I've thought that since the classics choices are becoming much smaller, now would seem like a good time to look into the CGI characters, I know, Winston is generally mixed, but we've grown fond of several others of them. :) The current team behind the show has brought back old faces, but they also have created likable characters in S17-18. We can shine some light here.
Paxton
(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/e/e8/DisappearingDiesels15.png/revision/latest?cb=20140421121201)
Well this character seems to be inevitable, since he can be considered a economical rehash. But we older fans have grown to like him since BMM.
Hiro
(http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/0/07/Henry%27sHero40.png/revision/latest?cb=20141105220229)
Out of all of the CGI characters this is personally my Number 1 top pick. Since "HOTR" I've enjoyed Hiro as a character as well as his oriental design, he's a very popular character with the older fans. He's had great roles since S17-18. He makes a great association with both the classics and new characters. He's a well-developed character, and would probably be a extraordinary seller, he would probably sell by bucketloads. ;)
Porter
(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/2/23/AwayFromtheSea28.png/revision/latest?cb=20140331234018)
Fans from all-around seemed to have grown to like him. Maybe it's his personality or that he's been portrayed realistically since his debut. He would go great with Salty, Cranky Bill/Ben. There's the Brendam Warehouse, so Porter would complete a Dockside layout.
However, my biggest drawback would have to be is that he suffers from being underscale, his buffers literally don't lineup with other trucks.
Example
(http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/f/fe/GoneFishing%28episode%2912.png/revision/latest?cb=20140404124836)
Stephen
(http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/7/7d/KingoftheRailway364.png/revision/latest?cb=20130925231614)
This character, we all have grown to love. He's grounded in actual history, plus his sense of humor is what makes him extremely likeable. He really captures the RWS essence, however he's doesn't have much association with other characters, and he's based in Ulfstead Castle. :P
Marion
(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/a/a9/MarionandthePipe26.png/revision/latest?cb=20140909101554)
OK, OK, I'm highly doubtful this is possible, but I'll say I really adore Marion as a character. She's lively, intelligent, and abit over-the-top. ;) But like Harvey's crane, her shovel is the obstacle, but if it happens she would make a great addition with Bill/Ben and others. She is going to make alot of appearances in the future. :o
Throwing some ideas here, so please discuss your thoughts. :)
I would love to have Stephen! He's a unique but practical model (I think) and I'd always love another yellow engine.
Even if we don't get another HO friend next year hopefully narrow gauge will :)
for NG CGI Characters, Luke would be good. He is a bit of a shy, but gentle character.
Can you please not quote my post just not to clog up this thread? :P
Take it easy. i'm just replying with my views you know.
He just means don't quote. You don't have to quote in every post you make. It clogs up the board.
As we have noted before, it is best not to repeat images because it does slow down the Forum. Thank you for your cooperation.
Bachmann Trains
Ok, moving on. What other characters would you guys like to see from CGI?
Quote from: DoggySporty on March 16, 2015, 02:11:24 PM
Ok, moving on. What other characters would you guys like to see in CGI?
Luke would be great for the NG range. He is a shy and sometimes scared and worried, but gentle character.
I haven't seen Luke in an episode yet unfortunately, but he seems to be a popular character--he even got converted to roll and whistle in the wooden range!
Quote from: DoggySporty on March 16, 2015, 03:13:07 PM
I haven't seen Luke in an episode yet unfortunately, but he seems to be a popular character--he even got converted to roll and whistle in the wooden range!
He appeared in Luke's New Friend, The Switch and Duncan the Humbug. and also watch the film Blue Mountain Mystery, the film where he makes his debut.
Blackfive1994, did you understand what I meant? There is no need to quote the post before yours every time you post. Unless it's a substantial distance back from your post we can most definitely figure out what you mean by context or simply looking back a post. And as inside track said it clogs up the board. So please take that into consideration.
The only new engine I could see myself buying a model of would be Paxton or Hiro. Porter would have to depend if his buffer height was fixed or not. The size of his body in the show makes no sense. The picture you provided shows hows awkward it is, especially with the buffers. Bachmann would have to quite some imagining and artistic license to make him work in OO. If they got him to work though, I would buy Porter.
