Bachmann Thomas & Friends July 2020 NMRA Predictions

[TrainFan97]

I guess these could be my final predictions:

HO Scale:
James - Black
Ventilated Van - Explosives
Toffee Tanker
Chocolate Syrup Tanker
Red Express Coaches

Narrow Gauge:
Sir Handel
Carriage - Green
Brake Van - Brown

N Scale:
Open Wagon - Red
S.C. Ruffey
Milk Tanker

Large Scale:
Red Coach
Red Brake Coach

[Chaz]

It seems that there's been a lot of buildup for next weeks announcements so I'll post some final thoughts as we are now less than a week away from the stream at Trainworld.

Anyway, I think most of the announcements this summer will probably consist of rolling stock announcements with the exception of Stepney, which I'll talk about in a minute.  This is due to how much we are still currently waiting on from Bachmann and most likely any sort of production delays due to the coronavirus.  Even then I expect new announcements for HO and large scale and maybe narrow gauge if it's only a brown brake van.  Aside from that I wouldn't be surprised if there's no new announcements for N scale or narrow gauge considering that the N scale range's first launch hasn't even been out yet.  As for narrow gauge since we are getting Peter Sam and some brake vans I imagine those will probably be all we will get until 2021 since the narrow gauge line is more than a niche market and they probably wouldn't want to have to overflow that market.  So I could see Sir Handel being announced in 2021.


Anyway time for my predictions:

For HO it's really hard to avoid the low-hanging fruit that's Stepney.  The demand for this character is probably the strongest I've seen for any character... pretty much ever to be completely honest.  Even being in a higher demand than Duck and Oliver were before they got announced.  Considering that the show itself is ending it's all the more of a reason for Bachmann to stick with classic characters for the time being rather than making newer ones which is why I feel Stepney would be their safest overall option for their next model in HO.

As for HO rolling stock, I mentioned this earlier but I can see the single vent van (ice cream wagon) tooling being reused for various van recolors like how they normally do these days.  The red express coaches making a comeback is also something I could see happening too.


As for large scale, with Diesel coming out the large scale range needs some new rolling stock to come out.  I personally think that the red coaches would be the safest option considering how popular the HO models were.  The large scale range really needs something that's going to be a really hot seller and I feel they haven't had anything sell like hotcakes since Toby.  The red coaches would be a more than welcome addition and would sell really well, unlike the tanker recolors we got a few years ago.

[sean1994rail]

It seems that there's been a lot of buildup for next weeks announcements so I'll post some final thoughts as we are now less than a week away from the stream at Trainworld.

Anyway, I think most of the announcements this summer will probably consist of rolling stock announcements with the exception of Stepney, which I'll talk about in a minute.  This is due to how much we are still currently waiting on from Bachmann and most likely any sort of production delays due to the coronavirus.  Even then I expect new announcements for HO and large scale and maybe narrow gauge if it's only a brown brake van.  Aside from that I wouldn't be surprised if there's no new announcements for N scale or narrow gauge considering that the N scale range's first launch hasn't even been out yet.  As for narrow gauge since we are getting Peter Sam and some brake vans I imagine those will probably be all we will get until 2021 since the narrow gauge line is more than a niche market and they probably wouldn't want to have to overflow that market.  So I could see Sir Handel being announced in 2021.


Anyway time for my predictions:

For HO it's really hard to avoid the low-hanging fruit that's Stepney.  The demand for this character is probably the strongest I've seen for any character... pretty much ever to be completely honest.  Even being in a higher demand than Duck and Oliver were before they got announced.  Considering that the show itself is ending it's all the more of a reason for Bachmann to stick with classic characters for the time being rather than making newer ones which is why I feel Stepney would be their safest overall option for their next model in HO.

As for HO rolling stock, I mentioned this earlier but I can see the single vent van (ice cream wagon) tooling being reused for various van recolors like how they normally do these days.  The red express coaches making a comeback is also something I could see happening too.


As for large scale, with Diesel coming out the large scale range needs some new rolling stock to come out.  I personally think that the red coaches would be the safest option considering how popular the HO models were.  The large scale range really needs something that's going to be a really hot seller and I feel they haven't had anything sell like hotcakes since Toby.  The red coaches would be a more than welcome addition and would sell really well, unlike the tanker recolors we got a few years ago.

Ideas for Single Vent Van (Ice Cream Wagon) recolours:

1. Troublesome Truck 7, either in Very Light Grey or preferably Tan Brown, with a cross/angry face
2. Flying Kipper Van
3. Mr Jolly's Chocolate Factory Van
4. Explosives Van
5. Fireworks Van

[TerencetheTractor525]

It is hard to believe that we are less than one week away from the new product announcement! With that considered, I wanted to post one final list of what I hope, and expect to see announced next week as well.

