Bachmann Online Forum

Dear Thomas & Friends™ fans,
Below is a list of the new items we are announcing for 2018. This is the COMPLETE list and the only new items that will be announced in 2018. Happy rails!

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             

Please watch Bachmann's website, www.bachmanntrains.com, for the official announcements of new Thomas & Friends™ product arrivals.

Wow. Grumpy Diesel, eh? At least fans don't have to complain about his friendly expression anymore. He may get black siderods.

What??? No narrow gauge engine????????

Insidetrack,
Is grumpy diesel daisy?

Nice to see that Gordon's coaches are making a comeback!  :) I wonder if they'll be exactly the same, or if they'll be different models all together.

The other announcements are interesting, and I can't wait to see what they'll look like (especially the Spiteful Brake Van).

Grumpy Diesel is Grumpy Diesel, not Daisy.

Quote from: InsideTrack on February 16, 2018, 04:15:26 PM
Grumpy Diesel is Grumpy Diesel, not Daisy.

Probably a stupid question, but this is the current character, not a new one. Correct?


I really don't know what to think. These are definintly the strangest announcements we've ever had, but it wil be interesting to see how they unfold. Really upset that we're not getting another NG engine. Excited to see Gordon's coaches return.

Also, @InsideTrack, no news on Paxton or Rusty I'm assuming?

Quote from: InsideTrack on February 16, 2018, 04:15:26 PM
Grumpy Diesel is Grumpy Diesel, not Daisy.

there is no engine names grumpy diesel.

The catalog is up my friends:

Paxton is up, but it's a photoshopped image of Diesel.  Admittedly I'm kind of tempted on getting him, but might wait til he is on sale.  No Rusty image but eh it's forgivable.  Looks like the large scale Diesel is not in the catalog and neither is Mccolls cattle wagon... have they been cancelled?

resources.bachmanntrains.com/bachmann2018/html5/index.html?page=1

Now for my thoughts on the announcements themselves:

Honestly, I'm not entirely surprised that there are no new engines this year, with how slow production has been in the last couple of years, maybe we will have better luck with Peter Sam next year (or Sir Handel).

Grumpy Diesel just seems... lazy and a real disappointment.  It's great that the face is getting updated but why have both in the range?  Even Sidney would have made more sense.

Gordon's express coaches are returning, excellent! While I had my doubts on Bachmann bringing back discontinued products, it's nice to see that these made it back into the range. I can see them being very popular after their long absence.

Spiteful brake van in HO, glad to see that happen!  Will be buying for sure!

The water tanker is not a surprise, and neither is the other tanker coming out. The large scale tankers also seem pretty lazy as well and sounds like design choices/suggestions from Mattel (especially with Grumpy Diesel).

The highlight for me though, is narrow gauge coaches! No brake van, which is a little bit of a shame, but hopefully we will have better luck next year.

Overall, a bit of an underwhelming lineup of announcements, but aside from "grumpy Diesel" not a whole lot to complain about on my part, but at the same time nothing to get excited over.  Only things I care for are the narrow gauge coaches and the spiteful brake van in HO.  Otherwise, looks like my wallet is going to remain unharmed.

I'm disappointed that we're still not getting Daisy, but at least a face change for Diesel is better than NO engine for HO Scale. It's still something. We were expecting Daisy, Stanley, Sidney, or Ryan, but it ended up being none of them. NOBODY expected this, but at least HO Diesel will look more like a villain now. A face change for an existing model is a first! *Sighs* Guess we can hope for Daisy in 2019... I have no idea what to make of it. We've been wanting Daisy since she returned in CGI, and she's still not coming.

The express coaches are returning by popular demand. It's about time.

The Spiteful Brake Van, which was announced last year for Large Scale, is coming to HO Scale. Still no Explosives Van.

No new engines for Narrow Gauge or Large Scale, but at least we're getting Narrow Gauge coaches, which were a huge request.

Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 16, 2018, 04:32:10 PM
I'm disappointed that we're still not getting Daisy, but at least a face change for Diesel is better than NO engine for HO Scale.

I'm willing to bet that anyone who has any knowledge of the Thomas range will simply buy the face plate off of Bachmann's parts department. No one is stupid enough to pay for a whole new engine unless they need a new Diesel anyway. I'm shocked that Bachmann wouldn't have considered this factor. I can see a move like this for Trackmaster where new characters are made all the time, but Bachmann? Never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted they would go this route.

Does anyone have a clear picture of Paxton, mines blurry

Quote from: Griffin on February 16, 2018, 04:36:12 PM

Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 16, 2018, 04:32:10 PM
I'm disappointed that we're still not getting Daisy, but at least a face change for Diesel is better than NO engine for HO Scale.

I'm willing to bet that anyone who has any knowledge of the Thomas range will simply buy the face plate off of Bachmann's parts department. No one is stupid enough to pay for a whole new engine unless they need a new Diesel anyway. I'm shocked that Bachmann wouldn't have considered this factor. I can see a move like this for Trackmaster where new characters are made all the time, but Bachmann? Never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted they would go this route.

You're right... A simple face change just seemed very lazy. Hopefully, we'll have better luck getting Daisy in 2019. I'm very mixed on these announcements. Can't wait to get a clearer image of Paxton. Grumpy Diesel will still have silver siderods. Bachmann might as well post Paxton's image.

I like the return of Gordon's coaches. I hope it contains the same model of the old ones so their will be no difference in details.

You think the NG coaches will be based on the classic series? I know I'll be getting 6. 3 of each.

The NG coaches are great, but I am a bit disappointed overall.  Was hoping for Peter Sam or at least an image of Rusty.  

There is always next year though.  It could be worse, we could have nothing at all!

When's the next train show that Bachmann will be at?

We may end up getting Nia in 2019, and Rebecca in 2020. :(

I don't think we can expect Daisy anytime soon... Sidney would've been a much better decision than just a simple face change on Diesel.

Seriously, nobody asked for Grumpy Diesel.

Okay, time for my thoughts on this year's announcements. While stating my thoughts, I will start with the negatives and then lead into the positives.

Let's start with Large Scale. I really feel that large scale ended up with the short end of the stick since they got three tankers that no large scale collector asked for. I have a feeling that these tankers are not going to do very well and will eventually be discontinued. As Chaz said, this probably due to Mattel's poor recommendations.

Next, Grumpy Diesel is not something that anyone expected. I like the idea since there were many people complaining about how Diesel looked too friendly. However, I have feeling that this one is not going to do amazing with sales. As stated already, most people are just going to buy the face plate off of the Bachmann online parts store.

Lastly, I am a little bit disappointed that Daisy or new resin buildings were not announced since my main request was to see at least one of the two. However, I am still going to remain optimistic in that there will be at least one resin building announced next year. The reason is that in February 2015, when the four new resin buildings were announced, they came out in the summer of that same year. So, perhaps Bachmann likes to plan ahead with the resin buildings. And, as for Daisy, the demand for her is too great. As a result, I am sure that if we keep on showing Bachmann how much we all want Daisy, she may have a very good chance for 2019.

Now for the positives.

To start, the rolling stock selection for the HO range is not bad at all. I'm very happy for those who will now be able to get Gordon's express coaches. These will do very well in terms of sales. No doubt about that. The Spiteful Brake Van is the other highlight. I myself will definitely consider picking this one up. Although, I could not see its face in the catalog due to blurriness. Was anyone able to see if he had the correct Season 2 face? As for the tankers, just like large scale, I don't think that these will do amazing, particularly the Sodor Diesel Co one. However, the water tanker may do well as fans will remember seeing Oliver pull them along with Toad in the episode "Toad and the Whale".

But without a doubt, the best part about this year's announcements is the narrow gauge coaches. I have a feeling that the red coach will be based of of the CGI Series, and the blue coach will be based off of the classic series. Moreover, I am sure that Bachmann will use two different toolings, which would satisfy fans even more. These will do amazing in the market and I will definitely consider picking up some. That Season 4 pic of the blue narrow gauge coach in the sunset in the 2018 catalog does it all  8).

Overall, these announcements are not terrible. However, they were not amazing either. Even so, if we continue to show Bachmann what we all want in an appropriate manner, then we may be in for a nice treat next year *cough HO Daisy cough*.

Is there still hope for Daisy in 2019? I lost my hope.

Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 16, 2018, 05:43:45 PM
Is there still hope for Daisy in 2019? I lost my hope.

If that is your attitude, then the chances of it happening will only lessen  :P.

Quote from: TerencetheTractor525 on February 16, 2018, 05:44:57 PM

Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 16, 2018, 05:43:45 PM
Is there still hope for Daisy in 2019? I lost my hope.

If that is your attitude, then the chances of it happening will only lessen  :P.

So, I should be more optimistic?

That's a pretty rhetorical question now. Isn't it?  ;).

Did Large Scale Diesel get cancelled?  I noticed he's not in the catalogue.  Also I'm assuming Emily's Passenger Set got discontinued too. 

Quote from: TrainFan365 on February 16, 2018, 05:56:02 PM
Did Large Scale Diesel get cancelled?  I noticed he's not in the catalogue.  Also I'm assuming Emily's Passenger Set got discontinued too. 

Looks like it, same with McColl's cattle wagon.  The large scale Thomas set is also discontinued so now you are just stuck with the DCC sound Thomas.  The regular HO brake van got dropped too to make room for the spiteful brake van.

Quote from: Griffin on February 16, 2018, 04:36:12 PM
No one is stupid enough to pay for a whole new engine unless they need a new Diesel anyway.

^ This.

I feel like that is really the only logical reason for someone to buy "Grumpy Diesel" if they didn't get the first one.  Same could be said for those who missed out on Gordon's coaches.

It turns out that the pic of the blue coach is from the episode "You Can't Win" from Season 4. I pasted a link to the episode. The exact moment is around 2 minutes and 58 seconds into the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdVhrNtDMPc

This really makes me wonder how the people of Bachmann Industries found that particular pic  8).

