Bachmann Online Forum

I thought I'd start this thread, so everyone can talk about the new 'Arry and Bert models Bachmann announced today.

Personally, I'm glad that they announced 'Arry and Bert instead of Oliver. 'Arry and Bert may have been in demand longer, and they are really easy projects. They just need to modify Diesel. Oliver would've required them to start from scratch.

Feel free to say your thoughts on the new models!

And I assume that because they've got the tooling,  they'll be released,  or at least have a picture posted sooner.  And the more engines, the better!

I know for sure that 'Arry and Bert would have CGI faces, just like Diesel. Bachmann can give them black side rods if they wish. But I do hope they have black windows, since their cabs aren't black like Diesel's.

Ehh a guy like me can wait another year to see whether or not Oliver and/or Toad will be announced in the very future! Besides, we have Duck to grovel over XD

Anyway, I'm pleased we got more diesels being made in the range!! Even though Bachmann can just slap a new coat of paint on Diesel's base model, it makes me excited to see their promo pics eventually... :)

I have a hunch that with Duck being launched at the start of the year, the two Diesels will be held off until the usual October/November release to even and space things out, but we shall see.

The Hornby models of 'Arry and Bert were awful. They had Splatter and Dodge's faces, and were totally inaccurate in design. And they're discontinued. At least Bachmann is making them finally, and I'm sure they'll turn out great!

Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 12, 2013, 07:50:10 AM
The Hornby models of 'Arry and Bert were awful. They had Splatter and Dodge's faces, and were totally inaccurate in design. And they're discontinued. At least Bachmann is making them finally, and I'm sure they'll turn out great!

That is very true, and honestly I'm a little suprised at the widespread "meh" feeling on the speed activated special sounds Thomas, I mean maybe this will be the (and I know it's potentialy unlikely) revision we've been asking for, I'll keep my eyes open for that one ;). 'Arry and Bert were to be expected and while I don't really consider them my favourite characters they are part of the "bad egg" diesel group, and I got diesel on my 4 week U.S holiday (hence my recent abscence), and I think he is a lovely looking model despite some flaws, and looks at home shunting trucks about in the sidings, Duck is also one I will keep my eyes open for, as my HORNBY one is a poor runner.

I hope the new thomas has a front coupler and a better face :)!

Thats an amazing point! ^

If bachmann is making a thomas with a speaker inside, then that means there's going to be re-designment! Maybe they'll fix the normal one in the process! ;D

or, god forbid.. Bachmann pull a Trackmaster and make Thomas way bigger then he should be...

I hope Thomas will be able to have a better face, and a front coupler! But now, let's get back to the 'Arry and Bert topic. I'll start a thread about the new Thomas.

It also makes me wonder if they'll have the classic series faces (they were the small rectangular shaped ones) or the CGI style faces (where their faces were close to Diesel's size....). Idk, I mean there was a significant difference when they transitioned from Season 12 to Season 14 and people seemed to have noticed that their faces became a tad bigger, so that's something I'm curious on...

Something tells me that the Iron Works twins will have CGI faces. I say this because Diesel's Bachmann model was given a CGI face (although Duck's face looks pretty model-era-esque).

thats most likely but who knows.

Are 'Arry and Bert considered engines from the classc series even though they did not have a huge roll in the classic era?

Quote from: PasqualeCS96 on February 14, 2013, 07:58:26 PM
Are 'Arry and Bert considered engines from the classc series even though they did not have a huge roll in the classic era?

Yes they are.

In a way, they are. They appeared in Season 5, still a bit more memorable than other characters that appeared in the post Season 7 series. And it's fitting because Cranky, who was released at the beginning days of the range, is also from Season 5, with them appearing a bit frequently in the current series more or less.

When Diesel arrived on the scene, we all knew it wouldn't be long before the Ironworks pair followed. Now they're coming into the station, along with our favorite Western Engine, and everyone's abuzz with the news.

I imagine Arry and Bert would be an easy make- just remove the ladders from Diesel, give them new coat of paint and new faces, add the stubble to one of the pair and behold- the twins!

