While seeing that many people are desperate to start a new predictions thread on the Bachmann 2020 Thomas range, and that next year is a very special year for Thomas (Thomas' 75th Anniversary), I thought that it would not hurt to start one now. I'm just going to start with a general list of what I would like, and expect to see.
HO Scale
Stepney, Daisy, or LBSC Thomas
Troublesome Truck #6
Flat Wagon with a new load (paint drums, oil drums, pipes, or crates)
Resin Buildings: https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,34707.0.html
Narrow Gauge
Peter Sam
N Scale
James
Tankers
Spiteful Brake Van
Large Scale
LBSC Thomas
Red Circus Van
Blue Circus Van
I'll do what I'd like to see then what i expect to see.
HO scale
Daisy, Stepney or flying Scotsman
I think one of these three will sell really well and be very nice for the 75th especially Daisy or Scotsman.
Original Thomas.
Troublesome truck 6
Flatbead with load
Wagon with load
Resin buildings
Narrow gauge
Peter sam
Breakvan
large scale
Original Thomas
Verious recolours of wagons
Possible new troublesome truck.
N scale
James
Tankers
Scruffy
Breakvan
N scale thomas set
Now this is what I'm expecting
HO scale
Sidney
Updated celebration thomas (possibly with sound)
Various recolours for tankers (toffee, choclate syrup)
Possibly troublesome truck 6
Mining wagon (red)
narrow guage
Breakvan
Maybe a new engine depending on other lines
Large scale
Celebration Thomas
N scale
James
Scruffy
Here's my 2020 predictions.
HO Scale:
Sidney
Green Thomas (LBSC)
Explosives Van
Troublesome Truck #6
Orange Coach
Red Express Coaches (reintroduction)
Narrow Gauge:
Peter Sam
Brake Van
N Scale:
James
Red Coach
Red Brake Coach
S.C. Ruffey
Brake Van
Large Scale:
Celebration Thomas
Woof. A little early, don't you think, boyos? We're only another ~365 days out from the official reveals.
Quote from: douglas on February 16, 2019, 11:43:43 AM
Woof. A little early, don't you think, boyos? We're only another ~365 days out from the official reveals.
It gives Bachmann a pretty good idea of what products people want.
Of course to me, it's not like too much is gonna change in terms of wishlists. We're still gonna wish for engines like Stepney and Daisy, but still expect engines like LBSC Thomas or Sidney. Only difference now is N scale items will be added to said wishlists.
Bachmann doesn't listen to what we want, they make their decisions off of what Mattel wants and what fits their budgets.
Quote from: TrainshockeylifE on February 16, 2019, 11:52:58 AM
Bachmann doesn't listen to what we want, they make their decisions off of what Mattel wants and what fits their budgets.
If that was the case they would've never made items like the Spiteful Brakevan, Duck, or Skarloey. They listen to consumers because consumers
buy their product. There is also a difference between listening and actually doing. They do listen to what we request, but Bachmann also does what is the most reasonable for them to manufacture, and they are always trying to balance the best of both worlds within their budget. If they don't make items people want, nobody will buy them. What Mattel does is approve or deny product propositions Bachmann thinks of doing, and then approves or denies designs as they go along the development line. Sometimes this can be a factor as to why items take longer to make.
2020 thread already? Sure, why not.
I'm leaving out large scale and even HO and resin buildings after how this year's announcements turned out for the time being. Only just going to share my thoughts on N scale and narrow gauge.
For N scale, do I even need to state who the next engine is inevitably going to be?
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/f/f4/JamesCGIPromo3.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140131065725)
It's obvious, literally one of the most popular well-known and iconic characters throughout the whole franchise since the very beginning. If they announce a new engine, it is going to be James. At this point it's more of a matter of who they will announce after James, and not after Thomas and Percy.
After James I am willing to place bets on either Emily, Toby, or even Diesel. Of course it's really hard to avoid the low-hanging fruit that if Bachmann wants to make larger engines, Gordon in particular would be ridiculously popular for the range. But I'm not going to hold my breath on that one quite yet simply due to budget reasons.
For rolling stock I could see them going for either tankers, box/vent vans, or brake vans as well as other wagon recolors. S.C. Ruffey in particular will probably find his way into the range too seeing as how almost every Thomas range has made a model of him at some point, even Tomix.
Now for narrow gauge. My thoughts are literally the same as before which is Peter Sam and brake vans, so to save time, here are links to both of my in-depth posts for these two:
Peter Sam:
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,34526.msg254930.html#msg254930
Narrow gauge brake vans:
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,34526.msg254654.html#msg254654
Hopefully when Rusty and the coaches are released this year as Peter Sam and the brake vans will find their way into the 2020 lineup as they are the most popular requests for the next narrow gauge engine and rolling stock respectively.
Quote from: douglas on February 16, 2019, 11:43:43 AM
Woof. A little early, don't you think, boyos? We're only another ~365 days out from the official reveals.
Bit early for my liking too, but anyway, here are my 2020 suggestions:
HO:EnginesDaisy
Reintroduced Salty
Sidney
Stanley
Hiro
Rolling StockTroublesome Truck #6
Explosives Van
Toffee Tanker
Chocolate Syrup Tanker
CGI Milk and Fuel Tankers
Updated Henrietta with Face
Hannah
VehiclesTrevor
Kevin
BuildingsSodor Steamworks
Motorised Watermill
Ffarquhar Station
OO9EnginesVictor
Peter Sam or Sir Handel
Luke
Rolling StockNG Brakevans
BLue Mountain Quarry Wagons
[dream]
N Scale
It would be awesome if Bachmann continued the inital announcement trend of 2 loco and 4 pieces of rolling stock. So for 2020:
James
Edward
Red Express Composite Coach
Red Express Brake Coach
A Tanker (Milk, Sodor Fuel or Tar)
Normal Brakevan
In futures years ideally 1 tender/long engine and 1 small engine along with 2 coaches and 2 goods wagons. For example:
Gordon/Duck, Green Express Composite Coach/Green Express Brake Coach/Tar Tanker/Troublesome van
Henry/Oliver, Red Branchline Coach/Red Branchline Brake Coach/Toad/Sodor Fuel Tanker
Daisy/Toby, Henrietta/Sodor Mail Coach/SC Ruffey/Troublesome Tanker
Of course I would not object to more being made each year ;D
[/dream]
Well, since everyone is doing it, I'll post my stuff on what Bachmann could make in 2020. Keep in mine, these are simply suggestions for what Bachmann could possibly make as it's way too early to make concrete realistic predictions for something literally a year away.
HO Scale-
Daisy
Stepney
Sidney
Stanley
Ryan/Porter/Samson
Philip/Nia/Rebecca (could possibly happen, even though many don't want them. I do, but yeah)
Reintroduced Salty
LBSC Green Thomas/Black James
Troublesome Truck #6 (Van or Tanker)
Explosives Van
Brown Mail Van
Flatbed w/ New Load (Paint Drums, Oil Drums, Pipes, etc)
Bradford
Toffee Tanker/Chocolate Syrup Tanker
Jam Tanker/Dieselworks Tanker
Updated Henrietta w/ Face
Hannah
Dexter
Vehicles-
Trevor
Narrow Gauge-
Peter Sam/Sir Handel
Duncan
NG Brake Vans (Red, Blue, and Brown)
Gunpowder D-Fusit Wagons
BMQ Wagons
Large Scale-
James/Emily/Toby w/ DCC Sound
Rosie
Mavis
Edward
Philip
Diesel (not likely but I'd say still possible)
LBSC Thomas
Troublesome Truck #3
Red Coaches
Henrietta
Hannah
Jam Tankers/Dieselworks Tanker/Sodor Diesel Co. Tanker
N Scale-
James
Edward
Red Coaches
S.C.Ruffey
Tankers (Fuel, Oil, etc)
Brake Van/Spiteful Brake Van
Again, these are all just suggestions. I doubt that more than one sixth of this list will be apart of Bachmann's 2020 announcements unless Bachmann gets a BIG boost in their budget between now and 2020 which seems unlikely. I just feel like these are the ideas I can think of that are at least possible for 2020.
@Streak, we don't want Bachmann to make Nia, Rebecca, or Philip in HO Scale, but I know you do have very unpopular opinions regarding the show's current direction. Given the fact that Nia and Rebecca are main characters now, they actually might get made eventually, if Bachmann has the budget to do so.
Now that Red Rosie is being made, all eyes for recolors will be on LBSC Thomas and/or Sidney for HO Scale. Two years after Paxton was announced, Sidney still remains pushed aside. If we can't get new toolings for budget reasons, then 2020 should be his year. Because of the 75th Anniversary, two recolors for HO Scale are not too out of the question. It can have one being Sidney, and the other being Green Thomas. If we can't get Sidney because of problems with his face, then another possibility would be Black James. Any of these three recolors, which include Sidney, Green Thomas, and Black James would all be welcomed with open arms. When we eventually do get Green Thomas and Black James, we can better recreate scenes from The Adventure Begins.
The Special edition for the 70th was Celebration Thomas. The special for the 75th should be HO Scale Green Thomas, with his LBSC livery. I'm sure that version of Thomas will sell better.
Rosie is the third engine in HO Scale to get a variation. The second was Diesel who got a Grumpy version. Thomas was the first, getting a sound-fitted model, then a Celebration version. James would have to be the fourth, being made in his black livery.
Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 16, 2019, 02:54:21 PM
@Streak, we don't want Bachmann to make Nia, Rebecca, or Philip in HO Scale, but I know you do have very unpopular opinions regarding the show's current direction. Given the fact that Nia and Rebecca are main characters now, they actually might get made eventually, if Bachmann has the budget to do so.
Now that Red Rosie is being made, all eyes for recolors will be on LBSC Thomas and/or Sidney for HO Scale. Two years after Paxton was announced, Sidney still remains pushed aside. If we can't get new toolings for budget reasons, then 2020 should be his year. Because of the 75th Anniversary, two recolors for HO Scale are not too out of the question. It can have one being Sidney, and the other being Green Thomas. If we can't get Sidney because of problems with his face, then another possibility would be Black James. Any of these three recolors, which include Sidney, Green Thomas, and Black James would all be welcomed with open arms. When we eventually do get Green Thomas and Black James, we can better recreate scenes from The Adventure Begins.
The Special edition for the 70th was Celebration Thomas. The special for the 75th should be HO Scale Green Thomas, with his LBSC livery. I'm sure that version of Thomas will sell better.
Rosie is the third engine in HO Scale to get a variation. The second was Diesel who got a Grumpy version. Thomas was the first, getting a sound-fitted model, then a Celebration version. James would have to be the fourth, being made in his black livery.
It's not even the fact that I'm neutral about the current show (while some changes I like, it does have very unnecessary and unwelcome changes like the shorter runtime), it's that I just genuinely like Philip, Nia, and Rebecca as characters. I can see why some people may not like Philip but most of the hate towards Nia and Rebecca I see is simply because they replaced Henry and Edward and not because they're actually "bad" characters. But this is not a discussion I want to get into, especially since this isn't the Everything Thomas thread.
I definitely think that unless the weird budget issues that Bachmann have been having are fixed sometime this year, it'll be safe to expect recolors like Green Thomas, Black James, and possibly Sidney. It would be great to get a new engine like Stepney, Daisy, Ryan, or Stanley but until Bachmann gets back on their feet, we shouldn't really expect much from the HO Scale line in 2020.
@Streak, it's all good.
Regarding HO Scale, it's best to realistically expect recolors like Green Thomas, Black James, and possibly Sidney like you said, since we know that Bachmann's having budget problems. There actually is a demand for recolors like those three engines, which Bachmann can easily make with existing toolings. Green Thomas, Black James, and Sidney are the best three options for recolors left in HO Scale, now that Red Rosie is being made.
I agree. I would just love to get LBSC Thomas, Black James and Sidney next year for HO scale. I would also just love to get the explosives van, chocolate syrup tanker and toffee tanker in HO Scale too.
Also, speaking of the explosives van, has anybody made their own version of it in HO scale?
But here are my expectations for 2020:
HO Scale
LBSC Thomas
Black James
Sidney
Reintroduced Salty
Explosives van
Chocolate syrup tanker
Toffee tanker
Hannah
McColl's cattle van (probably just wishful thinking)
Troublesome truck 6
Tar tanker wagon
Resin buildings
Narrow gauge
Sir handel
Peter sam
Duncan
Brake van
N Scale
James
Gordon
Express coaches
Brake van
Tankers
Large scale
LBSC Thomas
Black James
Henrietta
Red branchline coaches
Edward
Diesel (probably just wishful thinking)
Also, has anybody made a 3D printed version of Sidney's face which can be used for HO scale?
Maybe they won't make two n scale and narrow gauge announcements a year. Maybe they will just do n scale one year, then narrow gauge the other and keep flipping each year?
It would be nice if somebody made a 3D printed Sidney face, so someone can make him as a modelling project, and show how he'd look if Bachmann made him.
Personally, I think the HO range is done with new toolings for the time being. If anything I expect Sidney to happen probably next year or a green Thomas and black James. Heck, I even think Salty probably has a chance of making a comeback next year too as the next "new" HO engine announcement. It's sad that this is pretty much what everyone's expectations of HO came to after Grumpy Diesel and Red Rosie.
These are all definitely fair points, but considering that next year is Thomas' 75th Anniversary, I do hope that Bachmann can at least make one more HO engine with a new tooling that fans have been screaming for. Stepney and Daisy are the most ideal candidates for sure. Both are classic characters that would close off the classic group of engines in a unique way. Afterwards, I would be perfectly fine with Bachmann making characters such as Sidney, making existing engines with different facial expressions, or not making anymore new HO engines altogether, since most of their attention would go to narrow gauge and the new n scale line.
But can our dear licencor agree to this? I truly hope so.
I can see why Large Scale looks bleak, due to considerably inferior sales compared to HO. Very few people actually have the budget for Large Scale, and even Bachmann's competitors are struggling with Large Scale, while HO Scale is small, more affordable, and easy to collect, but the budget for new toolings in HO Scale has really been a problem lately for Bachmann. Rosie remains the last new tooling for HO Scale, who was first announced in 2016. It's been three years without another new tooling getting announced. It's safe to say that new HO Scale toolings are done, at least for now. Next year is the 75th Anniversary, and maybe a new tooling can be possible, but I wouldn't bet on it. I won't get my hopes up.
I don't think the N Scale line is going to replace HO Scale. As long as the HO models continue to sell, and Bachmann still makes money off of them, the HO range shouldn't be going anywhere. The HO and N ranges should definitely coexist. As for Narrow Gauge, Rusty and the Coaches were taking longer than expected, so it should be the reason nothing was announced. Those models should definitely get released this year for sure.
Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 17, 2019, 01:36:01 PM
I can see why Large Scale looks bleak, due to considerably inferior sales compared to HO. Very few people actually have the budget for Large Scale, and even Bachmann's competitors are struggling with Large Scale, while HO Scale is small, more affordable, and easy to collect, but the budget for new toolings in HO Scale has really been a problem lately for Bachmann. Rosie remains the last new tooling for HO Scale, who was first announced in 2016. It's been three years without another new tooling getting announced. It's safe to say that new HO Scale toolings are done, at least for now. Next year is the 75th Anniversary, and maybe a new tooling can be possible, but I wouldn't bet on it. I won't get my hopes up.
I don't think the N Scale line is going to replace HO Scale. As long as the HO models continue to sell, and Bachmann still makes money off of them, the HO range shouldn't be going anywhere. The HO and N ranges should definitely coexist. As for Narrow Gauge, Rusty and the Coaches were taking longer than expected, so it should be the reason nothing was announced. Those models should definitely get released this year for sure.
Well in terms of Rusty and the coaches there is a man who supplies Bachmann Thomas in the UK and he has told me via the Thomas modeling group that his supplier expects rusty and the coaches to be released around April 30th. Now this isn't 100% accurate and things can and normally do change but i can safely asume they will be out this year.
As for large scale theres still the tankers to be released off last year. Yeah i think it is dwindling but i don't think it will end just yet. If we get no new announcements for next year then I'd start worrying. I personally hope it doesn't as I've just started collecting large scale.
HO always a safe bet and N Scale we can't really comment on as there's so much we have yet to find out. How good it is. Pricing ect. For all we know these new N Scale models might not be as good as tomix so might fall flat. Might be amazing but until theres these facts about price and product quality ect we don't know. Everyone seems to be running with this amazing idea of a new line and all that without even seeing a product yet.
The only thing I am worried about for the N Scale range is the size. I am really hoping that they will be in scale with typical British N Scale models. The Tomix models are oversized to the point that they are as big as Skarloey and Rheneas, the only exception being the height. If Bachmann made the N scale models like Tomix did, they would just be shooting themselves in the foot. None of the products they are currently releasing would be different than what Tomix did, give or take a few details and Troublesome Truck #2. I personally hope that they scale them with British N Scale just so they could be putting something different out compared to what's already been done.
I have also been looking around at the types of wagons available from Graham Farish. There are several that could be used that would follow the HO Scale line, which is what the large scale range did for a few years. This would also mean that Bachmann wouldn't have to make everything with new toolings like they would if they followed the Tomix Scale, which would make it easier for Bachmann to release new items.
One thing Bachmann could do that would be better than Tomix is something they did with Rheneas: separately fitted handrails. They could also do the lamp irons and brake pipes, which are features that the Graham Farish models have, so they wouldn't be impossible. I really hope that Bachmann can make these models a breath of fresh air, rather than being redundant until they can please fans who own Tomix's limited range.
One thing I'd like to say to those who want them to be scaled like Tomix models. Obviously Bachmann is going to do the main characters first. If they did make the models just like Tomix, they would be releasing the same things for several years before they can actually do something new that people who own the Tomix models would want to buy. Obviously, this would hurt sales. Although people would say that going the other way would hurt sales, too, it's not like Trackmaster, where they released every character, then pulled a switch so that everyone would have to buy everything again. The Tomix models have not been on sale in the US for a long time (if they ever were). With the Trackmaster models, both types ended up on shelves with each other for a long time, which helped people see just how bad the new Trackmaster Stuff is. Besides, the majority of Tomix stuff has been discontinued for a long time, so a lot of people wouldn't even have what Tomix made, which, therefore, brings no reason for Bachmann to release them to the dreadfully oversized scale. I really hope Bachmann chooses the way that would make more sense for them in the long run. Anyways, what are your thoughts?
The Tomix equipment is in scale with Japanese N scale (1∶150) rolling stock, which is metre gauge rather than standard gauge. British N scale (1∶148) is to standard gauge, and thus a different scale entirely.
Personally, I hold the opposite opinion; not scaling them to Tomix would be shooting themselves in the foot, as it means the two ranges would look inconsistent. Think of how the Bachmann and Hornby ranges were always bought together and mixed because they were the same scale. Tomix and Bachmann could benefit from the same ordeal. In the next few years, if Bachmann makes tankers, vent vans, a brake van, etc. they would all be compatible with the Tomix range. There is the advantage of being in-scale with British N scale, but as far as we know, the range isn't even being sold in the UK yet, and is probably being designed with American N scale layouts in mind. It's something we'll hopefully have answers to soon.
I am correct in saying the British N scale would be larger (slightly) than Japanese N scale. The funny thing is that the Tomix N scale Thomas models are a lot bigger than the British N scale models. There are photos online that prove it. Bringing up the scale ratio has no merit in this case.
That's exactly what I was referring to, though, so I dunno what you're saying.
If the Tomix Models were scaled 1:150 they would slightly smaller than British N Scale models (1:148). As the second number in a ratio gets larger, the size of something in that scale decreases. This should hold true with British prototype models being made in either scale, but the Tomix Thomas models are larger than 1:148 British models. The Tomix Thomas models don't even scale well with other Japanese models made by Tomix, which they should. My theory about this is that the Tomix Thomas models were made too big, not because of the scale being different, but so that kids would be able to handle them more easily. Something that supports this is the lack of detail on the Thomas models (no lamp irons or brakepipes). The buffers also don't have correct proportions, and the whistles are beefier than they should be. They aren't like that because they would be too small in N scale, because other manufacturers have made those to scale.
Yes which is what I said, because you have to keep in mind metre gauge vs standard gauge as well, which is where it rebounds back into the Thomas engines being larger because Japanese rolling stock in metre gauge is usually smaller. It's not gonna be a 1:1 proportion in any regard because the (Tomix) Thomas designs are a loose representation of British rolling stock (the show is properly Gauge 1 but that's a whole nother can of worms).
Either way, the bottom line is as said already; Bachmann UKs Graham Farish range is a different scale, so it makes the Tomix range look too large in comparison. The two ways to go about it are to scale the Bachmann Thomas N scale to Graham Farish's scale and have access to more rolling stock and British engines in the same scale, at the expense of alienating the pre-existing Tomix range. The second option is the vice versa; making it proportionate to Tomix and thus looking in-scale with James, Henry, and the other buildings (all of which are currently available in the deluxe set that sports the CGI Thomas face), but alienating British N scalers a bit.
What will probably make the call in the long run is if Bachmann re-uses Graham Farish toolings for the rolling stock or not. If the wagon toolings are entirely new, then I expect Bachmann will make the N Scale range larger for the same reasons you said Tomix did; to make it easier for kids to handle and use.
Alright. Those are pretty fair points. The only things left to consider really are that the Tomix Thomas models are a lot more scarce than British N scale models, and a not a lot of people are going to have the complete Tomix range, while, comparatively, a lot of people are going to have a fairly sizable collection of British N scale models, wheter they are made by Graham Farish or other companies. Another thing is that Bachmann already has the Graham Farish 7-plank wagon toolings they could use and several other models that mirror what's available in the HO scale Thomas range, that they would easily be able to use to build upon the range. Looking at the other ranges (bar Large Scale, seeing as there's hardly any Standard gauge models in that to begin with), Bachmann has always gone with what they could easily use to bring out their Thomas line. Even the Narrow Gauge line did this, although it sacrificed accurate box van toolings in the process. I guess my point with this is, they didn't make the HO scale models HO when they started out because they already had the basic toolings they needed to make the Thomas range. They didn't even do it with the Narrow Gauge range. I hope they don't feel the need to throw away something that has always worked for them (and their budget needs) just so they can match an obselete line of Thomas models from 15 years ago to satisfy the few modelers who went out of their way to find the entire range. How many kids would be given N Scale Thomas models in the US (and possibly the UK) anyways when there are the larger HO scale models? I know a lot of parents wouldn't want to get their children an expensive model they could break easily. Heck, Bachmann even confirmed to me via email that if they ever did do an N Scale Thomas range, they would not deem it suitable for use by children (whether it's because it's too small or because children would break them too easily, I know not), but I am certain they will market the line for people of 14+ years. I am also certain that when a lot of modelers bought the entire range after it was discontinued, they did not believe another manufacturer would pick up the license to make more models in that scale. I'm just saying that at this point, would it really be worth it to throw away scale and an economically smart business practice just to match an old product line from an entirely different era of Thomas and Friends?
It is also possible that the N Scale range will be available in the UK. The only known reason for the HO scale models not being available in the UK is becausd Hornby held the license. This had no effect whatsoever on the Large Scale models. Similarly, no one has held the license to make N Scale Thomas models in the UK, so it is entirely possible that this range will have the same go for it the Large Scale range did.
I am going to echo something you said in the Bachmann N Scale Thomas thread, being, "If they're the wrong scale, then I don't see the point." As you said, the Japanese N Scale is metre gauge, which is almlst an entire foot off of Standard Gauge. Seeing as Japanese N scale is also only really used in, well, Japan, releasing the Bachmann N Scale Thomas models to a scale for a single country that Bachmann doesn't sell their models in, that aren't even the correct gauge, would just be pointless. Even though 1:160 (American and Continental) and 1:148 (British) are 1:12 of a proportion off, they are both Standard Gauge, and in that size, American and British models look even closer to proper scale next to each other than even HO and OO do. Considering also that the country (very possibly countries) they will be released in, it would make a lot more sense to release them in the scales closest to that country they are being released in. Again, the Tomix Thomas range is really rare and expensive, and only about half of the range is currently available, of which all items are being made to go around rediculously tight curves (around 7 inch radius) with no sign of the older stuff being rereleased in the near future. Even Chaz noted this as well. Another thing is that said curve radius is smaller than anything released by Bachmann USA. I don't think Bachmann should have to limit themself to follow the range that has tighter than necessary curves.
Besides, even if Thomas and Percy are made to the smaller standard, the Tomix James would still be in scale with them in regards to the CGI Series.
Since a handful of users have given their predictions and hopes earlier, I may as well give mine and include some reasoning behind them. I may or may not repeat what others have already said concerning certain choices and the list may not be anywhere as big as others' either, but it's still worth a share.
HO Scale
Daisy or LBSC Thomas - Daisy's become a major fan favorite since her return in the show and an LBSC recolor for Thomas would be ideal for the 75th anniversary.
Troublesome Truck #6 - Demand for this idea has lately been prominent and as someone who is (surprisingly) still yet to own a single Troublesome Truck, I'm open to it.
Ffarquhar Station Resin Building - This is a very iconic location that's been around since the show's first season and it would also fit accordingly with the anniversary.
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel - Sir Haydn's overhaul was finished many months ago, which means Bachmann now has a good opportunity to get a hold of measurements for Sir Handel. If Peter Sam were announced instead, I'd be open to him too. Just hoping for Sir Handel out of silly personal preference.
Brake Van - This has also been a popular idea lately and I'd love to see it made since it'd make Narrow Gauge freight loads feel a little more complete.
G Scale
Mavis - This lineup has been in a rough place lately and if any new engine were to be made anytime soon, it'd have to be Mavis. As I already said elsewhere, her tooling can easily be reused from Toby's with minimal change (maybe a length extension at the most) and she'd be a popular character in this lineup like she was in the HO lineup.
N Scale
My predictions are pretty much the exact same as TrainFan97's. If just one item were to be announced in that list, however, I'd hope for it to be James. He's always been a favorite for many fans (myself included) and since he was among the first characters announced in past lineups, it's expected that he'll be next in line when all is said and done with Thomas and Percy.
I'm also hoping for Toby and Mavis to be made sometime in the future, but it's much too early for them to be introduced at the moment. Many of us are excited for this new lineup and we all have high hopes for it, though it's also important to keep expectations in check and have patience for certain ideas we may have.
I wouldn't really call it economically smart when it's alienating an entirely pre-existing range. So yes, I absolutely think and maintain that the range should be consistently scaled with Tomix. It has an objective benefit of being easier for young modellers to handle, and would allow the tooling to be distinctly Thomas. I think scaling the range to British equipment has its benefits in terms of rolling stock, but I think in the long run it makes things more complicated for Thomas collectors specifically. Americans never minded the scale of the Tomix Thomas range much, and British N scale is a much more niche scale in the UK than OO is.
Basically, we'll just have to see what happens when they reveal images of the upcoming range. If we're lucky, we'll see something in the catalog whenever it comes out. Neither outcome would really surprise me, though.
Course, I have low expectations despite my personal opinions.
The Tomix range is actually easily on Amazon and eBay. Anyone who has any marginal desire to collect the Tomix range has plenty of options online. The only thing that does make them rare is to older N scalers that have a hard time ordering stuff online. However, the more I thought on this point, the more I consider redacting it since that becomes more and more a moot point in 2019. Point is, the Tomix range is accessible within a few clicks and short keyboard strokes. eBay currently has.. 166 international results for various Thomas items.
(http://i68.tinypic.com/nf3dis.png)
This is just a snippet of what you can find, and as it's clear to see there's an absolute wealth of the range readily available online.
You do make some really good points in here. I actually think that Bachmann could end up following your argument with this case. I just reel like if they are going to make them to the Tomix scale, it would have been smarter to choose different rolling stock like the coal wagon with load or the cargo car, just because the only thing different from Tomix that they would be making is Troublesome Truck #2 and the color scheme for Troublesome Truck #1. I also noticed that there are other people that want the same to happen. I did look at the 2002 catalog for Bachmann (it's still online), and they did make a fair amount of new toolings (not counting Thomas & Friends), but they still went with the Mainline toolings for the Troublesome Trucks. I also looked at the economic environment for the time, and it was in recession, so that could be why. I just have one question for you. If they do end up being Graham Farish size, would you still buy the new range?
It's so weird to see just how much cheaper everything was 17 years ago. Everything's only about a third of the price they are now.