I'm sorry for being pessimistic.

At least Gordon's coaches are coming back, and we are getting Narrow Gauge coaches. The Spiteful Brake Van is coming to HO Scale, which is also good.

The images of Paxton and Grumpy Diesel appear to be photoshopped, so they're probably not the final images. Hopefully, Paxton will be on display at the fair.

No problem man. I understand how you feel  :).

Regarding the Toy Fair, hopefully, we will be able to see a little video with Mr. Doug Blaine showcasing some of the new products (similar to 2014 when he showed us Arry, Bert, Jeremy, and the resin buildings, as well as 2015 when he showed us the track playtape).

Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 16, 2018, 06:25:23 PM
I'm sorry for being pessimistic.

At least Gordon's coaches are coming back, and we are getting Narrow Gauge coaches. The Spiteful Brake Van is coming to HO Scale, which is also good.

The images of Paxton and Grumpy Diesel appear to be photoshopped, so they're probably not the final images. Hopefully, Paxton will be on display at the fair.

whens the fair

this was the biggest let down ever
oh and the spiteful break van is in G scale as well according to the catalog

Is anyone going to the toy fair?

So, I've refrained recently from posting my predictions for this year's announcements, I didn't think I had much ton contribute to the conversation, my opinions hadn't changed much anyway so I figured it was pointless to post the same things over and over again. Anyway, I thought I'd give my feedback on the actual announcements here.

HO Range:
Paxton:
Despite being announced last year, it seems we do have an image of Paxton in the catalogue, the red siderods are nice, but it seems hard to get into the real nitty-gritty of it without a better and more clear display image.

Grumpy Diesel:
This just seems like a bad idea to me, especially when his regular "happy CGI" counterpart is still in the catalogue. I think if the need for a face change was in this much demand, the new faceplate and eyes should've just been put up on Bachmann's "Parts" catalogue, I think it'd be a much more cost-effective way of doing things, as I don't particularly see many people going out of their way to buy this one. I like the idea of Diesel with a new face, but I'll probably just order the faceplate separately. Come to think of it, separate faceplates on the parts catalogue are probably a good idea, fans have been clamouring for new James, Thomas and Percy faceplates, just as much (if not more) than they have for a new one for Diesel. This seems like a concept more suited to a range like Trackmaster than Bachmann.

Gordon's Express Coaches:
These have been in high demand since they were discontinued so it makes perfect sense to me as to why they're back. I think they'll sell well enough to justify their catalogue presence.

The tankers:
I don't even know what to say here...I mean I guess these are better than the Green Mail Car, but I still think the vans last year were a better idea. I don't think these are awful by any means...just...not the best choice. Personally (as mocked as the idea is) I would've rather just seen one tanker released with a face...I think that would sell better than both of these two combined. But I'm willing to be proved wrong. Still better than the Green Mail Car in my opinion though.

Spiteful breakvan:
I really look forward to how this one turns out! Even though he was a one-off character in Season 2, he left his mark with classic fans, and I look forward to seeing his model. I just hope his face is accurate to the Season 2 model (as I doubt they'll bas it on the RWS design).

NG Range:
I'm not surprised by the lack of a new Engine here, we still don't have a prototype model for Rusty yet. My theory here is actually similar to what people suggested with Oliver. Bachmann's probably having difficulty balancing the new CGI design with what fans want and will likely sell better - that being a design closer to that of Rusty's basis "Midlander". Also no one I've talked to wants that oversized face that Rusty's had since Season 5...which probably gives Bachmann a headache, as they want to please fans, yet Mattel will want something that looks close to the current CGI design. Bachmann aren't exactly in an easy spot with this one right now, methinks.

Anyway, onto the Coaches:
I was very pleasantly surprised to see the Blue Coaches on here, I'm extremely happy they're being made. They were in a fairly good demand from fans like myself, but since they hadn't been seen since Season 10, I had my doubts. I am extremely happy that these doubts were dashed. I hope they do use a different tooling than the Red Coaches, as these appear to be based on the CGI coaches, which have designs that are a bit overscaled. As for the Red Coaches...well, I'm a sucker for the classic series personally, so these don't interest me as much as the classic Red Coaches would, but I do understand they are based off the current design, what kids will recognise from the current TV series, etc. I can't complain too much here, I'm just happy we're getting coaches. I find it interesting that (if memory serves me right) Chaz predicted these a couple of months back in last year...regardless, I'm glad they're happening.

I hope we see a Brown Brakevan and a Blue Brakevan next year, to accompany the freight stock in this range, and the Red and Blue Coaches respectively. Hopefully the classic Red Coaches will crop up in the range at some point. Considering they all have "1" marked on their sides, they could be marketed as First Class Coaches, or something. Yet I doubt this. Even so, I'm happy enough with the current selection. I doubt we'll see the green "open air" coaches from Bachmann in the future. So for now, it seems like this is the only passenger rolling stock we'll get, though I am happy to see the coaches announced this year, instead of yet more freight wagons, as it brings in some rolling stock diversity.

LS Range:
Tankers:
I don't see these selling well, at all. I get they're recolours, so it's cheap and makes sense from a financial perspective, but...come on. Did anyone actually ask for these? I don't think so.

Discontinuations:
HO Brake Van:
The old one was really showing its age anyway, we used to have half a thread dedicated to how much this item of rolling stock needed an upgrade, hopefully the spiteful brakevan is the upgrade we desire, and not just a face slapped on the old model, without (at the very least) updating the paintwork of it.

Emily's Passenger Set:
Out of all of these, Emily's Passenger Set does make the most sense. The sets with Thomas do tend to sell better as introductory sets into the range, because Thomas is the main character, I'm pretty sure the only reason Emily's set stuck around this long was because she's the main female steam engine in the show. I mean, the James, Gordon, Percy and I believe Salty sets all disappeared a while back. I can't say I'm too surprised here.

McColl's cattle wagon:
Considering even the forum seemed to forget about this wagon in discussion, I can't say I'm overly surprised...plus we already have the regular Cattle Wagon, along with the GWR one, and TT#3, to be honest, this item being canceled isn't actually a surprise to me, when I heard its announcement I thought they might be overdoing it on the Cattle Wagons, turns out that may have been right.

Large Scale Thomas Set:
This seems nonsensical at best to me, sets are usually a good way to bring new people into the hobby, to not have one available in the LS Thomas Range makes me seriously think if maybe even Bachmann thinks the days of this range are numbered. I don't feel like this was the best business decision (though who am I to judge that?), I  do think, however, that it could be a bad sign of things to come.

Large Scale Diesel:
...Why? At least the basic tooling for this one is easily workable into recolours for characters like Paxton and Sidney...the tooling is versatile, and whilst a lot of people weren't thrilled with Diesel, I think most of the large scale collector's still would've liked a model of him...

'Arry and Bert:
Surprised these two are still on the catalogue and haven't already been discontinued, especially considering their discontinuation has been predicted for years.

Quote from: Chaz on February 16, 2018, 06:12:05 PM

Quote from: Griffin on February 16, 2018, 04:36:12 PM
No one [will] pay for a whole new engine unless they need a new Diesel anyway.

I feel like that is really the only logical reason for someone to buy "Grumpy Diesel" if they didn't get the first one.  Same could be said for those who missed out on Gordon's coaches.

I agree with these statements. Let's just hope Grumpy Diesel is less prone to buffer miscolours than the normal Diesel model.

~Alex

Having been vouching for the Spiteful Brakevan to be made into the range for over 10 years, I have to consider that the second-best item we're getting this year. The winner of the announcements is the fact that we're getting Narrow Gauge coaches, though. The question is, are they going to be repaints of the PECO tooling, or original toolings made by Bachmann as per the slate wagons? Time will tell on that matter.

Anyway, time to address the elephant in the room:

No narrow gauge engine, it's a bit sad but expected. However, the HO scale engine choice on the other hand... Yikes. Lots of people complained that Bachmann Diesel had a happy face instead of a face, true, and it's great to see that being addressed but... I think having this be the -only- HO/OO engine of 2018 was a really, really bad idea. The backlash on the forum and on Twitter is through the roof.

To add, it almost seems.. Excessive to release an entirely new variation of Diesel when the only difference is... His face. It seems like selling a separate faceplate at a cheap value would've been more cost-effective. The only way I see this working is if Bachmann has plans to phase out the normal, happy Diesel and eventually only sell "Grumpy Diesel."

Grumpy Diesel is a good idea in its own right, but releasing no other engine along side him was a poor decision, and has damaged peoples faith and trust in the brand in a matter of hours. This combined with the supposed cancellation of the Large Scale Diesel and Farmer McColl wagon isn't helping that any.

Overall, I feel like Bachmann is running on a budget this year, and it shows. Whatever issues are going on internally, hopefully Bachmann sorts out the problems by 2019. Here's to another 365 days of vouching for Daisy and Sir Handel (or Peter Sam or Duncan, really).

Well stated Alex and Sparks.

Sparks, I remember coming across the narrow gauge thread that you created back in the 2014 right before Skarloey was announced and just want to thank you for that. I personally think that you are one of the main reasons why we have this wonderful narrow gauge range.

Alex, I remember reading your thorough posts of how much you wanted to see Bachmann make blue and white narrow gauge coaches with that beautiful picture of Duke pulling them up the hill. And, I don't blame you. They are wonderful coaches. I remember you also having doubts since they never appeared in the CGI Series. However, Bachmann surprised all of us as they always do! Having the blue coaches based off of the model series and the red coaches based off of the CGI Series is nice compromise in my opinion. This is yet another reason why I will remain optimistic on Daisy and those resin buildings I would love to eventually see in the range as well.

Regarding the narrow gauge coaches, there are two things that I must mention to Bachmann, as they would be very important to us fans.

