Bachmann Thomas & Friends in 2019

[TerencetheTractor525]

Outstanding job Chaz! It's always a pleasure to read what you have to share, and this post on Stepney was no exception.

Now for the questions:

To begin, I would certainly buy a Bachmann Stepney. As for the second question, It's honestly a tough call between Stepney and Daisy. However, after reading your post very carefully, I think that Stepney would be the better option. He would bring forth a new color scheme, and feels like a natural addition. Specifically, notice that every single pic of Stepney that was used includes background characters and rolling stock that Bachmann have already made. This is probably why he seems like such a natural addition. And, yes. Bachmann should definitely announce Stepney sooner, rather than later. After all, it would be wonderful to see another HO loco based off the model series, especially after seeing how well the face to the Spiteful Brake Van turned out.

This leads me to one other thing I would like to mention. Basically, I think that the reason why Bachmann was able to make the face to the Large Scale Spiteful Brake Van perfect (even though it was a face that was only seen in one episode of an early season) is due to the head-on pic of the face that was provided:



This is also probably why the face to Troublesome Truck #5 was not perfect. Some people have argued that Bachmann was trying to base it off the model series and CGI series. However, I think that the real reason is that a good angle of the face was not provided.

As for Stepney, I would personally love it if they go with this face:



Once again, outstanding work Chaz! I'll certainly share my thoughts on the resin buildings soon .

[Chaz]

Thanks Terence!  Yeah you can definetely say that the recent discussion behind Stepney as well as the turnout of the spiteful brake van's face really made an impact on my decision to go into depth with Stepney.  Personally I really think Stepney really should take priority over Daisy too since Stepney at least has a great design for Bachmann to work with and would fit their budget for the time being.  Hopefully it's not too late for Bachmann to pull it off. 

The face you picked is spot on and I can easily see Bachmann choosing that same face for Stepney as well.

[TerencetheTractor525]

You're welcome Chaz! I'm very surprised that I am the only one who has given you feedback so far, considering the amount of time and effort you have put into stating your thoughts on Stepney. Nevertheless, fantastic work again!

I was just watching the episode Bowled Out, and was thinking about how amazing Bachmann Duck would look with Stepney if he is released.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_DnoymuK9c

[Chaz]

I'm surprised as well, but at the same time a lot of people gave their thoughts on Stepney earlier as well and it's pretty clear that his reception would be extremely positive and would be welcomed by many fans too.  Either way it's good fans are speaking up a lot more now after how this year's announcements turned out.  

I agree with you that Stepney would look great with Duck and he would also look great with 'Arry and Bert in particular too.  I'll admit I never was interested in 'Arry and Bert but if Bachmann were to make Stepney then I would definetely consider getting 'Arry and Bert at some point too.  Stepney Gets Lost is easily my favorite episode of Season 5 and really the only time I appreciated 'Arry and Bert as characters before they became the diesel versions of Bill and Ben in season 6 onwards.

[Cheeky_ULP]

Another point I thought of earlier today is if Bachmann made Stepney now, then he would be one of the final classic engines who would have his Bachmann model based on a model era appearance, due to him (currently) not having a CGI render. Any other classic character viable to have a Bachmann model most likely has a CGI model made already (like Daisy). Stepney would truly be the "last hurrah" by Bachmann to the model era characters.

[hkbusses]

Stepney is a fan favourite classic character, and it would be wonderful to see him in the range. It would not only restore faith in the HO line, but also in the fanbase, and would definitely boost Bachmann's sales.
While characters like Rosie are welcome, it is obvious that they do not have as much demand as classic characters like Duck, Oliver, Donald/Douglas etc and cannot generate as much hype and money. Stepney is no doubt going to be a popular best seller if ever made by Bachmann. Hornby's version is among the rarest and most sought after Thomas models, so the demand is clearly there.

I really hope your post gets read by a Bachmann representative and that they will take all your points into consideration. Making Stepney would surely help them a lot!
Only a couple Bachmann Thomas locos really make me want to buy them, but Stepney would definitely be a welcome addition!

[DecadesofSun]

New user here, might as well throw in my two cents. I can't bother reading through this entire thread right away because I'm busy on several things lately, so sorry if I mention something that's already been brought up.

I'm kind of torn on where I expect the range to go next. Before the company's fairly lackluster series of 2018 announcements, I was sure they'd only go down one or two of maybe five or so possible routes with new characters. I guess I still expect they'll go down these routes at some point, though whether the characters I'm thinking of show up for 2019 announcements or later, if at all is anyone's guess.

