Future suggestions/predictions thread

[RailwayRoundhouse]

Oooh I live a bunch of these ideas . Reusing the existing British molds has been done since day for rolling stock . But I think doing it for engines could get a lot of characters get made faster.

However D261 is very unlikely considering that he only appeared once.

What if Bachmann reused Gordon and Spencer's tenders with serval mods to make flying Scotsman .

Also what about making the ulfstead castle characters to go along with the coach they announced earlier .

Rerelease the well wagon with a jet engine load and replace the logs on the flatbed with a Chinese dragon mold . These are both iconic episodes of the show and the dragon will go in with the fun fair vans .

Also on the topic why not update the graphics on the live lobster to topham circus to fit in .

Maybe in the upcoming years 2024 and after we can see some more troublesome trucks .
Mainly a van a troublesome van would be cool if Bachmann does I hope they give it the iconic face as seen in toad stands by and haunted Henry.
 

I've gotta say, both The Jet Engine and The Chinese Dragon sound like awesome ideas for future products. Both are iconic in their own right and also open up more possibilities for newer sets. Despite Emily and Percy receiving their own sets in N Scale, Bachmann seem to prefer producing sets revolving around only Thomas. If this is the case, then why not produce two brand new starter sets with the dragon and jet engine respectively? As stated before, model series rolling stock seems to be something that has a higher likelihood of being made than model series engines for some reason and to be honest, if Bachmann are willing to produce a Gunpowder Wagon that hasn't been seen since Season 4, what's really stopping them from producing wagons like these which you could argue are just as, if not more iconic? Just a thought...

[JLK2707]

Sounds great! 

[Awesometrain77]

Tbh Bachmann is making a lot of road characters so they need to bring back the wellwagon and pairing it up with the jet engine will sell very well I will for sure buy one .

[Awesometrain77]

The slip coaches are hopeful gonna be very soon because Bachmann makes the British uncoupling track which would be perfect to use the slip coaches on .

They uncouple with out stopping and since we have duck and Oliver we should get the slip coaches .

[Awesometrain77]

I really want Bachmann to make the dragon and the jet engine I could not stop thinking about that mainly the well wagon cause we are getting a ton on road vehicles in the show that's what the well wagon mainly carried .
Another idea for the well wagon is it with Mike Rex and Bert loads since Bachmann does not make z scale and they are the only members of there railway that are seen in the TVS .

[Chaz]

I've been meaning to do a new prediction post after the announcements.  However, even over the last month my thoughts have been continuing to change, at least in terms of engine announcements in HO and narrow gauge.  This post will more or less talk about my suggestions 2024 and 2025, to an extent.  Not much more left to say, so I'll just get started:


For HO, I'm betting on an engine recolor announcement in 2024 at most since we only just recently got an engineering sample for Rebecca and now we have Stanley on the table.  Sidney is kind of an obvious one, if they want to do one, or maybe Bachmann might surprise us and do a new Paxton with a smaller and more accurate face and a small eye mech that can be shared with Sidney?  I know that may be a stretch, but clearly Bachmann have listened to feedback on the HO Paxton enough to make a drastic change on the large scale model and the upcoming N scale Paxton wouldn't have an issue with the face at all due to not having a moving eye mechanism.  If they can't/won't change the eye mech for Sidney then I personally think it's best to skip an engine in 2024 and wait til 2025 once Rebecca is completed and released.  Any other engine repaint like the mainland diesels or green salty would be way too niche and would just be shelf warmers like Yellow Rheneas, which wouldn't be worth it.

For rolling stock I would like to see Bachmann invest in repainted brake vans.  I love the spiteful brake van model and if you choose to remove the face off a spare spiteful brake van you pick up, it makes for a smart looking brake van on your layout.  However, it would be nice if Bachmann invested in more screen accurate liveries for brake vans.  The two I think would make the most sense would be brown and purple with one representing the model era and the other in CGI (I'd mention gray but that may be a little redundant with the spiteful brake van in the range).  It's an easy repaint that while it may seem a little odd on the surface, it doesn't seem that unusual considering the gray van that was announced this summer:




I also think it's a good time to revisit troublesome truck #7.  Usually, Bachmann would announce a new troublesome truck once every three years or so, but they hadn't done so in a while due to lack of options in the CGI series for truck options since the double vent van never appeared in CGI.  Now that the 12 ton vans are coming in HO, I think now is the perfect time to announce troublesome truck #7 as an upcoming 12 ton van, based on this design from the CGI series:



HOWEVER, while I'm personally not opposed to CGI, it should be worth noting that prior to TT6, Bachmann still went ahead with a model era face for TT5 in 2016.  So maybe we might get lucky with a model era face this time around?  I do think the model era faces are far more expressive and stand out a lot more than the CGI expressions.  If we do I'd like to see an angry face for a nice contrast to the other faces:



Though, I sadly understand why they would more likely go for the former.  That being said I will gladly take that over an African van or some other international rolling stock repaint from one of the BWBA episodes no one cares about.