One, which I already stated, is that the toolings of the blue coaches should be different from the red coaches, especially since there was no new narrow gauge engine announced this year. The blue coach is based off of the Talyllyn Railway's No. 4 Coach and the red coach is based off of the Talyllyn Railway's No. 1-3 coaches. Avid fans know the differences in design from the spacing of the windows to the overall height. Therefore, I see this as a crucial factor that will make both coaches much more marketable.

The second factor is regarding the blue coach's color scheme. This reason why I am mentioning this is that the blue box van that is currently in the range is nowhere near the color of the iconic narrow gauge blue coach. I sincerely hope that Bachmann takes the correct blue scheme into consideration. But, what do you guys think? Would you be fine with the box van shade of blue? Or, would you like to see that iconic light blue color that we all remember from the show?

(http://i67.tinypic.com/16av69t.jpg)

(http://i64.tinypic.com/mvi5wi.png)

As for the red coaches, I'm not worried about the shade of red since it has stayed the same throughout the show and is the same shade as the red box van that is currently in the range.

I pasted a link to the narrow gauge coaches on the Thomas Wikia below just in case it helps the people of Bachmann in any way.

http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Narrow_Gauge_Coaches

Overall, I really think that Bachmann should take as much time as they need on these coaches in order to get them to the perfection that us fans ever so desire. Wouldn't you guys agree?  :)

Last year's announcements we're really hit and miss in my opinion, but the 2018 announcements are mostly a letdown.  To be fair, you can't really blame Bachmann for this because in the end it's Mattel that has the final say in what makes it onto the market.  The way I see it, they really screwed things up far worse than last year, and needless to say many (myself included) are not happy with the outcome.

To begin with, the only things I see really beneficial to the HO range is the return of the Express Coaches and that we're getting the Spiteful Brakevan.  The Express Coaches have been in demand for quite some time now, and it's great to see them finally return to the range.  It does have me curious though whether or not Bachmann plans to use the same tooling as before, or if they plan on making the coaches more CGI accurate?  I've already heard one theory which says they may just reuse Spencer's Coach's tooling, but again that's just a theory.  My money is honestly on Bachmann just dragging out the old tooling again.

The Spiteful Brakevan is also a welcome addition because as many people see it, this should have been announced last year and before/instead of being announced in Large Scale.  It's also nice to see that they've retired the old Brakevan in what I believe is an exchange for the Spiteful one.  Other than this and the Express Coaches, that's basically it in terms of good rolling stock additions.  The tankers on the other hand are not an impressive addition, and I might just leave it at that...

Grumpy Diesel is by far the one that caught everyone off guard.  Yes we're getting a new face (which may or may not be more appropriate for Diesel's character), but couldn't that time spent retooling Diesel's face been put to better use by making Sidney's face and Sidney himself?  I'm also curious as to why we need both a happy and grumpy Diesel in the range?  I think it would make more sense just to replace the old face no one wanted.  Still many welcome this addition simply just for the face, but I'm also willing to bet out of all the parts Bachmann offers for Diesel, his grumpy face won't be one of them.  Also, can we "PLEASE" get off the whole Daisy topic already?  That ship has sailed, and sank too...

Narrow gauge in my opinion is the range that really made out this year.  Many would have been happy with a brakevan and/or tipper wagons, but instead we got coaches which seemed unlikely.  Still this is by far a very positive thing because as Mr. AJW98 said in his post, it does in fact bring in some rolling stock diversity to the range.  It is however a bit of a downer not to see Peter Sam announced (considering his demand), but with literally no updates on Rusty, it's somewhat not a surprise.  Hopefully in the future we can expect to see him, along with a breakvan to go with our coaches.  I also agree with Mr. TerrencetheTractor525 that it would be nice to see some resin buildings for narrow gauge as well in the future.

And lastly there is Large Scale which in my opinion has finally hit rock bottom.   I have to admit that the choice of 3 new tanker recolors is beyond lazy.  It literally has me asking the question what was Mattel thinking when they made this decision?  On second thought, I don't even want to know...  There was far more demand for rolling stock such as the Red Coaches or a Troublesome Van, but instead we got 3 tankers that honestly no one even asked for.  If Mattel was really hell-bent on tanker recolors, why not bring back the Oil Tanker and put a face on it?  I guarantee a troublesome tanker would've sold a lot better than a Toffee Tanker...

When also considering the fact Diesel has been canceled, I have strong doubts (as do others) that we will be seeing any other engine characters in the range.  I personally had my heart set on Mavis and/or Edward in the future, but the recent news on Diesel has me rethinking the chance of any new engines coming into the range.  As a friend of mine told me and I quote, "You might as well get Toby because he's the last Large Scale Thomas character Bachmann's going to make."  Oh, you're probably right about that, buddy...

I think the real issue with Diesel that brought his demise was probably to do with either cost or lack of potential sales.  Clearly Bachmann didn't see making Arry and Bert (or even Paxton apparently) as a good option to fall back on (after Diesel's release) considering the direction the Large Scale range has been going.  Then again, going back to my previous posts, I mentioned that Bachmann themselves said that diesels don't do well in large scale.  Bachmann had made the decision to take a stab at Diesel with hopes that he would do better being in the Thomas & Friends range rather than the Spectrum line.  I think it all boils down to Bachmann may have had second thoughts and backed out on him at the last minute.  Either way, Diesel's cancelation may very well be something we'll never know the answer to.

It also came as a surprise to see both the Thomas set and the Christmas set discontinued when they were in fact better sellers than the Percy set.  It's a bit strange to see a character who isn't Thomas manage to keep their own set.  Because Thomas' set has been discontinued, this leaves only the DCC sound Thomas on the market.  Considering the DCC sound models (Thomas and Percy) can run on digital and/or analog, this doesn't seem like an issue for those still running DC railroads.

From what I've seen with other Large Scale products in the 2018 catalogue, the Thomas & Friends range honestly got off easy in terms of discontinued items.  The Spectrum line has lost several locomotives including their 55 Ton Three-Truck Shay.  The 4-6-0 - Anniversary Edition Big Haulers have also been wiped out entirely, amongst other locomotives and/or rolling stock in the range.  I will say that the saving grace here is that the range got new items that were far better than 3 mediocre tanker recolors in the Thomas & Friends announcements.

So in the end the 2018 announcements were pretty much an underwhelming lineup to say the least, but at the end of the day it's been something I guess.  As I said before, Narrow Gauge is the range that made out this year and is pretty much the only range I have hope for at this point.  HO is still going for now, but Large Scale has been on a steep decline for years.  That being said, I think it's best to keep expectations low and not get hopes too high.  Things may bounce back, but only time will tell.

-Rusty

People still want Daisy and are going to demand her. We aren't going to stop simply because you don't wish to hear about it anymore. The ship hasn't really "sailed," when every engine that had a chance this year got shot down.

I don't think there's anything wrong with suggesting Daisy in the range like many users have in the past and will continue to do so, and if people choose to have those same expectations after this year's announcements then more power to you.  I think when people keep constantly suggesting Daisy to a point where it's becoming repetitive and over the top with CAPS, bold, italicized, and even underlined posts on a regular basis is where I would draw the line.

If this year's announcements weren't lazy, cancelled upcoming products, or left a lot to be desired I wouldn't have as much of an issue.  The sad truth is these feel like announcements you would see from Lionel or Hornby, not Bachmann.  Ultimately though what it comes down to is that Mattel is really taking control over what gets announced and what doesn't.  Because they just had to go with a more kid-friendly term for marketing to kids "Grumpy" instead of... "Devious" you know... for Devious Diesel... ::)

The only range I see some sort of hope for at this point is narrow gauge since looking back on the last three years of announcements, including this year's, it just makes my expectations go lower and lower for the other two ranges.  The only things I plan on talking about in-depth soon are Peter Sam and narrow gauge brake vans and those are really the only expectations and requests I have for next year.  Frankly I'm disappointed that they were absent in this year's announcements, but it's better to suggest ideas sooner rather than later.   Expect new posts on Peter Sam and brake vans soon in the 2019 thread from yours truly soon.  Sir Handel and Daisy I still have hope for, but I can't say I expect them, especially when the former's basis is still in overhaul.  I would also love to see the resin line make a comeback in the process and I'll talk about that in another post too.

At least this year, I feel like not all effort has been wasted after suggesting the spiteful brake van in HO and both blue and red narrow gauge coaches and finally getting them, it at least gives us something to look forward to.  However, when those are the only good things that came in a rather large lineup of new announcements, and updates on upcoming products, you know something is wrong. 

I concur Chaz and I look forward to seeing your thorough posts on Peter Sam, the narrow gauge brake van, and resin buildings. It seems that the narrow gauge range is taking baby steps in terms of the quantity of products getting announced. However, as long as the end product is satisfying, that's really all that matters at the end of the day. Speaking of narrow gauge, Chaz, Sparks, Alex, Plow Bender, or anyone for that matter, what are your thoughts on the two points I made in the post above regarding the narrow gauge carriages?

I think Bachmann learned their lesson with narrow gauge rolling stock and decided not to go with the Peco recolors due to high price cost and how sales were so minimal for those compared to Skarloey or the slate wagons which is why I have no doubt they will both have new toolings.  Considering the track record for that range I could honestly see them going for different coach toolings for both of them due to the measurements from Talyllyn that were taken.

As for the shade of blue, I think they will go with the brighter shade to match what was in the model series of the show as shown in the catalog.  If they went with a darker shade of blue like what was in the Railway Series then that would be pretty nice as well and would go well with the blue van.  Either would be totally acceptable in my opinion.  Add red and blue brake vans behind the respective vans and 2-4 coaches and you would have a really nice passenger train in narrow gauge too. :)

I must say, I agree with Chaz about Daisy, even though she's perhaps not the engine I'd like to see most (on a personal level), she's the one I'd like to see second, but I want to see Daisy the most in a "big picture" sense, as she clearly has the most demand, and therefore I believe, she'd be the most financially sound decision for Bachmann to make. As I have previously openly vouched for Brakevans for the Narrow Gauge range before, I can get behind the idea of those too. I also think Peter Sam is the best candidate for the next NG Engine, for reasons many have stated previously.