An obvious first choice would be Sidney. Mattel's trying to focus on newer characters as much as possible, Bachmann likes re-using body shells and chassis until their usefulness is run into the ground, and he'd be really easy to do. That would give them five characters with the same tooling (six if you count the G. Deezul mod) , and they'd only have to spend a bit of money on a fourth livery and face. Sidney might not be the most popular character of all time, but with how expensive the characters are becoming due to MSRP inflation I can easily see Bachmann going down this route for economical reasons. And as much as I absolutely hate how over-scaled their class 08 characters are against an actual 08, them producing models of both Paxton and Sidney might prompt me to start buying them. I'd want to put different faces on Diesel, 'Arry and Bert though... CGI designs don't do their personalities any justice at all.

Along that line of thinking, can someone at Bachmann *please* throw into the next board meeting a suggestion for Splatter and Dodge? I know the film is largely unpopular and we only ever saw them once, but plenty of fans have made their own versions of these two and there seems to be a sizeable market for them, what with all the custom Diesel 10 and Lady models out there. The company already has the tooling, they just need to come up with the paint and faces for them. Personally, I would buy models of Splatter and Dodge long before I ever bought Paxton and Sidney, and that's mostly out of nostalgia value and obscurity points which the latter two don't have. Even if you hated TATMR, Splatter and Dodge would be ideal classic characters to add to the collection, having come right at the show's height before things started going downhill. If the company is willing to make the Spiteful Brakevan despite him only having one appearance, and make him in two scales no less, then I don't see what would hold them back on Splodge apart from Mattel butting in on account of the movie's box office reception. Still, I'd buy Splatter and Dodge any time they were available, even if they are oversized.

As for steam locomotives, I'm surprised they haven't announced Stanley by now. He seems to fall into a similar category with Sidney whereby he's not the most popular character in the world, but he does have his own loyal following and quite a few people have been asking for a proper model of him. Like many characters Hornby dropped the ball on him when they had the chance (despite having several relatively similar toolings they could have tweaked and used) and that leaves Bachmann the chance to do him up themselves. He seems to fit the criteria both Mattel and Bachmann have been following more or less for awhile now also: bright, colorful paintjob, unusual design, typically with six wheels, easy to convert into something else with readily accessible motor. I'd buy one myself, provided they did him up right. The only real concern I have with Stanley is that I'd like him to be the proper size, and in Bachmann terms that means somewhat bigger than the character is depicted in the show. This company isn't that great about keeping character scaling right (Rosie/Class 08s/Duck/Bill and Ben are over-scaled; Thomas/Oliver/Rheneas are under-scaled) and in order to meet the general size requirements that Stanley was first introduced with (bigger than Thomas, comparable in size to Rosie) he'd have to be over-scaled as an HO/OO model and be about the same size as Duck or Rosie. Don't know if a lot of fans would be bothered by that; personally I'd much rather have an over-sized Stanley than an over-sized diesel character as steam engines tend to disguise their visual errors more easily. So if Bachmann goes this route, I'd but Stanley provided they scaled him appropriately.

A few others I can think of would be Charlie, Norman, Den or Dart. Charlie is a pretty small character and they don't have to worry too much about keeping him proportionally accurate as much as some other characters on account of how relatively unpopular he is. I know there are people out there who would buy him, and plenty of others who would refuse; I would if the model was actually visually appealing and cheap enough, even though I don't really like the character. He's another six-wheeler so fitting an appropriate motor would be easy, he's colorful and dynamic with a good bit of striping and detail, and they don't yet have a violet engine as far as I know. I'd rather the "violet" category go to Ryan first, but I think Charlie's more likely on account of being in the show longer and being somewhat smaller. Plus fans could buy a second and convert it into Billy rather easily, provided Bachmann doesn't raid the New Series for one-off inspiration again and cover him first.

