Bachmann Thomas & Friends July 2020 NMRA Predictions

Started by TerencetheTractor525, February 13, 2020, 12:57:39 AM

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Toad139

I always love reading your posts Chaz, and I agree with everything you have stated here. As for your questions, I would definitely purchase a Bachmann Sir Handel. He also seems like the next logical choice for the all the reasons you have stated. For your last question, Sir Handel is undoubtably a fan favorite. I feel as though when ever I'm on Twitter, I see fans talking about Sir Handel more than any other narrow gauge engine. Plus, because he looks great in CGI, I think he would sell very well.

Chaz

Thanks for the strong feedback you guys.  Sir Handel will in no doubt be a huge hit once announced/released.  Although I don't expect him to reach the same level as a popular request as Stepney, I think as far as narrow gauge goes he will be a most well received announcement choice.  Looking forward to hearing more thoughts as well as seeing the Stepney post by Terence soon. :)
Modeler of HO/OO, OO9 and N scale.  Hoping for HO Hiro, Narrow gauge Luke, and N scale Edward and Duck.

TTL

Sir Handel would certainly be the next obvious and smart choice, if Bachmann follow in their typical pattern for the NG range, the model would probably be a quicker seller than even Skarloey was, given the shear number of variants, both fictional and irl, there are for the Falcons.
Need me some Sir Handel and more Talyllyn stock.

thomasj219

I agree that he's the best and obvious choice. Would be very happy to have a model of him. I suppose we'll see what happens in July. But even if he's not announced then I'm more than confident he will be soon.
All I want is, Stepney, Boco, Harvey.

TTL

Realistically I don't see him being announced until MAYBE next year, and that's only really if Peter Sam is out by or in the fall.
Need me some Sir Handel and more Talyllyn stock.

ÅngloketThomas

Hope to also see a Sir Handel soon, whould defenetly buy one! And I guess he might be quite popular, I think many whould want all of the season 4 narrow gague engines! :) So I think Sir Handel whould be a very great choice to see after Peter Sam!

grandpuff

Hello to All:

It is my opinion that since Skarloey, Peter Sam, and Sir Handel all share the same 0-4-2T wheel arrangement that Bachmann would probably have  designed the tooling to be able to use the chassis and drive train interchangeably for all three locomotives. If that is the case then I believe that Sir Handel will soon follow Peter Sam since all that would be required is the tooling for the body. I am also hopeful that Bachmann will follow up with a Duncan model using prototype proportions as with the rest of the series. Once the first six are produced I hope that Bachmann will consider a Duke model to complete the model series Narrow Gauge locomotives.

Grandpuff
Grandpuff

TTL

Nah I doubt that. All those prototypes have varying wheelbases and noticeable differences in driving, and trailing, wheel size. It just wouldn't be a smart move and wouldn't be remotely consistent with how Bachmann do the NG range.
Need me some Sir Handel and more Talyllyn stock.

JLK2707

I agree, but could you just explain how it would be out of scale with the other proportions of the bachmann narrow gauge stuff?

Kemptown Branch

If they just used Skarloey's chassis for Sir Handel and Peter Sam, the latter two wouldn't be accurate because the proportions wouldn't follow their basis proportions. They'd probably look stretched. If I remember correctly, Talyllyn has a longer wheelbase than both Sir Haydn and Edward Thomas.
Hoping for Edward in N Scale!

Rodimus Supreme

Quote from: JLK2707 on March 17, 2020, 08:42:51 AM
I agree, but could you just explain how it would be out of scale with the other proportions of the bachmann narrow gauge stuff?
He didn't say it was "out of scale", he said the proportions would be wrong.

TerencetheTractor525

Considering that Chaz promptly posted his detailed thoughts on the Black James and Narrow Gauge Sir Handel, I thought that it would be appropriate for me to share my thoughts on the locomotive that I greatly believe should enter the HO Thomas Line next: Stepney the Bluebell Engine!



So, why should Stepney, an engine who has not been present in recent episodes of the television series, plus seem like a generic 0-6-0 tank engine at first glance be introduced next instead of engines such as Nia, Rebecca, Phillip, Stanley, or even Ryan?



Firstly, the demand for him is definitely worth noting. Stepney has constantly been the most popular new engine suggestion by a landslide, not only through the Bachmann Forum, but through other branches of social media as well. Specifically, through the forum, threads such as the Stepney or Ryan Thread, as well as the Bachmann Thomas in 2019 and 2020 Threads have shown Stepney's popularity to a great extent, while multiple Bachmann Forum users have even stated how much they would love to see Stepney made in the signature section of their personal accounts. Through platforms such as Twitter, multiple polls have been conducted on ranking Bachmann's next engine too, and Stepney has constantly been at the top.



In terms of various brands of Thomas merchandise, Stepney has done very well with sales. For instance, when the Take-n-Play model was released in 2014, Stepney's model constantly sold out. In addition, Hornby made an HO/OO scale model of Stepney, which was first discontinued in 2010, but re-released in 2012 for a limited time due to popularity. It really is a shame that the Hornby model is now discontinued, as there has been and still is great demand for him, and the model is incredibly hard to come across for a decent price nowadays.



As someone who was lucky enough to purchase a Hornby Stepney many years ago, two questions that I have been asked numerous times from many Thomas fans are: Where can I find a Hornby Stepney? Do you ever plan on selling your Hornby Stepney? While replying, I always feel guilty for stating that I do not plan on selling my Stepney model, and that eBay is really the only place to find one these days. This just goes to show that a character does not need to be in current CGI episodes to be a popular request. It is crystal clear that fans want an HO Stepney.



