The Adventure Begins UK Release: Part 2

The last time I posted my thoughts on The Adventure Begins, we were reaching the halfway point as far as the waiting game was concerned. Now that we're in the home stretch, it's time for a quick re-visit of the long awaited special to see what's going on marketing-wise.

I said in my previous post on the subject that the reason why The Adventure Begins was delayed by four months was due to poor communication between Asda and HiT's marketing teams. Now that we're three weeks away, I'm thoroughly convinced that its launch is doomed to fail.

Remember when I said that Dinos and Discoveries had a trailer for it at the start of the DVD? Yeah, it turns out that's the only advertising there's ever been for the special, so unless fans or kids play that DVD constantly, they'll have absolutely no idea that this release is coming. But even that won't help as the trailer simply says "coming soon"!

And guess what? The only two toys available to celebrate the DVD are exclusive to Asda too, which means that you won't know that this special's coming unless you see the toys there.

But the biggest reason I think this is doomed to fail is Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure. The Adventure Begins will be released on the last week of SLOTLT's nationwide cinema run. And, as you can imagine, there are trailers all over the place, and the toys are also all over the place.

I get it: it makes more sense to market a special that has a broader release than one released in one chain of stores. But does that really mean they have to forget about the isolated release completely? TAB was made specifically for Thomas' 70th anniversary, which is something that, you'd think, HiT would be proud of. And it's definitely something you'd think Asda would be proud of since they were specially chosen to sell the thing in the first place!

Now before anyone says anything, I'm not going to look negatively on SLOTLT because it overshadowed TAB as it was just an unfortunate coincidence that both releases coincided with each other. However, I will look negatively on both Asda and HiT's marketing teams for not doing more to raise awareness that this special is indeed coming and, more importantly, when it's coming.

Instead, it seems like both have left it up to the fans that are aware to do their work for them, in the exact same way that we had to when the first four Railway Series eBooks were released or when they reintroduced the hardback books for 2015.

I truly believe that this whole thing has been a complete and utter shambles, and if this release does as poorly as I fear it will do, then HiT and Asda's marketing teams only have themselves to blame.

Sodor's Bogie Coaches

It's something that fans don't really talk about; more than likely because they don't really care. But I, for one, do. And that's why this blog post exists. So, let's talk about Sodor's express coaches (and, by extension, Spencer's, Connor's and Caitlin's).

I'm not sure how many fans will agree, or even care, but I really don't like the designs for pretty much any of the bogie coaches seen in the CG era.

Now I know that the express coaches have been around since the Nitrogen era, but I didn't really care too much as the show was going through a rough enough time as it was. Plus, considering they didn't care too much about proper railway operations too much, we never really saw what else they could produce when it came to coaches (except the narrow gauge ones, and they have the same problem). But now though, the problem has pretty much become really distracting thanks to these:

Yep, Arc's fantastic renders of the slip coaches made me realise that the other bogie coaches just don't look right. They look too tall and thin, and the design is the exact same thing on both sides. They just look really stupid for the coaches they're based on, and I'm rather hoping they are replaced sometime in the future. Will they? I don't know, but one can hope. But the big question is which designs would I wish to see?

Let's begin with series 1. While yes, these coaches are a similar size to the ones currently used, these ones present a bit more... class, in my opinion. Glossy, stylish and, possibly, exquisite to ride in, these coaches may be the first port of call. It might not be beyond the realms of possibility either; the series 1 brake vans are pretty common in the series these days.

While these aren't as glossy as the ones previously, they do get the length bang on. That being said, they're not particularly realistic; there's no braking gear under the chassis. But it's still a really good design and one that could be worth considering.

While I'm on the subject, does anyone miss the red bogie coaches? I didn't really get why Nitrogen didn't make them; it would have been easy enough. They could still have the green coaches for Gordon's express, but bring the red ones in for the fast trains or normal main line passenger trains while keeping the 4 wheel red ones on the branch lines.

