Thomas & Percy Retoolings

[Cheeky_ULP]

I was a teenager when I was posting on the Bachmann Forum and suggesting that Bachmann update Thomas, Percy and James to look more accurate. 17 years later, it looks like that wish has finally come true.



So far, a lot of curiosities have come up.

1. Will these new toolings be designed to be DCC Ready? There is a DCC Thomas and Percy, so it makes sense that the new tooling would be designed with that in mind.
2. Will there be front couplers? It seems like yes would be the obvious answer. A very long and overdue update.
3. Will the new tooling be compatible with the snow plough?
4. Is the chassis entirely new? The descriptions specify the bodies will be updated, but not the chassis. I can only imagine Thomas will at least get Stanley's side rods, and it would be great if Percy's valve gear gets updated to be more accurate.

Hopefully we will get these answers in due time. This is a very exciting day.

[TrainFan97]

We never thought in a million years that Bachmann would be retooling the first engines in the range. Once they get released, it may be time to discontinue the original Thomas and Percy models. The new models must have front couplers. Percy especially needed it, since his model was bad. Maybe the new Thomas will get Celebration and LBSC variants.

Maybe a re-tooled HO Scale James will also be announced next year, and he'd get Origin and Busy Bee variants later on. The re-tooled James should get an open cab, front coupler, and a CGI face.

[Kemptown Branch]

The new Thomas and Percy are probably the highlights of the announcements for me, and I really hope they get them right!

I hope that they do make new chassis for them, especially Thomas. I've always felt that the wheels Bachmann originally used for Thomas look way to big when comparing him to either the Live Action or CGI models. I hope they use different wheels, especially since the N Scale Thomas got the wheel size right. If they could basically do the N Scale model, but scaled up to OO, I think this has the chance of being the most accurate Thomas ever, especially with an open cab and spokes!

I also think that Percy should get a new chassis, since the current model's chassis block looks way too big, and it just doesn't look good on Percy.

A new chassis would also let them use bearings, which would help with running performance quite a bit, especially paired with a flywheel. Since Thomas and Percy are main characters, I hope Bachmann is able to do everything they can to ensure they run well.

Also, I kind of hope they use the faces from the photos in the catalog. I think Thomas' closed-mouth smile looks really good, and it would help him stand out a bit from other characters in the range, since most have open smiles.

As far as sizing goes, I think they might end up being a tad smaller than the originals, since some of the proportions were stretched to fit the motors/eye mechs, but I don't think they would scale them down too much, since most of the models are scaled to fit in with the original Thomas model. Didn't Bachmann also scale Oliver up compared to his CGI render to help him fit in better with the rest of the range?

[Chaz]

I was actually just reading through that old thread last night after the "leak" went out. Talk about a flashback!

I'm really happy that the new versions of Thomas and Percy have been announced. The fact that they are brand-new tools with updated designs is something fans have wanted for a very long time. Even if you are not a CGI fan, the face is an easy fix, and the bodies are, more likely than not, going to be based on the earlier Nitrogen renders, as shown by the illustrations in the brochure and not those awful designs from BWBA with the incessant rivet details that no one likes.

I am also curious what this means for other products featuring Thomas and Percy, such as the different starter sets, the DCC and sound models that were released last year, and, of course, the various Thomas variants, the LBSC Thomas in particular.

I'd like to think that this is going to be much more of a gradual upgrade/release with all these in mind. James will definitely be the odd one out for some time now, but I have no doubt that, depending on how Thomas and Percy do, he will be next to receive this full-on upgrade.

Apart from James and a new face for Paxton, I don't see Bachmann doing this for other engines like Gordon and Henry, since I feel their flaws are a lot more minor than those on Thomas, Percy, and James (besides Henry's tender being too short).  Even if later down the road we only receive new models of Thomas, Percy and (eventually), James, that is an incredible win for the fans because of how popular this request has been and how long it's been pushed for (as far back as 2009!)

Either way, it's great seeing Bachmann giving Thomas and Percy these long-overdue modern upgrades, and I'm curious to see what's in store for them once we see/hear more updates.