Any other rolling stock in HO at this point I think will be only be recolors until the open carriage gets released first.  I don't think we'll get more figure packs until 2025 once the first set of packs are either released/fully painted first. 

Moving onto narrow gauge, I think this goes without saying but with how slow production is going for Sir Handel and now we have Duncan in the lineup, it's probably best Bachmann skips making an engine for the time being. 

Same goes for rolling stock, though if they announce anything I would love to see them release a brown brake van as a repaint and a slate wagon with another Talyllyn road number.  The latter was a nice surprise last year and I'd love to see them do the same in the future.  Once they make progress on the new wagons announced last year I'd really like to see them discontinue their Peco open wagon repaint and announce a more accurate open wagon tooling in its place:



They can offer these in green, red and gray variants as per the CGI series.  If Bachmann can't announce these in 2024, I would be more than happy with this being the only new tooling announcement for narrow gauge in 2025 if it means Sir Handel makes decent progress in 2024 and released the following year.

Now we have N scale, with the blatantly obvious answer for the next engine candidate: Henry. 


Regardless if it's either the catalog announcements in January or February or the NMRA announcements next summer, Henry is a clear, if not inevitable pick.  I think once Gordon is released either in the spring of 2024 (or maybe earlier if we are lucky), Henry would in no doubt be the perfect follow up to the N scale Gordon announcement.  With how slow progress has been on Emily in contrast and now adding Diesel and Paxton to the lineup, I could see Edward and Duck being saved for 2025, but I'll discuss that later.


For rolling stock, seeing as how Toad will most likely be out fairly soon I can see them adding brake vans this year but making a new mold based on the 20 ton brake van that's more iconic in the show.  They can even have the spiteful brake van be one of the brake vans, and the purple and brown variants I mentioned earlier being other worthy additions making a solid lineup of three brake vans to choose from. 


I also can see the red coaches getting their inevitable announcement in 2024 as well too.  These have proven to very popular in both HO and large scale and even Bachmann's UK lineup so it's only a matter of time until they announce these.  I can see these getting announced once Emily's coaches are released. 


I also think it would be nice seeing other repaints as well, particularly the original coal wagon with load finding its way into N scale.  If it also means getting the blue and red ones as well then by all means I would welcome them as well.  As long as we get those and not the wagons with the decals like "Sodor coal company" or whatever, I would be perfectly okay with this.


And lastly, I think we will get a Gordon's express set in N scale.  Considering Percy and Emily both got sets recently and Gordon's coaches got announced this summer I think this is pretty much a given.  It's definitely a good way to get people excited for the upcoming Gordon model release as well. 

And finally the large scale range. 


Taking a breather with large scale makes the most sense considering how slow that particular market is.  However I think 2024 would be a good time to announce 'Arry and Bert, but have them as conditional announcements.  Bachmann recently announced some Dash 9's in large scale this summer subject to orders received, and I think this would be a good way for Bachmann to handle releasing Arry and Bert in large scale.  Why I think this is because of how poorly Arry and Bert did in HO, their sales in large scale would most likely be even smaller.  But, if Bachmann can at least make them in smaller quantities and instead of making an excessive amount with a lot of leftover stock sitting on shelves, the  they will go to the customers who will want them and will follow through with the preorders and thus not be such a major waste in production.

Apart from Arry and Bert, the only other announcements I see happening in large scale next year are the 12 ton vans that just got announced in HO.  Seems like an obvious choice with no further explanation.