Norman would again be a six-wheel character that would be cheap to make and easy to recolor (noticing a pattern with this company yet?). He's about the same size as the 08s, just a bit longer perhaps, and would complete a Paxton/Sidney/Norman trio if Sid does indeed get produced. He could easily be redone into Dennis (another one-off character, but not a universally unpopular one), so they'd get their money's worth. I'd like to see them both side by side, so long as the tooling is actually made at the proper scale. Den and Dart would be, arguably, even easier to make being only four-wheelers and rather small, and they're a bit more popular than Norman or Dennis seem to be. No one really liked Hornby's version of Dart on account of how big it was and lazy that company was in making it, so they left the void in the market for Bachmann to fill easily. I'd possibly buy both if, and only if, Bachmann used their Sentinel tooling for Den in order to make him real-life accurate and not way too big like in the show (like how they used their actual GW Toad tooling to make the brakevan character) and if Dart was likewise kept as small as he is in real life. Both on the show and in real life, it's a rather small locomotive. No need to mess with that.

I've seen others throwing weight behind ideas like Daisy, Stepney, Lady et cetera and the only character that many fans seem to be clamoring for that I could possibly see happening is Stepney, not Daisy, BoCo, D10, Lady or a lot of others. I'm leaving Step as a possibility for only two real reasons: he's a six-wheeler which Bachmann seems to love and he's got an unusual livery. That's it. I really don't think Mattel gives care to classic series characters anymore, even when fans are clamoring for them. He'd fill the void in the market left by the discontinued Hornby version, could be a nice change from the real-life aesthetics to the simplified show design, and I would hope that they make him (if at all) before he inevitably comes back in CGI out of scale and with technical issues unlike some (*cough* Oliver *cough*). Personally I'd buy a Bachmann Stepney ahead of any of my previous contenders, even though I already have the Hornby counterpart. I'd just want them to do him up right and take their time.

Daisy's not going to happen. Sorry gents, but that's like asking Bachmann to give us access to a unicorn. Same with BoCo and Diesel 10, for those who think they have a chance. First of all, Daisy's just a glorified passenger car in Mattel's eyes, and an inaccurate one at that. Bachmann would use the CGI render, which is fine, but it features 11 windows on each side instead of 12, leaving it shorter than an actual class 101 DMU would be. I've got a Hornby class 101 for comparison and I can already see her being too long (and therefore expensive to make) in Bachmann's eyes. Do you really think the company is going to put out a diesel with two bogies, a long frame, a wide turning radius and a bunch of silver windows (yes, they'd leave the windows silver instead of clear and it'd be rather ugly as a result) and expect to make money on it? They're asking over $120 just for Paxton, and he's a much shorter recolor. They'd charge over $200 for Daisy and half the people who want her couldn't afford her. Same goes for BoCo who is even bigger (slightly), and who isn't even in CGI yet and not likely to come back anytime soon under Mattel's leadership. Think like a company board member deciding on characters to spend money animating. All they'd see is "he's a big green box, and we already have one of those and that character's got more windows". So as much as I'd love to see Bachmann tackle them both, I highly doubt it would ever get past basic conversation.

Lady and D10 would encounter similar issues. Diesel 10 is big and would require more money to make and therefore purchase, whether they used their UK-line Class 42 tooling or not. There's the matter of Pinchy as well: how do you add that on safely without kids breaking it off? Does it have its own hinges and only move on two main joints? Does the claw mouth open up or not? Can it be mounted on roller bearings to rotate, or does it stay permanently mounted to the body? Crafting a ready-to-run D10 would be a logistical nightmare for this company. Lady would be considerably easier to make and likely a better seller, but she's had less screentime and came from a film that Mattel is doing as much as they can to forget about. The only reason I brought up Splatter and Dodge earlier is because their tooling already exists; she would require a new design to be commissioned by a company that wants as little to do with TATMR as possible. Would I buy her? Absolutely. Same with D10 if he was done properly (though I'd want his classic scowling face, not this rainbows-and-sunshine CGI crap). But do I think Bachmann will make them? Highly doubt it.

All of this boils down to what you really think the company is there for. Are the people at Bachmann here to satisfy a vocal minority of fans who will give them money no matter what? Or are they here to market toward children and their parents and broaden their stockholder base? As much as things like the NG line and Spiteful Brakevan are a godsend for nerds like us, they're not where the company's bread and butter are made. As soon as you realize that, assessing their likely character production becomes much easier.

Also if they decide to make Philip I will leave this fandom, I swear to god, don't make me do it y'all...

[Cheeky_ULP]

Some interesting points there; I've covered a lot in my separate thread (at http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,34694.0.html ) that specifies on Daisy, Stepney, Hiro, Rebecca, and Nias likelihood, so I'll be making this brief.

