TrainDad

More news is coming out about the new HIT Entertainment Trackmaster Thomas & Friends Railway system. HIT has established ThomasTrackmaster.com as the online home for the product line. Amazon.com is now carrying a long list of new Trackmaster products including several large sets and a track expansion pack. HIT has now re-released virtually every TOMY engine and car made. They have also released a remote-control Thomas, with a controller that looks like an exact clone of a GeoTrax remote. The products are being sold at Walmart, K-Mart, Target, Toys-r-Us and Kaybee Toys, as well as through the normal online retailers.

HIT entertainment is spectacularly good at marketing (read: selling), so I expect the Trackmaster line to get far more exposure than TOMY did. The current sets are using the same low-quality accessories (bridges, etc.), but I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t upgrade and improve over time.