Quote from: Falcon the 2nd on November 01, 2020, 02:59:34 PM

Quote from: Chaz on October 31, 2020, 02:15:59 AM
Speaking of N scale, I had a dream the other night that Bachmann announced Hiro... in N scale, not in HO.  Basically making him the equivalent of the large scale Winston by being exclusive to N scale.  The funny thing about that is N scale is especially popular in Japan and making a model of the character who is a huge icon over there would basically have Bachmann sitting on a gold mine.

The popularity of N Scale in Japan actually didn't don on me at first, but now I'm thinking that may be the most appropriate scale to make Hiro in if he were considered anytime. I'm unsure how the side rods would be handled going by the sizes of Thomas & Percy's, but besides that, it may be less a general burden to make him in a smaller scale. By then, every major scale would have at least one CGI character (Winston for G, Paxton for HO and Hiro for N) except for Narrow Gauge if that's considered separate from HO.

But wouldn't having certain CGI characters exclusive to one of the three ranges being alienating? Winston I can understand but not paxton or a potential hiro.

Quote from: Mulfred100 on July 16, 2020, 07:31:41 PM
STL. I don't think you realise how much stuff Bachmann still has to release for us or the fact the world has pretty much broken in 2020 so majority of these products have been delayed because of this. We've got HO Daisy, the three 1 plank wagons with different loads, troublesome truck 6, the 75th train set, LBSC Thomas, busy bee James, origin James, Peter Sam, narrow guage breakvans, the whole N scale range, large scale Diesel. The fact theres no updates is probably because they can't update us with news as there is no news. Since February the world's gone to hell so most products are still in development. LBSC Thomas and the James recolours are just the recolours, the rest is pretty much new tooling in terms of engines and that.

Yeah I don't see anything happening until march of 2021.

Quote from: Zekeism on July 13, 2020, 02:33:11 PM
I hope people get their most wanted, but I do feel like people are expecting too much, and they are going to leave themselves disappointed.

I hope we get new characters, because repaints of the same characters would be very lackluster for me.

I would love some non rail characters to be reveled, but I think that is too high hopes haha.

I don't mind recolor engines, heck I would love to see a chocolate covered percy be a thing. Similar how this one was made by a japanese modeler 12 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1t7zyHNdFk If busy bee james can be a thing then lets see "Bon Bon Percy" be a thing. And also a glow in the dark henry like in that one CGI episode where henry was painted with glowing green paint instead of normal green paint.

Quote from: TM24 on July 12, 2020, 11:54:31 PM
As what many have said here, Stepney is a prediction I hold that Bachmann will announce this year. Sir Handel or Duncan would be the other engines I predict to be announced.

Rolling stock I believe to be announced will be the Chinese Dragon, and the breakdown train. Two are classic model era rolling stocks that are popular, and have been made in countless other brands.

The chinese dragon and the breakdown train would be great rolling stock additions.

Quote from: Angelob6660 on July 13, 2020, 12:05:44 AM
Although I like Ashima. I know she can't get made because of her wheels. Over on top of the other ones including the complex coupling rods.

They will probably make Phillip the box diesel.

Ashima would be nice but yeah that is true. Her wheels are too small, plus the wheel configuration is too complex to work with. As for philip that depends on how well received he is, personally I don't care for him and I don't think he'd sell that well in my book. He'd be too small for an HO scale engine and he wouldn't be able to pull a lot of rolling stock that well.

Quote from: TrainFan97 on July 11, 2020, 09:07:06 PM
The CGI series characters I would welcome the most are Sidney, Norman, Hiro, and Ryan. The classic character, BoCo, has not appeared since Season 5, and as much as I want to see him made, BoCo doesn't have nearly as much demand as Stepney, but if Stepney does get announced, it could increase BoCo's chances. Norman could be more likely than BoCo. Norman hasn't had a single episode dedicated to him, and rarely had speaking roles, but did get some speaking roles in Season 23. Unlike BoCo, at least Norman is actually a CGI character with recent appearances and speaking roles. Unlike Sidney, Norman would require a new tooling.

Sidney has had episodes dedicated to him, and has had regular speaking roles as well. Due to being a Diesel recolor, Sidney should not be too hard to make, but his facial features might have to be altered to fit the eye mechanism, plus a painted border around the face, like Paxton.

Ryan and Hiro seem to be the most popular choices for CGI characters. Ryan would work well alongside Daisy, while Hiro is a very iconic character who is loved by the Japanese audience, and he was one of the first CGI characters.

If norman never had a speaking role nor had episodes around him then I wouldn't see him be made. Plus if was made then they'd have to make dennis since they're of the same locomotive class, I mean it's only fair.

But yeah Hiro or Ryan both deserve their chances.

Quote from: Chaz on July 11, 2020, 09:00:16 PM

Quote from: HO scale Den-liner on July 11, 2020, 08:11:55 PM
Plus lets not forget about the last remaining characters from seasons 6 and 7, those being harvey and murdoch.