Sidney, Splatter and Dodge, as well as The Great Railway Show 08s I feel like are all under the same tier of "Filler to milk the 08 tooling." They don't have a particular strong or weak chance of coming into the range in the near future, but are definitely options that can stand idle should they ever feel the need to pad the range out a bit.

On that note, I feel like that's why I'd sooner see any of those over the likes of Norman and Stanley. Normal has about the same rankings and reasons to be made as Sidney or other minor engines, but has the added disadvantage of requiring a new tooling that they can't milk for such a small character.

Stanley, meanwhile, I feel like is an "artifact" request I see in a lot of wishlists, harking back to when he was new. It seemed like they were going to do something big with Stanley in the brand, but never did. Over time, I feel like his likelihood of having a model has basically diminished to a low tier.

It's good to see more unified people in favor of Stepney of course. I feel like if there's a time to push for him, it's now. I'd prioritize him over Daisy, personally. Though it perplexes me a bit how you are quite harsh on Daisy, yet quite generous on engines like Charlie, Den and Dart, engines who I think have far less of a chance, despite their designs (some of who are far more complex) and sizes. They do have points in favor of them on the assembly line and standing out in a line-up color/design wise, but I feel like they lack the "oomph" of crowd reception that some characters do. Anyway, back to Daisy...

I think her amount of windows is more or less a moot point (in regard to accuracy), when fans want the character they see in the show, not real life-accurate models. I don't think people had much of an issue when engines like Rosie or Duck don't look like their real counterparts. The Bachmann engines have yet to have clear windows on any of their engines, so I'd fully expect her (and personally wouldn't mind or care) if she had white windows, since it makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint. Her length as a result of less windows does lead to that interesting point though, which is why I'd put Daisy on the ranks of "If Bachmann has enough resources to make a large engine, do Daisy first, then Hiro, before even considering Rebecca" as per the Future Engines thread. Basically, if the option is there to make a big engine, do Daisy first. The fact that her CGI model is shorter does help her length a bit, too. Time will tell.

Personally, I'd pay the extra bucks for classic character representation.

BoCo is definitely a long-gone possibility, and why I never brought him up. I never brought up Diesel 10 and Harvey for size reasons, as they simply don't comply with the NRMA regulations. I've heard people say "well maybe Bachmann doesn't need to follow them then, they're just Thomas trains" which... I guess they have no idea what a regulation means.

I think the "vocal minority" is bigger than people believe it to be as well. For a long time (years I recall) Duck was on their top 10 sellers list in the Thomas section, and is only gone because Oliver now occupies the spot. For awhile Skarloey was there too (To add, Skarloey has sold out more than once, largely in thanks to a niche market in the UK who imports his model over for OO9 modellers. Skarloey was definitely a helping hand in the growing movement towards RTR OO9 locomotives. I haven't looked much into Rheneas' sales yet, but I imagine he's getting a similar treatment. Rosie on the other hand, isn't on the same Best Sellers list. Makes me wonder if she's at a close 11, or lurking further behind.

Most "normal and casual" parents buying Bachmann trains for their child usually go for the Thomas set, some freight cars, maybe Percy and James, and often stop there. Sometimes you might see a random character thrown into the mix, but in general, the larger catalogue of engines seems to largely be based on older collectors. There's actually some amusing reviews on Amazon from people who buy the Bachmann Thomas engines and sets and have no idea how to handle model trains properly and will instead suggest ranges like Wooden Railway or Trackmaster.

I definitely believe there is a way to balance the younger audience with the collector audience, and Bachmann over the years has proven that they can handle it very well. While 2018 may be considered a flub by many, I have hopes for the future (knock on wood).

With how critical people are getting of Mattel as a brand, especially in the dawn of BWBA, I feel like Mattels safe-bet is to let Bachmann do what they do best and have been doing for years, rather than try to intervene for the sake of pushing their current agenda. This is already turning out very badly for one of the toy ranges.

[TerencetheTractor525]

I really enjoyed reading your thoughts DecadesofSun! It's clear that you outlined many important points on the next HO loco. However, I do agree with Sparks, specifically on the chances of Daisy. I do not think that it is fair to jump to conclusions by stating that a character that is extremely sought after is not going to happen by Bachmann, simply because she is a glorified passenger car in Mattel's eyes. Let's remember that many of us had our doubts about Bachmann starting a narrow gauge range, yet they still did it. Not only that, but they decided to make the locomotives using die-cast body shells. Because of this, there may be a chance that Bachmann will give Daisy actual windows, just like the coaches, which would certainly get rid of any sort of ugliness. If this means that Bachmann would have to omit the moving eye mechanism, I would be fine with that, as I am sure that all fans would be as well. Bachmann did omit the moving eye mechanism in the large scale Winston after all.

