Flip-Face Gordon and Percy, Toby with an odd car

[Muddy Poppins]

We recently picked up the Brendam Dock set, and to my surprise LOOK what's pictured on the back of the box!
We were just talking about this! I don't know if anyone has actually seen these, or if there is already a thread that contains images of them, but I though I would share them...

[Tharazero1]

I remembered i posted a thread a year ago about the flip face gordon. The gordon and percy never made it passed prototype phase but as we all lknow, the toby made it into production. Like me and many other people here i wished gordon and percy were produced, sadly that never happened

---

here is the thread about the flip face gordon https://www.blueplastictracks.com/showth...p?tid=1329

[Muddy Poppins]

Actually, Percy was made....I think it was called an ice cream or a birthday delivery set, but it was recalled due to lead paint. Supposedly some were sold, or at least distributed for them to be recalled, so maybe one could still be found!

[ripley802]

Very cool... So do you think Gordon was set to release after Percy and due that one being recalled it never was released?

[Muddy Poppins]

Possibly...maybe they both had lead paint, and and caught Gordon and saved themselves a second recall? Maybe all 3 including the Toby were defective? Idk but for Percy to be recalled means he had definitely been released somewhere.

[ripley802]

It would probably take some research and may be a bit teadeous or even not possible but maybe an idea for making the Percy as a custom? Take a flip face Thomas and merge with a talking Percy? Using the face from say the RC Percy and a regular Percy, and then wire in the sound so it activates when the face flips?

Gordon may a bit more difficult since I don’t believe there would be a comparable flipface chassis to use.

[StarSwitcher07]

Just thought I'd correct the talk about the lead paint crisis-
This was only present on Learning Curve Wooden Railway items in 2006-2007. The Wooden Railway Ice Cream Factory was part of the recall due to the red paint in there (the color red was at recall). Lead paint was never an issue in Plarail/Trackmaster history. (CPSC source : https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2007/rc2-co...-poisoning )

The only reasonable reason that these Trackmaster items weren't released was that they were figured not to sell well, as sales were probably low on relating sets. Were these advertised in 2009? They could have been projected plans for the range before the Mattel/Fisher Price buyout.

Keep in mind, Percy AND Gordon were at least made, otherwise the pictures of them being advertised wouldn't exist (albeit in prototype form)! If the two of them still exist (along with prototype Flipface Toby), they would more than likely reside in the vaults of Mattel or wherever the Thomas range for HiT Toy Company's assets went. Hope this clears up a common misconception around here!

[Super]

Thanks Star

Well that certainly answers the question of the lead paint recall for sure.
I don't think I have ever seen that cool building in the Flip Face Percey with the barrels and ice cream sticker before...even in used Lots. Will have to keep a keener eye out for that to see if a F-F Percy might be hiding there too..

[Muddy Poppins]

I'm not sure where I remember my info from, possibly from wikiThomas, but I believe it was from the FisherPrice website recall listings...I will look around this evening to see if I can find where I got the info about the lead paint.

[StarSwitcher07]

I believe it was from the FisherPrice website recall listings...

That can't be the case because that set was during the HiT Toy Company era, not Fisherprice.

[Super]

Would there have been much paint if any on a plastic motorized flip face Percy? However don't the wooden trains have all paint?

[StarSwitcher07]

Every toy is spraypainted a color (Thomas is sprayed blue, Percy green, that's what differentiates them from the original production plastic color). The wooden train paint got switched one day (I think) and it was wrong. It's a fun story to read on haha

[Muddy Poppins]

That can't be the case because that set was during the HiT Toy Company era, not Fisherprice.

Well that would seem logical! It couldn't be on the FP website because it's Hit, so it could only have been Thomas wiki?...oh Star this is gonna take me forever to dig into the memory banks to remember where I read that!! It's gonna drive me crazy now too....maybe Jdogman will pop in with some info that might jog my memory?!?
Please Jdog if your out there?

[Super]

Every toy is spraypainted a color (Thomas is sprayed blue, Percy green,

Looking at several trains that I have, the plastic is colored (dyed?) not painted ie: Thomas has blue plastic, Percy has green. But I did notice other painted areas that I didn't figure in my equations. Things like a black roof or gold whistle are painted so it wouldn't matter how small a painted part is, if it has lead then it can get into a youngsters system. Now I am not saying this is what happened or if it did it happened in this line of toys...just thinking out loud.

[sunhuntin]

i remember the lead paint issue, but not what thomas items were affected. it was 2007, i think? the pixar cars diecast sarge was one of the problem items, and most of us were asked to return them. mine were and still are sealed, and always will be. as such, i elected to keep them