I also want to do some quick mentions for 2025.  Before I do, it's worth noting that 2025 will be the 80th anniversary of Thomas and Friends and I can only imagine Bachmann would have a lot of fun and exciting announcements for the anniversary.  This is when I think we will finally get a model of Hiro in HO since this is the most logical choice after Rebecca and would undoubtedly sell a lot better and be a much more well-received announcement.  I also think that if they announce N scale Henry in 2024 and have N scale Emily released in either late 2024/early 2025 that it would be the perfect time to announce Edward in N scale.  Edward was the first character introduced in the railway series so announcing him in N scale for the 80th anniversary in 2025 after Henry would be simply poetic.  I also think once Diesel and Paxton are released, Bachmann can also announce Duck in N scale in the summer of 2025 so fans can finally have all members of the original 8 engines in N scale.  As for large scale in 2025, I think that will be the perfect time to announce the LBSC Thomas.  However, like Arry and Bert, I think a large scale LBSC Thomas should be a conditional announcement, or at the very least a limited run.  Other big announcements I think should be saved for 2025 would be more figure pack announcements in HO, large scale Henrietta and Hannah as a special new tooling announcement for the range, and -hopefully- now that Bulgy is coming in HO, Trevor can finally get a very long overdue introduction from Bachmann.  Either way I think 2025 is gonna be the next big year for Bachmann, so here's hoping these happen at some point in the future.


Anyways that was a mouthful on my end.  Let me know your guys' thoughts and hopefully we can continue to see further updates from Bachmann down the road. 

[JLK2707]

I could practically imagine Iron 'Arry and Iron Bert to just be rereleased for 2025.

[N Scale Sudrian]

The cream 12 Ton Van from the show becoming Troublesome Truck #7 would make the most sense. That color of van is more or less treated as the "standard version" in the 3D animated show, so the fact it's not represented in the upcoming HO 12 Ton Van lineup is definitely an indicator of that color variant being planned for Troublesome Truck #7. That said, I wouldn't mind the African or Chinese equivalent of the van being chosen. They look perfectly fine and there's no reason that those wagons couldn't exist on Sodor anyway regardless of where they showed up in the show. It's a very diverse and accepting island, and any arguments to the contrary would be blatantly ignoring the entirety the series' nearly-80-year history, ha ha.

I definitely agree with Henry being the next 'Thomas' loco in N Scale, no reason mulling over why given how obvious he is. It would be nice to see the Spiteful Brake Van and faceless, textless 7-Plank wagons as well. Personally my biggest wish for the next year's product announcements are vehicle accessories such as Bertie, Harold, Cranky, etc. It's very hard to source appropriately-sized versions of those characters for an N Scale layout, so having Bachmann produce some would be much appreciated!

I personally don't see 'Arry and Bert happening in Large Scale, even as a conditional release. Diesel and Paxton are still very recent and following them up with another pair of Class 08s sounds like a recipe for not meeting the release conditions and wasting the time of everybody involved when they could be announcing a new product that would undoubtedly be more popular. Edward, Mavis, and Rosie come to mind as much stronger picks for new tools, perhaps Stanley as well if he proves popular in HO. I could see conditional releases for alternate character liveries such as LBSC Thomas or Busy Bee James (or Pink Rosie if Rosie is picked for Large Scale, given they'd probably do what they did with Grumpy Diesel and release the later HO version as the main/only version in Large Scale), but not 'Arry and Bert, at least not until there's been something that the market for LS finds more compelling first.

[Awesometrain77]

Troublesome truck 7 and 8


If they do a troublesome truck
number seven van
I hope they do the very iconic face that looks creepy and toad stands by and says oh look Henrys spooked.

Bring back
Tar tankers - as troublesome truck 8 with a face
Cream tankers

Make a narrow gauge troublesome slate truck using the TT9 face And introduce it to the n scale range with different couplings to be the one from JBS

 

[Chaz]

It's a very diverse and accepting island, and any arguments to the contrary would be blatantly ignoring the entirety the series' nearly-80-year history, ha ha.

A little provocative much?

Not wanting African/Chinese repaints doesn't mean anything regarding "ignoring the entirety series' nearly-80-year history", when those renders were created as cheap rolling stock renders during the production of BWBA.  The reference photo that was used at the time for Troublesome truck #6 in the catalog was the first image for troublesome tankers on the Wiki at the time, and it probably wasn't intentional during that time either.  Fans eventually brought up to Bachmann that the tanker was one of the African repaints during BWBA, hence why they've casually mentioned the tanker being an "African tanker" on the stream.  It wasn't my first choice personally once the final product was revealed, but I had a feeling it was the case once the model was released but that's beside the point. 