Now, onto TerencetheTractor525's earlier post; I wouldn't mind the blue of the coaches being like the one on the van - as that is more like the blue that those coaches held in the Railway Series, but I wouldn't mind them being the colour of their counterparts in the classic seasons - between the two options, I probably slightly prefer the idea of these coaches appearing as they did in classic seasons, but I won't mind either way. As long as they get made - correctly scaled, mind you (but more on this later), I'll be over the moon.

As for the Red Coaches? Well...in Bachmann's catalogue (on page 21), the Red Coaches in question, appear to be the fan-dubbed "Talyllyn Coaches" (gaining this name from having their liveries inspired by the Talyllyn Coaches) from the CGI Series. This isn't a problem in itself, but the red van in question that would suit the classic red coaches, won't match the CGI ones, the red of these current coaches is much darker than that of the older model series one.

Also a concern of mine that I've just developed...is that the Blue and Red Coaches may end up sharing a tooling...as the Red NG Coaches in the CGI series are also based off the Talyllyn Railway Coach No. 4, it just so happens that they're far too wide, and are also too tall. If both these coaches are to share the same tooling, I'd like them to be in scale with either the real life coach, or the model series variant, the CGI coaches are just far too out of proportion for my tastes. That might just be me though. Plus I feel like the Talyllyn paint scheme would sell better on a coach that had the proper scaling for the real coach, as that would appeal to Thomas fans and Talyllyn modelers everywhere! I see no downside to going with the proper scaling, instead of the dreadful CGI scaling. I sincerely hope they aren't Peco recolours either.

That's just my take on things though.

Quote from: Chaz on February 17, 2018, 01:40:38 AM
Add red and blue brake vans behind the respective vans and 2-4 coaches and you would have a really nice passenger train in narrow gauge too. :)

Honestly, that's been something I've liked the idea of for a long time now, glad to see I'm not the only one who has thought of it :)
~Alex

Intresting announcements.

Really glad to see coaches for Narrow Guage, but really dissapointed about no engines.

At this rate it will be late 2020 before we have a 4th engine in the range.  I wonder if there's any chance of 2 being announced next year?  Hopefully at least Peter Sam, and hopefully a 2nd either Sir Handel or Duncan.

I just wanted ONE more motive power for large scale....JUST ONE.....how hard is that

Thank you for your responses Chaz and Alex. Although, I do actually still think that the red carriages from the CGI Series are based off of the tooling of Talyllyn Coach 1-3 due to how far the windows are from the roof. As Alex stated, its probably the poor scaling that the CGI Series models had that make them seem like Talyllyn Coach 4. I think that what Bachmann may do in order to get the yes from Mattel and make us fans happy is to use the tooling of the red carriages from the model series shown here...

(http://i63.tinypic.com/fm6pdt.png)

and then paint them with the CGI color scheme. That would be ideal since both red and blue carriages would then not look peculiar next to each other.

Basis of red carriage:

(http://i68.tinypic.com/25sq3b8.jpg)

Basis of blue carriage:

(http://i67.tinypic.com/iwkp50.jpg)

As for the shade of blue, my dream is to still see them in the light blue of the model series that the illustration in the catalog showed. In a perfect world, the three peco rolling stock pieces would be discontinued next year, and three brake vans of different colors that would go wonderfully with the red carriages, blue carriages, and slate wagons would take their place. However, I will leave it at that for now  ;).

(http://i65.tinypic.com/2wbyjp2.png)

(http://i63.tinypic.com/16lixqb.png)

(http://i65.tinypic.com/1zmmk4z.png)

Yeah, definatly need the brake vans next, three different colors as pictured above would be great.  That's the next biggest need after besides the rest of the original engines.

Also just wondering, typically how long after the new catalog comes out are the discontinued items actually discontinued?

I think that the discontinued items are technically already discontinued. However, those products will remain on the Bachmann site until they sell out entirely. It seems like that already happened to the Emily Passenger Set.

I'm pretty disappointed that the McColl's cattle wagon was cancelled.

Honestly guys, I know we are a tad disappointed, but be careful not to bite the hand that feeds you. 

Let's be honest.  The narrow gauge line is aimed at us, the Thomas fans. I agree that maybe they are on a budget this year and we are lucky we got the NG coaches. 

Not pointing fingers at anyone!

Remember 2014?  Arry and Bert still hadn't come out, we got the red coaches and that was about it.  We also had the resin buildings too.  We were pretty disappointed in no new engine that year also.  Not saying Bachmann is going to fulfill your every wish next year, but the next year we got Oliver and Skarloey.  I am pretty sure Skarloey was in development for a while before the announced it.  It takes 2+ years to make anything in the model train world.  Bachmann UK is JUST getting in the Baldwin's it announced in 2014. 

The announced a Quarry Hunslet and I don't think it will come out before 2020.  Maybe they have stuff in development, but they didn't feel to announce it because of the complaints they get of something taking 2 years to make.     

I really think the Large Scale range is down for the count. In other words, it's showing signs of death.

The truth is, Bachmann's hardly to blame for Grumpy Diesel getting announced, as Mattel decides what Bachmann adds to the range. It's really frustrating that it's the ONLY engine announced for this year, which means another whole year of vouching for Daisy. The only things that got announced that people actually ASKED for were the Express Coaches return, HO Spiteful Brakevan, and Narrow Gauge coaches. As for the tankers, nobody asked for those. I did previously ask for a water tanker, and it's one of the only predictions I got right.

The 2014 announcements were also underwhelming, as that was another year where no engine was announced, but then the 2015 announcements gave us Oliver, Toad, and the Narrow Gauge range. Mattel better let Bachmann redeem themselves in 2019.

If Nia gets announced for 2019, there will be an even worse backlash, as she's a character nobody likes. 2019 better be good. I really don't want the HO range to die, like Large Scale.

While pondering again, I came to realize that the one big plus with this year's overall announcements is that all of the products will most likely be released by the end of 2018 because they are all repaints of old toolings (with the exception of the narrow gauge carriages since they would utilize two new toolings, and the possibly HO Spiteful Brake Van due to the face plate). This is yet another reason why we should all remain sanguine for next year.

Additionally, does anyone know if Mr. Blaine showcased or will be showcasing new products at the Toy Fair? I'm sure that we all want to see a clear shot of the Large Scale Spiteful Brake Van after all  :).

For the narrow gauge coaches I would like the lite blue version. If the blue paint is like the box van I think it would okay. Depends on how bachmann wants to paint them.

I like the bright red with the yellow stripe. Instead of the dark reddish brown from the cgi series. (That was said before to tall).

I think from now on, Bachmann will try to only announce products that will come the year they're announced. Next time an engine gets announced, you may see a prototype image in the catalog. Most likely to avoid what happened with Oliver and Rheneas, when they took a ridiculously long time to release.

Theoretically, Daisy COULD be in development, but Bachmann felt it was too early to announce her, so that way, when she eventually does get announced, she will be closer to release.

Another example is that if Sidney gets announced, you may see his prototype in the 20XX catalog, and he'll get released that summer.

In the 2015 catalog, there was a prototype of Celebration Thomas, which was in development since 2014, and it managed to get released in late 2015 for the 70th anniversary.

The good thing about this year's announcements is that everything sounds like they should get released by the end of the year. If everything is released before January of 2019, then so many possibilities will be open. Maybe Grumpy Diesel's final model will have black siderods. They'll most likely stay silver though.

Could it be possible Bachmann pushed out Grumpy Diesel because Daisy or some other engine wasn't finished/is taking longer to make and they wanted to announce at least one HO engine? As said by others I too also think it's a bit lazy and I won't be buying the whole engine again for one face. For the faceplates, other engines like Thomas, Percy, James, etc could have benefited way more to have newer faces first. Diesel's, albeit not being grumpy, had a perfectly fine face (though grumpy would've been nice back in 2011) so I wouldn't expect him to be the first to have a change. As for the tankers, just more recoloring old toolings so nothing too major but it's nice to have some more variety I guess. Having the Spiteful Brake Van in HO to replace the old one (which was suspiciously removed from the catalog) will be a very nice change so I'm assuming we may get a normal variant soon. As for the Narrow Gauge and Large Scale stuff, I don't collect them [yet?] so I don't have any full opinion on them, though just from talking to others I can see how they're upset with there still not being an Edward yet.

Ok.  Let's get something straight, Daisy is NOT in  development.  What people on this for me to realize is that Thomas is basically a side thing for Bachmann.  And in times where prices of manufacturing are rough for them Thomas is always going to suffer.  I get people get excited and want new models but some of the posts on here makes me question peoples sanity.  People truly will believe whatever they want to believe.  Just give it time, a new engine will come the range is definitely not dead  as it still makes them a lot of money.  Though, just not as much as I think a lot of you think it does.

Basically the end point is we have to realize  Thomas isn't the only thing Bachmann has to deal with, and adjust our expectations accordingly.  Big world big adventures may have something to do with this, you never know.

Quote from: thomasj219 on February 18, 2018, 11:56:15 AM
Ok.  Let's get something straight, Daisy is NOT in  development.  What people on this for me to realize is that Thomas is basically a side thing for Bachmann.  And in times where prices of manufacturing are rough for them Thomas is always going to suffer.  I get people get excited and want new models but some of the posts on here makes me question peoples sanity.  People truly will believe whatever they want to believe.  Just give it time, a new engine will come the range is definitely not dead  as it still makes them a lot of money.  Though, just not as much as I think a lot of you think it does.

Basically the end point is we have to realize  Thomas isn't the only thing Bachmann has to deal with, and adjust our expectations accordingly.  Big world big adventures may have something to do with this, you never know.

. My apologies but I know a guy that knows the insides of what Bachmann does and he said that Bachmann already knows what they're making, a year before they announce it so that they are ready to sell within that year, and the Thomas and friends range is very successful so it is not a side job.

