Looking at Sparks' post, I think this is one of the recent posts on this thread I have to agree with the most.  

I agree with the idea that when it comes to new tooling, Oliver does make the most sense due to the success of Duck.  I think he would be a better addition to see in the future as opposed to newer characters like Rosie just because of his popularity and high demand, which are pretty remarkable and undeniable.  If Bachmann wanted to make a new tooling of a character, why spend the money on characters that are seen less often in the show nowadays or even on characters like Hiro that have larger designs with lots of small details?  I think the only other engine that has a decent shot at this point is Paxton, but aside from him, that's really it.

As for the rolling stock mentioned, the repainted stock he mentioned as potential candidates for Troublesome truck #5 would be almost ideal.  Troublesome Truck #4 itself was a disappointment, but if we had something similar to what was shown in Sparks' post I would consider that a serious improvement.  

A brake van revision is a must.  It's been a while since we have had rolling stock revisions, but if we are getting a James revision, I feel like a brake van revision would also be a nice treat.  

Ex-mainline tooling rolling stock such as Toad and the hopper would also make very good candidates for rolling stock.  Maybe even a simple goods van with the same tooling as the ventilated van and ice cream wagon would make a nice addition to the range too.

I deleted my old post as seeing as how the 2015 announcements are coming up soon, I figured I would update my thoughts on what I think could come out next year for Thomas and Friends.  I am only sharing my thoughts on engines and rolling stock for both ranges, and not really bringing up the subject of buildings, sets, or anything else.

For HO, I think it is more or less of a matter of if we get any engines.  Last year we got 'Arry and Bert which were repaints of Diesel, and this year there were no new engines.  I feel like if we get any new engines next year I feel like a repaint would make the most sense from Bachmann which is why I think Paxton is the most likely candidate to be the next engine in HO.  However his design alone isn't the only reason why I think he's a likely candidate as Paxton has appeared regularly throughout the series since Blue Mountain Mystery.  He's also proven to be liked by older and newer fans which is also why I think he's a good possibility.  I won't rule out Sidney altogether either, because his body is the same as Diesel/Paxton.  However, I think the small number of appearances aren't really enough to make him a popular seller from Bachmann just yet.

If there are any other engines I could see coming out in HO, I feel like the only other engine I do see happening anytime soon would be Oliver.  I know people may flip out because of the video that was posted on Facebook, but no offense to anyone, I can't take a video like that seriously.  Especially with how the questions and statements were made throughout the video.  But more importantly, when it comes to engines with a new tooling Bachmann hasn't done it's hard for me to imagine the engine not being Oliver, mainly for two reasons.  One of them is that he is back in CGI and has already made a handful of appearances in the most recent season.  The other is that he would be the most logical addition to follow up on the sales of Duck, as Duck as proven to be one of the most popular models in the range.  If Bachmann wanted to make an addition to follow up on this model that could potentially sell just as well as Duck, then I think Oliver would make the most sense. 

As for rolling stock, the only piece of rolling stock I can see happening is Toad, to go along with Oliver.  But apart from that, I honestly do not know what to expect from them.  Part of me thinks we could always get a Troublesome Truck #5 or a repainted piece of rolling stock that no one would really expect.  At the same time though, I wouldn't put it past Bachmann to not produce any new pieces of rolling stock due to the red coaches not being released yet, or having any photos revealed. 

For large scale, my thoughts have remained the same as I think Mavis would be the most likely candidate to be the next engine to be introduced in large scale, due to sharing the same chassis as Toby.  At the same time, I feel like if they were to do an engine with a new tooling then I could see Diesel happening at some point too.  Not only because he is the main antagonist in the series, but Diesel's body and chassis could also be reused to make other characters on the show, much like how he has so far with the HO line.  But apart from these two, as well as Henrietta, I do not know what else to expect from the large scale line.  Apart from Toby they have only introduced repainted pieces of rolling stock, which admittedly is a little concerning, but hopefully things will pick up by next year. 

Quote from: AJW98Productions The Second on November 03, 2014, 12:27:43 AM
On the subject of the brakevan, I believe that they'd also introduce the blue van, as it is part of the blue and white set of coaches. While I'm on the subject as well; do you guys think they'd make the blue and white coaches with the Annie/Clarabel esque expressions, or like they were pictured in Sparks's image?

I have never known Bachmann to avoid any repaints, and this goes for both HO and large scale lines.  I feel like if Bachmann wanted to do different paint schemes for different coaches, freight cars, or brake vans, then I do not see what is stopping them.  If Bachmann made stock like the raspberry syrup tank, nothing should stop them from doing repaints for narrow gauge stock (if they add them to their range that is).

