Stepney or Ryan?

[MasterOfTheLemons]

Hello! I've never posted on the Bachmann forums before (though I've read them intently), and this is a topic I really wanted to weigh in on! Stepney vs. Ryan; I love them both, but Stepney is the easy choice to me, especially for the 75th anniversary, and I'll explain why:

1. His Significance - Stepney is a very special character. Unlike most of the engines in Thomas and Friends, many rail enthusiasts will know that Stepney is based on a real locomotive. In the heat of modernization in the British Isles, Stepney was rescued from scrap by the Bluebell Railway, and essentially served as the "founder engine" for one of the most famous preserved steam railways of all time. He is famous, not just in the Thomas Fandom, but in rail fan circles too.
Because of Stepney's real world fame, his appearance in the Television Series was a momentous occasion for the show. He is perhaps the most notable "celebrity guest appearance" in all of Thomas and Friends.  Seeing as his introduction was such an important milestone for Thomas, I think releasing him for another Thomas milestone, the 75th anniversary of the franchise, makes perfect sense!

2. He's a gateway into the hobby - As mentioned earlier, Stepney essentially serves as a mascot for the Bluebell Railway, and railway preservation in general. Now that Bachmann is selling their Thomas models in the UK (CONGRATULATIONS BACHMANN!!) this could not be better timing for Stepney. Stepney would SELL OUT in the Bluebell Railway gift shop. I can easily imagine many parents who love the Bluebell Railway for its rich history buying their child a Bachmann Stepney as a gateway to the railway hobby in general, as Stepney is a real engine with deep ties to a real railway, but he is also a character from Thomas and Friends! The perfect intersection between general model railroading and Thomas fandom! Don't underestimate the Bluebell Railway connection, it WILL help sell this model!

3. He's a fan favorite – In the decade or so that I've spent in this fandom, I've seen a LOT of "favorite character lists". There are a lot of popular engines, but some appear a lot more often than others. They're an unusual bunch; James, Diesel 10, Duck, Duncan, Bill and Ben, and Stepney all come to mind. And let me tell you, Stepney is the DEFINITION of a fan favorite. For many reasons. People identify with his small size and underdog story, the fact that he's a real world engine, his debut episode Rusty to the Rescue is on countless Top 10 lists (and seeing as you've made Rusty recently, people will be dying to recreate the episode with your Stepney), and perhaps most importantly, Stepney was only a visiting engine, meaning that his limited appearances gave him intrigue and left fans wanting more.

Now as for Ryan... He's got a pretty cool design, and he would go well with Daisy. But while Ryan is well liked, Stepney has a whole FANBASE all his own. Ryan simply hasn't been around long enough to build a reputation like Stepney's. He's still a relatively new character, and while he is in the current show, they have done little with him. I'd love to see a Ryan from Bachmann one day, but I don't think he's as high a priority as Stepney, a character whom fans have been wanting a decent model of for literal decades. Ryan is a great character, but when it comes to celebrating the 75th anniversary of this franchise, who is the better choice? An engine that has existed for five years, and whose introduction was fairly run of the mill, or a real world rail icon who joined the franchise before the TV Series even STARTED, and has been winning the hearts of railfans and Thomas fans alike before Ryan was even thought of?

[TerencetheTractor525]

Speaking of the Bluebell Railway, I wonder if it would be possible if Bachmann could take measurements of the real-life Stepney locomotive, and make the HO model using those measurements, just as they did for the narrow gauge line through the Talyllyn Railway. It may be a good solution if specific measurements of the classic television series model are not available. Plus, Stepney is a real engine.

Also, for anyone who missed it, here is a video on the history of Stepney in real-life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGmpr52R2FY

The amount of attention the video has gotten is amazing, as it has only been out for about two months and already has over a thousand likes. Speaks for itself really .

[Cheeky_ULP]

Measurements of all the TV series characters exist, both model and CGI, so there's no reason they'd need to do that. To add, it'd just defeat the point of doing Stepney as people remember him on-screen.

