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Bachmann Europe to bring Thomas to the UK & Ireland


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12 minutes ago, No Decorum said:

So you take some Littles to see “Thomas” on a preserved heritage railway. “Why can’t Thomas turn 360°? Why can’t Thomas fly? Why can’t Thomas [insert here any of the other wildly improbable actions Thomas will be performing]?” Keep tight hold of your Littles because they will expect to wander onto the track and have Thomas stop on a sixpence to spare their little lives.

 

I can't imagine there will be many Thomas days anyway- from what I gather, the owning company charge so much that most UK railways got out of that game a while ago. With the reboot of the series, and the general desperation by the rights holders to make maximum dollar, I doubt even the few lines left like the ELR who still have Thomas days will be bothered...

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11 minutes ago, No Decorum said:

So you take some Littles to see “Thomas” on a preserved heritage railway. “Why can’t Thomas turn 360°? Why can’t Thomas fly? Why can’t Thomas [insert here any of the other wildly improbable actions Thomas will be performing]?” Keep tight hold of your Littles because they will expect to wander onto the track and have Thomas stop on a sixpence to spare their little lives.

Do they expect big hands to come out of the sky and uncouple the train too at the moment? Honestly kids old enough to comprehend what they are seeing can tell the difference between play and real, they pick up cars and fire engines too ;) No parent of little kids isn’t going to watch them near road, sea or railway, they are learning about danger all the time that’s why they are dependent on adults. A cartoon isn’t going to override all their parents teaching on safety and no doubt such a pc show will cover safety endlessly too. 
 

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9 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

I think I detect a musical reference to Thomas and Friends! Gosh! Human[oid] figures which move! That is a major breakthrough. The models lack a little refinement, though. As for their flying, I’m not going to ask how they do that because I don’t want to know.

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Impossible and improbable things have always been depicted in (2D) cartoons, just look at Road Runner or Tom and Jerry.  Early cartoons were actually censored to reduce the violence.  Somehow though kids loved them and lived through the experience.  Superhero toy figures don't act like they do on the tv, they have to have kid assistance!  I just cannot understand the attraction of cartoons like Sponge Bob buy my grandchildren could, if allowed, watch them all day long!

 

Getting back to Thomas, the resistance to innovation is undoubtedly age related - if you yearn for the original books or the live action model depiction, stick with it, they haven't gone away!  It's like if Sean Connery is the only real James Bond, just watch his movies.

 

Ok, descends from soapbox.......

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13 minutes ago, Jeff Smith said:

Impossible and improbable things have always been depicted in (2D) cartoons, just look at Road Runner or Tom and Jerry. 

I saw the Tom & Jerry trailer and after the pc warnings added to the original cartoons was (pleasantly) surprised to see Jerry entice Tom to be hit by a bus! Maybe they’ve also realised kids can tell and the world ain’t quite gone mad? ;) 

 

 

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The funniest one I heard of was when they revamped the Postman Pat series I had an old bloke come in my charity shop asking for helicopters.

 

Virtually any helicopter would have done as he couldn't get the Postman Pat version anywhere, nor any other helicopter and he's got a little grandkid that wants a helicopter.

 

I was a postman for years, we never got a helicopter.  :(

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2 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

The funniest one I heard of was when they revamped the Postman Pat series I had an old bloke come in my charity shop asking for helicopters.

 

Virtually any helicopter would have done as he couldn't get the Postman Pat version anywhere, nor any other helicopter and he's got a little grandkid that wants a helicopter.

 

I was a postman for years, we never got a helicopter.  :(

 

Not unlike my dad (several decades in the Fire Brigade) sitting through a Fireman Sam with my Younger Child, seeing the 6-wheeled fire engine, off roader, quad bike, lifeboat, fire-train, and helicopter, and grumbling that Pontypandy (population 15) would at best have had a retained fire station and single appliance, and that was pre-Austerity budget cuts ;)

 

Sorry, ranting off topic there.  Hopefully the revamp of Thomas won't have an effect on the Bachmann models, I'm still waiting for the promised Devious Diesel for the garden railway :)

 

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23 hours ago, Jeff Smith said:

Getting back to Thomas, the resistance to innovation is undoubtedly age related - if you yearn for the original books or the live action model depiction, stick with it, they haven't gone away!

