Mister No's Pics & Vids

In short, the answer to your question is: yes. 😁

It is a launcher that is similar to the launcher that we already had the opportunity to see in the TrackMaster Turbo Jungle set: 



The difference is that this new launcher shoots the locomotive into the loop, instead of into the tunnel (or whatever that yellow thing ^ is), and that now we have this big red handle (lever) that makes it easier to reset the launcher. As you can see in the video, if you do not reset the launcher with the handle, the engine is just going to pass the loop, which is a very nice thing: you can choose will you launch it into the loop or not. If you don't, the big loop-switch will automatically send the engine the shorter, "ground" way. But if you do send the engine into the loop, during the turn in the loop, the locomotive actually slides along the raised inner edge of the rail, so in fact, during the loop, the drive wheels do not even touch "the ground".



Plarail apparently decided to use a different method of "looping" - using the locomotive's own engine power touching the rail with the drive wheels at all times, while holding onto the loop with those slightly odd looking wheels. 

Consequently, we will have two different speeds of passing through the loop: with Mattel, the high speed caused by launching the locomotive into the loop, and with Plarail, the normal speed of the engine itself (we saw that in Tomy's commercial on the loop set). But, operating Plarail's set, you don't get to choose whether you'll send the engine into the loop or not; the engine goes into the loop every time. It's the only way.

In my opinion, it's actually good that the imaginations of the two teams came up with different solutions on this issue. 😊