I definitely agree that Sir Handel is the best choice for the next Narrow Gauge announcement. Like Chaz already mentioned, he offers contrast to what we have in the range already and fills the number gap between Rheneas and Peter Sam. I can also say I'm for the idea of Bachmann reusing the model to make Falcon, as it does seem like this would be a great piece of nostalgia for those who want to model their layouts after the Mid Sodor Railway. I do wonder if Bachmann would consider this though as a nameplate change seems very minor, but at the same time it's so simple to do. Regardless, I think Sir Handel should definitely take priority for the NMRA or 2022 announcements. Same for the wagons as well.
Now I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes by saying this, but I do think we need to take a few steps back on the whole Smudger topic. Considering people were literally on this the day of announcements, I think it just shows ignorance. Yes yellow Rheneas wasn't something anyone asked for, but it makes sense why he was announced over a new engine like Sir Handel or even a recolor like Smudger. What people don't seem to understand is that significance also plays a factor into a character getting announced. Stepney is another example people have been knocking down the door to see get a model in HO, but he honestly doesn't have any significance because he is not a character from the CGI era. If it's true that Mattel doesn't want Bachmann investing into characters that aren't CGI based, then it's pretty clear Stepney isn't going to happen.
Smudger on the other hand has even less significance than Stepney. He only had a small appearance back in Season 4, and because of that his character is very much forgettable. He hasn't even received any merchandise in the last 10 years, so clearly Mattel doesn't see him as a marketable character either. I understand people think he has a chance from Bachmann just because his tooling is already there with Rheneas, but this same argument can be made with characters like Splatter and Dodge. Bachmann has the tooling there from Diesel, but those characters are not going to happen because they hold no significance today. The same thing applies to Smudger being made from Rheneas. Bachmann still has to make a new face tooling, which they would already be doing for something like Sir Handel anyway...
Again, I don't want to sound like I'm putting down those who are asking for Smudger, but if someone wants to get upset with me for being realistic, then so be it. There certainly seemed like far more demand for Sir Handel back in 2020, and Smudger was hardly mentioned. Now we suddenly have people who would rather step back and see another minor recolor get announced, rather than a new tooling/character. These sort of discussions aren't necessarily a bad thing, but when people constantly want to discuss items that clearly don't have a chance of being made rather than something that would actually be considered, that's how we end up with announcements that no one wants...
-Rusty
Yellow Rheneas has no relevance whatsoever. Even Mattel doesn’t give a crap about Yellow Rheneas.
People are saying that since Bachmann is making a recolor, they should’ve went with Smudger, which now makes him more desirable since recolors are now happening. And everyone is still saying they want Sir Handel. Both are being suggested to cover all the bases. It’s right there in front of everyone’s faces that people are saying “If were getting a recolor, it should be Smudger. If we’re getting a new tooling, it should be Sir Handel”.
I never saw proof that Mattel are forcing Bachmann to only do characters that appeared in CGI. And why would Mattel have approved of The Spiteful Brakevan or, to a lesser extent, Toby’s Museum Coaches, in that case? They may be repaints of rolling stock, one with a newly tooled face, but Mattel didn’t create those. And it’s very clear at this point that Mattel flat out hates anything and everything they didn’t make. It wouldn’t surprise me if they make Bachmann do that, but I never saw proof of this claim.
It’s ludicrous and absurd to say that making a character people would have wanted anyway is less realistic than making a recolor of an existing character no one wanted.
None of this makes any sense, it just seems more like excuses made from misunderstanding what people are saying.
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