For Narrow Gauge, Bachmann may announce Peter Sam next year. Even if he was announced this year, he still could've been released in Fall 2019 either way. Rusty should definitely be available this fall. I'm very confident we'll get Peter Sam next year.

For HO Scale, I have no idea what to expect for next year. I'd just keep posting the exact same predictions like I did last year, and when the announcements actually came, it didn't go much as expected. Maybe I should stop raising my hopes on a certain character, so I wouldn't be as likely to get disappointed. Daisy may or may not get announced anytime soon. I should just shut up about her already. The HO range is definitely not dying, since it is still successful, but I can't say the same about Large Scale.

BoCo may never happen. Especially since we have no idea if he's ever going to return to the show. Season 21 ended up being eight episodes short.

Im going to try to keep this positive.

I'm excited to get Gordon's Express coaches. I have Gordon who had to pull the red coaches, it doesn't look right, I was thinking about getting Bachmann Branchline coaches but now I don't have to.
Also, it'd be silly to change the tooling of the coaches, because the Jam Filled twitter account revealed they'd be fixing the coach models so they'd better resemble the coaches from the model series, instead of the skinny ones that require two models due to being so small, so they can get good interior shots. Point being, there's no point in changing the mold, if it'll go right back soon. Plus it saves money. So I'm pretty sure it'll just be a re-release of the old ones, maybe with an updated paint scheme. I wonder how many I'll get?

Also very excited for the NG Coaches, I don't have a very steady hand so painting the shapeways models would be very difficult for me.

As for Grumpy Deisel, I'm suprised they did this instead of and updated Thomas or Percy. Those two are flagship models for the range and people always have to modify them to get them to look right. We definitely need new faces for them. But it's nice to see official alternate faces, I'll still probably get the shapeways faces for certain characters, but who knows, maybe we'll get a cheeky Thomas or something in the future.

I'm also excited to see the Spiteful Brakevan come over to HO. It seemed odd to have such a simple piece make it into large scale but not HO.

We know bachmann looks at the forum, as they've mentioned it before in a video where they showed off Rheneas and Rosie. So Daisy will probably be brought up in their talks with Mattel at some point. Who knows, maybe they can rig up the eye mechanism so that it follows the tracks as she turns a corner, through the movement of the bogies. Only time will tell. But those are my thoughts on the matter.

If we are going to assume every time Bachmann has minimal announcements that there are bigger plans for next year, then it's just going to make us even more disappointed with what's to come.  Last year's announcements were pretty minimal too despite new engines being added into the range, and if we went with that same assumption we would be even more disappointed with what we got this year.

Literally everything that got announced in HO and large scale in the last three years have been nothing but recolors, with the exception of Rosie.  The large scale Diesel got cancelled despite being the first engine in the range in four years since Toby got announced.  Honestly the fact that Diesel, a character with a really simple design with recolor alternatives following it got cancelled, that is extremely worrying.

The only reason why I'm more hopeful for narrow gauge is the fact that that range has been adding new toolings each year after Skarloey's announcement.  They're not using Peco toolings for the coaches, after how the sales on those previous stock bombed compared to Skarloey it would be daft for Bachmann to repeat that mistake again, especially when they got measurements on the engines and rolling stock at Talyllyn.  Plus, the CGI narrow gauge coach and the blue coach both use Talyllyn's #4 coach tooling so more likely than not that's what the new coaches will be based on and they will sell really well due to the high demand.

This is why I have more hope for narrow gauge and why I'm not sold on the future of HO and large scale, (especially large scale).  If HO had to absolutely stick to just recolors may I suggest these two to be considered next year:

(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/f/f7/TheAdventureBegins82.png/revision/latest?cb=20170315081756)

(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/8/83/TheAdventureBegins345.png/revision/latest?cb=20170315084328)

Mattel still makes toys with the LBSC Thomas too so I'm sure they would be on board with these being made and they would have had a much more positive response than "Grumpy Diesel".  Honestly, I'd buy these over Sidney any day.

Do you think the HO range is slowly going to suffer what Large Scale is suffering now? The fact that the HO range has been getting almost nothing but recolors in recent years definitely sounds like a worrying sign.

I'm not surprised the Large Scale range is showing signs of death, but why the HO range also? The HO range has been considerably more successful, and it's been around for 16 years. We haven't gotten a single piece of rolling stock with a new tooling in such a long time for neither HO nor Large Scales. I'm starting to be concerned about the HO range also. Rosie shouldn't be the last engine with a new tooling. The HO range seems like it has an uncertain future.

Like you said, the Narrow Gauge range has a much brighter future. It's the only range that's actually getting new rolling stock toolings. If we get Peter Sam, and Sir Haydn is still in overhaul preventing us from getting Sir Handel, we could get Luke, or Duncan.

At this point, I think HO's future is looking less brighter after 2015.  At least when they announced an engine no one cared about that year, Celebration Thomas, Bachmann announced Oliver and Toad alongside this announcement.  That to me was a smart move and it makes me wish Bachmann did something similar in HO this year with "Grumpy Diesel".

I think HO could pull off a new tooling engine wise but it's hard to say if it would be a solid choice.  Part of me is worried that Nia may find her way into the range next, especially with all the new merchandise she has been getting... At least Rebecca is a tender engine and would be a lot more expensive to produce so at least there's that going against Rebecca too.  Either way, I sincerely hope Bachmann finds a way to avoid these two if at all possible since there is literally nothing going for either of these two in terms of sales.  Even Charlie would be a more acceptable addition than those two.

Either way, I think when it comes to narrow gauge that Peter Sam and brake vans should take priority before anything else next year.  Then I would bet on Duncan and some more rolling stock in future years.  Whenever the overhaul is finished, I'm hoping it will be a matter of time before they can get measurements of Sir Haydn so they can eventually make Sir Handel.

In regards to the narrow gauge carriages, just out of curiosity, is it confirmed that the CGI carriages used #4's tooling? Or, is it just an assumption? I'm aware that the Thomas Wikia states that they appear to be based off of #4. However, is it actually a fact? To me, they look more like Talyllyn Carriage #1 due to how close the windows are to the roofs.

(http://i65.tinypic.com/2lmmmoz.png)

I overwhelmingly hope that it is the tooling to Carriage #1 because in the long run, it makes much more sense to make the carriages using two different toolings. I mean, think of this. If Bachmann makes two different toolings, then the UK narrow gauge range could market Talyllyn Carriages #1-4 next year or the year after that. Plus, the tooling to Talyllyn Carriages #1-3 would be much more marketable than #4 since it is used for three carriages whereas the tooling to #4 is only used for, well, Carriage #4.

(http://i68.tinypic.com/9fpqbr.jpg)

(http://i67.tinypic.com/20h1vu1.jpg)

(http://i68.tinypic.com/14cz1vn.jpg)

(http://i65.tinypic.com/2eflxef.jpg)

In fact, I could see the Bachmann UK range selling the four carriages in a four-pack, since something very similar to this happened to slate wagons as we all saw  ;). I can say right now that would be an extremely wise marketing move. The only problem is that Carriage #3 is actually one foot shorter than Carriages #1 and #2 in real life. However, that difference is so small to the point where it would not be noticeable to the eye, especially in 009 Gauge.

http://www.talyllyn.co.uk/details/original-carriages

Lastly, let's all remember that these carriages were the ONLY products with new toolings announced for 2018. Therefore, if the CGI red carriages are in fact based off of Carriage #1 or a random tooling (I wouldn't be surprised considering how poor the proportions are), then it would only make sense from an economic point of view for Bachmann to make the carriages using two different toolings (the red carriages based off of Carriages #1-3 and the blue carriages based off of Carriage #4 which is shown in one of my posts in the previous page of this thread). It would make us fans very content as well  :).

I not really going to worry about Nia and Rebecca going to be made. The future movie doesn't get released in the fall.

I'm going to try to get diesel this year. I don't want his siderods black. Just be lucky his side rods were silver instead of red.

Quote from: TerencetheTractor525 on February 18, 2018, 07:10:26 PM
In regards to the narrow gauge carriages, just out of curiosity, is it confirmed that the CGI carriages used #4's tooling? Or, is it just an assumption? I'm aware that the Thomas Wikia states that they appear to be based off of #4. However, is it actually a fact?

The coach being #4's tooling is my assumption personally since it would be a simple recolor from there.  I can almost gaurentee you that it's not going to be Peco tooling since they are presented in a similar way how the slate wagons were in 2016.  Doug Blaine generously confirmed with me via email that he was one of the representatives who went to Talyllyn to get measurements on the engines and stock there.  If they go with two different coach toolings then I would be overjoyed, but if they went the more simple route and killed two birds with one stone like how they did with the slate wagons and used just one tooling for both then I would be pretty happy.  Still planning on buying at least four of both either way... :P

Thanks for letting me know Chaz. I apologize if I came across a little too abrasive. I just want to do the best I can to help the Bachmann Thomas and UK ranges by giving them suggestions that would lead to the best outcomes for both fans and overall sales.

Nah you didn't come off as abrasive at all on my end, don't worry about that.  I'm sure the coaches will be huge hits when they come out!

Agreed  :).

If they turn out to be PECO GVT coaches though, I won't imagine many people flocking to them.

Bach-Man, Inside track,

Can we have an official statement on the cancellation of Diesel in large scale, please?

Thank you

To those of you who wanted confirmation I emailed Doug Blaine and he officially confirmed with me via email that large scale Diesel and McColls cattle wagon have been cancelled for the time being.  Grumpy Diesel also had nothing to do with large scale Diesel's cancellation.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall to hear the reasoning behind that.

Wow. "For the time being"? What sort of sense does that make? LS collectors have had enough trouble with new models already and then Bachmann goes and pulls a move like this? Crazy how the Thomas range as a whole is being treated atm. I don't claim to know everything about what goes on behind-the-scenes with Mattel, production delays, etc. but I do think it's ridiculous that there is not more communication between buyer and seller.