HO Scale
Stepney (with moving eyes)
Ventilated Van- Explosives (single vent van tooling that was used for the HO Ice Cream Wagon)
Tar Tanker
Red Express Coach
Red Express Brake Coach

Narrow Gauge
Brake Van- Brown

Large Scale
Red Coach
Red Brake Coach

or

Troublesome Van

Chaz summed up any further thoughts that I have at the moment. Thus, anything else that I state would be redundant.

Here's hoping that Bachmann will surprise us once more with a great new product announcement next week, given that it is Thomas' 75th Anniversary  .

[Mulfred100]

My final list.

HO Engines
Stepney

HO Rolling Stock
Vent van recoloured (probably like Terence says explosive van or maybe the chocolate factory van)
Red Express coaches

Narrow Guage
Sir Handel
Brown brake van

It would be nice if a couple of product shots emerged for Daisy and Peter Sam too if they are ready to be shown that is. And maybe the new Narrow Guage break vans

[TheToadTrain]

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!

[Mulfred100]

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!

The only non rail I would include is the Horrid Lorries as you have basically 3 or 4 models for one tooling so from a marketing prospective its really easy money and you could sell them with different loads or maybe have one on a flat wagon similar to how Ertl marketed Lorry 1 on a flat bed truck, Lorry 2 with its covered cargo hold and Lorry 3 with a removable load. Plus then fans will likely buy extras to recrate faceless models of them which have appeared in the background since series 5. But yeah brilliant points. I hope bachmann do release another non rail character and some more buildings.

[TrainFan97]

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.

[HO scale Den-liner]

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.

[TrainFan97]

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.

I didn't say Class 40 had a chance, due to being a one-off character. Though, he did get a Hornby model (which is really rare). After Daisy, the only larger diesel that has any chance, if it all, is BoCo. Diesel 10 will never be made because of his claw.

But yes, out of the three characters I mentioned, Stepney definitely has the most chance, since he's the one with the most popular demand.

The Season 5 character, Derek, was also a one-off character like Class 40, so his chance would be very slim. As for Seasons 6 and 7 characters, Harvey's crane would be problematic for the NMRA standards, like Diesel 10's claw. Other characters from those two seasons that have yet to be made include Arthur, Murdoch, and Fergus. Out of those three, Fergus is the least likely, due to only appearing in Season 7.

[Chaz]

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.

[HO scale Den-liner]

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.

[Falcon the 2nd]

It's been quite a while since I last logged in, but as we're getting closer to the event, now would be a good time to lend my input on what could come. Keeping my quantities low considering older announcements.

HO Scale:
Stepney - It's become crystal clear that everyone wants this character to happen for a multitude of reasons. I won't go into the specifics since they've already been explained by others, but as an old-school fan of the show, he has my full support and I'll be eager to see him come up.
Red Express Coaches - I admit I cannot think of much HO rolling stock options that I would be interested in besides these. As the Green Express Coaches were brought back not long ago, these feel fairly likely.

Narrow Gauge:
Sir Handel - This is another character lots of people want in their respective line and it's also already been explained as to why. He happens to be my personal favorite of the Narrow Gauge characters, so I'll be happy if he ends up announced.
Can't account for much rolling stock after the brake vans' announcement.

N Scale:
There's not much I want here since we've already gotten James and some tankers announced earlier this year, but I'm open for seeing more basic characters and rolling stock continue to be added overtime.

Large Scale:
Red Coaches - One of the better bets for anything new after Diesel would be these since they were successful HO Scale and are similar in shape to Annie and Clarabel.
Despite Diesel's gratifying return earlier this year, seeing a new engine announced anytime before his release can be considered a long shot. If anyone is to come after him, I'm still hopeful and all ears for Mavis. I've already shared my reasoning for her in the past, but it's not necessary to reiterate them right now since we don't have Diesel on the market yet.

It'd be nice to have pictures for any of the queued products including Daisy, Peter Sam, Large Scale Diesel and the N Scale starting line, but with the ongoing health crisis in mind, it's hard to say if we will end up seeing much.

[TrainFan97]

Regarding BoCo, I'm well aware his chances are low due to his lack of recent appearances, but if Stepney does get announced (who is also a character who has yet to appear in CGI) that could increase chances and demand for BoCo, since Bachmann would be doing model series characters again. Murdoch might be too big, and Arthur might be a little complicated. I do wonder if they're both still doable. BoCo doesn't have as many windows as Daisy, but he would be a little bigger, and he's still a simple box shape. The model series characters Bachmann could make soon, or at some point in the future would be Stepney, BoCo, Arthur, and Murdoch. They wouldn't do one-off characters like Class 40 or Derek, or characters that only appeared in one season like Fergus. They certainly can't do characters with movable parts like Diesel 10 and Harvey.

As for Class 40, your best bet is to just take a Bachmann UK Class 40, and put a face on it. He got a Hornby model, but it's rare.

[TM24]

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.