I also started a resin building thread here: http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,34707.0.html
Once you find the time, would it be possible if you could state your thoughts and suggestions on the resin buildings? I would love to see what you think  .

[Chaz]

Speaking as someone who has had this conversation with DecadesofSun recently over the weekend while hanging out, I can definitely say I can see where he is easily coming from.  Throwing my thoughts as well, even though he already knows this.

Sidney, Splatter, Dodge and any other 08 recolors are models Bachmann could make if they really wanted to.  Aside from Sidney there isn't all that much in it for Mattel.  Of course the comparison of Splatter and Dodge being compared to the Spiteful brake van is an interesting one (and a pretty valid point honestly) since it's basically the same scenario.  I'm still not sold on them doing another 08 recolor.  If they do, as I noted before that would really be overusing the 08 tooling. Five (including Grumpy Diesel) is more than enough.  Especially if it's three years in a row with this year's being completely unnecessary.

Tank engines and diesel shunters seem to be a more realistic approach from Bachmann, when you consider their budget that seems to be more evident when looking at the last couple of announcements from the last few years.  It's basically why I have more hope for the narrow gauge range since at least every year that range has gotten at least one new tooling, something HO and especially large scale are long overdue.  At least all the narrow gauge engines in CGI are small enough to be considered, but I would hope Sir Handel and Peter Sam get considered before any others, especially the newer ones like Victor or Millie.

While I think Daisy's odds are questionable too, at least Stepney, being a small tank engine with a color contrast can fit Bachmann's budget a lot better, and would be more likely to get the thumbs up from Mattel than Daisy would.  Stepney however in my eyes would be a safer bet than Charlie and Stanley because their following, as well as sales potential, seems to be more questionable than encouraging.  Rosie clearly did not make it onto bestsellers, unlike Duck and Oliver.  Spencer was on there at one point recently too, but moved down after Duck's sales increased once again.  I even remember seeing the Scottish twins and Diesel being on there for a while too.  Point being though, if Rosie, a character who is a lot more marketable than Charlie and Stanley and was given a bigger role from season 21 onward didn't make into bestsellers, nor doesn't seem to be flying off shelves like Oliver or a narrow gauge engine did, then that's honestly saying something for Stanley or Charlie or even small diesels like Den Dart or even Philip.  And if Oliver is still selling out and Duck's sales increased again, then that's really saying something about how well Stepney would do, especially since Hornby's Stepney model seemed to be a popular seller both times it was released.

Either way as long as Bachmann is willing to go the extra mile next year for HO and not do a recolor of the 08 tooling, or even pull something in a similar vein of Grumpy Diesel like "Red Rosie" (please don't do that Bachmann, one Rosie model is more than enough...) then that will make me feel a little more encouraged for Bachmann's future in HO.

[DecadesofSun]

Thanks for responding, guys. I'm only going to respond to a few points and maybe get back to the others later when I have more free time. And I'll try to get to your threads relatively soon-ish as well.

It's good to see more unified people in favor of Stepney of course. I feel like if there's a time to push for him, it's now. I'd prioritize him over Daisy, personally. Though it perplexes me a bit how you are quite harsh on Daisy, yet quite generous on engines like Charlie, Den and Dart, engines who I think have far less of a chance, despite their designs (some of who are far more complex) and sizes. They do have points in favor of them on the assembly line and standing out in a line-up color/design wise, but I feel like they lack the "oomph" of crowd reception that some characters do. Anyway, back to Daisy...

I think her amount of windows is more or less a moot point (in regard to accuracy), when fans want the character they see in the show, not real life-accurate models. I don't think people had much of an issue when engines like Rosie or Duck don't look like their real counterparts. The Bachmann engines have yet to have clear windows on any of their engines, so I'd fully expect her (and personally wouldn't mind or care) if she had white windows, since it makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint. Her length as a result of less windows does lead to that interesting point though, which is why I'd put Daisy on the ranks of "If Bachmann has enough resources to make a large engine, do Daisy first, then Hiro, before even considering Rebecca" as per the Future Engines thread. Basically, if the option is there to make a big engine, do Daisy first. The fact that her CGI model is shorter does help her length a bit, too. Time will tell.

