The Everything Thomas Topic

[TrainFan97]

I don't know about Peter Sam, but within a few months, we should finally see N Scale James, and HO Scale Daisy fully painted with their images posted, and available later this year, possibly in the summer, but more likely fall, given the recent track record.

Hopefully, Origin James will also be available soon. Could be any day now. Origin James was supposedly being released in December, but was undoubtedly delayed. Bachmann can also post Ryan's illustration to the webstore.

[TerencetheTractor525]

https://twitter.com/bachmanntrains/status/1369653181609807875?s=20

According to Bachmann Trains on Twitter, Origin James will be out in August.

[Angelob6660]

I thought Origin James would be released within two to three months after busy bee James. I wasn't expecting almost a full year wait.

I was fully disappointed and I'll be waiting when he arrives. Before or around August.

[Falcon the 2nd]

Things haven't been too particularly eventful as of late, so I feel like reiterating some of my hopes, as well as the hopes others', for future products across the Thomas ranges with brief positive and negative points for the Bachmann team to take into consideration. As the original show has sadly ended a few months back, we can only hope that Bachmann can produce as many great products as their budget allows while they still can.

I apologize in advance if this post seems a little long - I just want to show that there is still a variety of viable options for future products despite the franchise's current position and the pandemic.

HO SCALE
Stepney
   + Demand for the character has been consistent overtime
   + Among the few pre-HiT characters left that have not been made
   + Suitable size for HO Scale
Boco
   + Daisy now makes bogie-wheeled characters plausible
   + Among the few pre-HiT characters left that have not been made
   - Size and costs may be issues
Sidney
   + The only major Class 08 recolor left
   - Accuracy of the face may be an issue (shape and eye mechanism)
Red Express Coaches reintroducion
   + Gordon's Express Coaches reintroduction were well-received
   + Easy recolor to produce
Tar Tanker reintroduction
   + An iconic piece of classic rolling stock
   + Easy recolor to produce

LARGE SCALE
LBSC Thomas
   + Most reasonable recolor to produce next
   + Iconic livery adored by fans
Bill & Ben
   + Two engines can be made with one tooling
   + Both are just the right size for the scale
   + Plenty of rolling stock available for them to pull
Duck
   + Character was a major hit in HO Scale
   + Fan-favorite engine that feels at least likelier than Edward
   - Longer wheelbase could be somewhat an issue
Red Coaches
   + Two of the most frequently requested items in Large Scale
   + Can be reused for Toby's Museum Coaches
Troublesome Van/Troublesome Truck #3
   + A reasonable piece of rolling stock to produce
   + HO Scale Troublesome Vans have been successful

NARROW GAUGE
Sir Handel
   + Demand for the character has been consistent overtime
   + Can compliment the in-production Peter Sam
Duke
   + Iconic pre-HiT character
   - May be a little niche?
Green Carriage
   + Notable piece of rolling stock missing from the range
Troublesome Slate Wagon
   + Demand for this option has been consistent overtime

N SCALE (Lots of possibilities here)
Mavis
   + Generally cost-effective option for a new engine (Toby's chassis can be reused)
   + Seemingly likelier in N Scale than Large
   - Very few merchandise and show appearances under Mattel
Edward
   + Generally cost-effective option for a new engine (Similar to James in size/form)
   + Seemingly likelier in N Scale than Large
   - Recently treated poorly by Mattel
Emily
   + Cheaper character to produce than Gordon and Henry
   - Could make N Scale offerings too similar to Large?
Henrietta
   + Easier to make in N Scale than Large
   + Can compliment the in-production Toby
Red Coaches
   + Easy options for new coaches
   + Can be reused for Toby's Museum Coaches
Milk & Tar Tankers
   + Easy recolors
   + Iconic, successful tankers in other ranges
Ventilated Vans
   + Staple rolling stock in other ranges
   + Graham Farish tooling likely available
   + Plenty of options for colors (GW, Blue, Explosives, etc)
Mail Car
   + Easier to make in N Scale than Large
   + Can compliment Percy
Brake Van
   + Graham Farish tooling likely available
   + Can be recolored/altered later in the line

Hopefully, the team can take notice of this list and refer to it every when thinking of future products. NMRA is well ahead of us this year, so there's still time to think about announcements for that occasion too.