It's obvious that Marion would be crossed off the list. I guess Stephen would be off the list too. I agree Sparks with Porter's scaling, it would make it impossible to fit hook-loop couplers, so I guess Porter would be considered out of the question, that is if Arc could fix his render. :-\
So that would bring us down to Paxton and Hiro.
Paxton has become a fleshed out character since BMM. I would be happy to welcome him.
With Hiro, he would make a great addition, and be an undeniable buy. ;)
What about Timothy?
While I don't see Marion or Stephen happening anytime soon due to their designs, I don't think Timothy will happen yet just because he is still a fairly new character. I would wait at least a few years to see how he or even someone like Gator were to do in the next two seasons or so from now. However, I do agree that Paxton and Porter are legitimate possibilities. Paxton's been discussed numerous times before, but I think Porter would have a good chance depending on how much we see and hear from him next season. If he does well this upcoming season then I think Porter could work out.
Besides these two, I think the only other possibilities would be any other classic character who would return in CGI. For example, if they brought back someone like Daisy or Stepney, then I think their chances will have increased considering the events of Duck and Oliver and when their models were produced/announced. This is because classic characters generally prove to have the highest demand as well as being popular sellers as proven by the other models Bachmann produced.
As for Hiro, while I do agree that he is one of the biggest icons that the show has created, as well as proving to be very popular in Japan, I think that a Bachmann Hiro would in no doubt be a popular seller and would receive a very positive reaction, almost like what we got when Bachmann announced Skarloey. However, the only thing that really is stopping me from giving Hiro a green flag is his design. Hiro is a fairly large engine with a lot of details that Bachmann would have to add on to him which would increase the cost in production as well as sales for when the model comes to hobby stores.
Remember, models are getting more expensive to produce, not cheaper. Hiro would have made more sense a few years ago when this was not as apparent, but seeing as how models continue to get more expensive to produce, a Hiro model would easily be worth over 160 dollars at retail. Even if you order from shops online you would still be paying over 100 dollars for a Bachmann model of Hiro. As I said, the popularity is there for this character, and I myself would be fondly interested if they did this character, but I think this disadvantage is really what's holding Hiro back from being made.
Yeah, Timothy is still fairly new, but hopefully, he'll have more great roles this season. If he gets more likeability, that means Bachmann might be able to make him someday. He'll go great with Bill and Ben.
As for Porter, I do see him happening sometime in the future, as long as Bachmann can get around his scaling issues, and make his body high enough for the couplers.
What about a HO scale Winston? How is this just completely out of the question along with redesigned cattle wagons to the cgi counterparts?
I think Winston would be too small to produce in HO, hence why he was made in large scale and not HO. He would be a much better seller in the large scale market than in HO.
As for a new cattle wagon, I don't see that happening either. They probably won't make a new one anytime soon since the original has been discontinued for some time, with no real strong demand for it coming back. Plus it's in the fun with freight set if someone is really bothered to get it, or better yet they can look around on ebay or other shops online for it.
I think Marion would have potential for LS Range.
Seeing how Rosie and Stanley are now relegated into cameos. It's seems that they're just leftovers from the S9-12 era, there's some characters here that we discussed that have much more potential than Rosie and Stanley. That is, if Rosie and Stanley happen to have bigger roles again, but now I'm kinda doubtful that's gonna happen. :-\
Oh well, there's characters on this thread with strong personalities. :D
I wonder if the salt wagons and tar tanker wagon would ever just come into cgi. Also, what do you think that the tar tanker wagon would look like in cgi? Also, do you think hit entertainment would do Thomas, Terence and the snow and dirty objects in cgi? Also, should they make an episode where Henry explains about how he got his new shape using his old shape in cgi? Also, has anybody asked hit to do this?
Quote from: Nykrivas on April 02, 2015, 01:57:59 AM
I think Marion would have potential for LS Range.
Seeing how Rosie and Stanley are now relegated into cameos. It's seems that they're just leftovers from the S9-12 era, there's some characters here that we discussed that have much more potential than Rosie and Stanley. That is, if Rosie and Stanley happen to have bigger roles again, but now I'm kinda doubtful that's gonna happen. :-\
Oh well, there's characters on this thread with strong personalities. :D
Stanley had actually spoked in 'Samson at your Service' and hes to have an epsiode based on a space video seen on youtube.
