Bachmann Thomas & Friends in 2020

[RailwayRoundhouse]

HO Scale:
 
• Stepney - A very popular and beloved character and one which is in very high demand. If Bachmann want to make to make a model that would guarantee great sales, Stepney is the way to go.

• Red Express Coaches - They've got the tooling and I'm sure many people would want to buy them (I certainly would). People seem to really like the return of Gordon's Express Coaches to the range, so I feel this would be an ideal option.

Narrow Gauge:

• Brakevans (Blue, Red, Brown, etc) - With Bachmann releasing both passenger coaches and various wagons, it seems only natural that brakevans would be next. I imagine they'd be modelled after the TVs Versions rather then the Talyllyn/Corris Railway toolings, but I could be wrong. I'd think those who model the Skarloey Engines in particular would want these to announced, especially seeing as they could complete train consists.

N Scale:

Maybe some sort of starter set? I'm not too sure to be honest.

G Scale:

• Red Branchline Coaches - I'm surprised these haven't been announced sooner given the popularity of the HO versions and that you already have the tooling. All you'd need to do is tweek the brake coach a little bit and there you go. Probably would be popular with most of the G Scale modellers I imagine.

[NWRmodeller]

So my list of items will very much be the same as everyone else's but here goes;

ho scale

Stepney (with moving eyes)
Tar tanker
Brown CCT utility van (they have the tooling and I personally would think it a great addition as it appeared numerous times in the classic series)

Narrow Guage

Brake vans (brown, blue)
Sir Handel

N Guage

James
Thomas, annie and clarabel starter set

I'm not too sure as to what i'd put for Large scale as i've never cared for it as such, so i'd rather people who do like it ask for what they'd want.

[TTL]

I gotta be honest, Stepney is very unlikely. Daisy was highly requested AND is actually in the show still, Hell shes been a prominent character.

[JLK2707]

I agree. We should just be realistic, not pessimistic.

[Falcon the 2nd]

Reposting this after some unwarranted negativity arose. I'm starting to get tired of users like these...

The list I initially shared about a week back could do with a small update.

N Scale
James

Large Scale
Red Coaches

James is a pretty common pick among other users. Even though Thomas and Percy's prototypes aren't finished yet, I'm open for seeing him announced. He was my favorite character for a very long time and I'd be down for owning him in N Scale should he be confirmed. Hopefully, they'll get the sculpt and paint right like they did with his Large Scale counterpart. And talking of which...

Upon further talk in the Large Scale thread, I'm not so sure about Mavis being announced for at least a year and a half. The Red Coaches are looking more like a safer bet, as Annie and Clarabel have been around since the line's beginning in 2009. There's only a handful of sculpt changes to make (roofs, brake compartments, noses removed) and they could be just a little less expensive to produce than Mavis. This could be the best shot Large Scale has to remain relevant and redeem itself after five years worth of mainly uninteresting announcements.
I won't get too hopeful in this front, but if the coaches are announced and fans share interest in them, maybe Large Scale can last a little longer and we could eventually see a new engine of some form. Mavis, if the funds are sufficient, or LBSC Thomas, if they aren't.

[Chaz]

Actually I wanted to talk about the N scale range while we are back on that subject.  (Honestly after Daisy and Peter Sam got announced I kind of forgot about the new N scale range and even Red Rosie at one point...)

I think James is definitely going to find his way next into the N scale range, probably closer to when the Thomas and Percy models get released if anything.  Probably the one likely candidate engine wise who I would love to see Bachmann do in N (at some point) is Toby.  We never had an N scale model of him released and he was popular in both HO and Large Scale.  He's also one of my favorite characters too so there's that extra bias on my end...  either way after they announce James I do hope that Toby does get announced eventually.  I kind of slowed down my interest in modeling in n after these last announcements but I would definitely buy a Toby model in a heartbeat.

[TrainFan97]

I'm also getting sick and tired of people who think Stepney is impossible, all just because he hasn't appeared in full CGI. That's being too pessimistic, like they don't consider the Spiteful Brake Van to be a valid argument. Yes, they had the tooling for the Spiteful Brake Van, but still, that's something from Season 2. The argument that "it hasn't appeared in CGI, therefore Bachmann can't make it" needs to stop. It's getting old.

