box. The boxed one was so shiny! You can literally see the signed one reflected on the side. It has a British address, but the packaging is more like Shining Time? Did the British range use the 'Shining Time' packaging at the time (1992)?

As always, if you spot any inaccuracies please feel free to comment or attack me on twitter (@TTCollectables).

Email: thomastankcollectables@hotmail.co.uk 

Thomas the Tank Engine ERTL Haul

I was delighted to find a large job lot of ERTL models in a charity shop recently. It is so rare these days to find collections such as this, especially given that the range was discontinued back in 2004. I actually saw them in the morning and came back later in the day to buy them as I didn't have my money with me the first time! I knew they wouldn't sell and I was right. The whole lot cost me £24.50 ($31.66USD, $39.82AUSD). As many of you will already know I put together a video showing what came in the job lot. 

I bought these to swap out the better condition ones with my own collection and add a bit more rolling stock and track to my collection. Out of all the engines and vehicles the only one I didn't personally own was Bulgy. So I was very pleased to finally add him to my collection. I was also surprised to see that the models were in remarkably good condition for their age, especially the gems of the lot - Emily and Spencer. As many of you will know, the models released in the latter years of the series are particularly difficult to find and frequently fetch quite hefty sums of money on online auctions. 

Above are the three main treasures from the 'haul', Spencer, Emily and Bulgy. All in wonderful condition, they really are splendid models or toys?! For those of you wondering, I sold off all the doubles, so hopefully they will bring as much joy to someone else as they did to me. If you bought any ERTLs recently they may well have been featured in my video!

I really enjoyed doing the simplistic remake shots, the ERTL models look so good that you don't even need scenery. The quality of the models speaks for themselves really. I think they sacrificed playability (wheels, track, couplings; see below) for quality and accuracy, which is not really a problem to me. 

Snapshot Review

I am not going to do a full review of the ERTL range, but here are some of my thoughts. I personally think they are some of the closest models to the TV series and I think they have a nostalgic connection to a great number of people in the community. But, they are certainly not without their faults. 

The Good

• Appearance - they look very much like the TV series models and they are very photogenic. 
• Nostalgia - they are the go-to classic range for all collectors! 
• Quality - they are made of good quality die-cast metal with very little plastic. 

The Bad

• Couplings - the couplings frequently snap, the more modern couplings are not always compatible with older rolling stock and often snap as well. Sometimes the engines will have very small female couplers, which can prove troublesome, furthermore the male couplers are often missing. 
• Track - maybe it is just me, but I think the track is too wide and the engines just don't look very good on it. 
• Wheels - the wheels are frequently wonky and are too small in my opinion. 
• Faces - I think some of the faces lack detail, especially the earlier models. 

Believe it or not, I really do love ERTL! 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little post and the video. Please feel to post your comments below or on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. 

Watch the video above! 

Edgar Hodges Jigsaws

First of all apologies for the lack of videos in recent months, I have had all of my final year exams for University. With those out of the way I now have some time to rediscover my Thomas the Tank Engine Collection. This time we are going to be having a look at some lovely Railway Series merchandise dating back to 1980. 

Edgar Hodges was an illustrator used by Kaye & Ward for a brief period between around 1979 and 1980. He provided illustrations primarily for the two annuals released in 1979 and 1980. Surprisingly there were no further annuals released until the dawn of the TV series, so between 1981 and 1984 there were no Railway Series/Thomas the Tank Engine annuals. Both the 1979 and 1980 annuals feature Thomas in the cover giving some indication to the central role he would take in the later TV series. In addition to the two annuals Edgar also provided illustrations for the Famous Engines colouring books and the three jigsaws shown in my most recent video. 

Two of the jigsaws featured in the video are essentially recreations of existing Railway Series illustrations by John T. Kenny, with both being from the 17th book of the Railway Series - Gallant Old Engine (1962). Edgar is faithful to the original illustrations but expands the scenes a bit and adds some more passengers. It is quite interesting to compare how the two artists differ, a comparison is provided in the video. The final jigsaw depicts the Skarloey Railway engines along with Nancy the Guard's daughter. Nancy first appeared in Gallant old Engine, but the illustration by Edgar Hodges may also be based on an earlier illustration provided by John T. Kenney for The Little Old Engine. 

