Future suggestions/predictions thread

[Awesometrain77]

Bachmann has done barley anything with o scale so Williams Thomas line is not the most likely thing however I do think it could happen at one point since they did Wilson and Brewster in o scale years ago for the very short lived Chuggington line

I think large scale is pretty much done I do think Edward and the tramway coaches could happen but Aside from that I just see repaints in the lines future maybe Sidney , troublesome cattle vans , etc

O scale won't be as pricy as large scale and could expand to the point where we could get a O scale Gordon

As for Z scale I think it would be easy all they would have to do is make a 0-8-0 chasis that would work for all three of them . Mike and Rex could reuse the same exact chasis design and Bert just lack the front and back wheels . They also reuse tenders so there is that will only one chasis to design that would only need to be modded for Bert

So for HOz
2-8-2 chasis
3 engine shells
1 tender
3 rolling stock

S scale is not popular at all and we already technicaly have a s scale Thomas range diapet

[Mulfred100]

Bachmann has done barley anything with o scale so Williams Thomas line is not the most likely thing however I do think it could happen at one point since they did Wilson and Brewster in o scale years ago for the very short lived Chuggington line

I think large scale is pretty much done I do think Edward and the tramway coaches could happen but Aside from that I just see repaints in the lines future maybe Sidney , troublesome cattle vans , etc

O scale won't be as pricy as large scale and could expand to the point where we could get a O scale Gordon

As for Z scale I think it would be easy all they would have to do is make a 0-8-0 chasis that would work for all three of them . Mike and Rex could reuse the same exact chasis design and Bert just lack the front and back wheels . They also reuse tenders so there is that will only one chasis to design that would only need to be modded for Bert

So for HOz
2-8-2 chasis
3 engine shells
1 tender
3 rolling stock

S scale is not popular at all and we already technicaly have a s scale Thomas range diapet

Reusing the chassis for Bert won't really be show accurate

Like I get it that it's "cost saving" but it's a whole new scale. Reusing Mike for Rex is fine but Bert is definitely a whole different chassis. Plus going back to my earlier point introducing a new scale right now only slows down production for other scales and ultimately I don't know if Bachmann would bite the bullet on a brand new scale for 3 engines and 3 rolling stock. We've got 5 NG engines in the range so far, 6 including Rheneas' recolour and possibility of Millie, Luke, Victor. Along with possibly Duncan, Duke, Freddie, Mighty Mac, plus recolours of Sir Handel, Duke and Rheneas for Proteus, Bertrum and Smudger. Without the rolling stock and real world rereleases for Talyllyn locos. It's asking alot for 3 engines especially if people don't support it. We've seen and heard from Bachmann they are always taking the financial cost into account. In an ideal world, yes brilliant but unfortunately we need to consider these things. With NG, N and HO there's still a long list of possible products. Even if you take into account their real life Basis and made those. I genuinely don't know how well they'll sell compared to Talyllyn. As I said before Bachmann have enough to work with doing HO, N, the NG stuff. Adding another in the mix even for a limited time will only add to backlogs or people moaning "well they showed Mike in the stream but still nothing on N scale Henry or Sidney" (that's an example btw). And lastly you are asking for people to buy and set up track. Which is another cost without the price for the engines themselves and rolling stock.

[TrainFan97]

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that Bachmann will start doing Z Scale anytime soon. Although they barely do anything O Scale or Large Scale anymore (as a whole), the HOn30 Scale range still has plenty more products to choose from in the coming years. Even the HO Scale range still has a lot more to choose from, which has been around for over 20 years, and the N Scale range is still very new, which doesn't even have Edward yet. To even start Z Scale, Bachmann will have to make new track for it, which is an expense that doesn't even include engines or rolling stock. With plenty of products to make as is, adding another scale doesn't seem practical at this time. Though I do think S Scale would be nice to add, since it's bigger than HO Scale, but not as big as Large Scale, and a bit smaller than O Scale. It may never happen, but one can dream.

Like I said, in short, it's a balancing act, with already plenty to juggle with. It appears that for many years to come, N Scale will remain the smallest scale Bachmann makes. It doesn't help that Rex, Mike and Bert were the only miniature engines to ever appear in the show, and Mattel never bothered to show Frank or Jock. The latter two only appeared in fan productions. There's even unseen Railway Series characters like the Blister twins and Sigrid, who are very obscure.

[Awesometrain77]

I am not saying that it should happen but it would be easy to do . Since Mike and Rex could share the same chasis and only 1 tender design .
 

I doubt they would make a Z scale line but it could be somewhat easy to make everything .

As for narrow gauge even if the mandate is lifted idk if they would even find it worth while to make certain characters
Freddie , Luke , Victor , Duncan , Millie and Duke would require a TVS design tooling
 
Mighty Mac Smudger and Protues could be easy repaints

I do think Duncan Victor Luke and Millie have a higher chance then duke or Freddie but knowing why Duncan was cancelled idk if any could happen .

