Quote from: STL on December 05, 2019, 11:01:00 AM
Suspecting that may be accurate. And if it is, lord it's annoying

To my memory, Rheneas began arriving at retailers fairly early in December and I was figuring that'd be the same case with the coaches. One thing's for sure, it would've been convenient to have these remaining past announcements fulfilled before focusing on the N Scale line and NMRA announcements in 2020.

The end of 2019 is drawing near and we still haven't heard anything about these since July. I'm starting to wonder if they've been quietly delayed to 2020.

Gordon and Henry announced after James sounds like a relatively decent move for the factors of the three engines commonly teaming up in the older shows and N Scale being more flexible with the former two's sizes. Other options are welcome, as long as they have some appeal to longtime fans.

Quote from: TrainFan97 on October 22, 2019, 03:40:07 PM
A while back, I did state the idea of Toby and Mavis sharing the same chassis, but I'm skeptical about whether or not Mavis would join the line because Mattel doesn't think she's marketable. Mavis rarely speaks anymore, and Mattel made almost no toy of her since their takeover.

Mavis has become a difficult character to discuss in terms of new merchandise. It is sad but true that she's had a hard time being seen as a respectable member of the Thomas cast nowadays. Though if her Day Out With Thomas debut at Strasburg this weekend may be any indicator, Mavis still has a shot or two at holding some relevance. At the very least, an N Scale Mavis may seem more likely than Large Scale since it would cost much less to make, she can still share Toby's chassis and she was already a hit in HO Scale. It's currently too early to tell if either character will be made, so we can only be patient on the note of Mavis. For now, I'm hoping she can be considered as a future engine possibly after Toby.

In case anyone else hasn't noticed or posted about it, Bachmann's official Twitter account announced that the coal cars and log flatbed announced earlier this year are now available.
https://twitter.com/bachmanntrains/status/1184480561211031554

So far, the only pre-NMRA announcements still yet to be released are the Narrow Gauge coaches announced back in 2018 and the new N Scale Thomas line also announced earlier this year.

In short, it'd be fair to say that just because a character hasn't been in the show for a long time doesn't mean they should be ruled out. Though I wasn't part of the community at the time the two pairs of twins were announced, I know for a fact that the news about Duck pleased a lot of fans back in 2012.

And not since Duck have we seen an engine announced that wasn't part of the current show, so on top of the other reasons everyone else has shared, Stepney would work wonders as a 75th anniversary engine.

And there we have it! The last of the prototypes, at least for now, and it makes sense to end on Thomas. Likewise with Percy, his transition to N Scale is just about seamless so far.

I'm wholly sold on the range too and I think it can succeed in a variety of areas where Large Scale couldn't, mainly including characters and affordability. Hopefully, both of these engines can be painted by the time Toy Fair 2020 hits and that they'll be worth the currently unknown prices of admission.

And I wish best of luck for that certain red fellow!

For some odd reason, I am unable to see it on the Facebook link, but I did see it on Twitter earlier, so I can still give my impressions on it.

This is a phenomenal prototype for Percy! It looks just about spot-on to his original look and the choice of his GCI face is welcoming. I now cannot wait to see Thomas' prototype. Well done, Bachmann! 

The N Scale line is going in a solid direction so far. Even without paint, this looks great!

It would also appear that these products may utilize the UK's standard N Scale coupling hooks, which helps give the engines more things to pull beyond default rolling stock. Most of Bachmann's Thomas products will debut in the UK next year, so it makes perfect sense to use these couplings.

I personally don't mind Grumpy Diesel that much since his face is a little more suited to his original personality and the base model has undergone a buffer paint error for a while now, but I can also see how most people were not too happy about it last year. Perhaps if it had been released a lot earlier on, then it would not have been as big of an issue.

Red Rosie isn't released yet, so it wouldn't be fair to judge a product that is currently not on the market.

To my memory, Paxton was considered the least decent model yet and it was mainly for awkward face sculpting. Haven't kept up with fan input on it recently, though.

In terms of HO engines, Duck is definitely one of the best that have been made to date. Toby and Mavis are also very solid contenders (at least in my book). Though I have not had the chance to own them yet, I've heard great things about Edward, Diesel and the Scottish Twins in the past.

Not a bad prototype by a long margin. It feels safe to start with smaller pieces for a new scale. I look forward to seeing how Thomas and Percy turn out if they are completed by next February.

I've already expressed my thoughts on Stepney and Ryan, but the Refreshement Coach is an idea I'm keen on and would love to own should it ever be made. The Green Coach also looks nice and is something to consider if options for Narrow Gauge rolling stock ever runs dry.

The only suggestion for a concept I have at the moment is a G/Large Scale Mavis. The idea has been mentioned often for a few years and Mavis is set to make her Day Out With Thomas debut at Strasburg next month, though I'm not sure how easy it would be to undertake with the bigger size in mind.

Both concepts look phenomenal! The fact that Bachmann's official account liked one of them is both astounding and another big indicator that the team is listening to us this year.

The road to Toy Fair 2020 has been an exciting one so far and it will only continue to build excitement among the fans from here.

Quote from: Chaz on September 23, 2019, 04:30:44 PM
Just as long as they look like the G scale models scaled down to n scale then I think they will be worth the wait.

That's what I am pretty much hoping for. Both characters looked just about flawless in Large Scale and utilizing the same looks in N Scale would help their sales a lot in the long run.

As discussed before, an N Scale Thomas range has lots of potential to succeed and it is a given that Bachmann currently has much hopeful expectations to live up to.

Quote from: TrainshockeylifE on September 22, 2019, 10:58:48 AM
That's ridiculous! They better be worth the price!

They might be Bachmann's catalogue/shop pricing. Most retailers sell Thomas products at prices that are about 30% lower than official listings, though Walthers is an exception since a majority their prices have been accurate to first-party options.

If Rusty's similar pricing is anything to go by, we might see them just barely make it under $100, but only time will tell as always.