Bachmann Thomas & Friends in 2019

[JLK2707]

I agree. I'd just want a bachmann Stepney based on the model series before he gets rendered in CGI.

[Streak]

Yeah it would be cool if Stepney was made in his classic look. Especially since his design in Season 4 was already pretty realistic. I doubt characters like Arthur and Murdoch will be made even though Murdoch was made by Hornby (if they were put in CGI they'd have more of a chance.) I don't see Harvey being made as I have no idea how his crane would work, with or without moving eyes (still really want him though). Diesel 10 has little to no chance. The only classic character I see left is BoCo but even then Daisy would get made before him and he'll probably get put in CGI eventually anyways. So Stepney really is the only "last ditch effort" classic design possible.

Also follow up to yesterday, "Counting on Nia" came out today and in the opening they showed Duncan at Crovan's Gate. That could mean that they aren't fixing his model. Rats. They still might fix Oliver and Bulgy's though.

[TrainFan97]

I don't know anyone who'd rave for Bachmann to make Nia, Rebecca, or Philip. The vast majority, including myself, dread the idea.

[JLK2707]

Same for me. I wonder what logo they would use if they brought the tar tanker wagons into CGI. What do you think Streak?

[Streak]

I don't know anyone who'd rave for Bachmann to make Nia, Rebecca, or Philip. The vast majority, including myself, dread the idea.

There are people outside of these forums who like Bachmann and who like those characters. Just because you don't see these people doesn't mean they don't exist. Personally, if I think a character's design is good (regardless of their personality), I would be fine with them getting Bachmann models as long as the ones that I want/think deserve models get made as well. I'd be down with Bachmann Norman, Hugo, Charlie, Ferdinand, or even Bachmann Timothy (Timothy is my least favorite character in the franchise tbh). As long as we got Daisy, Stepney, Stanley, Ryan, and so on.

Same for me. I wonder what logo they would use if they brought the tar tanker wagons into CGI. What do you think Streak?

Not sure. The Tar Wagons have mostly been synonymous with the road so maybe something like a paved street in a circle. I've thought about this before in the past but I can't remember what I came up with at the moment.

[Streak]

So I've already said what I wanted for the Bachmann HO Scale range so I think it's time for PART 2!!!
It's Narrow Gauge Time!!  

Peter Sam-

Going by everyone on the forums, it seems like the most wanted narrow gauge engine is Peter Sam and I can't blame ya'll. Peter Sam isn't my favorite narrow gauge engine but I do really like him. Having him in Bachmann along side Skarloey, Rheneas, and Rusty would be glorious. His CGI model is just perfection. The rivets, the face, the buffer beam! Everything is just flat out amazing with his model. I don't even mind his "Thomas-esq" whistle as I think it sets him apart from the other engines. In the end, he's the most likely and the most wanted engine for this range. I would be shocked if we didn't get him next year.

Sir Handel-

While I'm totally down with Peter Sam being made and I'm pretty sure he'll be announced next, I think I would want Sir Handel in the range a little bit more. I like his dark blue paintwork (since no engine, standard or narrow, has a shade of blue like that) and overall I have more of an attachment to Sir Handel because of nostalgia. Steamroller and A Smooth Ride were some of my favorite episodes growing up so I'd love to see Sir Handel get in. Plus, his CGI model is very good. The only thing that puts him below Peter Sam is a) his popularity on the forum and b) his real life basis, Sir Hayden, being MIA currently, leaving Bachmann with no blueprints to model off of. (I think that's how that works...)

Victor/Luke/Millie-

Like most people on this forum, I want them to make (most of) the original NG six before they do anything with the recent CGI series only NG engines but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want them made eventually. Victor is such an important character in the current series, arguably the most important NG engine currently. He runs the Steamworks with Kevin, has a cool basis, and is just a good character all around. Some argue they would have to make the Steamworks for there to be any chance for Victor. I seriously doubt that. Victor has been seen outside the Steamworks before (i.e. Don't Bother Victor and Snow Place Like Home) so I see him working without one. I do think they would need to make a HO scale Kevin to go with him which I wouldn't mind (as long as they made Trevor first)

Luke is the only one of these engines I could possibly see getting before Sir Handel and Peter Sam. He has squeezed his way into the main NG click and his basis is amazing. Even though he's not used as much in the show nowadays, I still like Luke and his debut movie: Blue Mountain Mystery. Plus, Mattel thinks he's marketable, seeing as they gave him his own Adventures play-set and his own Trackmaster RC engine. I would be totally fine with Luke being made.

