Plarail Bill and Ben Harbour Set

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So I was browsing the internet and was looking at some Plarail Thomas Sets and this one caught my eye.[Image: n102859557.1.jpg]

Its called the Plarail Bill and Ben Harbour Set and was released in 2002. This set is special in the way that it was the only release of the Plarail Bill in Japan. Bill's twin Ben was sold seperately, but Bill himself wasn't, meaning that the only way for the Japanese to get Bill was from this set. Now this set is one of only two sets that included the Cranky at the Docks destination, and interestingly, the version of Cranky in this set is coloured is dark green

[Image: Screen-Shot-2020-09-22-at-9-36-26-PM.png]

Where as the other cranky's (the ones released in the US, AUS, UK) are coloured in a light grey, which means it could be another possible variation that hasn't been discovered yet.

[Image: Trackmaster-Thomas-Friends-Tomy-Cranky-the-Crane.jpg]

Now this set, much like the Donald and Douglas Snow Plough Set (pictured below) are similar in that they both include exclusive trains (Bill in this one, Douglas in Snow Plough Set) which often jack up the price of the sets.

[Image: 71cmo0ck8fL._AC_SL1200_.jpg]

Now the Donald and Douglas Slow Plough Set is one of the most sought after and wanted Plarail Thomas Sets there is, and has always been a rare and difficult one to find, and has always sold for many hundreds of dollars, and even in the thousands too. Even Plarail Douglas' on their own sell for $100-$200, even without the coveted snow plough. 

Now here is where I get to the Bill and Ben Set. Whenever I've seen this set for sale, its only ever been for a couple hundred dollars for a NIB one, and even less for a used one with the box. Plarail Bill's also sell for way less on their own when compared to the Plarail Douglas. Now this is where it gets a bit confusing.

I found a NIB one here that sold not to long ago for $1340 AUD. Now when I saw that I was absolutely shocked. That is $200 more than a NIB Donald and Douglas Snow Plough Set that sold here not too long ago too, way more money than most rare trains, such as the Silver Thomas and the Gold Thomas, and many would argue that the Donald and Douglas Set is way rarer than the Bill and Ben Harbour Set. So basically the whole point of this thread is to see if anyone can explain the EXTREMELY high price for one of these sets and why they are so desired now days, when compared to a couple of years ago, and if anyone possibly owns this set, maybe they could share some photos and explain a little bit more about the set?
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They had the correctly coloured Cranky as soon as 2002? I thought it was introduced in the Thomas' Cruise Set (where I first noticed it) if not slightly before then. Strange how even the letters look slightly different and the hook and basket are black. What appears to be a prototype image shows the previous grey version, while the box matches the actual colour.

If only TOMY and HiT Toys made special two packs for all the twin sets (without trucks) like Learning Curve sometimes did. It would've totally saved the frustration of having to find and buy two characters each that are otherwise identical, or getting two of one twin. Good thing Motor Road and Rail only had long time gaps between the individual releases.
(This post was last modified: 09-23-2020, 02:16 AM by Super.)
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  • Fred_Pelhay, Super, Tharazero1
That is a beautiful Bill and Ben set.
[Image: super-smiley-emoticon.gif]
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It truly is. Shame I couldn't jump on one when they were cheap Confused
Would never pay the going rate for them now
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  • Super
Perfect Timing

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/e465060617
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  • Super
Looking at that picture I didn't realize that the Ben and Bill have different looking faces. Don't all the other Ben and Bills have the exact same faces?
[Image: super-smiley-emoticon.gif]
[-] The following 1 user Likes Super's post:
  • Tharazero1
I'm not sure
I only have Bill, not Ben
[-] The following 1 user Likes Tharazero1's post:
  • Super
The faces are the same but the eyes are looking in opposite directions.
I guess they must be rare to ask 15000yen for only 4 pieces of the set and Ben has a broken front buffer beam.

[Image: i-img1024x767-1601008961urwp62666576.jpg]

I guess they must be rare to ask 15000yen for only 4 pieces of the set and Ben has a broken front buffer beam.
[Image: super-smiley-emoticon.gif]
Yeah. The only reason why its at such a high price is because it includes Bill. If Bill wasn't included in this listing, it wouldn't even sell for 4,000yen
[-] The following 1 user Likes Tharazero1's post:
  • Super
So...I bought one from JAUCE with the original box and components. I'll share the differences and similarities when they arrive  Big Grin
The Tons of Trackmasters YouTube channel  Smile https://www.youtube.com/@TonsOfTrackmasters
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