On that note: (in no way is this a knock against you Chaz) why on Earth did Bachmann only reveal this info through a private email? Are they thinking that we somehow won't notice or that it doesn't deserve to be publicly addressed? Jesse even created a whole separate thread which a Bachmann employee could've easily responded to. Just seems to me like something is going on that the GP doesn't know about, and Bachmann certainly isn't sharing. Hopefully this isn't coming across as rude, just words from a frustrated customer.

Quote from: Griffin on February 19, 2018, 06:30:05 PM
Wow. "For the time being"? What sort of sense does that make? LS collectors have had enough trouble with new models already and then Bachmann goes and pulls a move like this? Crazy how the Thomas range as a whole is being treated atm. I don't claim to know everything about what goes on behind-the-scenes with Mattel, production delays, etc. but I do think it's ridiculous that there is not more communication between buyer and seller.

On that note: (in no way is this a knock against you Chaz) why on Earth did Bachmann only reveal this info through a private email? Are they thinking that we somehow won't notice or that it doesn't deserve to be publicly addressed? Jesse even created a whole separate thread which a Bachmann employee could've easily responded to. Just seems to me like something is going on that the GP doesn't know about, and Bachmann certainly isn't sharing. Hopefully this isn't coming across as rude, just words from a frustrated customer.

As I said in a previous post, Bachmann may have stepped back on Diesel considering the minimal number of sales diesels in large scale have had over the years, and it's a possibility that after having second thoughts, Diesel wasn't a risk the company wanted to take, at least not at this time.  Also, I wouldn't really say that Bachmann only reveal Diesel's cancelation through a private email, as the model clearly wasn't in the 2018 catalogue.  It's a simple matter of putting two and two together to figure that out.  In addition to that, bashing the Bachmann Company isn't going to change things.

What I feel most of you are failing to understand is that it's not just large scale, but the whole hobby across the spectrum is down.  As I've found out over the years, large scale is niche market of a niche market.  Model railroading in general is a niche of the overall hobby market and large scale is a niche of that.  When you look at sales within the last 10 years, numbers have gone down not just for large scale, but for model railroading all together.  The big issue is that model railroaders are dying off and not being replaced.  Then you've got a generation these days that want instant gratification, of which model railroading is not.  Throw in the kids who would rather spend countless hours sitting on the couch playing on their tablet or game stations and the hobby is basically struck down with the overriding question: "What is so interesting about model trains?".

Then you have the cost of model railroading which has gone completely out of control.  Manufacturers these days have been shrinking production runs and this is a contributor to the price increase, but as a result to fewer numbers of models produced.  The more models you produce, the more you can spread out the cost of tooling, thus keep the cost per item low.  It wasn't such a big deal in yesteryears when you only had a few manufactures releasing products, but these days everyone has the option to chose between dozens of manufactures and/or scales.  Put simply, why produce models that won't sell?

Many have said that the 2nd-hand market is also a big contributor to the low number of sales for new products as well.  Modelers have a lot to chose from and at better prices.  Some people are also selling off new-in-box items from collections that the original owners never even ran. These put a spanner in the works on the sale of new products from the manufacturers, and they sell for much lower prices. You've also got the younger generation coming into the hobby who are much more tech savvy, and can navigate sales in a digital world.

These days there's not a lot of new stuff being made by any of the large scale manufactures.  Piko and LGB are the only ones I've seen (aside from Bachmann) having new products announced every year, which don't include just repaints.  Other manufactures like Accurcraft are producing new stuff as well, but their locomotives aren't mass-produced.  Then you have Aristo-Craft which went under years back and is no more.  Even though we've lost a couple of manufacturers, and several of the larger distributors, those remaining are cautious about how much they invest. I've only been into large scale for going on 8 years now and in that time I've seen this play out.

There are also those that say HO is more popular and that's why is sells better than large scale, but this is more of an opinion rather than fact.  You've got some people out there who feel you get more bang for your buck by going to a smaller scale, and in most cases it depends on the individual.  Large scale isn't really something for the younger generation because of its high cost.  True I started out young when I got into it, but that's because I had a good paying job and I do my homework when shopping around.  Large scale is more of a scale for the wealthy dentist or the retired carpenter rather than little Timmy Sullivan in the 8th grade.  Still if you're young and you can afford it, nothing beats having a large scale railroad in your front yard.

As I've said before, it's not just the Thomas & Friends line that is suffering this fait.  The last several years I've watched Bachmann discontinue many products from their large scale range.  Last year we lost only Thomas in that range, but the Spectrum and Big Haulers line lost a few locomotives and a handful of rolling stock.  I was disappointed to see for 2018 the same thing, but Bachmann also discontinued several train sets and have begun thinning out the C-19's.  Even the iconic Bachmann Ten-Wheelers have yet again been discontinued.  I'll also say that although Bachmann hasn't come out and said it, the 1:20.3 line is dead.

So to wrap things up, Diesel's cancelation may be a disappointment and/or a surprise to many, but is (believe it or not) understandable in my books.  It may not be what people wanted to happen, but everyone needs to understand the position that Bachmann themselves is in at the moment when it comes to large scale.  That's my thoughts and my perspective on the hobby as a whole and where I believe it is headed.  If others want to provide their thoughts on where things are going, feel free to do so.  The pendulum may eventually start swinging back to where manufacturers feel safe bringing new stuff to market again, but till then it's a waiting game.

-Rusty

Hopefully, we'll get Paxton's final image soon.

I'm gonna wait until Grumpy Diesel is released and buy a grumpy face plate or loco shell (with face plate) from the spares department.

I definitely agree with Plow Bender that the large scale market is as niche of a market as they get.  The narrow gauge range is a lot more of a niche market too but the range is still fairly new and there is a lot more going for it in terms of engines and stock.  Meanwhile for large scale, many people would argue that it's a miracle that engine wise, the range went beyond Thomas, Percy, and James.  Granted Toby is a simple box-like shape and tram engines are extremely popular in garden railroads.  Emily on the other hand was a lot more of a risky gamble since she is such a large engine with a high price point.  Clearly it paid off as she is easily one of the best sellers in the range with all the conversions done to her basis.  She's also the most detailed model in the range too.

The range had a great start and clearly exceeded expectations, but Diesel's cancellation is a pretty huge red flag for the range.  At best I can see the range adding James, Toby, and Emily with DCC and sound already installed in the models like Thomas and Percy and at an absolute push the red coaches for rolling stock.  At worst I would expect more futile rolling stock recolors like we have been getting the last few years, or simply nothing at all.  Either way, while I see a more optimistic future for narrow gauge and some light on the HO range, I think it's clear that the large scale range does not have much going for it anymore.

Quote from: Plow Bender on February 20, 2018, 12:57:26 PM

Quote from: Griffin on February 19, 2018, 06:30:05 PM
Wow. "For the time being"? What sort of sense does that make? LS collectors have had enough trouble with new models already and then Bachmann goes and pulls a move like this? Crazy how the Thomas range as a whole is being treated atm. I don't claim to know everything about what goes on behind-the-scenes with Mattel, production delays, etc. but I do think it's ridiculous that there is not more communication between buyer and seller.

On that note: (in no way is this a knock against you Chaz) why on Earth did Bachmann only reveal this info through a private email? Are they thinking that we somehow won't notice or that it doesn't deserve to be publicly addressed? Jesse even created a whole separate thread which a Bachmann employee could've easily responded to. Just seems to me like something is going on that the GP doesn't know about, and Bachmann certainly isn't sharing. Hopefully this isn't coming across as rude, just words from a frustrated customer.

As I said in a previous post, Bachmann may have stepped back on Diesel considering the minimal number of sales diesels in large scale have had over the years, and it's a possibility that after having second thoughts, Diesel wasn't a risk the company wanted to take, at least not at this time.  Also, I wouldn't really say that Bachmann only reveal Diesel's cancelation through a private email, as the model clearly wasn't in the 2018 catalogue.  It's a simple matter of putting two and two together to figure that out.  In addition to that, bashing the Bachmann Company isn't going to change things.

What I feel most of you are failing to understand is that it's not just large scale, but the whole hobby across the spectrum is down.  As I've found out over the years, large scale is niche market of a niche market.  Model railroading in general is a niche of the overall hobby market and large scale is a niche of that.  When you look at sales within the last 10 years, numbers have gone down not just for large scale, but for model railroading all together.  The big issue is that model railroaders are dying off and not being replaced.  Then you've got a generation these days that want instant gratification, of which model railroading is not.  Throw in the kids who would rather spend countless hours sitting on the couch playing on their tablet or game stations and the hobby is basically struck down with the overriding question: "What is so interesting about model trains?".

Then you have the cost of model railroading which has gone completely out of control.  Manufacturers these days have been shrinking production runs and this is a contributor to the price increase, but as a result to fewer numbers of models produced.  The more models you produce, the more you can spread out the cost of tooling, thus keep the cost per item low.  It wasn't such a big deal in yesteryears when you only had a few manufactures releasing products, but these days everyone has the option to chose between dozens of manufactures and/or scales.  Put simply, why produce models that won't sell?

Many have said that the 2nd-hand market is also a big contributor to the low number of sales for new products as well.  Modelers have a lot to chose from and at better prices.  Some people are also selling off new-in-box items from collections that the original owners never even ran. These put a spanner in the works on the sale of new products from the manufacturers, and they sell for much lower prices. You've also got the younger generation coming into the hobby who are much more tech savvy, and can navigate sales in a digital world.

These days there's not a lot of new stuff being made by any of the large scale manufactures.  Piko and LGB are the only ones I've seen (aside from Bachmann) having new products announced every year, which don't include just repaints.  Other manufactures like Accurcraft are producing new stuff as well, but their locomotives aren't mass-produced.  Then you have Aristo-Craft which went under years back and is no more.  Even though we've lost a couple of manufacturers, and several of the larger distributors, those remaining are cautious about how much they invest. I've only been into large scale for going on 8 years now and in that time I've seen this play out.