Nothing really changed with the green coaches, apart from the added braking gear, so I'd prefer them looking like these ones; the perfect balance of practicality and realism.

Yep, this is a series 3 shot, and these are the red versions of the coaches used now. In all honesty, I have absolutely no qualms with them sticking to this design, but they would really need to make them a bit fatter and shorter, like they were from series 3 to series 12. Oh yeah, and include red variations, too.

But what if they didn't want to stick with the designs from the series? Well, why not make some BR Mk 1s? A classic British design that, I believe, Arc could replicate brilliantly. Why would I not have belief; they created slip coaches beautifully. As for livery? While I don't really mind the normal brown livery (they stuck to a Great Western livery for the slips and Nitrogen used the Talyllyn livery for the narrow gauge coaches), but maybe a Railway Series inspired brown would be pretty good too? Then you could keep the other bogie coaches for the fast trains (with a design tweak).

As for Spencer's coach... what the heck happened? Not only do they have the exact same problems as the express coaches, but they completely changed the design from the model coach! Actually, that's not fair; the design is really good; possibly better than the model. But they just don't suit the shape of the coach. So how to fix it?

Well, there are two ways. The first is to emulate the original coach's design, which was fantastic. It's simple, but it just has that posh look. And I like that an extra coach was added in series 10, even though it was a bit illogical to have two (unless the composite was a dining car).

The second? Simple. The writers have been pushing the idea that Spencer pulls Pullman coaches, so design a proper Pullman. Seriously, the Pullman design is there already, all they need to do is build one and just copy the design over. That way, it'd feel much more authentic.

And for anyone wondering, I'd probably have the same design suggestions for Connor and Caitlin's coaches, although I'd probably lean more to the VIP coach (series 5-11) designs for them. That said, considering the Pullman inspired design, they'd be pretty good too.

And Now for Something Completely Different

Am I the only one who misses these? I know they were designed to be really old, but that's what made them classy, and it's rather saddening that they were only used for one series. Maybe they could be put to use on Edward's branch as a heritage train or something? Or maybe just use them on his line for normal passenger traffic? A lot of thought went into making these as classy as possible, and it's a crying shame they were only used a few times in one series...

DVD Review: Railway Mischief

It's been two years in the making, but the series 17 episodic releases have finally come to a close in the UK with the release of Railway Mischief!

Episodes

This release goes back to the seventeenth series with the inclusion of the final seven episodes from that particular year:

1. Gordon Runs Dry
2. Kevin's Cranky Friend
3. Scruff's Makeover
4. Wayward Winston
5. Steamie Stafford
6. Not Now, Charlie!
7. Bill or Ben?

So... where do I start with this? Well, I'm really glad that all 26 episodes have been released on episodic releases; it means we in the UK don't have to rely on the complete series releases to get all the episodes on discs. Yeah, it's about four times more expensive than getting the complete release, but still.

Second, it feels really weird that the first series 17 release in America was the last one released here. I'm not sure why that happened, but... better late than never? Maybe?

And finally, the episodes on this release are a pretty mixed bag. Watching them back for the purposes of this review, it was actually fascinating how far the series has come now. And this was from a two year old series! That said, my opinions on the episodes haven't changed: Bill or Ben?, Gordon Runs Dry and Kevin's Cranky Friend were good, Scruff's Makeover and Wayward Winston were OK and the final two episodes were bad (Steamie Stafford was the worst of this era, and here's hoping that, with the current improvements, it stays that way).

Bonus Features
The segments here were nothing new, apart from the subject matter.

Mr Perkins' Postcard focused on Brendam Docks. Even though he mentioned there were a lot of ports on the island, the only one referenced was Brendam since, when it was made, it was the only port to be seen in the CG era. But since Arlesburgh Harbour will be featured in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure and there was, like I said, mention of many ports on Sodor, that may soon change (hopefully).

