Quote from: Mulfred100 on January 07, 2021, 01:21:31 PM
Just seen this on my news feed earlier. The Toy Fair 2021 has indeed been cancelled. I'm guessing any new products will now be in the 2021 catalogue and possibly trainworld might do another live stream showing new products
https://comicbook.com/irl/amp/news/toy-fair-new-york-2021-cancelled/?__twitter_impression=true

Most likely the case.  The catalog always comes out roughly around the time of Toy Fair, so I imagine we will probably know the announcements this year around late February.  Any earlier than that would either be if InsideTrack decides to post announcement threads again (which he didn't last year understandably since the catalog was "leaked" on Twitter), or if we get a Trainworld stream showcasing the new announcements then. 

Hopefully it's the latter since those are a more fun way to learn about the new announcements since we would more likely get pictures/illustrations of the newly announced products in the stream in addition to potential photo updates for previously released products.

I checked under Bachmann's Product Reference section on their website and only found only instructions for their O scale kit but not HO.  I would recommend getting in touch with Bachmann's service department either through email/social media or by phone and see if they can send one your way or add it to their website.  They're usually very responsive to requests like this.

2020... what a crazy year it's been.  The 2021 announcements should be interesting as we are not only still in a pandemic but we are still waiting on lots of previous engine announcements from 2019/2020.  I was debating on posting a new updated list, but my thoughts are mostly the same as earlier with some minor changes.

2020 was the first year with no new HO rolling stock announcements, and troublesome truck #6 is still not out yet.  I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the only announcements we got mostly consisted of rolling stock since Daisy and the Origin James are not out yet.  Looking back at Terence's post I really like the idea of Thomas and James' trucks getting announced if they came with new faces from the model era, or even Toby's museum coaches since it's one of the few pieces of non-classic rolling stock that doesn't look too wacky or over the top.  Hopefully a new engine will be announced either later this year or 2022.  Stepney is on top of the list for many (myself included), and it's unlikely that will change anytime soon.

Narrow gauge is a little hard to tell since both Peter Sam and the brake vans haven't received any updates yet.  I'm still very hopeful for Sir Handel though since there seems to be a really clear demand for him and he would be the best candidate after Peter Sam.

N Scale is probably the only range I really have the most hope for since James is the only thing not out yet.  I could definitely see some more rolling stock announcements for that range too, maybe even another new engine.  Toby seems to be the most likely based on Bachmann's track record with other ranges.  I can also see them introducing a Christmas set for the N scale range, but there isn't a lot of rolling stock options to choose from right now aside from redecorating Annie and Clarabel and making a snowplow for the N scale Thomas?  A little bit of a long shot but I would really like to see Thomas' snowplow made in N scale too.

As for large scale, Paxton seems to be the most likely choice for this year.  I do hope that range does get some more decent rolling stock though.  Maybe Henrietta or the red coaches?

Either way I'm curious to know if anyone else's thoughts have changed as we are getting closer to Toy Fair.

Looks like the Bachmann UK starter set is out now before the rest of the range.  It looks like the final box artwork has been updated too.





Don't think anyone on here brought this up yet but it also looks like Bachmann UK updated paintwork on Annie and Clarabel too.

Quote from: Rodimus Supreme on December 16, 2020, 06:13:55 PM

Quote from: Chaz on December 15, 2020, 11:19:16 PM


My LBSC Thomas arrived in the mail earlier!  Normally I would do one of my usual reviews on here sharing my thoughts on the model, but I decided against it since I wanted to wait on the Origin James' release before giving my thoughts, since I feel it only makes sense to look at them together at the same time.  Especially since these two in particular were used in the same special.  Once the Origin James is out I will share my thoughts on them.  

Do I spy Optimus Prime in the background?

Good eye

My LBSC Thomas arrived in the mail earlier!  Normally I would do one of my usual reviews on here sharing my thoughts on the model, but I decided against it since I wanted to wait on the Origin James' release before giving my thoughts, since I feel it only makes sense to look at them together at the same time.  Especially since these two in particular were used in the same special.  Once the Origin James is out I will share my thoughts on them.  

I figured they were going to use the BWBA tanker as a reference so I'm not entirely surprised.  It's not something I ever had a particular interest in since it got announced (or even had high hopes for), but I can easily understand why some people may not be on board with this.

It's nice seeing all these updates/releases around Christmas though.  Hopefully the Origin James will be out soon too.