[TerencetheTractor525]

That's good to know, and of course. My hope is still to see Stepney based completely on the model series, just as engines like Duck. Yet, seeing that Duck was the last time we got a Bachmann model that had measurements that were clearly based on the engine from the model series (not including resin buildings), I was not sure if Bachmann got rid of all the measurement references from that era. Thus, basing Stepney on the measurements of the real-life engine would be something to resort to in case the measurements from the show are no longer available. Would certainly prefer that over not seeing him made at all.

[Rodimus Supreme]

Measurements of all the TV series characters exist, both model and CGI, so there's no reason they'd need to do that. To add, it'd just defeat the point of doing Stepney as people remember him on-screen.

Stepney's proportions in the show are exactly the same as his real world basis. In fact, he's literally just his real world basis, but with a face slapped on. Nothing there would defeat any purpose.

[Cheeky_ULP]

Measurements of all the TV series characters exist, both model and CGI, so there's no reason they'd need to do that. To add, it'd just defeat the point of doing Stepney as people remember him on-screen.

Stepney's proportions in the show are exactly the same as his real world basis. In fact, he's literally just his real world basis, but with a face slapped on. Nothing there would defeat any purpose.

They are close, but they are absolutely not 1:1. No engine in the entire show is a 1:1 representation of their basis, not even engines like Molly or Ryan. There will always be certain discrepancies in terms of proportions to simplify the design for the purpose of toys, make a face fit more suitably, etc. The closest exceptions I can think of might be Derek, Neville and Dennis, but they're the odd ones of the bunch.

[Rodimus Supreme]

Measurements of all the TV series characters exist, both model and CGI, so there's no reason they'd need to do that. To add, it'd just defeat the point of doing Stepney as people remember him on-screen.

Stepney's proportions in the show are exactly the same as his real world basis. In fact, he's literally just his real world basis, but with a face slapped on. Nothing there would defeat any purpose.

They are close, but they are absolutely not 1:1. No engine in the entire show is a 1:1 representation of their basis, not even engines like Molly or Ryan. There will always be certain discrepancies in terms of proportions to simplify the design for the purpose of toys, make a face fit more suitably, etc. The closest exceptions I can think of might be Derek, Neville and Dennis, but they're the odd ones of the bunch.

I would really count removing details as "changing proportions". Which proportions on the Stepney show model are different than the basis?

[Cheeky_ULP]

Measurements of all the TV series characters exist, both model and CGI, so there's no reason they'd need to do that. To add, it'd just defeat the point of doing Stepney as people remember him on-screen.

Stepney's proportions in the show are exactly the same as his real world basis. In fact, he's literally just his real world basis, but with a face slapped on. Nothing there would defeat any purpose.

They are close, but they are absolutely not 1:1. No engine in the entire show is a 1:1 representation of their basis, not even engines like Molly or Ryan. There will always be certain discrepancies in terms of proportions to simplify the design for the purpose of toys, make a face fit more suitably, etc. The closest exceptions I can think of might be Derek, Neville and Dennis, but they're the odd ones of the bunch.

I would really count removing details as "changing proportions". Which proportions on the Stepney show model are different than the basis?

The most blatant example is that on the real "Stepney" locomotive, the side tanks are thinner and longer, while on the TV Series Stepney, his side tanks are wider but shorter. The funnel on the real "Stepney" also has a flared base, while the TV series Stepney is straight. The splashers are also radically different, as the TV series Stepneys splashers are downright gigantic compared to the real one. The cab windows are also in slightly different positions, much higher on the real locomotive.

Point is, there's no reason to measure the real locomotive when they have instant access to the props measurements. The only time the Bachmann Range has ever used a real locomotive for reference is Skarloey (and even certain details there are up for debate), which was more appropriate as there are no RTR Taylyllyn locomotives on the niche OO9 market.

[TerencetheTractor525]

Those are very good points, and believe me, I would prefer for the Bachmann model to be based on Stepney from the classic model series than real-life. Yet, at the end of the day, I just really want to see an HO Stepney announced to commemorate the 75th Anniversary, and especially before the possibility of a CGI model with excessively odd proportions is made.

And as stated before, I am sure that fans would understand if announcing Stepney in 2020 means that it will take a few years for him to be released, as Daisy and Peter Sam are the current focus. We just hope to see him announced sooner, rather than later .

[liljakejake250]

What other classic series characters can you see Bachmann making, or do y'all eventually think that they will make a transition to CGI series characters only?