Future suggestions/predictions thread

[Armada Starscream]

As I have stated in the Everything Thomas topic, if they are willing to make the obscure Mainland Diesels, then maybe at some point in the future, if the CGI Mandate gets lifted, they would be willing to also make Splatter and Dodge. As I have said before they already have the correct chassis and body shell. ('Arry and Bert) Given that Splatter and Dodge always appear onscreen with identical faces to each other, all Bachmann would have to do would be design a single face mold that both models could use. And given that Splatter and Dodge have more characterization than the Mainland Diesels, and the fact that on a lot of these Thomas Tuesday livestreams show that modelers often make custom Splatters and Dodges, I think Splatter and Dodge would sell quite well. This could also be presented to Mattel as an incentive for lifting the CGI Mandate. And given that a lot of people are asking for Diesel 10, it would be fitting for Splatter and Dodge to be made as well.

I addition, I hope they will have the ability to upscale their new N Scale rolling stock into larger scales. It would be cool to get the LMS Brakevan and Hannah in HO/OO Scale.

[N Scale Sudrian]

I'm not familiar with the N scale range much; is the N scale Gordon closer to his CGI render or his HO tooling? It makes me wonder what direction they will go for Henry.

Gordon is based on the CGI references rather than the HO tooling, thank goodness. Henry doubtless be the same. I suspect there will still be chassis sharing between the two given that aspect of their show designs carries over to the CGI designs, albeit hopefully without the awful stretching and squashing the HO Henry was subjected to...

[harrison05]

I can't be the only one who loves that the Mainland Diesels are coming, I think thats so cool also funny at the same time. It's not like Beau where I was scratching my head when he was announced I understand why they did him just surprised by that.

[JLK2707]

We can still get a BR brake van, Edward, Duck and Oliver for N scale next year. The BR brake van is not completely out of the question.

In addition to this, do you think an LSBC Thomas and a black James would be possible for large scale and n scale?

[JLK2707]

Good point Armada Starscream.

[TerencetheTractor525]

With the summer announcements revealed, I did want to touch upon next year's potential HO engine announcement sooner rather than later. While I understand that there are a handful of Nia fans, I think that it would be in Bachmann's best interest to go for a character who all fans, young and old admire, especially since next year is the 80th Anniversary. Hiro, Harvey, or Diesel 10 are the three that come to mind, as all have appeared in CGI, have interesting designs, and are most importantly well liked amongst all fans.

[thomasj219]

Completely agree. Their chances are less likely, but I'd love to see Arthur, Murdoch, BoCo or Stepney

[Chaz]

We can still get a BR brake van, Edward, Duck and Oliver for N scale next year. The BR brake van is not completely out of the question.

In addition to this, do you think an LSBC Thomas and a black James would be possible for large scale and n scale?

Edward I would say is a "given" for next year.  Hopefully Duck will happen after Edward, but I'm willing to bet he will be a 2026 announcement depending on when they finish Diesel/Paxton.  A BR brake van being included in N scale with other rolling stock announcements would be nice, regardless if they use the farish tooling or the large scale tooling scaled down to N.

I think an LBSC Thomas and Origin James could work as limited runs in large scale.  I wouldn't mind them in N scale either as extra repaints they want to throw in for the anniversary.  Maybe Edward and LBSC Thomas in the winter announcements and Origin James during the next years NMRA? 

[TrainFan97]

Although I personally hope for Norman in HO Scale, the most popular picks for the next newly-tooled engines are Whiff, Nia, Harvey, Diesel 10 and Hiro. Hope Bachmann does go through with making Harvey and Diesel 10 at some point. Although those two would be more expensive because of their attachments, they're going to be big sellers regardless. They might make Harvey first, since his crane is simpler than Diesel 10's claw. Just manually rotate the crane, and turn the cogwheel to raise and lower the hook. Basically "Cranky on wheels" as James described. If Rebecca proves to be a popular seller, Bachmann may finally announce Hiro for HO Scale, as the next tender engine. Only one Mainland Diesel was announced, and that begs the question if we'll get more variants with different faces, including Ulli (the only one to be named). Now that Sidney is on the cards, another choice for a Class 08 repaint would be Fernando. Many are hoping the CGI mandate would be lifted so we would get Splatter and Dodge, especially with the demand Diesel 10 has.

Edward has to be the next N Scale engine, now that Henry is coming. I'm hoping by the end of the year we hear something on N Scale Diesel and Paxton. N Scale Edward has to be announced for the 2025 catalog; to complete the original Steam Team in N Scale, as well as be fitting for the 80th Anniversary. For rolling stock, N Scale desperately needs non-troublesome open wagon variants, as well as the BR Brake Van. If N Scale was to start getting engine repaints, options include LBSC Thomas, Origin James, Sidney, 'Arry and Bert. The former two are fitting for the anniversary.

