Thomas & Friends in 2018

[Chaz]

Didn't mean to come off as hostile, honestly it was more of a joke since these were announced when you were on here and there were discussions on these when they came out.

Moving back on the appropriate subject though, the Watermill from season 4 wouldn't be a bad idea either.  Personally I would be on board with that for an alternative for the larger one.  Having that announced with those sheds announced earlier would make a pretty great combination.

[TerencetheTractor525]

Moving back on the appropriate subject though, the Watermill from season 4 wouldn't be a bad idea either.  Personally I would be on board with that for an alternative for the larger one.  Having that announced with those sheds announced earlier would make a pretty great combination.

That's a good point. I am no expert when it comes to making new resin buildings, but announcing the double narrow gauge engine shed along with the narrow gauge watermill may be another possible option in terms cost since they would both utilize the same stone exterior (For anyone who does not know which shed we are referring to, it is the one that Peter Sam is in, which is in the pic on page 22 of this thread). The same could pertain to the Trackside Station and Toby's Shed.

To conclude, I think that both watermills that were mentioned are alluring in their own ways, and either would be a wonderful addition to the resin building range.

[thomasj219]

In my opinion the Watermill would be a great addition to the range. Preferably Resin but I'll take anything. Resin would be better and fairly easy IMO simple design bar the wheel itself.

However I would prefer the bridge be connected to the watermil therefore the piece could be incoptated easily.



This is the version I would love. However I know it's a dream. Just attach the bridge and make it extend to the end of the building to the left.

[TrainCollector]

Alright we're very close to the announcements. What I'm hoping for goes as follows

HO Scale
Diesel 10
Stephen
Daisy
Stanley
Norman
(I'm hoping at least one engine from this list is announced)
Troublesome truck 6
Water tanker

HO narrow gauge
Sir Handle
Peter Sam
Narrow Gauge coaches
Narrow Gauge open wagons

Large Scale
Edward
Bill and Ben

This is what I'm hoping for. I only expect one from each category. Let me know what you guys think.

[TrainCollector]

I think Diesel 10 is marketable enough but I also think they could just forget NMRA standards and make him. Diesel 10 would be a great addition to the range. I think Bachmann should make him for him being a very marketable character. His sales would go through the roof.

[Cheeky_ULP]

You can't really forget "NRMA" standards because it's a regulation.

It's also worthy of note that some posts discussing character marketability and whether Bachmann should listen to what fans want or expect have disappeared overnight. I'm not sure what triggered the deletions, but it's possible speaking about Bachmann and Mattel came off as too critical. I don't think anyone means to do so in a spiteful manner though.

Just worthy of note for future discussions.

[TrainFan97]

I'm not sure what triggered the deletions either. I guess discussing marketability is too critical. We should probably refrain from discussing the marketability of certain characters or how Mattel treats them. Guess some things were a little "touchy". I didn't mean to be spiteful.

The 2018 announcements are only a few weeks away. Whatever gets announced, we'll find out soon enough. It'll be there before you know it.

[TrainCollector]

I actually really hope we get Troublesome Truck number 6. I absolutely love the new troublesome trucks we've been getting over the past few years. Who else here really liked the new rolling stock announced in 2016 and 2017? I'm actually leaning towards rolling stock than engine lately. Don't know why that is but I'm just speculating. If troublesome truck 6 is announced, what do you think it will be? A ventilated van, a utility wagon or a tanker? Maybe a whole new tooling. I'm just guessing. I love talking with you guys on this forum about it. I wanna hear what you all have to say about this. Comment away!

[TerencetheTractor525]

thomasj219: Ah yes. The watermill from Season 2. I don't know if this version has much of a chance. However, attaching the bridge to the watermill may make the chances of the bridge getting made more likely, but more expensive as well. Combining both the watermill and bridge into one piece would also make one extremely large resin building. Even so, we can never really predict what Bachmann is planning  . What are your thoughts on the narrow gauge watermill?

TrainCollector: With taking one from each category into consideration, most of your suggestions look possible. The only three that I cannot see having a chance in the 2018 announcements are Diesel 10, Stephen, and Norman. As others have stated, Diesel 10 would breach the NMRA standards, and Stephen as well as Norman are not in high demand. However, once again, I could be wrong. Regarding Troublesome Truck #6, that is a product that may not be in the 2018 announcements since Bachmann seems to announce a new troublesome truck every three years. Nevertheless, I think that it will be a tanker. By any chance, do you have any resin building ideas?

Also, I was thinking again about what Chaz mentioned regarding how nicely the narrow gauge double engine shed would go with the narrow gauge watermill. Because of this, I thought that the station house to Rheneas Station, which is yet another small building that would go very nicely with the shed and watermill, could be an additional option for the resin building range.

Some modelers would buy two of them in order to recreate Rheneas Station.



Others would use it as a small building that could blend in with any town.



When looking at these photos, it is clear that the building was reused. What do you guys think?

Here is a link to Rheneas Station on the Thomas Wikia:

http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Rheneas_(station)/Gallery

Lastly, here is a link to the episode Four Little Engines:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5QYxq9bUmM

I pasted this because the first 30 seconds or so show some beautiful shots of the watermill, Rheneas Station, and the narrow gauge double engine shed in the background. The Trackside Station makes an appearance as well. It is an episode that I am sure that all fans remember. Maybe even some of the moderators of the Bachmann Forum  .

[Chaz]

At this point pretty much any other season 4 narrow gauge resin building suggestions we have made would be a nice addition to have.  Either way, with the right demand and discussions that have been brought on the forums recently, I think it's clear that a new lineup of resin buildings has become a lot more of a popular request for this year so here's hoping.

As for a sixth troublesome truck, I noticed that all of the recent troublesome trucks all use different toolings. The only toolings that they have not used yet in the Thomas range are tankers or both of the vent vans (including the one used for the ice cream wagon). 



Speaking of, I personally think that tooling is the most likely since it was only used for the ice cream wagon.  I'm thinking it will have a design from the Gullane era like how Troublesome truck 5 did, with the facial expression below being used:



Plus all the recent troublesome truck expressions have had different facial expressions besides giggling, and an angry face would also add some diversity for facial expressions.

[Angelob6660]

I like the idea of the ventilated van being a troublesome truck #6.

I never like the tankers having faces on it. It's better to leave them blank.

[thomasj219]

Very true Terence, the season 2 version has very little chance. But I can dream

As for the Narrow Gauge watermill, I personally would love it. But honestly I don't think there's a Resin building that could be made that I wouldn't love.

Bachmann really underestimates the potential profit in this line if you ask me. Maybe they're just harder to manufacture. But I wish there were more of them.

[TrainFan97]

The announcements will be made on either the 9th or the 16th. I don't know which.

Based on their track record, they're usually made on a Friday.

[Chaz]

It'll be made right before the Toy Fair so it's going to be the 16th.

[TrainFan97]

February 16th will be the most-anticipated day for Bachmann Thomas fans.

It's like Christmas, since it only happens once a year, and the wait feels like an eternity. What gets announced is all we're getting until next February. It takes plenty of patience, since these products have considerably more effort than the toy lines. The models are very complicated to make.

Paxton's image may get revealed at literally any time now. Same for Large Scale Diesel.