I think Hiro would not only sell as a good Thomas & Friends character, but from a modelers standpoint, all HO/OO D51's are extremely expensive and fairly rare. There is definitely a demand for an HO/OO model of his class, and I'm sure he'd sell extremely well. :) Plus I love him as a character, and he appears fairly frequently in the newer series.
Do you ever think Thomas will use models and face masks again?
Quote from: JLK2707 on April 04, 2015, 07:39:52 PM
Do you ever think Thomas will use models and face masks again?
Probably not, their probably just in a museum.. XD
Kato has discontinued their D51 model sadly. :-[ With Hiro as a character, his introduction struck me beyond words. I really can't get over this oriental character. Even though he might cost as much as Rosie and Stanley put together, he would be a far better value-for-money than those two. ;)
It's kinda perplexing that Rosie and Stanley have a high demand as the classic characters.
Even Winston has more potential for the Bachmann Range than Rosie and Stanley, considering that his roles recently have been either exciting or comical. :P
I'd say wait until Season 19 and see if any classic characters return. I think if some return, they would be more important than the likes of Rosie or Stanley.
Who says that Rosie and Stanley have the same demand as the classic characters? I don't think that is at all true.
I've seen a few Twitter feeds about them. However I think Bachmann is much better off making the CGI characters we discussed in this thread. Though, the only ones I could think of are Hiro and Paxton. I personally wouldn't feel any different whether Rosie and Stanley leave the show, especially when looking at these characters in this thread.
The only character in this thread I could see being made is Paxton. The rest especially Hiro, don't seem too likely. Bachmann IMO would fare much better continuing the trend of classics they have been doing. Honestly there aren't that many left. I'm personally hoping for Stepney and Arthur.
I've been for the classics, and I still am, and there are extremely few left. :)
See,"HOTR" didn't come out until I was in 8th/9th grade, Despite the movie having flaws, I thought the previous writing team was off to a decent start, until they gave up their smooth sailing, with lackluster stories, and annoying characters such as Charile and the Logging Locos.
With Hiro, I've thought there was a lot of uniqueness to his character. I've developed a huge fondness with him. Unlike Rosie and Stanley, He has depth to his personality, he's well developed, and is highly popular with fans, even to those outside of Japan.
I also guess my obsession with Hiro, has to be that I'm an avid fan of anime. :P
I would LOVE to have a Hiro model, I just think it's the cost that will rule him out. You never know though. I was going into 10th when HOTR came out. ;)
I think cost to make Hiro is what rules him out in my book too. I think Bachmann will aim for smaller tank engines and diesel engines for awhile.
Yeah I guess the pricing is something to question. He's like the few, if not the only CGI character, I really want. There's really alot of potential for him. But I'm really happy to see everyone give positive responses over the character. :)
But there's few characters I can really think of Boco, Daisy, Arthur, Paxton, and Hiro.
Rosie and Stanley are out. :P
On the other hand, I really can't wait for Oliver. :D
Moving on now, any other ideas, How about CGI NG characters, like Victor?
I guess this makes me a lot younger than most here. Hero Of The Rails didn't come out until September 8th 2009 in the US, and I would've been in the 5th grade at that point...Speaking of movies, I know it's a diversion from the topic at hand, but what are everyone's favorite and why? If going off topic for a little is OK here? Or maybe I should move this to the Everything Thomas Thread?
If I am to give my reasoning though, I'd like to see a Hiro model probably more than any other CGI-exclusive character, but I think I'd like to see Rosie, if only for the sole reason that I like the engine class she's based off and even though it would require heavy modification, I'd love to have a prototype one running on my layout :)
~Alex
I think when it comes to new characters Bachmann is much better off doing a few CGI characters, then Rosie. I personally don't think she's bad as some say she is, just a missed opportunity, same with Stanley. Rosie's basis is fantastic, same with other S9-12 characters like Molly and Neville, but that doesn't save from being bland, generic, nonexistent characters. Bachmann should look into other characters. Granted, I actually rode on her at the Sacramento Railroad Museum years back. ;)
The specific member was I was on; Grante Rock Co. 10
(http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/sites/model-railroad-hobbyist.com/files/users/NormanW/USATC%20S100sml.jpg)
Here is Rosie's class just without buffers. :P
Hornby/Rivarossi actually makes the S100 class (SR USA Class in UK) for the non-UK market.
Hope this helps. :)
I feel that we're drifting a bit far off-topic here.