EDIT: I'm sorry about this, but I am not quite finished yet. I have looked at Ebay several times for Tomix Thomas stuff in the past (the old range). They are always extremely expensive and I don't see a lot of people forking out the money to buy these models once the Bachmann Range gets on it's feet. All of the stuff in the picture and online right now is the reboot of the range. Good, right, because it's cheaper? I'm not so sure. The new range has had a lot of quality control issues. On this forum alone, BassTBone and douglas both have reported issues with the new James models not working for very long. BassTBone also said Tomix had been over-scaled, and with the nature of the post, it seems he thinks its not a good thing. Exile90 of BluePlasticTracks.com has said that the new Tomix stuff feels like it could derail at any time due to them being super light. He also said that Annie and Clarabel uncouple a lot for the same reason. He also brings up the issue of plastic wheels, which has been proven several times in the past to cause more issues (even with non-Thomas trains) with derailment and the spread of dirt along the rails. XtremeTrainz of YouTube has also reported issues with his James model not running as well as Thomas and Percy do. TrainTsarFun of YouTube has also had problems with his Tomix Thomas model, with it not even working right out of the package. There is also a video dedicated to him sorting out the problem. In several of his videos about Tomix Thomas trains, you can even see the cars derailing a lot due to lack of weight. Chaz has even said just how much the running of the Narrow Gauge products (they are just as small as the Tomix Range) is improved by the addition of metal wheels. I feel like, for a kid's line, there shouldn't be so many issues with the products right out of the package.
Bachmann has a lot of potential to make a far superior product if they aren't forced to be compatible with the Tomix Range. Bachmann more than likely will put metal wheels on their N Scale Thomas line, which is something they have done with every other Thomas and Friends item they have made, with the exception of the Peco recolors, but that's most likely because they are recolors of a different brand. Over time, as more products are released for this new range, people will likely see it as pointless to run Tomix models and Bachmann models together as the Tomix models will derail and uncouple more often. In addition, the Graham Farish models also already have metal wheels, so it wouldn't add to the cost to include metal wheels with wagon repaints that already have them. With the simple addition of 14+, they could make their models a lot more detailed as it will be considered "a scale model for adult collectors." 6 years ago, I emailed Bachmann about making an N Scale Thomas range, and they told me that it would not be good for them because the models would be too small for kids to handle, and that they had no plans for making a range anytime soon. Bachmann also will probably do correct coloring for their Thomas models: Tomix used yellow instead of gold, and it looks really off in my opinion. Seeing as people likely wouldn't mix the Tomix and Bachmann models by this point, Bachmann will have missed out on making the models accurately scaled to other N scale models, and people probably wouldn't appreciate having to keep their Thomas and non-Thomas models separate in order to keep things from looking off.
I feel like there are a lot of sound and economically smart decisions for Bachmann to leave Tomix the way they are and have their own, proper scaling for their N Scale Range. There are a lot of toolings that are distinctly Thomas in the HO scale range, and even the Mainline recolors look more like Thomas models than OO scale models produced today. The toolings for rolling stock in the Thomas range that are distinctly Thomas are the Red Coaches, Annie and Clarabel, The Mail Coaches, the Tankers, the Flatbeds, Emily's coaches, and Henrietta. I feel that having the other wagons based off of existing toolings is forgivable considering just how many new toolings already had to be made. Even if the Graham Farish toolings are used, I feel we can count on Bachmann to make them look like they are distinctly Thomas. They are a model train company and have been in business for several years, and I'm certain that they know how to make existing toolings look like something different just enough to have it be satisfactory and not look monotonous.
Man, I really want to see the 2019 catalog.
I'm surprised people are still posting in the 2019 thread, you would think more people would post in this thread instead.
Anyway, in response to Trainman2001's post, personally I wouldn't mind AS much if they go in true British N scale, but I feel if that were the case, we would have at least seen what the troublesome trucks would have looked like in the catalog. I think because they are just showing the HO models for illustrative purposes for the N scale models in the catalog as well as no price being shown is telling me that they will all likely be new toolings. Probably why the second email response regarding the scale mentioned that they were not sure. They will likely go with a scale on their own which could very well scale up with the Tomix models or come close like the Lima rolling stock models I have shown earlier.
I think because the models will be new toolings I think the motor issues that Tomix had previously will likely not carry on to the Bachmann models. We will likely see them perform a lot better with a more modern motor. The rolling stock will likely have metal wheels too, following the same track record as the slate wagons and the HO and large scale rolling stock.
I think while size was one of the biggest issues the large scale has to deal with and N scale wouldn't, pricing will probably still be a factor in what gets announced. Large scale only announced James and Emily and I could honestly see the same happening for N scale depending on the prices. The HO line got away with making a lot more tender engines, but that was a long time ago too when tooling costs seemed to be more manageable. Last time the HO range announced any tender engines was Donald and Douglas, and that was because they were twins since Bill and Ben got announced at the same time too. It doesn't help that they were announced almost a decade ago too. And with Mattel behind the wheel, it makes me a lot less confident considering their track record since they bought the brand and continue to drastically change the prices behind models since 2013.
So while I have my doubts on the quantity of what the range can make, I have no doubt that what they will make will be made in great quality. And to me that's a far more important thing to consider than anything else if Bachmann really wants sales of this new range to take off.
I honestly don't get why people were still posting in the 2019 thread, even a few weeks after this year's announcements already got posted.
Regarding HO recolors, I'm starting to think Sidney is overdue, but because of the 75th Anniversary, LBSC Thomas is a higher priority. Ever since Mattel's takeover, we've only gotten two new toolings in HO Scale, which were Oliver and Rosie. Hopefully, another company will buy the franchise; one that actually knows how to manage it properly, and Mattel is going down the toilet.
Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 28, 2019, 01:07:27 PM
I honestly don't get why people were still posting in the 2019 thread, even a few weeks after this year's announcements already got posted.
Regarding HO recolors, I'm starting to think Sidney is overdue, but because of the 75th Anniversary, LBSC Thomas is a higher priority. Ever since Mattel's takeover, we've only gotten two new toolings in HO Scale, which were Oliver and Rosie. Hopefully, another company will buy the franchise; one that actually knows how to manage it properly, and Mattel is going down the toilet.
I don't know how many of you guys have seen this but, this is Bachmann last fall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrkkJVVSqzE&t=398s). Basically, Bachmann is saying the market is not there to put out new toolings and mentions that Bachmann milks the Thomas and Friends line in order to help pay for its other projects. Don't be so quick to blame Mattel.
Quote from: rjmets41 on February 28, 2019, 06:41:48 PM
Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 28, 2019, 01:07:27 PM
I honestly don't get why people were still posting in the 2019 thread, even a few weeks after this year's announcements already got posted.
Regarding HO recolors, I'm starting to think Sidney is overdue, but because of the 75th Anniversary, LBSC Thomas is a higher priority. Ever since Mattel's takeover, we've only gotten two new toolings in HO Scale, which were Oliver and Rosie. Hopefully, another company will buy the franchise; one that actually knows how to manage it properly, and Mattel is going down the toilet.
I don't know how many of you guys have seen this but, this is Bachmann last fall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrkkJVVSqzE&t=398s). Basically, Bachmann is saying the market is not there to put out new toolings and mentions that Bachmann milks the Thomas and Friends line in order to help pay for its other projects. Don't be so quick to blame Mattel.
Most of us are more than aware of it, and it doesn't excuse Mattel from raising the prices on the license or approving/disapproving certain products and designs within the last few years. Prices are going up, but quality isn't (particularly had a few personal incidents with items not glued on properly) and despite said price increases, the brand just isn't quite feeling like to many Bachmann fans that it's getting the same love that it used to.
I don't understand why people are quick to defend a company that's losing money in the millions and are downright lying to stockholders in order to try and keep profits going back in early February via reporting a sudden adjusted profit. This isn't some super private secret disclosed from the public, it's a well known ongoing development in the last few months (if not years). This isn't some baseless jab or troll attempt at Mattel, it's a legitimate problem going on with their company as a whole. Thomas is in shaky hands, and indisputably so.
Quote from: rjmets41 on February 28, 2019, 06:41:48 PM
I don't know how many of you guys have seen this but, this is Bachmann last fall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrkkJVVSqzE&t=398s). Basically, Bachmann is saying the market is not there to put out new toolings and mentions that Bachmann milks the Thomas and Friends line in order to help pay for its other projects. Don't be so quick to blame Mattel.
Saying that Bachmann milks their Thomas & Friends line to pay for everything else they do is basically like saying they use the range as a crutch to get them out of trouble with collectors of their other products. That's pretty harsh if you ask me... Jack clearly says that the Thomas & Friends range helps to
"subsidize" (if you don't know what that means, look it up) all the other ranges that Bachmann offers. It's no different than Bachmann taking profits from ranges like HO or N and investing said profits back into the Thomas range. All the scales Bachmann produces share a common backbone, and regardless what brings in better sales the money all goes to the same place.
Then we get on to the topic of new tooling's, which is not going to happen simply for the fact the cost of everything has gone completely out of control. As another member mentioned in a previous post, the prices for the ranges (or HO at least) have gone up over 200% within the last 10 years, and it's ridiculous to pay over $120 for a model that you could once pick up at your hobby shop in yesteryears for only $35. That was the main cause of Hornby's downfall as the models they produced were too expensive for what they were, considering some of their tooling's had been around since the 1950's. While I don't know if this price issue was caused by Mattel's doing or not, I'm in no way pointing fingers at them. Getting back to Bachmann and present day, I can honestly say (as will others I'm sure) that models such as Thomas and/or Percy are not worth $100 for what little they have to offer.
At the end of the day you have Bachmann trying to produce what little they can, while dealing with the uprising production costs and throwing money away trying to afford a license to produce the Thomas ranges. Then you have Mattel over in the corner losing their shirt because of their own recklessness, and
"we're" suppose to feel sorry for them? :P Furthermore, I just read last night Mattel has yet again had another setback recently with an 18% stock drop, claiming that the toys aren't selling. I know Mattel clearly has a problem, but Firemen have problems all the time. Ever seen one throw gas on it? ::)
-Rusty
Just yet a great point! :)
Quote from: Plow Bender on February 28, 2019, 11:30:01 PM
Quote from: rjmets41 on February 28, 2019, 06:41:48 PM
I don't know how many of you guys have seen this but, this is Bachmann last fall (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrkkJVVSqzE&t=398s). Basically, Bachmann is saying the market is not there to put out new toolings and mentions that Bachmann milks the Thomas and Friends line in order to help pay for its other projects. Don't be so quick to blame Mattel.
Saying that Bachmann milks their Thomas & Friends line to pay for everything else they do is basically like saying they use the range as a crutch to get them out of trouble with collectors of their other products. That's pretty harsh if you ask me... Jack clearly says that the Thomas & Friends range helps to "subsidize" (if you don't know what that means, look it up) all the other ranges that Bachmann offers. It's no different than Bachmann taking profits from ranges like HO or N and investing said profits back into the Thomas range. All the scales Bachmann produces share a common backbone, and regardless what brings in better sales the money all goes to the same place.
Then we get on to the topic of new tooling's, which is not going to happen simply for the fact the cost of everything has gone completely out of control. As another member mentioned in a previous post, the prices for the ranges (or HO at least) have gone up over 200% within the last 10 years, and it's ridiculous to pay over $120 for a model that you could once pick up at your hobby shop in yesteryears for only $35. That was the main cause of Hornby's downfall as the models they produced were too expensive for what they were, considering some of their tooling's had been around since the 1950's. While I don't know if this price issue was caused by Mattel's doing or not, I'm in no way pointing fingers at them. Getting back to Bachmann and present day, I can honestly say (as will others I'm sure) that models such as Thomas and/or Percy are not worth $100 for what little they have to offer.
At the end of the day you have Bachmann trying to produce what little they can, while dealing with the uprising production costs and throwing money away trying to afford a license to produce the Thomas ranges. Then you have Mattel over in the corner losing their shirt because of their own recklessness, and "we're" suppose to feel sorry for them? :P Furthermore, I just read last night Mattel has yet again had another setback recently with an 18% stock drop, claiming that the toys aren't selling. I know Mattel clearly has a problem, but Firemen have problems all the time. Ever seen one throw gas on it? ::)
-Rusty
I couldn't have put this better myself! Models are so expensive to produce. Mr. Lynch has a point, they can only produce so many models with roadnames that they know are going to sell because there will be a higher turnover for them. Look at the brand Rapido, they have a niche market for models that aren't/can't be/won't be produced by manufactures such as Bachmann because there is such a small demand for them, then they charge a higher price for the model. They are expensive for a reason. For example, take a look at their Stirling Single model. I have one myself and its a gorgeous model. Rapido was willing to produce this, but when they did, they said "Ok we'll produce this model, but we'll have to charge a lot for it." As consumers we said "ok!" The price tag was to offset their tooling and manufacturing costs especially since they're not producing as many models as a bigger name manufacturer would.
Since Thomas does subsidize a bunch of other lines, I truly believe Bachmann have a bunch of new toolings and projects they want to do, but in order t get to that point, they need to sell some produces that use existing tooling already with roadnames/paint schemes (i.e. Red Rosie, sodor scrap co truck) because they know there's a demand and those products will sell. I'm actually kind of surprised they haven't done an Original Thomas or Original James yet...but they're probaby waiting for another significant anniversary again like the 75th anniversary or something.
*I probably threw in a lot of business jargen while writing this...the perks being a marketing graduate student :P ...so if there are any words that need explaining, let me know!
If we were to get a second engine recolor in HO Scale to join LBSC Thomas, I doubt we'd still get Sidney just yet, since the second engine recolor to release with LBSC Thomas would make much more sense if it was Black James, since both of those recolors are from The Adventure Begins. Green Thomas and Black James would be perfect recolors to celebrate the 75th Anniversary. Bachmann has the toolings for them, and you can use them to better recreate scenes from the special.
Hopefully, Red Rosie will be in stock this summer, since her image is already there. Now that 'Arry and Bert are discontinued, the next engines to go might be original Diesel, and original Rosie. Diesel is now available with a face more suitable for his character, and Rosie is being made in her better livery, complete with lamp.
Just yet another great point!
I've given up hope for Bachmann to make Stepney or Daisy in HO Scale, since the market for new toolings has dwindled.
When prices go up, and quality goes down, this type of inflation needs a term, if it doesn't have one already. For example, "shrinkflation" is when portions get shrunk, but not the prices.
What if, to save costs, Bachmann decides to make Smudger next year?
Quote from: MoarCrossovers on March 19, 2019, 01:51:19 PM
What if, to save costs, Bachmann decides to make Smudger next year?
Barely anyone will buy it though? Just a waste of time making a character who appeared in just one episode.
Quote from: Zekeism on March 19, 2019, 06:04:13 PM
Quote from: MoarCrossovers on March 19, 2019, 01:51:19 PM
What if, to save costs, Bachmann decides to make Smudger next year?
Barely anyone will buy it though? Just a waste of time making a character who appeared in just one episode.
Plus we don't really know if he was a real locomotive or someone that Duke made up.
Quote from: MoarCrossovers on March 19, 2019, 01:51:19 PM
What if, to save costs, Bachmann decides to make Smudger next year?
Quote from: Zekeism on March 19, 2019, 06:04:13 PM
Barely anyone will buy it though? Just a waste of time making a character who appeared in just one episode.
Quote from: angelob6660 on March 19, 2019, 07:13:06 PM
Plus we don't really know if he was a real locomotive or someone that Duke made up.
I don't know if I should be putting fuel on this fire or not, but I'm going to go along with it either way. Mr. Moar brings up a good point with Bachmann making Smudger to save on costs, as the overall tooling is already there only requiring the addition of a new face tooling, which apparently isn't that big of a problem as we've seen with characters such as Grumpy Diesel and Paxton back in 2018. You also have Mr. Zekeism saying Smudger isn't worth producing as he only appeared once, but keep in mind the Spiteful Brakevan only appeared in one episode, yet he manged to find his way into the Bachmann range. I think this alone shows that Bachmann isn't afraid to produce classic characters from yesteryears, but again (and I know I'm going to get flak for saying this) their decisions have to be approved by Mattel first. Lastly is Mr. angelo making the statement Smudger may not even be a real engine, but the simple fact he was seen in Season 4 is enough cause for a model to be made.
Personally I think if Bachmann wanted to continue on the trend of doing recolors, a yellow Rheneas from Blue Mountain Mystery would be a better option than Smudger in my opinion, but that's just my thoughts. An Original Thomas and Original James from the Adventure Begins would also be a nice option for engine recolors, but I'm kind of getting off topic now. Anyways that's just thoughts on the Smudger topic and if anyone want's to contribute to what I've said, feel free to do so.
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/0/0b/BlueMountainMystery580.png/revision/latest?cb=20180919212950)
-Rusty
They can do 1000 recolored engines for all I care as long as they bring out actual new engines every now and again. Rosie was our last one and that was.. 2016? I'm sure the fans would gladly still clamor for Daisy or Stepney if they felt there was a margin of hope.
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on March 20, 2019, 04:31:26 PM
They can do 1000 recolored engines for all I care as long as they bring out actual new engines every now and again. Rosie was our last one and that was.. 2016? I'm sure the fans would gladly still clamor for Daisy or Stepney if they felt there was a margin of hope.
We got Paxton, who came out last year.
At this point, if we get any new toolings, I think they will probably go to narrow gauge and the N scale range since those ranges need a lot more attention. Even then I don't expect anything drastic next year beyond Sir Handel/Peter Sam and some narrow gauge brake vans and an N scale James with some tankers.
Quote from: Zekeism on March 20, 2019, 04:40:36 PM
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on March 20, 2019, 04:31:26 PM
They can do 1000 recolored engines for all I care as long as they bring out actual new engines every now and again. Rosie was our last one and that was.. 2016? I'm sure the fans would gladly still clamor for Daisy or Stepney if they felt there was a margin of hope.
We got Paxton, who came out last year.
Is Paxton a new tooling? No. He's a repaint of the Diesel tooling.
Personally, I would love to see a Bachmann Smudger, but since he is an quite unknown, perhaps releasing him as a limited edition product would feasible.
https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Smudger
Honestly, this is something that they should have done this year for the narrow gauge line instead of announcing absolutely nothing.
I think a rolling stock character like the Spiteful Brakevan is easier to justify making into the range, when it's only a few small plastic parts. Rheneas on the other hand is mostly metal and some plastic parts, especially the chassis. It'd cost a lot more to manufacture, and they would have to be confident that there's a market for a repainted engine like that. The Spiteful Brakevan on the other hand is less of a liability due to its minimal resources.
That's fair. Yet, that's why I also stated that they could maybe announce Smudger as a limited edition product. Specifically, a limited run of 1000 Smudgers may be possible, making it a product specifically for avid fans like us.
I wouldn't mind having Smudger if they made Duke first.
I forgot that Rheneas was painted yellow since I seen that movie in three years.
Quote from: TerencetheTractor525 on March 20, 2019, 09:28:42 PM
That's fair. Yet, that's why I also stated that they could maybe announce Smudger as a limited edition product. Specifically, a limited run of 1000 Smudgers may be possible, making it a product specifically for avid fans like us.
They'd be lucky if 50 people bought a Smudger. I feel like if there was a stronger demand for him, more people would be repainting their Rheneas models by now. Spiteful Brakevan on the other hand had a nice handful of customs being made prior to his announcement.
https://twitter.com/ElsbridgeP/status/1105066420793008128
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,32140.msg257681.html#msg257681
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,30612.msg256217.html#msg256217
I'm pasted some links above to show that there is in fact many people who have modelled Smudger. And from looking at the feedback they have received, it seems that there is a demand for him.
I agree that there have been many more Spiteful Brake Van customs, but I would argue that is only because he is one of the easiest customs to make. Smudger, on the other hand, requires much more attention in terms of color scheme, just like Red Rosie, which Bachmann always does a great job with. Also, in Bachmann's case, the challenge of announcing a new product is with new toolings, not fine paint scheme adjustments. Even take Gordon's coaches, which have just been changed with the addition of the yellow stripe. For many modellers who wanted to do that to the original models on their own, that addition of would be challenging to get just right. Thus, once again, announcing Smudger as a limited edition product would be a nice compromise. It would be targeting to serious Thomas fans, would not cost too much to make, considering that it would be a repaint of Rheneas and only a limited amount would be produced, and seems like something that the licencor would approve, since the Spiteful Brake Van was also approved. It would be much more exciting than announcing nothing like this year.
I'm well aware of those customs, and I feel the fact that you are reiterating that only about.. 3 have been made, only supports my point more. It would have to be a -very- limited run, and then that run would have to cost enough to warrant the manufacturing costs, as well as a small tooling for a new faceplate.
It's also why I'm surprised we got Red Rosie so soon; there were customs going around in the fandom, but they were small in numbers. Either Bachmann has strong confidence in Red Rosie, or it was a Mattel mandate.
To me, red Rosie was inevitable for this year for more than just because the tooling was already there, but I think it might also come down to the fact that maybe the sales for Rosie were so minimal compared to Oliver or Skarloey and Rheneas that maybe they felt they could justify her tooling cost a little more by creating an alternative model for those who preferred her modern livery? Bachmann does like going for characters that they know are going to sell well and Rosie wasn't that much of a hit compared to other releases. She clearly had her fans, but never made it on the bestsellers list when it was still around. I'm sure that the lavender model will probably find its way out of the range in the same way Arry and Bert did once the new supply of Rosie models that just arrived will sell out in the next couple of years so the red one would be the only option left.
I'm sure Mattel wanted Bachmann to update her in red too, and something tells me if they made her red in the first place and pushed Rosie back another year like they did with Oliver and Rusty then her sales would have been slightly better than what they made out of the lavender one.
Either way if Rosie clearly didn't win that many people over, that's definitely going to say something about how Nia and Rebecca models would do (no matter how much Mattel may push for them), which is one reason why I feel Bachmann are better off avoiding those two altogether if the sales aren't going to be there.
Quote from: Chaz on March 21, 2019, 08:17:31 PM
To me, red Rosie was inevitable for this year for more than just because the tooling was already there, but I think it might also come down to the fact that maybe the sales for Rosie were so minimal compared to Oliver or Skarloey and Rheneas that maybe they felt they could justify her tooling cost a little more by creating an alternative model for those who preferred her modern livery? Bachmann does like going for characters that they know are going to sell well and Rosie wasn't that much of a hit compared to other releases. She clearly had her fans, but never made it on the bestsellers list when it was still around. I'm sure that the lavender model will probably find its way out of the range in the same way Arry and Bert did once the new supply of Rosie models that just arrived will sell out in the next couple of years so the red one would be the only option left.
I'm sure Mattel wanted Bachmann to update her in red too, and something tells me if they made her red in the first place and pushed Rosie back another year like they did with Oliver and Rusty then her sales would have been slightly better than what they made out of the lavender one.
Either way if Rosie clearly didn't win that many people over, that's definitely going to say something about how Nia and Rebecca models would do (no matter how much Mattel may push for them), which is one reason why I feel Bachmann are better off avoiding those two altogether if the sales aren't going to be there.
I feel like people didn't buy Rosie because they were waiting for Red Rosie, and Nia and Rebecca wouldn't have that problem. Rebecca especially Rebecca as she is super popular with the fandom
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on March 21, 2019, 08:58:41 PM
Quote from: Chaz on March 21, 2019, 08:17:31 PM
To me, red Rosie was inevitable for this year for more than just because the tooling was already there, but I think it might also come down to the fact that maybe the sales for Rosie were so minimal compared to Oliver or Skarloey and Rheneas that maybe they felt they could justify her tooling cost a little more by creating an alternative model for those who preferred her modern livery? Bachmann does like going for characters that they know are going to sell well and Rosie wasn't that much of a hit compared to other releases. She clearly had her fans, but never made it on the bestsellers list when it was still around. I'm sure that the lavender model will probably find its way out of the range in the same way Arry and Bert did once the new supply of Rosie models that just arrived will sell out in the next couple of years so the red one would be the only option left.
I'm sure Mattel wanted Bachmann to update her in red too, and something tells me if they made her red in the first place and pushed Rosie back another year like they did with Oliver and Rusty then her sales would have been slightly better than what they made out of the lavender one.
Either way if Rosie clearly didn't win that many people over, that's definitely going to say something about how Nia and Rebecca models would do (no matter how much Mattel may push for them), which is one reason why I feel Bachmann are better off avoiding those two altogether if the sales aren't going to be there.
I feel like people didn't buy Rosie because they were waiting for Red Rosie, and Nia and Rebecca wouldn't have that problem. Rebecca especially Rebecca as she is super popular with the fandom
What are we calling super popular? Largely indifference, followed by ridicule of her shoehorned insertion, and then a select few fans going "Rebecca is my wife for life" on Twitter? Nia and Rebecca are absolutely not "popular" in a strong good way, especially compared to classics like Oliver, Rosie or Paxton.
Well, not everyone makes customs. Not everyone who collects Bachmann Thomas are serious hardcore modelers. Some just want things like Red Rosie, Nia, and Rebecca because they just like those characters and they want those as models. Smudger or Yellow Rheneas would be cool. Considering how Red Rosie's practically done, it's clear that some of these recolors are very easy for Bachmann to make. There really isn't that much harm in them. I do hope they continue making new molded characters (maybe recolors alongside new molds) but right now I'm fine with it.
I know everyone's getting tired of Class 08 recolors, but I think Sidney is starting to feel overdue. The reason not many people have made customs of Sidney is because he's never had a Trackmaster model, so it's not easy to get his face in proper HO Scale size. If someone on Shapeways was to sell 3D-printed Sidney faces, people might start making customs of him. If Bachmann eventually does make Sidney, he will need a painted border around his face to hide his eye mechanism, just like Paxton.
Sidney, Green Thomas, and Black James are the only HO Scale engine recolors left that I can think of from the top of my head that actually make sense. As I've stated before, Bachmann can't make Splatter and Dodge for relevance reasons, being completely obscure one-off characters, and they can't make the Mainland Diesels since they don't have actual personalities, or names (except for Ulli, but he still doesn't have a personality). Paxton has a character, and a name, which is why he was made.
Red Rosie should be in stock this summer, along with the new HO rolling stock. Rusty should also arrive soon.
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on March 21, 2019, 11:21:45 PM
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on March 21, 2019, 08:58:41 PM
Quote from: Chaz on March 21, 2019, 08:17:31 PM
To me, red Rosie was inevitable for this year for more than just because the tooling was already there, but I think it might also come down to the fact that maybe the sales for Rosie were so minimal compared to Oliver or Skarloey and Rheneas that maybe they felt they could justify her tooling cost a little more by creating an alternative model for those who preferred her modern livery? Bachmann does like going for characters that they know are going to sell well and Rosie wasn't that much of a hit compared to other releases. She clearly had her fans, but never made it on the bestsellers list when it was still around. I'm sure that the lavender model will probably find its way out of the range in the same way Arry and Bert did once the new supply of Rosie models that just arrived will sell out in the next couple of years so the red one would be the only option left.
I'm sure Mattel wanted Bachmann to update her in red too, and something tells me if they made her red in the first place and pushed Rosie back another year like they did with Oliver and Rusty then her sales would have been slightly better than what they made out of the lavender one.
Either way if Rosie clearly didn't win that many people over, that's definitely going to say something about how Nia and Rebecca models would do (no matter how much Mattel may push for them), which is one reason why I feel Bachmann are better off avoiding those two altogether if the sales aren't going to be there.
I feel like people didn't buy Rosie because they were waiting for Red Rosie, and Nia and Rebecca wouldn't have that problem. Rebecca especially Rebecca as she is super popular with the fandom
What are we calling super popular? Largely indifference, followed by ridicule of her shoehorned insertion, and then a select few fans going "Rebecca is my wife for life" on Twitter? Nia and Rebecca are absolutely not "popular" in a strong good way, especially compared to classics like Oliver, Rosie or Paxton.
I haven't ever seen anyone hating on Rebecca, most people, especially those super anti-BWBA seem to like her personality. Sure she's not on the levels of Oliver, but she's probably going to have a similar following as the other cgi characters and Rosie.
Either way, they won't be making Rebecca due to how expensive she would be to make. If they are going to make a new HO engine with a new tooling, I'm sure that they would choose the most popular candidates, which are Stepney and Daisy (both of which are much cheaper to make too). But my money is still on the Green LBSC Thomas, since they are trying to use existing toolings.
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on March 21, 2019, 07:03:29 PM
I'm well aware of those customs, and I feel the fact that you are reiterating that only about.. 3 have been made, only supports my point more. It would have to be a -very- limited run, and then that run would have to cost enough to warrant the manufacturing costs, as well as a small tooling for a new faceplate.
