'Tale of the Brave' movie trailer UK version previewed

The British version of Tale of the Brave's trailer has been previewed on a UK DVD release.

The UK's teaser appears on the Spills & Thrills DVD out now today, carrying the same visuals seen in the US trailer.

The regional voice cast of Ben Small, Keith Wickham, Steven Kynman and Matt Wilkinson however replace certain US dialects.

In January, the American and debut trailer for the film was released, offering the first sights of Gator, Marion, Timothy and Reg in the film.

Tale of the Brave: The Movie is coming soon to UK DVD and US Blu-ray in September.

WATCH THE 'TALE OF THE BRAVE' UK TRAILER ON YOUTUBE 

TV models and Railway Series in Yokohama museums

Several TV series models used throughout the New Series have gone on display in Yokohama, Japan.

The forms of Edward, Gordon, Henry and Thomas with Annie and Clarabel are currently placed in the Hara Model Railway Museum from today alongside others including Oliver, Salty and five of the Narrow Gauge Engines.

Until April 7th, the nine day exhibition of the models are part of the museum's spring collaboration. A video of Thomas and his coaches was uploaded onto YouTube earlier this week.

From April 26th to May 6th, Koyto's Railway Series Painting Exhibition from 2013 will return, instead nearby in the Sogo Museum of Art, hosted by Hara.

Presenting the many illustrations of the books and a video gallery, more of the TV models are to appear.

'Tale' MEGA BLOKS set 'Percy's Brave Adventure' due

A Tale of the Brave set by MEGA BLOKS has been presented this week in a YouTube video.

Percy's Brave Adventure is to include Percy and new character Marion in a China Clay Pits setting and was filmed at the New York Toy Fair by kids website BSCKiDS.

The video's description mentions the addition of six track pieces, special parts and over 85 pieces.

It is mistakenly referred to as Thomas and Percy's Brave Question, despite the former appearing to not be included.

Another product viewed is Thomas' Ultimate Adventure Table, seen as an amalgamation of previous sets including Knapford Station.

MEGA BLOKS Percy's Brave Adventure and Thomas' Ultimate Adventure Table from Mega Brands hits UK and US toy shelves later this year.

'Thomas in Charge!' DVD to arrive for late Australia

Animated Series DVD Thomas in Charge! is to make way for a late release in Australia.

The disc originally holding two Season 13 and 14 episodes each is to head Down Under almost three years after the US' and two years after the UK's debuts.

To compensate, A Blooming Mess, Henry's Good Deeds, Thomas in Charge and O the Indignity are joined by the non-released Birthday Express' episodes Double Trouble and Percy's Parcel.

The summary reads; Thomas and his friends are preparing for the Railway Inspectors visit to Knapford Station. But when the coal trucks crash covering Gordon in soot, can Thomas take charge and help straighten out the mess?

Thomas in Charge! from ABC for Kids hits Australian DVD shelves on June 11th.

PRE-ORDER THE 'THOMAS IN CHARGE!' DVD FROM EZYDVD

UK 'Spills & Thrills' preview clips released on minisite

The remaining episodes of Season 17 for the UK have been previewed on the Thomas & Friends website.

Ahead of the country's DVD launch for next week is the Spills & Thrills minisite UK edition. It coincides with the now released HD iTunes version of the release.

As with the US', two minigames and colouring pages are available alongside previews of the yet for broadcast episodes.

Seen is a trailer and clips from Away from the Sea, No More Mr. Nice Engine, The Afternoon Tea Express, The Smelly Kipper and Thomas' Shortcut, with Gone Fishing however omitted.

Spills & Thrills from Hit Entertainment hits UK DVD shelves on March 31st.

VISIT THE 'SPILLS & THRILLS' UK MINISITE ON THE THOMAS & FRIENDS WEBSITE

Lionsgate previews Season 18 'The Quarry Engine' clip

Lionsgate Entertainment have released a teaser clip from the 18th Series on YouTube.

Promoting the Walmart Trouble on the Tracks US DVD, the second preview of the 2014 season presents the opening to Thomas the Quarry Engine.

It shows Thomas and Diesel debating on who should be the back engine to a quarry load for Brendam Docks.

Arriving at Ffarquhar Quarry, a busy Mavis obliges to taking the load with Thomas. But Diesel's ideas get the better of Thomas, leaving him to do Mavis' work on his own.

With Arry, Bert, Stanley and the Trucks cameoing, Mavis is seen with a fixed brass lamp. Not So Slow Coaches, Flatbeds of Fear, Disappearing Diesels and Toad's Adventure are the other four episodes appearing on the DVD.

Despite being pushed back for a week, its availability on iTunes is still scheduled for April 8th.

