I wouldn't really consider the flat bed idea so much of a "re-release" just because if it includes a different load, it's a new addition to the line altogether.  At least that's the way I see it. 

I guess if I could see anything making a comeback it would be Gordon's coaches just because they are still used regularly throughout the show, and there is clearly enough demand for them to come back from fans.  I can see why fans would want them back just because without those coaches there really isn't so much for larger engines like Gordon or Henry to pull with the current lineup of rolling stock in the range.  It goes along the same lines why Bachmann should do the red coaches at some point soon just because the HO line needs a larger variety of coaches.

Seeing as polls are becoming more apparent and the year 2013 is really flying by, I figured I would update my 2014 predictions list one last time before the announcements, at least as far as HO goes.  Large scale remains the exact same as the post I left earlier.  
Engines (One, or possibly two of them):
Oliver - By far the highest demand when it comes to new engines to join the range, and would tie in with some of Bachmann's recent additions like Duck, Donald and Douglas since classic characters usually do the best in Bachmann's range.  Plus, he holds a lot of potential and would be a great seller and addition for the HO line.  On top of that, he's making a return to the show, which alone indicates how popular he will be in the future with older and newer fans alike. 
Stepney - Even though Bachmann has been announcing one engine a year, I wouldn't put it past Bachmann to announce both Oliver and Stepney for two reasons.  One, 'Arry and Bert are being released and they would be an ideal pair since they both want to scrap Oliver and Stepney, as mentioned in character bios and shown with Stepney Stepney Gets Lost.  The second is because whenever Oliver and Stepney come into a range or appearances they usually appear around the same time.  This could be said for when Hornby and Take Along made them, as well as their returns in season 12.  Plus, with the hype going on with Stepney coming out in take-n-play along with the fact he may return to the show soon (around the same time as Oliver, in fact), it does give me hope that we may see him join the range soon.
Paxton - Although I can't see this one happening next year directly, I've never known Bachmann to avoid a simple repaint from a previous tooling, and Paxton is no exception.  I'd say Sidney too, but Sidney barely has had any development from him, whereas Paxton has proven to be a likable character.  

Rolling stock (one possibly two of them):
1a. Toad - A given if Oliver is announced, especially since Bachmann has their mainline tooling to model him after.  
1b. Red coaches - I'm still surprised Bachmann haven't done the red coaches yet as I imagine they wouldn't be too difficult for Bachmann to put together.  Plus with their high demand, they've appeared regularly throughout the series since the second season and have been pulled by a wide variety of different characters.  
2. Flat car with a new load - I can see Bachmann bringing back the same flat car they used for their paint drum load which was recently discontinued but only bringing in a new load to go with it.  I could see them doing logs or pipes or even the Chinese Dragon.  Why the Chinese Dragon is because it has remained somewhat iconic to the show on top of being popular with older and newer fans alike.  Personally out of the three I mentioned I would like to see a log load the most just because logs are more of an iconic load for flat cars on the show.  
3. Revisions - It's been a while since Bachmann has updated any of their rolling stock.  I imagine that they would update their milk and fuel tankers, but I would hope that they can get around to updating their brake van to make it look like the one in the large scale line.  

Road character:
1. Trevor - Out of all the road characters, Trevor is the only one that has serious demand.  I think one reason why Bachmann is hesitant on Trevor is his detailing and small parts.  However, I imagine if they figure out an appropriate time to announce and make a model of him I think they will.  Especially considering how amazing he would look in the range.

Other:
Speed-Activated Sound Percy - If the Speed-activated sound Thomas goes well, or if they want to add any other addition to that line I don't see why they wouldn't add Percy to the range too.  James is also a good possibility too, but that again would really depend on how much further Bachmann wants to take the speed-activated sound range.

I posted this in another thread, but I thought I'd bring it up here.  I was checking out Troublesome Truck 4's page and there is shipping weight listed.  It is different amongst most of the rolling stock pieces except the ice cream wagon.  So I'm convinced based on that information that it will be the same van used for the ice cream wagon, only repainted with a new face on it. 