Really happy the LBSC Thomas is out in time for Christmas!  I probably won't share my thoughts on that until then.

Quote from: and_salv on November 11, 2020, 04:49:34 PM
Does anybody know if a decoder can be installed on the Bachmann Thomas and Percy? Since I'm about to start my layout, it would be nice if I could start out with DCC. I feel like it just going to be easier in the long run, than making my layout with a bunch of blocks and a lot of wiring. Just wondering.

I may stop by one of my hobby shops to figure that out sometime this weekend since I've been wanting to figure that out as well.  I can do a post on the installation progress when that happens since a lot of people have asked me about the DCC conversions in the Facebook posts I've made.

Anyway, thanks everyone for the strong feedback on my earlier post!  Glad to see that everyone else is excited for the new range, I've been seeing posts and reviews outside of the forum and it seems like the range is off to a really great start so far.  Admittedly I'm not wild about Bachmann using Graham Farish toolings for recolors but I'm hoping this will only apply to certain pieces of rolling stock and not others, but I'll save that discussion for another day.  For now I hope we get some other decent rolling stock choices in the future as well.  Toby still seems to be the most popular request (besides Gordon and Henry).  I thought about mentioning Edward too but I kinda wanted to keep the last part of my post to a "top 3" engine suggestions, but Edward would probably get an "honorable mention" in that case.  I wouldn't feel the same way about Emily, but I wouldn't rule her out from happening at some point in the future.  If they do, I wouldn't rule out Bachmann jumping on making Emily's coaches before Emily even gets announced like how they did with the large scale range.

Hi there, welcome to the forum.  I saw your earlier post and I forgot to respond before posting my review, sorry about that.

Anyways, I think 3 x 4.5' is a pretty decent size for an N scale layout since the models are already fairly small and you would have plenty to work with, or even expand on in the future if you would like.  For buildings, I personally recommend checking out the Graham Farish Scenecraft buildings from Bachmann UK as there are some decent options if you want to do a Thomas-themed N gauge layout. 

https://www.modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk/buildings-and-people-n/graham-farish-scenecraft/

If you still want building kits, one personal recomendation I have are the Peco ones as these are made in excellent quality:

https://www.modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk/buildings-and-people-n/peco-lineside-kits-n/

Hope this helps give you some ideas.

Well, here they are.  After waiting almost two years Bachmann has finally released their N scale range by introducing Thomas and Percy as their first engines in their new range.  I talked briefly about the rolling stock that was released a few months earlier, but now I think it's only fair to talk about these two new engines, as well as additional thoughts I have on the new range.

You'll also notice that these engines are being reviewed on my OO9 layout and that's mainly due to the fact I don't have any room for an N scale layout, nor am I able to join any clubs during the pandemic.  Hopefully once the pandemic is over and I'm able to join an N scale club I can share my thoughts on future engines and stock from there in the future.  For now my OO9 setup will have to do for now.


This range was first announced in 2019 with a mixed reception at first, yet it seemed to gradually win people over as time went on.  Now it seems quite a few people are starting to become invested in this new range, myself included.  And almost two years later we have Thomas and Percy present in some nice protected boxes and ready for some running.  I've never really done two entirely different characters in the same review so bare with me here, this is going to be a long one.


Let's start off with Thomas.  At first glance I say that Thomas looks pretty decent as the first engine I took a look at on my layout.  All the appropriate colors and detail are all present on this model, nothing wacky or over the top (like excessive rivet detail...), just the standard CG render with the appropriate amount of details and mostly fair proportions on the model.  I love how despite being in N scale, Bachmann went ahead and added their usual details such as lamp irons, brake pipes, lamps are all present on the model.  I also like the small bit of black paint to act as space between Thomas' wheel splasher and his boiler.  It's understandable why it's all one mold instead of separately fitted because of its small size, but unlike the HO model they bothered to fix this small detail by not making it look like excessive plastic on the model.  Definite thumbs up on my end for this one.


There are only two issues on my end I want to point out on the model.  One is his whistle.  Usually most Bachmann models have given their steam engines separately fitted whistles, including the N scale Percy.  For some reason Thomas' whistle is molded onto the cab.  It's an add choice and probably wouldn't have added that much more to the tooling cost.  So I'm not sure why they went this route.