When Bachmann defies expectations in a good way, it's clear they actually fight Mattel to get them to agree to give us what WE want. We didn't expect Daisy to have moving eyes, let alone actually get made after having no merchandise since her return to the show, until now.

While we get back on topic, James is inevitable as the third N Scale engine. We still haven't gotten an update on the upcoming range, but I'm seeing a lot of potential for it. When first announced, the N Scale range had a lot of hype, while we still don't know much about it yet.

Red Rosie may show up in stock by the end of the month. Should be no later than December. Same for the HO rolling stock that was announced at the Toy Fair this year. We may not get the images of Daisy, Peter Sam, or the HO rolling stock that was announced in July, until the 2020 catalog gets released in February.

[DucktheGWREngine08]

............OKAY I never said it was impossible, I have multiple times said either, it's higjly unlikely, or I don't think it'll happen, that is my opinion on the matter, nowhere did I said I never wanted it to happen, nor that it is impossible, heck I'd love for not only Stepney to hallen, but also Duke and Boco, but Mattel will allow only loco characters that are in the current seasons to be made. Spiteful Brakevan was possible due to it just being the NWR style brakevan with a face on it. Sorry if my poinrinf dtuff out seemed like it was attacking or saying with was impossible, also I deleted the comment. I've gotten tired of being seen as a negative person who doesn't want a chatacter made, but I doubt I'll be forgiven cause I seem like a horrid person now :/.

[Chaz]

Don't worry about it, I deleted my post too, but let's try to avoid negative comments like that in the future to avoid unneeded conflicts like that again.

Going back on topic, I'm thinking probably at Toy Fair we will likely probably have updates on the N scale range by then and possibly an update on the rolling stock announcements from the NMRA. 

[DucktheGWREngine08]

Don't worry about it, I deleted my post too, but let's try to avoid negative comments like that in the future to avoid unneeded conflicts like that again.

Going back on topic, I'm thinking probably at Toy Fair we will likely probably have updates on the N scale range by then and possibly an update on the rolling stock announcements from the NMRA. 

That's probably when they'll have at least some update on the rolling stock for the n scale stuff, plus a possible announcement of James.

[Falcon the 2nd]

N Scale is deeming a worthy new line with much potential so far and I look forward to its growth. Toby is a nice idea for an engine to make after a while and Mavis can also be made alongside him using the same chassis, though this is assuming that Bachmann can announce two engines on a single occasion. We're pretty early in the line's run, so it may be too early to tell.

If news on Rosie's recolor possibly surfaces before the end of the year, I'm hoping the same can apply to the Narrow Gauge coaches. I'm quite interested in checking those out as soon as they're released.

[TayBowes917]

If you look at what they've already come out with and what they just announced, I'm hoping for the following:

HO:
Stepney
Flat truck with load (other than logs)
A new tanker with chocolate? (Or something along those lines.)
Red Express Composite Coach/Brake Coach
Rereleasing Salty

Narrow Gauge:
Sir Handle
Brake Van
Open air coach
Dynamite truck

N Scale:
Gordon
Henry
Express coaches
Troublesome truck 3

Large Scale:
Red Coaches
Gordon
Cattle Wagon

[JLK2707]

Why would bachmann just release a large scale Gordon?

[TrainFan97]

Large Scale Gordon has been discussed countless times, and it's been stated countless times that he's much too big for Large Scale. I'm surprised this is still being brought up.

Other characters that have been discussed countless times in the past for HO Scale include Lady and Diesel 10, and stated countless times that they can't happen for reasons stated countless times.

[DinoNTrains]

For HO

I'd love to see Stepney made (for reasons mentioned above and earlier). As far as rolling stock goes, I think it'd be nice to see the red express coaches again, considering that Bachmann re-released Gordon's express coaches.

For Large Scale

I'm not sure, honestly. When was the last time we had a major large scale announcement? Though since the human figures (e.g. Sir Topham Hatt, Farmer McColl, and the conductor) are labeled as large scale items, maybe it's time we get another human figure? If so, I'd like to see Lady Hatt first, and then Mr. Percival (I don't think he's had a lot of merchandise).

For Narrow Gauge

I'd prefer to see either Sir Handel or Duncan, and then a narrow gauge brake van.

For N

Again, like large scale, not so sure. Maybe we should see how well the N-scale range does before we start making more predictions.