Links for comparison if anyone wants to check it out:

http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=258_259_262&products_id=4591

http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=879_756_772_775&products_id=4592

I think we will most likely have a photo in a month or so from now since it took Bachmann a long time to get a photo of Troublesome Truck 3 the year it was announced, but that's just my best guess. 

That is the best set of sheds I've seen in large scale with Thomas models!  They have a very similar resemblance the ones in season 2



The Large Scale Toby would look great in the spot where the James model is with the picture.  Very good work!  Welcome to the forum!

Well here are my thoughts on the Christmas episodes since now I have time to go through them:
Santa's Little Engine - A huge disappointment.  This episode started off pretty well, the humor with STH and Winston and the beginning went very well at the beginning but I found Winston to look really ridiculous as a sleigh.  From that point though I found the episode to be average, and then it went downhill from there... literally.  I know I shouldn't judge a show like Thomas for realism but can someone please explain to me how the sleigh landed perfectly on the rails?  On top of the branches landing so perfectly on Thomas' funnel?  And more importantly, Why was Winston being decorated as a sleigh was not approved by the Earl since he wanted something a little more suiting for the festival yet Thomas with antlers and a red nose pulling the sleigh was..?  That basically made the whole scene with Winston being decorated completely pointless.  The episode had it's minor funny moments, but for me I just thought it was a really ridiculous episode.  Definitely one of the weaker episodes this season.  2/10

No Snow for Thomas - There is no other way to put this episode other than it basically being a rewritten version of Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough.  The only differences was some minor changes to the plot and Emily's overall personality in the episode.  The episode does not win the originality award on my book, but I do give the episode credit for showing the safety of Thomas wearing a snowplough by just leaving him in the sheds.  That is of course before inevitably he gets stuck in the snow again.  I did like how they gave Emily the caring personality she had in season 7 as opposed to the bossy/sassy personality she was given from season 8 onward.  So while originality is weak I feel everything else was done pretty well.  What you see is what you get, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't watch this episode more than once.  One of the best Emily episodes we've gotten since season 11, but definitely not the strongest for her, or the season.  7/10

Frozen Turntable - It was an average episode, a little boring, but not a bad one.  This episode had it's funny moments like Percy trying to get into the shed with Gordon already sleeping inside.  Past that nothing really struck me as anything particularly memorable about this episode.  Gordon was essentially a grump throughout the episode and finally had what was coming to him after making a selfish decision.  It's a rare message throughout the series nowadays to not be greedy and this episode displayed that moral very well, especially with the moment of Gordon being stuck in the sheds not able to come out.  So overall not a bad episode but at the same time I felt they could have done a little better with this one. 6/10

The Missing Christmas Decorations - I'll be honest, I was biased when I first heard that Diesel 10 was appearing in an episode, since I was used to seeing him as a movie/special only character.  So I would have never guessed he would appear in an episode, let alone a Christmas episode.  The episode itself was easily the best episode out of all the winter episodes this season.  Paxton once again said some of the best lines in the episode such as coming in during the confrontation asking "What's the occasion?" worked really well.  Plus I found Sidney to be humorous while hanging up at the Dieselworks waiting for his new wheels.  He's a character who I would love to see more development from.  To add to that, the chase scene with Diesel 10 and the steam team was done really well, but I think what I liked best about this episode was the moral.  The moral was talking about the spirit of Christmas being about giving and even being good to those were not good to you in the past.  It's basically one of those "love your enemies" moments, and with the Diesels giving the steam engines their decorations in return for giving Sidney new wheels really shows that moral even more.  Plus I really like how Percy was given a good role for this episode since it ties in with his role in Day of the Diesels.  Plus Diesel 10 calling Sidney "Twinkle toes" worked really well for this episode!  So not only was this episode the best out of the four, but probably out of the season as a whole.  10/10


So as a season overall I was pretty impressed with what I've seen.  A huge improvement over what we've gotten over the last five years as far as writing has gone from the season.  I won't say it's perfect but it is a huge step in the right direction.  I'm glad everyone liked my insights too and I'm looking forward to season 18.

