As hard as it is to admit, I know that the announcements aren't gonna be stellar this year.
HOWEVER!
I think the only year I wasn't pleasantly surprised in at least one category was the year they released no new engines for HO scale (but if I remember correctly, that was the year we got the resin line, so maybe not even then...). So, as dismal as it may seem right now in terms of new products, I'm sure Bachmann knows how we feel about repaints and filler products and have one surprise or another hidden up their sleeves... they always do.

Here's what I mean:

2018:
HO Scale
58818 Grumpy Diesel (with moving eyes)
76034 Gordon's Express Brake Coach
76035 Gordon's Composite Coach
77010 Spiteful Brake Van
77008 Sodor Diesel Co. Tanker
77009 Water Tanker

Narrow Gauge
77204 Red Carriage
77205 Blue Carriage

Large Scale
98022 Toffee Tanker                                  
98023 Water Tanker                              
98024 Chocolate Syrup Tanker            


2017:
HO Scale
58817 Paxton (with moving eyes)
77011 Ventilated Van – Great Western
77012 Ventilated Van – Sodor Fruit & Vegetable Co.
77013 McColl's Cattle Wagon

Narrow Gauge
58603 Rusty

Large Scale
91407 Diesel (with moving eyes)
98021 Spiteful Brake Van


2016:
HO Scale
58816 Rosie (with moving eyes)
77014 Sodor Salt Wagon
77015 Troublesome Truck #5
77016 GWR Cattle Wagon
77017 Refrigerator Car – Live Lobsters

Narrow Gauge
58602 Rheneas
77301 Narrow Gauge Slate Wagon with Load
77302 Narrow Gauge Slate Wagon with Load #101
77303 Narrow Gauge Slate Wagon with Load #164

Large Scale
91421 Thomas the Tank Engine with DCC Sound
91422 Percy the Small Engine with DCC Sound
32037 Large Scale Thomas & Friends™ DCC Sound Module
98016 Box Van – Sodor Fruit & Vegetable Co.
98017 Box Van – Explosives
98018 Box Van – Great Western


2015 was a spoils year because we *finally* got Oliver and I think that's when we got the NG range launched too so I'm skipping that year, also for whatever reason Bachmann deleted that thread so a transcript isn't publically available.


2014:
Red Coach (Item No. 76038)
Red Brake Coach (Item No. 76039)
Thomas & Friends™ Resin Buildings: Maithwaite Station (Item No. 35901), Black Lock Folly (Item No. 35902), Signal Box (Item No. 35903), and Brendam Warehouse (Item No. 35904)

Announced in 2013, arriving sometime in 2014
Iron 'Arry (Item No. 58812)
Iron Bert (Item No. 58813)
Troublesome Truck #4 (Item No. 77020)
Jeremy (Item No. 42440)


Large Scale
Open Wagon - Red (Item No. 98013)
Cream Tanker (Item No. 98014)

Announced in 2013, arriving sometime in 2014
Raspberry Tank Car (Item No. 98011)
Open Wagon - Blue (Item No. 98012)


Hopefully, everyone can see what I'm getting at and realize that Bachmann has always taken care of us older fans, and every year's line can't be stellar all around. Just stay positive and remember at the end of the day how lucky we are to be getting models in the first place...

Bachmann has certainly surprised us in the past (who the heck thought we'd get Rosie that one year??) but yeah, my expectations aren't high at all. The only model I would buy without question at this point is Stepney or the (reintroduced) flatbed. Anything else is a hard pass.

I would almost agree except the Spiteful Brakevan a.) was already in large scale, so they had the face mold for HO already and b.) wasn't a new tooling to begin with for either the HO or G scale range. Stepney meets neither of these requirements, plus is a fully-fledged locomotive rather than a simple piece of rolling stock.

Quote from: Streak on January 17, 2019, 03:32:15 PM
You're absolutely right TerencetheTractor525. If Bachmann are low on budget and can't make all the unique rolling stock items we want, it's totally fine to add these recolored pieces. Granted, I think Bachmann shouldn't make a Bubble Tanker. That's too goofy and unrealistic for this line. (It seems like every time a Thomas line busts out the bubbles, it's a travesty.)

i believe there is potential with the recolor aproach. I've said it before and I'll say it again that the Brown Mail Van would be amazing! And besides there's also Jam Tankers, Dieselworks Tankers, Fireworks Vans, Chocolate Factory Vans, various Circus Trucks, various open wagons with special loads, and even recolor characters like Bradford and Hannah that are cheep easy options for Bachmann to get out content that can fill the void. I do hope however if they have the budget to make something new like Old Slow Coach, Hector, or Large Scale T. Truck #3, they would take the initiative to make that instead of recolors.

On the subject of Resign Buildings, I really hope we get some new ones for Thomas this year. Bachmann UK making new ones gives me a little more hope that it'll happen but I don't want to get too excited.

Bachmann releasing a van with a brown livery and no other selling point (face, logo) would be disastrous for their sales. It'll never happen, even with the huge profit margin that they gain from repaints.

Quote from: Chaz on January 16, 2019, 11:23:14 PM
I definitely agree with most of the lists I have seen on here in general, Griffin's list in particular seems the most likely if Bachmann continues going on a smaller budget like last year (only I would personally replace the gunpowder wagons with brake vans but that's just me ). I definitely enjoy the Plow Bender's post the most, and I am hoping that the large scale choices he mentioned get picked too.  Mavis in particular would look nice in large scale.  The only line I really have any hope for is narrow gauge, since they always seemed to have decent announcements for that range every year since they got announced.