There are also those that say HO is more popular and that's why is sells better than large scale, but this is more of an opinion rather than fact.  You've got some people out there who feel you get more bang for your buck by going to a smaller scale, and in most cases it depends on the individual.  Large scale isn't really something for the younger generation because of its high cost.  True I started out young when I got into it, but that's because I had a good paying job and I do my homework when shopping around.  Large scale is more of a scale for the wealthy dentist or the retired carpenter rather than little Timmy Sullivan in the 8th grade.  Still if you're young and you can afford it, nothing beats having a large scale railroad in your front yard.

As I've said before, it's not just the Thomas & Friends line that is suffering this fait.  The last several years I've watched Bachmann discontinue many products from their large scale range.  Last year we lost only Thomas in that range, but the Spectrum and Big Haulers line lost a few locomotives and a handful of rolling stock.  I was disappointed to see for 2018 the same thing, but Bachmann also discontinued several train sets and have begun thinning out the C-19's.  Even the iconic Bachmann Ten-Wheelers have yet again been discontinued.  I'll also say that although Bachmann hasn't come out and said it, the 1:20.3 line is dead.

So to wrap things up, Diesel's cancelation may be a disappointment and/or a surprise to many, but is (believe it or not) understandable in my books.  It may not be what people wanted to happen, but everyone needs to understand the position that Bachmann themselves is in at the moment when it comes to large scale.  That's my thoughts and my perspective on the hobby as a whole and where I believe it is headed.  If others want to provide their thoughts on where things are going, feel free to do so.  The pendulum may eventually start swinging back to where manufacturers feel safe bringing new stuff to market again, but till then it's a waiting game.

-Rusty

Not everyone in the current generation or the one I'm part of want instant gratification, so using the generation card is kinda wrongful in my opinion, but I'm actually okay with the narrow gauge announcements this year being the coaches so I'm not disaapointed about this year.

I agree with your feedback wholly, Plow Bender. I didn't want to come across as petty or whiny, but I guess I kind of did. Hopefully the message I was trying to convey is still present though.

On another note, Bachmann Paxton's (final?) product image has been uploaded to Bachmann's Instagram page. Thoughts?

(http://i65.tinypic.com/2s1okzq.jpg)

The border around Paxton's face should be the same green as the body and not the same light gray as the face, but other than that it looks pretty accurate.

My best guess is his face is so small that they figured they would rather make the faceplate the same size as Diesels but not fix the border around the face?  If its just the prototype and they fix that on the final model then I will probably get it.

It looks great otherwise besides that, especially with the painted siderods.  Despite it being a recolor, I say it's a step up over the Oliver and Rosie models.

Why is there a gray border around his face? Was it not fixable?

Is it bad that I would like those toffee and chocolate syrup tankers in HO scale?

Also, Bachmann missed on the perfect opportunity to name the Diesel variant 'Devious Diesel'.

Is that Paxton's final model? Is it too late to paint the border around his face?

Grumpy Diesel still has silver siderods.

Boy uh.

That's quite the glaring error.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DWkz_EsUMAAh1wk.jpg:large)
The weird thing is, Diesels face isn't as wide as the grey area around Paxtons face. It raises the question of whether this is a bad Photoshop, or a paint error.

I really wish to support the Bachmann Thomas range, but when not even a repaint of Diesel can be done right, it raises some red flags and makes me very concerned for the range. Was the image/prototype simply not proof-read? Is this an unfinished design? I certainly hope so, as I had been greatly anticipating Paxton.

With Rosie and Oliver, I felt like Bachmann was back on track after the misfire Toad was (especially from a manufacturing standpoint).

On the other hand, Grumpy Diesel looks alright; if I didn't have Diesel already, I would have gotten it instead. I feel like Grumpy Diesel will become the peoples choice for a Diesel model, rather than his smiling face.

Duck was originally going to have a black running board, but then it became white on the final model.

Please, Bachmann. The gray border around Paxton's face is going to hurt his sales. People are gonna say "You can just paint it yourself" I shouldn't have to. I don't have a steady hand. Please paint the face border before it's too late.

If anything this is all the more of a reason to avoid making Sidney if it were to have a similar outcome.  Though if they do fix this small error on Paxton's face I would argue it's still a step up over Oliver and Rosie (especially Rosie).

(http://i64.tinypic.com/bdpm48.jpg)

It's a step-up over the smile the other Diesel model had, but having both in the range at the same time is not a good move on Bachmann's part.  Unless they plan to drop the first Diesel model in the range I can't imagine this will be a hot seller, unless some fans don't have the Diesel model already.

Quote from: Griffin on February 21, 2018, 10:51:54 AM
I agree with your feedback wholly, Plow Bender. I didn't want to come across as petty or whiny, but I guess I kind of did. Hopefully the message I was trying to convey is still present though.

I can see where you're coming from entirely, Mr. Griffin so there's no need to worry about it.  As I said in my previous post, the pendulum may eventually start swinging back, but till then it's more or less a waiting game.

Quote from: DucktheGWREngine08 on February 20, 2018, 11:52:51 PM
Not everyone in the current generation or the one I'm part of want instant gratification, so using the generation card is kinda wrongful in my opinion, but I'm actually okay with the narrow gauge announcements this year being the coaches so I'm not disaapointed about this year.

Whether you agree with my perspective on the model railroading hobby or not is fine, but it does help if you at least have a clear perspective on things before you choose to call someone out on it.

As I said before, model railroading is a delayed gratification hobby.  You've got a generation today that is primarily (that doesn't mean everyone...) an instant gratification society.  Things like building kits or much less a model railroad take too long.  A few years back my hobby shop quit stocking a lot of their K&S, Evergreen, and Plastruct supplies due to a decline in the number of sales.  Even your Woodland Scenics landscaping materials just sit on the shelves collecting dust.  As the owner told me, it's a lot easier for someone to go out and buy something premade verses trying to build it themselves.

Model railroading magazine subscriptions have also gone down about 60% or so within the last 15 years.  Then you have manufacturers releasing a limited number of new products compared to previous years.  Combine that with the fact that we as the buyers complain about the high cost of our niche market products, not wanting to pay the cost of the company recovering it's investment to produce a (for a specific product) short run.  Similar to what I mentioned in my previous post, the shorter the product run, the higher the per piece price.  It's simple economics folks.

By all means you are free to disagree with my posts, but you could at least back up your post with some reason rather than just saying I'm using the generation card as a crutch.  Also, was it really necessary to quote my entire post?

-Rusty

Hopefully, the Paxton model is just a prototype.

Duck had a paint error that got fixed on the final model (the running board). The same can happen for Paxton. If the border around his face gets painted dark green on the final model, it will REALLY improve his sales. Spencer's prototype had no buffers.

Quote from: Plow Bender on February 21, 2018, 01:44:23 PM

As I said before, model railroading is a delayed gratification hobby.  You've got a generation today that is primarily (that doesn't mean everyone...) an instant gratification society.  Things like building kits or much less a model railroad take too long.  A few years back my hobby shop quit stocking a lot of their K&S, Evergreen, and Plastruct supplies due to a decline in the number of sales.  Even your Woodland Scenics landscaping materials just sit on the shelves collecting dust.  As the owner told me, it's a lot easier for someone to go out and buy something premade verses trying to build it themselves.

This saddens me.  THAT'S THE BEST PART OF A LAYOUT!  Nothing more satisfying than building a scene you can say "I made that!". 

I mean, I am guilty of buying a 3D printed coach or loco because I am not good at scratch building complex items.  I take pride in painting and weathering it though.  Nothing more soothing than building a kit either!

Just got confirmation from Doug Blaine that the image of Paxton is an early prototype.  It will be fixed on the final model and they will update the image online.

You're welcome.

No problem Maui, Demigod of the Wind and Sea, Hero to All

That is great news! Thank you letting us know Chaz! Is it also possible if you could email Doug Blaine, asking him if the red and blue narrow gauge carriages will be two different toolings? I would email Mr. Blaine myself, but I do not know his email address.  

Thank goodness!!

Now, Bachmann Paxton's sales have been saved! People will actually want to buy him! Now we don't have to worry about that ridiculous gray border anymore.

When Bachmann eventually makes Sidney, he will also have that fixed.

Quote from: TerencetheTractor525 on February 22, 2018, 01:51:25 PM
That is great news! Thank you letting us know Chaz! Is it also possible if you could email Doug Blaine, asking him if the red and blue narrow gauge carriages will be two different toolings? I would email Mr. Blaine myself, but I do not know his email address.  

Sure thing, I don't want to bug him after asking him a few questions earlier so I'll ask later.

Thank you very much, and that's certainly understandable. I look forward to seeing what he says later :).

Paxton's final model certainly made my day. Now, I'm REALLY looking forward to buying him. He's bound to sell better than 'Arry and Bert.

Sidney will look just as amazing when Bachmann eventually gets to him. He has hazard stripes below his face, and he'll use those same painted siderods.

I never said I didn't want Sidney. It's just that Daisy is a much higher priority than him. That's all.

EDIT (to avoid double-posting):
Diesel is the first character in the Thomas range who ISN'T Thomas to get a variation. Since Grumpy Diesel's image is already posted, could it be possible that both Daisy AND Sidney could get announced in 2019? In 2014, no engines were announced, but in 2015, Oliver was announced along with Celebration Thomas, which was a recolor nobody cared about. Once Paxton, Grumpy Diesel, and Rusty get released, we'll have no other engine to anticipate until the 2019 announcements. If all rolling stock gets released as well, we'll have literally nothing to anticipate until the 2019 announcements.