Millie is the odd one out. She would be a great pick, seeing as she's the only female NG engine and she has a unique color scheme and personality. However, she suffers the same problem that Victor has where she's part of a group of characters that you would need to also make for her inclusion to make sense. But the difference between Victor and Millie is that I can see Bachmann making a Kevin, it's much harder seeing them make Stephen and Glynn. Not only would they be the smallest HO scale engines (smaller than even Philip), they would also be very complex to make. Stephen is very popular and I have no doubt that Bachmann would try their best on both, but I can't help feeling that they'd be a stretch. Millie is almost always seen with Stephen and Glynn, so having her without the others would just be weird.

Duke/Freddie/MightyMac-

Just thought I'd bring these guys up. These guys having the longest of long shots as they're not even in the current series. MightyMac... just no. He would look cool and I'm sure Bachmann could pull it off but who here gives a care bout these two? Anyone? Thought so.

Duke and Freddie are the two I see having a chance albeit slim. Duke is an extremely popular classic character who I have no doubt would sell so much money and Freddie is a marketable character (seeing as he has a Trackmaster model despite not being in the CGI series) with a unique color scheme and a cool basis. I doubt these two would be made anytime soon but it's just a thought.

Duncan-

Duncan, Duncan, Duncan... What can I say that hasn't been said already. His CGI model is hot garbage. Despite being my favorite NG gauge character, I would not want him made if they were going to base him off his CGI model. And seeing Rusty, I doubt they would base him off of his real life counterpart, Douglas. I honestly would rather see any of the engines listed above over CGI Duncan. (That's pretty bad when MightyMac would be better than CGI Duncan). Hopefully, despite being in "Counting on Nia", they still might remodel Duncan next season. Seeing as they gave Skarloey a head lamp, they might change him up as well.

https://www.deviantart.com/the-arc-minister/art/The-Evolution-of-Duncan-662218707

If Duncan was to be remodeled, I hope it would be something like TheArcMinister's photoshop (particularly the middle one).

So that's it for engines, quickly I'll go through rolling stock for the NG line.

Narrow Gauge Brake Van-

Must have. If they only released a blue brake van, red brake van, and brown brake van next year for rolling stock, I would be happy.

Narrow Gauge Box Vans-

Now they're already vans in the Narrow Gauge range and while they're ok, I think some brown ones would be welcome.

Troublesome Slate Truck-

In Journey Beyond Sodor, slate trucks with faces were animated for the film. However they were modeled in standard gauge instead of narrow gauge. When Big World Big Adventures was coming out, those same slate trucks were seen in the promotional footage but were cut from the final film. Seeing as they didn't show up in Season 22 either leads me to believe that Jam Filled may be remodeling them for the narrow gauge railway, making them perfect for the NG range.

Green NG Coaches-

In Counting on Nia, there were newly modeled green narrow gauge coaches visible for a split second (You can tell they're newly modeled since they and Skarloey were the same height). I doubt they would make them next year, just throwing it out there that they exist.

Any of the Railway Series coaches-

Going by the Blue NG Box Van, Bachmann are down for making Railway Series designs in this range. So I could see Ada, Jane, Mabel, or even Cora being made. The other coaches are less likely considering the blue and red coaches that were announced this year.

Refreshment Lady's Stand Coach (S7)-

This would be cool to release alongside Peter Sam tbh. Would reference one of my favorite Season 7 episodes.

So that's all the suggestions I have for the Bachmann NG range. I'll save Large Scale for a Part 3. But before I end this post, let me leave off with a question for all of you. The narrow gauge range has less characters they could make than the HO Scale line. Hypothetically, if they made all of the unique engines (basically all the engines listed above), would you be upset if they moved on to recolor characters/alternate versions of characters. Just to name a few examples, they could make Proteus, Smudger, Bertram, Stuart and Falcon, Yellow Rheneas, and Yellow Victor. Would you be cool with any of these after all the unique engines were made or would you just want them to stop there? Anyways thanks for reading. Post your thoughts down below. Peace.

[Chaz]

It's always nice seeing somebody take the time to go through the remaining choices of the narrow gauge range in depth.

