Future suggestions/predictions thread

[Zekeism]

From what I believe, Hornby owns the licence to the Flying Scotsman, which is why Bachmann haven't made a regular version on the engine.

[TrainFan97]

Bachmann could still make the character Flying Scotsman, though he may not get released in the UK, especially if Hornby does own the exclusive rights to produce models of the real-life counterpart. Bachmann couldn't even sell their HO Scale Thomas products in the UK until Hornby dropped their Thomas license. Marketed there as OO Scale.

For now, our main focus for HO Scale is Hiro. For N Scale, it's Henry.

[N Scale Sudrian]

From what I believe, Hornby owns the licence to the Flying Scotsman, which is why Bachmann haven't made a regular version on the engine.

Hornby does not hold exclusive rights to the Flying Scotsman loco, evident by Dapol making the Flying Scotsman in N Scale and O Scale. From my understanding, a manufacturer has pay a licensing fee to the NRM to make models of it. I believe that is the case with all NRM-owned locos, such as Mallard, City of Truro, etc... Bachmann Europe has made many models with the NRM seal of approval so I assume they would be perfectly capable of doing the Thomas version of Flying Scotsman, if it were a viable venture.

For what its worth, I think a Thomas version of Flying Scotsman would be currently better suited to the N Scale range than HO. Since his model in the 3D animated show is an altered version of Gordon's, they can recycle the chassis from the upcoming N Scale Gordon and just make a new body shell and set of tenders. Meanwhile in HO since HO Gordon is so disproportionate compared to the show, they'd have to make a new chassis from scratch for Flying Scotsman. From that alone the retail price for an HO Flying Scotsman would exceed that of Rebecca or even a prospective Hiro. An HO version could still do well regardless of the pricing, it'd just be a more economic choice in N with what assets currently exist for it to utilize, ha ha ha.

[Chaz]

A little late to responding but thanks for the strong feedback on my post earlier everyone!  I'm glad to see the general consensus for Hiro and N scale Henry still going as strong as ever.  Hopefully they will be considered next when Bachmann looks into more engines for those lines respectively.

I'm also happy to see the positive reception for Judy and Jerome after their recent mention earlier took off.  Those along with the works unit cars would make for some very fun additions for rolling stock too.  N scale express coaches are still as strong as ever for requests, something tells me we aren't far off from seeing those happen too.

Regarding the Flying Scotsman, I wouldn't mind a model of him, but like Duncan, his CGI render looks really off-putting to me, particularly with the six wheel tenders.  That and with Rebecca's RRP at $300, I'd expect Scotsman to be even more expensive which might factor whether or not Scotsman would be a practical addition or not.  I'm sure Hiro would be worth more than Rebecca too, but as I said before, Hiro is one of those very few characters fans will happily buy regardless of price.  While I can't say the same thing for Rebecca, it might be a different case for Scotsman. He is a nostalgic character with an appropriate following and the right appeal for sure, but his design and personality in the CGI series are so completely different from what was on the books or the cameo of his tenders, that he may as well be a different character at that point (but of course that's just my opinion).  I'm sure some fans will jump on it, but I'd personally rather see Hiro first before Bachmann takes on a more ambitious project like the Flying Scotsman.

[TrainFan97]

Flying Scotsman might be better made in N Scale before HO Scale because Gordon's chassis is disproportionate in HO Scale, so Flying Scotsman's tooling would have to be made 100% from scratch. But for N Scale, Flying Scotsman can use Gordon's chassis, like Henry. For Henry, Bachmann just needs to remove the trailing wheels. Could N Scale Spencer also be made using Gordon's chassis? Though his trailing wheels would be done differently. Spencer would also pave the way for the Special Coach to be made in N Scale. Spencer is definitely feasible, though I think we're better off getting Henry and Edward in N Scale first, so we'd have all eight members of the original main cast.

[Chaz]

I wouldn't mind seeing Spencer in N scale, as he is a very popular character and his HO model was always a very popular seller.  He's admittedly not one who I'm particularly anxious to see, but I wouldn't rule him out from being introduced in the future.  I'd prefer seeing him introduced later after a few other characters are introduced first though, besides just Edward and Henry like Duck and Diesel since they have a much bigger fan-following.

[MontagueGWR08]

I think both Hiro and Flying Scotsman would be excellent choices!

I would prefer to see Hiro first, just because he's such a fan favorite. I have no doubt that he would sell very well. Also, I know Bachmann really likes offering repaints, so perhaps Patchwork Hiro could also be a possibility? He was in this paint scheme for a good portion of "Hero of the Rails," so I think this wouldn't be a terrible idea if Bachmann was looking to get the best usage out of a new tooling.

As for Flying Scotsman, I actually quite like his interpretation in the CGI series. It's very different from the books, but I think they each stand out in their own ways. It would definitely have a high price tag, but I would buy a model of the Flying Scotsman in a heart beat. Although I do think Hiro should be done first.

[TrainFan97]

It's better that Hiro gets made in HO Scale before Flying Scotsman. Bachmann can even do a recolor using Hiro's tooling, which would be his patchwork livery. Hiro is the #1 priority for a new engine in HO Scale, even more than Stanley and Whiff, since he is a big fan favorite, and one of the most popular CGI characters.

