Review of ERTL’s Thomas Mini World

Here’s some thoughts about the ERTL Thomas Mini World series. I should say that this review is written from the point of view of someone more used to model railway layouts than toy trains. I think the designers of the series were thinking more of the toy element than the ability to make a layout!

Overall though, the miniature versions of the bigger ERTL collectables are great – and it’s a great series – I’d love to have seen some minor refinements though.

Track

You can’t get any better research than play testing. My eldest son loves this series and is always asking for me to set it up for him. There’s no doubt that, once set up, it’s a great toy but therein lies the problem: Setting it up. It takes ages to set it all up and the track pieces engage so tightly with the base that it’s hard to rearrange things quickly. You do have to think things through very carefully too as the geometry of the track means you need to plan exactly how the layout will work.

For example, the curves, straights and points are all ok – same geometry etc. But the small straights don’t combine to form the same length as a long straight.

In addition, those of us lucky enough to have the viaduct will find 2 problems:

1. It can only be configured to run left/right. It would be great if it could be configured to form one side of an oval because incorporating it into a layout is decidedly difficult.
2. The geometry is such that it is fiddly to get it back in line with the tracks to form a complete loop. I will try to get some photos to illustrate this.

Also there is only 1 type of point – basically 2 perpendicular straights that form a flat crossing, joined by a curve at one corner to form 2 joined points and a crossover. A photo will help once I get the time! This makes creating sidings impossible!

The inclines contained in the starter set are odd – the track sides are way too far apart and the engines slip sideways down them. Why didn’t they make them the same gauge as the rest of the track?

Characters

Most of the main characters are there – the ubiquitous Thomas, Percy and James plus Henry, Toby, Edward etc.

In my opinion there are some notable omissions. There’s no Gordon for starters (I’ll have to get another Henry and paint him blue!!). Also there are loads of engines but only Annie, Clarabel or the Troublesome trucks to pull. Some generic coaches for Henry or some other trucks for James would be nice. I guess it would have been asking too much for there to be a Henrietta for Toby though. Also there’s no Terence the Tractor – though I use one from another series.

Accessories

The range of accessories available through the sets is quite impressive – here’s a brief listing:

• Station
• Signals (Home and Distant)
• Watermill and Windmill
• Helipad
• Level Crossing
• Turntable & Engine Shed
• Quarry and Crane
• Viaduct
• Tunnel
• Water Standpipe, Coal Staithe and Water Tower
• Static Scenery – Hills, Trees, Bushes etc

I’d have liked to see some more such as:

• Signal Box
• Sidings

I use a Signal Box from the predecessor to Mini World – ERTL miniatures which fits nicely!

Sets

The sets are well thought out – though there are a couple I’d question. Most are loosely based on the Thomas stories – Edward and the Viaduct referring to the cows story, Henry and the tunnel, Bertie and the level crossing referring to the race etc.

The ones I’d question are Thomas and the windmill – why make an add-on set containing a Thomas? Thomas is supplied in the main set! So anyone buying this now has a duplicate Thomas loco. Then there’s Percy and the station – again the station is now a duplicate though I suppose 2 stations isn’t a bad thing really.

However, here’s my review of all the sets:

Carry Case Playset ****

This set is a great starter set – containing enough track and accessories to keep any young child amused for ages. With Thomas, Coaches and Trevor the Traction Engine and a station and signals you have a complete railway from the outset.

Percy & Station ***

All the add-ons have an extra track base to extend the layout plus some track – either a specialised item or a curve or point. This set introduces Percy the Green engine and has a further station. So you can now have 2 stations on your layout.

Thomas & Windmill **

Ok now why the extra Thomas? Anyway the windmill is nice but just think of all the other engines they could have chosen from. Gordon? Oliver? Daisy? BoCo? An opportunity missed.

Harold & Toby ****

This is a great add-on containing 2 new characters – Harold the Helicopter and Toby. There’s a helipad for Harold but it would have been great to have a Henrietta for Toby. The beauty of this one is that Harold doesn’t need rails and can go anywhere thus extending the boundary of the Mini World to the reaches of the imagination.

Duck & Watermill ***

Introducing Duck, this set is ok. The Watermill doesn’t go round unlike the windmill and is just a static scenery item. Duck is great though – a firm favourite.

Mavis, Troublesome Trucks & Quarry ****

One of the best add-ons, this set not only introduces Mavis but also finally gives the little engines something else to pull – the troublesome trucks. The quarry item is good too with a little crane that sits inside one of the points. This is a very rare item so if you see it on eBay, be prepared to pay at least £15 if not more.

Viaduct with Edward ***

Not much to say about this one. It doesn’t come with any extra track bases but the viaduct is a beautiful structure. My previous comments about its geometry still apply but nevertheless it’s great once you can fit it into your layout. Edward is a great little engine too as he’s the 1st Thomas character from the original books.

Henry & Tunnel ****

Another rare one – Henry is a great addition and the tunnel is so simple but great for little children. I haven’t got the little brick wall as yet – eBay not coming up with this one so far. I’m also missing the Water Tower too. Contains an extra distant signal too but again, I’m missing this bit. This one’s a well rounded add-on with a new engine and a great scenery item.

Bertie & Level Crossing *****

This one’s potentially the best add-on of them all. Bertie the Bus is an old favourite of course but the level crossing is fantastic. The little gates open and close and the set includes some road sections for Bertie to run on. Finally the little railway connects with the outside world with a road. Only thing is there’s not really enough road and the set is crying out for a road bridge to allow the road and railway to cross twice. Without buying 2 sets, you end up with a road marooned in the centre of the layout with nowhere to go! But level crossings are fascinating for little children and the addition of a road means this set truly expands the play value of the whole system.

James, Turntable & Engine Shed ****

Another great add-on here. James the red Engine is one of the classics and the turntable is great – it really goes round too and leads off to a small engine shed for the engines to rest in. Easy to integrate into the layout as is simply replaces a long straight.