I'm glad they're coming. I have no doubt in my mind that they will utilize CGI faces, but will they be happy and smiling like in the promotional pictures, will they have mischievous grins about them, or sulky, cross faces this time around?
Not many of the Thomas models from the range have a face that isn't cheerful-looking, so I'll expect the former of the choices then.

I can already see a number of remakes coming.. "Halloween" and "Middle Engine" stand out in my mind, as does the "Calling All Engines" fight scene. That ought to be exciting!

Would you prefer the side rods on the models being black, or silver? I'd preferably choose black, like how they are on the show. Diesel's were silver until season 6. I really wouldn't care much if Bachmann gave 'Arry and Bert silver ones.

Well, considering that Arry and Bert themselves had black side rods, it's possible that they would get black ones, but we'll see after (or at least eventually) the promo pics for the third set of twins arrive on the good ol' internet.

Quote from: Zorran202 on February 15, 2013, 09:24:43 PM
Well, considering that Arry and Bert themselves had black side rods, it's possible that they would get black ones, but we'll see after (or at least eventually) the promo pics for the third set of twins arrive on the good ol' internet.

I think the Bachmann models should have black side rods, so they'd be more like 'Arry and Bert from the show.

well when you think about it, Diesel does represent the CGI version, I mean, just look at his face, and yet he has silver side-rods, I'm guessing that they stayed silver because Bachmann wouldn't paint side-rods that stick out so much, and would get bumped and scratched up..?

in other words i just have a feeling that even though Arry and Bert will have CGI faces, they'll still get silver side-rods, like Diesel.



EDIT: Something that I've noticed with Arry and Bert's wheels, they dont have the counter-weights like a normal class 08 such as Diesel (by counter-weights I mean that half circle on the oposite side of the wheels then the side-rods)

This is the best example I could find; http://images.wikia.com/ttte/images/8/8b/DayoftheDieselsTrailer6.jpg

Quote from: JD417 on February 17, 2013, 04:19:07 PM
well when you think about it, Diesel does represent the CGI version, I mean, just look at his face, and yet he has silver side-rods, I'm guessing that they stayed silver because Bachmann wouldn't paint side-rods that stick out so much, and would get bumped and scratched up..?

in other words i just have a feeling that even though Arry and Bert will have CGI faces, they'll still get silver side-rods, like Diesel.



EDIT: Something that I've noticed with Arry and Bert's wheels, they dont have the counter-weights like a normal class 08 such as Diesel (by counter-weights I mean that half circle on the oposite side of the wheels then the side-rods)

This is the best example I could find; http://images.wikia.com/ttte/images/8/8b/DayoftheDieselsTrailer6.jpg

I guess when making 'Arry and Bert, Bachmann may have to make new wheels. Though, they're still gonna have to be the same size as Diesel's, just with no counterweights on them. Salty's wheels are also like that. Except Salty's wheels are smaller.

And about the side rods on 'Arry and Bert, maybe Bachmann can do their best to give them black ones. If not good enough, they'll just have to be silver.

It also makes me wonder whether or not that Arry and Bert will have the same facial expression, with minor differences (like Donald and Douglas) or different facial expressions (like Bill and Ben).

Thinking about their side rods, the majority of the engines that have side rods have always been silver. So I don't think Bachmann would change that, at least since it's a pattern that's noticeable on the engines that have side rods.

When photos of 'Arry and Bert get posted someday, if their side rods are silver, we shouldn't complain. Diesel got silver side rods.

Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 17, 2013, 09:16:17 PM
When photos of 'Arry and Bert get posted someday, if their side rods are silver, we shouldn't complain. Diesel got silver side rods.

Well, Diesel had silver side rods at the beginning.
If they have them, I still won't complain, I think it'll look nice on them. ;)

I'd prefer seeing the coupling rods in black, or in a grimy dark grey, as that's how I've always seen them.
However, if Bachmann decides to make them silver, that'll be alright, and a simple fix for those wanting black anyway.

I wonder if they will be clean in appearance, like Salty was, or if they'll be 'dirtied up' a bit, as seen on TV. Most likely the former will happen, but one can only hope!