Trouble on the Tracks from Lionsgate Entertainment hits US DVD shelves in Walmart stores only on April 15th.

WATCH THE OPENING TO 'THOMAS THE QUARRY ENGINE' ON YOUTUBE

Trevor the Traction Engine and miniatures go on sale

A number of original props used in the TV series have gone on sale on prop store websites.

The large scale model of Trevor the Traction Engine, as seen in the New Series, is among the listings but has since been sold.

From the Prop Store of London, its detail and remote control remained intact with the exception of its radio signals functioning the engine.

Another three however are currently available for purhcase from The Prop Gallery. A face cast of Percy, also seen in the New Series, is listed alongside a figure of a driver understood to be from the Classic Series.

Concluding is a Sodor Chilling. Although not a prop, the metal coin was given to crew members at the time of completing 25 years of production.

Thanks to Puff Puff Thomas and Thomas Stansfield for the alerts.

Exclusive: Egmont planning Railway Series 70th release

Egmont is to commemorate the 70th birthday of The Railway Series with a special edition book.

The authors of current Thomas books in the UK will re-release the Rev. W. Awdry's Complete Collection in 2015 as an anniversary edition.

A centenary boxset marking the birth of Awdry went on sale in 2011. In a response forwarded to Roll Along Thomas, Egmont's Brand and Marketing Assistant, Katie Westlake, divulged the intention.

Next year, there are plans to print an anniversary edition of Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection.

Despite the occassion, the Christopher Awdry compilation is to be left out, as of now; We currently do not have plans to print an anniversary edition of Thomas the Tank Engine: The New Collection.

Several of the books written by Christopher Awdry are still available in the hardback series format along with those written by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry.

Christopher's era of The Railway Series was compiled together for a 2007 release coinciding with the arrival of 41st title, Thomas and Victoria. It no longer remains in print and has become a rare collector's merchandise.

Thanks to Daniel Coffey.

'New Friends' and 'Surprise' April DVDs due for Japan

Two DVDs detailing subjects from the show and each holding a single episode are due for Japan in April.

Made to promote the dubbed version of King of the Railway heading to cinemas is New Friends Come to the Castle of Sodor! (ソドー島のお城にあたらしいなかまがやってきた！).

The release revolving around Sodor's inception, including scenes from Season 17's Bill or Ben?, The Switch and others, is to come with the full The Phantom Express episode.

The Doki Doki with the Surprise (ビックリにもつでドッキドキ) looking at special deliveries, using clips from Pingy Pongy Pick Up, Merry Winter Wish and more, will see Charlie and Eddie as the featured story.

New Friends Come to the Castle of Sodor! and The Doki Doki with the Surprise from Sony Creative Products Inc. hit Japanese DVD shelves on April 9th.

READ MORE ON THE DVDS FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS JAPANESE WEBSITE

NEW FRIENDS COME TO THE CASTLE OF SODOR

THE DOKI DOKI WITH THE SURPRISE

Thomas 'Hidden Treasure' musical coming to Melbourne

Thomas & Friends: Live! on Stage is returning to English speaking terroties in Australia this summer.

From Hit Entertainment, Thomas and the Hidden Treasure is a 90 minute musical brought in association with Smile Live Entertainment, the people responsible for bringing Hit brands on stage to wider audiences.

The production, coming to the State Theatre in the Arts Centre Melbourne, has since autumn 2012 been seen in Singapore and in Hong Kong and Dubai in 2013.

ABC for Kids are currently promoting pre-sale tickets for one week only on their facebook page.

The blurb reads; Thomas and Friends are coming to town this July school holidays. See Thomas, Percy, James and Gordon star in the brand new stage musical featuring life-sized moving engines live on stage!

Thomas & Friends: Live! on Stage in Thomas and the Hidden Treasure rolls into the Arts Centre Melbourne in Australia from July 2nd to 5th.

BOOK PRE-SALE TICKETS FROM ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE

Thanks to Thomas Stansfield for the alert.

All Aboard website teases 'Tale' screenings and DVDs

A new Thomas & Friends UK website guiding through this year's events has been launched.

Taking the tagline, one journey, endless destinations, All Aboard is anticipating forthcoming offerings for Britain beginning with March through to December.

Soon to be devoted for detail are activities, Spills & Thrills' DVD launch and insights into the new characters appearing in Tale of the Brave: The Movie.

The movie's arrival first comes in the form of cinema screenings in August. Reaffirming this is a DVD release following a month later in September.

Season 17's third DVD Santa's Little Engine will then take on an October dating, a full year after the US version.

VISIT THE ALL ABOARD THOMAS & FRIENDS WEBSITE

Thanks to Hawk01 for the alert.