Quote from: ScotNick on October 26, 2014, 06:47:56 PM
We don't know yet, but when the Bachmann rep. said in the video that we'll be "pleased and surprised" by next year's announcement, did he perhaps mean narrow gauge? It's a really vague speculation, but there is hope 

I'll be honest, a thought like this actually crossed my mind after I watched the video.  I can't say I disagree with that theory, especially since a number of people would never guess if they would make an appearance in the range.  That and Bachmann UK did announce narrow gauge earlier this year.  So I honestly don't think it's that unlikely, especially considering how popular these models would be if they were to be made. 

Either way I think it's safe to say that more people want narrow gauge more than they would believe that they would actually happen.  I know I would certainly be in favor of them.  No doubt I would get the original seven from season 4 if they were done and of course one of my favorite characters who was introduced after season 7... Luke!

There is certainly no harm in sharing the idea, as I believe that narrow gauge would be a very phenomenal idea in the range!  Even if many deny the possibility, in the end, we all know that everyone would buy narrow gauge if it were to happen.  So, I am in full support of the idea if it were to happen!

If they were to do narrow gauge I could easily see them starting off with the first three (Skarloey, Rheneas, and Sir Handel), and having the rolling stock that Sparks mentioned in his post to join the range.  Perhaps maybe even include a set with Skarloey and some rolling stock?  It'd be an ideal way to warm up fans to this new range of products.  Either way, if Bachmann were to introduce narrow gauge in the Thomas and Friends series, it would be interesting to see what kind of approach they would take with them. 

I think it is only a matter of time before we start seeing engines getting discontinued.  Jeremy probably won't last long either since his reaction from the fans was generally negative and so far not many people have bought him.  I haven't seen a single video of him on YouTube yet either.

I agree with BassTbone regarding Bachmann being smart with production tactics by making twins, and more importantly, being happy with what we already have in the range.  The engines that are in the range currently are all classic characters as well as some of the most memorable characters to date, hence why they made Duck despite only making twins/retooled engines... because let's be honest, who DIDN'T want Bachmann to make Duck?

On a completely different note, in the video when the rep mentioned that fans would be "pleased and surprised" with next year's announcements, I think that should at least be a sign of something we can look forward to when the time comes.  If it's not going to be Oliver, it really makes you wonder what they have up their sleeves for us!  Guess it is best to wait until February to find that one out.

This is pretty much what I was talking about as far as Bachmann making new toolings for Thomas products goes.  It costs a lot of money for Bachmann to produce and manufacture the models hence, why I've shown doubt for a lot of the other engines mentioned earlier.  Evidence of this too is shown that they have made nothing but pairs of twins or engines that they can reuse bodies to make other engines, with the exception of Duck.  With this year only introducing the red coaches and resin buildings in HO along with repainted stock in large scale furthers my point even more.

I know that people are upset that the rep mentioned that there are no plans for Oliver, but if he won't be announced next year we could always be in for a good surprise.  Though this whole "CGI face" rage from fans has to stop.  At this point if we do get Oliver in the future, or any other character with a new tooling, I think people should be extremely grateful for what they get rather than minor preferences like that.  

Honestly, the only thing I do expect from Bachmann next year are repainted rolling stock or repainted engines like Paxton along with possibly more buildings.  However, Bachmann could always surprise us during moments of doubt, so at this point it's really just a matter for expecting a little but hoping for more.  Plus, if one rep from Bachmann mentioned that they have with plans to revise James (which if they are, I think they deserve some serious praise), then I don't think all hope should be completely lost.  

Quote from: astrotrain4472 on August 30, 2014, 12:00:10 PM
G stock: red truck

The red wagon was already announced this year, it should be out sometime this year. 

Glad to know I'm not the only one who could see Mavis being the next engine in large scale!

Well hopefully after Old Reliable Edward aired today, I hope it sparks up discussion here too!  Here are my thoughts on the episode:
Wow. This is the first episode of the season and already I can tell it is going to be one of my favorites.  The fact that we are getting a GOOD Edward episode is a huge highlight for me, and we haven't had a good Edward episode in a long time, since the model era actually.  Considering how little he did in season 17, this was a nice breath of fresh air.
It was great seeing the rivalry we have witnessed between Gordon and Edward that we have not seen since the classic series.  Edwards branch line getting mentioned was a huge plus as well as Edward's reaction to Gordon getting stuck on the hill.
"Not again... And he thinks I'm unreliable... Honestly.."  When was the last time we had a quote like this one in the show?  It was brief and blunt and really worked to it's advantage.  The facial expressions from all the characters, particularly Thomas, were pretty funny and also kept me watching the episode.
After reading a few comments on YouTube, I can tell some people complained about the way how the switches worked in the episode.  Honestly, that part really didn't bother me.  It's a fault that's seen throughout the CGI series as a whole, as well as the model era on occasion so I guess you gotta go with what you're given on that one.
However if I had to point out one thing it would be the engines personalities being a bit too overboard in the episode, particularly Gordon.  It's a very similar fault I mentioned in Toad's Adventure where the characters became less engaging as the episode went on.  Even though you were not ideally supposed to be cheering Gordon on, I felt that the way that they portrayed his negativity was a bit over the top.  This can especially be said when he was contradicting himself with why he needed help on the hill earlier and denying that he actually needed the help later on.
Aside from that, this was a very entertaining episode, and I know that after the couple of times I have watched this episode I know it won't be the last, much like many of the episodes from this season and season 17.
9/10