Personally, I'd pay the extra bucks for classic character representation.

As would I, but let's backtrack a minute. I *did* say that I'd buy a Bachmann Daisy model if one was officially licensed and made; my critique was more centered around the idea that I don't think she's a realistic expectation, not that I don't want them to make her. Of course I'd love to see Daisy in the range same as (I imagine) everyone else here. The issue with windows was more a side point that I don't see a lot of people talking about, rather than a personal deal-breaker for me. If she was left with 11 windows and a shorter body, I'd still buy her. If her windows were all silver I'd be disappointed (I really don't think the silver windows on the diesel characters is a good choice personally, and she'd showcase that poor design decision more than any other diesel locomotive they could make) which is why I brought it up. But those grievances aside, I don't see how they would realistically market her for anything less than $150. I'd expect Daisy to go for probably $180-200 or more given Bachmann's current prices, and that's still going to deter a lot of fans from buying her even though we've all been asking about her for years.

The smaller engines I noted because the shorter characters have been the focus in the range for years. We haven't been given a full-size tender engine since the releases of Gordon, Henry and Spencer way back in the early days of the range. The last medium-size tender engines were what, Donald and Douglas, who are basically identical as far as the tooling is concerned? I'd like to see Bachmann make more medium/large engines also, but I don't think it's going to happen. For that reason I doubt Hiro's coming around, even though he'd probably be the most likely candidate for a large steam character. Same with Rebecca, and she's less popular before she's even had a chance to debut in the show. I mentioned Charlie, Stanley, Norman, Sidney etc. because I thought those small four/six-wheel, short-frame characters are far more likely to be made for this range, not because I would have much interest in buying them personally. Some of the only small-ish HO characters I'd be really interested to see these days are Stepney, Splatter and Dodge, and even them I don't see as likely even though Stepney's probably got the best chance at the moment.

I really enjoyed reading your thoughts DecadesofSun! It's clear that you outlined many important points on the next HO loco. However, I do agree with Sparks, specifically on the chances of Daisy. I do not think that it is fair to jump to conclusions by stating that a character that is extremely sought after is not going to happen by Bachmann, simply because she is a glorified passenger car in Mattel's eyes. Let's remember that many of us had our doubts about Bachmann starting a narrow gauge range, yet they still did it. Not only that, but they decided to make the locomotives using die-cast body shells. Because of this, there may be a chance that Bachmann will give Daisy actual windows, just like the coaches, which would certainly get rid of any sort of ugliness. If this means that Bachmann would have to omit the moving eye mechanism, I would be fine with that, as I am sure that all fans would be as well. Bachmann did omit the moving eye mechanism in the large scale Winston after all.

Thanks for responding, I enjoy the conversation. I see your point, but I'm not certain that I'm necessarily jumping to conclusions by talking about Daisy in a less-than-optimistic way. I'd be fine with omitting the eye mechanism in favor of clear windows as well, but the issue I see taking precedence is that I don't think they'd use a Class 101 tooling for her even if there's one available in the UK range, and that's because Mattel has the final say on how characters are depicted even if that sacrifices realism (which admittedly isn't a big selling point in many fans' eyes). Looking at the narrow-gauge range, Rheneas isn't a fully-accurate representation of Dolgoch, while Skarloey is closer to Talyllyn apart from the oversized cylinders. The difference between those two and the HO range is that the HOn30/OO9 line was drawn up with older modellers in mind specifically (as well as for conversions), while the HO/OO range is not. It *has* to be able to sell to kids while the narrow-gauge line doesn't necessarily need to do that, which is also why they can charge $150 for a die-cast Skarloey but keep a much larger plastic-bodied Duck around $80. Daisy would fall into the "needs to be sold to kids" category much more than Skarloey and Rheneas, and she'd be made of a new CGI-accurate tooling and a plastic body because of that. All that is fine if it means that she finally comes into the range, but if it happens, expect her to be shorter-framed with silver windows in order to meet Mattel's demands. They won't omit the eye mechanism just for clear windows on a model this large; the narrow-gauge engines are practically impossible to rig in such a way and I don't know enough about the large-scale range to comment on Winston.

