I am a lot more impressed with how Sir Topham Hatt's car is coming along so far personally.  I appreciate how Bachmann was willing to give updates on that once they added wheels to the car.  I'm looking forward to adding this to my layout once the figure packs arrive. 

Hope we hear an update on N scale Gordon in the package/shipment soon too.

Quote from: Mulfred100 on April 20, 2024, 02:48:18 AMAn 8 year old today would have been born around season 21 and look at the difference.

Thanks for making me feel old today.

Quote from: RailsByRick on April 12, 2024, 05:56:09 PMGator is high on my wishlist of characters that I think Bachmann should consider making. I'd say he's probably had the same amount of screen time as Stanley (if not more). All around a great character, and a great design. If Bachmann can produce Stanley, then why not Gator?

The difference between Stanley and Gator comes down to how often they were used.  Gator just came and went after Tale of the Brave/season 18, whereas Stanley was introduced a lot earlier in the Great Discovery and has been used a lot more frequently since then.

Quote from: DustyMarie53! on April 06, 2024, 02:59:00 PMI feel like we do have to consider the fact Bachmann seems pretty knowledgeable about the general kitbashers given the Tallylyn line and changes they've made for certain Skarloey models. Norman having a basis not repped in 00 at all may be reason enough to consider him over others.

The thing is, the market behind HO/OO and OO9 (narrow gauge) are different from each other because OO9 relies a lot more on kitbashing/custom models because of how it's a lot more of a niche scale and not as many manufactures make OO9 models compared to HO/OO.  So it's not exactly a fair comparison to advocate for Norman because of what modelers do for Skarloey or other OO9 models.  If the character's basis were one of the factors Bachmann took into consideration, we would have seen Charlie and Whiff announced before Ryan or Rebecca.  Again, it's really not so much the basis of the character Bachmann isn't going for when deciding on new engine toolings, it's the character themselves and how appealing they are to a wider range of consumers.  The added benefit of the first six SKR engines being loved by both older and younger audiences alike and have a presence in CGI helps expand that point even further.

That being said, I do agree with you that the list of more recurring side characters is only getting smaller and we will -eventually- start jumping into more niche side character territory, or in the case of Nia, characters who were introduced a lot later in the CGI series if Bachmann continues to stick with characters who only appeared in that era of the show.  I still don't think it means Norman will happen in the immediate future, but I do think if Bachmann continues this direction, it will eventually lead to the lesser known, more niche characters.  I would be on board if model series exclusive characters got their recognition once again since Stepney and Arthur are two other personal favorite characters of mine but my hopes aren't that high at this time.  At least I can enjoy my custom Stepney model in the meantime made by Bluebells5529 (will be doing a post on this eventually in another thread).

Quote from: DustyMarie53! on April 06, 2024, 08:15:17 AMI disagree for two reasons. Number 1 the NMRA point. Technically the NMRA announcements are supposed to be reveals for products releasing the following year. It's never really worked out this way but it's supposed to (I think it worked out for origins James and only him lol). So if they wanted say, an N scale engine to tie in with the anniversary or a new G scale engine they'd more likely announce them here than wait for the 2025 catalog, as it would more likely guarantee they make substantial progress or even release during the anniversary year. Then NMRA 2025 would be focused on whatever is coming in 2026. Although this being the case could mean they just announce a green Thomas recolor in N or something like they did with origins James in 2020 lol.

The thing is, Bachmann made it perfectly clear on the last few Trainworld streams that this year really is the catchup year and there is a lot that they still haven't released yet.  Once more previously announced products are released, that's when they typically announce a lot more.  Last year Ryan and N scale Toby got released in the spring, and later that summer we got Stanley and N scale Diesel and Paxton announcements.  The year before was Daisy and N scale James and then the NMRA was Rebecca (and Beau) and N scale Gordon.  The same applies here, the only difference is that while Beau looks like he will be released in the next month, while Rebecca and N scale Gordon and Emily probably won't.  Yeah that probably means the newly announced products won't actually be released on the year they're announced or the year after but that's not really anything new in the grand scheme of things. It's to be expected at this point.

