Bachmann Thomas & Friends in 2019

[TerencetheTractor525]

Definitely Sparks, and that's good point regarding those in the UK. And Chaz, as always, I look forward to you post on Stepney!

   

One other thing that I would like to mention is that Douglas saved Oliver from scrap, and Rusty saved Stepney from scrap. Do you guys see where I am going with this?  

[Metal]

I would prefer any Stepney whether it's his Thomas character or real life loco in the HO/OO market.
Anything would be better than his ugly black livery as in recent.

[J70Toby]

While Stepney may not have a lot of appeal to young children, I really have to question whether young children should really be considered the target market for the range, beyond the starter sets.  I've actually asked, and my parents have said that they would not have bought $50 to $80 engines for a child.  Additionally, Amazon reviews for various items in the range are full of disgruntled rants by parents that did not understand what they were buying.  While I have no extensive data, it would not surprise me if parents were buying the starter sets with Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel and not much more than that.  I don't suspect that many models of characters such as Duck and the Scottish Twins are being bought for young children.  And I also suspect that the narrow gauge range is bought almost exclusively by older fans.

This is all to say that, with the core cast already pretty much out, it might do Bachmann and Mattel good to consider which niche characters appeal to the niche market of people who want to buy high-end Thomas models.  For my part, I am pretty much only interested in Rev. Awdry's characters, so the only realistic, potential additions to standard gauge HO that would appeal to me are Daisy, Stepney, and BoCo (having existed as more than an illustration).  Stepney is a good way to go if Bachmann really doesn't want to make a larger diesel engine for whatever reason.

Maybe I'm completely wrong in my thinking, and there are children with complete Bachmann Thomas collections.  But I've never even seen any of the Bachmann range in a physical store, other than the basic starter set (and this was near Christmas).  Unless children live in a location with a decent hobby shop and are taken there by their parents, they are unlikely to even know that this range exists.

[Griffin (TheBlueSnowplow)]

Might just have to do a post with my thoughts on Bachmann making Stepney... Not right now but definetely in the near future.  Probably will look into it sometime this month though.

In the meantime I actually want to hear more thoughts from others on Stepney, I would really like to hear what others have to say about him.

Stepney would probably be an amazing model, even better if Bachmann went the extra mile and made him an accurate A1X Terrier, we are sadly missing a really good 00 terrier on the model railway market these days so I can see many modellers doing what they did with skarloey and rheneas and making a little custom magic. But it's mostly the nostalgic side of me that wants a Bachmann Stepney because he has always been a favorite character of mine.

[TrainFan97]

I really think Stepney is a GREAT candidate for 2019. As much as I really want Daisy like everyone else, I can understand that there are certain factors going against her, and Bachmann seems hesitant to make a large diesel for the Thomas range.

Stepney may not be in full CGI yet, but he will be more than a welcome addition to the HO range. People have wanted him for some time now, even before Daisy returned in CGI, especially since Hornby Stepney is discontinued, and eBay prices are really high. When Bachmann eventually made Oliver, it was a huge deal, meaning you wouldn't have to get the discontinued Hornby model off of eBay for a ridiculous price anymore. Unlike Daisy, Stepney is another tank engine, and Bachmann can EASILY make him. He certainly has more demand than a long shot like Norman. For an engine with a new tooling, Daisy or Stepney would be welcomed with open arms, but I can definitely see Stepney being made by the fact that he's a tank engine, and he's also a classic character who would sell like hot cakes. When Bachmann made Duck and Oliver, they both sold like hot cakes, and Stepney would do the same. If Bachmann announces either Stepney or Daisy next year, they would definitely redeem themselves after this year's pitiful announcements, which did raise questions.

Since Grumpy Diesel's image is already posted, it's possible that we could get a recolor (Sidney) announced as well as a new tooling (Stepney or Daisy). If both a new tooling and a recolor get announced, that would be even better, with the recolor (Sidney) working as an added bonus, given how great Paxton's final model looks. I'd welcome Sidney with open arms too, as long as we get an engine with a new tooling before him, or with him. In 2014, no engine was announced, but in 2015, Bachmann announced Oliver, and a recolor nobody cared about (Celebration Thomas). This idea does sound realistic.

[Cheeky_ULP]

It makes me wonder how early or late Bachmann decides to make their engine for 2019 before announcing things at the next Toy Fair. Might be worth asking Doug to give us a good idea of what the "time limit" is in that regard. Otherwise, we spend all year pushing for an item thats feedback wouldn't be processed for another two years.

