Hi everyone, I'm TheToadTrain. Over the past year, I've got real familiar with the Bachmann range of Thomas & Friends products. And, in working on models of my own (building some entirely from scratch), I have a *decent* idea of what is possible (and reasonable) to produce.
First, let me just say I fully endorse the Stepney movement. I feel he would be a great addition to the line. He's small, very colorful, and would attract fans of all ages. When I was a kid, I bought Wooden Railway characters such as D199 and Culdee not because I knew where they originated from, but because their design caught my attention. I don't think Stepney's lack of relevancy is a problem. I think kids would love the character even without knowing his origins. And fans of both Thomas & Friends and IRL locomotives would eat him up, of course!
Ryan would be my second top choice. He's purple, he's a tank engine, he's got an interesting design and was popular within the show for a while. I feel seeing Bachmann's take on a more detailed Thomas character would be interesting.
Lastly, there's BoCo. If BoCo was made, we'd have all the standard gauge engines (minus Scotsman and Truro) from seasons 1-4. Personally, I doubt BoCo will ever be released. He doesn't bring much to the table and would be expensive to produce. In the show, Boco and Daisy share the same chassis--but with how Bachmann manufactures their motors, I'm certain this could not be done in HO scale (or at least done cheap by Bachmann while retaining the eye mech).
I've seen a lot of people request the red express coaches, as those would be a simple repaint. But truthfully, I'm hoping for a pillbox brakevan. Two types of brakevans were used in the model series: one has produced by many companies over the years and is even included in the Thomas & Friends range--the other is the pillbox design. I would love for Bachmann to make this little guy. They've made new molds for rolling stock before, and I think this brakevan could be a good seller. It is still seen today in the CGI series in a variety of colors, so it could certainly catch a child's eye.
I also want to discuss buildings. Bachmann has acted very questionable with their buildings as of late. Seeing the signal box discontinued was both saddening and questionable. I was pretty sure it was a top seller--I guess it was just expensive to produce? Regardless, I hope it gets brought back along with more resin buildings. There are tons of iconic buildings that could be made. I think the best choice would be the workmen's hut, best known for its appearance in Old Slow Coach. It has been seen since Season 2, it makes it's way to Tidmouth Sheds in the later model series, and its model is copy-pasted all the time in the BWBA era. In short, it's seen everywhere. It's small, cute, and would look great on any set or layout. There are tons more buildings I have in mind--a three pack with other tiny brick buildings, the garage building from the first season, a coal hopper, one of the smaller cranes that was carried over from TUGS, Ffarquhar Sheds (in which one of the sheds was used individually as the washdown shed for both season 12 and the CGI series), a pack of signals, and those are just the iconic ones! I could go on for hours talking about all of the other smaller, lesser known props that could be sold for cheap. When people think of Thomas buildings, they usually think of the big ones, like Knapford or Sodor Shipping Co. But Bachmann is obviously looking for something smaller to produced, and everything I just mentioned could fit on a store shelf.
Finally, I think Bachmann could make do with some more non-rail vehicles. If they produce something as pointless as Jeremy, I think it's fair to suggest some of the other characters--all of which would definitely sell better. Why not Bulgy? He was recently reintroduced into the series. Or how about a female character, Elizabeth? Or if they're looking for something small AND female, Caroline could be a good pick. But most of all, my top tier choice that I feel everyone would pick up if done right--Sir Topham Hatt's Car. I'm outright shocked it hasn't been made already. It's iconic--not just to the fans. Kids know this car as well as their parents. It's seen everywhere in the show! I really feel it's a worthy inclusion.
That sums it up for my thoughts and suggestions. I believe I've put a lot on the table just now, so let me know if you could get behind any of these ideas!
First, let me just say I fully endorse the Stepney movement. I feel he would be a great addition to the line. He's small, very colorful, and would attract fans of all ages. When I was a kid, I bought Wooden Railway characters such as D199 and Culdee not because I knew where they originated from, but because their design caught my attention. I don't think Stepney's lack of relevancy is a problem. I think kids would love the character even without knowing his origins. And fans of both Thomas & Friends and IRL locomotives would eat him up, of course!
Ryan would be my second top choice. He's purple, he's a tank engine, he's got an interesting design and was popular within the show for a while. I feel seeing Bachmann's take on a more detailed Thomas character would be interesting.
Lastly, there's BoCo. If BoCo was made, we'd have all the standard gauge engines (minus Scotsman and Truro) from seasons 1-4. Personally, I doubt BoCo will ever be released. He doesn't bring much to the table and would be expensive to produce. In the show, Boco and Daisy share the same chassis--but with how Bachmann manufactures their motors, I'm certain this could not be done in HO scale (or at least done cheap by Bachmann while retaining the eye mech).
I've seen a lot of people request the red express coaches, as those would be a simple repaint. But truthfully, I'm hoping for a pillbox brakevan. Two types of brakevans were used in the model series: one has produced by many companies over the years and is even included in the Thomas & Friends range--the other is the pillbox design. I would love for Bachmann to make this little guy. They've made new molds for rolling stock before, and I think this brakevan could be a good seller. It is still seen today in the CGI series in a variety of colors, so it could certainly catch a child's eye.
I also want to discuss buildings. Bachmann has acted very questionable with their buildings as of late. Seeing the signal box discontinued was both saddening and questionable. I was pretty sure it was a top seller--I guess it was just expensive to produce? Regardless, I hope it gets brought back along with more resin buildings. There are tons of iconic buildings that could be made. I think the best choice would be the workmen's hut, best known for its appearance in Old Slow Coach. It has been seen since Season 2, it makes it's way to Tidmouth Sheds in the later model series, and its model is copy-pasted all the time in the BWBA era. In short, it's seen everywhere. It's small, cute, and would look great on any set or layout. There are tons more buildings I have in mind--a three pack with other tiny brick buildings, the garage building from the first season, a coal hopper, one of the smaller cranes that was carried over from TUGS, Ffarquhar Sheds (in which one of the sheds was used individually as the washdown shed for both season 12 and the CGI series), a pack of signals, and those are just the iconic ones! I could go on for hours talking about all of the other smaller, lesser known props that could be sold for cheap. When people think of Thomas buildings, they usually think of the big ones, like Knapford or Sodor Shipping Co. But Bachmann is obviously looking for something smaller to produced, and everything I just mentioned could fit on a store shelf.
Finally, I think Bachmann could make do with some more non-rail vehicles. If they produce something as pointless as Jeremy, I think it's fair to suggest some of the other characters--all of which would definitely sell better. Why not Bulgy? He was recently reintroduced into the series. Or how about a female character, Elizabeth? Or if they're looking for something small AND female, Caroline could be a good pick. But most of all, my top tier choice that I feel everyone would pick up if done right--Sir Topham Hatt's Car. I'm outright shocked it hasn't been made already. It's iconic--not just to the fans. Kids know this car as well as their parents. It's seen everywhere in the show! I really feel it's a worthy inclusion.
That sums it up for my thoughts and suggestions. I believe I've put a lot on the table just now, so let me know if you could get behind any of these ideas!