There's also really no stopping them from saving the projects from being "officially announced" until later while being worked on before their official announcement like the N scale box vans for example.  The van was a new tooling, and yet they were fully painted and ready to go once they were announced.  I doubt that this fully applies to new engines (unless it's a repaint like large scale Paxton), but the point still stands that they could be figuring out/working on other projects behind the scenes for a surprise reveal later.  I'm all for an N scale Henry announcement this summer, and would love to be proven wrong, but I'm not under the impression it will happen until next year once Gordon and Emily are hopefully out by the end of the year, and then we would receive a duo announcement in N scale of both Henry and Edward.  That to me would be a pretty incredible announcement and very fitting for the 80th anniversary of the brand.

Quote from: DustyMarie53! on April 06, 2024, 08:15:17 AMAs for Norman, I feel like from a Thomas fan perspective he's a little niche. Not a major character in the show or to fans why would they make him? Well, he has an interesting factor going for him. His basis. Not really present for modelling yet. (I think there may have been a brass kit at one point but idk if it still exists?)

The thing is, Bachmann typically goes for characters (with a new tooling) who have a lot more of a wider appeal.  Characters aren't really picked so much because of their basis, they're picked because a lot of people like the characters who were used in the show a lot more frequently or have a lot more of substantial following from fans.  I agree that Norman's basis and design a fun one, and there are a handful of other characters that would be fun (in either model or CGI) that would be nice for aesthetic purposes.  However, from a business perspective like Bachmann (or Mattel), Norman is a borderline "nobody" character. No lead role or much of a supporting role, no official introductory episode, not much of a personality, and not a ton of merchandise of him either.  All of these factors lead me to believe that Norman would be a poor seller and Bachmann's typically a lot more mindful about which characters they pick when it comes to new tooling announcements.  I think we can all agree on Whiff, Nia, and Hiro (depending on how Rebecca does) being valid possibilities for sure.  Depending on when Salty gets released I could see Porter eventually being added since he was also used pretty consistently.  Winston in HO would be a fun option too considering he has been in large scale for a while and since Bachmann's adding the figure packs, he would be a pretty natural addition to the range as well at some point.  Other characters though, I'm personally not so sure of, but again I think there's a handful of other characters I think Bachmann will be leaning more towards regardless before even thinking about adding Norman anytime soon.

Quote from: TrainFan97 on April 05, 2024, 04:18:36 PMThe next new tooling for HO Scale could be Nia, Whiff, or Norman to be the best choices,

I'll admit, you lost me at Norman being one of the "best choices" Bachmann would make for the next new tooling.  The other choices, including Hiro, I could see happening at some point, but I'm not so sure on Norman to be honest.

I think Bachmann's taking the "catch up year" plan a lot more seriously since they seem to be focusing a lot more on making progress on previously announced products.  I'm thinking the NMRA will probably just consist of some rolling stock announcements in HO and N, and once more products are released this year or have made a lot more progress we will probably see a much larger lineup ready for 2025 during the brand's 80th anniversary.  When that happens I think that's when we will see the next new HO engine tooling announcement along with N scale Henry and Edward once Gordon and Emily are eventually released.

The slate wagons that were shown to me didn't look too bad, I didn't even care for the red one as much when it first got announced but even I'm impressed by it.  Got a chuckle out of the Sir Handel comment too, but I appreciate that they're still making progress on him and I'm sure we will see an update sooner or later. 

I was a little surprised by the van sample too, unless if there was some modifications they need to make to the UK tooling like removing the brake pipes.

It was a fun stream for sure and I hope we see the N scale Gordon in the packaging soon!

Thanks everyone for the strong feedback!  I'm glad everyone seems to be on the same page when it comes to the engine choices and the non-rail characters too.  Undeniably, I think those the five I mentioned earlier (and possibly Spencer) are easily the more popular requests that I have seen, hence why I mentioned them.  I agree that there's a lot more of an urgency for Henry and Edward due to their classic main character stance, in addition to Duck and Oliver to an extent because of Toad's release.  That being said, there are a few things I want to respond to in particular. 