I think the side rods will be silver out of pure ease of manufacture.

But lets not forget that when Bert and "The Un-named Diesel", who we now know as 'Arry, were first introduced, they had silver side rods.

(Episode of introduction, "Stepney Gets Lost")

They had silver side rods in their first episode. So Bachmann giving them silver side rods is definitely nothing to fuss over.

Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 21, 2013, 04:23:42 PM
They had silver side rods in their first episode. So Bachmann giving them silver side rods is definitely nothing to fuss over.

very true. even the ERTL models of the Iron Works twin had silver side rods.

They really had silver side rods? Wow, didn't know that.
You learn something new every day!

I wonder if their faces will be exactly like the CGI promotional shots, or if they'll be different from one another somehow.
I noticed one of the twin's faces in a DoTD screenshot, and I think it would work well.
It's the one all the way to the left, here:
(http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110915190140/ttte/images/thumb/f/fb/DayoftheDiesels43.jpg/640px-DayoftheDiesels43.jpg)

It's got the smile, but it's not so 'butterflies and 'daisies' like the faces in the promo shots, and I like that.
I think we're still going to see the promotional picture faces on the final models, but it is something I wanted to get out there.

Anyone think the Iron Twins will be gritty and scuffed up like on TV, or do ya think they'll be clean and 'shiny'?

If the Bachmann 'Devious' Diesel of all characters got a more...jolly facial expression, then that's saying something about the faces we should expect from 'Arry and Bert.
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120815225420/thomasthetankengineandfriends/images/2/2c/IronArryCGIpromo.png)(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110804193252/makestuffaboutthomas/images/5/5c/IronBertCGIpromo.png)
The faces we should honestly expect from Bachmann are these two.  They are almost exactly identical, minus the stubble on Bert.  I imagine the Bachmann models would be no different in that respect.  I can also see them having silver side rods, again, because the Bachmann Diesel also had them.  I can't imagine siderods on Bachmann models ever being a different color other than silver.  The side rods are made of metal, and are usually left unpainted in most model trains in general.

I think the Bachmann 'Arry and Bert will be out by the end of this year, they really wouldn't require as much effort on Bachmann's part to put together.  Especially since it took Bachmann less than a year to release their Diesel model.

Cool! I cannot wait to get the Bachmann Arry and Bert!

I don't see 'Arry and Bert in the online product catalog, but I did see analog sound Thomas, and Troublesome Truck #4. The diesels should be added there.

Yeah, I really wouldn't mind at all if 'Arry and Bert had silver side rods. It'll also be okay if Bachmann made the twins look shiny and clean. They don't really put weathering on their Thomas models anyway.

This thread seems quiet so far.  ???

If Bachmann were to make Stepney someday, they will have to paint his side rods red.

'Arry and Bert, they were first in season 5 Stepney Gets Lost, but they weren't properly introduced until season 6 Middle Engine. I know a season 8 remake that's possible, which is Thomas to the Rescue.

I would love to see someone remake 'Thomas to the Rescue', when Arry and Bert are released. It would be a simple and easy remake to do, though I think whoever tries it should use a 'dummy' Thomas model, without the motor, so the motor doesn't get damaged by simulated rock fall.

I'd love for someone to re-create 'Middle Engine'. That would be a real treat.

Quote from: Cirkit:) on March 01, 2013, 11:55:56 PM
I'd love for someone to re-create 'Middle Engine'. That would be a real treat.

I agree  ;D Although if one had Stepney from the "other company", Stepney Gets Lost could be remade.

PS When 'Arry and Bert are released, does anyone else think it'd be possible for someone to make a custom Splodge since the side ladders and such would be removed from Diesel's body?

Yes probably. they look almost identical besides the paint and ladders, side bars

Very excited to see Arry and Bert coming!  Glad I didn't get the Hornby versions as I'm sure Bachmann's will be better.

Nice to get some more diesels on the roster aswell as characters that are currently seen alot so my kids are familar with them.