Sidney, Splatter, Dodge and any other 08 recolors are models Bachmann could make if they really wanted to.  Aside from Sidney there isn't all that much in it for Mattel.  Of course the comparison of Splatter and Dodge being compared to the Spiteful brake van is an interesting one (and a pretty valid point honestly) since it's basically the same scenario.  I'm still not sold on them doing another 08 recolor.  If they do, as I noted before that would really be overusing the 08 tooling. Five (including Grumpy Diesel) is more than enough.  Especially if it's three years in a row with this year's being completely unnecessary.

-

Either way as long as Bachmann is willing to go the extra mile next year for HO and not do a recolor of the 08 tooling, or even pull something in a similar vein of Grumpy Diesel like "Red Rosie" (please don't do that Bachmann, one Rosie model is more than enough...) then that will make me feel a little more encouraged for Bachmann's future in HO.

Give it maybe 2-4 years and they'll probably do a red Rosie anyway. If they're willing to change Diesel's face (and still not to an actual Series 2-esque scowl, unfortunately) and give mods to Thomas, then a repainted Rosie is equally as likely as far as ways for them to make a new model as cheaply as possible. I'm still just upset that the James "repaint" hardly changed his design at all, and that he, Percy and Thomas have not been redesigned properly, or that we haven't received an "LBSC" green Thomas either. I'd want any one of those to be made before red Rosie. Seriously, Percy's model is kind of terrible and should have been redone years ago.

Recall that I prefaced my original post by saying that I wasn't sure if my ideas would come as early as 2019 or even at all, and that mostly applies to Sidney. Bachmann's in a unique position with the show where they can keep making class 08 lookalike characters for several years to come thanks to all the reskins in the show. If anything, I'd hope they tackle a new design before going back to Sidney, but he's a definite safeguard possibility. I'm in agreement with you in that I wish they'd take a break from this tooling (and get some non-CGI faces for Diesel, 'Arry and Bery as well... my god these faces are terrible for them).

[Rodimus Supreme]

I just wonder if reducing the number of products for the HO line one year (like next year, or not) would allow them to allocate enough of the budget to make a tender engine? I would be perfectly fine with that if it means getting a non-tank engine.

[Angelob6660]

How about some old coaches from season 1. These cars were pulled by Edward, and Henry. Since they're painted as the express coaches. Reusing the paint should be easy of green and cream. That can be an easy repaint of the red branch line coaches.

[Plow_Bender]

Seeing as this thread has been inactive for over a month now, I think it's time I made a post on what I feel Bachmann should include in the 2019 large scale announcements.  My list is as follows...

James the Red Engine w/ DCC Sound (with moving eyes)
Emily w/ DCC Sound (with moving eyes)
Toby the Tram Engine w/ DCC Sound (with moving eyes)

Lets discuss why Bachmann should add these 3 additions to the large scale range.  For a start, large scale announcements over the last few years have pretty much been a letdown with the exception of some of the van recolors and possibly even the Spiteful Brakevan.  This is because the common trend we've seen with the large scale range is the constant addition of recolors, rather than new toolings that people keep asking for like Henrietta and/or Edward.  Diesel would have been the saving grace for large scale this year, but seeing as the model was cancelled due to a potentially high RRP, it leaves Bachmann skating on thin ice with Thomas fans and/or large scale modelers.

Now it's understandable Bachmann is clearly trying to save on production costs (and oblige to Mattel's BS), but I think there's a better way of doing it.  If Bachmann were to introduce James, Emily, and Toby with DCC sound, they would simply be taking their existing models and installing the existing DCC sound module in them.  Now there is a little more to it than just throwing a sound module in the models and calling it a day, but I just want to stick to the basic's here without getting caught up in how everything works.

One of the big reasons Bachmann should introduce James, Emily, and Toby with DCC sound is that the models would be more cost convenient for the buyer.  I myself (like many others I'm sure) would rather buy the models with DCC sound factory installed, rather than go through the headache of adding it myself.  After doing substantial research and talking with fellow large scale modelers, it's pretty clear that the cost of adding DCC sound to the large scale Thomas & Friends models is outrageous.  Just the sound module alone is going to cost around $100 at the least.  Throw in a solder pad, speaker, and all the other hardware you're going to need to install everything, and you might as well just slap another $100+ onto the project.  Not to mention the cost you'll have into paying someone to do it for you, that is unless you want to attempt the project yourself.