But have a look for yourself and see what you think! Please feel free to leave comments below or on the video. 

With thanks to the Thomas Wikia for information. 

Twelve Happy Engines

Here is a little treat for your Sunday, a look back at a lovely Nestle promotional item from over 40 years ago! 

Picture: ThomasTankCollectables Archives 2017

Nestle released Twelve Happy Engines back in 1970 as a promotional item in conjunction with then publishers Kaye & Ward Ltd. You had to cut out little pictures from chocolate bar wrappers and glue them into your book. The book features an introduction by the Rev. W. Awdry along with profiles of a seemingly random selection of engines. There is an engine from each part of the railway, mainline (Henry, Douglas) branchline (Edward, Thomas, Toby, Daisy), quarry (Bill), small railway (Bert), Skarloey railway (Skarloey, Sir Handel, Duncan and the mountain railway (Culdee, although the picture provided shows Alaric!). 

If you are missing any pictures from your album just send off a stamped and self-addressed envelope, along with a Railway Series promotional wrapper and the serial number(s) of the picture(s) you require. 

Here are the original wrappers, thanks to eBay: 

ThomasTankCollectables Facebook Page 

Head over to our Magazine Archive and look under 'Other Publications' to read the whole book. Pictures will also be added to the Thomas Wikia by myself, please do not use the images provided elsewhere. 

As always, if you have any publications that you think should be added to the Thomas Magazine Archive, please feel free to email us. You will be credited for any publications you provide. 

thomastankcollectables@hotmail.co.uk 

Leicester Mercury - William Middleton

I came across this article quite a while ago but completely forgot to post it here. The title incorrectly proclaims that William Middleton was the first to illustrate Thomas the Tank Engine but, as well all know, this was actually done by Reginald Payne. You can read our previous article on him here. 

ThomasTankCollectables Archives 2014

Rev T Robin Martin wrote into the Leicester Mercury to share a lovely little anecdote involving the highly mysterious artist William Middleton. Unfortunately very little is know about William Middleton or his successor Reginald Payne. Each of them illustrated books that were improved by C. Reginald Dalby shortly after publication. Furthermore they were not credited for the illustrations they provided. Nicholas Jones, producer of "The Thomas the Tank Engine Man" Bookmark documentary (1995), told me that they tried to research both Mr. Payne and Mr. Middleton to no avail. 

Anyway the anecdote shared by Rev T Robin Martin is provided below, thanks to the Leicester Mercury. 

"My uncle, the late Gordon Tipping, whom many will remember as the dapper station master at Rothley, Loughborough Central and the first station master at Leicester North, told me the following story.The very first illustrator of the Thomas the Tank Engines stories was a William (Bill) Middleton, had his studio from before the war and into the 1950s on Halford Street." 

He is of course referring to the Railway Series here, William Middleton only provided illustrations for The Three Railway Engines, which did not feature Thomas the Tank Engine.

"As he was my grandfather's friend, I knew him as 'Uncle Bill' and remember visiting his place of work on upper floors, over a shop, about halfway down from Dunn's hat shop, now a Café Nero. Bill was given the job of the drawings for The Three Railway Engines and Thomas, but, as he thought stories of what were, by then, dirty old locomotives would not be a success, he didn't try very hard over the illustrations." 

Again, Thomas did not feature in this book! 

"I remember them, as my younger cousin Henry had the very first in the series and I read them. The locomotives were somewhat crudely illustrated, with flat faces on the smoke box doors. The stories were, of course, a great success, so Ward Locke, dissatisfied with Bill's attempts, gave the commission to whom I now know to have been Reggie Dalby. This was for the subsequent books and reprints of the earlier ones. If anyone still has a first edition illustrated by Bill Middleton, they will see what I mean."

The commission was in fact given to Reginald Payne for the next book Thomas the Tank Engine (1946). Reginald Payne was not available to illustrate the next book (James the Red Engine), this is the point at which C. Reginald Dalby was employed. 

This anecdote gives us a tantalising insight into the man we all know so little about. It would be great to see a picture of William Middleton or find out some more about him. 