Arthur and Fergus would like to have a word with you.

Jokes aside, I personally would really like an Arthur model but like pretty much every character who hasn't appeared in CGI (except Stepney) I don't think the odds would be in his favor.  If there was any other character exclusive to the model era though then besides Stepney, Arthur would be a very close second on my list.

Whoops, I completely forgot about them.

Quote from: TrainFan97 on July 11, 2020, 04:27:39 PM
After Daisy, the only standard gauge engines from Seasons 1-4 left for the HO range would be BoCo, Stepney, and Class 40, excluding Flying Scotsman and City of Truro (technically, City of Truro exists in Bachmann's UK range). Flying Scotsman was intended to have a larger role in the Season 3 episode "Tender Engines" but his model was never finished for budget reasons. It wasn't until The Great Race when Flying Scotsman eventually did appear fully.

If Bachmann can make Daisy, they can make BoCo. In the model series, Daisy and BoCo shared the same powered rear bogie, with the only difference being BoCo having a six-wheeled bogie up front. Sometimes, Daisy has been seen with a "Co-Bo" wheel arrangement, including some illustrations, when really, she's supposed to have a Bo-Bo configuration. In the CGI series, Daisy appears to have a completely different chassis than she did in the model series. BoCo, on the other hand, has had fans wanting him to return for many years, and he still never did, most likely because Mattel would rather put out their resources to internationalism and half-baked characters. By default, BoCo would have to be based on his model series design, which would require a completely different chassis than Daisy if Daisy is based on her CGI design.

Stepney should definitely happen. He seems to be the all-time most-requested character from Bachmann, and I can see why. If he doesn't get announced this month, then hopefully in 2021.

Hopefully, we'll also get a better idea of when the N Scale line will launch. Will images of Daisy, Peter Sam, Troublesome Truck #6, and the 1-Plank wagons be ready soon? Large Scale Diesel has a price, but a lower one compared to Thomas, Percy and Toby. I just hope Diesel won't have problems like the ladders being molded to the body, or an inaccurate chassis like his Lionel and Hornby models.

To be honest out of the three characters you listed, BoCo, Stepney, and Class 40, the only one I see happening is Stepney due to his popularity and demand by thomas fans and rail fans along with bachmann even acknowledging the character. Boco doesn't have much of chance due to not appearing after his one appearance in season 5. As for the class 40 he's definitely not happening because he was a one off character who never returned after his one and only appearance. Plus lets not forget about the last remaining characters from seasons 6 and 7, those being harvey and murdoch.

Quote from: Chaz on July 11, 2020, 12:43:59 PM

Quote from: SeanrailAnimations on July 11, 2020, 11:52:27 AM
Nia I can understand her mixed to mostly negative reception. Rebecca on the other hand has, In My Opinion, some redeemable qualities such as:

1. She has problems with braking and wheel slipping, like on her actual basis; the Bullied Light West Country/Battle of Britain Pacific, thus conveying a sense of realism.

2. Speaking of her basis, not only did the light weight Bullied pacifics haul main line express passenger and fast trains, but their light weight made them suitable to run on many seaside branch lines in Devon and Cornwall. They also haul boat trains between London Waterloo and Southampton Docks, so I can see a boat train themed story, with Rebecca as a main star hauling a boat train for Brendam Docks on Edward's branch line.

Those are not exactly "redeemable qualities" for Rebecca, at least not for why Bachmann should include Rebecca in the range.  With the way how the brand is being handled currently because of the reception of Big World and the shows ""hiatus"", Nia and Rebecca's inclusion would not only be poorly received but also hurt Bachmann's production team if models of them don't sell very well since these will likely sell about as well as the Chuggington range did.  

Bachmann is much better off avoiding these two and instead focusing on characters where the market and demand for other characters is a lot more evident.  Stepney and possibly Ryan in particular are the only engines with new toolings that I feel are worth Bachmann's time and effort.  Hiro would even be a safer option too if Bachmann wanted to go for a larger engine considering how much of an icon the character is, especially over in Japan.

Yeah I agree, Nia and Rebecca wouldn't do so well due to their reputation since mattel's announcement of being in the show and with the how the tv show itself is being handled today. Bachmann would definitely be better off doing characters that have the most buzz (popularity) to them like hiro for example. He's quite an iconic character for someone who kicked off the CGI era and japan loves him. Plus bachmann could even gain new customers from japan if they did make hiro (if mattel gave them the okay).

I can see victor and luke happening for the OO9 range but only after we get peter sam (who is set for this year along side daisy who is representing the HO range with recolors of thomas and james), sir handle, and duncan.

Quote from: Cheeky_ULP on July 11, 2020, 12:35:24 PM
If they're going to spend a lot of money on a tooling for a big tender engine in the Thomas range again, the only engine that deserves that honor is Hiro.