It's also why I'm surprised we got Red Rosie so soon; there were customs going around in the fandom, but they were small in numbers. Either Bachmann has strong confidence in Red Rosie, or it was a Mattel mandate.
I certainly understand that, but the reason there have only been three custom Smudgers is probably due to the fact that Rheneas has not been out for that long, and that making a custom model of him requires a higher attention to detail than making something like a custom Spiteful Brake Van.
At the end of the day, it would be nice to see something get announced for narrow gauge rather than absolutely nothing.
Yeah, I have a feeling we wouldn't get Nia or Rebecca unless Mattel forced Bachmann to. However we know Mattel does have input on what Bachmann makes so it's hard to say whether they would be made or not
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on March 23, 2019, 10:05:06 AM
Yeah, I have a feeling we wouldn't get Nia or Rebecca unless Mattel forced Bachmann to. However we know Mattel does have input on what Bachmann makes so it's hard to say whether they would be made or not
They can't force them to make something that isn't economically viable. Bachmann hasn't made a tender engine in almost 10 years, and I doubt they would start again with a character like Rebecca.
Quote from: Toad139 on March 23, 2019, 12:58:29 PM
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on March 23, 2019, 10:05:06 AM
Yeah, I have a feeling we wouldn't get Nia or Rebecca unless Mattel forced Bachmann to. However we know Mattel does have input on what Bachmann makes so it's hard to say whether they would be made or not
They can't force them to make something that isn't economically viable. Bachmann hasn't made a tender engine in almost 10 years, and I doubt they would start again with a character like Rebecca.
If they do a tender engine in 2020, recommend either Flying Scotsman, being economical in reusing parts from Spencer and Gordon, or Hiro as he's become quite a popular character, especially in Japan.
Quote from: SeanrailAnimations on March 23, 2019, 01:33:26 PM
If they do a tender engine in 2020, recommend either Flying Scotsman, being economical in reusing parts from Spencer and Gordon, or Hiro as he's become quite a popular character, especially in Japan.
I've actually been thinking the same thing. They would just have to slightly alter Gordon's tooling and make a new tender mold. This will still probably be pretty expensive though, so I doubt Bachmann would go along with it. You never know what could happen in the future though, hopefully they will be able to make new toolings again within the next few years
.
Quote from: Toad139 on March 23, 2019, 12:58:29 PM
They can't force them to make something that isn't economically viable. Bachmann hasn't made a tender engine in almost 10 years, and I doubt they would start again with a character like Rebecca.
Bingo. Rebecca is easily safe to rule out since there is no way she would fit in Bachmann's budget. I would argue the same for Nia because of how long and complicated her design would be from their standpoint. They would sooner do smaller tank engines like Stepney or even Stanley because they would be easier to make and would likely fit their budget no differently than Oliver would.
Regardless of what few on here think, (while also clearly just saying things on here just to be contrarian), Nia and Rebecca are very impractical additions from Bachmann. Their minor popularity with the fanbase and their equally mediocre sales would not justify the production and tooling cost for these models.
Quote from: Chaz on March 24, 2019, 04:57:47 PM
Quote from: Toad139 on March 23, 2019, 12:58:29 PM
They can't force them to make something that isn't economically viable. Bachmann hasn't made a tender engine in almost 10 years, and I doubt they would start again with a character like Rebecca.
Bingo. Rebecca is easily safe to rule out since there is no way she would fit in Bachmann's budget. I would argue the same for Nia because of how long and complicated her design would be from their standpoint. They would sooner do smaller tank engines like Stepney or even Stanley because they would be easier to make and would likely fit their budget no differently than Oliver would.
Regardless of what few on here think, (while also clearly just saying things on here just to be contrarian), Nia and Rebecca are very impractical additions from Bachmann. Their minor popularity with the fanbase and their equally mediocre sales would not justify the production and tooling cost for these models.
Well Mattel probably would rather have Bachmann make characters that are in the current show, so Stepney is pretty unlikely. If we were to get any new molds for the HO range, I honestly think Stanley, Daisy, and Ryan are the only likely canidates for the time being. Maybe Nia just because shes a main character now, but she isn't the most economically safe character.
Mattel, from what I heard, does have a mandate somewhere along those lines. At the same time I believe that if there is enough fan demand for a character, Mattel could be convinced by Bachmann to make an exception (especially since unlike the other toy ranges where I heard this mandate comes from such as Wood and Trackmaster, Bachmann is a nostalgia driven range). In the long run, Stepneys demand is very much up to the fans, and persistence is key here.
You want Stepney? Keep asking for him, logics be darned.
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on March 24, 2019, 05:45:17 PM
Mattel, from what I heard, does have a mandate somewhere along those lines. At the same time I believe that if there is enough fan demand for a character, Mattel could be convinced by Bachmann to make an exception (especially since unlike the other toy ranges where I heard this mandate comes from such as Wood and Trackmaster, Bachmann is a nostalgia driven range). In the long run, Stepneys demand is very much up to the fans, and persistence is key here.
You want Stepney? Keep asking for him, logics be darned.
That's true, Bachmann did make Bill, Ben, and The Scottish Twins when they weren't in the show. But then again Mattel wasn't in control yet, and we haven't had an engine from the classic series who hasn't returned in cgi introduced since Mattel took over.
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on March 24, 2019, 06:07:01 PM
But then again Mattel wasn't in control yet, and we haven't had an engine from the classic series introduced since Mattel took over.
Tell that to Oliver, Skarloey, Rheneas, Rusty and 'Arry and Bert...
Quote from: Chaz on March 24, 2019, 07:49:14 PM
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on March 24, 2019, 06:07:01 PM
But then again Mattel wasn't in control yet, and we haven't had an engine from the classic series introduced since Mattel took over.
Tell that to Oliver, Skarloey, Rheneas, Rusty and 'Arry and Bert...
I meant classic characters who haven't returned to the cgi series yet
I don't believe that Nia is a main character since she appeared less than Rebecca.
Hey guys I just got back from the York Train show yesterday and I spoke with a few of the people who work for Bachmann. I gave them a few ideas and they loved them so much they said they would bring it up to Doug Blane the Vice President of sales for Bachmann Trains. Two of the ideas I came up with have already been discussed on the forum. Green Thomas and Black James for recolors. I however did something a little different and told them about the Thomas Wooden Railway limited edition James Goes Buzz Buzz and Thomas comes to Breakfast. I thought why doesn't Bachmann make a James Goes Buzz Buzz? Yes I know it's definetly a long shot but it would be something very easy for Bachmann to do. I mean all they would have to do is to add Bee sticker decals on the boiler give James a new face and paint the nose red. It's simple and I think it would be a fun addition to the line. I know some may hate the idea of that but I just wanted to throw that out there. Now a more reasonable repaint. Silver Spencer. I mentioned at the booth that Spencer was still that grey-blue color when ever since the CGI series, Spencer has been rereleased with that metallic silver color in nearly every bit of merchandise. I was told to mention this to Insidetrack if he or she is listening. This is definitely a much better opportunity to increase sales and also make customers happy. I hope Doug Blane and Insidetrack are watching this because the guys told me at York to post this here in the forum. Anyways hope you guys like my idea. Please don't judge by the James Goes Buzz Buzz idea. I just thought I'd put it out there.
I think at this point, re-colors are probably all I would expect from Bachmann when it comes to new additions in HO and large scale. They are probably going to focus more on adding new toolings for N scale and narrow gauge for the time being anyway.
I think Silver Spencer seems to be the most likely out of the recolors that you mentioned, and I think they could end up going that route and eventually discontinuing the current Spencer model as a result.
I've said it before, but they can do as many gimmicky items or repaints as they want, as long as we get an actual new engine every so-often. Repaints and gimmick items are easy to do, this is true, but the market is also limited. Not many people are going to pay $80.00-$120.00 for, say... A James with bees on him, a Percy covered in chocolate, or a Thomas in Indian decorations (just random examples). I reckon repaints like those will sell about as well as the Celebration Thomas did, which from what I can tell, seems to be a peg-warmer.
Just because an item is easy to do, doesn't mean the markets there.
That said, I think Bachmanns best bet for a repaint engine or two in the near future would be the LBSC Thomas and Black James. Anything else, I feel, would be a stretch.
Right I see your point but Silver Spencer can't be that much of a stretch. I mean that would sell pretty good
I'm with Cheeky ULP. I mean, 2020 is Thomas' 75th Anniversary, so it would be the best time to announce a newly tooled HO engine to commemorate the anniversary and wow Thomas fans. I am still on board with Stepney or Daisy, as I know that both would sell extremely well, but I could actually see Stanley having a fair shot too. Announcing one of them along with the Green LBSC Thomas would be excellent (just as Oliver was announced with the Celebration Thomas in 2015). In the years after 2020, I could see Bachmann announcing more repaints such as Sidney, Silver Spencer, and Scrap Oliver.
Hence, with resin buildings now out too, my current HO predictions list is the following:
Stepney, Daisy, or Stanley
Green LBSC Thomas
Troublesome Truck #6
Flat Wagon with Pipes
I'll openly ask to everyone, does announcing three new toolings (ex. HO Scale Stepney, Narrow Gauge Peter Sam, and N Scale James) sound unreasonable for 2020 (even if it is Thomas' 75th Anniversary, and all three of these sell extremely well)?
I don't think it sounds completely unreasonable, considering 2016 when Rosie, Rheneas, the slate wagons, Oliver, and the large scale box vans all had to be done, not to mention the Sound decoders. However, considering the slower runs with Bachmann in recent years, and that they said the new N scale line won't be out until 2020, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't announce anything new for the N scale line. I still feel like it's a little too early to tell what could happen next year since, barring N scale, we only have the new HO scale repaints, Rusty, and the narrow gauge coaches to wait for. Depending on how early all of these get released, what could happen next year would vary quite a lot.
Considering that those would be for individual ranges I say that is a completely reasonable assumption. In 2015 we had four new tooling announcements (not including the resin buildings or the square water tower) which were Oliver for HO, Skarloey for the start of the new NG line, and the large scale Winston and ice cream wagon during the 70th anniversary.
If we get new toolings next year, the most I could see us getting would be Peter Sam and brake vans for narrow gauge along with an N scale James. Maybe we could get a new HO engine tooling next year as a surprise for 2020 but I won't hold my breath on that one.
Trainman2001 also does bring up a good point that they could announce nothing for N scale and that is entirely possible considering how narrow gauge got no announcements this year with Rusty and the coaches being held back. That being said, I would imagine they at least have plans for James and possibly a Thomas starter set for N scale to help people get into the new range so it's possible we might only get those and then the following year we would only get rolling stock announcements like tankers and wagon recolors.
Quote from: TrainCollector on April 14, 2019, 11:34:16 PM
Right I see your point but Silver Spencer can't be that much of a stretch. I mean that would sell pretty good
I didn't include Silver Spencer because I feel like that's a different category. That should be less of a limited edition, and more just an update to his normal model, in a similar way they fixed up James. It all depends however, on how big of a seller Spencer currently is.
Yeah. Maybe troublesome truck 6 can just be a tar tanker wagon!:)
My predictions (question marks indicate possibilities I'm not sure about):
HO Scale:
Engines:
(Any combination of two of these, if two are made):
-Stepney.
-Daisy.
-Sidney.
-LBSC Thomas.
-Black James.
Rolling Stock:
-Red Express Composite Coach.
-Red Express Brake Coach.
-Troublesome Truck #6 (Brown or orange Ice Cream Van mold with a face).
-Explosives Van(?)
-Flat Bed with Pipes/rails/(?)
If vehicles, Trevor or Bulgy would be nice, heck, even Jack would be neat.
If resin buildings, probably another station like Farquhar Station or Wellsworth Station.
Narrow Gauge:
Engines:
-Peter Sam OR Sir Handel.
Rolling Stock:
-Brake Van - Brown.
Large Scale (if anything):
Rolling Stock:
-Red Branch Line Composite Coach.
-Red Branch Line Brake Coach.
N Scale:
Engines:
-James.
-Edward(?)
Rolling Stock:
-Red Branch Line Composite Coach.
-Red Branch Line Brake Coach.
-Troublesome Truck #3(?)
The only new tooling I expect to be announced next year is a NG engine, Peter Sam seems the obvious choice, and maybe some NG rolling stock, maybe. MAYBE a new HO tooling but Unlikely. The only new N announcement I could see is a set or two, cause not having a starter set for an entire new range? I'm sorry, but that's stupid.
I have a feeling that as production goes on for the new N scale models, they will probably announce a Thomas starter set for 2020. They don't even need to announce a Percy set, just a standard oval of track with Thomas with Annie and Clarabel should do the job by helping people collect the new range.
On that note, I'm still surprised Bachmann never announced a starter set for the narrow gauge range. Maybe that will change if Bachmann has plans to announce more rolling stock for that range (like brake vans) and it would be as simple as having it be an oval of track with Skarloey, two wagons and a brake van.
Quote from: Chaz on April 17, 2019, 02:17:57 AM
I have a feeling that as production goes on for the new N scale models, they will probably announce a Thomas starter set for 2020. They don't even need to announce a Percy set, just a standard oval of track with Thomas with Annie and Clarabel should do the job by helping people collect the new range.
On that note, I'm still surprised Bachmann never announced a starter set for the narrow gauge range. Maybe that will change if Bachmann has plans to announce more rolling stock for that range (like brake vans) and it would be as simple as having it be an oval of track with Skarloey, two wagons and a brake van.
That is what I am holding out for. I would really like to get some narrow gauge stuff, but it is not worth it needed to buy the track and trucks too.
I suppose I should get my predictions in before it's too late.
HO Scale:
As much as I would like to see Stepney, it doesn't seem like we are going to get more new toolings for HO scale at this point in time. Maybe if the brand gets taken over by someone other than Mattel, I could see that changing, but Mattel currently doesn't seem to care that Bachmann is supposed to be more realistic than Trackmaster or Wood (I'm looking at the Sodor Mining Co. Wagon and Live Lobsters Wagons specifically). With that said, I will post what I think will happen next year.
-LBSC Thomas
-Black James
I am going to say now that Mattel should stop pushing the pointless wagon recolors from Bachmann. They just don't fit the theme of the range well and those resources could be used in other areas instead. There are also currently 42 pieces of rolling stock in the range, 11 of which are recolors from the toy lines that we just never really needed. People probably aren't even going to collect all of them anyways, especially since there are still quite a few wagons that have actually been in the show. If we absolutely have to have a wagon recolor next year, I suggest a Celebration Coach, keeping with the 75th Anniversary theme and maybe being a Red Coach recolor with banners or something on the side with a 75th Anniversary logo. Then the recolors can stop there. We don't need almost a third of the rolling stock being stuff from the toy lines that don't fit with the appearance of the range or what the range is supposed to be.
Narrow Gauge:
I know that the rolling stock recolors aren't that expensive for bachmann to produce, but without the added cost of those announcements, maybe they would be just enough for them to squeeze in two new engines rather than one next year, especially since the range is so popular. Also, this year there have been a few limited edition items released in Bachmann's normal range, which are no doubt going to be popular since they are tied to the Golden Spike. Maybe these items will be enough to subsidize Bachmann's normal ranges next year, leaving more funds for the Thomas range (yes, I know this is wishful thinking). With that said, here are my thoughts.
-Peter Sam
-Sir Handel
Narrow gauge modelers have been asking for both of these engines almost equally because of all of the different real engines they could be turned into. Done correctly (which is almost no effort other than rivets for both), they will both be extremely accurate to their bases, and they will have even more appeal to modelers than Skarloey and Rheneas. These two could easily be freelance industrial locomotives, visitors to other lines, the Corris Railway could easily be modeled for the first time. They also have several variations within the Thomas universe as well, which some people will probably model.
-Brake Vans (Red, Blue, and Brown)
I think that brake vans could also possibly happen in 2020, however that entirely depends on when the Blue and Red Carriages get released, and if Bachmann can do this many new toolings for the Thomas range this year. Although, even if they can't do brake vans this year, they could probably do them in 2021, and there are alternatives in the meantime. Elsbridge Productions has made 3D printed ones, and Peco have 3 different types of brake vans on the way, so we could get some place holders until Bachmann can announce some.
N Scale:
Bachmann themselves confirmed that the new range will not be out before 2020 in their TCA Spring video. I think that they may produce a starter set with Thomas, Annie and Clarabel, but I wouldn't be surprised if this range is otherwise left untouched for this year.
Large Scale:
I feel like the Large Scale modelers deserve something nice, since they haven't gotten anything for a long time. Maybe a new engine is possible next year, since nothing was announced.
-Mavis
She would be fairly easy for Bachmann to produce, sharing the same chassis design as Toby, after all. She also seems to be somewhat popular as well, considering she is the third engine to get a Day Out with Thomas model. However, Plow Bender has brought up several good points about why both a new engine and a diesel wouldn't get as good of sales as we would hope for, and considering Bachmann Large Scale in general has been thinned out considerably over the last few years, I could see why a new engine couldn't be made.
-Red Coach
-Red Brake Coach
People have been hoping for them to make these in large scale for years, and they are really popular in HO, so they could be really popular in Large Scale too. It also wouldn't be that difficult for Bachmann to make these.
I'm gonna narrow down my list of engines Bachmann could make. I had thought that Black James would have a better possibility than LBSC Thomas, considering he has a history and LBSC Thomas was only created for The Adventure Begins, But now I'm thinking that Bachmann could possibly want to do a new mold for the 75th Anniversary, so if they did I think I'll put my money on LBSC Thomas for a repaint alongside Stepney as a new mold.
Quote from: TrainMan2001 on April 17, 2019, 10:28:10 AM
I suppose I should get my predictions in before it's too late.
HO Scale:
As much as I would like to see Stepney, it doesn't seem like we are going to get more new toolings for HO scale at this point in time. Maybe if the brand gets taken over by someone other than Mattel, I could see that changing, but Mattel currently doesn't seem to care that Bachmann is supposed to be more realistic than Trackmaster or Wood (I'm looking at the Sodor Mining Co. Wagon and Live Lobsters Wagons specifically). With that said, I will post what I think will happen next year.
-LBSC Thomas
-Black James
I am going to say now that Mattel should stop pushing the pointless wagon recolors from Bachmann. They just don't fit the theme of the range well and those resources could be used in other areas instead. There are also currently 42 pieces of rolling stock in the range, 11 of which are recolors from the toy lines that we just never really needed. People probably aren't even going to collect all of them anyways, especially since there are still quite a few wagons that have actually been in the show. If we absolutely have to have a wagon recolor next year, I suggest a Celebration Coach, keeping with the 75th Anniversary theme and maybe being a Red Coach recolor with banners or something on the side with a 75th Anniversary logo. Then the recolors can stop there. We don't need almost a third of the rolling stock being stuff from the toy lines that don't fit with the appearance of the range or what the range is supposed to be.
Narrow Gauge:
I know that the rolling stock recolors aren't that expensive for bachmann to produce, but without the added cost of those announcements, maybe they would be just enough for them to squeeze in two new engines rather than one next year, especially since the range is so popular. Also, this year there have been a few limited edition items released in Bachmann's normal range, which are no doubt going to be popular since they are tied to the Golden Spike. Maybe these items will be enough to subsidize Bachmann's normal ranges next year, leaving more funds for the Thomas range (yes, I know this is wishful thinking). With that said, here are my thoughts.
-Peter Sam
-Sir Handel
Narrow gauge modelers have been asking for both of these engines almost equally because of all of the different real engines they could be turned into. Done correctly (which is almost no effort other than rivets for both), they will both be extremely accurate to their bases, and they will have even more appeal to modelers than Skarloey and Rheneas. These two could easily be freelance industrial locomotives, visitors to other lines, the Corris Railway could easily be modeled for the first time. They also have several variations within the Thomas universe as well, which some people will probably model.
-Brake Vans (Red, Blue, and Brown)
I think that brake vans could also possibly happen in 2020, however that entirely depends on when the Blue and Red Carriages get released, and if Bachmann can do this many new toolings for the Thomas range this year. Although, even if they can't do brake vans this year, they could probably do them in 2021, and there are alternatives in the meantime. Elsbridge Productions has made 3D printed ones, and Peco have 3 different types of brake vans on the way, so we could get some place holders until Bachmann can announce some.
N Scale:
Bachmann themselves confirmed that the new range will not be out before 2020 in their TCA Spring video. I think that they may produce a starter set with Thomas, Annie and Clarabel, but I wouldn't be surprised if this range is otherwise left untouched for this year.
Large Scale:
I feel like the Large Scale modelers deserve something nice, since they haven't gotten anything for a long time. Maybe a new engine is possible next year, since nothing was announced.
-Mavis
She would be fairly easy for Bachmann to produce, sharing the same chassis design as Toby, after all. She also seems to be somewhat popular as well, considering she is the third engine to get a Day Out with Thomas model. However, Plow Bender has brought up several good points about why both a new engine and a diesel wouldn't get as good of sales as we would hope for, and considering Bachmann Large Scale in general has been thinned out considerably over the last few years, I could see why a new engine couldn't be made.
-Red Coach
-Red Brake Coach
People have been hoping for them to make these in large scale for years, and they are really popular in HO, so they could be really popular in Large Scale too. It also wouldn't be that difficult for Bachmann to make these.
A host of good points are made here, especially with all the HO wagon recolors that have overstayed their welcome. By sheer coincidence, my predictions are pretty much idendical to yours! :P
Hey All!
After just reading about Bachmann's new license for selling in the UK and other places, I am more hopeful about getting a new tooling next year, so here are my predictions/hopes. Some of my predictions are not things I think will happen, but I hope for. I ordered them from most wanted to least wanted by me.
HO Scale: Engines: -Daisy: I would like to see Daisy because she has been in the T&F world for a long time and would be an interesting tooling that even people outside of T&F would be interested in.
-Reintroduced Salty: Salty is such a prominent character in the show and it would be easy for Bachmann to recreate him. One thing I'd like to see on the reintroduced Salty would be for him to have his red head lamp. I also wonder if they'd make his face CGI or leave him model series.
-Stepney: Although not top of my list, I'd like to see how Bachmann would interpret Stepney and he could very well be produced because of all the demand.
-Ryan: If Daisy is made, I could see Bachmann making Ryan to complete the engines on the Harwick Branch Line. He would be an interesting color and a nice addition to the tank engines that we already have.
-LBSC Thomas or Black James: If we have to have an engine repaint, I would suggest these because of the 75th Anniversary. I think I would like to see Black James more than LBSC Thomas but I don't have a huge preference.
-Hiro or BoCo: These two are just long shots in my dreams but i just thought I would put them out there. ;)
These engines would be great additions to the line. If Bachmann's budget for T&F will in fact be bigger, I could see one new tooling (hopefully Daisy), the reintroduction of Salty (because they already have the tooling), and an engine repaint (for the 75th Anniversary).
Rolling Stock: -Flatbed with Pipes, Rails, Hay, Crates, or Stacked Wood: I would love to see the stacked cut wood or the hay bales on flatbeds.
-Well Wagon & Conflats: I would really like to see the well wagons because they are used a lot in the show. For the conflats
-Troublesome Truck #6: We will most likely get another troublesome truck so I hope it will be a tanker. A tanker would be nice addition to the range.
There is probably more rolling stock that I'll add, but I'll add them in later.
Buildings: -Harwick: I know this is a newer destination, but if Daisy is made, then it'd be a good idea to make these to increase each others sales.
-Crovan's Gate: This would be an awesome station because it merges narrow gauge and HO scale.
-Narrow Gauge Shed's: It would be amazing to get one or two sheds because it is hard to find sheds that fit HOn30.
-Bluff's Cove: I know it's a small station but it would be cool to see and I would love it if they included the green metal bridge.
-Vicarstown: Ok so this one would be pretty big so I'm not sure if it would happen but I think it would be a cool station.
Narrow Gauge: Engines: -Sir Handel: I think either Sir Handel or Peter Sam will be made. The only reason I put Sir Handel above is personal preference. I really like the way Sir Handel looks and would love to see how Bachmann interprets that.
-Peter Sam: I would also be fine with Peter Sam. I am good either way.
Rolling Stock: -Blue Mountain Quarry Wagons: I would love seeing the green and red BMQ wagons. I don't know if this would be a long shot or not but it'd be really happy seeing these.
-Brake Vans - Multi Colored: These would be an awesome addition to the range.
N Scale: I'm not sure if there will be any new announcements for n scale but here are some hopes.
EnginesI like this plan by really called thomas but I'm not sure it'll play out:
Quote from: really called Thomas on February 16, 2019, 01:24:17 PM
In futures years ideally 1 tender/long engine and 1 small engine along with 2 coaches and 2 goods wagons. For example:
Gordon/Duck, Green Express Composite Coach/Green Express Brake Coach/Tar Tanker/Troublesome van
Henry/Oliver, Red Branchline Coach/Red Branchline Brake Coach/Toad/Sodor Fuel Tanker
Daisy/Toby, Henrietta/Sodor Mail Coach/SC Ruffey/Troublesome Tanker
Large Scale: Engines: I am just giving suggestions for these because I do not collect them but I think some of these would be nice.
-Edward: Even though I'm not sure if tendered engines would be made, if they are, I feel that Edward would be an awesome addition.
-Duck: He would be a great tank engine and a great addition.
-Mavis: She would be a great female character to add to the line.
Rolling Stock: -Red Branch Line Coaches: These are pretty much a given.
-New Troublesome Truck: I think this would be good because even though there are a lot of rolling stock, there are barely any troublesome trucks.
Hope you guys like these ideas and let me know if any of these seem way too unrealistic. Just remember these are not all for this year, these are just variations that I hope would happen. See you guys later!
-CC55
Not for nothing, but unless the LS range gets any sort of resurgence after it enters the UK market, I don't see them making anything else but existing rolling stock. And I'm pretty sure they're not making resin buildings anymore.
The Large Scale range is already in the UK market. It wasn't against the licensing deal for Bachmann to sell them there.
What would be cool if they sold the flatbed on it's own.
Then sell crates, poles, logs, paint pots, planks, hay bales separately, that way we can change the loads.
Quote from: Zekeism on April 18, 2019, 04:17:26 PM
What would be cool if they sold the flatbed on it's own.
Then sell crates, poles, logs, paint pots, planks, hay bales separately, that way we can change the loads.
That's a good idea but I'm not sure if Bachmann would do that because it might lower sales if they do instead of just selling the whole package. I would definitely get them if Bachmann did but since the range is angled to kids more, I'm not sure they'd think people would buy it. Just my thought but let me know if you guys think differently.
-CC55
Well I figured I would jump in the bandwagon and do some in-depth thoughts on what I think will happen next year and possibly the year after:
For HO, I'm still standing by my belief that we will probably keep getting recolors for both engines and rolling stock. For engines, I'm really leaning towards the LBSC Thomas and Black James. Both of these have been talked about for a while now and hold the right amount of nostalgia from older fans as well as familiarity with the younger audiences, being that the special would have been out for five years after the Adventure Begins. They seem like the safest bet and would have higher sales than Sidney would who is also a recolor.
However - if we do get a new engine tooling, I personally don't think it's going to be either Stepney or Daisy (Although I do prefer these two, Stepney especially). Instead, I'm willing to bet that it's going to be Ryan, here's why: he has the right amount of appeal with older and younger audiences, has a simple body to work with tooling wise, and offers a colorful contrast that Mattel would more likely approve and would be more appropriate for Bachmann's budget and offer better sales than stupid Nia and Rebecca (no matter how much mattel would push for them..).
HO rolling stock wise, I literally have no expectations there. Considering that we are going to keep getting more recolors I'm betting that's all we are going to keep getting. Maybe the red express coaches with a brighter red livery that matches what's on the show. Aside from that, that's all I can think of.
Narrow gauge is self-explanatory but I'll go over again anyway. I think that once Rusty is released (which is hopefully soon) Bachmann will start to make plans to announce another engine. Personally my money is on Peter Sam, with Sir Handel as a close second. Rolling stock wise, once the coaches are out, or even if they are possibly pushed to 2020, I would bet on getting brake vans next. I'm still surprised they didn't get announced alongside the coaches last year but now they seem to be a shoe-in for the next pieces of narrow gauge rolling stock.
Large scale I think will add Bluetooth and sound to their current lineup of locomotives and maybe make a separate module like they did for DCC so fans can add Bluetooth and sound to any of their own Thomas engines. Possibly introduce a new Thomas starter set with the Bluetooth and sound feature too.
Don't know what to expect for that range rolling stock wise since they keep aiming for recolors in that range. The red coaches would be the most preferred choice if it came down to it, but I won't hold my breath on those either, let alone a new tooling like Henrietta.