Regarding the brake vans, as I mentioned earlier, there are different livery options out there Bachmann could use for the N scale range, or even HO if they really wanted to.  I think introducing a set of brake vans in a new tooling and various liveries would be the best way to go.  Seeing as how Bachmann has shifted for more industrial colors like gray and brown, I would like to see these find their way to the N scale brake vans once they are announced.  If there's any new rolling stock tooling that we get announced this year, I hope this will be the one.  Track-cleaning stock wouldn't be a bad idea of usage of the brake van tooling either.

As for Mavis' lack of usage since season 19, I think that's a moot point since while her usage hasn't been as frequent as she used to be, she would be one of the easier choices for a new locomotive design.  The class 08 repaints do get tiring after a while, and I think Diesel and Paxton are just the right amount for the time being. Mavis would offer some nice diversity in terms of diesels in N scale, and would reuse the same motor and chassis as Toby which is a win-win of it's own.  That already puts Mavis a few steps above the likes of  other diesels in the range such as Salty or even Daisy, so I'm all for it.

Spencer on the other hand I think has a higher shot than most of us might give him credit for since he's had a better track record from Bachmann in terms of sales.  He was also introduced pretty early in HO (he came even got announced before Edward), so I wouldn't rule him out from being introduced soon too.  The only reason why I didn't mention him or the likes of Donald and Douglas or Daisy is because I feel like there is a lot more of an urgency to the characters I mentioned earlier.  I think the five engines I mentioned in my last post might make better candidates first based on the reasons I mentioned earlier, but I think it's worthy of an honorable mention too.  He definitely fits comfortably in a "tier 2" list as mentioned earlier, so there's that much going for him.

As for the cattle wagon, I'm all for it. Like Spencer though, I left that one out since there's some rolling stock additions I feel have a stronger sense of urgency like brake vans or the red coaches or even the mail car.  I think we will see demand for cattle wagons increase once Edward eventually gets introduced in N scale.

I wouldn't mind LBSC Thomas or Origin James in N scale either, but in my opinion I think it's a little too early for Bachmann to be considering those, especially considering Henry and Edward haven't been announced yet.  Maybe much later down the road once more characters get introduced.  Sidney meanwhile I think could work if they absolutely had to reuse the class 08 tooling anytime soon, but I feel like adding a third so soon after Diesel and Paxton is a little excessive.

Probably one of my favorite kind of posts to do on the forum are the somewhat annual wishlists the N scale range. This is because the N scale range has come so far since its initial announcement five years ago back in February 2019.  We're at a point right now where they have doubled the number of engines Tomix released, have a decent variety of rolling stock to choose from, with no signs of slowing down either.  They made significant progress last year in terms of engines and especially rolling stock and my original wishlist has only been getting smaller since then!  Now that the 2024 catalog has come and gone, here is my up-to-date wishlist for the N scale Thomas range.  And even though we all know CGI will be used as a reference, I figured just for fun I will use model era pictures in honor of the television series's 40th anniversary this year in October. 

Engines:


Henry - It's so obvious it's not even worth going in depth over, but for the sake of consistency I'll go over it briefly.  Henry is undeniably the top request for the next engine in N scale, with his market shown from the Tomix model, shared motor and chassis as Gordon and his HO model remaining a consistent seller it's no contest.  I firmly believe Henry should be the next new engine we get announced in N scale at the NMRA this summer once they get Gordon released. 


Edward - A close second is Edward, a character who I feel would be a very appropriate choice for the following N scale engine either after or alongside Henry (if he doesn't get announced this summer), during the brand's 80th anniversary.  Another well established character with a lot of history and a strong following, Edward would feel like a very natural addition in N scale.  If Henry gets announced at the NMRA as a follow up to Gordon, then I think Edward would be a solid follow-up announcement to Emily once she is released.  Even if Henry isn't announced by the NMRA this summer already, I think both Henry and Edward would make a really great duo announcement for 2025 for the 80th anniversary.