Either him (who I agree the most on) or murdoch (another classic character) that have that chance.

Quote from: TerencetheTractor525 on July 11, 2020, 09:47:13 AM
Let's remember a few things before we jump to conclusions on Bachmann making Nia and Rebecca.

1. Neither engine has received good reception throughout social media, which consists of the older Thomas fans, and are the ones who purchase all of Bachmann's engines.
2. The new toolings for Nia and Rebecca would be incredibly expensive to make. Rebecca is a long tender engine, and Nia, while a tank engine, consists of a complex side rod configuration.

Thus, the poor reception for the engines, and the high cost to make them would lead to poor sales, much like what happened to Bachmann's Chuggington line.

Furthermore, the Thomas television series is going on hiatus. Heck, the show doesn't even air on PBS Kids anymore, which is where most children watched the show. With that considered, it should be much more likely for model era products to be made (Stepney and BoCo in particular). They would sell better, and their toolings would not be as expensive to make than the CGI engines.

All in all, let's hope that Stepney can be announced before any of these CGI engines are  . Thomas fans would be much happier altogether, and Bachmann would be better off with strong sales.

yeah I can see stepney as the next classic character to be made after daisy. Plus bachmann even acknowledges the character so he's got that going for him too and hornby doesn't make thomas engines anymore so I can see stepney and maybe murdoch become bachmann engines but we'd have to wait on that. The only classic characters I don't see happening are Boco: for not being in later episodes after season 5 making him a forgotten character, and then Diesel 10 and Harvey; because they have movable parts (I.E. pinchy and harvey's crane) that would regard a ton of cash to have molds be made for them.

But again, eventually bachmann will have to start making characters from seasons 8 through 19 and I do think that Stanley, Hiro, and or Ryan would be likely candidates.

Quote from: Mulfred100 on July 11, 2020, 05:32:25 AM
I hate to say it but I think the next will be Nia or Rebecca or possibly Philip or Sidney since he will be the easiest to make. I'm sure they will all make great models but I am beginning to wonder how much longer Bachmann can dodge the Big World Big Adevtures era of the show. Troublesome Truck 6 already looks to be based off the tankers seen in Big World.

I wouldn't be surprised, and like I said I do realistically see sidney happening for how easy he is. As for the other three, mostly especially nia and rebecca, I don't think most people will be keen with them due to them replacing edward and henry completely in the tv show for reasons, but you are right that they'll eventually happen.

I'm new to the bachmann forums, I've always checked these forum pages to see what is announced or what's to come or even what people like to see be made next. So I'd like to give this a shot myself.

I, like rest of those who come here, am a person who grew up and follow thomas and friends and I still hold some interest in the series in some ways. I mostly enjoy the classic series from seasons 1 through 7 (mostly seasons 1 through 5 because I didn't grow up with 6 and 7) but I have seen the later seasons from time to time and it has it's ups and downs. While the classic characters from 1 through 7 are well known by long time fans there are some characters from the later seasons that do catch many's interests which brings me to the topic of this post.

So far through out the run of the thomas and friends HO range we've mostly had characters from seasons 1 through 7 be made and we have daisy on the way this year (or possibly 2021 given the current situation), the only non classic characters we've gotten are Rosie (both pink and red), who was introduced in season 10 and then redesigned between journey beyond sodor and season 21, and then we got paxton, who was introduced in day of the diesels, as the latest one to be made.

So this brings us to wonder, which non classic character could be made next? Could we get the likes of;

Whiff the waste engine?


Stanley the silver engine?


Hiro the Japanese engine/the Master of the railway?


Den and Dart the diesel works engines?


Sidney the forgetful engine?


Scruff the scruncher?


Porter the dockside tank engine?


or Ryan the purple engine?



Now these character choices are based on who has gotten the most attention in the past ever since their introduction and what I assume are favorites among thomas fans of all kind (whether old/long time fans or even young fans). With almost all the classic characters being made in the HO scale range, with the exception of Boco, stepney, Diesel 10 (who will never happen due to his claw), harvey, and murdoch along with the discontinuation of Arry, Bert, and Salty, where does bachmann go from there?

Personally I would love to see bachmann make Hiro, Stanley, and Porter, but most especially Hiro, he was the first CGI thomas character (along side victor and kevin in hero of the rails) to kick off the CGI era of the series and he was/still is a fan favorite. Heck the japanese audience love this character and bachmann could make tons of money on him while gaining new customers from the land of the rising sun. I, as a US buyer, would definitely get him. However I believe the most likely/realistic choice to happen would be Sidney due to the fact that he'd be a simple recolor of diesel and paxton but probably won't sell as well like arry and bert.

But what do you guys think, out of everyone in this selection who do you want to see and who do you think is the most likely to be made in the future, I'd like to know.