While Spencer is another good idea for another big engine in N Scale, but after Edward and Henry, there are other side characters that should join the range first, like Diesel, Duck and Oliver. Diesel's tooling would be highly versatile for recolors like Paxton, Sidney, 'Arry and Bert. The latter two would sell better if their faces were different, with Bert having noticeably more stubble. Duck and Oliver would make sense, as they're both very popular classic characters that appeared in CGI, and sold well in HO Scale, especially with Toad joining the range as the first brake van.

[TerencetheTractor525]

On the topic of new HO tender engines, I agree that Hiro would make the most sense. He is the best of both worlds, given that he appeared in CGI (for younger fans) and has appeared in the show for over a decade, and thus has nostalgic value (for older fans).

I know for a fact that Murdoch would sell incredibly well too, but he would unfortunately not be approved by the licensor for the same reason that Stepney will most likely not happen. With that, I do hope that the licensor understands that most parents would not spend over $180 for an engine that mainly appeals to young fans, but that is a discussion for another time.

As for Flying Scotsman, I would be content with a model of him, as he technically appeared in both the model and CGI eras of the show, plus the Railway Series for that matter. However, other manufacturers have already made Flying Scotsman models that are sold in the US and I could also see retailing for a lower price than a Thomas model. Hence, I would be somewhat concerned about how well this model sells. Nevertheless, he would be a welcome addition.

[RailsByRick]

Just had a thought as I was heading home from work today:

Bachmann is *probably* never going to produce Diesel 10 in HO scale.

But the fact that he is more likely than a Bachmann Stepney- only due to the fact that Diesel 10 appeared in the CGI series is absolutely wild.

Bachmann, please figure out a way to give us this fan-favorite and highly requested little tank engine. It would be the smartest financial move for a newly-tooled loco, no question.

[N Scale Sudrian]

I don't know how others feel about this matter, but I think it would be nice to see non-rail characters such as Bertie, Terence, or Cranky added to the N Scale "Thomas" lineup. If I were modeling in HO I would not feel as strongly since most typical "Thomas" toys roughly fit in that size range, even if they may not be to the same detail standard as say, Bachmann's model of Terence. But since N Scale is smaller than most typical "Thomas" toys, its been difficult identifying and procuring reasonable representations of these characters for the scale. I wouldn't consider it a priority by any means but it would be nice for those of us making dedicated layouts for N Scale "Thomas", especially if they were new tools that reflected the "CGI" design specifications instead of scaled-down versions of the HO vehicles.

[Chaz]

Adding non-rail characters like Bertie, Harold and Terence would be great ideas in N scale.  It should be worth noting, that Bertie and Harold were recently added to the Bachmann Europe range, alongside Edward and Henry, so I wouldn't rule them out from happening in N scale.

Cranky would also make for a welcome addition too in N scale, as it would help fans recreate scenes from the docks in N scale. He's always been a very popular character from the brand since his introduction in the fifth season, and hopefully cranky in particular will allow Bachmann to add other accessories/buildings in N scale to help recreate more scenes from Sodor in N scale.

[Angelob6660]

I believe Bachmann is going to release in the N Scale range. Everything that originally got released in HO. The same engines, rolling stock and vehicles.

[Chaz]

Ever since Bachmann UK started introducing DCC-ready locos, I have held off buying more (I already had the Famous Eight!). Now with Edward and Henry being available, I am just waiting on Duck so I can upgrade my collection. I am sure at some point the rest of the fleet will be made DCC-ready, with Diesel and Bill & Ben, followed by Donald & Douglas top of my wish list!

So something very interesting I saw today that should give you, and a few others in the UK, some hope about that...



A friend of mine recently got a Bachmann Oliver for his birthday and very interestingly it seems Oliver received an interesting revision.  He's been fitted with a much thicker dummy hook and lampiron similar to that from the UK line.  Now this might not mean anything to some, but I remember seeing this with the Edward and Henry models before their announcement from Bachmann Europe came around.  And since Duck and Oliver are still really popular sellers with Bachmann and Toad is already in the UK lineup, Oliver receiving this update is a really good sign.  Definitely seems likely that both he, and most likely Duck, will most likely join the UK lineup eventually.  And if we're lucky enough, once Henry and Edward find their way in the N scale range, Duck and Oliver's popularity can continue even further allowing them to find their way in the N scale range too. 

[TrainFan97]

So the latest Trainworld stream did not show N Scale Gordon fully painted, but did reveal HO Scale Beau, who is fully painted. Beau actually turned out really good. He doesn't have buffers, but that makes him more realistic, since American engines don't have buffers, plus being made from an existing tooling, that would've raised the cost. He doesn't have moving eyes, but makes up for it with a working headlamp. We're now getting an American-styled engine in the HO Scale Thomas range. His rear coupler is hook-and-loop, which makes him compatible with Thomas rolling stock, but his front coupler is a knuckle coupler, so that it doesn't create such a large gaping hole.

Beau is currently the only engine in the HO Scale range not to have moving eyes, but does have a working light, at the result of being made from an existing tooling. It may not be until the summer when they're finally ready to show an unpainted prototype of Rebecca. Next month for sure, they should have N Scale Gordon and Emily fully painted.