[Mulfred100]

Its been a moment since I've actually contributed anything worth while so here's a little shot of Bluebell Valley since its officially Spring here in the UK now.
Hope everyone is doing ok

[TrainFan97]

Turns out Origin James probably won't be in stock until later in the summer. The same is likely the case for Troublesome Truck #6.

Anytime now, they could finally reveal N Scale James and HO Scale Daisy fully painted.

[Angelob6660]

It's a wooden railway set that came out in 2011. Fits nicely for today.

Happy Easter everyone.

[TerencetheTractor525]

Happy Easter everyone! Hope everyone is having a great day!

[Kemptown Branch]

I was able to watch some of the Virtual World's Greatest Hobby Show, and here are some pictures of relevant new products.

First up, N Scale James (still unpainted) was on display alongside the other N scale products, so we get a bit more of an idea of what his scaling looks like with the other products. He doesn't look to be as oversized as his CGI counterpart, although he might be slightly larger than in the Classic Series. They said he should be available sometime later in the year.










Large Scale Paxton and Diesel were also there, and they said that they should be due around the end of the month.




Daisy and Peter Sam weren't on display, and nothing about them was mentioned.

[Chaz]

Bachmann has finally added the narrow gauge range in the UK!

https://www.bachmann.co.uk/category/model-railway/thomas_and_friends/narrow-gauge

Strangely only Yellow Rheneas is there but I'm sure the other engines, including Peter Sam will be listed soon.

[TrainFan97]

It's just so depressing what Thomas has been going through recently. Michael Angelis died last year, and the original show has ended. The latter I just can't grasp. Ever since we found out Jam Filled stopped animating the show, I had a bad feeling this was coming. The reason we're not getting a real Season 25 is because the Big World Big Adventures rebrand failed, which is why Mattel is rebooting the show from scratch, except it's going to be even worse than before.

Instead of being CGI, the new show will be a cartoon the throws realism completely out the window, with Thomas being the main character in every episode. No continuity or realism whatsoever. The majority of the characters from the original show will be retired, with only a handful returning. I know I've said before that in a nutshell, Big World Big Adventures only fixed what wasn't broken, but this upcoming reboot takes that to a whole new level. Instead of making the toys better, and actually listening to the criticisms of the BWBA rebrand, going back to the way it was, Mattel consciously decided to give the fans the exact opposite of what they wanted in this reboot. Mattel is the epitome of an anti-consumerist corporation. If this reboot flops (it most likely will), it could very much lead to Mattel's bankruptcy. It's like Mattel is literally eating themselves alive with their anti-consumer practices. If this keeps up, they might go bankrupt. After what they did to our beloved franchise, I hope they do.

Our only hope would be if another, much more competent company, buys the rights to Thomas, and revives the original show. It would be a miracle for our beloved show to get revived, and back to the way it was.

[JLK2707]

Yeah.

[TrainFan97]

What really doesn't help is that Britt Alcroft hasn't owned the rights to Thomas since Magic Railroad, so there's nothing she can do. That movie ruined her career, and is a reason for the show ever going downhill in the first place.

Now look where Thomas is. If it wasn't for this Big World Big Adventures rebrand, this already-infamous reboot wouldn't have needed to happen. Mattel thought BWBA would improve Thomas, but only made things much worse, and only fixed what wasn't broken. We knew from the start that they were fixing what wasn't broken, but they didn't. Because Mattel REALLY didn't think the rebrand through. Definitely a company that doesn't think things through before making horrible business decisions. When this reboot got greenlit, they were thinking "How do we fix Thomas after we made such a bad business decision? I got it! Let's fix Thomas with another bad business decision!" Mattel is so lacking in self-awareness that they fail to realize this was all their fault. They failed to improve the toy quality, and have ruined Thomas big time. The Thomas we knew and loved is dead, no thanks to Mattel.

Honestly, who thought it would be a good idea to go from CGI, to a low-budget cartoon? Sounds like a massive step down. It's just not a good time to be a Thomas fan at this point in time. So many childhoods were destroyed.

[JLK2707]

Yeah.

[ScrumptiouslySouthern]

How likely do you guys think it is that Bachmann will ever fix Thomas', James', and especially Percy's faces? I mean, its been over 10 years, and if it hasn't happened in that time, despite them being massive flaws to the models that Bachmann have been fully aware of, than it doesn't seem like it'll happen at all. I pretty well gave up on the idea when the LBSC Thomas and the two James' were all revealed with the same wrong faces, which was a major missed opportunity for Bachmann to give people more incentive to buy all 3 of those repaints.