 

Certainly age related. My five year old is just as happy watching the new CGI series as she is watching the first ones narrated by Ringo Star on DVD. Lots of time during the first lock-down was spent re-reading all the original books too.

 

I've grown to like the new series of Thomas, but seeing Postman Pat with a wife, child and helicopter, or Fireman Sam with something other than a basic pump-ladder jars.

 

Back on thread, Tootally Thomas have the Bachmann-Thomas narrow gauge coaches back in stock!

Talking of which, Bachmann are doing narrow gauge brake vans in red (77207) and blue (77202). Does anyone know if these are new tooling with some resemblance to Talyllyn Brake Van #5 or are they more bought in Peco models?

 

Steven B.

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34 minutes ago, Steven B said:

Talking of which, Bachmann are doing narrow gauge brake vans in red (77207) and blue (77202). Does anyone know if these are new tooling with some resemblance to Talyllyn Brake Van #5 or are they more bought in Peco models?

Peco don’t do a brake van, they are working on the L&B bogie brake but that’s definitely not the same as the artwork for the Bachmann one, so it must be new tooling. 

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27 minutes ago, Steven B said:

I was thinking along the likes of Peco GR-535.

Some of the blurry catalogue images I've found look more Talyllyn than Beer.

 

Steven B

Interesting that it only appears on the Walters site now. If you search the Bachmann site for it, even with the codes 160-77206, 160-77207 I can’t find a thing. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 22/12/2020 at 23:35, Paul.Uni said:

Bought one from my local dealer, thomas is quaint but doesn't have the haulage qualities of my old Hornby one. It can manage Annie and clarabel around the 2nd radius curves but put any Wagons on and it gives up. Still it'll no doubt entertain the kiddies. 

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13 minutes ago, paullad1984 said:

Bought one from my local dealer, thomas is quaint but doesn't have the haulage qualities of my old Hornby one. 

 

That's surprising. My old Bachmann not-Thomas (c. 2005) can walk away with a decent goods train.

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  • 4 weeks later...
5 hours ago, Ryde-on-time said:

In the US Bachmann are having a Thomas and Friends virtual event on 18th Feb with updates and announcements as confirmed here

 

 

Of interest as Bachmann have now started to introduce the OO range in the UK

 Anyone else spot the N gauge coupling on the Yellow tank top left? Potential spoiler for more N gauge stock I reckon

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13 hours ago, Ed-farms said:

 Anyone else spot the N gauge coupling on the Yellow tank top left? Potential spoiler for more N gauge stock I reckon

Been available in the US for ages. There is heaps of stock released in US over the years. Not bringing the entire range to UK in one go but over time it will be. https://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=756

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6 hours ago, Hilux5972 said:

Been available in the US for ages. There is heaps of stock released in US over the years.

Er not the N gauge range Ed referred to it’s only been out a few months ;) 

The OO range as you meant is all available here already through importers like TootallyThomas and the the Dieselworks amongst others. 

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So the new TTTE items from Bachmann for this year were leaked today, confirmed by checking TrainWorld's website where all items are listed with their estimated retail price and product codes. The leak was then confirmed by Bachmann via their twitter page, and more info will come tomorrow in the stream they're taking part in. Now clearly, the leaked items were meant to revealed tomorrow but oh well.
The new items for this year are:
HO(OO):
-Ryan
-Toby's Museum Coach

-Toby's Museum Brake Coach

NG(009):

-Yellow Rheneas

-Red & Blue Brakevans*

-Red & Blue Box vans
*announced last year

UPDATE:
Bachmann have officially announced the rest of the items as I was typing this up. In addition to the previous ones:
N Scale:

-Toby
-S.C.Ruffey

Large Scale:
-Paxton
-Mining wagon w/ load (blue)

-Sodor Coal Co. wagon w/ load

-Sodor Coal Co. wagon

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