The point is, your remark on "blatantly ignoring the history" was not only completely unnecessary, but it is also completely false.  You could have easily just left it as "I personally like these variants and wouldn't mind them being chosen" and explained why and left it at that and I would have moved on and respected your views (like with the N scale tanker debate earlier).  Instead, you decided to throw an ad hominem on a point I made, which I really do not appreciate.  As stated by admins and moderators on this forum, you're allowed to agree/disagree with others on their views or points but please be civil about it and do not make passive aggressive remarks like that on the forum.  Thank you.

[JLK2707]

Maybe a season 1 troublesome truck for the nostalgics out there. I could just imagine that this would be popular for nostalgia.

[TerencetheTractor525]

As always, I enjoyed reading your thoughts on new product suggestions for the next few years, Chaz. All the N Scale suggestions along with Troublesome Truck #7 in HO are products that I would be particularly interested in, especially if the latter is a 12 Ton Van with a model era face, but that is a specific post for another time.

That said, I wouldn't mind the African or Chinese equivalent of the van being chosen. They look perfectly fine and there's no reason that those wagons couldn't exist on Sodor anyway regardless of where they showed up in the show. It's a very diverse and accepting island, and any arguments to the contrary would be blatantly ignoring the entirety the series' nearly-80-year history, ha ha.

N Scale Sudrian, I respect your thoughts on this subject and understand that you did not mean to offend anyone. Yet, please review how you word your points before posting, as this was executed the wrong way.

That stated, with the N Scale line growing, I hope to have the opportunity to see a layout or sets in N Scale from you in the future on the forum. It is amazing to see how much has already been produced at that scale, and it is great to see several members show the attention that the N line certainly needs and deserves.

[N Scale Sudrian]

I'm sorry, Chaz, I wasn't trying to be passive-aggressive or trying to launch an "ad-hominem" at your idea. I'll do my best to not post like that in the future.

I would like to clarify my stance for the sake of being able to move on from this... When I read the original books, I found they presented the idea of the Island being a safe space that the vulnerable can turn to in times of crisis. It's how characters in mortal peril like the Scottish Twins and Oliver are able to have a happy ending, and later works do often corroborate this with characters like Hiro or Nia. Characters from different walks of life learn to co-operate, and characters who hate and discriminate receive comeuppance... I think Sodor's diversity is very much a part of the 'Thomas' tapestry, and it's a part I find quite comforting.

[Awesometrain77]

With all this talk of troublesome trucks I am going to make the ultimate freight wagon wish list for Bachmann Ho scale 

M truck - return
Tar tanker - return but with face from season 4
Cream tanker - return model series colors and logo
James's blue truck
Hector
Update live lobster van graphics to say topham Circus
Brown non bogie CCT VAN
Lei
Spooked face troublesome van haunted Henry face
Slag wagon
Calliope
Season 1 troublesome truck
Indian troublesome truck
Chinese dragon on flatbed
Rex on brown well wagon
Bert on  gray  well wagon
Mike on black well wagon
Jet engine on special well wagon
Hopper wagon
1 plank container fun fair car
Fun fair cattle car
Pipe truck aka flatbed of fear
Bradford
Lynton and Barnstaple Wagons
Poultry Wagons
3 circus cars

After all this they will have made most of the wagons standard gauge in the entire show

[Chaz]

I'm sorry, Chaz, I wasn't trying to be passive-aggressive or trying to launch an "ad-hominem" at your idea. I'll do my best to not post like that in the future.

Thank you, apology accepted.

Thank you everyone for your feedback, and I'm really glad to see that we're starting to dive into ideas for troublesome truck #7 design ideas.  I'm curious to see what ideas you will be sharing Christian, (or anyone else for that matter), but either way regardless of design there's something always exciting about new troublesome truck releases.  Hopefully Bachmann will look into a new troublesome truck at some point in the future. 

I'm also very optimistic for the future of the N scale range as well, as noted in my previous post.  The fact that we're at eight characters announced already in just under 5 years of the range's first announcement back in 2019 really is amazing.  I'm glad a lot of us are on the same page with Henry, as well as Edward.  I'm also happy to see some light shining on Duck and Mavis, who the latter is a very close fourth right behind Duck in terms of engines I would like to see in the range.  Along with Henry and Edward, Mavis' CGI render was made by Nitrogen, which I thought had a pretty accurate design compared to the original prop used on the show, in addition to being a very easy design to work with.  These four engines (and Oliver to go along with Toad), are on my top 5 list for sure with Donald and Douglas and Daisy not far behind.