I have the Hornby Arry and Bert models. I have just taken off the Splatter and Dodge faces and put on the Trackmaster Arry and Bert faces! I now think that they look a lot better! :)

Can you post a picture of them with the trackmaster faces?

Quote from: DinoNTrains on March 02, 2013, 01:48:51 AM

Quote from: Cirkit:) on March 01, 2013, 11:55:56 PM
I'd love for someone to re-create 'Middle Engine'. That would be a real treat.

I agree  ;D Although if one had Stepney from the "other company", Stepney Gets Lost could be remade.

PS When 'Arry and Bert are released, does anyone else think it'd be possible for someone to make a custom Splodge since the side ladders and such would be removed from Diesel's body?

What other company?

HORNBY, No idea why we refer to them in such silly terms "The Red Box Company "The Other Company" Merely mentioning the company name doesn't promote them. In fact referring to them in such a way makes it a bigger deal.

Honestly, I agree.  The whole thing with people censoring Hornby's name or calling it "the red box company" is just really silly, and also comes off as extremely biased.  Mentioning the name is okay, it's not doing any harm.  When you compare Hornby's line to Bachmann's line or bash Hornby's line on a Bachmann forum, that's when it looks unprofessional and it makes Bachmann as a whole look bad.  

Quote from: TrainFan97 on March 01, 2013, 05:41:07 PM
If Bachmann were to make Stepney someday, they will have to paint his side rods red.

If Bachmann were to do Stepney, I would hope they would have his side-rods painted red as that's something that has remained consistent for Stepney as a character.  At the same time though, I wouldn't be surprised if they would be left unpainted.  That being said Hornby's Stepney model had their side-rods red, so it would be interesting to find out what kind of approach Bachmann were to do if they made a Stepney model of their own.

I don't see the big deal in mentioning Hornby either.  I don't think they're in competition with Bachmann since they really distribute mainly in the UK and Bachmann in US as far as I can tell at least.  Only a few diehard collectors out there are going to track down the items from the other side of the ocean, usualy just a select few engines the other company doesn't produce.  Only Hornby engine I have is Dart but I have all available engines from Bachmann.

Hornby are incredibly strict about mentioning Bachmann on their forum.

Hornby has a Thomas forum?

Ok now this is where we get into dangerous waters guys. Doesn't matter how they run their forum, I prefer to actually know what I am talking about. Let's just let it drop.

Got to remember what an admin said before. This is the Bachmann online forum. Not the Hornby online forum.

Guys, if I were you, I would refrain from carrying on the Hornby conversation.

yeah they will  probably delete this thread so yah

Not sure if I already asked, too lazy to go back and check :P

Do you guys thing Arry and Bert will be gritty and grimy like they've been portrayed recently, or do you think they'll look clean, like Salty, Mavis, and Diesel have before them?

I imagine weathering the twins after their purchase wouldn't be to hard. Dirty up their coupling rods, dust up their frames, at a touch of oil splatter, and they're good to go. :)

considering bachmanns other thomas characters i'm guessing clean though dirty would look good on them

Arry and Bert will most likely be clean.  Get out your weathering kits!

I hope 'Arry and Bert will have black windows.

Well, knowing the pattern with any diesel (Diesel, Mavis, and Salty), they usually color their windows silver, as opposed to the steam engines since they have the black windows.

Quote from: Zorran202 on March 24, 2013, 07:24:02 PM
Well, knowing the pattern with any diesel (Diesel, Mavis, and Salty), they usually color their windows silver, as opposed to the steam engines since they have the black windows.

I can see why Diesel had gray windows. 'Arry and Bert would look better with black windows, because at least they don't have black cabs.

Well, Salty doesn't have a black cab, yet his windows are clear (though he does have clear/darkish gray windows in the TV/CGI series...). Just saying. I understand where you're coming from though. If they were to make a diesel like BoCo, since his windows are black, then that would also have to be taken into consideration (assuming if he's made at all).

Quote from: Zorran202 on March 25, 2013, 08:46:53 PM
Well, Salty doesn't have a black cab, yet his windows are clear (though he does have clear/darkish gray windows in the TV/CGI series...). Just saying. I understand where you're coming from though. If they were to make a diesel like BoCo, since his windows are black, then that would also have to be taken into consideration (assuming if he's made at all).

