Future suggestions/predictions thread

[Grossy29]

I am not (quite) interested in N scale (except HOn30) or G scale, but I do have idea for HO and HOn30 scale.
HO engines :
Stepney of course , we have been suggesting it from 2019 even more before , but first it delayed because Ryan ( who have terrible price ) , second because Daisy . Now it's time for Stepney of 40 years Thomas and Friends celebration .
Boco , which usually have chance because of Daisy .
Murdoch and Hiro , too big for Thomas and Friends series but still have chance .
HO rolling stocks :
Re-release of tar tanker ( PS : the nearest hobby store around my home still has goods in stock of it ) , flatbed with paint drums .
Chinese dragon , which can use the flatbed of log or paint durms' .
Gordon's special coach and old slow coach , simply recolour .
HO buildings :
Re-release of Maithwhite , Tidmouth and Knapford Station .
Knapford Shed , perfect home for Salty .
Henry 's Tunnel , we can make video for Henry's sad story now !
HO Non-rails :
Remote Bertie , Harold and more : will let the 30-dollar-plastic-push-thing became more-expensive-but-more-fun-stuff .
Jack and the pack : I mean , just Jack and Alfie .
HOn30 :
Duke , a tiny chance ( of course will be later than Duncan )
Culdee and Culdee Fell Railway coaches , less chance than Duke .
Refreshment coach , just for fun .
Flatbed with logs , steel or puppets , for fun too .

[N Scale Sudrian]

Have been doing research for possible tank car liveries on my layout, and found this Die-Cast toy with a rather cool looking Jet Fuel logo. There aren't many red tank cars on Sodor, the only one I can think of besides this is the Raspberry Syrup Tank, which I do like the look of but seems at risk of being discontinued given its compatriot the Cream Tank has disappeared from both HO and Large Scale. If Bachmann is ever in need of a new red tank car for the Thomas line, I think this is the ticket.

[BubbleBuddyFan]

Stanley and Level Crossing Gates in HO/OO Scale, Large Scale and N Scale would be cool! I like to get Stanley and Level Crossing Gates in HO/OO Scale at some point in the future! That would be nice!

[TrainFan97]

Recently, the images of HO Scale Ryan and N Scale Toby have been posted.

HO Scale Ryan:
https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=756_772_774&products_id=8037

N Scale Toby:
https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=756_1126_1127&products_id=8592

Should hopefully arrive in stock within the next month. Now that Beau has been shown fully painted, his image needs to get posted, too. I'm sure progress has been made on both Sir Handel and Rebecca. They too should get posted to the store, but with render illustrations for the time being.

[MontagueGWR08]

I'm not sure if this is a suggestion that Bachmann would consider, especially since they seem to be opposed to making model series exclusive characters at the moment, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

With the recent release of Beau, it's clear that the main reason this relatively obscure character was made since there was already a preexisting tooling. All they had to do was give it a repaint and slap on a face, and it was clearly quick and cost efficient to make. So, my line of thought is that this could be applied to other obscure characters from the show. For example, bachmann europe has an Ivatt 3mt listed, which I feel most closely resembles the prop used for Arthur. All bachmann would have to do is give it a repaint and a face, and you have Arthur. This could be applied to other preexisting toolings as well for other characters. They could even offer them as limited editions to boost early sales.

I'm not sure if this is something anyone on here would be interested in, but I personally think that it is the best way to get the characters that us older fans would most appreciate.

[Armada Starscream]

I also hope that method could be used to create Arthur, and other characters as well. Maybe they could also repaint their 'Arry and Bert models into Splatter and Dodge too. They would be really cheap and easy to make, the only new component needed to be made would be a single face mold, as Splatter and Dodge share the same face in all of their appearances.

I also hope that since Beau is a rather obscure character, I hope Bachmann is willing to do Sonny as well. I know they would have to make a new tooling, but there is barely any merchandise of Sonny, so Bachmann could take the opportunity to capitalize on that and be one of the few ranges that does make Sonny merchandise.

Another point I have mentioned before is that as far as I know, there is no HO/OO model of Sonny's basis Bellerophon at the present time, which is a popular icon for railway fans. Given that many modelers will convert Bachmann Narrow-Gauge Skarloey Railway engines into their Tallylyn Railway counterparts, Bachmann could make Sonny for both Thomas modelers and non-Thomas modelers who wish to convert a Sonny into Bellerophon.

Bachmann could even make their own Bellerophon using a Sonny model as a basis, given that Bachmann is planning releases of non-Thomas Tallylyn.

And Sonny DID have much more roles and appearances that Beau, as far as I know anyway.

[BubbleBuddyFan]

Limited Edition Metallic Engines with Moving Eyes would be cool! When I was very sad and disappointed about Stanley with Moving Eyes, Norman with Moving Eyes and Level Crossing Gates is not here for this year! It would be moved to 2024 Product Announcements at some point in the future!

[BubbleBuddyFan]

Old Shape Henry with Moving Eyes (Limited Edition) and Sodor Steamworks would be cool!

[Red Tender 5]

Does Bachmann's license allow for products of objects not seen on screen?

I'm sure people would buy a Sodor Line bobber caboose to go with their Beau locomotive. Bachmann already produces a painted & unlettered version with the correct colors, all that is required is the "SODOR LINE" block letters.

[N Scale Sudrian]

Does Bachmann's license allow for products of objects not seen on screen?