Coach Henrietta to become non-faceless character

Henrietta, Toby's faithful coach, is confirmed to grow a face for future episodes and series.

The companion to the tram engine will no longer be faceless and is suggested to speak aswell in the next series.

The change, seen in a new hero shot, was released by the Mexican Thomas & Friends Twitter.

Introduced in Toby and the Stout Gentleman from the show's beginning, the character has appeared in all 17 seasons.

She was notably depicted with a face in The Railway Series story Overloaded from the 41st book, Thomas and Victoria.

Earl of Sodor confirmed for 'Tale of the Brave' movie

Sir Robert Norramby is to appear in the next feature-length special, the Tale of the Brave.

The Ulfstead Castle estate owner, introduced in King of the Railway and voiced by Mike Grady, will play a role in the autumn special.

In a review of new Take-n-Play set Roar Dino Run at the New York Toy Fair, toy experts zooLert confirmed the character's involvement in a YouTube video.

The Earl tells him that those are the three missing bones he has been looking for so he can finish his megalosaurus.

The appearance of the said dinosaur species' bones plays a pivotal part in the monster themed plot.

Tale of the Brave: The Movie is coming soon to UK DVD and US Blu-ray in September.

New Series behind-the-scenes photos emerge online

Behind-the-scenes snaps ranging from the 10th to 12th Seasons have emerged online.

The six previously unseen photos from Shed 10 Ltd. were posted on the model unit's website.

They show models of Skarloey, Rheneas and Billy during the makings of Wharf and Peace, Wash Behind Your Buffers and Don't Be Silly, Billy!.

A brass Thomas is seen as is the initial basis of Hank being a Challenger 4-6-6-4 in a sketch from pre-production of the 12th Series.

Led by Phillip Reeves, the Shepperton Studios based company have been involved in the TV and film industry for over 25 years.

First look at Season 18 and 'Trouble on the Tracks' DVD

The first glimpse of the 18th Series and the US Trouble on the Tracks DVD has been released on iTunes.

The clip from the brand new 2014 season sees an annoyed Annie and Clarabel at the Shunting Yards blaming Thomas for being late to a quarry job, in a scene from Not So Slow Coaches.

Charlie later appears to give Thomas' coaches to Caitlin by mistake after the latter returns from The Steamworks. Mavis, who camoes, is this time voiced by Teresa Gallagher for the US version.

Thomas the Quarry Engine, Flatbeds of Fear, Disappearing Diesels and Toad's Adventure are the other four episodes appearing on the Walmart exclusive release.

Originally scheduled for April 8th, the release will instead appear a week later in Walmart's many stores.

Trouble on the Tracks from Lionsgate Entertainment hits US DVD shelves in Walmart stores only on April 15th.
 

WATCH THE FIRST CLIP FROM THE 18TH SERIES ON YOUTUBE

Animatronic Thomas plays out to Day Out with Thomas

A new version of Thomas the Tank Engine is currently playing out to Day Out with Thomas events in the US.

A few replicas on show now sport strong resemblances to the incumbent's TV series counterpart, interacting more with fans.

In an Instagram video filmed at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Florida, USA, a replica of Thomas is seen talking.

It's now animatronic face, with specially recorded soundbites from Martin T. Sherman, reflects Hit Entertainment's pledge, initially for UK Day Out with Thomas events,to be line with the CGI series.

Hit Entertainment has implemented these significant changes to our Day Out With Thomas events to create an even greater immersive experience for Thomas & Friends fans of all ages, said Group Director David King.

Thanks to Hawk01 for the alert.

Porter makes way to official website's Engine Depot

Porter the Dockside Tank Engine is the latest to be detailed on the Thomas & Friends website.

The steam engine, introduced in the 17th Season, is documented thoroughly on the official website's Engine Depot. His arrival for UK audiences is foreseen in the Spills & Thrills DVD coming late March.

Soon to be playing a role in the Tale of the Brave and seen in a few episodes of the aforementioned series, his description reveals more on his personality.

Porter works at Brendam Docks alongside Salty shunting trucks. He is a tank engine with three domes on his boiler: one steam dome and two sandboxes.

He is a kind and helpful character with a good sense of self-confidence and doesn’t worry about what other engines say about him such as calling him a "camel" because he has so many humps. "Water off a duck’s back" [he] laughs.

Porter is not above engaging in a bit of friendly dockside banter himself, but when another engine is feeling low he can be very supportive.

Porter’s easy-going manner makes him very popular. He is a hard worker, although he can be a bit of a perfectionist at times. He is also very brave and can keep his cool in a crisis.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PORTER ON THE THOMAS & FRIENDS WEBSITE

US

AU

Rare ERTL prototype and final models in ebay auction

Rare die-cast models of four characters from the Classic Series have appeared in an ebay auction online.