As I'm sure many others would agree, I think Peter Sam and Sir Handel should be considered before any of the other narrow gauge engines.  If one of them gets announced next year, then the demand for the other would skyrocket.  Personally I really think Peter Sam should be announced before Sir Handel and Sir Handel should get announced the following year.

I think after seeing the picture of Rusty, I think everybody can agree that Duncan should be skipped entirely, because of his poor render. If they ever upgrade the render, then I would be more than happy to see him. But despite being an original character, I think he should be skipped for now and Peter Sam and Sir Handel should be made before Duncan ever gets considered.

Definitely agree with you on the stance of the new were narrow gauge characters. I agree that Luke is the most probable out of the three, and Millie and Victor would stick out in the range like sore thumbs if they were ever announced.  Seeing as how long it took Bachmann to make newer engines like Rosie and Paxton, compared to all the classic characters, I could see the same with narrow gauge and saving them until they do Sir Handel and Peter Sam first (and maybe Duncan if we are lucky enough to get an upgraded render).

Brake vans for the narrow gauge range I think are inevitable, but I don't see them going for anymore different coaches after they releases the red and blue ones that are due this year.  I could see them going for slate trucks with faces if they are on a tight budget for the range, though I would prefer seeing the faces shown in season 4 over the CGI ones.

Recolored narrow gauge engines would seem futile when enough people are doing conversions with the Skarloey range as it is.  Going by the track record of the narrow gauge range so far though, I don't think Bachmann will go that route with them.

[J70Toby]

It is pretty obvious that Daisy and Stepney or the most wanted for standard gauge in the forum.  While it seems that there is a greater preference for Stepney, I felt like taking the time to say why I would rather see Daisy released: there is no good way to represent her in HO/OO unless one is able to scratch-build the loco body.  Daisy is not true to her basis in that the class 101 DMUs were multi-car units.  So if one was to buy a class 101 and overhaul it as Daisy, the back would be wrong because of it having a corridor instead of having a back the same shape as the front.  There are single car DMUs, but those don't look much like Daisy and would have the same issue as a model such as the Hornby Edward.

One has the option of attempting an "operation" on a class 101 set by cutting the two bodies in half and gluing the fronts together (I believe that is how Awdry made his Daisy), but there is a lot of room for that to not work out well.  If the cut is not perfect then one would be out the cost of a rather expensive model with nothing to show for it.

If, for whatever reason, Bachmann decided that Stepney would never be made, there are still models of Stepney's basis available.  While that is not ideal, the diehard Stepney fan would still have a solid starting point for modeling the character.  Daisy, on the other hand, is, in her own way, the first freelance locomotive design in Thomas (sorry Lady fans).  So I find it more important for Daisy to released in a Thomas merchandise line.

As far as what I would want to see in the model, I believe I may be in a minority of the fanbase in that I prefer her model design.  The CGI render appears overly tall and too short, making it look somewhat chunky (like a Wooden Railway model).  I know the reality is that it would probably be based on the CGI render, but I would hope for at least some influence from the model series when it came to scaling.

[Streak]

Personally I'm torn.

I like Stepney. He's the main character in some of my favorite classic series eps, he has a unique color scheme, and he's based on a real engine from a real railway. He would fit in with the other characters in the range (Thomas, Edward, Duck, Arry, Bert, Rusty, and even Rosie) and he'd be easy to make considering he's a small tank engine. Also he'd be modeled after his classic series design which would be cool. I definitely want fans of him to get what they wish for as well. However...

I would love to see Daisy. Stepney's a good character but he's not a favorite of mine. Daisy's the only female character I would say is in my top 10 favorite characters (Rebecca's close). Daisy has such a personality. She's the last classic character that I would say deserves to be made in Bachmann other than Trevor. I'm not saying Stepney shouldn't be made in Bachmann, just that going by personality, revelancy, and number of appearances, Daisy just has higher priority. Her CGI model is almost flawless. Personally, I think her preportions are spot on and I wouldn't mind Bachmann to base her off this current design (bonus points if they include her S21 onward cab interior). It would also be her first piece of merchandise in years. At least Stepney got a Take N Play in 2014, Daisy hasn't gotten squat. It would also be refreshing to see a bigger longer engine in Bachmann after so long. Also, if Bachmann does make her and doesn't include the eye mechanism (a point I made in an previous post), that would open the door for so many possible characters for Bachmann to make who would be too small and/or complicated to have moving eyes.