[Chaz]

If you are concerned about a "time limit",  I would honestly encourage you to get your thoughts out on what you want next year sooner rather than later.  It would be good for feedback on here for the moderators and more likely than not, the message would be passed on sooner to people like Doug so they can take those suggestions into consideration for next year or at any time in the future.

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

[TerencetheTractor525]

I personally think that J70Toby really hit the nail on the head. When I was a child collecting the Thomas Wooden Railway, I was the type of kid who had the goal to collect every single vehicle. However, I did not even know who 20% of the characters were, since they were characters that were only seen in the Railway Series, and at the time, I was not familiar with the Railway Series. Nevertheless, I still bought those vehicles just for the sake of building my collection. What's more, the Bachmann range is a specialty range of model trains, which means that the products are more expensive than a toy range such as the wooden railway. Most parents of young children would not want to spend the extra money for characters that they would cost less in other toy brands, and most young children do not mind about the brand of the character. They just want the character in some shape or form. It is only the older and/or avid Thomas fans who are picky, and really take the time and effort to think about good ideas for the Bachmann range that would please everyone, which is why making an engine like Stepney would be an extremely smart move.



One final reason I have to point out as to why Stepney would be a great choice is that Stepney may help the sales of Iron 'Arry and Iron Bert immensely, due to the role that the three of them had in one of Stepney's unforgettable episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngu9Q_913gE

[JLK2707]

Are the bachmann large scale diesel and ho scale McColl's cattle wagon literally cancelled?

[Plow_Bender]

A little late on making this post.  Sorry about that...

On the topic of bringing back the Flat Car with Paint Drums, I'd like to contribute my two cents to this as well.  I have to agree with Chaz that it is odd Bachmann released the Flat Car with Paint Drums (of all things) considering the load only appeared in the disaster that was Calling All Engines.  Many are talking about different loads, but I am a little curious if just the flat car itself would be enough in the end?  Although it's been a while since it was discontinued, the Well Wagon and RF Container Wagon didn't come with loads either, not to mention the vast amount of trucks and open wagons as well.

So to begin with in terms of loads, Bachmann could easily get away with using existing logs from their HO range.  They already offer an ACF 40' Log Car in their Silver Series rolling stock line, and the log load on that car looks very decent.  Now when scaling down the 40' log car (as I do not have the model to take a measurement from) the scaled down size would be 5 1/2".  The logs are somewhat shorter than the car however, and if I were to guess at their length, I'd say probably 5" would be pretty close.  The flat car from the Thomas & Friends range measures just shy of 6", which would leave the logs being 1/2" shorter than the car itself.  Personally I see no problem with that.

Bachmann also offers a 52' Flat Car with pipe load in their Silver Series rolling stock.  Again using my scaled down measurements, the car would be 7 1/8" in length.  Just like the log car, the load is shorter than the car itself, but my numbers come to the pipes themselves being about 5" to 5 1/2" in length.  However, a Thomas & Friends Flatcar with Pipe Load with about 15 individual pipes seems a little unlikely in my books.  I think in the end Bachmann would probably feel better making an entirely new mold which would have the pipes as one solid load rather than individually.  Unlike logs, the pipes (being hallow and/or individual pieces) would most likely be more prone to damage and/or loss.

If I were to be the judge, I'd say a load of 3-4 logs on the flat car would be the best choice up agents a pipe load and/or paint drums.  There seems to be a demand for a log car, and some have said that's what they would have rather seen the car with in the first place.  Plus as I mentioned earlier, Bachmann could just use the same logs that they've been using for their AFC 40' log car.  Now I know someone probably wants to bring up the whole HO/OO argument as well, but that shouldn't matter in this case as logs can be any shape/size.  In the end, Bachmann taking something such as logs from their existing HO range honestly makes more sense than people whining for Bachmann to introduce Hank by using their existing PRR K4 tooling.

So that's my thoughts on a few new loads for the return of the Flat Car with or without Paint Drums.  At the end of the day however, I feel it would be more of an advantage on Bachmann's part just to recolor the paint drums to be oil drums.  If people want other loads such as logs and/or pipes, they can always track down said loads or easily make their own at a cheaper cost even.  Like I said earlier on in my post however, I do have to wonder if people would possibly be happy just to have the flat car back in the range even if a load is absent?

-Rusty

[TerencetheTractor525]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSXze2B3t2s

Just skip to 3:10, and you will be amazed. Bravo Bachmann! Bravo!

[Cheeky_ULP]

Now that's a refreshing sight to see. I know if I ever end up getting G scale items, the Spiteful Brake Van will be one of the first pieces of rolling stock I get. 