Well the last episode, minus the xmas ones I haven't gotten around to reviewing, the Afternoon Tea Express.
I'll be honest when I first read the brief summary provided I thought this was going to be a boring episode but I found myself to actually enjoy it.  It was really great seeing true polar opposites sharing an episode together, Spencer and Stephen and it managed to play off really well.  Plus the idea of the other engines pushing Stephen around to make him move around faster was actually pretty funny.  That and I actually liked seeing James pulling the express coaches.  We haven't seen any other engine besides Gordon pull express coaches in some time so it was nice seeing some variety.  The crash that was shown at the castle reminded me a lot of the recent episode No More Mr. Nice Engine and it kinda had a similar twist, only I found myself liking this crash a little more than the former.  So overall a nice episode, I won't say this episode was the ideal episode to end the season on (if you've been consistant with watching the episodes on youtube), but I found it to be an improvement over the last two episodes and it's great seeing Stephen play a huge role outside of King of the Railway. 7/10

I'll talk about my thoughts on the Christmas episodes when I have the time.

Quote from: Zorran202 on October 22, 2013, 01:39:46 AM
Idk, I enjoyed his voice since if you think about it, his real-life basis is actually from Scotland, hence having the Scottish accent we hear him with in Gone Fishing.

Yeah, but a more gruff voice still would have been my preference, even with a Scottish accent.  Like I said I didn't love it, I just felt it could have been a little better. 

Well here are my thoughts on Gone Fishing:
Harvey finally getting an episode since season 6 is welcome with wide open arms!  Bringing back Harvey was smart since he remained iconic throughout seasons 6-12 on top of being a character with fair development (A Bachmann model of him would be a huge seller if not for the crane arm).  I didn't exactly love the voice he was given, a little more of a gruff voice would have suited him better.  Hopefully the US dub will give him more of a proper voice.  As far as CGI design goes, easily one of the best ones.  It has a better representation of the tv model than any of the recent comebacks this season on top of having the most accurate face out of the bunch. 
As far as the episode itself goes, this episode was honestly way too predictable.  Harvey proving to be useful by being both a crane and an engine has been done before, but they emphasized it in a different way which made this episode a little more unique.  I thought it was great that they finally made Harvey actually pull a train and giving him a role at the docks was done very well.  At the same time I feel like it could have been more interesting.  It's weird, the previous episode had way too much going on, this episode was the exact opposite!  Not even Bill and Ben could have made the episode more interesting, which is what they have been known to do in previous episodes.   
Plus I don't know about you guys, but I think Porter stands as one of the most bland characters in the series.  Molly and Jeremy got more development than Porter ever did in their debut seasons.  He barely did anything in his debut episode and in an episode where he was expected to play a bigger role, he really didn't serve any justice to that one either. 
So overall I'd say it's an improvement over yesterdays episode but honestly not by that much.  5/10

Well here are my thoughts on the next two episodes.  We'll start with Thomas' Shortcut:
This episode has to be another really great one from this season!  Thomas and Bertie racing again was done very well, and I liked seeing the rivalry build up again between the two of them.  In some ways this episode felt a lot like Thomas Gets Bumped in the sense that Thomas felt compared to Bertie, but it didn't really have the plot as exciting as Thomas and Bertie's Great Race since there was no real racing action which I felt would have made the episode a lot more interesting.  Especially since there was no official competition at the time Thomas was taking the shortcut.  However the choice of characters was done well, and it was great seeing Harvey again despite not speaking.  It's a fun episode and if you love Thomas and Bertie episodes, it's hard to avoid this one.  8/10