If Large Scale was to get anything, Bachmann should make LBSC Thomas and Origin James. Maybe even Large Scale Sidney.

[TrainFan97]

So, it looks like a lot of people are going to have to buy Rebecca if they want HO Scale Hiro to become a reality. The more people buying Rebecca, the more likely Hiro will be the next new tooling for HO Scale. If you want HO Scale Hiro, just buy Rebecca, and maybe he will be announced in the near future. Trainworld getting a lot of preorders in for Rebecca would be a good sign. If Rebecca even sells out, that would really convince Bachmann to make Hiro, one of the most-loved CGI characters of all time.

Want HO Scale Hiro to become a reality? You know the drill.

[Kemptown Branch]

Hey everyone, over the past couple of days, and after the new announcements, I've been thinking about what should be next for the N Scale range in 2025. Before laying out my thoughts for these, I wanted to say that I think my suggestions for 2025 could happen in either announcement group, so I won't specify which products would go to which announcement.


Obviously, everyone is suggesting that Edward be next for the line, and there's absolutely no reason to argue against that. Simply put, there are so many reasons why he should be next that it would be extremely surprising if anyone else got announced first:
- He's the final engine from both the Series 1 cast and the Steam Team that needs to be made. So many people were upset that Tomix failed to do this, so Bachmann finally fixing that will be good. It might even make people more willing to collect the range.
- It's the 80th anniversary year, and Edward is the one who started it all.
- He's one of Bachmann's most popular characters. Even with all of the other characters from the last 16 years, so many people still say he's one of Bachmann's best ever models.
With all of that, Edward should be Bachmann's top priority for the next N Scale product, period (even over other rolling stock recolors).
It's only a matter of time before Gordon, Henrietta, Emily and her coaches are released, so I don't think they would have any affect on a potential announcement, and beyond that there aren't many toolings that we haven't seen (fully painted or otherwise). Even despite that, I don't think the unseen toolings would make it so Edward couldn't be announced, since there's only 5-ish:
- Diesel and Paxton (1 tooling)
- Express Coach
- Express Brake Coach (Body only)
- Henry (Probably body only)
- 20 Ton Brake Van (likely using an existing tooling)

TL;DR - Edward should have almost nothing stopping him from being the next N Scale product announced.

Rolling Stock Suggestions for 2025:
Every engine announcement so far has had at least one piece of rolling stock to be announced, and so I think it'll be extremely likely that we'll see some with Edward. I'm going to suggest a few recolors that I think will be crucial to the line's future success.  So far, all of the goods/freight stock in the line are either characters or kind of gimmicky products with logos. I think that the N Gauge range is severely lacking in standard, non-logo stock that could be used for general goods trains. I know that people have suggested just doing 3 open wagon recolors, but I think a little more variety should be done instead. Using the 3 wagon toolings already in the line, I'll suggest 4 products:


1. Green Open Wagon w/ Coal Load
Starting with the Open Wagon recolors, I suggest the green open wagon with the coal load. This has always been extremely popular in the HO line, even surviving alongside the mining wagon and Sodor coal wagon. It appeared pretty regularly in the model series, and it's also one of the main colors of the standard open wagons in CGI, alongside the red versions.


2. Red Open Wagon (maybe w/ China Clay Load)
Since this is the standard open wagon that appeared in the CGI Series, it should also be one of the first recolors to be announced. The only reason I didn't mention it first is this: the new HO China Clay wagon appears to be the Red Open Wagon with the the coal load recolored as China Clay. If that is true, maybe the model could be made with the load to get an easy second use out of the coal load tooling.


3. Gray 12 Ton Van
Like the red open wagon being the most common standard open wagon in the CGI Series, this is it for the vans. Bachmann have the tooling ready, and it would be nice to have a non-logo version of the tooling available. It appeared in the show all the time between series 17-24, and the HO version recently announced appears to have a pretty positive reception so far. I'm sure it would do well in N Scale.


4. Milk Tanker
This tanker has been in the show since the beginning, and has always been popular in the other merchandise ranges. It was also one of very few tankers to survive the CGI switchover, and only it and the oil tanker appeared during the Brenner Era. It's also still in the HO range, and it's the only piece of freight stock to make it to the UK range that we don't have in N Scale yet. It also adds a nice color variety to the tankers.

I think these four wagons should have the priority to be announced in the same year as Edward, because it gives more for the engines to pull, and since most of them don't have logos, they'd be perfect for general goods trains. I also don't think it would be too many at once, either, because the other ranges have had 4 or more wagons of different types announced at once.

I thought about adding what I think could happen for the range in 2026 and beyond, but this is a long post already. I might make a separate post about my thoughts for that later, though.