[Chaz]

The face is spot on and I'm hopeful to see the same one make it on the HO model too.

Well done Bachmann!

[JLK2707]

Same here!

[Chaz]

Well now it's time for me to give my thoughts on an addition I promised I would go in more depth with, Stepney the Bluebell Engine.


To save this post from being repetitive, I'm just going to briefly go over why Stepney would work before based on previous discussion and then jump into other possible factors of why he would be the best candidate for the next HO scale engine.

• He's a tank engine which means he fits Bachmann's budget of engines in HO.  Bachmann has more or less been sticking with tank engines or recolors of the Diesel tooling for HO engines, so Stepney shouldn't be an expensive model to make despite being a new tooling.
• Before Daisy came back to CGI, Stepney was a pretty popular demand right behind Oliver, thus proving he has more than enough popularity to justify Bachmann making a model of him, despite being absent for so long in the current series.
• He would make a natural addition into the range after nostalgic favorites like Duck, Oliver, and Arry and Bert and would especially be a great fit alongside the narrow gauge engines, Rusty in particular.

So why else would Stepney work in HO?


For starters he offers a color contrast - an ochre livery.  Mattel would be on board with this because of their track record of making colorful characters.  They released Stepney in take-n-play and I speak from experience that he kept selling out and I couldn't find him in local shops...anywhere.  Clearly kids also appreciate his livery and design, even if they might arguably not know who the character is on the show since he is not in full CGI yet.  Stepney would also bring a nice fresh breath of air to those who are tired of seeing green engines for the HO standard gauge range.


Another thing that would make Stepney stand out above most candidates is because he's a classic character, he is guaranteed strong sales.  Duck has still been a popular seller since he got released in 2013 and Oliver is still going on strong with sales, even outselling main characters like Toby and Edward.  A Bachmann model of Stepney in no doubt would give these equal sales because the market for more classic HO engines is there, and with his Hornby model selling for over $200 on eBay, it clearly supports that sales for a Bachmann Stepney would be over the roof.

Probably the last reason I'm about to mention is the biggest reason why I believe Bachmann should look into Stepney more than any other character, and this includes Daisy, so please keep an open mind.


I think Stepney should be made BECAUSE he hasn't been introduced in full CGI yet.  The idea is honestly not far-fetched considering the design choices on some of the resin buildings and the HO rolling stock (especially the recent Spiteful brake van).  Plus, let's say that there are plans for Stepney to return to CGI in the next 2 or 3 years from now, and if Bachmann were to make him, they would not only be on top of the standards on the show but they would also be keeping up with popular requests from fans.  The Bachmann Duck is a perfect example of this as he was announced a year before his CGI return was announced and his model came out right when the character became relevant again while being based on his classic series model.  You can honestly make that exact same argument for Rosie too as she was a background character for a long time, including when she got announced by Bachmann.  A year later when she was released however, she became a more prominent character on the show, only in a new livery and personality.  So despite reception of her from fans, Bachmann was still on top of the shows standards while introducing her in her old livery. Honestly it makes me wish Bachmann did the same with Oliver too, but I digress.   


This is why I would honestly argue that Stepney should be made BEFORE Daisy because he would be a nice treat to older fans, moreso than Oliver already was because he would be based on his classic appearence.  That and admittedly if he were to return to CGI, considering some of the recent renders by Arc/Jam filled makes me feel Stepney should be introduced before he returns in CGI.  Daisy in my eyes would honestly be better as a backup or second priority for Bachmann when it comes to classic characters.


Overall, I think Stepney has been a far more solid candidate than most other choices I've seen mentioned on the forum.  He's got an excellent track record coming his way for sales, a very well-established and popular character with fans, a simple yet refreshing design for Bachmann to work with, and most of all would make an excellent addition into the range overall with strong sales guaranteed to last a long time.


I hope that the Bach-man or any other moderator can please pass this message along, (along with my suggestions for Peter Sam and brake vans for the narrow gauge range!), as these products fans have been rooting for would make a solid lineup of announcements for 2019 and would really help restore the faith as well as sales that Bachmann needs to keep going strong.

And now questions for fans:

• Would you buy a Bachmann Stepney?
• Would you want Stepney to be the next classic character to be made in HO or should that go to a different character?
• Do you agree that Bachmann should make Stepney sooner rather than later?

I'll leave the resin building post to TerencetheTractor525 since he seems more enthusiastic about it than I do, and I feel three in-depth suggestions from Bachmann is more than enough on my end so I'll let it stop here. 

In the meantime any further thoughts on Stepney is welcome.