Prior to going into detail about Victor, a little of our own "Thomas" history... As first time grandparents, my husband and I wanted to start some type of collection for our grandson that he could possibly pass along to his own kids one day. Our grandson was 2 1/2 at the time, and had been talking a lot about a certain train named Thomas (a little fella whom - now seems hard to believe! - we'd never heard of.) After doing some research, it seemed the Take-n-Play line might be the perfect investment to engage and encourage his active imagination, as well as provide a fun way for us to interact with him. What a rewarding decision... we've had SO much fun together with this quality line of trains, vehicles and playsets! As he approaches 4, a large portion of our basement has become a wonderful Sodor land of make believe that we all enjoy visiting - and continues to hold his interest, which is quite a feat given the tendency at that age to move in and out of toy phases so quickly!
Victor is a Cuban engine, one of 7 Skarloey Railway Narrow Gauge engines - including Skarloey (#1), Rheneas (#2), Sir Handel (#3), Fearless Freddie (#7), Duke (aka "Grandpuff"), and Mighty Mac (a double ended Fairlie engine who is 2 characters - Mighty and Mac - in one engine!) - available in the Take-n-Play line as of February 2012... and the ONLY Narrow Gauge engine on Sir Topham Hatt's railway! Victor's always very busy, has a good sense of humor and a heart of gold - he supervises Kevin at Sodor Steamworks. Victor first appeared in 2009's Hero of the Rails movie, and is a very sharp looking engine... dark red with yellow lining, black and yellow hazard stripes on his buffer beams, and a black cab roof; he has 4 yellow wheels and the "SODOR STEAMWORKS" logo printed on both sides of his cab. He was first featured on TnP's original (Spring 2010) Collector Checklist, and with Fisher-Price's March 2012 MSRP of $6 is WELL worth that price (I found my grandson's for just $5.97!) He's also included in the Surprise Surprise at the Steamworks themed pack, as well as the Victor & Oil Cargo 2 pack. It'll be interesting to see if 4 more Narrow Gauge engines become part of the TnP line with the September 2012 release of the Blue Mountain Mystery movie - Peter Sam (#4), Rusty (#5), Duncan (#6), and new character Luke (#22)!