Now for N scale, the range that I once again, really want to talk about. If we do get any engines and stock, my thoughts are the same as before with James and tanker variants as well as wagon recolors. However, since the launch of the new range itself won't happen until 2020, I think it's fairly likely that these will probably not make their way too.
That doesn't mean that I don't think anything will get announced. If anything, I think while the range is still new and won't be out for some time, Bachmann if anything should get around to announcing a Thomas starter set to help newcomers into the range.
For the older and more experienced modelers, I say Bachmann should announce DCC and sound variants of Thomas and Percy. Only reason why it wouldn't be the case in HO is that it's a lot harder to fit a decoder and a sound module with a microphone in the models, hence why they only released an analog Thomas model and left it at that. With N scale on the other hand, Bachmann can jump on this one quickly, giving fans the option to either start with either the standard analog models, or if fans want to go the full mile, buy models with DCC and sound. Plus if they jump on this now instead of later, when they get around to future releases like James, Toby, Edward, Emily, etc they can simply announce both an analog model and a DCC sound model alongside always giving fans the option of doing one or the other. Doing this and making a Thomas starter set would be the smartest choice for 2020 and would allow Bachmann to continue to work on the Thomas and Percy models without having to worry about a third new tooling until everything is released.
Does anyone else wonder if Bachmann has thought of making a replica model of Thomas and other characters just like CoolProps?
If they had, they would've made the LS stock Gauge 1 not Gauge 3 :P
Good point! :)
So, in all honesty, last night I had a dream:
I and some other Thomas fans were walking around the iHobby Expo, and we suddenly came across the Bachmann booth. We saw Doug Blaine and Jack Lynch there and decided to go talk to them. Apparently, Stepney had been announced for 2020, as one of the Thomas fans who I was with told them how grateful we were to see Stepney coming to the Bachmann range to celebrate the 75th Anniversary! Mr. Lynch explained to us that it was extremely challenging to get Mattel to agree to this and that he's holding us accountable with Stepney's sales (as a joke), since so many people on the forum stated that Stepney would be an extremely strong seller. Finally, Doug Blaine said that the Bachmann team was aware that there have not been any new toolings for the HO Thomas range in some time, and that they wanted to do something special for Thomas' 75th Anniversary. Then, I woke up.
Overall, this is pretty ironic considering that I typed in "Dreaming of a Bachmann Stepney" a few days ago, but let's keep the excitement for Stepney going! We all want him, and this dream could be foreshadowing something...
I think that a Stepney would be amazing idea because that would be the last of the trains in the rail way series books[not the diesels]
I also think that a Stanly,Ryan,and some more resin buildings should be made.
just got an idea Bachmann should make a thomas and the magic railroad set with diesel 10 and Thomas but its DCC with the same layout as there other DCC sets, correct me if i'm wrong but that would be realy cool. 8)
I think for narrow gauge Duncan would be a very nice model ROLLING STOCK: blue brake van,red brake van,brown brake van.
A re-released TAR tanker wagon would just be great! :)
Quote from: thomas fan on July 08, 2019, 05:46:43 PM
I think that a Stepney would be amazing idea because that would be the last of the trains in the rail way series books[not the diesels]
I also think that a Stanly,Ryan,and some more resin buildings should be made.
just got an idea Bachmann should make a thomas and the magic railroad set with diesel 10 and Thomas but its DCC with the same layout as there other DCC sets, correct me if i'm wrong but that would be realy cool. 8)
Diesel 10's claw breaches NMRA standards, so they wouldn't be allowed to make him even if they wanted to.
it's just an idea that I think is cool.
What do you think is just so cool about it thomas fan?
just got an idea Bachmann should make a thomas and the magic railroad set with diesel 10 and Thomas but its DCC with the same layout as there other DCC sets, correct me if i'm wrong but that would be realy cool. 8)
that's what I though was cool. ;)
One of the biggest engineering challenges with daisy is getting the eye mechanism and I personally think it would be easier to make they eye mechanism turn as her bogies turn instead of just turning back and forth in a rhythm... and it would make it a little more realistic, making sense as to what her eyes are looking at. Just an idea...
I though of a idea for the diesels with moving eyes and it's were you put the motor on the body and have a rod come from the motor and at the other end of the rod have some gears that go to the wheel sets and the other end of the motor goes to the gears of the moving eyes [fond this method on an old TYCO diesel just so you know].
:) ;) :D ;D :) ;) :D ;D :) ;) :D ;D
If Daisy gets made, I personally wouldn't mind if they omit the eye mechanism entirely if it means that we could get proper windows. Seeing that the Large Scale Winston does not have a moving eye mechanism, I don't see any shame if Daisy does not have one either.
I agree.
Quote from: TerencetheTractor525 on July 10, 2019, 10:57:33 PM
If Daisy gets made, I personally wouldn't mind if they omit the eye mechanism entirely if it means that we could get proper windows. Seeing that the Large Scale Winston does not have a moving eye mechanism, I don't see any shame if Daisy does not have one either.
well this aged well
How the hell is that rude?
Yeah, he's just making an observation. How is that rude?
Now that Daisy, Troublesome Truck #6, and Peter Sam just got announced out of the blue, here's what I could expect Bachmann to announce in February of 2020:
HO Scale:
LBSC Thomas, Black James, or Sidney
Explosives Van
Chocolate Syrup Tanker
Toffee Tanker
Narrow Gauge:
Sir Handel
Brake Van (Blue)
Brake Van (Red)
Brake Van (Brown)
N Scale:
James
Mail Car
Milk Tanker
Since Troublesome Truck #6 is a tanker, I'd like #7 to be a Ventilated Van.
With these surprise announcements coming out of nowhere this morning, I really can't say I expect all that much at the toy fair next year. If anything I expect only some brake vans for the narrow gauge range and a starter set for the N scale range since what just got announced today has already been confirmed to be out in 2020. It's also possible that they could even be out later than than that too.
now we should start talking about 2021 :P
Good point, Chaz.
It's like we just got the 2020 announcements early. Like you said, they may not have that many new things to announce at the Toy Fair in 2020. Most likely, they would announce things like Narrow Gauge Brake Vans, and an N Scale starter set. What would REALLY be nice is a Narrow Gauge starter set with Skarloey.
Any day now, they should post images of the Narrow Gauge Coaches, which were announced last year. Hopefully, not too long from now. At least another engine (Peter Sam) is on the horizon.
As for what was announced at the Toy Fair this year, Red Rosie might show up in stock any day now, along with the new open wagons, and the Flatbed with Logs.
What was announced today, which were Daisy, Troublesome Truck #6, the 1-Plank wagons, and Peter Sam, are all coming our way in 2020, or later. The products that should be out this year are Red Rosie, the new open wagons, and the Flatbed with Logs. Let's not forget the Narrow Gauge Coaches. We got those to look forward to.
Well now that we got what we asked for next year here's my expects for 2021:
HO Scale
Ryan, Stanley or Sidney
Explosives Van
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel
Green Narrow Gauge Coaches (The only rolling stocks I think of for narrow gauge)
Resin Buildings
Ffarquhar
The Watermill
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on July 14, 2019, 11:28:51 PM
Well now that we got what we asked for next year here's my expects for 2021:
HO Scale
Ryan, Stanley or Sidney
Explosives Van
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel
Green Narrow Gauge Coaches (The only rolling stocks I think of for narrow gauge)
Resin Buildings
Ffarquhar
The Watermill
There's also Brakevans for Narrow Gauge.
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on July 14, 2019, 11:28:51 PM
Well now that we got what we asked for next year here's my expects for 2021:
HO Scale
Ryan, Stanley or Sidney
Explosives Van
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel
Green Narrow Gauge Coaches (The only rolling stocks I think of for narrow gauge)
Resin Buildings
Ffarquhar
The Watermill
Where's Stepney? ;)
I'm thinking at this point with how long it will take Bachmann to release Peter Sam and Daisy, they probably will not introduce a new engine tooling for those ranges until they are released. It's especially evident in the fact that Peter Sam got announced just two months after Rusty did. So in some ways if it means waiting as long as we did for Oliver and Rusty to get two high quality models and future announcements like Stepney and Sir Handel, I say it's worth the wait.
The good news though is that now that the coaches are going to be released in November (or possibly December), I have a feeling that we could get some new narrow gauge rolling stock toolings in the next Toy Fair, considering the timeline between Rusty's release and Peter Sam's announcement. So if the only narrow gauge announcement is just brake vans and everything else in HO is nothing but recolors then that is perfectly okay on my end. We're clearly getting good quality products of things we have been requesting so I am more than okay with them keeping things minimal in Toy Fair 2020. :)
Of course I'm more curious what toolings they will use for narrow gauge brake vans if they get announced at the 2020 Toy Fair but that's a discussion for another day.
At most, I expect maybe a Narrow Gauge Brake van, maybe 2 variants but nothing more from the NG range in 2020
I got some more ideas for Bachmann,
HO SCALE
Stepney,Sidney,Stanly,green Thomas and black James
explosives van,HECTOR,flat beds
N SCALE
James
narrow gauge
Sir Handel
brake vans and green coaches.
All right, I might as well talk about what's probably the only thing I want in the Toy Fair 2020 announcements: Narrow gauge brake vans.
It's common knowledge that there are four liveries for narrow gauge brake vans on the show. Red, blue, brown and gray. But what is even more interesting is that there are two different options for toolings that Bachmann Trains could work with while making brake vans for the narrow gauge range. There are a number of different ways they can be pulled off, so, rather than just talking about each individual color, I am going to talk about the offerings with each of these brake vans.
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/3/37/CoraBasis.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150630115405)
The first and probably most obvious tooling I would expect them to go for is the Talyllyn Railway's tool van no. 6 design with added ticket windows to both sides of the van just like the show.
(http://i66.tinypic.com/34pj1xh.png)
The television series has used all four liveries mentioned above with this basis. Interestingly enough, only the brown one made it to CGI.
My only personal hope for if they use this tooling is that they actually do follow up with adding the ticket windows on both sides of the brake van to match television series accuracy and not go with the Talyllyn design and and darker brown livery for this one. Especially because a lot of people do like the classic charm these would bring like how the blue narrow gauge coach did.
(http://i68.tinypic.com/2iql2ef.jpg)
With the first tooling out of the way, it's time to talk about the second tooling which is the Talyllyn Railway #5 guards van.
After seeing how the coaches turned out, it really would not surprise me to see this tooling make its way into the Bachmann range. It would seem appropriate given how the red coach was basically a Talyllyn coach, a red brake van with this design would basically be a Talyllyn brake van.
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/4/4b/MainNGBrakeVanCGI2.png/revision/latest?cb=20190104060436)
Now seeing as how there is only a red one in CGI in this basis I figured I would just throw this one out there, but there is also a blue one they could potentially do to go along with the blue coach as well if they wished.
So for the big question. What are the possibilities we are looking at? Well here are a few I came up with that I would hope gets considered in the process if we are to get brown blue and red brake vans in narrow gauge (leaving out the gray one since I don't recall it being as popular as the other three):
Option 1: The simple and easy possibility is to do brown blue and red with the #6 tooling with added ticket windows earlier to match what's on the show and save Bachmann money and resources to just rely on one tooling.
Option 2: Making a brown brake van in the television series design and have the red and blue brake vans be the #5 tooling.
Option 3: Making the brown and blue brake vans with the television series design and only have the red brake van be the Talyllyn brake van #5 design.
Personally, I would be perfectly fine with either of these scenarios but I am more hopeful for options 1 and 3 for again the nostalgic reasons.
Either way I would like to hear thoughts on these. Which of the options that I mentioned earlier do you like the most? Or do you have any other ideas? What would you do differently?
As always, I enjoyed reading your thoughts very much, Chaz. There's no doubt that brake vans are the next thing that the Bachmann Thomas Narrow Gauge line needs. As for what they choose to base the brake vans on, I would personally prefer the original television series design from the model series, but Option #3 would be interesting to see too. The main thing that's important to me though is that the television series brake vans are shorter than the carriages.
I like the brake vans with the ticket window being blue and red matching the carriages. While the brown one is use for freight service.
I prefer Option 1 because I just prefer Model series for designs that originated there. Although, I wouldn't mind Bachmann producing that red Brake van later on for use with the red coaches, as modelers who bought Skarloey to turn him into Tallyllyn would absolutely buy that up for use with their custom Tallyllyn model and unmodded Red Narrow Gauge Coaches on their layouts.
Definitely interested in seeing these responses so far. Hopefully Bachmann takes the suggestions into consideration if they decide to announce brake vans in the next Toy Fair.
What do you think the chances are of bachmann announcing Stepney?
slim but let just hope.
So, in other words, just wishful thinking or optimism?
For NG rolling stock I was personally thinking about these
Regular Trucks/Narrow Gauge Open Wagons or however you like to call them.
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/c/c8/Granpuff33.png/revision/latest?cb=20160116205242)
As seen on the second half of Sir Handel's Train
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/a/a8/SteamRoller29.png/revision/latest?cb=20190424211652)
As seen in CGI.
(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/2/2d/SkarloeyRailwayTrucks.png/revision/latest?cb=20140310213929)
Even though they're generic wagons they would really help build NG goods trains.
I would happily welcome these.
What do you think?
I think that they just look great! :)
The narrow gauge mining wagons (that's what I like to call them ;)) would certainly be welcome additions to the narrow gauge line, but I think that the narrow gauge brake vans are still the current priority among Thomas fans.
Another thing regarding narrow gauge that I find interesting is that Bachmann decided to use the term "carriage" instead of "coach" for the red and blue coaches. Hence, what if Bachmann uses the term "guard's van" instead of "brake van" for the narrow gauge brake vans? I know that this really isn't that big of deal, but it would certainly be interesting to see :).
Honestly I like the idea of the narrow gauge trucks.
I personally wouldn't mind having new wagons, especially since Peco recolor was never a popular seller popular. However, I think brake vans should take priority before any other piece of narrow gauge rolling stock gets considered. Especially after the coaches get out.
Regarding what they would be called, I could see them going by the term "guard van" myself. Just as long as we get all three liveries next year at toy fair I'll be happy.
If there's anything Bachmann should announce next Toy Fair, it's Narrow Gauge Brake Vans. I'm also hoping for an N Scale starter set with Thomas, or even a Narrow Gauge starter set with Skarloey. The Bachmann Skarloey line has been around for four years, and there's still no set for it. With a Skarloey set, people can finally have a more convenient way to start their Narrow Gauge collection.
Quote from: TrainFan97 on July 20, 2019, 04:21:40 PM
If there's anything Bachmann should announce next Toy Fair, it's Narrow Gauge Brake Vans. I'm also hoping for an N Scale starter set with Thomas, or even a Narrow Gauge starter set with Skarloey. The Bachmann Skarloey line has been around for four years, and there's still no set for it. With a Skarloey set, people can finally have a more convenient way to start their Narrow Gauge collection.
That is really what I am hoping for, especially if they do a Skarloey set with passenger cars, I am all in @Bachmann
If they wanted to make a Narrow Gauge train with Skarloey or Rheneas it would've been made already with 3 cars. 2 slate wagons with 1 box van or gondola.
I do believe Bachmann are making N Scale Thomas, Annie and Clarabel train set with a circle of track.
With Bachmann announcing Daisy, Peter Sam, Troublesome Truck 6 and the re-introducted conflats at the NMRA show for 2020 Release, I give my suggestions for the toy fair announcement in 2020.
HO
Stepney
Reintroduced Salty
Trevor
009
Brakevans
Nice suggestions. I really hope that bachmann brings Salty back.
Last night I stayed at Jay's (Decadesofsun) and while going through his rolling stock projects I thought it would be a good idea to bring these to Bachmann's attention.
Starting things off with Fred and Rickety.
(http://i67.tinypic.com/2iuys1t.jpg)
(http://i66.tinypic.com/35chr42.jpg)
(http://i68.tinypic.com/5phoq9.jpg)
(http://i65.tinypic.com/o8hq9k.jpg)
It's common knowledge that these two were announced and cancelled in 2005, hence how we managed to get the blue open wagon and the cargo car with eerily similar liveries those two, or at least close enough. It may even seem redundant now to bring these back into production, but here is why I think these can still work.
The biggest reason is that we have been getting nothing but recolors for HO rolling stock in recent years. Like the Spiteful brake van as well as the flat car making a comeback with logs, these will in nod doubt have the right support received from fans. They are not only nostalgic for older fans but also bright and colorful which is something Mattel can appreciate. If Bachmann is willing to introduce two blue wagons with the exact same livery but with different decals/loads as well as making the exact same coal wagon with load with new decals added, what should honestly stop them from doing this?
Some might argue that these were never in the show, but we also did get the Spiteful brake van who, while he was in the television series, he was given his RWS livery, and that alone is telling me that attempting something like Fred and Rickety really should not be so far out of their reach.
It's also worth noting that Jay also took the time to add lettering to his Rickety model to give him a design similar to that of Fred and SC Ruffey while basing him off the wooden railway toy.
But if Bachmann wants to go for something completely new, then another backup I wanted to bring up is the Sodor China Clay Trucks (RWS based)?
(http://i63.tinypic.com/2cwpmxw.jpg)
(http://i65.tinypic.com/qp14w8.jpg)
(http://i63.tinypic.com/23jsbq.jpg)
While these were based on what was seen in the books, it is clear that these can not only work in Bachmann's budget but these also have proven to successful as wooden railway toys in the past.
Just like Fred and Rickety, these would not only have the right nostalgia behind them but also add more variety to the current lineup of wagon revolted in Bachmann's lineup. Especially considering that these would require new China Clay loads to be included in them.
Anyway that's enough rambling on my end, I would like to hear other thoughts. Do you think Fred and Rickety should make a comeback? Would you buy them or the China Clay Trucks?
Quote from: Chaz on July 27, 2019, 03:33:05 PM
Last night I stayed at Jay's (Decadesofsun) and while going through his rolling stock projects I thought it would be a good idea to bring these to Bachmann's attention.
Starting things off with Fred and Rickety.
(http://i67.tinypic.com/2iuys1t.jpg)
(http://i66.tinypic.com/35chr42.jpg)
(http://i68.tinypic.com/5phoq9.jpg)
(http://i65.tinypic.com/o8hq9k.jpg)
It's common knowledge that these two were announced and cancelled in 2005, hence how we managed to get the blue open wagon and the cargo car with eerily similar liveries those two, or at least close enough. It may even seem redundant now to bring these back into production, but here is why I think these can still work.
The biggest reason is that we have been getting nothing but recolors for HO rolling stock in recent years. Like the Spiteful brake van as well as the flat car making a comeback with logs, these will in nod doubt have the right support received from fans. They are not only nostalgic for older fans but also bright and colorful which is something Mattel can appreciate. If Bachmann is willing to introduce two blue wagons with the exact same livery but with different decals/loads as well as making the exact same coal wagon with load with new decals added, what should honestly stop them from doing this?
Some might argue that these were never in the show, but we also did get the Spiteful brake van who, while he was in the television series, he was given his RWS livery, and that alone is telling me that attempting something like Fred and Rickety really should not be so far out of their reach.
It's also worth noting that Jay also took the time to add lettering to his Rickety model to give him a design similar to that of Fred and SC Ruffey while basing him off the wooden railway toy.
But if Bachmann wants to go for something completely new, then another backup I wanted to bring up is the Sodor China Clay Trucks (RWS based)?
(http://i63.tinypic.com/2cwpmxw.jpg)
(http://i65.tinypic.com/qp14w8.jpg)
(http://i63.tinypic.com/23jsbq.jpg)
While these were based on what was seen in the books, it is clear that these can not only work in Bachmann's budget but these also have proven to successful as wooden railway toys in the past.
Just like Fred and Rickety, these would not only have the right nostalgia behind them but also add more variety to the current lineup of wagon revolted in Bachmann's lineup. Especially considering that these would require new China Clay loads to be included in them.
Anyway that's enough rambling on my end, I would like to hear other thoughts. Do you think Fred and Rickety should make a comeback? Would you buy them or the China Clay Trucks?
Personally, I'd buy all of them. If it helps Bachmann, they could present these designs to Mattel as "Troublesome Truck #8 - Blue Open Wagon" and "Troublesome Truck #9 - Orange Open Wagon", or something like that (Troublesome Truck #7 would likely be a ventilated van, I imagine).
There are plenty of designs for China Clay Trucks, so any open wagon design could work. One I like is Sodor Railway Modeler's custom HO/OO Scale China Clay Wagons with the Wooden Railway color schemes: https://mobile.twitter.com/SodorRyModeler/status/1041402221726969861
I been waiting for a while when Bachmann makes the China Clay Works trucks. I been thinking of getting more green coal trucks and paint the loads white to simulate clay. Don't know about the decals if I decide to do it.
Fred & Rickety would certainly be interesting products to introduce to the Bachmann line. While I am not desperate to see them in the range, I'm sure that they would do fairly well with sales, considering that they're troublesome trucks.
The Sodor China Clay Cars would be neat additions too, but I would prefer to see new china clay loads, as you stated :).
I would love to see Hector and Bradford introduced into the series.
Bradford may show up, hoping for Sir Handel or Duncan next for their official narrow gauge loco release and possibly a brake van for them.
I think that the TAR tanker wagon would just be great for Troublesome Truck #7!:)
Quote from: Zekeism on July 29, 2019, 04:19:44 PM
I would love to see Hector and Bradford introduced into the series.
Bradford I wouldn't really wont unless they made Samson but I would like to see Hector.
If Salty was to get brought back someday, Bachmann could make Porter, then we'd have both the Brendam Docks engines. Of course, Porter would need a little scaling up on Bachmann's part. I don't really see Bachmann making Porter, unless Salty gets re-introduced.
Right now, the top priority for HO Scale is Stepney.
But then again, you could always just make Porter for yourself TrainFan97! :)
Quote from: JLK2707 on July 30, 2019, 09:31:14 PM
But then again, you could always just make Porter for yourself TrainFan97! :)
How? I'm not a modeller.
Thanks for telling me TrainFan97.
It's great how Bachmann managed to cover most of the classic narrow gauge engines so far with Peter Sam on the way. Sir Handel is literally the only other engine I would want them to make. So besides Sir Handel, anything else I would want them to add to their narrow gauge line would pretty much only consist of rolling stock choices, with brake vans being the top priority.
HO Scale
Stepney or Ryan
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel
Brake Van
N Scale
James
I've updated my signature with a wishlist of characters I'd like to see in HO Scale someday.
Model Series:
Stepney
BoCo
CGI Series:
Ryan
Sidney
Norman
I put Stepney as the first one, since he's currently the #1 most-requested character ever since Daisy's announcement, and we all hope he gets announced in February 2020.
If Stepney does get announced, BoCo would have a better chance, even though he hasn't appeared in the show for some time. BoCo would be great for Bachmann to consider after Stepney. I can see BoCo's demand increasing after Stepney gets announced. Diesel 10's claw would be problematic, so the next large diesel would have to be BoCo.
For CGI characters, the one with the most demand is currently Ryan, since Daisy was recently announced. People would like to see Bachmann make Ryan because he and Daisy both share the same line. I am concerned about how detailed Ryan is, though.
The other CGI characters I listed are Sidney and Norman. Sidney would be easy for Bachmann to make because they have his tooling, but like Paxton, Sidney would also have a painted border around his face to hide the eye mechanism. I don't think Sidney should be announced just yet because Daisy was Bachmann's first new tooling in HO Scale since Rosie, and people have gotten tired of recolors, but the next time Bachmann does a recolor, they should just get Sidney out of the way. In recent years, Sidney has been having plenty of speaking roles, and a few episodes dedicated to him.
As for Norman, he's had very minimal speaking roles ever since his debut, but so far this season, he's actually having speaking roles again. There's still no episode dedicated to Norman, but now that he's speaking again, we may finally get that someday. Possibly next season. Norman is a character with a lot of potential, and it's about time he got more speaking roles. If they develop his character more, I could see him being a great candidate for a Bachmann model eventually. Unlike Sidney, Norman would require a new tooling, but his shape is very simple, and shouldn't be hard for Bachmann to make. Not next year though, since we need Stepney before anyone else.
Hopefully, within the next few years, some of these characters will be off the list.
Why would you want Stepney before anybody else?
Quote from: JLK2707 on August 20, 2019, 08:55:41 AM
Why would you want Stepney before anybody else?
I think these threads should sum it all up for anyone confused about the choice of Stepney.
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,35991.0.html
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,34526.75.html
Quote from: JLK2707 on August 20, 2019, 08:55:41 AM
Why would you want Stepney before anybody else?
You must not have been paying attention to a certain thread.
Figured I would do an updated "list" on what I think would happen at 2020 toy fair after the NMRA announcements.
HO Scale:
James' express coaches - Ever since the post I made in another thread earlier, I really feel like these would have a solid chance of finding their way back into the range with an updated look to match what's on the show.
Sodor China Clay Trucks (red and green) - Considering Bachmann has relied on previous merchandise lines as a reference, I feel that making the wagons I suggested earlier (based on the customs Jay made) would really win a lot of fans over despite being recolors.
Narrow gauge:
Brake vans (blue, red and brown) - It goes without saying, but these are the most popular request for narrow gauge rolling stock. I'd be shocked if they didn't announce these next year.
Large scale:
DCC/sound James, Emily and Toby - Just kind of seems like the most likely thing they would do if they throw anything out for the large scale range.
Red coaches - It still surprises me Bachmann hasn't announced these in large scale yet. Considering how popular these were in HO, it feels like a missed opportunity.
N Scale:
Thomas starter set - I imagine as the new range gets closer to being released next year Bachmann will probably announce a starter set by then to help fans get started with the new range.
I did not mention new engines like Stepney or Sir Handel simply due to the fact that I personally don't think Bachmann will announce any new engines while Daisy and Peter Sam are in production. My theory for why they got announced in July rather than next year's Toy Fair, is that they probably want to start production on these new engines now so they can have them out closer in time for Christmas in 2020 rather than the spring like the case of Rusty and Paxton.
On that note if we do get new engines, then it's a little hard to avoid the low-hanging fruit that is Stepney for HO and Sir Handel for Narrow gauge. Stepney has become the most popular request on the forum for over the last year or so and there's plenty of good reason and potential behind that. Meanwhile Sir Handel is the most popular request now for narrow gauge and I feel like if he was the last narrow gauge engine to be made and Bachmann just had those five engines and only added rolling stock and other accessories/gimmicks to the range from there (kind of like what they are doing with large scale) I don't think too many fans would mind since a lot of people have expressed disinterest in Bachmann making Duncan after Rusty was revealed and the newer narrow gauge engines don't have anywhere near as much of a strong following as Sir Handel would.
I don't blame them.
Nice ideas if Bachmann made them I would buy them all.:)
Below is a new list of what I hope will get announced for February 2020 :).
HO Scale
Stepney (with moving eyes)
Tar Tanker
Red Express Coach
Red Express Brake Coach
Narrow Gauge
Red Brake Van
Blue Brake Van
Brown Brake Van
N Scale
Thomas with Annie and Clarabel Train Set
Large Scale
LBSC Green Thomas (with moving eyes)
Troublesome Van
I would have also put James and some new rolling stock for N Scale, but after seeing that they would all require new toolings, that N scale line is brand new, and especially that more people currently want to see an HO Stepney announced to celebrate the 75th Anniversary, I thought that it would be best to hold off on the N scale James and rolling stock for another year ;). With 2020 as Thomas' 75th Anniversary, and that Stepney and the narrow gauge brake vans are the only two products that would require new toolings, hopefully the majority of these will get announced, especially Stepney :).
Well here are my predictions for Feb. 2020.
HO Scale
Stepney (with moving eyes)
Dynamite Van (Ice Cream Van repaint)
Chocolate Syrup Tanker
Toffee Tanker
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel
Brown Brake Van
Blue Brake Van
N Scale
Thomas with Annie and Clarabel Starter Set
Percy and the Troublesome Trucks Starter Set
I may as well join in on the fun and share what I'd like for Feb. 2020! Not setting expectations too high considering the announcements we've gotten this summer, but I still want to lend some support in the ideas that currently matter most.
HO Scale
Stepney (with moving eyes)
Tar Tanker reintroduction
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel
Blue Brake Van
Red Brake Van
N Scale
Thomas with Annie and Clarabel Starter Set
Large Scale (mainly wishful thinking)
Mavis (with moving eyes)
It is common among us fans that Stepney needs to be announced in time for the 75th anniversary, and for all the right reasons. Though I don't have particularly strong hopes for rolling stock and I will take whatever comes our way, it'd be nice if we saw the Tar Tanker reintroduced in vein of Gordon's Express Coaches. It helps that tankers are on the smaller end of options and have been recolored numerous times.