Now time for the Smelly Kipper (keep an open mind on this one):
This episode was a HUGE missed opportunity for me.  Where it did well was the fact that it revolved around the flying kipper, on top of giving that episode to James of all characters and the bits with the troublesome trucks was great too.  When I read the description I found myself getting excited, thinking this was going to be a new favorite as any episode having an engine pulling the flying kipper is usually a good one.  While I enjoyed parts of it, there's just one problem with the episode, and it's a big one... it's the storyline.  I love Andrew Brenner's work but this episode had way too much going on.  First it was about James proving to the engines he was brave in the dark, then James abandoning the job, then Henry being late, then James owning up to his mistake, then James going back to the docks to make up for lost time, then James going to the docks only to be made fun of by Porter and the troublesome trucks, then James gets covered in fish, then James is briefly shown pulling the flying kipper, and then James goes back to the sheds with the engines laughing at him and goes to the washdown... starting to see the problem?  Sometimes less is more and more is less, this episode proves that.  I would have been a lot happier with this episode if we actually saw more with James pulling the flying kipper throughout the whole episode and not all the unneeded dialogue and dilemmas that were shown throughout the episode.  It would have made it more entertaining and it would have a much better overall flow.  Plus whatever happened to the idea of James proving himself to not be afraid of the dark?  That was what made James pull the flying kipper in the first place and the whole idea of that was forgotten once James got to the docks.  So overall, I found this to be a really silly episode with a lot of uneeded dialogue and sideplots, and I feel this episode could have been so much better if they just made it a lot more of a basic story involving James actually pulling the kipper. 4/10

Well No More Mr. Nice Engine just aired in Australia, so I figured I would share my thoughts on it.  To those of you who live in the UK/US do not read any further, as this review will contain spoilers.

Anyway the first thing I want to say right off the bat, is I am pretty happy that we are getting 26 episodes this season.  The more the merrier!  Especially when the episodes are in good quality.

For No More Mr. Nice Engine, I found it to be fairly enjoyable.  The moral of the story is to basically keep your cool and control your temper.  The fact they used Diesel and Hiro, who are opposite from each other in that respect was a really clever way.  I think what I liked too was seeing the troublesome trucks in their troublesome ways again.  Now granted, we had king of the railway but I really didn't get that classic "troublesome" feel from them as much as I would have liked.  This episode did that better, which I find to be a very strong point.  
Plus I liked seeing Edward getting a small role in this episode.  Edward hasn't really done so much this season so seeing him speak a couple of times is a plus.  This episode could have worked just as well if not better with Edward just because this kind of plot suits his original character so much more.  Using Hiro though wasn't a bad move at all though, and no complaint on my part.  
The only thing I have to question is Diesel behind Hiro's train... no one at the docks realized this, let alone the workman who coupled Diesel to the pack of Hiro's train...?  I feel like the episode would have worked better if Diesel whispered a plan to the trucks that would cause the extra trouble for Hiro.  It again would have made the episode a little more effective and not as blatantly obvious that it was Diesel's doing, but I guess it really was the only way they could have caught Diesel in the act of sabotaging both of Hiro's trains.  
It's an overall enjoyable episode, a great storyline, and of course a great choice of characters.  Glad to see this season still coming on strong! 8/10


Now I updated this post due to no responses and I wanted to avoid double-posting.  So here are my thoughts on "Away from the Sea"
I think it can be said that the best part of the episode has to be the beginning, the flashback to Salty's secret.  It was done in a very clever way and it really takes fans back to when Salty first came to Sodor.  It's surprising to me that I felt nostalgic while watching that flashback, to think that season six was so long ago from now.  Now despite my praise for the flashback for the episode, is it a good episode?  Well I feel after the flashback I was suddenly underwhelmed by the rest of the episode.
A letdown for me for this episode was Salty's personality in this episode.  He was completely out of character.  While I'm happy they gave Salty a role, it was bizarre seeing a character as optimistic as him overthink a new character like Porter.  Plus seeing him refusing to go to the Dieselworks, being careless and crashing into freights cars full of oil and then confetti just did not work for him.
There are still some positive moments throughout the episode, like seeing Den appearing in this episode, since he was absent in the missing Christmas decorations.  Plus the part with Porter annoying Cranky with the excessive questions was done really well.  Cranky usually makes for good speaking roles and moments throughout episodes, and this episode is no exception.  And of course when credit is due, the mention of how sandboxes work for different engines was pretty enjoyable too.  It's pretty clear Brenner has done his homework! 
As far as Porter goes I must be honest when I say this I found his personality to be a little dull.  But hopefully within the next episode (with the return of Harvey in mind) we can see more development from him. 
Overall though, it's an all right episode, I won't say it's one of the strongest episodes this season but if you like season 6 or are a fan of Salty you may enjoy the episode. 7/10

Quote from: thomasj219 on October 14, 2013, 07:43:53 PM
What makes you sure that Arry & Bert are delayed?