Then again, people want Stepney asap since they're worried that he'll be put in CGI before they can get classic Stepney in Bachmann. Daisy could always be made in 2020 or further while Stepney isn't as lucky. I could definitely see Stepney coming back soon due to the whole internationalangle the show is going for, so he doesn't have much time left to be made classic. (If his CGI model was good, I wouldn't mind it over a classic version but that's just me.) I know that so many people don't want that to happen.
It's a hard line to draw.

So for now, I'm just going to hope that both Stepney and Daisy are announced in 2019 so that everyone can get what they want. But in the end, we're not Bachmann and we don't make the decisions. If Bachmann turns around and announces Neville from Season 9, then there's nothing we can do. Boom. It's done. C'est la vie. Whoever Bachmann announces, I'm sure they'll have a good reason for their inclusion.

So that's the end of my ramble. On the topic of Stepney, many peoples argument for him is that he was made by Hornby. That got me thinking. What character that Hornby has made (other than Stepney) would you like to see Bachmann make? Here's the list: Murdoch, Dart, Flying Scotsman, D261, Bear, and Old Slow Coach. Comment down below your pick and also post who you would want more: Daisy or Stepney? That's all from me. Peace.

[Chaz]

I'd be lying if I told you that I ever wanted Bachmann to make any of the characters that are exclusive to Hornby, besides Stepney.

If I absolutely HAD to pick one of them it would probably be Murdoch, (since Scotsman's CG render would be a deal breaker for me) since his Hornby model is incredibly hard to come by and probably the most expensive Thomas model out there period.  However, his price, being a large engine, would rule him completely.  Though, I would personally be a lot happier with a model of Arthur, and I could see him happening before Murdoch if Bachmann decides to make other characters who haven't been given the CGI treatment yet like Stepney.

Dart would be the only engine Hornby already did that Bachman would probably go for (besides Stepney), but both him and Den don't really strike me as popular enough to warrant Bachmann models of them.

[Streak]

Considering that yesterday was the 15th anniversary of Season 7, your choice of Murdoch is actually quite fitting. I'd really like Bachmann to make Murdoch just for design alone. He would look amazing. However I will admit, he is the least interesting out of the three S7 newbies left to be made. I'd much rather have Arthur (my favorite S7 character) or even Fergus before Murdoch if we're going persona wise.

Old Slow Coach wouldn't be hard to do. She would be a new mold but rolling stock molds are less expensive than new engine molds. Plus Bachmann has shown with Spiteful Brakevan that they're still allowed to make classic series characters.

D261, probably not. He did get a Take N Play model in 2014 but I doubt he'd get in the line before BoCo or even Derek. And I don't see him coming back in CGI anytime soon, despite his repeated usage in the Thomas Creator Collective.

You are right about Dart. They would also have to make Den for it to work. Den and Dart are popular but not enough to have priority over other CGI characters. Doesn't mean I wouldn't want them.
They were great in "Den and Dart" and "Springtime for Diesel".

I would love to see Bear. He'd be the only railway series character (besides Fred Pelhay and Rickety) I could see getting in. Especially if he was put in CGI. They haven't put any railway series characters in CGI since the Arlesdale Engines but I do think an adaptation of Super Rescue is possible with CGI versions of Bear and even D199.

Honestly, Flying Scotsman is the one out of that list that I think is most likely. He's in CGI and is prominent in said CGI. He's the brother of one of the main characters and he is based on one of the most famous engines of all time. Sure he would be big with two tenders, but being so famous, I could see Bachmann shelling out the extra bills for him. I'll actually disagree with you Chaz and say that I actually like Flying Scotsman's render. It's not my favorite but I wouldn't say I'm bothered by it. I just hope that if Bachmann does make him, they'll give him the accurate eight wheeled tenders instead of the inaccurate six wheeled tenders he has in the show. If they did that, I'd be a-OK with CGI Scotty.  

So that's my thoughts on the Hornby engines. I did kind of break my own discussion chain by answering my own question, but I still want to keep this going. What character from Hornby do you want Bachmann to make sometime down the line?

[J70Toby]

I can't really see Bachmann putting the resources into releasing the sorts of minor characters that Hornby released because Hornby's approach to its Thomas range was to release an existing tooling with an altered livery and a face added.  I'm no expert in the range, but I believe the only unique toolings were for Percy and Toby.  A character like Dart could be released in the Hornby range because the company doesn't need to put many resources into it, and whatever the sales the model brings were pretty much just bonus on top of the investment for the original tooling.