If it's possible for both Daisy and Sidney to get announced in 2019, not only would it make up for the lack of engines announced this year, but it will instantly restore people's faith in Bachmann. Even just Daisy alone would restore faith, since she is the most requested engine. Like I said, no engines were announced in 2014, but in 2015, they announced a new tooling, and a recolor.

We still have yet to get the Explosives Van in HO Scale. I think another idea for a new ventilated van is a Fish Van, which would be great for Henry's train: The Flying Kipper.

For Troublesome Truck #6, I'd like to see a tanker, ventilated van, or a utility wagon (mail car). I think a Troublesome Tanker has the most demand.

I have a feeling that Paxton and Grumpy Diesel will both be released at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TANTtTbcYA

Here's a video from the 2018 Toy Fair, it looks like Paxton and Rusty didn't be make it to the display.  Interestingly enough, what I think is on display with the large scale products is the large scale spiteful brake van.  It even has a product card next to it like any other newly released product that would be on display, but there is just one small problem...

You can't see his face in the video.

Like Paxton, I hope we get a clear image of the large scale Spiteful Brake Van soon.  It will also give fans an idea of what the HO scale version would look like too.

Quote from: Chaz on March 01, 2018, 12:51:48 AM
Interestingly enough, what I think is on display with the large scale products is the large scale spiteful brake van.  It even has a product card next to it like any other newly released product that would be on display, but there is just one small problem...

You can't see his face in the video.

(https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/5/2/887456__safe_screencap_troubleshoes+clyde_appleoosa%27s+most+wanted_season+5_just+my+luck_just+my+luck+meme_meme_solo.jpg)

I'm the same myself in hopes that we see something on Rusty soon.  Considering he was announced a little over a year ago now, we should be getting at least an update on his progress if not a prototype image.  Hopefully this isn't another case like Rheneas where we get notified that he's shipping by another retailer before Bachmann themselves.  Then again, even that would be good news.

-Rusty

One thing I notice with Gordon's Express Coaches are that the Item Numbers are different. The item number on the newly announced ones are 76034 (Brake) and 76035 (Composite), whereas the original Express Coaches are 76049 (Composite) and 76048 (Brake). I'm pretty sure that reissues usually have the same item number they had when they first were released. I hope this means new toolings for the coaches.

I wouldn't count on it.  New toolings for HO rolling stock are pretty rare nowadays, let alone new express coaches in particular would be too expensive.  Plus when you look at the catalog, it clearly shows the same express coaches in the same tooling as before, not even noting anything along the lines of "illustration shown" below the images, indicating that these are what the final products are going to look like.  

Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on March 23, 2018, 04:20:22 PM
I hope this means new toolings for the coaches.

I don't think that's true, but if it was, it probably wouldn't be a good thing. The old coaches look very nice, and I they were to make new toolings, they would probably be based on the CGI models which aren't very good looking. They are out of scale and have many design errors.

TIME TO GET HYPED!!!!

(http://i63.tinypic.com/25510cy.png)

Paxton's face is fixed and you can see Diesel's new face!

I wonder if this confirms that Grumpy Diesel will be replacing the older Diesel model, which admittedly would be the only way that Grumpy Diesel would have decent sales.

Paxton looks great on display, will be buying him for sure.

Rhinebcker, any sight of the express coaches or rusty?

I can't seem to find the troublesome truck 5. I believe its the white salt wagon.

I want to get grumpy diesel. But I also thought about getting diesel with his happy face. I don't know which one to get. One will cost more than than the other being the only difference is the expression.

I'm I the person who is having trouble deciding what/which diesels to buy. When you don't have that character at all.

I been thinking about passenger cars lately. Since I got Henry and Edward I was looking for coaches. Noticing that Bachmann should make the old coaches. I liked the old coaches, I think they were the original express cars before they were serviced into local traffic.

It will be nice to go with the red branch line cars. Somebody said on the forum it's basically the same car as Annie and Clarabel. So it should be an easy repaint.

Anyone else likes this idea?

I could have sworn I gave the source of the picture in my original post but I guess not. The picture was posted on TrainWorld's facebook page. No other picture that I saw covered the Thomas area other than all the Large Scale engines minus Winston.

The York train show is this weekend so get ready for the Spring 2018 TCA video! Hopefully they will show Paxton up close like they did with Rosie last year.

On a side note, it really makes me wonder why they wouldn't have updated pictures of the express coaches if they do happen to be the same tooling. I also find it strange that they would still be on display with the bachmann layout at all the train shows since they were discontinued.

Quote from: Rickenbacker 325 on April 20, 2018, 02:11:52 PM
On a side note, it really makes me wonder why they wouldn't have updated pictures of the express coaches if they do happen to be the same tooling. I also find it strange that they would still be on display with the bachmann layout at all the train shows since they were discontinued.

Well, since they are the same tooling, there really isn't much of a reason to take new pictures of them when the stock photos are already available. Now if these were new toolings or they had a paint revision, then I imagine they would update the photos to show everyone what they look like.

Quote from: Rickenbacker 325 on April 20, 2018, 02:11:52 PM
I also find it strange that they would still be on display with the bachmann layout at all the train shows since they were discontinued.

At the time when the Bachmann Sodor layout(s) were made, the express coaches were not discontinued.  I imagine that they probably wanted to keep them around for their show layouts while they were discontinued for consistency sake.

Paxton and Grumpy Diesel up close, courtesy of @Meganekko1126 on Twitter

https://twitter.com/Meganekko1126/status/987366598045569024

Does anyone know the price range for the Narrow Gauge coaches yet?

I would like to get 6 of them (for pre-order) but I'm worried that I wouldn't save enough. I estimated about $70 to 80 dollars since the NG box vans were that price.

I know it's a ballpark guess.

I think it would be $50 each max.

Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on April 20, 2018, 08:19:57 PM
Paxton and Grumpy Diesel up close, courtesy of @Meganekko1126 on Twitter

https://twitter.com/Meganekko1126/status/987366598045569024

Diesel looks way better like that!

Is the original Diesel being discontinued in favour the grumpy version?

I believe so.

Diesel (Item No. 58802) remains in our HO line: https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=756_772_774&products_id=1755&zenid=n49cjfukurdq39hob1ubq4vjn3

Then why was the grumpy version of Diesel made when the original one is still selling?

Grumpy Diesel was made because some fans have complained about Diesel's original face, calling it too innocent or cheery, and it was of course inexpensive to make.

However, considering that there have been two consecutive years of announcements with no new HO loco tooling, let's hope that Stepney or Daisy are in the books for 2019, both of which would cost much less to make than the majority of newer characters and be extremely hot sellers, as polls have proven  :).

Quote from: TerencetheTractor525 on September 19, 2018, 12:20:52 AM
Grumpy Diesel was made because some fans have complained about Diesel's original face, calling it too innocent or cheery, and it was of course inexpensive to make.

However, considering that there have been two consecutive years of announcements with no new HO loco tooling, let's hope that Stepney or Daisy are in the books for 2019, both of which would cost much less to make than the majority of newer characters and be extremely hot sellers, as polls have proven  :).

Then just updating the existing Diesel's face would've made more sense if they are just updating something that fans wanted changed, instead of keeping the original one and this one. Unless Bachmann plans on having multiple versions of each engine, each with different faces, then this is an odd choice.

If Grumpy Diesel replaces Diesel, it'll be something we'll only find out once Bachmann runs out of supply of their current Diesel run, and then wait and see if regular Diesel gets restocked or not.

Diesel is the last locomotive to buy. I'm having a difficult decision what version to buy.
Which one is better? I want to buy both buy I just need one. Getting two doesn't make sense.

It really just comes down to the matter of if you want one with a happy face or a grumpy face.

Personally, I would go with the Grumpy Diesel because it suits his character more than a happy face, since it does suit his character more. You also wouldn't run into the chance of buying a normal Diesel with that odd buffer factory error that the more recently produced normal Diesel models had.

Have they fixed the factory error on the original bachmann diesel models?

Quote from: JLK2707 on September 19, 2018, 11:38:31 PM
Have they fixed the factory error on the original bachmann diesel models?

I went to a local model shop that sells Bachmann Thomas. The Diesel models there had that buffer factory error. Weird. ???

It is weird Streak, but maybe this could just be a reference for those who want to make Ulli or the other midland diesels.

I am very disappointed in the offerings but I probably understand the reasons. With the trade war with China the production isn't what it could be.  At least this way they are offering some new items.  There are a lot of new possibilities that would be great to bring out but I suspect we won't see anything really new for a while until the dust settles and the production comes back to the USA. :-[

Not to discredit the idea of a "trade war", as a person who's very political in his personal life, I'll try to dodge politicised topics here. However, I was under the impression that Bachmann's Thomas range was always produced in China. I'd say it's not necessarily where the production is occurring, but instead that production costs are rising.

That's what I'm given to understand though. And I dare not go further down that rabbit hole, as knowing me, political comments will come to the surface rapidly, if I continued that tangent, and (from memory) delving too far into politics is something that's prohibited under the code of conduct. Regardless, I'm open to being wrong, but to my knowledge, any "trade wars" (wow that sounds like a lame Star Wars parody :D) is fairly disconnected from what's occurring right now. It's more due to rising production costs...which may arguably tie into that concept, but again, that rabbit hole goes too deep for me to go over here, and if I'm wrong, I'm fine with that. I just thought the "lacklustre" announcements were mainly due to rising production costs, plus most of the engines Bachmann can make a profit off of, have been created already.

Bachmann has to tow a hard line, one that appeals to younger and older fans, and cannot keep up with just how much other ranges can put out (see Trackmaster and Learning Curve), so most of what they believe they can probably profit off of, has been made. So...how to keep the range afloat? Recolours, I think, must've seemed like the best option to them, and the higher ups at Mattel which have influence on Bachmann's announcements.

Anyway, sorry if this seemed rambley, I'm currently very unwell, so this is far from my most concise, or well thought-out post. Sorry everybody, hope you all have a lovely day/night/whatever time it is for you currently :P

~Alex