The Story Time segment featured Thomas' Train, which may be a subtle advertisement for The Adventure Begins before its release next month (on a slight tangent, I've another blog post on that before its release, so keep your eyes peeled).

I really enjoyed seeing Loraine Marshall's illustrations for this story. I'd go as far to say these were some of her best as they fit extremely well. I also liked her homage to the illustration from Thomas and the Trucks, which was used as the front cover image for Thomas the Tank Engine.

I said in an earlier DVD review (Trouble on the Tracks) that her illustrations felt "out of place" in Toby's Tightrope because her style is different to Gunvor and Peter Edwards'. But it feels like hers and C. Reginald Dalby's are pretty similar: bright, eye catching and colourful, so they blend together a lot better.

And now we come to Henry being green. Everyone's shocked by this, but I'm more shocked by the old shape! In all seriousness though, I really don't care. He was never painted blue on TV and he was only blue between the final illustration of The Three Railway Engines to Troublesome Engines, where the foreword stated he'd been painted green again (because of how confused the artists were trying to differentiate between him and Gordon). Besides, this isn't the first time engines have been altered from the books in illustrations. That said, it was weird to see him green in the wide shot and blue in the close up of Thomas. Maybe Loraine was as confused as the others? Or maybe she forgot? We'll probably never know.

Who's That Engine? featured Edward this time around, and Arc did a great job showing him off (although I may be biased since he's my favourite character). It's a bit of a shame they used his series 18 render (notice his hand rails are black, not silver), but at least it has the head and tail lamps, so it's not too bad. The story shown off was Edward the Hero which, while nothing too special, was one of the few episodes from the Barlow era to get his character right (at least, from the halfway point onwards).

There were four Really Useful Engines segments featured: Stafford, Spencer, Hiro and Flynn. While the final two were good and described the characters well, the first two intrigued me the most. Stafford's since they put great emphasis on him being a shunter (which I'm grateful for), but because it it felt really weird knowing they put it on the exact same release where he was the main focus of a story which had nothing to do with him being a shunter. Spencer's, on the other hand, intrigued me because of the word choices used. I don't think we've heard him be called a "snob" before, but it was really amusing and fitting. But the one that got me was them mentioning he pulled Pullman coaches. While I'm glad of the reference and I can understand why they called them that (the style is there), they just don't have the look of Pullmans overall, but I may do a blog post of that in the future.

The Earl's Quiz was pretty standard, with questions this time on Scruff's Makeover and Luke's New Friend. It's nice that the questions are getting slightly tougher and the episodes more recent, but they're still relatively simple for some kids. Then again, they could be difficult for others. Regardless though, they're a good teaching tool, so no qualms from me.

At the start of the DVD was, again, the trailer for Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, coming to cinemas nationwide from July 17th for two weeks and DVD (in the UK) September 28th. And there'll be performances at Cadogan Hall in London on the 26th and 27th of August. Oh, and there's an advert for Thomas Land, which doesn't seem to have been updated to include the newest attractions.

Presentation

The presentation is the standard fare for Thomas and Friends; high quality animation and a crisp, widescreen picture. Like I said, this was featuring the first episodes of Arc Productions' tenure, so compared to Trouble on the Tracks or Dinos and Discoveries, some may say it's not as good, but it was still an excellent starting point on which to build.

Price

The prices are pretty standard: £12.99 RRP, but the cheapest places are HMV and The Entertainment Store on eBay (both places priced at £5.99)

Final Thoughts

I'll be honest: this is probably the toughest DVD I've had to rate. Like I said at the start, it took two years for this to get here! Personally, I'm not too bothered as the episodes aired here shortly after this was released in the US, and the British version does have a few differences from the version across the pond. But will parents in the know really be happy with being snuffed like this for so long?

The big question is: would I recommend it? Well, yes and no. If you're still one for collecting DVDs, then you should get it for the cheapest price you can. However, if you're more into the digital age - and don't care about missing out on the bonus features - Channel 5's website streams every episode from series 8-18 for free.