You can read the full article on the Leicester Mercury website here: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/city-artist-illustrate-thomas-tank-engine/story-26820311-detail/story.html 

You can see the original illustrations of the Three Railway Engines by William Middleton on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtGilLqROo3vASDVWeJ_EVR6W8r89RtiF 

You can read our original blog post on William Middleton  here: http://thomastankcollectablesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/the-three-railway-engines-william.html 

If you have any corrections or comments, please feel free to comment below or send us an email: thomastankcollectables@hotmail.co.uk

Thomas the Tank Engine VHS Collection Update

Since my complete VHS collection back in March I have managed to acquire a few more videos for my ever expanding collection. You can read the blog post about the previous video here. This post will be having a closer look at the videos featured in the latest collection update. 

Experienced collectors will have been able to work out almost every VHS featured in the update from the promo released yesterday. Did you work it out?

Tomica World Videos 

Most of you will remember the days long before Trackmaster when TOMY produced sets under the "Tomica World" name. At this time you could get generic trains and vehicles alongside the normal Thomas and Friends range we are familiar with today. The videos were released as promotional items in boxes that featured a 'Free Video' sticker as seen in the pictures below. 

Picture credit: eBay

Picture credit: eBay

The Thomas Adventure set appears to be the most common one to feature the video and, correct me if I am wrong, but I believe I have seen sets featuring a blue sticker. I assume the colour of the sticker corresponds to the colour on the label of the video, as you will see below.

First release (Red Label) VHS 0619

The first video has Mr. Tomica (Mr. T) giving a tour of Tomica World, including a look at Thomas and Friends, regular Tomica World trains, quizzes, and rail safety tips. The video also includes one song and first season episode.

• Thomas Anthem
• Thomas and Bertie

Picture credit: ThomasTankCollectables

Second release (Blue Label) VHS 0700

In the second video, Mr. T brings a boy named Kevin (David in the US version) to look and play around Tomica World. The video includes footage of real trains in action plus one Thomas song:

• Thomas Anthem

Picture credit: ThomasTankCollectables

Information thanks to the Thomas Wikia. You can watch the contents of the TOMY videos on YouTube, VHS 0619 and VHS 0700 (US version). 

Thomas Video Collection VCI1636

This video will have been released as a free video back in 2002. However other than the Chad Valley logo we do not have any clues as to which set it would have been released with. If anyone has any pictures of the exact set it was released with, please send your pictures in to thomastankcollectables@hotmail.co.uk or message us via Facebook/twitter. 

Picture credit: ThomasTankCollectables

My guess is that this would have been released with an ERTL set because Chad Valley produced a few ERTL sets around that time, such as the examples below. 

Picture credit: eBay

Picture credit: eBay

The second ERTL set above included a free video, however the video did not feature the Chad Valley logo. Pictures of the video found in the set above can be found on the Wikia.

The episodes featured on the Thomas Video Collection video (more commonly referred to as the 'Chad Valley Video') are as follows: 

1. Thomas, Percy and the Coal
2. Toby and the Flood
3. Edward's Exploit
4. Henry's Forest
5. Donald's Duck

My Little Volume 1 - Treat Size tapes VCI1653

Now for the pièce de résistance of the update video. This video box set was released in 2002 by the Video Collection. We are all familiar with the 'My Little' video series that originated in the mid 1990s. This title continued into the early 2000s, but I have never seen them as a collection like this before. 

Picture credit: ThomasTankCollectables

The copy I have acquired is still packaged so unfortunately I cannot reveal if there are any differences in the packaging of the videos inside. I thought that they may not have individual bar codes as they have been released as a set in this instance. The videos included in this box set are: 

1. Thomas and Percy Adventures
2. Thomas and Bertie Adventures
3. Thomas and Toby Adventures

Interestingly the front of the box says 'Volume 1', was there ever a Volume 2? It does seem unlikely because there was only ever four videos in this set anyway, not enough to make another box set. Nevertheless this is an excellent addition to my collection and a box-set that I have never come across before. 

A previously unseen box set was also featured in the complete VHS collection video, the Peep! Peep! Party gift set featuring a block puzzle set. See the full video below. 

As always thank you for reading and please e-mail or message if you have any correction(s) or extra information that I have not provided above. 

thomastankcollectables@hotmail.co.uk

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