Narrow gauge has a rolling stock back log but I do think we could get brown vans and troublesome slate wagons
For some new tooled rolling stock 4 plank wooden wagons seem likley .
green wagon
Black wagon
Green with rusty frames
Tan wagon
Pink wagon


 

[harrison05]

I am not saying that it should happen but it would be easy to do . Since Mike and Rex could share the same chasis and only 1 tender design .
 

I doubt they would make a Z scale line but it could be somewhat easy to make everything .

As for narrow gauge even if the mandate is lifted idk if they would even find it worth while to make certain characters
Freddie , Luke , Victor , Duncan , Millie and Duke would require a TVS design tooling
 
Mighty Mac Smudger and Protues could be easy repaints

I do think Duncan Victor Luke and Millie have a higher chance then duke or Freddie but knowing why Duncan was cancelled idk if any could happen .

Narrow gauge has a rolling stock back log but I do think we could get brown vans and troublesome slate wagons
For some new tooled rolling stock 4 plank wooden wagons seem likley .
green wagon
Black wagon
Green with rusty frames
Tan wagon
Pink wagon


 

They are running out of characters in NG that were in CGI there's only Luke, Millie and Duncan left. If Bachmann want to keep making NG characters, that dumb mandate will have to get dropped.

[DustyMarie53!]

Well, we're entering year 10 of the narrow-gauge line and the 5th (6th if you want to count Yellow Rheneas) is only just having its painted sample finished now. That leaves 3 characters, 4 if they try to circle back around to Duncan which I do think is likely. My point is there's still a good while before they have to worry about having to do model series engines. Not to mention the amount of CGI rolling stock there is, and how we have had years before where they only announce rolling stock for the narrow gauge line. I want Freddie and Duke in the line especially but being realistic we're still a good number of years off before they have to worry about it. Ideally not 10 more years, but still a good few.

[DustyMarie53!]

Very interesting development with Thomas Minis. A D10 with updated printing. More accurately colored claw, new rivets, and most interestingly a more model series styled face that is not present on any of the CGI refs.

Potentially for the anniversary, it is also TATMR's 25th anniversary, but no way to know for sure. I think this is a good sign for the future. Shows Diesel 10 is still a popular character worth doing justice. That hopefully this combined with what Doug said regarding Diesel 10 on Thomas Tuesday may push for more people to request him and potentially convince Bachmann to pursue him. I'm still assuming they won't do D10 or Harvey next year do to when they commented on their feasibility, but I'd definitely not complain if I turned out to be wrong. Think it also opens up the doors in regard to potential future negotiations lifting the classic series restriction on Bachmann or potentially allowing them to pick and choose from reference material for the likes of Duncan. A good sign of things to come for 2025 and beyond, from both Mattel and Bachmann

[Cheeky_ULP]

If there's any time for Mattel to be more lenient about the CGI mandate, it's the 80th anniversary. I feel like if they allow merchandise to be based on all sorts of different eras of Thomas throughout that year, then Bachmann should take advantage of the opportunity to knock out some characters or items that would otherwise usually be off the table.

[Armada Starscream]

If there's any time for Mattel to be more lenient about the CGI mandate, it's the 80th anniversary. I feel like if they allow merchandise to be based on all sorts of different eras of Thomas throughout that year, then Bachmann should take advantage of the opportunity to knock out some characters or items that would otherwise usually be off the table.

Agreed. And maybe this could include some treats from the Railway Series as well. If Bachmann is allowed to branch out from the CGI mandate for the 80th Anniversay, maybe that can be used as a springboard to having the CGI mandate finally removed entirely!

Some of the suggestions that have been made include Railway Series Blue Donald and Blue Douglas, as they would just need to recolor their already existing Donald and Douglas models. Quite a lot of modelers make models of Blue Donald and Douglas, often repainting Bachmann Donald and Douglas themselves, so Bachmann might want to look into getting in on that themselves.

Given that there is a demand for 'Arry and Bert to return, if they do return, maybe Bachmann can also release Splatter and Dodge alongside and 'Arry and Bert rerelease. 'Arry, Bert, Splatter, and Dodge all share the same basis, the Class 08 without the front ladders that were already used for 'Arry and Bert. Bachmann would just need to recolor the shells of the items, and given that Splatter and Dodge are always shown with identical faces onscreen, all they would need to do is design a single face for both of them to use. Given that there is a demand for Diesel 10, and the fact that it is the 25th anniversary of Thomas and the Magic Railroad in 2025, that might be some good incentive for Bachmann.

Bachmann UK also has the LMS Ivatt Class 2 2-6-2T, BR Standard Class 9F, and the BR Class 40 Models. Considering that a lot of Bachmann's Thomas Rolling Stock are recolors of Bachmann UK Rolling stock, including the Express Coaches, the Cattle Wagons, and Ventilated Vans, maybe Bachmann could look into making Arthur, Murdoch, and The Diesel/Class 40. They could either recolor their existing models and put a face on them, like Beau, or maybe use the existing models as starting points to design more screen-accurate models of Arthur, Murdoch, and Class 40, so they don't have to design completely new models.