First Class Stories: More Deserving Candidates

So in my last blog post, I said that the choices for 1st Class Stories were disappointing not because of the episodes' quality (although that doesn't help) but the lack of variety. So I'm sure you're thinking "which episodes would you choose?" Well, that's why this blog post exists!

The only restriction here is there will be 20 episodes, the exact same the actual DVD has.

1. Thomas and Gordon. While this isn't the best episode of the first series, it just wouldn't feel right having a huge celebratory DVD like this without the episode that kicked off the show.
2. The Flying Kipper. This is a classic fan favourite that's won many favourite episode polls, and it's understandable; it's the quintessential Thomas and Friends episode: engine pulls a train as usual, something bad happens and the problem is resolved. And I suppose the crash might have something to do with it..!
3. The Deputation. This one might be a bit weird since Donald and Douglas aren't in the current series yet, but since they're being introduced in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, wouldn't it make sense to show where their journey began?
4. Edward's Exploit. This is a personal preference, in all honesty. It shows Edward in a brilliant light and remained one of his best until Old Reliable Edward gave it some stiff competition.
5. Heroes. I know that most fans would go with Escape, and I can understand why. But in my opinion, half of the episode was wasted because Britt and David thought that Douglas lacked empathy. However, with Heroes, nothing was wasted. It was action packed and extremely dramatic. It's also one of the few model series episodes that gave Bill and Ben more of a personality than just being cheeky.
6. Fish (1995). Again, many would choose Gallant Old Engine, but I personally think that a couple of aspects dropped the intensity of it slightly. Fish, however, is one of the only episodes that is actually better than the original. The mood is set brilliantly, we actually see Thomas telling Duck about his incident with fish rather than it feeling like a hand-wave and the accident was shot brilliantly.
7. A Better View for Gordon. 1st Class Stories was supposedly including "exciting episodes", yet they didn't include any from series 5? Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of the series, but one thing I would never call it is boring. And in all honesty, this is my favourite episode of that series. Whether it's because of the well written story or the brilliant crash, this is definitely one of those series 5 episodes that I really recommend. 
8. Edward, the Very Useful Engine. I know this follows a similar plot structure to Edward and Gordon (push a struggling train up the hill) and Edward's Exploit (Edward proving he's still useful), but the bits they changed made the story feel relatively fresh and it captured every character really well. That said, considering Thomas the Jet Engine is the more exciting episode, I can understand why it was chosen.
9. Gordon and Spencer. Lee Pressman (this episode's writer) has said that this was the one he liked the least. I don't know why as I thought it was brilliant. Giving Gordon someone to compete against was a fantastic idea and it worked just as well (even if the lack of water stoppages was a bit silly).
10. Edward the Great. Yeah, by this point, this plot thread was getting kind of old, but I think the addition of Spencer and Edward having to do an important, yet strenuous, job was a nice change of pace.
11. Thomas Tries His Best. This was probably one of the few episodes from series 9-16 that looked good on Thomas. He actually realised his mistakes before he caused severe damage, and for doing his job safely he was rewarded for it. It's not as exciting as episodes like Mighty Mac or Respect for Gordon but the story was really good.
12. It's Good to be Gordon. Minus the special coal being brought back, the episode was really good. It showed that Gordon had a heart and it was really interesting that the writers would go for a tender swapping plot point, something that Britt thought would confuse kids (although that could've been due to the engines that were in it).
13. Gordon and the Engineer. In an era where special specials, light engine wild goose chases and annoying dialogue were king, this episode was a breath of fresh air. It was great that they actually made an issue that could affect any railway a major plot point, something that wasn't seen again until recently. Everything about the episode worked.
14. Best Friends. This episode was so well written and very relatable for kids. And it actually treats Thomas and Percy like they are best friends rather than gay partners.
15. Tickled Pink. The closest we got to a Railway Series adaptation in the Nitrogen era, this episode showed what you can do with CGI in the right ways. It's just a shame that the repetitive dialogue and actions really hold it back.
16. Being Percy. To add to the repetitive dialogue and actions, we get rhyming and alliteration. But despite that, this episode was really sweet. And it's actually relateable for kids too. They always feel like they'd prefer to be someone else, but this episode does a good job teaching kids that you're better being yourself.
17. Stop That Bus!. Some will argue James to the Rescue is the more exciting one, but I have a real vendetta against it, so I chose this one. It doesn't make much sense, but this actually used Misty Island really well, showing how dangerous the Shake Shake Bridge could be.
18. Percy and the Calliope. This is probably one of the few episodes from this era that has some really good character interactions. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's still a good watch, and it does become exciting as it goes on.
19. Thomas' Shortcut. Gone Fishing is my favourite episode, but this is the most exciting with all the racing around, as well as the search for the (non-existent) shortcut.
20. Duck and the Slip Coaches. What more can I say about this episode that I, or anyone else, has said? It's simply fantastic (...minus that joke, but I digress)