The other is his size.  When comparing Thomas to other engines and stock, he is fairly small in comparison.  The only reason why I think they went this route was to match CG scaling while also trying to incorporate British N gauge scaling too.  Bachmann's N scale range is not the first to do this as Diapet's 1:64 scale Thomas range also includes CG scaling with models despite being labeled in a specific scale.  So even if it's a little off I can at least understand why they went this route.  It could also be a new mandate on Mattel's end as well to incorporate CG scaling into these models as well too.


So while Thomas does have some questionable design quirks, I do think the model itself looks decent as far as capturing the character in his full CGI appearance.  Whatever aesthetic faults are in this model aren't really enough to detract from the model, in my opinion, and I say it really puts the range off to a good start.  But now, it's time to talk about Percy...


Just like Thomas, Percy also looks really spot on to his CGI appearance.  However, I think I like the Percy model just a little more than Thomas' model.  The faults I mentioned with Thomas really didn't seem to fall on the Percy model. As usual, Bachmann did a great job adding the separately fitted details like the lampirons, brake pipes and yes even a separately fitted whistle.  They also did a great job making his siderod configuration accurate to what's on the show too.  The siderods are a little large for my liking, but otherwise I say Percy really hits the ball out of the park on an aesthetic level.


His size is also not as off as Thomas' as he seems to scale up just fine with Annie, Clarabel and the trucks (though A&C are a little oversized to my liking).  It does look a little odd having Percy towering over Thomas a little bit, though.


So I think it goes without saying, but Percy is my favorite model in the range so far, which is funny because his HO model is easily my least favorite.  It shows just how far Bachmann has come with hitting the nail on the hammer for accuracy since starting making Thomas models back in 2002.  I think once fans or modelers start collecting the range whether it's buying a starter set or just buying Thomas on his own, I without a doubt recommend them getting Percy as well as I think this model is worth picking up as well.  


Time to talk about how the models run, Thomas ran really nicely.  The model was a little noisy when running, likely due to the how the motor is designed and having metal weight over it.  Otherwise he had no issue running over any switches and handled all the curves and corners of my setup just fine.  I had Thomas pull four Tomix express coaches earlier and he seemed to run just fine with some wheelslip, but that's expected (especially with how small he is compared to N scale models, let alone the Tomix range).


Now for Percy.  Percy seemed to run a little better than Thomas as far as a quieter runner is concerned.  He ran a little faster than Thomas likely due to his chassis design.  I can see his chassis being very popular with the OO9 crowd.  Percy seemed to do decent with hauling the four Tomix coaches too and didn't require as much effort as Thomas did.


So overall, what are my final thoughts on these two models?  I have to admit while the Thomas model has its faults, I thought it was a decent model overall and is really gonna be an eye-catcher while running on layouts, especially at train shows.  The Percy model on the other hand I feel is a lot more superior in most areas, and I would recommend both models to anyone who wants to start getting into N scale.  As someone who collected Tomix and had an N scale layout when I was a lot younger, it's nice seeing N scale Thomas being brought back to the market.  Just like how I was excited for Skarloey's announcement as well as the future of the narrow gauge range, I can't wait to see what the future of the N scale range holds, even though there's not a ton of N scale models I plan on collecting long term since I'm a lot more focused on HO/OO and OO9.  I'd like to eventually add DCC to the Bachmann N scale models though so I can run them at a local N scale club.  I also don't want to comment on my personal preference on the Bachmann range or Tomix range since that's against the forum rules, but I also understand why some may prefer one range over the other (or even like both!).


As for the future of this range, I firmly believe that Toby would be their best option for their fourth engine in N scale as he's proven to be very popular in HO/OO and large scale while having a simple body and motor to work with (maybe squeeze Henrietta in there too?).  And maybe one day, in a much further distant future (once we are out of the pandemic), Bachmann can finally add Gordon and Henry in N scale with some express coaches to go along with them now with size not being an issue in N scale.

And that's a wrap!  I can't wait to see/hear what everyone else has to say about these models and I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the James model, in addition to seeing the future of this range.  In the meantime, what are everyone's thoughts on these models?

It appears Bachmann also added photos of the tankers in addition to the Thomas and Percy photos today.  At closer examination it appears Bachmann reused the Graham Farish tooling for the tankers which explains why they got done so quickly.  The rivet detail and the pressure relief valve behind the cap gives it away:

Sitting back on this for a few days now, there are a few points I did want to mention.