Even so, considering that Stepney still may seem like a generic 0-6-0 tank engine, one may then ask: what makes Stepney so popular? For starters, he is one of the last engines introduced in the classic model series that has not been made by Bachmann, plus is an Awdry character. In addition, when looking at past sales, classic engines such as Duck have done very well. It would be no different with Stepney as well as the upcoming Daisy model for the same reason.



Moreover, fans see Stepney as a natural addition to the line, as he would go wonderfully with engines such as Duck, rolling stock such as the red branchline coaches, and most notably, Rusty, since he is the one who saved Stepney from scrap in a fan-favorite episode of all time: Rusty to the Rescue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MbpwBfrrxY. Stepney even goes wonderfully with the newer engines in the line: Rosie and Paxton, since Stepney played a part in an episode with Rosie: Rosie's Carnival Special https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYgTOayoJd8, and Paxton could be utilized as one of the scrap diesels seen in the background of Rusty to the Rescue.



Other episodes that can explain Stepney's popularity are Thomas and Stepney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-yHoSMEf2M, and Stepney Gets Lost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPGQtz1lvZU. Also, it is interesting to note that Stepney is the only engine mentioned in the classic song, Little Engines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wesCEBy1TE, that Bachmann has not made yet.



In real-life, let's remember that Stepney is even a symbol of railway heritage (The Bluebell Railway), and his real life basis is also called "Stepney". With the Bachmann Thomas line now entering the UK, a Bachmann Stepney could be sold at the Bluebell Railway Giftshop. This would, without a doubt, introduce more people to the Bachmann Thomas line, as well as give children who are already interested in Thomas a gateway to real-world locomotives. In fact, one Thomas fan made an extraordinary documentary on the history of Stepney, which once again, shows how popular of an engine he really is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGmpr52R2FY



As far as Stepney's design is concerned, a new tooling would be needed, but since Stepney is an 0-6-0 tank engine, his small new tooling is something that Bachmann could definitely work with. His goldenrod color scheme is also something worth noting, as there is currently no engine with the same livery, something that the licensor should certainly be on board with. In addition, one specific thing to note is that Stepney's red side rods should actually be plastic, and not metal, which would definitely help Bachmann, considering that many of Bachmann's most recent models such as Rosie and the narrow gauge engines have plastic bits for the side rods to save money.



Finally, some fans refer to Stepney as a ticking clock because the longer that Bachmann waits to announce Stepney, the higher the chance that Mattel will bring back Stepney to the television series. Hence, Bachmann would have to base Stepney on his CGI design. Although there have been some good CGI renders such as Daisy, other CGI renders such as Oliver missed the mark by a long shot. Thus, Stepney may suffer from the same fate if he returns in CGI. Therefore, what would be most ideal for Stepney is what happened with Duck. Bachmann announced him in 2012, right before his CGI render was revealed. Therefore, Bachmann Duck was based on the classic model series design, which fans were ecstatic about. And, just like Duck, Stepney's model era face is extremely nostalgic and has a unique charm of its own that I hope to see on the Bachmann model over any sort of CGI face.



Overall, I have zero doubt that Stepney is the best candidate for Bachmann to announce next as far as new toolings are concerned. To add, because it is the 75th Anniversary, I think that Stepney, a classic engine that has not been in the current show for a while, should take priority over any other new tooling in any scale of the Thomas line including a Narrow Gauge Sir Handel.



I truly hope that someone from Bachmann can pass this message along, as seeing Stepney announced would not only make fans extremely happy, but would greatly help Bachmann with very strong sales.

Now, for some questions:
Would you buy a Bachmann Stepney?
How popular do you think that a Bachmann Stepney would be?
After reading this, is there any other HO engine you could see as a better suggestion than Stepney and why?

Thank you very much for taking the time to read this long post. I look forward to seeing everyone's thoughts, and with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, I hope that everyone is well and stays safe.
Dreaming of a Bachmann Stepney.

Chaz

As always I enjoyed reading your post Terence, naturally Stepney is the top of the list for me as well, and I'll answer your questions too:

1. Yes absolutely.  He's really the only other new HO engine tooling that I think has a legitimate shot of happening that I would buy.
2. He would easily be one of the hottest sellers Bachmann has had since Duck, Oliver, and their upcoming Daisy model.  Not even up for debate.
3. I genuinely don't think any other engine deserves priority over Stepney as far as new toolings are concerned.  Bachmann's done a great job sticking with classics and continuing to avoid Nia and Rebecca and hopefully they will keep that up (especially the latter). 
Modeler of HO/OO, OO9 and N scale.  Hoping for HO Hiro, Narrow gauge Luke, and N scale Edward and Duck.

Kemptown Branch

I might as well answer these questions if it gives a better shot of Stepney being made.
  1. I would definitely buy a model of Stepney in a heartbeat if he was made, even though he'd technically be out-of-era for me. He has always been one of my favorite characters. The fact that he's also a real locomotive also strengthens that fact.
  2. I think he would be one of the best sellers and is probably Bachmann's best bet at making a newly tooled locomotive.
  3. I agree that Stepney should definitely have priority over any other thing Bachmann could make.
Hoping for Edward in N Scale!

ÅngloketThomas

I see there is a high demand for Stepney so think he whould really sell well, and since the Hornby model is so rare nowdays also, so I tihnk he is probably the best choice to make next :)