Bachmann Thomas 2015 Character Faces Ideas

[TTTEfan1992]

Here are pics for how I want Bachmann Oliver's face to be, Bachmann Skarloey's face to be, and Bachmann Toad's face to be:

http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/mporter2010/library/?sort=3&page=1

http://s1379.photobucket.com/user/mporter2010/library/Bachmann%20Toad%20Ideas?sort=3&page=1


I DO NOT want these characters to be in there "CGI" form. I want them all to be in there "Classic Series" form all the way around (their faces, and their shells (train and car bodies). I hope the Bachmann Company makes all the characters that occurred before the "CGI Series" in their "Classic Series" form. I am posting this because I care about how Bachmann makes the characters look.

Fans please give me your opinions on my opinions on how these Bachmann characters should be.

Thanks.

[Cheeky_ULP]

The Bachmann website uses a CGI illustration, which is more than likely the reference that HiT Entertainment sent Bachmann to use. It's their most current design for Skarloey and reflects what he currently looks like in the show.




And personally, I never liked the S5-12 models. The faces and proportions were oddly distorted. The Season 4 designs will always be my second favorite body wise and first face wise. The CGI body is very well designed and some of Nitrogens best models.

Oliver is very likely in the same camp, but I can see him having a CGI face with a model white footplate. Toad will probably just be a repaint of the Mainline GWR brake van in the CGI colors and CGI face. Luckily for Oliver and Toad, their CGI designs look very close to their model designs (minus Olivers size).

[TTTEfan1992]

Are you saying you think that Oliver will be a hybrid cgi model? In other words his body will be in his "Classic Series" form with a "CGI" face? How are CGI Oliver and CGI Toad  close to their models?

[Cheeky_ULP]

It's just a guess, based on Duck having a white footplate even though his CGI design doesn't.




Honestly, the only real difference I see is the CGI funnels shape is thinner and different, his black footplate, and a footstep was added on his side tank. Personally I'd prefer the model era funnel and white footplate, but that's about where the differences end. I'm fine with the CGI face, since it looks very close to his Season 3 smiling face.

The main difference in the model design and the CGI design is scaling, which Bachmann will probably design Oliver to match the scale of their other Thomas stock, aka making sure his buffers line up and isn't too tall or too short. The Bachmann Duck had to be adjusted a bit to fit into OO as well.

To summarize that, Bachmann will probably  use the CGI design but the model proportions, adjusted to OO scale.




Toads CGI face is a very faithful rendition of his model era face. Arcs been very good with their faces, unlike Nitrogen.

[Metal]

To be honest, I actually prefer the CGI Skarloey over the model one, personally because of the little details that could be added, with was a restriction with the S4 models. But yeah, like Sparks, I really never liked the S5-12 models much either.

With Oliver, the CGI face is fine since in my view it hardy looks different from his model one. I wouldn't mind the black footplate either, since that could be a simple optional repaint. I wouldn't mind the CGI detailing at all, but the thing that's something that comes into question, is his scaling, which I'm sure they would do his TV model scale, with the CGI details.

[Chaz]

I DO NOT want these characters to be in there "CGI" form. I want them all to be in there "Classic Series" form all the way around (their faces, and their shells (train and car bodies). I hope the Bachmann Company makes all the characters that occurred before the "CGI Series" in their "Classic Series" form. I am posting this because I care about how Bachmann makes the characters look.

I hate to break it to you, but CGI faces are inevitable when it comes to designing characters who have been introduced into full CGI and the illustrations on the catalog is enough evidence to prove this as well as models from the large scale range or engines like Diesel, 'Arry and Bert.  

I've expressed this before in the Oliver thread earlier, but I think the most probable direction for Oliver and Toad would be they would have their original model era forms with CGI faces.  Toad is surprisingly one of the most accurate CGI forms Arc has done, when admittedly Oliver is my least favorite, but that's simply due to the scaling issues.  

[Blackfive1994]

i agree with Sparks, Oliver's Model and CGI faces look pretty much the same, same situation goes to Toad.

[TTTEfan1992]

I saw that Toad is coming out in October of this year, and Oliver and Skarloey are coming out in November of this year. Is that correct?

[TTTEfan1992]

If Oliver and Toad are going to have their cgi faces, I hope their bodies are based off of the "Classic Series" at least like they did to Diesel. I hope all the characters look like themselves like they are in the "Classic Series" if they're going to be in their "CGI" form. I hope the three new characters coming out this year are in there classic form.

[Blackfive1994]

I saw that Toad is coming out in October of this year, and Oliver and Skarloey are coming out in November of this year. Is that correct?

afraid so, but you never know, they might do the three around the same time.

[JD417]

Arcs been very good with their faces, unlike Nitrogen.

Well lets remember that Nitrogen created Oliver and Toads faces in season 12

[Chaz]

Arcs been very good with their faces, unlike Nitrogen.

Well lets remember that Nitrogen created Oliver and Toads faces in season 12

Honestly, the faces that Nitrogen created looked pretty poor in comparison to Arcs.  To add, season 12's faces looked worse as some of the faces were out of proportion and were too small or large for some of the characters.  Duck's faces in season 12 are a perfect example of this. 

In the end, the logic is simple regarding the direction Bachmann will go in regards to what kind of faces they will use for different characters: 

If a character is announced and has appeared in full CGI around that time (not including season 12) - Expect the characters to have CGI faces.  Examples of this includes Diesel, Arry, Bert, and the engines in the large scale range. 

If characters are announced around a time when they have not appeared in full CGI yet (again, not including season 12) then expect the characters to have model era faces.  Examples of this include Duck, Donald and Douglas, Bill and Ben, and Salty.  I'm fully aware that most of these characters are in CGI now, but at the time when they were announced they were not in full CGI yet.  Duck and Salty's models were made about a year before they came into CGI which is why they had model era faces.  Even Jeremy is in his model form since he hasn't appeared in full CGI yet. 

[TTTEfan1992]

If Bachmann decides to make Oliver in his "Classic Series" form, then all of the original characters 1-11 (Thomas through Oliver) would be in there "Classic Series" form. If that happens, then Bachmann can possibly make money by categorizing them as "The Eleven Famous Original Engines" as a really nice form of nostalgia. I hope all these characters look as good as they did in the "Classic Series" or  making them look close to their classic form if they're going to have their cgi faces.

[TTTEfan1992]

If "Bachmann Oliver" were to be made in his "CGI" form all the way around, "Bachmann Oliver" would look just like "Hornby Oliver" with a "CGI" face.

[thomasj219]

I'm sure he'll look good whatever happens, I have a feeling you'll have a white running board with a model era scaling, and a CGI face. Which IMO isn't too different from the model face but who knows maybe we'll get lucky.