Duck - After Henry and Edward, I think the most natural choice would go to Duck.  Duck has always been very popular with the older fan base, especially with Bachmann as his HO model continues to be a top seller many years after its release.  In the CGI series, Duck has always had a huge following too, even more than Oliver who you could argue is a shoe in because of Toad.  However, Duck has always been more iconic than Oliver, especially in the CGI series and the fact that Duck is even popular with the younger generation as well (as confirmed by a former student!) it's clear that after Henry and Edward, Duck rightfully deserves to be third in line before introducing Oliver to go along with Toad.  He would also be a perfect follow-up announcement to Diesel once he is considering their classic rivalry, and the HO line did the exact same thing which was appreciated by fans everywhere at the time.

It may seem like my engine list hasn't changed that much, but my honorable mention in the form of Diesel (plus Paxton) found its way into the range last year which is a definite plus.  My new honorable mention now would go to Mavis since she has such a simple design and easy chassis reuse Bachmann can work with.  Oliver would be a close second honorable mention to go along with Toad. 

Rolling stock on the other hand has gone down a lot more drastically on my wishlist.  Last year we got box vans, Henrietta, and Gordon's express coaches.  Pretty impressive all of these got announced last year if you ask me! 

So going forward, here are the next pieces of rolling stock I would like to see next:


Brake vans -  Like Henry, this is such an obvious pick.  I love the Toad model, but as I've said before the 12 ton brake van is far more iconic and would look a lot better behind goods trains pulled by several other characters in the show.  They can go for various different liveries like the NW livery like in large scale or brown and gray in the model series or even purple in CGI.  They can even introduce a spiteful brake van model either right after or alongside a standard brake van as an added bonus.  Either way, there's a lot they can do with this tooling and it's well worth the investment on Bachmann's end. 


Red coaches - Just like the brake van, these are another very obvious choice.  They are easy models to make and were hot sellers in HO and large scale - I have zero doubt the same will happen in N scale.  They've been pulled by several other characters in the show, including characters that are either currently available or high in demand for the future.  I think these make a pretty close second top request behind brake vans. 


Coal wagon with load (and other repaints) -  I think more likely than not, Bachmann will most likely introduce more repaints in N scale either in the summer or next year.  While the repaint I'm personally the most hopeful for is the coal wagon with load, I wouldn't mind seeing other wagon repaints or even some of the other box vans receiving repaints as well.  I wouldn't even mind Hannah in N scale since we are already getting Henrietta in N scale too.  Even if one or two repaints were announced alongside a brake van, I personally don't see the harm in that.  If they do though, let's start with the simpler repaints first like the coal wagon with load and the red/blue open wagons like in HO and large scale before we move onto the more gimmicky repaints with various decals printed on.

Honorable mentions go to the mail car and a new tanker mold.  The mail car has always been a popular seller in HO and offers several repaint options as well, however I put this one lower than the rest since I feel that brake vans and the red coaches are a much higher priority.  The new tanker mold meanwhile is something I really want Bachmann to consider at some point much later in the future since I, and many other fans, would prefer the more screen accurate tooling like what was used for the large scale range and even HO/OO.  There's a reason why the N scale tankers don't sell nearly as well in my local hobby shops compared to the rest of the stock and  it's not hard to see why.  I think revisiting the tankers with a new tooling in mind would be a much better option for Bachmann rather than to repaint the Farish tankers again, especially considering there are several repaint options out there.  Even if they go for new liveries that weren't introduced previously like milk, tar and even toffee with a new/improved mold I wouldn't even be opposed to that either. 

And despite my talk of my list going down slightly, I think it's time to talk about non-rail characters for N scale.  This is something that's been brought up occasionally by fans, and with the HO line announcing more as of last year, I figured why not.  So here are the ones I think Bachmann should start with:



Bertie - There is absolutely no doubt that Bertie should be one of the very first additions in this category.  He has always been a popular character and made frequent appearances since season 1.  He's got a great simplistic design to work with, and I have zero doubt Bachmann will be able to pull him off nicely in N scale. 