Even if Peter Sam has not yet been manufactured, I'm open to the possibility of Sir Handel being announced as he is my favorite among the Narrow Gauge cast. Like many others, I would appreciate the addition of brake vans; blue and red should be made at the very least since those are the only colors existing vans currently use.
I've already bought a good amount of N Scale track, but I still think a starter set with Thomas would be smart to make from a marketing standpoint. Not every family that buys model trains can enter a new scale easily.
The topic of Large Scale is a rather debatable one since announcements for it have not been exciting over the last five years. If the line were to have any shot of redemption going into the new decade, announcing a new engine would be its best case scenario. Bachmann was able to defy fans' expectations by giving Daisy moving eyes, so anything could happen announcement-wise in this field. As discussed elsewhere in the past, Mavis would be the absolute best choice for a new engine since she can re-use Toby's chassis and is an iconic, smaller character to make. Though I am not going to hold my breath over the idea, announcing Mavis at the very least would be a joy to see and it can make up for years of disappointment in the Large Scale market.
Even ghough Stepeney is popular, Mattel won't let Bachmann release a model of Stepney since he is not part of the current seasons, and Ryan would be released next, especially since he works with Daisy on the Harwick branch in the new seasons.
Quote from: DucktheGWREngine08 on September 01, 2019, 01:27:04 PM
Even ghough Stepeney is popular, Mattel won't let Bachmann release a model of Stepney since he is not part of the current seasons, and Ryan would be released next, especially since he works with Daisy on the Harwick branch in the new seasons.
What says that? They released the Spiteful Brakevan not long ago.
I don't agree with that either. BACHMANN has proven over years that they know WE are their main market. They have done certain things that Mattel has wanted but it's obvious they fight for us. Yes they can't make soley model era characters anymore, but you saying that Stepney has no chance with the anniversary on the horizon and overwhelming fan demand (Duck) is just silly. It may not happen but the chances are definitely better than they've ever been.
We need to just be vocal about what we want. Because we are the ones who buy.
My dreams would be
HO
Stepney
BoCo
Arthur
Harvey
Murdoch
Fergus
Long shots I know but
Diesel 10
Lady
If they made those few models with the exception of engines like the diesel and Derek, We would have the entire classic cast of characters.
Think about that. When engines like Emily were coming out we never would've dreamed the range would be where it is today. We even got a narrow gauge which was considered a dream by so many for so long. Guilford Guys turning in his forum grave. ::) The OG Hater.
So yes Bachmann cares about us. Keep posting your thoughts boys.
Quote from: DucktheGWREngine08 on September 01, 2019, 01:27:04 PM
Even ghough Stepeney is popular, Mattel won't let Bachmann release a model of Stepney since he is not part of the current seasons, and Ryan would be released next, especially since he works with Daisy on the Harwick branch in the new seasons.
I'm honestly surprised that you're
still arguing this with us despite what everyone on here has said in the past about why Stepney should be made.
People actually want Stepney because he isn't in the CGI series because fans prefer the classic designs and considering Arc/Jam-filled's track record, it's understandable why fans don't want to see Stepney in CGI (especially with the bouncing and the horrendous details that were added to some of the characters). So if anything, the sooner they announce him the better.
Fine, I won't argue as to why anymore, even though non of what I said makes me not wish he gets made.
HO Scale Steam Locos
Stepney
Ryan
HO Scale Diesels
Den
Dart
HO Scale Rolling Stock
Slip Coaches
Bradford
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel/Duncan
Red Brakevan
Brown Brakevan
Green Coaches
Crovens Gate Depot
I do feel Stepney is very unlikely, but I would like to proven wrong.
Here are my hopes for the 2020 announcements:
HO Scale:
Stepney (I wouldn't mind if it took them a couple of years after his announcement for him to be released, as long as they can make him)
Tar Tanker (I would love to see this reintroduced, especially since they returned in Season 23 with their Season 1 designs)
Red Express Coach
Red Express Brake Coach
Narrow Gauge:
Brown Brake Van
Blue Brake Van
(I could see them saving the red brake van for another year)
N Scale:
Thomas with Annie and Clarabel Starter Set
Large Scale:
LBSC Thomas
Troublesome Van
I do hope that Large Scale could get better announcements than those listed, I just don't know what people would think is popular for that range. Other than that, I feel like everything else would restore faith in Bachmann more than the NMRA announcements and I believe everyone would buy these items in a heartbeat. Plus, Stepney is pretty muchgarunteed money and the other items are relevant to the series, which Mattel should have no problems with.
Time to give you guys my ideas now I know that these may not be made by 2020 but I would love to see these things made soon.
HO scale locomotives
Stepney
Stanley
Sidney
Ryan
HO scale rolling stock
Hector
tar tanker
explosives van
troublesome truck #7(a van)
red express coaches
red express brake coach
china clay trucks(green and red)
HO scale train sets (now I know that Bachmann don't really make any more train sets for the HO rang but they are still ideas)
Mavis's clay run(it would come with Mavis and the china clay trucks if they make them)
Diesels devious delivery(it would come with Diesel and troublesome truck #1 and #2)
Ducks farm run(it would come with Duck GWR van GWR cattle wagon Tidmouth milk tanker Terence the tractor and farmer MacColl)
narrow gauge
Sir Handel
Duncan
blue brake van
red brake van
open wagon
green coach
narrow gauge train set
N scale and ho scale crossing(it's just an idea not reality)
non-rail
Trevor
resin buildings
narrow guage engine shed
N scale
Thomas and friends starter set
large scale
red coach
red brake coach
Henrietta
Those are my ideas hope you all enjoy. :)
thomas fan
My list may not be much different from anyone else's.
HO Scale:
Stepney and/or Sidney (hopefully Stepney)
Explosives Van (this one is long overdue)
Chocolate Syrup Tanker
Toffee Tanker
Tar Tanker
Red Express Coach
Red Express Brake Coach
I know not all the rolling stock I listed above would be announced at one time, but some of the options I listed should make it.
Narrow Gauge:
Sir Handel
Blue Brake Van
Brown Brake Van
Skarloey starter set
N Scale:
James (possibly)
Thomas starter set with Annie and Clarabel
Hopefully, at least SOME of these get announced at the 2020 Toy Fair.
Yeah, but remember it is just going to be whatever Mattel orders them to make. ::)
Quote from: JLK2707 on September 03, 2019, 05:05:18 AM
Yeah, but remember it is just whatever Mattel orders them to make. ::)
You think I don't know that?
Quote from: JLK2707 on September 03, 2019, 05:05:18 AM
Yeah, but remember it is just whatever Mattel orders them to make. ::)
Considering the Thomas & Friends brand is still losing money as of Mattels second quarter reports a week or so ago, they better think wisely about what "orders" they make, brand-wide and not just Bachmann.
https://news.mattel.com/news/mattel-reports-second-quarter-2019-financial-results
QuoteInfant, Toddler and Preschool category Gross Sales down 13% as reported, and down 11% in constant currency; Fisher-Price® and Thomas & Friends® Gross Sales down 6% as reported, and down 4% in constant currency.
HO
Stepney (with moving eyes)
Stanley (with moving eyes)
Red express coaches
Red express brake coach
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel
Duncan
N Scale
James
Gordon
Henry
Edward
HO Scale:
• Stepney - A very popular and beloved character and one which is in very high demand. If Bachmann want to make to make a model that would guarantee great sales, Stepney is the way to go.
• Red Express Coaches - They've got the tooling and I'm sure many people would want to buy them (I certainly would). People seem to really like the return of Gordon's Express Coaches to the range, so I feel this would be an ideal option.
Narrow Gauge:
• Brakevans (Blue, Red, Brown, etc) - With Bachmann releasing both passenger coaches and various wagons, it seems only natural that brakevans would be next. I imagine they'd be modelled after the TVs Versions rather then the Talyllyn/Corris Railway toolings, but I could be wrong. I'd think those who model the Skarloey Engines in particular would want these to announced, especially seeing as they could complete train consists.
N Scale:
Maybe some sort of starter set? I'm not too sure to be honest.
G Scale:
• Red Branchline Coaches - I'm surprised these haven't been announced sooner given the popularity of the HO versions and that you already have the tooling. All you'd need to do is tweek the brake coach a little bit and there you go. Probably would be popular with most of the G Scale modellers I imagine.
So my list of items will very much be the same as everyone else's but here goes;
ho scale
Stepney (with moving eyes)
Tar tanker
Brown CCT utility van (they have the tooling and I personally would think it a great addition as it appeared numerous times in the classic series)
Narrow Guage
Brake vans (brown, blue)
Sir Handel
N Guage
James
Thomas, annie and clarabel starter set
I'm not too sure as to what i'd put for Large scale as i've never cared for it as such, so i'd rather people who do like it ask for what they'd want.
I gotta be honest, Stepney is very unlikely. Daisy was highly requested AND is actually in the show still, Hell shes been a prominent character.
I agree. We should just be realistic, not pessimistic.
Reposting this after some unwarranted negativity arose. I'm starting to get tired of users like these...
The list I initially shared about a week back could do with a small update.
N Scale
James
Large Scale
Red Coaches
James is a pretty common pick among other users. Even though Thomas and Percy's prototypes aren't finished yet, I'm open for seeing him announced. He was my favorite character for a very long time and I'd be down for owning him in N Scale should he be confirmed. Hopefully, they'll get the sculpt and paint right like they did with his Large Scale counterpart. And talking of which...
Upon further talk in the Large Scale thread, I'm not so sure about Mavis being announced for at least a year and a half. The Red Coaches are looking more like a safer bet, as Annie and Clarabel have been around since the line's beginning in 2009. There's only a handful of sculpt changes to make (roofs, brake compartments, noses removed) and they could be just a little less expensive to produce than Mavis. This could be the best shot Large Scale has to remain relevant and redeem itself after five years worth of mainly uninteresting announcements.
I won't get too hopeful in this front, but if the coaches are announced and fans share interest in them, maybe Large Scale can last a little longer and we could eventually see a new engine of some form. Mavis, if the funds are sufficient, or LBSC Thomas, if they aren't.
Actually I wanted to talk about the N scale range while we are back on that subject. (Honestly after Daisy and Peter Sam got announced I kind of forgot about the new N scale range and even Red Rosie at one point...)
I think James is definitely going to find his way next into the N scale range, probably closer to when the Thomas and Percy models get released if anything. Probably the one likely candidate engine wise who I would love to see Bachmann do in N (at some point) is Toby. We never had an N scale model of him released and he was popular in both HO and Large Scale. He's also one of my favorite characters too so there's that extra bias on my end... either way after they announce James I do hope that Toby does get announced eventually. I kind of slowed down my interest in modeling in n after these last announcements but I would definitely buy a Toby model in a heartbeat.
I'm also getting sick and tired of people who think Stepney is impossible, all just because he hasn't appeared in full CGI. That's being too pessimistic, like they don't consider the Spiteful Brake Van to be a valid argument. Yes, they had the tooling for the Spiteful Brake Van, but still, that's something from Season 2. The argument that "it hasn't appeared in CGI, therefore Bachmann can't make it" needs to stop. It's getting old.
When Bachmann defies expectations in a good way, it's clear they actually fight Mattel to get them to agree to give us what WE want. We didn't expect Daisy to have moving eyes, let alone actually get made after having no merchandise since her return to the show, until now.
While we get back on topic, James is inevitable as the third N Scale engine. We still haven't gotten an update on the upcoming range, but I'm seeing a lot of potential for it. When first announced, the N Scale range had a lot of hype, while we still don't know much about it yet.
Red Rosie may show up in stock by the end of the month. Should be no later than December. Same for the HO rolling stock that was announced at the Toy Fair this year. We may not get the images of Daisy, Peter Sam, or the HO rolling stock that was announced in July, until the 2020 catalog gets released in February.
............OKAY I never said it was impossible, I have multiple times said either, it's higjly unlikely, or I don't think it'll happen, that is my opinion on the matter, nowhere did I said I never wanted it to happen, nor that it is impossible, heck I'd love for not only Stepney to hallen, but also Duke and Boco, but Mattel will allow only loco characters that are in the current seasons to be made. Spiteful Brakevan was possible due to it just being the NWR style brakevan with a face on it. Sorry if my poinrinf dtuff out seemed like it was attacking or saying with was impossible, also I deleted the comment. I've gotten tired of being seen as a negative person who doesn't want a chatacter made, but I doubt I'll be forgiven cause I seem like a horrid person now :/.
Don't worry about it, I deleted my post too, but let's try to avoid negative comments like that in the future to avoid unneeded conflicts like that again.
Going back on topic, I'm thinking probably at Toy Fair we will likely probably have updates on the N scale range by then and possibly an update on the rolling stock announcements from the NMRA.
Quote from: Chaz on September 07, 2019, 10:55:02 AM
Don't worry about it, I deleted my post too, but let's try to avoid negative comments like that in the future to avoid unneeded conflicts like that again.
Going back on topic, I'm thinking probably at Toy Fair we will likely probably have updates on the N scale range by then and possibly an update on the rolling stock announcements from the NMRA.
That's probably when they'll have at least some update on the rolling stock for the n scale stuff, plus a possible announcement of James.
N Scale is deeming a worthy new line with much potential so far and I look forward to its growth. Toby is a nice idea for an engine to make after a while and Mavis can also be made alongside him using the same chassis, though this is assuming that Bachmann can announce two engines on a single occasion. We're pretty early in the line's run, so it may be too early to tell.
If news on Rosie's recolor possibly surfaces before the end of the year, I'm hoping the same can apply to the Narrow Gauge coaches. I'm quite interested in checking those out as soon as they're released.
If you look at what they've already come out with and what they just announced, I'm hoping for the following:
HO:
Stepney
Flat truck with load (other than logs)
A new tanker with chocolate? (Or something along those lines.)
Red Express Composite Coach/Brake Coach
Rereleasing Salty
Narrow Gauge:
Sir Handle
Brake Van
Open air coach
Dynamite truck
N Scale:
Gordon
Henry
Express coaches
Troublesome truck 3
Large Scale:
Red Coaches
Gordon
Cattle Wagon
Why would bachmann just release a large scale Gordon?
Large Scale Gordon has been discussed countless times, and it's been stated countless times that he's much too big for Large Scale. I'm surprised this is still being brought up.
Other characters that have been discussed countless times in the past for HO Scale include Lady and Diesel 10, and stated countless times that they can't happen for reasons stated countless times.
For HO
I'd love to see Stepney made (for reasons mentioned above and earlier). As far as rolling stock goes, I think it'd be nice to see the red express coaches again, considering that Bachmann re-released Gordon's express coaches.
For Large Scale
I'm not sure, honestly. When was the last time we had a major large scale announcement? Though since the human figures (e.g. Sir Topham Hatt, Farmer McColl, and the conductor) are labeled as large scale items, maybe it's time we get another human figure? If so, I'd like to see Lady Hatt first, and then Mr. Percival (I don't think he's had a lot of merchandise).
For Narrow Gauge
I'd prefer to see either Sir Handel or Duncan, and then a narrow gauge brake van.
For N
Again, like large scale, not so sure. Maybe we should see how well the N-scale range does before we start making more predictions.
Duncan is renowned for having one of the worst CGI renders in recent years and as a result, most users have agreed overtime that Bachmann should hold off on him for as long as they can (which they have). Hopefully if they decide on making him, the original series model can be used as a basis so sales would be better otherwise.
For now, a lot of us are asking for Sir Handel since his basis Sir Haydn finished refurbishment over a year ago and Peter Sam has been announced last month.
My list would simply be only a Bachmann Stepney, He would just be such an AMAZING model and one I'd pay any price for, either that or an N scale Henry
Who I want to see for 2020:
HO:
-Stepney
-Red Express Coaches (you've made them before, I don't think it would be too hard to dampen the red paint you use for James into a maroon color)
-Beige branch line coaches (basically Annie and Clarabel but with no face. Very season 1 style.
HOon30 Narrow Gauge:
-Sir Handel
-Red and Blue Brake Van
N Scale:
-James
-Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel starter set
I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but the Bachmann Online Store now an N Scale Thomas section with placeholder listings for the current slate of products. Prices have still not been decided yet.
https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=756_1126&zenid=hfl7uokes3ple4gf63l2qs02a7
One thing I would love to see on the N scale Thomas and friends line is that they get Clarabel's window right just like the Tomix N scale got right.
Does anyone have any particular idea on when the Narrow Gauge coaches will ship? TrainWorld says preorders are due in two weeks, but chances are it may not be an accurate shipment date.
At the NMRA Show I was told they would ship early December.
Quote from: TrainMan2001 on September 14, 2019, 04:12:29 PM
At the NMRA Show I was told they would ship early December.
Thanks for responding. I had a small feeling that'd be the case since Rheneas was released within the same month two years back.
Do you think it would just be possible for bachmann to release Henry in his old shape in 2020?
Quote from: JLK2707 on September 19, 2019, 06:37:42 AM
Do you think it would just be possible for bachmann to release Henry in his old shape in 2020?
Old Shape Henry is another topic that's been discussed countless times over the years. No, Bachmann doesn't usually do tooling changes because it costs a lot more than paint changes.
Additionally, the Old Shape Henry only appeared in Season 1. Bachmann has stated that they would not make products that require new toolings that only appeared in one season. Hence, announcing a highly sought after engine like Stepney for 2020 would make much more sense ;).
So my last list was not a real list for 2020 so here is my real list for 2020.
HO SCALE
Stepney
Stanley(ONLY IF Stepney does NOT get released)
LBSC Thomas(ONLY IF Stepney does NOT get released)
HO SCALE ROLLING STOCK
tar tanker
red express composite coach
red express brake coach(they would look super cool with Stepney)
Like I said last time I know that Bachmann don't do any more train set for the HO range but I will give you my Idea for a 2020 train set.
HO SCALE TRAIN SET
I have not come up with a name for the train set yet but it would come with celebration Thomas(or an LBSC Thomas) and some special cargo cars
NARROW GAUGE
red brake van
blue brake van
narrow gauge train set
N SCALE
Thomas and friends starter set
LARGE SCALE
LBSC Thomas
That all I have come up with hope you enjoy. :)
Harvey would be an interesting character for bachmann to make.
Harvey would look so cool I would buy him if they made him but I think his arm would breach NMRA standers.
One really cool character to see in 2020 would be Winston he is seen in the show a lot and is a very iconic character
(https://cdn.iview.abc.net.au/thumbs/460/zx/publicity_ZX9601A008S00.jpg)
Bachmann has already made a G scale Winston and he does not have the moving eyes
so all Bachmann has to do is scale it down to HO scale
(https://ssli.ebayimg.com/images/g/q4oAAOSw5cNYUFJN/s-l640.jpg)
Bachmann could use there Wickham trolley tooling just some small changes
(http://www.footplate.co.uk/images/Bachma%20112.png)
what do you guys think :) thanks for reading,
thomas fan.
Probably too small to put the eye mech in tho, it would be pretty small too. Would be cool tho
Quote from: thomas fan on September 24, 2019, 11:16:25 AM
One really cool character to see in 2020 would be Winston he is seen in the show a lot and is a very iconic character
(https://cdn.iview.abc.net.au/thumbs/460/zx/publicity_ZX9601A008S00.jpg)
Bachmann has already made a G scale Winston and he does not have the moving eyes
so all Bachmann has to do is scale it down to HO scale
(https://ssli.ebayimg.com/images/g/q4oAAOSw5cNYUFJN/s-l640.jpg)
Bachmann could use there Wickham trolley tooling just some small changes
(http://www.footplate.co.uk/images/Bachma%20112.png)
what do you guys think :) thanks for reading,
thomas fan.
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on September 24, 2019, 07:20:53 PM
Probably too small to put the eye mech in tho, it would be pretty small too. Would be cool tho
To be fair, the Large Scale Winston doesn't have moving eyes either. An HO Scale Winston would be pretty small but it's been shown he doesn't need the moving eyes.
I think the only reason why Winston has not been considered for HO scale is because of his small size. Even if you slap a "14+" label on the corner of the package it probably wouldn't be enough to convince Mattel to pull off Winston due to possibly being a choking hazard. Same reason why we won't be getting HO/OO scale accurate figures anytime soon.
Yeah I will have to agree with you there Chaz.
I guess I'll post my predictions/want list for next year's announcements then cause I don't believe I did after the sudden Daisy and Peter Sam announcement months ago.
Personally I think we will get announcements in February next year but unless they really simple recolors, they won't be out till 2021.
For HO Scale, of course Stepney and Ryan are the hot ticket picks. Stepney would be great for the 75th and Ryan would go great with Daisy. I feel it could really go either way. It's that close.
I would really love Stanley cause he's my fav character but until Stepney or Ryan get made, I don't see him being in the running anytime soon. Same goes for other characters like Nia, Rebecca, Philip, etc. (Also maybe LBSC Thomas as a recolor)
As for rolling stock, I predict red express coaches rerelease and other recolors like brown Mail Van and hopefully the Toffee Tanker in HO finally.
Going on to Narrow Gauge, I could predict Sir Handel but I feel they may take a break from NG engines and just do rolling stock. I'm predicting NG Brake Vans and maybe a Green NG Coach (like my concept) if lucky.
As for the N Scale range, maybe we could get a new announcement like James or a Starter Set, but we haven't even seen the N Scale products yet so I'm holding off on those. Same with Large Scale as it's still in a real weird place rn.
Anyways, those are my predictions for now. May change them in the future. Idk. Tried to be conservative in case they barely have any announcements next year.
I was feeling inspired after seeing Streak's Stepney concept on Twitter, so I guess I'll give my opinions on what I would like to see from Bachmann next year.
Stepney is an obvious choice, I'm not gonna go into to much detail because it has all been said on here before. I just want to see a new Bachmann engine based on the classic model series.
Rolling stock is hard to predict because we will probably just get more repaints. Despite this, I would love to see the Well Wagon return with an actual load, in a similar fashion to what they did with the flatbed and RF Container Wagon. However, Bachmann is probably gonna wait to see how those new wagons sell before announcing another similar product.
Red Express Coaches will probably return depended how well the new green ones sold. I would imagine they would have an updated livery. I wouldn't mind that, although I still prefer the Maroon and Cream color scheme of the Season 6-12 coaches.
I don't expect any big narrow gauge announcements considering Peter Sam has already been announced. However maybe we will be surprised because it's the 75th anniversary. One thing I hope we see, however, are Brake Vans. They are very long overdue, and are essential on any train. Green Coaches would also be nice, but what I said about the Well Wagon probably apply here as well.
Well, those were my thoughts. I may change my opinions in the future or come up with more ideas, but this is what I would like to see for now. Feel free to tell me what you think, and I look forward to reading other predictions.
I want to see more resin buildings. Especially Tidmouth Hault. I know it would never happen, but if it did, I would be the first to preorder.
I would be second to buy one.
Hopefully the resin range isn't just, dead. We haven't got a new resin product in years. And now some pieces of resin buildings are being discontinued
It's so sad I really hope that Bachmann will make a new resin building soon.
I want tidmouth hault on my layout so bad. https://twitter.com/sidekickjason/status/1177378031553245184?s=21
From what I've heard, resin buildings typically sell better in the UK market. It there would be anytime to introduce more, it would be soon, considering there range will be launching there within the next year or two.
Stuff I whould love to see Bachmann make is more of the narrow gauge engines, it's nice they already released trhee! Hope to see Sir Handel or Peter Sam or something soon! :) and BoCo, but I guess the chance of seeing him may be slim... But as many said, Stepney whould be nice to see from Bachmann!
Peter Sam was announced during the summer.
I would love to see Trevor.
Why Trevor?
I would like to see more non rail characters, be great to see Trevor and Butch on a layout or if they release Sir Handel then George would go perfect with him.
Trevor will be a great announcment at next year's toy fair, being so high on demand.
Once the N Scale models get released, people will be doing size comparisons between the Bachmann N Scale Thomas models, and the Tomix models.
Quote from: TrainFan97 on October 18, 2019, 02:28:01 PM
Once the N Scale models get released, people will be doing size comparisons between the Bachmann N Scale Thomas models, and the Tomix models.
Probably to see what N scale they've actually scaled them to. The Tomix stuff is quite overscaled compared to normal UK N scale. Given what's been shown, it looks like Bachmann have smartly scaled them to the UK's N scale, especially given the range is due to release about the same time in the UK as the US.
Quote from: STL on October 18, 2019, 09:14:14 PM
Probably to see what N scale they've actually scaled them to. The Tomix stuff is quite overscaled compared to normal UK N scale. Given what's been shown, it looks like Bachmann have smartly scaled them to the UK's N scale, especially given the range is due to release about the same time in the UK as the US.
I emailed Bachmann about the scaling when the prototype pictures were released. They said they made them to American N Scale (1:160), which seems to be correct due to Thomas's wheel size. Bachmann finally put the correct wheel size on, which seems to be around 49 inches in scaled up diameter, looking at various pictures of the series 1-3 Thomas alongside the wagons in the show. This was also really close to how my currently halted project revising Bachmann's OO Scale Thomas to Series 1 condition, with only slightly undersized replacement wheels (the Bachmann Thomas had the larger wheels from
Thomas & the Magic Railroad). The wheels were changed back to original size after series 7, and retained to the CGI Series. The correct wheel diameter also happens to be very close to the USRA 0-6-0 wheel diameter (within 3/4th inches). Looking at the N Scale USRA 0-6-0, it seems to have the same wheel diameter (using the sleepers as reference) to the wheels put on the N Scale Thomas prototype. Sorry about the super long response.
-TrainMan2001
If we are going to get any new items next year with the earlier 2020 announcements (I can't imagine it will be much)
HO (if there's any)
75th Thomas (Possibly in his original livery)
Flat bed with pipes
Trevor or Bulgy.
Narrow gauge
Again I can't see much possible announcement of Duncan or sir handel which would be released in 2021
Break van
N Scale
James
Milk tanker
Tar tanker
Cargo wagon
Starter Set (Thomas, Annie and Clarabel with an oval track)
Large Scale
75th Thomas (probably similar to celebration Thomas)
Sadly I can't see anything else for large-scale coming I'd love to put Edward or Mavis or Diesel down but really can't see them happening with the way the range is at the moment which is a shame as I do like the large scale range. Also I'm not holding my breath for any of these to happen we got the bonus/early announcements earlier this year and I'm more then happy with Peter Sam and Daisy coming the the range.
Ok while I'm placing bets on Ryan, another engine that would be awesome and I really hope to see is Harvey the crane. How hard could it be to for Bachmann to make him besides the chain of his crane, any suggestions for me about him?
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 03, 2019, 09:38:51 PM
Ok while I'm placing bets on Ryan, another engine that would be awesome and I really hope to see is Harvey the crane. How hard could it be to for Bachmann to make him besides the chain of his crane, any suggestions for me about him?
I feel like he won't happen because A: His design is comparatively more intricate than most other characters' designs, and so he'd likely be more expensive to design and produce, and B: Bachmann likely wouldn't do the chain, and if they did, it'd be a static chain that couldn't extend or retract, and the only feature his crane arm would have is to rotate. His feature would basically be non-functional, and Bachmann likely wouldn't want to produce a character that doesn't "work", so to speak. It doesn't seem viable from a business standpoint.
Well Cranky has a plastic chain so I don't see why can't they do the same to Harvey.
I concur with Rodimus Supreme on this one. While I would be ecstatic if Bachmann announced an HO Harvey (much more than Ryan), I don't think that he would be feasible considering his detailed design. Plus, while comparing Harvey and Cranky, the main difference I see between the two is size. Because Cranky is much bigger than Harvey, it is much easier for Bachmann to include the functional crane arm. Harvey, on the other hand, is much smaller. Thus, the working chain, even if it was made by string, would be much more challenging to incorporate in Harvey. Furthermore, his crane arm is very tall, and cannot lower. As a result, running Harvey under bridges and through tunnels would be an issue. Frankly, I think that a breakdown train has a better shot at getting announced than him.
Even so, I am still hoping that Stepney has a shot at getting announced in February to celebrate the 75th Anniversary. The amount of people who have explicitly stated that they would like to see him made for various reasons is something to certainly take into account. Perhaps, we will get lucky! :). Finally, I could still see Ryan getting made at some point. However, based on what the majority of fans have stated, it does not make sense for him to be announced before Stepney.