What do you guys think about my suggestions? I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

[TrainFan97]

Now that Henry is on the cards for N Scale, Edward is definitely the new #1 priority for the N Scale range without question. He's the only engine left from Season 1, the only engine left of the original Steam Team, and the character that started it all, which would be fitting for the 80th Anniversary. The rolling stock options are also good suggestions, which are the Red Open Wagon (w/ maybe a China Clay Load), Green Open Wagon w/ Coal Load, Gray 12-Ton Van, and a Milk Tanker. All of which would be made from existing toolings. I'd be okay with a BR Brake Van, even if it is the Graham Farish tooling.

If Bachmann ever does go through with Harvey for HO Scale, they can see how well he sells before attempting Diesel 10, so it would be wise to make Harvey first, and Diesel 10 might depend on how well he sells. Just like how Rebecca needs to sell well before Bachmann announces Hiro for HO Scale. Rebecca selling well would prove to Bachmann that Hiro can sell well too, despite a rather hefty price. Hiro is one of the all-time most-requested characters for HO Scale, and the most popular character to originate from the CGI series. Doug Blaine confirmed Harvey and Diesel 10 are possible for HO Scale, and the NMRA standards didn't matter, but the real thing that's holding them back is the cost because of their attachments. Bachmann could just give Harvey a go one day, and see how well-received and a seller he is. Diesel 10 would certainly be an epic product, but with a hefty price because of his claw, but he will be a huge seller without question.

[Chaz]

I agree with a lot of the things you suggested in your post Kempton! I think as I said earlier, Edward is a given for next year. It really is the perfect announcement they could make for the 80th anniversary in N scale.

I'm a little surprised we haven't gotten any of the wagon repaints yet, or even the milk tanker in N scale for that matter.  I guess they just want to save them for later once they finish a lot of the other popular requests?  I feel like the red coaches are going to be the next rolling stock announcement in N scale, which I would be fine with, but I think we need a lot more freight variety before we jump onto another pair of coaches.

I'll be working on a new post here fairly soon as well, would love to hear your thoughts on that once I eventually get it up.

[DustyMarie53!]

The red coaches and museum coaches will definitely happen eventually. Really popular items in two scales now. Makes sense they'll be introduced eventually. But I think some more goods stock first would be ideal. Mail cars to go with Percy would be awesome, could even do the green and live lobster variant from HO to introduce them as a rake of three like the vans and tankers, but the mail cars would be the main highlight. 

Open wagons would also be a good choice and is the main suggestion I've seen thrown around here. And they have a lot of choices too. I don't know what is the most likely admittedly. My want would be the hit era blue, the hit era green with coal load, and the red truck. But I'm expecting the scrap car, Sodor coal co car, and either the orange cargo car or the previously mentioned red truck. (Maybe even the new one with the load coming out? Not sure if they would do that yet though)


Don't even have to mention engines in this response really. Edward is practically guaranteed next new mold model; I don't see anyone else happening first. However, could see LBSC Thomas and one of the James's being announced in the 2025 February catalog and saving Edward for NMRA. We will see.

The future of N scale is looking bright. Honestly if I could get a do over may have even considered doing N scale instead lol. Look forward to seeing how they continued to expand the line. Although, I'd like G scale to also be thrown a bone. It's a shame that scale doesn't get as much love as the other 3 now, but I do get it. They are pricey to produce. Maybe someday we'll get another engine.

[Awesometrain77]

Okay so here is my idea
Do LBSC Thomas and Edward first then do the James varients


as for other scales HO I think the works unit coach is due soon. And honestly honestly next year would be the perfect time to do diesel 10 since it is an anniversary year .

A Thomas variant may happen if so, it could probably be a gold or pink version . I am leaning more towards gold tho idk fs . However a paint splattered Thomas would be really cool.
as for other engine variants glow in the dark Henry or Emily with 12 would be nice

As for other rolling stock Spencer's brakecoach is long over due . And what about bring back the M truck . Troublesome truck number seven is also overdue

It seems like every 5 years we get a new scale. My personal pick is a Z scale minimum gauge .

For large scale milk fuel and oil tankers need to be brought back
Edward could happen if he reuses stuff from James .

Here is my rough outline for the year
Catalog
HO scale
Thomas variant
Diesel 10
Troublesometruck 7 van
Spencer's brake coach

Minimum gauge
Mike
Plank wagon
Open coach

N scale
LBSC Thomas
Edward

NMRA

Large scale
Edward
Fuel tanker
Milk tanker
Oil tanker

HO scale
Glowing Henry
Emily with 12
Works unit coach blue green and orange
M truck re-release

Narrow gauge
slate wagon NGTT#1 or HOTT#8
Slate wagon NGTT#2 or HOTT#9

N scale
James busy bee
James black
Red branchline coaches
Museum coaches