Actually speaking of, while looking through some of the recent pages of this thread, I find it particularly interesting that not that many people are interested in a Duncan model. It's definitely expected because of how bad his CG render is, but it does make me want to ask a somewhat open question to everyone.  If it really came down to it, would you rather have a model of Duncan in his CG render, or one of the newer narrow gauge engines like Luke?

For some reason I had thought brake vans had already been released. I'd say in that case they're far more likely.

My predictions are as follows:

HO
No new engine
Explosives Van
Toffee Tanker

N Scale
Peter Sam
Red and Blue Brakevan
D. Fusit Wagon

G Scale
Another repaint, most likely a tanker
James w/ sound  

No new resin announcements

Hoping to be pleasantly surprised, though!

Delighted to say that I received a large scale James for Christmas despite phasing out of Bachmann a little while ago... it is truly a stunning model, let me tell you guys that photos online do not do it justice, I have never been more impressed with a Thomas product in my entire life...

Quote from: Chaz on September 27, 2018, 03:24:21 AM
I think you are literally the first person ever to suggest on the Bachmann Trains forum to make a request of a model of Boulder.

Can I say that I honestly don't think it's a bad idea? 

I wanna second Trainshockey, Bachmann: listen up! This product would be a HUGE moneymaker and you already have the tooling/packaging mold/everything! Don't be stupid!

All I'm going to say is- don't get your hopes up for 2019. We'll be lucky to get anything other than recolors.

That being said, Bachmann should look seriously at the prices that their discontinued flatcar is going for on eBay. They have a huge untapped market there similar to the express coaches.

Quote from: Sparks on July 16, 2018, 10:31:23 AM
I thought it was fairly common knowledge that the blue truck and cargo truck were the remains of those products.

Plus if you just put Troublesome Truck 1 and 2's faces on those color cargo cars...well...you get the idea.

Len, that looks awesome! Keep up the photos, this looks like an amazingly fun project!

I added some commentary to my last post, would love to hear all your thoughts!

I have some pretty extreme beliefs when it comes to the Bachmann Thomas and Friends range, and the resin buildings are no exception. That being said, let's dive in.

First off, I think it's really strange that no new resin buildings have been announced since 2015. They are obviously extremely high detail and quality, and I own (and still make use of!) several of them even though I don't collect Bachmann Thomas anymore. I think it would be really interesting to find the statistics on how well they sold. Anyone know where I could find that?

Sadly, my guess is that the resin line was a bust, and that's why we haven't seen a continuation of the range. When you think about it, a product like the narrow gauge line was so successful because it filled a need that both Thomas fans and 009 modellers had and one that couldn't easily be replicated (No, the Bandai Skarloey engines with N scale chassis don't count); the resin buildings don't accomplish this same objective. There are plenty of other buildings and structures that Bachmann Thomas users can use from all other ranges including Trackmaster, Take n Play, etc. for their Thomas layouts. I mean, if you were modelling Ffarquhar Station, would you really pay a premium for a resin model when you can get a cheap TOMY alternative off eBay that serves an almost identical same purpose? Your answer might be "H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Yes I Would!" but a casual buyer probably wouldn't agree. Another factor I speculate had to do with the (assumed) low sales and therefore stunted growth of the resin line is the aspect that it took Bachmann so long to start the line in the first place. Bachmann Thomas modellers and fans attempting to replicate the Island of Sodor have had to find alternatives for structures since the beginning of the range, and beacuse of this the number of people who would buy a resin structure over another, cheaper alternative continues to diminish with each year that Bachmann fails to grow the range.

However, obviously the current buildings are still in stock and selling, so perhaps there is another factor at play. If you know what that could be, I'd be glad to hear. It's a very curious situation to me. We all know that, with the exception of perhaps Tidmouth Sheds and obviously the resin range, Bachmann hasn't had a particularly good track record with producing quality Thomas and Friends locations (Knapford Station, we're all looking at you, buddy.)

With all that being said, here are my wishes for what I'd like to see in the line. I'm going to post in-depth thoughts later, but for now here is just the list itself.

1. Tidmouth Halt


I think the biggest factor this one has going for it is the color diversity and size. Plus, it could be advertised as being an accessory to the lighthouse that came out a few years ago. A cute little station that would be a welcomed addition.


2. Sodor Shipping Company


To me, this one is a no-brainer. Following the Brendam warehouse, this seems such a logical choice for anyone attempting to build a Brendam Docks set, and the only thing that could be a deterrent for Bachmann would be the size. Other than that, though, it seems like an awesome. Added to the fact that there's really nothing like it on the market right now.

3. Middle Station


See: Trackside Station. Another simple narrow gauge location that could double as a background station. Not much to say about this one except it seems fairly simple and cheap to produce and would be welcomed by many.

4. Sodor Manor

(building in the background, on the right)

I compare this to the Corrugated Hut, in the vein that it is super generic and could really be put anywhere. Plus, the fact that it would be so generic means it might be attractive to 00 modellers looking for scale buildings. I also think it doubled as the house in Oliver's Find, but don't quote me on that.

5. Dieselworks Shed

(on the left)

Similar to the Sodor Shipping Co. building, the size might be a deterrent, but the influx of diesel engines being produced by Bachmann makes this one seem like a likely choice, if not the sheds specifically then maybe a Dieselworks Oil Derrek? I don't know what they might choose for sure, but I feel like the probability of getting a resin building labeled with the Dieselworks logo is highly probable.

If the new show has a postive reception, they are both inevitable- it's as easy as that. Siderods configs and size will not matter- Mattel has way more control over Bachmann than I think any of us realize.