Harold - Harold has always been a huge icon of the Thomas brand and franchise.  A popular character since his debut with regular appearances, I would say both he and Bertie would make welcome additions if announced alongside each other together in N scale like in HO (and Bachmann Europe).  Harold would also feel like a very natural addition if Bachmann were to include non-rail characters in N scale too.

My honorable mention goes to Cranky, even though he's more of a scenery item they can add to the range; which I feel warrants a post on its own.  But having Cranky -an iconic staple in the show- in N scale would go over very well for the many fans who are collecting N scale, including a former student and his dad, in addition to several other young hobbyists who are just getting into the hobby.  I'd mention other characters like Terence too, but I don't want to go too overboard non-rail characters quite yet, so I'll wrap it up here.  Let me know any additional thoughts below.

A high resolution photo of the N scale Gordon has been posted at Walthers:



Always a good sign that the release date is getting closer and closer!

It was nice getting a sneak peek of Sir Topham Hatt's car, in addition to hearing that progress has been made on several other projects that have been announced earlier.  I've said it earlier, but I appreciate how this is the catchup year for Bachmann since it allows them to give us more updates on highly anticipated products that were announced previously. 

Either way, while I'm just as excited for Sir Handel like everyone else, I'm a little more excited for the human figure packs since those offer so many fun modeling opportunities for fans.  It'll be really nice seeing how the new Sir Topham Hatt figure will look next to his car soon too.

I'm surprised the tar tanker hasn't been brought back yet as that's been such a popular request and it's in the CGI series.  I could see that being introduced in a lineup with the toffee tanker and the chocolate syrup tanker.  Maybe for the NMRA this summer, Bachmann?

I want to say I'm surprised that the announcements in the catalog this year are minimal, or almost non-existent, but I'm actually not.  It's been emphasized here a few times earlier by myself, as well as other members on the forum and even from Doug on the Trainworld stream that they're behind on several projects as it is, so taking a breather for the time being is probably wise. 

That being said, it's nice seeing that the large scale Thomas set is officially making its reintroduction with the Thomas model coming with DCC and sound.  I'll admit, that was a very nice surprise.  Killing two birds with one stone in terms of reintroductions by making a new product out of it.  If there was any range that got a new announcement this year, I'm genuinely glad it's the large scale range.  That range has been getting the short end of the stick as of late, how about getting Henrietta out now Bachmann?

The slate wagons were obvious if they were going to do anything for narrow gauge.  I like how they are going for different colors, though I'm personally not crazy about the red one. While I don't mind the slate wagons I would have preferred if they had given the N scale range different wagon repaints instead, but that's just me.

I'm under the impression that based on what was on display at the Amherst show (barring the N scale Emily) that we will most likely get Beau, the large scale museum coaches, N scale Gordon and Emily's coaches out first before we get more new product announcements.  I could see the N scale Emily getting released closer to the end of the year, and possibly Rebecca and Salty too depending on how production goes for those two.  Either way, if it means that the only announcements in the summer will only be N scale Henry and some rolling stock announcements in HO and N scale then so be it.  As I said earlier, if it means Bachmann can focus more on previously announced projects then I'm all for the winter announcements being minimal.  Here's hoping the next big reveal will be an unpainted sample of Sir Handel and the other narrow gauge rolling stock.

Quote from: tootallyt on February 26, 2024, 05:35:40 PMThey are in the public domain if you know where to look so i havent leaked anything

While we knew about the G scale Thomas set and Talyllyn coaches, the slate wagons were not public.  You leaked that bit of information out to the public.  Admit you went with premature information without Bachmann's consent and please move on already.  We are all tired of your pompous attitude, and not just on here but in all the various Facebook groups/pages you comment on too.

Quote from: thomasj219 on February 26, 2024, 05:31:34 PMIt's really not your place to post that man.

Seeing as you leaked the announcements back in 2021 I would think you'd be more careful.

Unless of course you simply don't care.

He doesn't care. He got banned the other day for ranting about other shops doing preorders, yet he unapologetically leaks announcements before Bachmann does themselves?  If that's not hypocritical then I don't know what is.