The first thing I want to put out there, and I think it goes without saying, but Bachmann will not be using toolings from their UK range to make engines in the future.  If they really did go down this route, Duck and Diesel would have been announced a lot sooner.  To add, it would be difficult for Bachmann to incorporate the moving eye mechanism in these models which has always been Bachmann's main gimmick with their HO/OO and large scale ranges.  While a new tooling would be more expensive to produce, if it captures the character in a way that met Mattel's standards (or even Hit's standards back in the day), chances are they would sell a lot better.  Hornby's Thomas range did not do well not only for this reason but the pricing for their models made them too expensive for what they were.  Unfortunately Bachmann's pricing haven't been all that much better due to Mattel's ridiculous price increases over the years, but that's a topic for another day (most likely when we get a look at the 2021 catalog in a couple of months).  

The other thing I want to talk about is Murdoch.  While I completely understand that there's nostalgia for the character as well as his eBay sales being a moot point, I think it goes without saying but Murdoch is very unlikely to happen at this time.  Even around the time he was introduced and rarely used in the Hit model era, he was always shot down when he would be brought up on the forum back in the day because of his size and pricing and I really don't see why it should be any different back then.  Especially when requests for Duck, Donald, Douglas and Diesel were basically never-ending at the time too.  Plus if people back then would think a Bachmann Murdoch would have been too large and expensive back then, I can only imagine how crazy expensive a Murdoch model would be now with how Mattel's been handling the brand.  And with how much of a push there is for Stepney, bringing up Murdoch at this point doesn't make a whole lot of sense either when there's a more affordable character on the market that a lot more fans would like to see over Murdoch.

Stepney has also been a popular request too because of his Hornby sales being consistently going up, however the difference between him and Murdoch is that Stepney fits the budget Bachmann has much better than Murdoch because he's a tank engine with a nice color contrast for the range.  Other than Stepney, I think it's best to hold off on other non-CGI characters at this point (including BoCo), until Bachmann follows through with all the Stepney requests first.  Especially with the "reboot" on the horizon, I think if they announce Stepney then it would be a better time to bring up characters from the model or even CGI era who would most likely be absent from the reboot.

Quote from: jbray on October 27, 2020, 02:05:20 PM
Using characters from the first three seasons/series plus Emily is most likely the safest bet for any plan. There's no doubt that Thomas, Percy, and James are the givens in any production line and we've seen that in practice again and again from different manufacturers at different gauges/scales. From there, I'm not sure there's a single road map other than to consider practicality, production cost, and a guess at demand.

Bachmann typically responds or uses requests from Facebook/Twitter as well as the forums to figure out what they should consider for the future.  From there they would usually run back-and-fourth with communicating with Mattel (who would allow Bachmann to hold the license for the scales they manufacture models for) as well as the production team in China while determining the tooling cost and Mattel's approval for said engine/rolling stock to be considered for the future.  I also agree with you as well that the N scale range does have a lot of potential to very gradually add more engines and rolling stock in the future.  Although it's tough to say what the future is like, especially in these trying times, I think it's safe to say that once Thomas, Percy, and James are released and more characters are introduced, we will likely see this range become very popular.  

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.

Quote from: Falcon the 2nd on October 26, 2020, 08:38:34 PM
That's honestly a very good point now that I think of it. We may be making conclusions a little too early with just one listing and multiple may be necessary to determine the profitable nature of a character in a particular scale, similar to my post on the Tomix Henry

I forgot to comment on that post earlier, my bad.  I think there's a clear market out there for Henry in N scale based on those and many eBay sales (similar to the numerous high sales of the Hornby Stepney on ebay as well).  Especially when a lot of people have gone out of their way to reuse the Henry motor and chassis to make Gordon, who was also promised to us by Tomix making it clear that there is very much a market for both of them.  The only other factor besides pricing being a potential issue for those two also comes down to how much Bachmann can do during the pandemic, which is why Toby seems to be the safest option if they choose to include another new engine tooling while still working on James.

I think that's really the only other set I can see Bachmann doing with N scale in the immediate future.  It would be nice if the snowplow was available as an add-on accessory like how it was for large scale but I'm not getting my hopes up for that.  I think Bachmann will probably announced a Christmas set for N scale once they introduce more rolling stock so they more of a variety to choose from to make a decent looking Christmas train.