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 06:28:16 AM
Well Cranky has a plastic chain so I don't see why can't they do the same to Harvey.
That's not what I said. It doesn't matter what it's made out of, an HO Scale model of Harvey would be too small for a business like Bachmann to make have a functional, raising and lowering hook and chain, either for costs purposes or because of functionality. It would just be attached to the arm and never raise or lower. Also, like Chaz said, his arm doesn't move up or down on the show or on his basis, thus he'd be too tall for most people's layouts. To be honest, even though he has a real world basis that looks like that, I still wouldn't be surprised if the NMRA has a standard that blocks any model of that type of locomotive from being made.
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 06, 2019, 11:49:11 AM
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 06:28:16 AM
Well Cranky has a plastic chain so I don't see why can't they do the same to Harvey.
That's not what I said. It doesn't matter what it's made out of, an HO Scale model of Harvey would be too small for a business like Bachmann to make have a functional, raising and lowering hook and chain, either for costs purposes or because of functionality. It would just be attached to the arm and never raise or lower. Also, like Chaz said, his arm doesn't move up or down on the show or on his basis, thus he's be too tall for most people's layouts. To be honest, even though he has a real world basis that looks like that, I still wouldn't be surprised if the NMRA has a standard that blocks any model of that type of locomotive from being made.
Great point, once again, but I am not Chaz.
Well that's just what I also expect to see next year, which you can see from my signature.
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 06, 2019, 11:49:11 AM
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 06:28:16 AM
Well Cranky has a plastic chain so I don't see why can't they do the same to Harvey.
That's not what I said. It doesn't matter what it's made out of, an HO Scale model of Harvey would be too small for a business like Bachmann to make have a functional, raising and lowering hook and chain, either for costs purposes or because of functionality. It would just be attached to the arm and never raise or lower. Also, like Chaz said, his arm doesn't move up or down on the show or on his basis, thus he's be too tall for most people's layouts. To be honest, even though he has a real world basis that looks like that, I still wouldn't be surprised if the NMRA has a standard that blocks any model of that type of locomotive from being made.
Ok but does it matter if they made his arm fictional or not the company is now working also working in the UK so they should have enough budgets to produce new products and another thing how is he that small to make, are you comparing to like his other merchandises or what?
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 03:01:48 PM
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 06, 2019, 11:49:11 AM
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 06:28:16 AM
Well Cranky has a plastic chain so I don't see why can't they do the same to Harvey.
That's not what I said. It doesn't matter what it's made out of, an HO Scale model of Harvey would be too small for a business like Bachmann to make have a functional, raising and lowering hook and chain, either for costs purposes or because of functionality. It would just be attached to the arm and never raise or lower. Also, like Chaz said, his arm doesn't move up or down on the show or on his basis, thus he's be too tall for most people's layouts. To be honest, even though he has a real world basis that looks like that, I still wouldn't be surprised if the NMRA has a standard that blocks any model of that type of locomotive from being made.
Ok but does it matter if they made his arm fictional or not the company is now working also working in the UK so they should have enough budgets to produce new products and another thing how is he that small to make, are you comparing to like his other merchandises or what?
First, nothing about Harvey's design is made-up, the real world engine has the same crane arm: https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Harvey
Second, the NMRA makes standards for model railroad companies to follow, and if the basis' crane arm happened to break a standard, they wouldn't be allowed to make the model.
Third, have you ever seen an HO Scale locomotive in person? There's no room for a motor to run the arm and crane to fit in there.
Finally, you need to chill. I have no idea why you're so worked up over the idea that he more than likely can't be made, but getting worked up about it isn't going to change that.
Well sorry if I'm overwhelmed, I just can't help but imagine and dream who will be in high demand cuz I wanna see a really cool engine and not a overpaint one that all of us would love to see.
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 03:01:48 PM
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 06, 2019, 11:49:11 AM
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 06:28:16 AM
Well Cranky has a plastic chain so I don't see why can't they do the same to Harvey.
That's not what I said. It doesn't matter what it's made out of, an HO Scale model of Harvey would be too small for a business like Bachmann to make have a functional, raising and lowering hook and chain, either for costs purposes or because of functionality. It would just be attached to the arm and never raise or lower. Also, like Chaz said, his arm doesn't move up or down on the show or on his basis, thus he's be too tall for most people's layouts. To be honest, even though he has a real world basis that looks like that, I still wouldn't be surprised if the NMRA has a standard that blocks any model of that type of locomotive from being made.
Ok but does it matter if they made his arm fictional or not the company is now working also working in the UK so they should have enough budgets to produce new products and another thing how is he that small to make, are you comparing to like his other merchandises or what?
Most of what you said has already been covered, but still, you do know that just cause they're releasing in the UK, they still don't have a massive budget yet right? The UK releases are going to be getting new packaging and are having small details like the lamp irons removed. This is because where as here and most other countries, it's marketed as 8+, in the UK it'll be 3+, meaning they have to conform the age standards set for that age.
Quote from: STL on December 06, 2019, 06:41:06 PM
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 03:01:48 PM
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 06, 2019, 11:49:11 AM
Quote from: Trainboy 48 on December 06, 2019, 06:28:16 AM
Well Cranky has a plastic chain so I don't see why can't they do the same to Harvey.
That's not what I said. It doesn't matter what it's made out of, an HO Scale model of Harvey would be too small for a business like Bachmann to make have a functional, raising and lowering hook and chain, either for costs purposes or because of functionality. It would just be attached to the arm and never raise or lower. Also, like Chaz said, his arm doesn't move up or down on the show or on his basis, thus he's be too tall for most people's layouts. To be honest, even though he has a real world basis that looks like that, I still wouldn't be surprised if the NMRA has a standard that blocks any model of that type of locomotive from being made.
Ok but does it matter if they made his arm fictional or not the company is now working also working in the UK so they should have enough budgets to produce new products and another thing how is he that small to make, are you comparing to like his other merchandises or what?
Most of what you said has already been covered, but still, you do know that just cause they're releasing in the UK, they still don't have a massive budget yet right? The UK releases are going to be getting new packaging and are having small details like the lamp irons removed. This is because where as here and most other countries, it's marketed as 8+, in the UK it'll be 3+, meaning they have to conform the age standards set for that age.
Wait, but the Hornby models had lamp irons. Unless those got removed in later reissues?
Harvey is in the same boat as Diesel 10, another character who's problematic for the NMRA standards. As cool as they sound, the chance of being made is incredibly slim to none.
Well we are nearing the new year and the February announcements. Well here are my predictions:
HO Engines:
Stepney
Diesel 10 (I know it's not likely but I feel that Bachmann would do this since it's such a huge anniversary)
HO Rolling Stock:
Old Slow Coach
Red Express Composite Coach
Red Express Brake Coach
Narrow Gauge Locomotives:
Sir Handle
Narrow Gauge Rolling Stock:
Red Coaches
Red Brake Van
Blue Brake Van
Hopefully these will be released but I can't wait to see Peter Sam! Happy Holidays!
I didn't realize that Toby got a paint job.
I wouldn't really be surprised if we didn't get any characters announced for 2020. Daisy and peter Sam are already gonna get released next year, (or the next, you never know with Bachmann.) and tbh that's all I really need. Im just hoping that we at least see some images of their models. I'm expecting some recolored rolling stock, maybe a new non-rail character, but that's it., I'd love to be wrong, my I'm keeping my expectations to a minimum.
How about Stanley, anyone?
If we get anything next year, I could potentially see Stepney, some recolored rolling stock, reissued Red Express Coaches with slightly different paint (as in, just a yellow stripe), Maybe going ahead and announcing Sir Handel as well as Narrow Gauge Brake Vans, and perhaps something for the new N Scale line. If I had to come up with an ideal "75th Aniiversary Celebration" lineup, I think I'd go with:
HO Scale:
-Stepney (with moving eyes).
-Troublesome Truck #7 (Season 1-style Troublesome Truck). (Possibly with removeable load).
-Old Mainline Coach
-Old Mainline Brake Coach (Season 1 Branchline Coaches pulled by Edward and Henry).
(Optional additions if budget allowed)
-Rickety.
-Fred Pelhay.
HOn30 Scale:
-Sir Handel.
-Brake Van - Red.
-Brake Van - Blue.
-Brake van - Brown.
Large Scale:
-Troublesome Truck #3 (Box Van).
-Henrietta.
N Scale:
-James.
-Sodor Tar Tanker.
-Express Composite Coach.
-Express Brake Coach.
(Third option if budget allowed)
-Sodor Milk Tanker.
Any combination of these would be a win, IMO.
So for my 2020 HO wish list, it's the same as most, the engine should be Stepney. He would be the best choice, it should be Stepney. Stanley and Ryan would be other cool engines to be announced, but I don't think they should be announced next year over Stepney.
Hopefully we do get some more rolling stock announcements but I feel like it's unlikely. But if we do, first of all Bachmann should rerelease the Tar Tanker and Red Express Coaches. In terms of other easy to make rolling stock, Hannah would be a simple recolor. Maybe also rerelease Henrietta but with a face. If we do get any new rolling stock, I want it to be a crane. I doubt it'll ever happen though. Rocky is probably too big but maybe they could make Judy and Jerome work. Although they would probably too expensive to make to be worth it.
For the 75th anniversary, maybe we could get more non-rail vehicles as well. Trevor, Bulgy, Captain, Butch, etc all would be nice to have on the layout. Big Mickey would be amazing to have as a model, but probably not the be the most cost effective model to make.
For resin buildings, well they seem to basically be, none existent. It's unlikely we'll get any more but if we did, and since it is the 75th anniversary, Ffarquhar station would be amazing.
I don't expect most of these to be announced next year, these are just my general wish lists for future Bachmann products. Hopefully we get at least a few of these revealed next year though.
This doesn't really have much to do with the subject in this thread. However, I figured you guys would know. So I've only just started collecting Thomas an Friends and my first locomotive I got was Mavis. However, I noticed that on the top and on the side plates, there were scuff marks on her finish right out of the box. Is this kind of stuff normal for Bachmann or what? Let me know what y'all think. Thanks!
Quote from: liljakejake250 on December 31, 2019, 10:58:49 AM
This doesn't really have much to do with the subject in this thread. However, I figured you guys would know. So I've only just started collecting Thomas an Friends and my first locomotive I got was Mavis. However, I noticed that on the top and on the side plates, there were scuff marks on her finish right out of the box. Is this kind of stuff normal for Bachmann or what? Let me know what y'all think. Thanks!
If you knew this thread wasn't the right topic, you should've posted this in the appropriate thread. The Everything Thomas Thread is likely the best option for this question.
Now that it's officially 2020, I can say Daisy should be coming sometime this year. Hopefully, Peter Sam can also get released by the end of this year.
We should soon get a fully-painted reveal of the first N Scale models, but it's also possible they may not get revealed until the 2020 catalog gets released. I'm hoping for Daisy's image to appear in the catalog as well.
We got the Toy Fair announcements to look forward to next month.
Redesigned TAR tanker wagons would just look cool! :) or maybe just a rereleased Salty! :)
Personally, I don't think we're gonna get much announced this year for HO scale because I really think they're gonna try to push the N scale stuff this year
Not what I want, but what I THINK is gonna be announced.
-reintroduction of salty
-brown mail cars
-Classic Tar Tankers return
-red express coaches return
-Trevor
While salty and the red express coaches wouldn't be all that great to me, (I already have them) they are very highly requested. I expect recolored rolling stock every year now, so I see Tar tankers making a return. I can also see them replacing the green mail car getting replaced with brown ones, considering they didn't get the updated packaging yet and they actually exist in the show. Trevor, because the last time they had a non rail character was Jeremy in 2014.
Speaking of the new packaging, I haven't seen bill, Ben, or mavis with the newer packaging yet, but that doesn't mean they're gonna get discontinued. I only said it for the green mail car because it's just rolling stock and they could've used the normal mail car packaging.
Hey everyone, will the new announcements be at the NMRA show or will they be earlier than that?
We'll most likely be getting new announcements at Toy Fair every year as per usual. Probably not much though considering we are still waiting on the new N scale range and Daisy and Peter Sam got announced last summer.
I saw that Chaz posted a picture of Bachmann replying to a tweet about the original Thomas saying, "I don't want to give too much away but you may be seeing some green in our 2020 catalog when it comes out 😉".
Quote from: TrainshockeylifE on January 16, 2020, 01:42:55 PM
I saw that Chaz posted a picture of Bachmann replying to a tweet about the original Thomas saying, "I don't want to give too much away but you may be seeing some green in our 2020 catalog when it comes out 😉".
I think they are hinting at Daisy and Peter Sam if I'm honest, but who knows I could be wrong haha?
That's true but why would they reply to something that has nothing to deal with them?
Quote from: Zekeism on January 16, 2020, 01:47:35 PM
Quote from: TrainshockeylifE on January 16, 2020, 01:42:55 PM
I saw that Chaz posted a picture of Bachmann replying to a tweet about the original Thomas saying, "I don't want to give too much away but you may be seeing some green in our 2020 catalog when it comes out 😉".
I think they are hinting at Daisy and Peter Sam if I'm honest, but who knows I could be wrong haha?
They wouldn't hint at Daisy and Peter Sam like that since they were both announced/confirmed last year at the NMRA.
Exactly
Quote from: Chaz on January 16, 2020, 02:02:26 PM
Quote from: Zekeism on January 16, 2020, 01:47:35 PM
Quote from: TrainshockeylifE on January 16, 2020, 01:42:55 PM
I saw that Chaz posted a picture of Bachmann replying to a tweet about the original Thomas saying, "I don't want to give too much away but you may be seeing some green in our 2020 catalog when it comes out 😉".
I think they are hinting at Daisy and Peter Sam if I'm honest, but who knows I could be wrong haha?
They wouldn't hint at Daisy and Peter Sam like that since they were both announced/confirmed last year at the NMRA.
So...something new this way comes?
Just got an email back from Bachmann and they said that aren't going to have any new announcements till the NMRA Convention in July.
There will be announcements next month for the catalog. Unless they shifted all thomas announcements which is unlikely.
Sounds like Bachmann won't be making announcements at the Toy Fair anymore, and will instead announce products at the NMRA in July from now on.
But what about a product to celebrate the 75th Anniversary? Unless that won't come until 2021.
Sigh.........
Quote from: TrainshockeylifE on January 17, 2020, 11:29:15 AM
Just got an email back from Bachmann and they said that aren't going to have any new announcements till the NMRA Convention in July.
I find it funny how some people are so quick to believe this but got skeptical over the screenshot hinting the green Thomas, and that presented evidence within itself making it a lot more believable. ::)
Doug confirmed with me about a month ago that there will be announcements in 2020 at Toy Fair as usual. Everyone can calm down now.
Thank you for clearing this up, Chaz.
There was no need to spread any rumors about there being no announcements next month. I believed it at first, but the rumor was wrong. Though, it did sound believable, saying it was an email from Bachmann.
I didn't know there was a screenshot hinting the LBSC Thomas possibly coming to HO Scale. Just like how Celebration Thomas celebrated the 70th Anniversary five years ago, the Green (LBSC) Thomas would be the model to celebrate the 75th Anniversary this year, and I think that Thomas repaint would be better received than Celebration Thomas was. If we get Green Thomas, that would beg the question if we were to get Black James as well at some point, so we'd have both of the special recolors from The Adventure Begins.
I'll stay tuned for next month.
Bachmann,
Since the large scale Thomas set is sold out, and many stores have no or limited inventory of large scale Thomas (particularly Annie and Clarabel), any chance of those being run again?
Happy Rails To You,
Ted
Quote from: Chaz on January 17, 2020, 10:54:16 PM
Quote from: TrainshockeylifE on January 17, 2020, 11:29:15 AM
Just got an email back from Bachmann and they said that aren't going to have any new announcements till the NMRA Convention in July.
I find it funny how some people are so quick to believe this but got skeptical over the screenshot hinting the green Thomas, and that presented evidence within itself making it a lot more believable. ::)
Doug confirmed with me about a month ago that there will be announcements in 2020 at Toy Fair as usual. Everyone can calm down now.
It's an email I got from Bachmann sales, I'll even post a video of a screen recording to show it's real? Why would I just make it up?
The fact of the matter is that no matter who says what, these "emails" are unconfirmed and lack any proof. To add to the matter, if people on the forum really are emailing Bachmann reps and higher ups, then the contents of the email should be considered under a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and thus posting the emails or even talking about their contents is violating said NDA, so any further discussion of them is just going to look poorly on the members bringing them up. Point is, this needs to stop because nobody is proving anything and it's going nowhere.
The only actual thing worth talking about right now is a screencap making the rounds on Twitter of the Bachmann Twitter account replying to a post hoping Bachmann makes the LBSC Thomas and Black James. The post however, is not in Bachmanns current Twitter replies, so the screencap is either forged, or Bachmann deleted the post. The screencap in question hints that LBSC Thomas is on the table, but doesn't acknowledge Black James. Take that as you will.
The email was from their sales department not any higher up people from the company.
Time for me to update my predictions for next month's announcements:
HO Scale:
Stepney or Ryan (possibly)
Thomas - Green
James - Black (possibly)
Explosives Van
Tar Tanker (possibly)
Red Express Coach
Red Express Brake Coach
Narrow Gauge:
Brake Van - Blue
Brake Van - Red
Brake Van - Brown
N Scale:
James
Milk Tanker
Fuel Tanker
Mail Car
Brake Van
Starter Set with Thomas, Annie and Clarabel
Announced in 2019, but arriving later this year are Daisy, Troublesome Truck #6, the 1-Plank Wagons, and Peter Sam. Let's not forget about the N Scale launch.
Bachmann should release the last two remaining standard gauge Awdry characters, Stepney and BoCo. It would complete all the main engines from seasons 1-4. With about half of the Skarloey Railway engines released, Sir Handel, Duncan, and Duke make sense to create and release in the near future. That would complete the entire Skarloey railway cast of season 4. Seeing how 2020 is the 75th anniversary of the Railway Series, a LBSC and black James would make an excellent combo to release as well.
Some rolling stock I would like to see created or brought back includes the discontinued Red express coaches, the Breakdown train, the gunpowder truck, and the green Skarloey railway coaches.
Sir Handel probably wouldn't get announced until at least sometime soon after Peter Sam gets released, but I'd love to be wrong. After Sir Handel, Bachmann eventually would have to make Duncan.
Even though people did express disinterest in Bachmann making Duncan for HOn30 Scale, especially after Rusty was made based on his CGI render, it's possible Bachmann could still make Duncan with the proportions of Douglas. The CGI Narrow Gauge coaches also had a bad render, but when Bachmann made the Narrow Gauge Red Carriages, they actually looked like Talyllyn coaches. Rusty's case was a bit complicated. We'd all welcome Duncan as long as he has the proportions of Douglas. I think Bachmann should consider making Duncan after Sir Handel.
Not sure if I'd expect Bachmann to make Duke anytime soon, but if Bachmann makes BoCo in HO Scale, another character who hasn't appeared in the show for over 20 years, maybe Duke would be more possible. I won't bet on him, though. Luke definitely has a better shot, since he's a CGI character.
my final prediction for 2020:
HO/OO
LBSC Thomas
James (Black)
Stepney
Reintroduced Salty
Fred Pelhay
Rickety
Explosives Van
Flying Kipper Van
Chocolate Syrup Tanker
Toffee Tanker
Sodor China Clay Wagon (With China Clay Load)
Hopper Wagon - Blue Mountain Quarry (With Slate Load)
Hopper Wagon - Ffarquhar Quarry Compamy (With Stone Load)
Hopper Wagon - Arlesdale Ballast Company (With Ballast Load)
HOn30/OO9
Narrow Gauge Brake Van - Red
Narrow Gauge Brake Van - Blue
Narrow Gauge Brake Van - Brown
Narrow Gauge Green Coach
Narrow Gauge Blue Mountain Quarry Wagon - Blue
Narrow Gauge Blue Mountain Quarry Wagon - Red
Narrow Gauge Blue Mountain Quarry Wagon - Green
Quote from: TrainFan97 on January 25, 2020, 02:33:40 AM
Sir Handel probably wouldn't get announced until at least sometime soon after Peter Sam gets released, but I'd love to be wrong. After Sir Handel, Bachmann eventually would have to make Duncan.
Even though people did express disinterest in Bachmann making Duncan for HOn30 Scale, especially after Rusty was made based on his CGI render, it's possible Bachmann could still make Duncan with the proportions of Douglas. The CGI Narrow Gauge coaches also had a bad render, but when Bachmann made the Narrow Gauge Red Carriages, they actually looked like Talyllyn coaches. Rusty's case was a bit complicated. We'd all welcome Duncan as long as he has the proportions of Douglas. I think Bachmann should consider making Duncan after Sir Handel.
Not sure if I'd expect Bachmann to make Duke anytime soon, but if Bachmann makes BoCo in HO Scale, another character who hasn't appeared in the show for over 20 years, maybe Duke would be more possible. I won't bet on him, though. Luke definitely has a better shot, since he's a CGI character.
The thing is though, Bachmann can really do whatever they want with the rolling stock of the NG range. So know people would rather buy accurate 009 versions of Talyllyn coaches 1-2 and 4, over some bodged CGI model version. And the fact that Mattel only really has input on the engines, not the rolling stock.
So you're saying Mattel allows Bachmann to do whatever they want with the rolling stock, while Mattel only has control over the engines?
Does that mean the chance of Duncan being made with the proportions of Douglas isn't likely?
Quote from: TrainFan97 on January 27, 2020, 06:45:27 PM
So you're saying Mattel allows Bachmann to do whatever they want with the rolling stock, while Mattel only has control over the engines?
Does that mean the chance of Duncan being made with the proportions of Douglas isn't likely?
It's up in the air really
What do you mean?
Mattel owns the brand, they control everything. If Bachmann was given free reign to do whatever they wanted with the rolling stock, we wouldn't be getting these lazy, mediocre/outright ugly repaints. I have no idea where you guys are getting that Mattel doesn't/can't tell Bachmann what to do with the rolling stock, but they can with the engines. ???
But we did get the log cars and also Spiteful breakvan.
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on January 29, 2020, 12:05:48 PM
Mattel owns the brand, they control everything. If Bachmann was given free reign to do whatever they wanted with the rolling stock, we wouldn't be getting these lazy, mediocre/outright ugly repaints. I have no idea where you guys are getting that Mattel doesn't/can't tell Bachmann what to do with the rolling stock, but they can with the engines. ???
Pretty sure most of the repaints where Bachmann's decisions to get the most out of the molds and not Mattel's? Why would Mattel request things like the Water tanker, the scrap wagon, the logging flatbed, etc. Just doesn't make much sense really. Obviously Mattel does have some influence, but I don't think blaming them for the repaints, or at least most of them, is the right call.
Guys, Mattel owns Thomas and Friends, it should be almost a given if not expected that they have an impact on what gets announced and what doesn't. Even if Bachmann announces products that come through the request of fans they still have to go by Mattel because they own the Thomas and Friends brand. This applies to both engines, rolling stock and any other accessories or sets they produce. Someone argued the opposite before last year and it baffles me that some people act like Mattel doesn't have as much influence on Bachmann, when it's almost obvious that they do.
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on January 29, 2020, 12:05:48 PM
Mattel owns the brand, they control everything. If Bachmann was given free reign to do whatever they wanted with the rolling stock, we wouldn't be getting these lazy, mediocre/outright ugly repaints. I have no idea where you guys are getting that Mattel doesn't/can't tell Bachmann what to do with the rolling stock, but they can with the engines. ???
I think what STL meant was that it doesn't matter if the rolling stock is made to prototype specs or not, but, since a locomotive's appearance/proportions (like Rusty) would change a lot going off of the prototype compared to the character, Mattel is more likely to ask Bachmann to make the locomotive based off of how the character looks in the show.
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on January 29, 2020, 03:28:10 PM
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on January 29, 2020, 12:05:48 PM
Mattel owns the brand, they control everything. If Bachmann was given free reign to do whatever they wanted with the rolling stock, we wouldn't be getting these lazy, mediocre/outright ugly repaints. I have no idea where you guys are getting that Mattel doesn't/can't tell Bachmann what to do with the rolling stock, but they can with the engines. ???
Pretty sure most of the repaints where Bachmann's decisions to get the most out of the molds and not Mattel's? Why would Mattel request things like the Water tanker, the scrap wagon, the logging flatbed, etc. Just doesn't make much sense really. Obviously Mattel does have some influence, but I don't think blaming them for the repaints, or at least most of them, is the right call.
A lot of the new recolors in the Bachmann line came after they showed up in Mattel's other ranges, so that's why a lot of us are sure Mattel makes those decisions.
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on January 29, 2020, 12:05:48 PM
Mattel owns the brand, they control everything. If Bachmann was given free reign to do whatever they wanted with the rolling stock, we wouldn't be getting these lazy, mediocre/outright ugly repaints. I have no idea where you guys are getting that Mattel doesn't/can't tell Bachmann what to do with the rolling stock, but they can with the engines. ???
I said Bachmann has more free reign with the NG rolling stock, as has been clearly shown. They're smart enough to make things like the coaches and slate wagons accurate to their Talyllyn prototypes cause unlike the engines, which were commissioned by Mattel to be made, Mattel doesn't have much control over that given how the license works. That's why they're currently selling those TR slate wagons made for the TTTE NG range in 3 packs under their 009 range in the UK
Yep... the blue and red carriages looked too awesome to resist, so Ive caved in and moved into Narrow Gauge!! Hoping Peter Sam will put in an appearance in time for Xmas.
So what I would like to get announced this year is:
1 loco (Sir Handel/Duncan - dont mind which as long as the other is announced in the next wave)
3 rolling stock (D Fusit Wagon, Brake Vans in two colours; I can wait another year for green carriages)
Quote from: Ronniethe14xxx on January 29, 2020, 03:28:10 PM
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on January 29, 2020, 12:05:48 PM
Mattel owns the brand, they control everything. If Bachmann was given free reign to do whatever they wanted with the rolling stock, we wouldn't be getting these lazy, mediocre/outright ugly repaints. I have no idea where you guys are getting that Mattel doesn't/can't tell Bachmann what to do with the rolling stock, but they can with the engines. ???
Pretty sure most of the repaints where Bachmann's decisions to get the most out of the molds and not Mattel's? Why would Mattel request things like the Water tanker, the scrap wagon, the logging flatbed, etc. Just doesn't make much sense really. Obviously Mattel does have some influence, but I don't think blaming them for the repaints, or at least most of them, is the right call.
because Bachmann brought those to Mattel first? And Mattel okayed it because Bachmann was able to convince them they'd sell? After dealing with Mattel back when they still had the license to produce DC Comics collectible figures, I and many others can tell you that Mattel is tone deaf towards demand and doesn't care what is being said, they will do things that are the exact opposite of what the buyers want. Mattel is more at fault for things than people think.
Quote from: Chaz on January 29, 2020, 04:53:28 PM
Guys, Mattel owns Thomas and Friends, it should be almost a given if not expected that they have an impact on what gets announced and what doesn't. Even if Bachmann announces products that come through the request of fans they still have to go by Mattel because they own the Thomas and Friends brand. This applies to both engines, rolling stock and any other accessories or sets they produce. Someone argued the opposite before last year and it baffles me that some people act like Mattel doesn't have as much influence on Bachmann, when it's almost obvious that they do.
Exactly. Why people can learn the information we have about how this process works and then turn around and say the opposite is beyond me. Bachmann knows good and well that their buyers are mostly if not completely people who, to some extent, grew up on the model series. Making random repaints of rolling stock that no one asked for isn't what they'd do, but it is what Mattel would do. Bachmann knows what their consumer base wants.
Another thing to consider: Honestly, kids aren't going to notice the difference in the face designs, I know none of us really noticed or cared back during the Model Series era that the promotional art and generic designs used for different types of merchandise had face designs that didn't match the show. Heck, the show wasn't 100% exact to the Railway Series either. Changing Model faces to CGI faces isn't necessary, and from what I've seen, most people either don't want that change, or they aren't bothered by a change like that not happening. Bachmann knows that they could make more Model Series product, and keep the Model Era faces, and the stock would sell insanely well. Mattel just doesn't see that.
Honestly, I WISH there were a Mattel Representative on these boards, as I'd like to explain to someone with influence that the buyers don't want a lot of the things they tell Bachmann they want made and why certain things just don't sell.
Better photos of the N scale fellas. The faces appear to be swapped.
https://twitter.com/sylvaniantab/status/1223047372135129092?s=20
https://twitter.com/sylvaniantab/status/1223044959076605952?s=20
Awesome! Looks like they finally got Thomas' wheels right!
