Would you buy a Bachmann Stepney?
Yes. I would definitely get a Bachmann Stepney! I have the Hornby version and would love to see how Bachmann would produce him.

How popular do you think that a Bachmann Stepney would be?
I think Stepney would be a popular model. Now that Bachmann have the licensing to distribute to the UK, I think Bachmann Stepney would do well overseas. Definitely at the Bluebell Railway for kids to own their own model version of him and for model clubs to run on their layouts at shows and exhibitions. If DCC compatibility is included then definitely a good item for clubs to have in the UK, AUS, and the US.

After reading this, is there any other HO engine you could see as a better suggestion than Stepney and why?
Possibly Ryan or Rebecca. More simple designs. Ryan being a tank engine in addition to Rebecca having a less complicated valve gear. Plus they'd add diversity among the characters in terms of newer faces kids are more familiar with and adding another female character would be great to get young girls interested in trains.

So after watching the live stream, I have to say, I'm one of the few who are not disappointed. I kind of expected Original James to be announced at some point. It was pretty much inevitable with LBSC Thomas announced this year. I actully think I might get LBSC Thomas and Origin James. I thought they were pretty neat to see on screen, plus I'm a sucker for the white lined wheels Thomas had in the green livery! 

I know it might make some of you guys upset but could we please be a little rational here? Had we been living in a world without Covid, then maybe more would have been announced and shown off. Covid has practically slowed out daily lives, in addition to manufacturing. Bachmann said via Twitter that they ran into some production delays. Ok! That's fine with me! Are we still getting Peter Sam and Daisy? You betcha we are! This year? most likely not, but they are defiantly coming! There's always next year for Stepney. Possibly Rebecca? I think she would be an excellent addition to the lineup. Some more resin buildings would be awesome too!

Awesome job, Mulfred! I love how much you've incorporated into such a small space! 

I use both Modeltrainstuff.com and TrainWorld.com both have great prices but sometimes one has what I'm looking for when the other does not. TrainWorld has more variety though and ships asap while Model Train Stuff offers less, has pretty good sales when they have Bachmann stuff 10% off the original sale price. MTS does sometimes take a little while to ship out though

Very good points! i have also seen people ask about where they can get a Hornby Stepney. Bachmann introducing Stepney would definitely be an advantage to them because it would be a more readily available. A R2R model of Stepney is basically unavailable for a reasonable price. Although i do think it maight also be a challenge for Bachmann. Do to his size, there will be limited space inside the shell. Plus with the T&F range being launched in more countries, the range has to comply with their toy standards in addition to the upgrades with DCC compatibility. I also think that with the COVID-19 crisis, we may not see Stepney as soon as we might expect.

To answer the questions you posted, here are my thoughts:
1.) I would definitely purchase a Bachmann Stepney. I've been meaning to purchase Oliver and Rosie for a while (I has taken a break from the Bachmann range in favor of other OO scale models, but I convinced myself that I want need them in my life xD) I'm also eyeing up that LBSC Thomas...but I digress!
2.) To continue with the launch of the range overseas, Stepney will be more recognizable to UK fans. Since other manufacturers that have produced Terrier models have not yet introduced "real" Stepney, and the novelty aspect of a "Thomas" Stepney will be a welcome addition for layouts at train shows. As for here in the US, I think it will definitely be well receptive among older fans and possibly newer ones too.
3.) As much as I would want a Stepney, I can also see a number of other ones coming either before or right after him, these characters include Ryan, Sidney, and even Rebecca. Ryan and Rebecca would add some variety to younger audiences who easily recognize them. Rebecca would be the first tender engine since Donald and Douglas. Sidney would honestly be an economical choice for Bachmann solely due to the fact he will reuse the basic Diesel/Paxton/08 shunter tooling in order for Bachmann to aid in recovery from the COVID-19 blow...that is if they're hurting from this.

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.

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'm kind of torn between either Ryan or Stepney, I do kind of lean more towards Stepney! Stepney has gotten some serious attention recently! I'm not just talking about the character but the actual loc has been getting attention even with a new model by Hornby. I think it would be nice to see Bachmann come out with Steppers for the T&F range! 🙂

I remember everything was still in the 2019 catalog besides the signal box. TrainWorld still has everything in stock including the signal box!
https://www.trainworld.com/manufacturers/bachmann/bachmann-ho-scale/bachmann-thomas-friends-1/bachmann-35903-signal-box/

There's always next year for Sir Handel and Ryan

I might have to get Daisy now! I'm actually really excited for the rolling stock too! It's nice that there's going to be more wagons with loads in the range. Peter Sam is definitely going to be a must have too! I'm pretty excited to see that Bachmann is starting a regular HOn3 line too!