In a Buy it now only listing on the merchant's British site, the prototype and last ever produced ERTL models of Jack, Alfie, Fergus and Arthur are up for sale.

The four each come in their own specially made presentational tins and certificates proclaiming the proud owner of the last ever Ertl die-cast metal engine and it's prototype.

From FUJ of Scarborough, the North Yorkshire fudge shop details the history of the final products; The last six models released in 2004 were Murdoch, Arthur, Alfie, Jock, Jack and Fergus.

[RC2, ERTL owners] auctioned off the last ever models off of the production line together with their prototypes. These are the original hand made, hand painted prototypes that have passed through many hands at the factory.

The COA [Certificate of Authenticity] have the name of Robert Mann, Managing Director of RC2 printed on them, but they were actually signed by A. J. Chetwynd who was the designer.

Both Murdoch and Jock are banished from the £5,000 listing because of condition and unavailability issues.

VIEW THE LAST EVER ERTL MODELS' LISTING ON EBAY.CO.UK

Thanks to Adam Abrahart for the alert.

Eight Thomas US DVD titles eliminated from Netflix

Several titles from US DVD releases have been culled from video platformer Netflix.

At least eight titles from the Lionsgate produced range have been affected by the so-called Steamageddon, a term incepted during the first major cull for TV shows and films last year.

Removed since March 1st are It's Great to Be An Engine!, Songs from the Station, Track Stars, Come Ride the Rails, High Speed Adventures, Team Up with Thomas, Holiday Express and Misty Island Rescue.

Fellow children's properties Kipper, Bob the Builder, Sesame Street, Hit Favorites are among the latest casualties.

Last May, Netflix explained the practicalities of their service; The vast majority of the titles that expire are older features that were aggregated by Epix.

Netflix is a dynamic service. We constantly update TV shows and movies that are available to our members. We will add more than 500 titles on May 1st, but we also have titles expiring, this ebb and flow happens all the time.

Thanks to Hawk01 for the alert.

'Thomas' Shortcut' replaced in 'Spills & Thrills' AU DVD

An episode on the Spills & Thrills DVD for Australia has been replaced, it has been reported.

The Season 17 release hit Australian stores today but disappointment was met when fans spotted that several changes had been made.

Thomas' Shortcut was initially billed as a featured episode, with Season 14's Jitters and Japes instead succeeding for unknown reasons.

More so is the removal of helpings from Mr. Perkins scenes set on a railway, Who's That Engine?, The Earl's Quiz and Guess Who?, despite being played out to Hoyts cinema screenings.

The release's iTunes version however uses The Thomas Way instead of Jitters and Japes. The Thomas & Friends US website meanwhile is currently promoting the country's DVD with a themed minisite.

Spills & Thrills from ABC for Kids is out now to buy in Australia on DVD.

Culdee model officially confirmed for Take-n-Play

A character from The Railway Series is coming to the Take-n-Play range as a die-cast model.

Culdee the Mountain Engine, who appeared in stories from the book Mountain Engines by the Rev. W. Awdry, is the newest for the Fisher Price franchise.

His model contains a marginally darker purple colour scheme than his Take Along predecessor, a redesigned face and a squatter gold dome. A specially animated icon of Culdee appears on the packaging.

Its listing by the merchant amazon confirms the product as an official release after appearing on several ebay auctions.

The model's description by the merchant however quotes the Thomas & Friends Wikia's article of the engine.

Take-n-Play Culdee from Fisher Price is out now to buy in the UK and US.

'Trouble on the Tracks' US DVD delayed for one week

Walmart's very own Trouble on the Tracks DVD for the US has been delayed for a week.

The debut Season 18 disc for the country and the first glimpse at the 2014 series was initially touted for an April 8th dating.

It will instead come out a week later only to be available by the American retail giant.

Five brand new episodes featuring Thomas, Annie and Clarabel, Salty, Paxton and Toad will mark their first appearances for the release.

The description reads; Cinders and ashes…there’s trouble on the tracks for Thomas and his friends!

The Troublesome Trucks delight in causing chaos for Thomas, as Annie, Clarabel and Toad encounter unexpected high-speed adventures.

Oily Diesel gives Paxton a fright, while Salty’s spooky story has the engines running scared. All Aboard for fun and exciting escapades with Thomas & Friends!

Trouble on the Tracks from Lionsgate Entertainment hits US DVD shelves in Walmart stores only at the new date of April 15th.

PRE-ORDER THE 'TROUBLE ON THE TRACKS' DVD FROM WALMART