Hey grand puff! The D. Fusit wagon looks great. What faces are you planning to use for Mighty Mac?

I'm phasing out of HO Thomas stock, but these do look pretty nice. Will probably get the GW one at some point.

I would've found that joke funny 4 years ago, but unfortunately that ship has sailed.

I'll be honest, following the news of all these changes to Thomas, I knew my interest in the show wasn't long for this world. They are twisting something I once loved into an unrecognizable PC pandering mess and I can't stay and just watch as the show slowly creeps towards its inevitable demise. This choice by Mattel is, in my eyes, the worst decision ever made for the show. This tops anything that we've ever had to deal with in the past, Miller Era or otherwise. This isn't a justifiable change like I believe the switch from models to CGI was. That, at least, made some sense. This is just a desperate swipe at becoming relevant and modern, which was never what Thomas aspired to be. Mattel claims this change comes as a result of falling toy sales- I say the falling toy sales are not a byproduct of a lack of diversity and modernity within the show, but rather simply because the toys produced since Mattel took over are garbage. I am not an expert in business, nor do I claim to understand the inner workings of Thomas and Friends. However, I do have enough common sense to know that when I walk into a store and see that the Thomas toys aren't selling, it is probably because they are not worth the money they are asking.

However, because this is the Bachmann forums I won't go off on a total tangent about why this is such as bad move. I do believe we will see these new characters represented in HO produced by Bachmann in February of 2019. By that point, the movie will already be out, and the show will be well on its way. I would not be surprised at all to see HO Henry and Edward phased out either- although many claim that this change is not permanent, I'd be surprised if after all this "hard work" to redefine the show the team is just going to revert to the traditional storytelling that we were all so contented with. Therefore, although initially I saw Bachmann as the fan's last resort for models that stayed true to the original show, I have little doubt now that Bachmann's line is not safe from these new changes.

Personally, after finding out about the revamp, my motivation to do anything with Thomas again simply disappeared. All my Bachmann engines are packed away and I am planning a layout centered around real-life British operation. Why waste my time and money on a show that isn't worth either?

You all are entitled to your beliefs of course, but as I see it, Thomas as we once knew it is gone. I would love nothing more than to be proven wrong, but I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Whether you decide to continue to support the new show or not is up to you.

I'm seriously impressed by the paint job, grandpuff. so clean and well done, simply lovely. makes me want to start my own narrow gauge setup!

Quote from: Chaz on August 19, 2017, 04:30:37 PM
In HO the only things I could see getting discontinued are 'Arry and Bert

Quote from: Plow Bender on August 20, 2017, 11:04:02 AM
Personally I'm with Chaz on Arry and Bert being discontinued in 2018.  I was actually surprised they were in the catalogue this year considering how poor their sales have been. 

Precisely the reason I made a point of purchasing them last Christmas. Not that I have a huge interest in the characters or the models, but we all know what happens to the value of Bachmann Thomas products that are discontinued. (See- express coaches) Also, where are you guys getting the stats of "worst seller" vs. "best seller"? Is there an official list somewhere?

If they took out the eye mechs, it would open so many doors to new possibilities i.e. a smoke unit, headlamps, but I guess it is a kids range after all. I'd be all for DCC Bachmann thomas engines. I know I'd love to convert to DCC but my layout right now is predominately Thomas and I don't want to go through the hassle of jerryrigging a decoder inside a normal thomas, so if a bachmann-produced option was readily available I'd be more than willing to make the switch. Until then, it's DC for me.

Quote from: trains4life on August 05, 2017, 05:35:59 AM
Found some new pics of Rheneas on twitter from @EmptyFreightCar.

Hello yes I am griffin of @EmptyFreightCar...glad y'all enjoyed the pics. Sorry I forgot to post here :-P Just saw this.

Wasn't sure where else to post, but since we might see new products there, will I be seeing anyone at the National Train Show this afternoon? It's my first train show.

Quote from: donaldthescottishtwin on August 01, 2017, 03:36:44 PM
Come back to us BoCo.

*Stepney 

She's not in stock...anywhere. What gives? Is it that touchy "issue" that I mentioned in a post, which was later deleted by a mod? 

Disappointing to see this never took off. People are happy to complain endlessly about Bachmann but when it comes to doing something about it yourself, everyone disappears. Sad...

TheFavoriteSpot on eBay is a very reputable seller and they have pretty good prices...

It's the underside of the running board- and actually, if you take a look at an ortho of Thomas's and Percy's CG models, you'll see that this part is in fact red. Sorry, I might have a few of the terms mixed up. Hopefully you all can guess what I mean

So I know I talked about creating this thread a while ago, but I was a bit apprehensive as the response to the idea was not overwhelming. Anyway, I think it's a good thread to create as ideas, tips, and techniques for improving the Bachmann models can be shared. I'll go ahead and list the mods I've made to my own models.

Thomas- CGI face (Wooden Railway), red undercarriage, space between splasher and side tanks filled in with black, connecting rod bolts painted blue, space between cab door and running board filled in with black

Percy- Open cab, open cab windows (front only), planning to give him a CG face (Wooden Railway), bunker painted black, connecting rod bolts painted green, red undercarriage, planning to cut his oversized chassis and bunker, and cut rear windows

James- CG face (Trackmaster, planning on replacing it with a Ringing in Tekero face as it's far more accurate and the correct size), completely open cab, black connecting rod bolts, wheels, smokebox, and axleboxes painted black (but need to repaint!!)

Gordon- CG face (Plarail), no other mods currently. But he does need new trailing wheels- hoping to purchase those sometime soon.

Duck- Black running board, CG face (Wooden railway- needs mods as it doesn't fit correctly), black connecting rod bolts

Oliver- No mods currently

Edward- CG face (Wooden railway, its a bit small but personally I think it looks charming), blue connecting rod bolts, no other mods.

Donald- No mods currently.

Annie and Clarabel- CG faces (printouts, but the color and design actually go very well with the base models), black undercarriages, dark grey roofs

Henrietta- CG face (printout for the time being)

Toby- CG face (planning on using a Take n Play or Wooden Railway face), roof painted grey, planning on giving him an open cab

I'm going to upload some pictures to photo bucket whenever I get the time and you all can go have a look. I'll paste the link here as an update whenever that happens. I'm curious to hear your thoughts as well as any other mods you might have made to your engines.