Considering that it is now February, here is the final list of what I would like and expect to see announced in February 2020. I could certainly see some of these getting pushed to the 2020 NMRA Convention in July as well.
HO Scale
Stepney (with moving eyes)
LBSC Green Thomas (with moving eyes)
Trevor or Bulgy (if Stepney does not work out)
Tar Tanker
Red Express Coach
Red Express Brake Coach
Narrow Gauge
Red Guard's Van
Blue Guard's Van
Brown Guard's Van
N Scale
James
Various Rolling Stock
Thomas with Annie and Clarabel Train Set
Large Scale
LBSC Green Thomas (with moving eyes)
Troublesome Van
Fingers crossed! It is Thomas' 75th Anniversary after all :).
I wonder if they would just make Henry in his original shape for the 75th anniversary....
Well now that we less than a month away, time for some final thoughts (even though I can't say I expect much I would love to be surprised):
HO:
LBSC green Thomas
Red express coaches
Probably more pointless recolored rolling stock will join the range as well. Unfortunately it's a given, but if I want to have some preference it would be great to see the single vent van tooling reused again, instead of just the ice cream wagon.
Narrow gauge:
Brake vans - blue, red and brown
N scale:
Thomas starter set
Large scale:
James Toby and Emily with DCC and sound
Not exactly the biggest list out there but that's also because the N scale range isn't out yet and we have Daisy and Peter Sam to look forward to as well. Once they are out I'm more than willing to bet on more engines joining the range then like Stepney, Sir Handel, black James, and even an N scale James with additional N scale rolling stock.
I'm not a big fan of making prediction lists but there's one thing I'd really like to see
HO Scale:
Dynamite Van
Here's my predictions (assuming that email we saw saying that nothing was being announced in February was not true...)
HO
Metallic Green LBSC Thomas (75th Anniversary box art)
Explosives Van
Narrow Gauge
D. Fusit Gunpowder Wagon
Brakevan
N Scale
James
G Scale
Henrietta
I just realized something. N Scale Thomas, Percy, Troublesome Truck #1, and Troublesome Truck #2 were all on display and in full color, but N Scale Annie and Clarabel were not. Maybe Bachmann also realizes that they were WAY to big, and are redesigning them to be properly scaled? I sure hope so.
My feeling with Annie and Clarabel is that they were on display but whoever was there did not get a chance to record them. They were probably behind Thomas like how the trucks were behind Percy. If you look at the picture of Thomas on display you can see part of another Bachmann sign. Personally I think that might have been the sign for the two coaches.
Quote from: Chaz on February 01, 2020, 03:18:59 PM
My feeling with Annie and Clarabel is that they were on display but whoever was there did not get a chance to record them. They were probably behind Thomas like how the trucks were behind Percy. If you look at the picture of Thomas on display you can see part of another Bachmann sign. Personally I think that might have been the sign for the two coaches.
Then why did the guy that took this video not show them? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGg7k3egXhM
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on February 01, 2020, 04:08:14 PM
Then why did the guy that took this video not show them? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGg7k3egXhM
Probably because he either missed them or for some reason they weren't there. There is clearly another Bachmann sign to the right of the image of Thomas as shown here:
(https://i.gyazo.com/69ddf795551f0ba0b979ff011e54b8cc.jpg)
So my best guess is, the person filming probably just accidentally skipped Annie and Clarabel while filming.
Quote from: Chaz on February 01, 2020, 05:27:24 PM
Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on February 01, 2020, 04:08:14 PM
Then why did the guy that took this video not show them? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGg7k3egXhM
Probably because he either missed them or for some reason they weren't there. There is clearly another Bachmann sign to the right of the image of Thomas as shown here:
(https://i.gyazo.com/69ddf795551f0ba0b979ff011e54b8cc.jpg)
So my best guess is, the person filming probably just accidentally skipped Annie and Clarabel while filming.
...That's exactly what I was saying. That they weren't there. And if they
were there, he wouldn't have missed them if they were
right there in front of him.
All I am doing just making an observation of why I feel they were not shown in the video, it's possible that them weren't there but it's also possible too that the person recording the video accidentally skipped them again given by the fact that there is very clearly another Bachmann sign right by Thomas as I explained to you twice in my last two posts. The fact is, is that we don't know unless if we see the full display, which again we didn't since the video clearly missed something that was right there besides Thomas.
Regardless, you really need to calm down, especially when this is not that big of a deal. We'll probably have pictures of the whole range posted by Bachmann sometime later this month once the catalog is out, by then I would imagine we would have a good look at Annie and Clarabel by then.
Quote from: Chaz on February 02, 2020, 04:31:44 AM
All I am doing just making an observation of why I feel they were not shown in the video, it's possible that them weren't there but it's also possible too that the person recording the video accidentally skipped them again given by the fact that there is very clearly another Bachmann sign right by Thomas as I explained to you twice in my last two posts. The fact is, is that we don't know unless if we see the full display, which again we didn't since the video clearly missed something that was right there besides Thomas.
Regardless, you really need to calm down, especially when this is not that big of a deal. We'll probably have pictures of the whole range posted by Bachmann sometime later this month once the catalog is out, by then I would imagine we would have a good look at Annie and Clarabel by then.
What you're explaining doesn't make sense. If they were there, then the guy recording would have to be pretty dumb to not see them
sitting right next to Thomas or sitting anywhere nearby if they weren't on the shelf. I was
already stating that they weren't there, but you seem to be arguing the same exact point. The only difference between what you're saying and what I'm saying is that I'm speculating and hoping that maybe Bachmann are reworking their scale so that they're not so big, but you're skipping over that part. It seems you're trying to argue the exact same thing I'm trying to say. The only person who needs to "calm down" here is you.
As has been proven many times on this thread, people can very certainly be dumb.
It's entirely possible he just didn't record them. As there is another tag there that is clearly not for Percy or the trucks so odds are it's for them.
And he's skipping over that part because it's obviously not true, they are not being resized.
And he is definitely not arguing the same thing you were trying to say. As much as you try to make it seem that way.
(Repost)
I'll mainly stick with options that seem cost-effective for my defined expectations this month.
HO Scale:
-LBSC Thomas
-Tar Tanker
-Red Express Coaches
Narrow Gauge:
-Brake Vans
N Scale:
-James
-Thomas starter set
Large Scale:
-James/Toby/Emily with DDC
Stepney and Sir Handel would be saved for this year's NMRA announcements since we still have a long way to go with the already anticipated Daisy and Peter Sam.
Upon seeing the recently posted footage/photos of Thomas and Percy's painted N Scale models, I can say that Bachmann is still mainly on the right track (pun kinda intended) with their new line. I'm still eager to buy both of them whenever it's in my capability and like most others, I would still love to see James confirmed at some point. It'll be fine if he doesn't show up this month and is also saved for NMRA, though a sooner confirmation would be convenient.
Large Scale has been in a pretty rough spot for countless years and even though it's a difficult line to discuss, it deserves at least a little something this year. No new engines or pieces of rolling stock have been financially viable, so equipping DCC to any/all of the three other existing engines is welcomed. If any new engine/R.S. were to be announced, LBSC Thomas and the Red Coaches are still among the more reasonable picks. Options like Mavis and Henrietta will continue to be held off for the long run until enough money is at hand for producing them.
Here are my final thoughts:
HO Scale
Ryan
Explosives Van
Narrow Gauge
Sir Handel
Green NG coaches
G Scale
Henrietta or Mail Vans
First 2020 announcement confirmed!
N scale Thomas starter set!
http://toyfair.vporoom.com/BachmannTrains/NEW-THOMAS-WITH-ANNIE-AND-CLARABEL-IN-N-SCALE-ALL-THE-FUN-OF-SODOR-IN-A-SMALL-PACKAGE
Don't know if anyone had proposed this, but what if we get an N scale Bertie or Harold, which would then constitute a deluxe set being made? (I'm omitting a figure of Sir Topham Hatt due to choking hazards).
I'm glad Bachmann announced an N Scale Thomas Starter Set, so I'll have a convenient way to begin my N Scale Thomas collection. Once that becomes available, I can pick one up.
I still hope that someday, Bachmann would announce a Narrow Gauge Starter Set with Skarloey, so as to provide a more convenient way to begin a Narrow Gauge collection. Don't know if a Narrow Gauge set would be that important or not. We haven't even got brake vans yet.
Updating my predictions list again with more possible products:
HO Scale:
Thomas - Green
James - Black (possibly)
Ventilated Van - Explosives
Tar Tanker
Express Coach - Red
Express Brake Coach - Red
Narrow Gauge:
Guard's Van - Blue
Guard's Van - Red
Guard's Van - Brown
Carriage - Green
N Scale:
James
Various Rolling Stock
Looking forward to the announcements later this month. I didn't list an engine with a new tooling in HO Scale this time because Bachmann is currently working on Daisy. It's possible we may see Daisy's image in the 2020 catalog. Hoping for Daisy to get released sometime this year.
Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 06, 2020, 05:04:01 PM
I'm glad Bachmann announced an N Scale Thomas Starter Set, so I'll have a convenient way to begin my N Scale Thomas collection. Once that becomes available, I can pick one up.
I still hope that someday, Bachmann would announce a Narrow Gauge Starter Set with Skarloey, so as to provide a more convenient way to begin a Narrow Gauge collection. Don't know if a Narrow Gauge set would be that important or not. We haven't even got brake vans yet.
Updating my predictions list again with more possible products:
HO Scale:
Thomas - Green
James - Black (possibly)
Ventilated Van - Explosives
Tar Tanker
Express Coach - Red
Express Brake Coach - Red
Narrow Gauge:
Guard's Van - Blue
Guard's Van - Red
Guard's Van - Brown
Carriage - Green
N Scale:
James
Various Rolling Stock
Looking forward to the announcements next Friday, which is also Valentines Day. I didn't list an engine with a new tooling in HO Scale this time because Bachmann is currently working on Daisy. It's possible we may see Daisy's image in the 2020 catalog. Hoping for Daisy to get released sometime this year.
Toy Fair doesn't start until February 22nd this year. Either we'll get the announcements then, or the day before since some companies do some announcements the day before, usually during a breakfast event.
So this year, the Toy Fair is later than usual, which means the announcements may not get posted until Friday the 21st, one week after Valentines Day.
Quote from: TrainFan97 on February 06, 2020, 05:49:03 PM
So this year, the Toy Fair is later than usual, which means the announcements may not get posted until Friday the 21st, one week after Valentines Day.
That's what I said.
I see that the starter set we've been predicting for months has been confirmed ahead of Toy Fair! I will admit I'm way ahead on owning N Scale track as I already bought a couple of packs in anticipation of owning a Narrow Gauge engine.
Nonetheless, I still look forward to buying the Thomas starter set. It serves a convent way to get a collection started and there's always room for backup track on my end.
Uhhh, guys?
https://twitter.com/traindude67/status/1226632837320847361?s=20
Well, here are my thoughts:
LBSC Thomas is genius and I will be getting one as a collector's item. Busy Bee James is weird and I really don't know how to feel about it. The new set seems unnecessary but eh. And the NG brake vans were inevitable. N scale James and the tankers are lovely. And Large Scale Diesel is amazing! What a comeback by Bachmann. Very pleased about these.
There is a large scale Diesel coming out.
Well here are some initial thoughts...
The green LBSC Thomas is definitely a highlight in this year's announcements. It isn't surprising at all since the tooling was there but I'm glad Bachmann was able to pull this off all the same (especially as a nice laugh to those being contrarian over the screenshot saying Bachmann was referring to Daisy and/or Peter Sam earlier). Either way, the green Thomas is definitely an all-around winner and I'll happily be purchasing one.
On the opposite end of highlights though, the busy bee James is definitely a lot more of a questionable choices. I'm sure Mattel thought that a yellow and black striped James would be far more marketable than just a simple black one. Unlike the black James or even the green Thomas for that matter, Busy bee James really doesn't have that strong following or connection with the fanbase and was a lot more of a marketing gimmick from Hit that was exploited to death by them and Mattel by making various busy bee James merchandise. A black James would've been far more suitable this year with the green Thomas, but I can definitely say that if Bachmann is willing to go as far as making recolors of previously announced engines, then I don't think of black James wouldn't be that far off in the future since the tooling is already there. In the meantime though, because we are already getting a green Thomas, Daisy, and Peter Sam I can let Busy Bee James slide for now and I will be planning on talking about a black James in another thread in the future, or whenever 2021 thread gets made.
Without a doubt the most exciting announcement goes to the narrow gauge brake vans! It's nice seeing matching pairs go with the coaches but I am disappointed there is no brown one yet. Hopefully one gets announced next year as a recolor.
The large scale Diesel is returning and it's got a price! Nice to see the large scale range getting something again. Without a doubt this will be a MAJOR hit once released and all the large scale collectors can be happy again! And again the joke is on some fans who were going around saying the large scale range was getting discontinued too. ::)
N scale James is no surprise but it's nice seeing the range get another engine. The tankers are a nice addition but I'm a bit bummed that they announced a water tanker instead of a milk tanker but I guess that's a recolor I can do myself.
The new Thomas set is interesting especially with the plasticville recolored hopper coming back exclusively to this set. Don't know how many people will be buying that though as a starter set.
Overall everything plus the N scale starter set are pretty nice choices, minus Busy Bee James, but I think everything else that got announced is a solid follow-up to the NMRA announcements last year and I think Bachmann made some solid choices.
Did somebody on Twitter just leak the announcements early?
Thomas is being made in his LBSC livery, which I knew was coming, but did anyone ask for Busy Bee James? People asked for Black James, but Busy Bee James was just a really weird choice. Did Mattel not think Black James was marketable enough? They must have thought James in his Season 10 "Busy Bee" livery would be more marketable. I guess it's still a cool-looking livery. Would've preferred Black James though.
No HO Rolling Stock has been announced. I guess that makes sense because there were several that got announced at last year's NMRA.
Daisy is not getting cancelled, as she is still in the catalog, but there's no image of her yet. Same for Peter Sam, and everything else announced at last year's NMRA.
At least we're FINALLY getting Narrow Gauge Brake Vans. Those have been requested for years. I knew Sir Handel wasn't going to be there, considering the fact that Peter Sam is still on the backburner.
N Scale James has been officially confirmed, along with N Scale Oil, Fuel, and Water Tankers, but still no Milk Tanker. At least N Scale James is coming. Maybe next year, Bachmann can announce Gordon and Henry for N Scale, unless they want to make Emily the 4th N Scale engine, as she was the first female engine to be made in both HO and Large Scales.
Large Scale Diesel is finally coming for real this time. Ever since his cancellation, people wanted him back. It's good that Bachmann reconfirmed Diesel in Large Scale, so he's getting released after all. It's about time Bachmann uncancelled Large Scale Diesel.
Well, this was very unexpected, but it's very welcome. Perhaps it's not a leak, because that looks like the printed catalogs, and there was a train show this last weekend. The catalog probably was there. I'm sure that Bachmann probably figured this would happen if they displayed the catalog.
Anyways, these definitely seem to be fairly solid announcements. It is a bit strange, though, that Thomas and Percy's N Scale models weren't pictured in the catalog.
LBSC Thomas is really nice to see especially coming from the person who drew a LBSC Thomas concept. It's very nice to see.
Busy Bee James is unexpected and a bit weird but I welcome it. The reception on Twitter for it is actually pretty positive. Probably because it's simply a good recolor.
N Scale James & Tankers. Good, good. The prices are iffy but you could always find it for cheaper. The NG Brakevans are good too but I wish they'll do a Brown one for goods trains eventually.
Large Scale Diesel is ABSOLUTELY welcome. I'm so glad that I was actually right about it coming back, considering all those who doubted.
Overall, all this plus Daisy, Peter Sam, and the other N Scale products, this is a pretty good year for Bachmann.
I'm okay with Busy Bee James coming to HO Scale, since we are also getting Daisy and LBSC Thomas. I'll be picking up all three when available, but man, I need to save up.
Maybe if there's popular demand, Bachmann eventually will give us the Black James from The Adventure Begins. Another HO recolor that we should get eventually is Sidney. Now that it's been a few good years without another Class 08 getting announced, I think I'm about ready for Sidney.
Anybody know if anything was discontinued in the catalogue or not?
All I can say is, Wow. I did NOT expect to see an LSBC Thomas. Would definitely buy over the celebration Thomas As for everything else, the new set looks intriguing and correct me if I'm wrong, but I thing it's the first Bachmann set to include a building. The Busy Bee James looks nice, but I think I speak for everyone when I say Black James would have been nicer. N scale James was expected to happen, although I did not expect a G scale diesel. I know he was canceled before, however it's nice to see. Overall, about what I expected.
Also, the busy bee James has a painted smokebox. PLEASE let this be something that carries over to the normal model.
I suppose after HO Scale gets recolors like Sidney and Black James, other ideas for recolors can include Silver Spencer, or Blue Bill and Ben. Maybe Green Salty if Bachmann decides to bring back Salty. Not sure about any of the Mainland Diesel Shunters because they don't really have personalities or names (with Ulli being the only one named). Splatter and Dodge are too obscure.
The only reason why we can't get any Percy recolors is because Percy has never been recolored during the entire history of the show. Unlike Thomas and James, Percy has always been green since day one.
I actually am excited for Busy Bee James. I'm gonna get it along with LBSC Thomas. Anyone else gonna get those two?
This is actually the first time I myself have witnessed a full lineup of Bachmann items get shared early. And boy are they (mainly) knocking it out of the park with this variety! :)
LBSC Thomas, N Scale James and the Narrow Gauge Brake Vans all felt like the most reasonable announcements to expect. I still plan on picking up N Scale James and I anticipate more info on him in the future. The brake vans are also strong considerations for adopting Narrow Gauge products. I may pick up LBSC Thomas depending on my household's financial situation.
I will agree that Busy Bee James is a bit of a strange pick, as the aesthetic was only seen for about a minute or so in one episode to my memory, but it's still welcome as a unique announcement nonetheless. The only James model I own is a little worse for wear, so a recolor like this could serve as a reasonable upgrading option even if I'm mainly aiming for his recent repaint.
Large Scale Diesel returning is perhaps the single announcement that makes me the most happy. As someone who's among the many people that have expressed concerns about Large Scale's future through the years and has also been on the edge of adopting said scale for a long time because of its uncertain future, this is a pretty gratifying confirmation to bear witness to. It serves a likely indicator that he wasn't as expensive to sell, let alone manufacture, as we initially thought he was for quite a while and that ideas for engines that require new toolings are back on the table. Large Scale deserved at least a little something special this year and this was more than enough to satisfy.
Diesel will almost definitely be one of the first engines I buy in Large Scale and I'm certain the longer wait will have been worth it for a greater product. And if he is successful enough, I hope more engines are considered after him. I'll continue standing by that Mavis is the next best pick for being a beloved longtimer and the cost-effective chance of sharing Toby's chassis.
Between this assortment, the UK expansion, the launch of N Scale and last year's NMRA announcements, 2020 is almost definitely one of the best years for this line and it'd be fair to assume that it will only get better going forth to this summer's NMRA batch.
For the first time in our little community's history... A leak! Never thought I'd see the day; Bachmann usually has these sort of things tightly knit, not that I'm complaining. Anyway, on to my thoughts...
James being added to the N Scale range is sort of a surprise to me; it was obvious that James was going to be added to the range at -some- point, but I didn't think he was going to be announced until the range was out for a good year or so. I'm curious to see if he's going to get an open cab or not, since that's something fans have been critical of the HO model of for quite some time.
A little disappointed the trucks still sport those 2002 faces. I thought for sure by now they'd update to the CGI faces, at least, or trade them out for more accurate model faces that don't resemble the early 2000s stock art.
N scale tankers? About the same boat as James, for me; a bit surprised, but welcome nonetheless. I'm still wondering how these models are going to scale up compared to the Tomix equipment. We've seen pictures of them on N Scale track and next to some Japanese N Scale equipment, but no photos alongside Tomix itself yet. If I had to make a personal wish, it'd be that Bachmann introduces the TAR tankers, since those were re-introduced into CGI via a flashback, and sport the classic decals; would certainly be fitting to go with an N Scale James.
Daisy and Peter Sam lacking new photos seems to be part of a pattern going on the last few years, where Bachmann announces a new product one year, and we usually see an update on it at NRMA the next years Summer. I'm hoping by then we'll get some new details on those two.
The LBSC Thomas has to be the most expected thing at this point, and seeing its arrival is pretty much no surprise. It's an item everyone wanted in 2015, and it's an item everyone wants now. While I don't see myself buying this one in the long run, I'm sure this one is gonna sell like hotcakes.
Still wondering how those Troublesome Tankers are gonna look, guess we'll have to wait longer on that. Here's hoping they don't go with the "BWBA" look that they found as a stock photo on the Wikia.
Bee James? I feel like this is something thats been joked about for years among the forums community, but not in a million years did we actually expect it (but then again, Rosie was seen as something that would never happen, and here we are with -two- of her).
I have to question the logistics of this one, honestly. I don't consider it to be a "welcome addition" as I've been hearing, but rather seems like a financial risk. If I recall correctly, Bachmann usually does their product runs in units of 500 or so? It's easy to say that Bee James probably doesn't cost a lot to make, but that's still paint, material, parts and packaging being invested into making this thing.. Well, exist. I've thought about this a good bit overnight, and my only guesses are Bachmanns run the economic numbers and seems confident they can sell at least 500 of these things will sell and get their bank back on the cost it took to manufacture them. It's possible they're hoping that something like this will sell better in the international markets of the UK and JP, though I still feel like Bee James is... Missing something?
(https://i.imgur.com/0Hh40xI.png)
There we go, looks better already, doesn't it? Now I'm a fan of options, so lets have a.. ..B.. choice as well:
(https://i.imgur.com/xmWB2SV.png)
Which would you prefer?
Anyway, this leads me to my next point; is Bachmann actually thinking ahead of the game? I remembered last night that at one of the NRMA shows, I believe it was Yardmaster who made a comment during a video that more or less stated "The Thomas range basically funds all of the other ranges under Bachmann." If Bachmann -does- manage to sell this successfully at a low manufacturing cost, then this could theoretically (keyword there) be a quick buck for Bachmann to fund bigger and better projects. Could a gimmicky recolor like Bee James actually fund better engines like Sir Handel, Stepney, or non-Thomas engines in Bachmanns other line ups? It's hard to say. I personally feel that they had enough ammunition already with LBSC Thomas, and that Bee James is an out of left field gamble.
The concern I have and want to voice though is I don't necessarily -mind- gimmicky models, as long as they come with the offset of quality announcements like Daisy and Peter Sam as well. Basically, I fear and don't want to see the Thomas range dwindle into a range that's -nothing but- gimmicky engines like you'd see in Wooden Railway or Trackmaster. Considering how much it costs to manufacture a model train as it is, I feel like it's a slippery slope... But I'm not the manufacturer, so what do I know? I just hope Bachmann knows what they're doing with this one.
Anyway, onto the last few announcements!
Narrow gauge brake vans are a welcome addition. I was really close to buying some 3D print ones, but I might wait to see how these turn out. I have to wonder if these are going to be based on the TV series brake vans, or the Talyllyn No. 5. All of the Bachmann-made toolings for the Skarloey range so far have been based directly off the TR equipment so far (though the blue coach sported the TVS livery). It makes me wonder if they're going to be consistent with the brake van, or finally break tradition.
Lastly, it's refreshing to see the Large Scale Diesel is being reconsidered! I've always considered the Large Scale Thomas to be one of the more tempting brands that I don't own yet, and this is only adding fuel to that fire. In terms of repaints, I feel like Diesel is a very good choice to have in the Large Scale Thomas range. His tooling would allow them to make Arry, Bert, and Paxton in the range, giving plenty of new additions at a low cost. My curiosity is though, will Bachmann design the LS Diesel tooling to be more "friendly" and versatile to other characters who have face shapes different from Diesel? The OO Paxton got a lot of criticism for his oversized face, and I'd love to see Bachmann learn their mistake from that and have the tooling designed with multiple characters in mind.
Anyway, that's about it for my two cents on the announcements. Looking forward to seeing updates throughout the year, Bachmann.
I wasn't really bothered by the Busy Bee James until I saw your face edits, cheeky. What a missed opportunity! I would really love to see Bachmann reconsider the face (as we have seen them do in the past with the likes of Paxton) and consider one of the options presented. It would certainly make the model more enticing and stand out in more way than one.
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on February 10, 2020, 10:13:28 AM
I'm still wondering how these models are going to scale up compared to the Tomix equipment. We've seen pictures of them on N Scale track and next to some Japanese N Scale equipment, but no photos alongside Tomix itself yet.
Yes we have seen their scale:
https://twitter.com/sylvaniantab/status/1223044959076605952?s=20
Bachmann made them in British N gauge, and it's been known that Tomix made theirs oversized. So Bachmann's are smaller.
Rodimus, that's the same photo I was already alluding to in the quote. I'm referring to a Tomix Thomas specifically. I get the intent, but I was hoping for something with more visual clarity, which we'll have to wait a bit on.
I might have a problem this year with Bachmann Thomas buying.
If I get HO Thomas equipment I would happy to LBSC Thomas, Daisy, Peter Sam and the brake van ticket carriages in narrow gauge.
I'll wait for black James since I never saw that episode of Busy Bee James.
Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on February 10, 2020, 12:20:33 PM
Rodimus, that's the same photo I was already alluding to in the quote. I'm referring to a Tomix Thomas specifically. I get the intent, but I was hoping for something with more visual clarity, which we'll have to wait a bit on.
I know it's already been seen, but we already know it's smaller. Here's a Tomix Thomas next to 3 other British N gauge locomotives:
https://jnsforum.com/community/topic/15419-new-n-gauge-thomas-and-friends-by-bachmann-us/
You can fairly well infer the difference between the two from these pictures.
You can, but that still doesn't negate me wishing for "visual clarity" for curiosity sake, does it? We've already done this same guess work and analysis several times in other threads.
Checking out the pages in the catalog I noticed that the Celebration Thomas is discontinued. This isn't surprising really since I don't recall too many people anxious for this model to come out and it was peg warmer. No different than how the Busy Bee James will be if I'm totally frank. I'm sure the LBSC Thomas will be a hit once it's out and maybe next year or sometime in the future we can still get a black James. If the tooling is there and there's enough demand for it, no reason for Bachmann to not consider it for their next engine recolor.
Also has anyone noticed the price on the large scale Diesel? It's considerably cheaper than the large scale Thomas, Percy, and Toby models. Engines that have considerably less detail than Diesel and are cheaper than Diesel in HO too. I really hope that Bachmann doesn't have the details like the ladders molded to the body and an inaccurate chassis like Lionel or Hornby's Diesel models as a result of the cheaper price. Either way, definitely something to think about now that he's back in production after getting cancelled a few years ago.
Quote from: Chaz on February 10, 2020, 03:07:50 PM
Checking out the pages in the catalog I noticed that the Celebration Thomas is discontinued. This isn't surprising really since I don't recall too many people anxious for this model to come out and it was peg warmer. No different than how the Busy Bee James will be if I'm totally frank. I'm sure the LBSC Thomas will be a hit once it's out and maybe next year or sometime in the future we can still get a black James. If the tooling is there and there's enough demand for it, no reason for Bachmann to not consider it for their next engine recolor.
Also has anyone noticed the price on the large scale Diesel? It's considerably cheaper than the large scale Thomas, Percy, and Toby models. Engines that have considerably less detail than Diesel and are cheaper than Diesel in HO too. I really hope that Bachmann doesn't have the details like the ladders molded to the body and an inaccurate chassis like Lionel or Hornby's Diesel models as a result of the cheaper price. Either way, definitely something to think about now that he's back in production after getting cancelled a few years ago.
Also, I noticed the HO ice cream wagon and blue open wagon Aren't on the 2020 catalog, along with surprisingly, Maithwaite Station, Black Loch Folly, Knapford Station and Tidmouth Sheds, although the tidmouth sheds shed add on is on the 2020 catalog. However, a lot of model stores still have both tidmouth sheds and Knapford station up for order or pre order, one of the stores have an estimated restock date for the tidmouth sheds for April 2020.
Maithwaite station and the black loch folly got discontinued. I'm kind of mad now.
Now that we got Red Rosie last year, and we're getting LBSC Thomas this year, the two most-popular recolors left are Sidney and Black James. Maybe we can start a debate on which recolor should be next. It's possible both may come for 2021.
