HO favorites

[TrainCollector]

Hey guys this post is for those who have favorites in the HO range. This is strictly for HO scale Thomas engines and rolling stock. Let's hear what you all have to say.

My personal favorites and why:

Thomas- he's the number one engine and has a great build to him. Bachmann has done a good job on Thomas and I personally believe it's one of the best out there.

Oliver- yes it took two years for Oliver to be made but it was totally worth it. Oliver can pull a lot of cars and looks great with his brakevan Toad. Oliver looks good alongside any engine. The detail is nice and crisp and his wheels look superb!

Rosie- I love tank engines and Rosie doesn't even need rolling stock to look good. She runs smoothly and quietly along the track and she just looks and runs great!

Diesel- we all need a few shunters and Diesel makes the perfect addition to your collection. The one thing that got Diesel on this list is his silver side rods. I am so glad Bachmann went with the classic look despite having a CGI face. Minus the face, Diesel looks as how he did in seasons 2-3.

Well this is all I have for right now. More will be added soon when Paxton and the 2018 announcements get released within the next few years

[Titanic5972]

Henry and Gordon are my favourites. They look like the tv show models, their faces look good, the colours are great. Great engines.

[TrainCollector]

Good choices! I like those models too. They remind me of their series 6-12 models in the tv show

[AJW98Productions]

I was going to only speak about the models I own personally, but no matter what I said I always ended up practically summing up the entire range Bachmann has released in HO, with that said I apologise in advance for this long overview of the engines in the Bachmann Thomas range in HO, but I hope there'll be something of interest in here for anyone interested. I think it goes without saying though that this is all opinion-based, and I do not claim my opinions to be definitive facts. With that said, here goes:

Of the Bachmann Thomas models I own, Edward is my favourite. Whilst I am more of a fan of Thomas (especially in the earlier seasons) as a character, Edward's model is quite possibly one of the best in Bachmann's range, capturing the TV Series appearance of Edward at its time of release almost perfectly. The Edward model is also deceptively powerful for its size and weight, so I congratulate Bachmann for their efforts on Edward. I must also say that Bachmann's Salty model is (in my opinion) rather underrated. I mean, yes his cab does appear a little overscaled, and his wheels look possibly a touch too small...and the lack of weathering paired with the glossy finish does look a little odd to me, but none of that can change the fact that Bachmann's model of Salty is still a very good performer, and still does very much look the part (once you get past some of the design quirks of it).

Bachmann's model of Diesel is also another great performer, and it does quite look the part. The only detraction from the model for me is the CGI styled face which - while completely expected - still does throw me off a little. However that's really it's only problem, and it is a great model otherwise. I also find Bachmann's model of Spencer is very close to his TV series portrayal (at the time), and I do like Bachmann's model of him a lot, and despite my relative indifference to Spencer as a character (until Hero of the Rails and the CGI series came around, at least) I still quite like Bachmann's model of him, I find it particularly looks good when paired with some late BR MK1 coaches in the Maroon livery..which is very close to the livery of his special coach anyway I guess so that's probably not too surprising.

As far as the non-rail character by Bachmann go, I must say that Terrence is superemly well done, and I do consider his model to be an underrated gem amongst Bachmann's Thomas lineup. Maybe if he reappears in CGI that will change...

With that said however, I also must say that among the Bachmann models I have owned, I still do like Thomas , despite the well-noted and documented flaws the model has, I very much like the proportions of the Thomas model from the model series, and Bachmann was spot-on with their model. I am sad to say that I no longer have my model of Thomas by Bachmann, I'd very much like to reacquire one sometime in the future, maybe Id try to fix some of the minor faults in the model personally but I'm unsure if I'd have the chops to risk potentially ruining it.

I'm given to understand from what I've seen of them that Bachmann's Duck, Oliver, 'Arry, Bert, Donald, Douglas, Bill and Ben models are also spot-on, but I can't comment on these personally as I don't own them. I also don't own Bachmann's models of Rosie, Toby, Mavis and Emily, which I'm given to understand are very good models too (though your mileage may differ due to your opinions on the characters themselves, particularly with Rosie, 'Arry, and Bert, and with regards Oliver's CGI appearance). I do own Gordon and Henry, and they are good models, admittedly flawed in some ways, but still quite good for what they are. I do own a Bachmann Percy...and I think i may have gotten a bad runner, as it constantly stalls on me and has given me one or two other headaches whilst I've had it. As with a lot of people, whilst I highly doubt we will see Thomas, Percy and James revised in the future, I would still appreciate revised models of them, and would buy them...despite the fact I think the chances of any significant revisions to these models happening being close to 0%. Now personally I don't own any of Bachmann's Narrow Gauge range as of yet, but I believe that Skarloey is quite possibly the best Thomas model Bachmann have released to date, the only model that I think may come close to surpassing this within the next 12 months is Rheneas, which - from the photos of it I've seen so far - is a true marvel to behold, just like Skarloey before him

Wow...that was much longer than I expected it to be...but I suppose that can be somewhat expected when I start talking about the models in this range. Overall I will see that all of Bachmann's Thomas models have good features about them, even their models that I feel are a little...lacking in comparison to their newer releases.

~Alex. (And as a footnote the "USA" dock shunter (Rosie's basis, for those who may be unaware) released by Bachmann UK is an amazing model).

[MeganekkoFury1126]

Of the Bachmann Thomas models I own, Edward is my favourite. Whilst I am more of a fan of Thomas (especially in the earlier seasons) as a character, Edward's model is quite possibly one of the best in Bachmann's range, capturing the TV Series appearance of Edward at its time of release almost perfectly. The Edward model is also deceptively powerful for its size and weight, so I congratulate Bachmann for their efforts on Edward. I must also say that Bachmann's Salty model is (in my opinion) rather underrated. I mean, yes his cab does appear a little overscaled, and his wheels look possibly a touch too small...and the lack of weathering paired with the glossy finish does look a little odd to me, but none of that can change the fact that Bachmann's model of Salty is still a very good performer, and still does very much look the part (once you get past some of the design quirks of it).

I agree. Edward's definitely the nicest looking of the classic 7 steam members, right down to the black painted brake pipes and perfect classic era face. He's also the smoothest and quietest runner of the lot I have, and yes can pull a bit more than I would've expected.

Salty also is very good. I think the heavy weight on him gives him a feel of quality, and he also runs quite nicely. I do feel that the shade over his head though should've been plain black and not have that awkward striping on.

Overall though, Donald and Douglas are my favorites. They're the strongest pullers of the lot I have, and when double heading can pull impressive consists. The die cast motor frames also give them a lot of weight and quality. I think I'm one of those who doesn't care that they're based on their season 6 onward appearances, as I remember them quite well in the Twin Trouble episode. Though Duck would be a close second. Bachmann really nailed his look, despite the black buffer sockets, and he has a slight waddle to his operation. Whether that was intentional or not is a mystery... But he still is a very good runner and pulls much better than either Thomas or Percy.

[TrainCollector]

I really like Edward too he's smooth, quiet and fast. He looks just as he did in the earlier seasons to be honest and he just looks great overall. He can pull any amount of freight cars and look good. An overall great runner and perfect for any layout