Quote from: thomasj219 on February 14, 2020, 11:48:24 PM
Yeah I figured it would. Don't know how to do it myself.

And lol. Relax Sparks. Don't get too big for your buffers. Forgot why I don't post here more often.

I'm sure the admins will take care of it, if it really is that big of a deal.

I don't know about buffers, but that many images sure are too big for a single forum post, even on a desktop browser they're excessive.

I'm more impressed you managed to bypass the thing on the forum that automatically resizes images.

Which please, don't do again.

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.

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.

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.

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?



There we go, looks better already, doesn't it? Now I'm a fan of options, so lets have a.. ..B.. choice as well:



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.

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.

Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 10, 2019, 12:40:58 PM

Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on December 09, 2019, 12:02:23 PM

Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 09, 2019, 11:05:49 AM

Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on December 09, 2019, 12:51:06 AM
Measurements of all the TV series characters exist, both model and CGI, so there's no reason they'd need to do that. To add, it'd just defeat the point of doing Stepney as people remember him on-screen.

Stepney's proportions in the show are exactly the same as his real world basis. In fact, he's literally just his real world basis, but with a face slapped on. Nothing there would defeat any purpose.

They are close, but they are absolutely not 1:1. No engine in the entire show is a 1:1 representation of their basis, not even engines like Molly or Ryan. There will always be certain discrepancies in terms of proportions to simplify the design for the purpose of toys, make a face fit more suitably, etc. The closest exceptions I can think of might be Derek, Neville and Dennis, but they're the odd ones of the bunch.

I would really count removing details as "changing proportions". Which proportions on the Stepney show model are different than the basis?

The most blatant example is that on the real "Stepney" locomotive, the side tanks are thinner and longer, while on the TV Series Stepney, his side tanks are wider but shorter. The funnel on the real "Stepney" also has a flared base, while the TV series Stepney is straight. The splashers are also radically different, as the TV series Stepneys splashers are downright gigantic compared to the real one. The cab windows are also in slightly different positions, much higher on the real locomotive.

Point is, there's no reason to measure the real locomotive when they have instant access to the props measurements. The only time the Bachmann Range has ever used a real locomotive for reference is Skarloey (and even certain details there are up for debate), which was more appropriate as there are no RTR Taylyllyn locomotives on the niche OO9 market.

Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 09, 2019, 11:05:49 AM

Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on December 09, 2019, 12:51:06 AM
Measurements of all the TV series characters exist, both model and CGI, so there's no reason they'd need to do that. To add, it'd just defeat the point of doing Stepney as people remember him on-screen.

Stepney's proportions in the show are exactly the same as his real world basis. In fact, he's literally just his real world basis, but with a face slapped on. Nothing there would defeat any purpose.

They are close, but they are absolutely not 1:1. No engine in the entire show is a 1:1 representation of their basis, not even engines like Molly or Ryan. There will always be certain discrepancies in terms of proportions to simplify the design for the purpose of toys, make a face fit more suitably, etc. The closest exceptions I can think of might be Derek, Neville and Dennis, but they're the odd ones of the bunch.

Measurements of all the TV series characters exist, both model and CGI, so there's no reason they'd need to do that. To add, it'd just defeat the point of doing Stepney as people remember him on-screen.

I've decided to go ahead and jump into the concept art bandwagon once again with something special;





It's the OO Scale Thomas you've always dreamed of...!

The green narrow gauge coach looks fantastic; I'd buy it day-one. I also saw you did Ryan; he looks about as much as I'd expect a Bachmann product to as well, you got the look pretty accurately. If you don't plan on doing Stepney in the near future, I might consider taking a whack at it myself!

I'm gonna expect this will just be the same toolings marketed under a new packaging. They might go so far as to change the face toolings, but we can only hope and pray that it isn't based off the new "quirky" faces that have been in the Thomas & Friends style guides handed to manufacturers for the last few years... 

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.

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.