I'm surprised there hasn't been discussion over the recent season 18 episodes that have been discovered.  Next week we will finally get an episode with Edward and Toby.  The following week will also show us two episodes starring James and Duck, and another episode on Thomas' branch line.  All of them sound interesting, I am particularly excited for Duck and the Slip Coaches, since the writing team clearly did their homework when it came to referencing the slip coaches from the Great Western Railway. 

http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Season_18

What is everyone elses thoughts on what has been revealed so far for season 18?

Just watched the video, it was pretty fun to watch.  Admittedly it's odd seeing the tunnel lead through the engine sheds, I don't think I have seen that one before.  But it doesn't look horrible by any means, if anything it's a pretty unique idea.  The layout itself looks great, touches like the various people and the paintings of the buildings and familiar faces like Bertie and Harold make it really stand out.  Great work!

Quote from: Chaz on April 08, 2014, 03:29:25 PM

Quote from: thomasj219 on April 08, 2014, 02:23:13 PM
Apparently the same guy who voices Oliver is voicing Donald and Douglas, and they are returning soon.

Knew it was only a matter of time before we would see those two.  They couldn't do Duck and Oliver and NOT bring Donald and Douglas back too.

Hope to see Stepney and Duncan next.

Quote from: therailwayinspector on July 13, 2014, 09:04:53 AM
There is a picture of CGI Duncan about somewhere - was in a magazine so not great quality.

EDIT: Found it!
http://th09.deviantart.net/fs70/200H/f/2014/165/4/f/cgi_duncan_by_jeremycrispo19-d7mcxs6.jpg

That takes one more off my list!  Hopefully Stepney will be the next character to return, then I'll pretty much be content.

Oliver I am not worried about, especially since he's been in demand for so long and he is now in CGI, I think it will only be a matter of time before we see him in the near future.  Hiro I would put on the "maybe" category since the potential is there but the size and details of the model could make the model expensive to sell as well as to produce.  Regardless, I think he's the most likely canidate for a character past season 7 with a new tooling, I know I would be interested in seeing a model of him.  The other characters you mentioned I don't think will happen just because I don't think they will be that popular for very long if Bachmann produced models of them, and it costs a lot of money to Bachmann to produce a model and eventually sell it, whereas Oliver and Hiro models would be popular for a long time. 

Quote from: JLK2707 on July 04, 2014, 09:50:09 PM
What just makes you think that re-releases are out of the question?

It costs a lot of money to bring products into the range, why would they bring back products that have little demand going for them?  Products become discontinued due to high prices as well as an overall lack of interest.  It would be best for Bachmann to focus on the new products that have not been made yet, rather than go a few steps back and spend the extra money on something that doesn't have that much of a strong demand.  Even if anything were to come back like Gordon's coaches they would be around 60 dollars each (given from the current price of Spencer's coach) which is a lot of money considering you can get Thomas or Percy models at different shops online for that kind of price.   

While I am not planning on getting Jeremy, I'm considering 'Arry and Bert if I can find them for cheaper prices.

Hopefully the red coaches will not be far behind! 

I saw on Walther's that the red coaches price is up, with the brake coach being 34 dollars at retail.  

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/160-76039

With the fact that pricing and manufacturing has gotten more expensive in recent years and the fact that production has been slow, I recently compressed my "prediction" list to just Oliver, Stepney, Toad, and the coal loader in HO and Mavis and Henrietta for large scale.  I'm hoping that the future is bright for the Thomas range regardless, as there is potential for popular additions as mentioned on most of our posts, but I think a long list of characters with minimal contributions to the show and "re-releases" are out of the question.

If you're going to do another petition on Gordon's coaches coming back, the very least you could do is to refrain from posting something about it every day in different threads. 

Plus, I'm sure Bachmann reps got the message on what people want at this point and are doing their best to satisfy their loyal fans.  It's honestly why I find polls or petitions for stuff to come out unnecessary, (this includes both new and re-released items).