Meanwhile, the only reused engine toolings in Bachmann's range (not counting twin engines) are 'Arry, Bert, and Paxton.  And those characters pretty much only exist in Bachmann's range because of initial demand for Diesel.  If Diesel never existed, then I can't see Bachmann making the investment to produce any of the other three.

I would buy a model of Bear, but I don't think that one will ever be made.  Bachmann does not currently produce a model of a Class 35, and there are several other large diesel engines who would be made first because they have wider appeal.

Just a bit of trivia, but it is curious that Hornby released the likes of Bear and Class 40 and not BoCo.  Hornby once produced a Class 28 model that was a dead-ringer for BoCo's RWS appearence down to having the same number.

[Streak]

I can't really see Bachmann putting the resources into releasing the sorts of minor characters that Hornby released because Hornby's approach to its Thomas range was to release an existing tooling with an altered livery and a face added.  I'm no expert in the range, but I believe the only unique toolings were for Percy and Toby.  A character like Dart could be released in the Hornby range because the company doesn't need to put many resources into it, and whatever the sales the model brings were pretty much just bonus on top of the investment for the original tooling.

Meanwhile, the only reused engine toolings in Bachmann's range (not counting twin engines) are 'Arry, Bert, and Paxton.  And those characters pretty much only exist in Bachmann's range because of initial demand for Diesel.  If Diesel never existed, then I can't see Bachmann making the investment to produce any of the other three.

I can see where you're coming from. It would be highly unlikely for Bachmann to make Murdoch, D261, and Bear in this moment in time. Flying Scotsman and Dart are at least in the current series and Old Slow Coach might have a slight chance seeing as she's rolling stock.

I would buy a model of Bear, but I don't think that one will ever be made.  Bachmann does not currently produce a model of a Class 35, and there are several other large diesel engines who would be made first because they have wider appeal.

Just a bit of trivia, but it is curious that Hornby released the likes of Bear and Class 40 and not BoCo.  Hornby once produced a Class 28 model that was a dead-ringer for BoCo's RWS appearence down to having the same number.

I do think Bear would get a higher chance if he ever got brought into the CGI series. He'd be relevant and would be great for retro fans. I would say BoCo and Daisy should get in before him though.

Speaking of BoCo, that little tidbit about Hornby having the perfect model is interesting. I hope I'm not stepping on any toes in saying this but honestly I just found Hornby's Thomas range rather lazy and quite unappealing. They did have some good models like Oliver, Murdoch, Stepney, and Bear, but most of the others were just... egh. The colors were off (Thomas), the scaling was inaccurate (Toby and Dart), the entire design would sometimes be completely wrong (Edward and Emily), and they were missing so many characters (seriously no Donald, Douglas, or Mavis). I do like the concept of having realistic (maybe even Railway Series) versions of the characters, but the way Hornby did it was lazy and uninspired. Despite Bachmann's faults, I can say without a doubt that they are superior to Hornby when it comes to making Thomas.

[TerencetheTractor525]

So that's the end of my ramble. On the topic of Stepney, many peoples argument for him is that he was made by Hornby. That got me thinking. What character that Hornby has made (other than Stepney) would you like to see Bachmann make? Here's the list: Murdoch, Dart, Flying Scotsman, D261, Bear, and Old Slow Coach. Comment down below your pick and also post who you would want more: Daisy or Stepney? That's all from me. Peace.

I would prefer Stepney slightly more, but would be happy with Daisy too. As long as one of the two or a new set of resin buildings gets announced, I'm happy  .

[Streak]

I would prefer Stepney slightly more, but would be happy with Daisy too. As long as one of the two or a new set of resin buildings gets announced, I'm happy  .

True true. Either Stepney or Daisy would be good picks for next year's engine. If I were Bachmann, I would announce Stepney in 2019, announce Daisy (+ Recolors) in 2020 for the 75th and then Ryan to go with Daisy in 2021. (Then I'd announce Stanley  )

But if Daisy was announced next year instead of Stepney, I wouldn't complain. Either one would be great. Since I'm new to these boards, I thought I should ask this. Does the Bachmann team actually read these forums and take our wants and ideas into consideration? If that's how it works, than Stepney and Daisy definitely have a good shot next year.