If they did make BoCo someday, then hopefully, at least HIS windows would be black. That's how they were on the show. I think BoCo would look silly with gray windows. Black windows don't really need to be only on steamies. I'm sure a Bachmann BoCo would be just as amazing as Bachmann Duck! I can't wait to get Duck.

Even I'm a little disappointed that Oliver wasn't announced this year. At least 'Arry and Bert are still okay.

I assume Arry and Bert will be $95/₤62,  but will be able to be picked up for alot less than that.

On amazon bachmann Thomas is always like 20-30 dollars less than the bachmann web page so I am not worried about the price. I assume they will be the same as Diesel.

I think they wasted money on paint I would have just slap some paint on another diesel model I bought that is what I would have to do with Splatter and Dodge! >:(

I'm really looking forward to 'Arry & Bert, but I would also like them to have a dirty/messy/oily look

Chances of them being grimy looking, not so big, looking at Salty and Mavis as they aren't dirty. They're very clean, so Arry and Bert wouldn't be that dirty...

But then again, I remember a user actually sprinkled on some weathering on them to make them accurately dirty, so even if they don't make them dirty, you can just slap some weathering and badabing you got yourself a couple of dirty diesels :P

I can't wait to see them.

It's probable we won't be getting them until 2014 now going by this UK seller's description. They're usually reliable in what they post.

http://www.thedieselworks.co.uk/58812-iron-arry-diesel-loco-p-667.html

Seems this is the case these days; the engine(s) announced get released the following Summer.

Quote from: therailwayinspector on November 08, 2013, 05:07:10 PM
It's probable we won't be getting them until 2014 now going by this UK seller's description. They're usually reliable in what they post.

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,22886.60.html

Seems this is the case these days; the engine(s) announced get released the following Summer.

It just leads back to this page!

Not sure what happened there, but this is the actual link I meant to post:
http://www.thedieselworks.co.uk/58812-iron-arry-diesel-loco-p-667.html

Quote from: therailwayinspector on November 08, 2013, 05:07:10 PM
It's probable we won't be getting them until 2014 now going by this UK seller's description. They're usually reliable in what they post.

http://www.thedieselworks.co.uk/58812-iron-arry-diesel-loco-p-667.html

Seems this is the case these days; the engine(s) announced get released the following Summer.

can't be. Towerhobbies say Late November that Arry and Bert are due for release.

Well, we're nearing the end of November and havent even had a sample-image yet so I highly doubt we'll see them before Christmas I'm afraid.

I'm just hoping they'll show the pics of them before the end of the year. It'll be nice to look forward to a pair of Smelter's Diesels lurking about the layouts before then... :P

Maybe their pictures will be a surprise around Christmas..
I do hope they arrive soon. I bet most of the other engines wish otherwise :p

Well, Christmas came and went, but no sign of the Iron Twins...

http://www.wholesaletrains.com/HOProducts2.asp?Scale=HO&Item=160Thomas&offset=25

Although according to wholesaletrains (assuming no one else posted this), they're slated for an end-of-the-month February release, hoooooopefuuuuuuuullyyyyyyyyyy........  :-\

Hey-ey, I haven't been on here for quite some time, I just thought that I would share that when I was at a Train show at the I-X Center here in Cleveland, There were a couple of Bachmann Reps there, and I asked them about forthcoming releases, and products they were thinking about doing, unfortunately they cant/don't know about forthcoming products, until about the end of February(?) when the new catalogs come out for the year, but I did get some information you guys may be happy to know about, or you may know already, either way, here I go.

Bachmann Iron 'Arry and Iron Bert are being planned out to be released in late March/Early April

The Large Scale Raspberry Syrup Tanker and Blue Open Wagon were there, and one of the men I talked to said, they're due to be out "Soon" I could've sworn they were already out, but I wasn't going to question the guy, seeing how I'm probably wrong about that anyway.