As I've seen, in the case of Thomas and Percy, it would actually be cheaper for someone just to go out and buy the existing models with DCC sound factory installed, rather than trying to convert the models they already have.  I actually decided to make that switch last year and just sell off my old Thomas and Percy models to buy the DCC sound ones.  However, unless Bachmann makes James and Emily as well, my models (James and Emily that is) won't have this feature.  Although I'm still yet to get Thomas and Percy, I have seen video's of the models running and the sound feature on them is excellent.  Bachmann wasn't kidding when they said, "Bring the sounds of Sodor to life..."  I'd really like to hear the other sounds offered by the module as well, but seeing as the cost to convert existing models is too expensive for most modelers, this is yet to be attempted if it ever will be.

Aside from collecting just the Thomas & Friends line from Bachmann, I also got into the Spectrum line which offers some great models that come with sound as well.  For a start, the iconic Bachmann 10-wheeler and the 2-6-0 Industrial Mogul have speed synchronized sound, which really adds life to the models.  My most recent addition, the Two-Truck Climax includes DCC sound on board just like the Thomas and Percy models, but only a little more elaborate and with more sound options.  Having DCC sound added to the models gives them that much more life and only adds to the models appeal.

The only downside I can really see to the DCC sound models is that they will be a little more expensive than just the standard Thomas models, but the payoff is worth it in the long run.  Thomas and Percy have an RRP of about $80 more than their standard counterparts, but I think that's still a better deal than paying over $400 for a large scale Devious Diesel.  I think it may also be beneficial for Bachmann (if they add DCC sound to all their engines) to just discontinue the standard models considering the DCC sound models are setup to run on either digital or analog anyways.  If someone doesn't want a model with sound, then it's easy enough to just turn the sound off or remove the speaker.

Now I'm sure there's at least one of you out there wondering why I didn't bring up adding Winston with DCC sound to the range.  This is because if Bachmann couldn't even give the model moving eyes (because they were already fighting just to put a motor assembly in it) then there's no chance in hell they would have the room to fit a speaker and sound system into the model either.  In addition to that, Winston would require a sound module to be made for him, as the existing module doesn't include his sounds.  In the end there would be no beneficial reason for Bachmann to do this.

Another thing Bachmann could consider for 2019 is adding a DCC sound Thomas set to their large scale range.  Considering the Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel set was discontinued this year, it does leave newcomers without a starter set that comes with Thomas.  It also leaves others a little confused as to why Bachmann made the choice to discontinue the set, when it was in fact the best seller in the Large Scale Thomas & Friends range.  Furthermore, it comes as a surprise that Percy of all characters manages to keep a set over Thomas.  As Bachmann themselves has said (and I quote), "Usually when people buy a set, they want one with Thomas in it."

If Bachmann were to make a DCC sound set, they could simply bring back the Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel set with a DCC sound Thomas, or do something different like Thomas with 2 or 3 wagons.  Maybe if Bachmann feels the sales would be there, they could introduce 2 different sets.  Updating Percy's set with a DCC sound Percy would possibly be another thing Bachmann could do, but I honestly feel it's more likely Bachmann will discontinue the set before that ever happens.  Then again, large scale over the last few years has been pretty unpredictable, and as I said before, surprisingly Percy has managed to keep a set over Thomas.  Although some are probably still a little unsure about a DCC Thomas & Friends set, it could give Bachmann another something to add to their 2019 large scale announcements.

So what are my final thoughts on adding James, Emily, and Toby with DCC sound on board to the range?  Considering the chances of Bachmann making a new engine character again doesn't seem practical, I feel this would be a great way for them to redeem large scale after almost half a decade of underwhelming announcements.  Just updating James, Emily, and Toby might not be as impressive as Edward getting announced, but these models would definitely move better than the tanker recolors Bachmann served us up for 2018.  The demand for these models is definitely there, and adding them to the range may encourage more people to go out and buy Thomas and Percy as well.  As I said before, the only real issue I see is that the models would have a higher RRP, but at the same time Bachmann would have less costs into production and wouldn't require any new toolings.  So to wrap things up, this is definitely something Bachmann should consider for the 2019 announcements.

-Rusty

[Kemptown Branch]

I also think they should make Stepney for the HO range, because of the reasons everyone else has stated. I would buy him, and I am sure a lot of other people would too. I also remember that it was hard to find him for TrackMaster too. I got one in 2011, then accidentally broke it, and I couldn't find a new one until 2013, even though it was never discontinued.