I'm sure people would buy a Sodor Line bobber caboose to go with their Beau locomotive. Bachmann already produces a painted & unlettered version with the correct colors, all that is required is the "SODOR LINE" block letters.

I believe they are allowed to make rolling stock that was not seen on-screen. Many of the more recent rolling stock liveries make use of logos and lettering seen only on toys. "Sodor Scrap Co.", "Brendam Bay Shipping Co.", "Sodor Fruit & Vegetable Co.", etc. I assume putting the Sodor Line Caboose into the lineup would be at the mercy of licensor approval. However I think Mattel would be willing to approve its use, as they did approve the use of the Caboose in some CGI-style books which were published as recently as 2020. Lionel also has a version of the Caboose as a regular feature in their Thomas lineup, which I believe would have also required approval from Mattel.

I'm unsure about how popular it would be among hardcore Sodor modellers since it has never appeared in the TV show, but given Beau's reception has been positive enough to make Bachmann reconsider his 'limited run' status, I believe many would welcome it not only for its synergy with him but as a novelty item in general. And because Bachmann makes Bobber Cabooses in both HO and N Scales, it would also be easy to bring over to N Scale if it ends up being popular in HO.

[TrainFan97]

One rolling stock idea I have for HO Scale that hasn't been talked about is a Sodor Recycling Wagon. The front one, which can use the existing open wagon tooling. It can have a load, or even a face, like shown in the provided image. The load can still be tires, or it can be cans, paper, or bottles. Though, the Sodor Scrap Wagon ended up not having a load. Might need a new mold for the load part if there is one.

https://ttte.fandom.com/wiki/Troublesome_Trucks_(T%26F)/Merchandise?file=WoodenRailwayRecyclingCars.jpg

I tried uploading the image as a file, but kept getting the "upload directory is full" error.

[RailwayRoundhouse]

Given the limited number of NG characters in Thomas (especially when compared to the number of standard gauge ones), does anyone think there's a fair chance that engines like Smudger, Proteus and even Duke could be manufactured in the future? I personally believe all three would sell ridiculously well. The tooling for Smudger is already available in the form of Rheneas and the same will be said for Proteus once Sir Handel is released. The only new things required for those characters are their respective repaints and faces. As for Duke, KATO/PECO have made NG models of the real locomotive and it makes me wonder if Bachmann would be allowed to take that tooling and make a model of both Granpuff and maybe even Bertram?

I know what's been said regarding Bachmann making characters exclusive to the model series, but given the limited number of narrow gauge engines and the fact that these characters are all fairly popular in their own right, I feel Bachmann would be making a big mistake in not considering this.

What do you guys all think?

[TerencetheTractor525]

As a fan of the older model series, I would absolutely support a model of Duke, Smudger, or Bertram, as I firmly believe that they would be a great opportunity for Bachmann in terms of profit (especially Duke as a narrow gauge tender engine). As stated though, it all comes down to what the licensor prefers, which as of now seems to be the newer CGI characters. However, as we progress further into All Engines Go, it makes me wonder if Mattel could finally allow Bachmann to make those model era characters that fans have cherished for decades, but only time will tell. In the meantime, I could see Stanley, Whiff, and Hiro as good options for standard gauge, and Victor and Luke as good options for narrow gauge.

On the subject of the Sodor Line Caboose, I completely support it. Like Beau, it would be unique novelty item for the Thomas line, and something that I would be interested in adding to my collection. The recycling wagon could be fun as well.

[RailwayRoundhouse]

I agree with your choices of characters to be produced in the meantime Terence. Hiro is a character that is popular with both fans old and new and while I'm not a fan of Rebecca being produced, that opens up an opportunity for another large tender engine to be produced in the future. Hiro would also open up opportunities for modellers to make the model into that of the real D51 engine class.

Stanley is also another engine I could see being made and going down well with old and new fans. Stanley is a pretty underused character and I feel that's a shame as he looks cool and debuted in a pretty solid Thomas film. His shiny, silver paint would certainly look nice among the other engines in the range. He could probably also reuse Thomas's chassis.

On the subject of rolling stock; I would like to think there's more possibility of seeing more classic series products like The Spiteful Brakevan (albeit that being a simple repaint). I'd personally love to see the old coaches seen all the way back in Series 1 if possible as I think they'd go nicely with pretty much all the engines and would complement the green express coaches well too.

[TrainFan97]

Rebecca's announcement really skyrocketed the demand for Hiro, now that Bachmann is back to making tender engines in HO Scale. Stanley would also be a good choice for HO Scale, since he has a unique white livery, plus he can reuse Thomas' chassis with red wheels. Whiff would be another good choice for a larger tank engine. He would be about as long as Ryan, though they'd have to make his front wheels powered as well. If we do get Whiff, we could then get Scruff to complete the Waste Dump duo. We already have the Harwick duo in HO Scale. Could we eventually get the Waste Dump duo? The Dieselworks duo would be Den and Dart, which are two diesel engines that require new toolings.

As we get deeper into All Engines Go, once Bachmann runs out of CGI options, especially for Narrow Gauge, could Mattel finally let them produce more classic series characters like Duke, Smudger, Stepney and BoCo? Smudger would be a recolor of Rheneas' tooling, and once we get Sir Handel, Proteus can be made from his tooling. Duke would have Bertram as a potential recolor as well. Bachmann UK also has the tooling for Mighty Mac, but one problem is that Double Fairlies lack buffers, which Mighty Mac has. Freddie could also become possible, although his side rod configuration is complicated.