Quote from: Griffin on May 10, 2019, 11:33:05 AM
Anthony! I mentioned this to you on Twitter, but even though Rusty is based on Mainlander, he seems to be dreadfully out of scale with Skarloey and Rheneas, so much so that if I was collecting the NG line I would probably just purchase the chassis and design a 3-D print for the body, given how simplistic the shape is. I mean...




(I lined them up and got the sizes as accurately as I could, probably not 100% accurate but I couldn't find a single shot from the show that showed them together)



I would love if someone (Chaz???) could take a more centered head-on shot comparison of Skarloey and Rusty (and Rheneas and Rusty, since I can make another comparison shot using the head-on promos fairly easily), maybe even on a white background, but for the time being this photo from AnthonyP2 should show how completely inaccurate the scaling is.

Somewhat disappointing, especially after such a long wait. But I suppose that he is based on his real life counterpart.

Ah yes I remember! I'm even thinking about doing the same, but i might just wind up getting another to make a more accurate Rusty that resembles Midlander more. I think the sizing doesn't bother me much because I'm not really modeling TV series accuracy. The new layout will be an Awdry inspired layout with faceless models being as accurate to their real life basis as much as I can. Like Thomas will most likely be the SCC 3D printed body shell on a Jinty chassis. I'll be modeling the Skarloey Railway too. I'll be adding details to the models and removing the faces from the Bachmann models. I was also thinking about keeping the 009 models as is and just getting another batch to transform into the models I'm aiming for. I'll be posting updates from time to time on progress of their new layout so keep an eye out! But anyway! Back to Rusty! I was wondering if i got a 3D printed shell to fit his chassis, would I be able to have an open cab? Hopefully he can because i want to avoid scratch building a chassis for him

UPDATE= PeterSamsFunnel on twitter posted this this morning: https://mobile.twitter.com/PeterSamsFunnel/status/1127231909174685696

I received my Rusty model on Monday as well. I posted a few pics on Twitter (link below) but have not gotten around to sharing my thoughts on Rusty. Chaz really hit the nail on the head with his review of Rusty. I feel basically the same way. I think Bachmann were trying to keep Rusty inline with Midlander. I posted comparison pictures of Midlander to Tallyllyn and Sir Haydn along with Bachmann Skarloey and Rusty comparison.

Out of the box, my initial thought was "wow he's a legit nugget." Rusty is by far the smallest model I've ever owned! He was a lot smaller than I thought which made me appreciate the inner mechanism and the amount of detail incorporated on the body shell. I ran Rusty around the small oval of 009 PECO track I have. He ran very well straight out of the box. Then i picked him up to take a gander at the details. Upon observation I noticed both of his axels were geared so i took a peek at the parts diagram. Not only did I find that both axels actually are geared but our little friend also has a flywheel! I didn't think he would! That would explain the smooth running.

So over all, even though size "may" be an issue, i think he's a very nice model! I say "may" because we're not 100% sure about sizing. I'm very pleased with Rusty! If you look past sizing, I think Rusty is definitely a must have for anyone's Skarloey railway on any Thomas layout, or even just a 009 layout. It's nice to see a R2R 009 diesel loco available for a decent price. I think Rusty was less than $100 with shipping. He's a great runner, he has great details, and is great value for a 009 loco! Granted, the Bachmann Thomas NG locomotives aren't DCC ready like many other 009 models, but are still pretty good value in my book to get started with 009!

If you want to see some pictures I've taken, the link to my posts on twitter are below!

https://mobile.twitter.com/TonyPont12/status/1125516982412042241

Quote from: Chaz on May 02, 2019, 04:29:34 PM
Those probably won't be out for a while since we still don't have pictures of those yet.

Trainworld called - Rusty will be shipping tomorrow.

I got my call from TrainWorld today too. I preordered him yesterday hopping he'd be in stock soon but I didn't realize it would be this soon!

They might rebrand the resin buildings under Bachmann Scenecraft in the UK. They might even add to the line. So far, the only discontinued building is the signal box.