Sidney - It's been a few good years without getting another Class 08 in HO Scale. He still hasn't been announced yet, but if Bachmann makes Sidney, people are concerned about his face. Like Paxton, Sidney would also need a painted border around his face to hide the eye mechanism. Paxton's eyes looked off to some people because Bachmann had to get his face to work with Diesel's eye mechanism, otherwise, they'd have to severely change the internals of the model. They'll have to do the same for Sidney, but I didn't think what they did to Paxton was a dealbreaker. I'm just hoping we do get Sidney eventually. Merchandise of him is rare.
Black James - This year, we're getting a James recolor alright, but not one we really expected. Busy Bee James may be a cool livery, but it wasn't really as popular of a paint scheme as James in his black livery from The Adventure Begins. I'm pretty sure someone at Mattel thought Busy Bee James would be more marketable, but if there's popular demand, Bachmann eventually will make Black James in HO Scale. The one from The Adventure Begins. It's a shame it's not coming this year to go with LBSC Thomas, and we're getting a James livery from Season 10 instead, but if we want Black James, we'll need to be more vocal about it, and maybe, just maybe, we can get him in 2021. Busy Bee James was the very definition of a wild card, like Rosie was when she was first announced.
I've mentioned other recolors like Silver Spencer, Blue Bill and Ben, and Green Salty, but those can be saved for later. The two top priorities for recolors would be Sidney and Black James. As for Green Salty, the standard Salty is still discontinued. Like I said about Splatter and Dodge, they're too obscure.
I don't think any other engine recolor in HO should take priority over Black James at this point and Sidney is no exception. That and I don't think Sidney would sell very well since he doesn't seem anywhere near as popular as Paxton and a lot more people expressed an interest in a Black James making it seem like a much more popular seller than Sidney too so I don't see the need for a "debate" over it.
Fair point, Chaz.
Black James is arguably the more popular choice for a recolor than Sidney. The "debate" part was just a thought, but we don't need one, since there's no contest.
Even though Sidney has been having regular appearances and speaking roles lately, he just doesn't have the popularity that Paxton had. I guess I was wrong about him being a top priority. It's Black James who's the top priority for an HO recolor.
https://twitter.com/bachmanntrains/status/1227250326421561345?s=20
Bachmann, whoever is in charge of your twitter account deserves a raise xD
Imagine getting roasted by the Bachmann twitter account lol
I think I may be the only one who actually wanted Bachmann to make Sidney. I'm just surprised that he hasn't been announced already since it's been 3 years since Paxton first got announced. I just didn't realize how unpopular of a character Sidney actually is compared to Paxton. That could explain why Paxton has considerably more merchandise than Sidney. Very few people on this forum actually bring up Sidney. Even if he does get made eventually, he'll most likely not sell any better than 'Arry, Bert, Celebration Thomas, or even the upcoming Busy Bee James. The former three were discontinued just five years after they released.
Maybe I should just stop asking for Sidney altogether. Even though Bachmann has his tooling, he's just not as popular of a character as Paxton, and I need to accept it. For those who want Sidney, a 3D-printed face would be nice, but I'm not a modeler, since I don't have a steady hand. It was silly of me to think Sidney was a top priority like Black James, who much more people have asked for. It's not even comparable. When Bachmann announced Busy Bee James, the demand for Black James has spiked.
The demand for Stepney also spiked when Daisy first got announced, though he had been requested for years prior. It's definitely understandable why Stepney, or any other new tooling wasn't announced yet for HO Scale, since Daisy is still on the backburner. We still have no image or price of Daisy yet, or images of anything else announced at last year's NMRA.
I do like the look of Green Salty, but it wouldn't really make sense for Bachmann to make Green Salty while the standard Salty remains discontinued. It took YEARS of popular demand to finally convince Bachmann to bring back the express coaches.
Prior to Paxtons reveal, I wouldn't have minded an OO Sidney at -some- point. However, after understanding better the issues with the Diesel tooling, I think I'd be happier off if they leave Sidney alone. To this day, I still consider Paxtons oversized face quite a sight for sore eyes, which is a hard pill to swallow considering he's one of my favorite characters in the CG era of Thomas.
Course, they already went through with Paxton anyway, despite the problems with the face; might as well do Sidney when they need a quick and easy freebie. I don't see them going back to modify the Diesel tooling to be accommodating of Sidney anytime ever, much less re-doing the tooling for a better Paxton face, specially when there'd be little cost-benefit to doing so.
When I was at York I suggested to the Bachmann Representatives they make a limited edition James Goes Buzz Buzz. I think that's where the idea for busy bee James came from. I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna get busy bee James. I can't wait until it gets released.
Diesel's HO Scale tooling has problems because the eye mechanism isn't right for every Class 08 character, BUT, when Bachmann eventually gets to Diesel in N Scale, that wouldn't be a problem at all. The N Scale models don't have moving eyes because they're too small to have that.
So, when Bachmann eventually makes N Scale Diesel, Paxton and Sidney's faces would look perfect, since there would be no eye mechanism to worry about. No need for painted borders around the face either.
Now that James has been announced for N Scale, the next engine can go one of two ways. Bachmann could make both N Scale Gordon and Henry, since they'd both share the same chassis, with Gordon having added trailing wheels. Unlike Large Scale, N Scale would be much more flexible with Gordon and Henry's sizes. As for the other way, Bachmann could make Emily the fourth N Scale engine, just so we'd have a female engine in the N Scale range. Emily was the first female engine to be made in both HO and Large Scales, and if Bachmann makes her in N Scale, they of course have to make her coaches as well. If Bachmann makes Gordon and Henry next, they'll have to make the Express Coaches in N Scale.
I'm pretty sure Diesel would be a later priority for N Scale. Edward was the last of the original Steam Team to be made in HO Scale, and the same could be like that for N Scale.
As for N Rolling Stock, they announced three tankers: Oil, Fuel, and Water. I'm pretty sure the N Scale Water Tanker would look just like the HO Scale version because the HO model is shown for it in the catalog. A while back, I remember someone saying the Large Scale version looked better. Still surprised the Milk Tanker wasn't announced yet. I think for now, the biggest request for N Scale Rolling Stock would be the Milk Tanker.
Who do you think should be next for N Scale after James?
Quote from: TrainCollector on February 11, 2020, 08:38:46 PM
When I was at York I suggested to the Bachmann Representatives they make a limited edition James Goes Buzz Buzz. I think that's where the idea for busy bee James came from. I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna get busy bee James. I can't wait until it gets released.
Mattel has been making Busy Bee James merch in recent years and it's almost obvious that they had an influence on Bachmann making Busy Bee James too. That being said though a James covered in bees with a red nose would have actually been a little nicer and even more exciting on a more nostalgic level, so admittedly I would buy that sooner than Busy Bee James. :P
As far as the next N scale engine goes I could honestly see Toby happening next. He's a simple boxy like tooling that has been majorly popular in HO and large scale and was one of the first five engines to be introduced in Bachmann's UK lineup. To add if production is slow for the range Bachmann could still announce him and have him on the back burner kinda like how they announced Rusty in narrow gauge while waiting on Rheneas at the time. Plus if siderods are going to continue to be as large as they are on the Thomas and Percy models I'm finding larger engines a little less likely to happen (as much as I would prefer Gordon), but I think overall Toby is the safest and most likely option. Plus if they announce Henrietta and reuse the tooling for Hannah like they didn't do in large scale or even reuse the motor and chassis for Toby to make Mavis I see that as both major win-wins.
Another good point, Chaz. Maybe the fourth N Scale engine should be Toby.
With N Scale Toby, Bachmann could finally make Henrietta with a face, along with Hannah. It would also be a good idea to reuse Toby's chassis for Mavis. The only issue with Mavis is the fact that she got almost no merchandise since Mattel took over. To add to that, Mavis rarely even has speaking roles anymore. Mattel must not think Mavis is marketable.
Finally, I found the time to share my thoughts on the new Thomas product announcement for February 2020!
Starting with the Deluxe Thomas & the Troublesome Trucks Set, although it is not something that I would pick up, it is nice to see another Thomas set to commemorate the 75th Anniversary. I especially like that the Troublesome Trucks come with loads that were painted brown to represent ore loads, as Bachmann could have easily just used the black coal loads again.
Next in line is the Green LBSC Thomas. While it would have certainly been more appropriate for the 70th Anniversary in 2015 (especially since Thomas' number was initially 70), it is a welcome addition nonetheless. I may consider picking this one up at some point.
Busy Bee James is, without a doubt, the most peculiar new product, and has surely been receiving mixed thoughts across social media. I am assuming that Bachmann initially suggested the Black James to Mattel, but Mattel suggested that simply selling James as a black recolor would not be appealing to younger fans. Even so, I must state that I am very happy that Bachmann still went with something from the model era. I would have certainly preferred the Busy Bee James over a Pink James or any other gimmicky James repaint from the appalling Big World Big Adventures episodes. Moreover, Bachmann could have spent tons of money on a new engine with an expensive new tooling that the majority of fans would not buy such as Nia, Rebecca, or Phillip. Yet, one thing that I have noticed is that most of Bachmann's odd products are from Season 10 such as Jeremy, the Toffee Tanker, and now the Busy Bee James. Overall, considering that it is something from the model era, I may still pick it up, but I am 100% sure yet. I'll certainly state that giving the model an angry or sad face that Cheeky ULP mentioned would encourage me to purchase the model by a long shot.
There is no doubt the most exciting new products are the narrow gauge brake vans. Personally, I hope that they will be based on the tooling from the television series. More specific points on these will be stated in a separate thread.
It is also fantastic to see that the N scale line is growing at such a fast rate. I thought that we were going to have to wait until July to see an N scale James announced, but Bachmann surprised us once more. The tankers are welcome as well, but I would have preferred to see the milk tanker announced before the water tanker. Even so, it will be interesting to see if the water tanker will be a dark shade of blue, like the HO model, or a lighter shade of blue, like the large scale model. Glad to see that a starter set was announced too, as that will surely encourage more people to collect the N scale line.
It is wonderful to see the Large Scale Diesel announced once more. Large scale Thomas fans have gotten the short end of the stick for years, but Diesel's announcement certainly makes up for that. The only thing that I find questionable is his price. It really is surprising that the Large scale Diesel's retail price is cheaper than Thomas and Percy's retail prices. I really hope that this does not mean that the model will not have separately fitted side rods like the Lionel model. It really would make the model look lacking on multiple levels. With the exception of that, it is once again wonderful to see that Diesel will be joining the large scale line!
No images of Daisy, Peter Sam, Troublesome Truck #6, or the 1-plank wagons with loads yet, but that is okay! I am sure that Bachmann is working hard on them, especially after how sought-after Daisy and Peter Sam were. Looking at the catalog, it seems the 1-plank wagons are now three different colors as well, which I have no problem with.
As for discontinued items, it is a little hard to determine what was discontinued since Tidmouth Sheds is nowhere to be seen in the catalog, but the expansion pack is present. However, I will state that I find it very surprising that the plastic switch tower is still in the line, especially with the resin signal box discontinued. The same can be said for the narrow gauge open wagon, and red and blue box vans.
Finally, since multiple people have been discussing recolors for future engines, to be blunt, the only ones that make sense to me are Sidney and the Black James. Recolors such as Blue Bill and Ben and Green Salty are just gimmicky ideas that are suited for brands like Trackmaster, but not Bachmann. Bachmann engines are expensive, so unless it is a separate sale character like Sidney, or permanent change to the engine's paint scheme like the Red Rosie, repaints only make sense if it is one of the main characters (Thomas, Percy, or James). Even so, I do not wish to see either Sidney or the Black James announced anytime soon because we just got two new recolors.
Overall, I am very happy with what was announced for the line this month. The only other thing that I would have really loved to see announced is an HO Stepney, but other than that, thank you very much, Bachmann!
Definitely going to get LBSC Thomas and Busy Bee James when they are released.
Here's my thoughts.
The new set seems pretty cool in my opinion, I like the fact that the trucks now have loads and that a coal Hopper is included. I really am looking forward to the release of LBSC Thomas. It seems only fitting that this was made to commerate the 75th anniversary. The two brakevans for the narrow gauge range are products that I happily welcome. Really hoping they turn out more like the real life counterparts on the Talyllyn Railway once released. Nice to see James and Diesel joining the N Scale and G Scale ranges respectively, along with the new tankers. Finally, Busy Bee James. Honestly, I kinda like it. It is definitely gimmicky, but I still think it looks nice. I made a post on my twitter account a few days ago where I suggested Bachmann change the face expression to one of anger, shock or sadness as opposed to the usual smile on the model. I feel if they did change the expression, the model might more appealing to people as it would be acurrate to what James looked like in the original story.
Overall, I think the announcements this year have been great! What's everyone else's opinion on the new stuff?
Bachmann usually keeps their announcements under a lock and chain until a certain date in the middle of February, but they didn't seem to mind the leak, since it was already that time of the year anyway.
Considering the fact that two engine recolors were just announced for HO Scale, not everyone really seems ready for another one after LBSC Thomas and Busy Bee James, but it's still a good idea to keep suggesting Black James to keep the demand up. We may have supposed to be getting Black James this year, but it must have been changed to Busy Bee James under pressure from Mattel. It's pretty weird if that's the case because Busy Bee James is from the HiT era, while Black James is from the current (Mattel) era.
Daisy hasn't gotten any merchandise since her return in CGI, which must mean Mattel doesn't think she is a marketable character, and is more of a self-propelled "passenger car" but after years of popular demand, Daisy finally got the approval of Mattel for Bachmann to make her.
Turns out, recolors like Green Salty or Blue Bill and Ben would be a bit too gimmicky for Bachmann, and are better-suited for the toy ranges. When I compared the possibilities of Sidney and Black James, one thing I was right about is that they're currently the only two engine recolors left that would actually make sense for Bachmann. What about Silver Spencer? Spencer was made in his old light blueish-gray livery, but Season 10 onwards, he was painted in metallic silver.
As other have pointed out, whould be nice to see Busy Bee James with a different expression, as that whould make him more unique and whould suit much better based on the episode Busy Bee James was featured in.
Looking forward to see Daisy and Peter Sam soon! Will defenetly be buying those! :)
Quote from: TerencetheTractor525 on February 13, 2020, 12:41:57 AM
I especially like that the Troublesome Trucks come with loads that were painted brown to represent ore loads, as Bachmann could have easily just used the black coal loads again.
The loads
are black, thus why there's a coal hopper included. It is coal loads.
Actually, the set description never said "coal" loads. They said ore loads.
I'm beginning to think Mattel only likes the color brown if it's on Toby, just like how they only like black if it's Diesel or Hiro.
I'm not referring to the ore loads, or whatever. I'm talking about engines and rolling stock.
I'm very happy with these announcements. I will be getting the full n scale Thomas line as well as HO LBSC Thomas and Busy Bee James.
I really liked the new Bachmann announcement. I think LBSC Thomas and Busy Bee James will be great additions to the HO scale line.
The announcement of N scale James really caught me by surprise. I didn't expect Bachmann to reveal a brand new engine for this line now.
It's great that Bachmann is making Diesel for the Large scale line. I think he really fits the line.
It didn't surprised me that Bachmann announced N Scale James. Because Tomix has made Thomas, Percy, James, and Henry.
I believe Henry and Gordon might be made next. Since Tomix almost made Gordon and somehow got cancelled.
The freight cars are a different story. They might add the tank car, ventilation van, or mail car. Down the line with the express coaches. I don't know if Bachmann will take the advantage of making the first brake van in N Scale.
Quote from: Angelob6660 on February 15, 2020, 12:12:51 PM
The freight cars are a different story. They might add the tank car, ventilation van, or mail car. Down the line with the express coaches. I don't know if Bachmann will take the advantage of making the first brake van in N Scale.
The fuel, oil, and water tankers got announced this year with James in the N scale range.
I'm just hoping Daisy, Peter Sam, or any other product announced at last year's NMRA makes the display at the Toy Fair next weekend. If not, they may not get shown until this year's NMRA. At least maybe sometime this summer. We should definitely see the first N Scale models there.
Speaking of Bachmann's first N Scale Thomas models, they should definitely have their final images posted soon.
2020 catalog is up:
https://resources.bachmanntrains.com/Bachmann_2020/html5/index.html (https://resources.bachmanntrains.com/Bachmann_2020/html5/index.html)
HO: page 6
N: page 135
Large: page 211
I know I'm a little late, but I figured I'd weigh in with my thoughts on the new announcements. Personally, the HO announcements didn't really thrill me all that much. I do think the Thomas and James repaints look quite nice, but I can't really see myself buying them in the near future. Who knows though, maybe seeing them in person will change my mind.
It's great to see the N Scale range expanding so quickly. I can't wait to see how the new announcements will look. Hopefully it won't be too long considering how quickly the N Scale Thomas and Percy were revealed.
The narrow gauge break vans and G Scale Diesel were definitely the highlights of this years announcements for me. People have wanted the break vans for a while, so it great to seeing them being made. G Scale Diesel is quite exciting to see, and it's great to see a new large scale engine being made. I own the large scale Percy set along a few other pieces of rolling stock, and the range has really grown on me. I don't currently plan on buying any other engines in the range, but Diesel might change that.
I don't want to get too excited for July, as I don't want to be disappointed, but I definitely want to see some sort of announcement. Stepney is without a doubt on the top of my list. If not him, Stanley is my second most wanted. Other than that, I would be happy with some new HO rolling stock. The new flatbeds sold very well, so hopefully Bachmann will be willing to introduce some new toolings. I would personally love to see the McCall's cattle wagon be announced again.
Looks like the Deluxe Set (with Thomas, A,C, Bertie, etc.), Black Loch folly, Maithwaite station, blue open wagon, ice cream van, Tidmouth sheds, and Knapford station seem to have been discontinued. It's a shame about these products but I'm happy i got most of them when i had the chance! Still trying to figure out a new home for my Tidmouth sheds on the new layout. Keeping that bad boy around or sure!
I haven't gotten any blue open wagons yet. I'm way far behind buying a friend each month. Still didn't get the red, brown/orange, blue. I do have the green ones with and without coal.
I find it funny how Knapford station, Tidmouth Sheds, and three of the resin buildings are discontinued...
Yet the switch tower is still in the catalog.
Hello everyone,
It's been a long time since I've come back here and I felt that an update post was in order. I've been losing interest in the Thomas franchise ever since Mattel took over the brand and started changing everything for the worst, but with the 75th anniversary upon us and some new model additions joining my fleet recently, my spirits are looking up. I needed a spark to get me back into this hobby, and part of that also has to do with the recent announcements by Bachmann. I understand that July is typically a time for new announcements to be made, and if recent posts from Bachmann's Twitter feed are anything to go by, they're likely in the process of selecting new characters/designs to make right around now. I think it's worth contributing some ideas to that discussion.
Last week I conducted a series of polls on Twitter and Facebook asking fans which characters they'd most like to see made next in the HO/OO range. Ideas included recolors of existing moulds (Sidney, Black James, etc), new character moulds that would be for one-offs (Nia, Rebecca, etc), and moulds of less-popular characters that were used more than once in the show which could be repainted easily for more money going to Bachmann (Charlie/Billy, Dennis/Norman). The results were mostly as expected with a few surprises standing out to me. Let's go over them, shall we?
BLACK JAMES, STEPNEY, and BOCO: These are the characters everyone seems to want unanimously. I don't think a single person voted against one of these three when given other options. Black James would be the easiest and most fitting after the announcement of a green Thomas, and as a recolor would very likely sell better among collectors than the upcoming Busy Bee James model. I'd like to ask that the face PLEASE be changed to something thinner and more in line with more recent James depictions though- the original Bachmann James face is really ugly and should have been changed years ago. Moving on from that, Stepney is perhaps the most requested new design and I know Bachmann as a company are aware of his popularity in light of the franchise's 75th anniversary. I'd love to see their take on him and sincerely hope he gets made according to his Season 4 depiction before he's reintroduced in CGI and inevitably destroyed visually like Oliver and Duncan were. So Bachmann staff, if you're reading this, let's get Stepney made sooner rather than later please, and make him look EXACTLY like he did during the model era. Heck, don't even bother with the CGI face from season 12, just use Season 4 photos as your inspiration please. Finally, BoCo is the last major classic series character fans have been after, and with the surprising announcement last year of Daisy coming to the range, I see no reason why this can't happen. There are a couple of concerns though- his size, and his lack of a CGI render. I've noticed in recent lean years, Bachmann have been sticking nearly exclusively with smaller, more economically sound characters. Daisy came as a shock to many, due to both her larger size and seeming lack of appreciation by Mattel. We never expected she'd be announced as an OO model, and I think the only reason she was given the go-ahead was because she has a CGI render. BoCo doesn't have that yet. So even though fans are virtually in agreement on wanting a depiction of him, he'd have to be a gamble on Bachmann's part, betting that another large diesel even bigger than Daisy and with only classic-series depictions would sell well enough with fans to justify the inevitably high price. Personally I think it could be done provided Mattel gives the go-ahead. They let Bachmann make the Spiteful Brakevan, despite not being seen since Season 2, so why not BoCo? I don't doubt fans would show up in droves to buy one of the last remaining classic characters in advance of a hopeful CGI depiction one day- I certainly would.
NIA and REBECCA: When asked about buying Mattel's token diversity characters, fans were more divided than I had imagined. There seemed to be a modest amount of appreciation for Rebecca, virtually none for Nia, and a middle ground where people wanted them together but not separately. People seem to want a model of Rebecca made before they'll consider Nia, and a sizable percentage also said they wouldn't buy either. If Bachmann considers these two, they should be produced and released simultaneously, not separately. The only thing I'd personally ask for regarding this is that I'd want Rebecca to be made from a Battle of Britain class mould (maybe from the Bachmann UK range if feasible) instead of a blank slate, and that's just to keep her consistent with the prototype. Nia would certainly have to be designed from scratch. Neither one of these two I'd be strongly interested in, but Rebecca I could be persuaded on if, and only if, she's made to be prototypically accurate. For clarity's sake I should say this though: when compared to other engines, Nia and Rebecca both scored much weaker on fans' lists. These two should really only be made *after* the classic set is done with, if at all, as a lot of fans outright won't buy them or will be tepid buyers at best. I'd approach making them with caution even if Mattel commissions them.
SIDNEY, SPLATTER & DODGE: We can't talk about the Bachmann Thomas range without talking about possible recolors, and these are the most obvious candidates. Bachmann seems to have gotten good use out of the (frankly, oversized) Devious Diesel mould, with 'Arry, Bert and Paxton all having been created from the same shell. These British Rail class 8 wannabe's aren't my favorites in the range, but I do appreciate that they're easy money-makers. Debatably, Paxton got the short end of the stick with his depiction, with a drastically oversized face that doesn't match the CGI render, and any more Class 8 characters would likely fall victim to the same problem unless the front of the mould is modified. Sidney is the most obvious new choice coming off the heels of Paxton, complete with CGI render and relative popularity for a background character in the modern era. I'd buy one if the face was rounded off on top as it needs to be. What was really surprising to me though was that (on Twitter at least) more than Sidney, fans were fairly vocal in requesting models of Splatter and Dodge, the two diesels from Thomas and the Magic Railroad. That film is going on 20 years old, wasn't well-received by critics, and has a distant-at-best relationship with Mattel who seem to want little to do with it besides a small amount of DVD sales. Even still, fans keep asking for models of these two diesels from the movie and were asking for Splatter and Dodge nearly 3x as much as they were asking for Sidney, a much more recent character who's more established in the show. Like BoCo, I expect these two would become sleeper hits if they were made- maybe not with younger kids and their parents who might not know who they are, but certainly with older fans who remember TATMR as the first Thomas film they saw. Personally, I'd buy one of each and a Sidney to go along with Paxton- again, provided the face mount lines were filled in and their faces scaled down properly.
RYAN, HARVEY, HIRO, PHILLIP, STANLEY: Let's talk about some fresh faces with brand new moulds. These are characters who have been tossed around as wish-list items a fair amount in recent years with quite a few custom versions being made by fans. Ryan, Harvey and Hiro seem to be the most requested; Ryan works well because he's a simple, clean design with a good amount of detailing, unique but simple livery, would fit into the RWS books as an Awdry-made character, and is small enough to fit into the same size packaging as, say, Duck. There's virtually no way to go wrong here unless a design of him was under-sized (his CGI render is shorter than an actual N2), so while I would love to have Ryan on my layout, I hope he'd be made a little bit larger than needed if anything. Make him Duck's size or so and he'll be just fine. Hiro has been in equally high demand for awhile, and with Daisy's announcement bringing back hope for larger characters, I think he'd be a good big-engine successor to Spencer, the last large steam engine they made. He'd sell well in Japan, he's visually aesthetic, and has a strong presence which a lot of smaller engines can't bring. Probably another sleeper hit with older fans in mind, and maybe a few kids and parents will buy him if the price is low enough. Harvey, a classic character with a one-off-design, is even more popular than those two, though I think I recall hearing that he was considered for production years ago and dropped because of complications with his crane. Whether that's true or not, demand for Harvey is even greater than demand for Ryan or Hiro. Older fans aren't going to be the ones having problems with hazardous parts like the crane hook; that's only a problem for the youngest buyers. If Bachmann decides to go that route and can figure out how to market him safely, there's no reason no to make him. Next, Phillip is probably the easiest out of all of these new guys to make, effectively being a box on wheels. While demand for him is there, it has never been very high and he'd probably sell modestly. The caveat is that he'd be very cheap to make and would probably be somewhere around Percy's size. All I ask is that if he is made, I'd like to see him made a little bit larger than he's depicted in the show, like the Class 08 characters were. He's a hybrid of two American prototypes which are large in comparison to British stock, and the CGI render does a poor job of showing this. Even if he was scaled up by as little as 10% I think he'd look more respectable. Consider it wisely, Bachmann. Finally, Stanley is an easy-to-make 6-wheel tank engine which Bachmann seems to love making because they're economical and require little effort. He'd make a good compliment to either of their Rosie models as a background character. I was surprised to see him all but dropped from the show following heavy promotion around The Great Discovery and Season 12, but that's on Hit Entertainment, not Bachmann. Personally I'd enjoy having him to run alongside the other smaller engines, though I would ask that he not be made smaller than necessary for the same reasons as Ryan. He's meant to be bigger than Thomas- remember that.
CHARLIE and/or BILLY, DENNIS and/or NORMAN: Let's discuss some less-popular characters which could bee repainted easily. Neither Billy or Dennis were ever popular in the later model era, but their simplistic designs lent themselves well enough to CGI where they were recycled into newer characters which have endured a longer shelf life as characters in toy stores. Merchandise continues to be made and sold of Charlie and Norman despite neither of them ever really "taking off". If Bachmann were to humor the thought of either Charlie or Norman, they could then in turn use those same moulds to produce Billy and Dennis if the former sell well. If not, fans will at least have the moulds to make the characters with themselves. Fan demand for any of these four is low, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't sell at all. Charlie has the advantage of being another background tank engine that can fit in virtually any space, and Norman would complement Paxton and Sidney well as a Day of the Diesels trio. Maybe I'm the odd one out, but I'd like to see them made at some point. Not right away, and certainly not before Black James, BoCo or Stepney, but at some point down the line when all the major classic characters are done and Bachmann just needs a quick buck, these designs could be worth exploring.
There are other characters I think have potential, but this post is already long enough. Fan favorites for modeling purposes have long included everyone from Seasons 1-12, and so in addition to those mentioned above, niche market cases could be made for Derek, Diesel 10, Lady, Fergus, Arthur, Murdoch, Molly, Neville, Whiff etc. I think many fans are simply of the opinion that if Bachmann makes *any* classic Thomas character they'll buy it. Myself, I'm a bit discriminatory, but I will consider any model produced on it's own merit. Out of all of them I'd like to see Fergus, Arthur, Molly and Lady made the most. But as long as Bachmann chooses their July 2020 announcements carefully, and doesn't choose someone completely random (like any character made after 2015 or so) I think they'll do just fine.
Quote from: Chaz on February 22, 2020, 08:34:39 PM
I find it funny how Knapford station, Tidmouth Sheds, and three of the resin buildings are discontinued...
Yet the switch tower is still in the catalog.
Funny thing I heard about the switch tower is that it apparently looks and is painted similar to a switch tower in the US (i think it might be somewhere in PA). So I think Bachmann captured that market share for non Thomas modelers. I could be wrong though so take that info with a grain of salt.
Another alternative for a black James would be to just modify the busy bee James model by painting the yellow stripes black, and then add the red lining, and viola, you've got a black James model! :)