They were not displayed at this year's NMRA or at the recent ihobby show.  Based on the outcome of similar products in the range, like Duck, it's safe to assume they won't be out until some point next year.

Quote from: BigC12 on October 13, 2013, 02:55:54 PM
Here's what I wish for:
Oliver
Toad
Stepeny
Harvey
Troublesome Truck #5
Troublesome Truck #6
Rosie
Lady

Who am I kidding? Some of it probably would not happen.  

Actually, the only ones that won't happen anytime soon are Lady and Harvey (because of his crane arm).  The rest sound like fairly good possibilities!

Seeing as how people are posting here more frequently than the other 2014 thread, there is one thing I do want to express regarding my thoughts for next year.  With the recent ihobby show, I'm finding it a little doubtful that we are going to be getting a wider variety of products this year.  Apart from the Christmas set, nothing that was announced for the HO line this year won't be out until sometime in 2014.  In a way it doesn't surprise me but at the same time I'm really surprised 'Arry and Bert are being held back yet it took Bachmann less than a year to release their Diesel model when he was announced.     I'm honestly not expecting too much from Bachmann this year with their delayed products already in hand.  I do think Oliver and Toad are still the best possibilities, but if not those two then I'd expect one other engine and one other addition like a piece of rolling stock or an accessory.  I'm hoping Trevor could squeeze himself into this years range, but since Jeremy is delayed too, I don't expect him to join the range just yet.  Especially since Trevor has a lot of small parts and details that would require more attention during production.  You can say that I'm hoping for more but at the same time I'm expecting less for HO next year.

Large scale on the other hand will probably do better next year.  I'm still expecting the same engines (Edward or Mavis) as well as some more repaints for rolling stock along with the possibility of a mail car or Henrietta.  

Apart from the photo while displayed at ihobby, not much.  It should be shipping by November/December!

Just saw Too Many Fire Engines and most of the Christmas episodes.  I will post my thoughts on the Christmas episodes at another time, right now though I want to share my thoughts on Too Many Fire Engines. 
This episode I thought was just a little above average.  It is a huge improvement over every episode involving Flynn and Belle, and easily more entertaining.  I guess with this episode there are two things I want to address one good and one not-so good. 
To get the one main flaw out of the way I have with this episode is Flynn's personality during most of this episode.  He was completely out of character.  The scene with him turning down the offer to go to the castle from Thomas was just pitiful to watch, and just didn't work for Flynn's personality.  Personally I feel this episode would have made more sense if it was Belle getting discouraged and not Flynn.  Flynn made more appearances, is more iconic to the show and SSRC, on top of having a better overall design.  Belle is the exact opposite, so seeing Flynn getting discouraged because of her was a little degrading.
For what the episode is worth though, I like the message that the writers were trying to show with this episode.  The moral is, whenever there is an emergency, it is always good to have a back-up plan.  This is a very rare message for kids nowadays and the writers couldn't have picked a better way to show that moral.  Especially when the argument of whether or not Sodor really does need two fire engines actually is a legitimate concern. 
With everything else aside, it was great seeing Butch sticking around as a source of encouragement for Flynn and I liked seeing the railway inspectors visiting the Island.  Everything about this episode is great, but like I said earlier, it is a shame that they couldn't have swapped the roles Belle and Flynn had otherwise it would have been more effective for me.  It would have gotten a much higher rate from me if they did that.  Despite this, I thought it was an enjoyable episode and I have a feeling others may feel the same way. 6/10

The Large Scale Toby looks incredible!  Love the detail shown on the model, and I am interested to see how the model will do as far as running goes.  A shame that his cab isn't open, but I have a feeling that this will be a VERY popular seller!  All he needs is Henrietta to go along with him! 

I'm surprised not a single one of the new HO products made it onto the display, apart from the Christmas set.  Hopefully we'll see photos of the other new products sooner rather than later.