And this here, I'm very happy to know about, and share with you guys, is that The Bach-man reads EVERY post here on the forms, and puts the information we give, such as the next engine we want to see in a range, or like if something doesn't work properly, he puts into consideration to produce or fix. So every time someone puts Oliver, and BoCo or Rosie, and Whiff, that adds up to see if it would be worth it to make.

And on about what they do for the HO range now, They said they want to produce at least one engine and a rolling stock piece a year, I put in that Toad and Oliver would be perfect, seeing as we have our other Great western, and I also mentioned the Bolster wagons.

Well, that's all I feel like typing so, bye for now, everyone :P

Wish I didn't live in the UK for this reason :P I could talk their ears off trying to convince them to make Stepney.... ok, and Oliver too

It's nice that the Bach-Man does read all our posts for researcch - there's dedication for you (Thanks BM!)

Nice to hear an update on A&B too; hopefully we'll have pictures in Feb.
I can see this becoming the norm for a while; products announced are released the following year - a lot of companies are experiencing production issues which is leading to this as they try to balance out production of new and existing products.

Oh, and the first guy I talked to said he had someone "Basically yelling at me to make Rosie.." I put in that unless she would get her voice back, that she probably wouldn't do well in a realistic market :P

I hope they don't make Rosie before characters like Oliver, Rosie's all well and good but at the end of the day...she's still Rosie.

When are we supposed to get the announcement?

Fergusfan, we are due to get the announcement at this years toy fair on February 16th to 19th.

Quote from: JD417 on January 08, 2014, 07:10:25 AM

And this here, I'm very happy to know about, and share with you guys, is that The Bach-man reads EVERY post here on the forms, and puts the information we give, such as the next engine we want to see in a range, or like if something doesn't work properly, he puts into consideration to produce or fix. So every time someone puts Oliver, and BoCo or Rosie, and Whiff, that adds up to see if it would be worth it to make.

And on about what they do for the HO range now, They said they want to produce at least one engine and a rolling stock piece a year, I put in that Toad and Oliver would be perfect, seeing as we have our other Great western, and I also mentioned the Bolster wagons.

That does sound about right. I also think that hit entertainment also plays a role in deciding what Bachmann should produce and make as well as the manufacturing companies in China that actually produce the models.  So it's clear that the suggestions on the forum have not been ignored, and will hopefully continue to do so, with the hype for Oliver and Toad. ;)

Quote from: JD417 on January 08, 2014, 10:24:14 AM
Oh, and the first guy I talked to said he had someone "Basically yelling at me to make Rosie.." I put in that unless she would get her voice back, that she probably wouldn't do well in a realistic market :P

I could not agree more.  Personally, I do not think a model of her would be that good of a seller just because she isn't too popular with the older fan base (who usually collect the models) and her lack of roles and screen time.  I think engines like Oliver, Arthur, Hiro, or even Paxton would be much better sellers than Rosie.

As far as Arry and Bert's release date goes, I am not entirely convinced that they will be out in the spring due to previous experiences of models being held back due to production.  I am sure though, at the very latest, we will see photos of them (and the other products) in the 2014 catalog. 

I was looking through the catalog at the same train show and I didn't see any new pictures.  :-\

Quote from: PasqualeCS96 on January 08, 2014, 05:09:36 PM
I was looking through the catalog at the same train show and I didn't see any new pictures.  :-\

Yeah, the 2014 catalog isn't going to come out for like another month, the ones there were last years :P

My question is why say they are going make something and then not release it until the following year *cough* Duck *cough*

Quote from: ilovetrains323 on January 08, 2014, 06:56:19 PM
My question is why say they are going make something and then not release it until the following year *cough* Duck *cough*

Mass production, and demand, is my guess.

Time.

How many products do Bachmann make?
A lot.

They can't all be manufactured at once, so every product works like a queue; new models too.
A new model reaches first sample stage by reaching the front of this queue. Whilst that's being reviewed, other products in the queue are made.
When it comes to producing the second sample, that has to go to the back of the queue and wait its turn. That's why we have to wait so long for some products to be restocked and new ones to come- there's just so many products that the queue has a long waiting time.

Yeah you're right. They have just so much time. :P