While I admit this isn't much of a balanced list either (only 6 are CG or have CG elements), it's a lot more encompassing of every series of the show, something the official release is not. If you wish to leave your choices, feel free below, on DeviantART (ThomasandStanley) and Twitter (@ChrisTomson2013)

First Class Stories Episode Choices

I wasn't going to talk about this DVD until it was released as I was going to get it then. But recent developments have changed that drastically, so instead I'll be talking about the episodes chosen for First Class Stories now.

The opinions in this blog post are SOLELY MY OWN. They do not reflect the opinions of the entire Thomas and Friends fanbase.

Before I begin, the burning question would probably be "what episodes will be on the DVD?". Well..!

1. Thomas and Gordon
2. The Flying Kipper
3. Escape!
4. Gallant Old Engine
5. Thomas the Jet Engine
6. Snow Tracks
7. Henry's Good Deeds
8. Charlie and Eddie
9. Jitters and Japes
10. Happy Hiro
11. Stop That Bus!
12. Flash Bang Wallop!
13. Bust My Buffers!
14. Percy and the Calliope
15. Steamie Stafford
16. The Switch
17. Bill or Ben?
18. Not So Slow Coaches
19. Toad's Adventure
20. Duck & the Slip Coaches

I'm not going to focus on my personal opinions of each episodes as my blog posts speak for themselves. But they're as mixed as the fan reaction to the choices. Would I say they were poor? On the whole, no. There are bad episodes there, but there are some really good ones too. But there's one thing this DVD severely lacks: variety.

They always say that it's the slice of life, but it seems that didn't reach those who compiled this DVD. Out of all the choices, 15 are animated; 9 were from the last three years alone! How unbalanced is that? If this DVD was really celebrating "exciting" stories from 1984 to the present day, where are series 2 and 5? If you're going to celebrate every generation of the show, where are series 7-12?

If they wanted to make a CG compilation DVD, fine. Make one. But don't make one for a big anniversary such as this claiming to celevrate episodes from "1984 to the present day" only to put so much emphasis on the present day, leaving the classic episodes to feel shoehorned in just so they can add that meaningless tagline at the top!

In all honesty, that's my biggest problem: there's just no balance. In fact, the way it's been compiled, it feels like they're trying to erase an entire era of the slow while slightly glancing over another. If the kids are going to prefer the CG episodes, fine. But don't completely shield them from what came before; it completely negates choice. In the UK at least, the only way to see classic or new series episodes (series 1-12) are on the complete series collections, which are in very few shops, unless you go online. But the CG series is everywhere: in slops, books, magazines, online, etc. Yes, I love that the show's gone CG, especially with more and more being revealed about future series, but if there's only one choice for kids, they'll have no other option than to love the animated show. Older fans had that choice, and that's really sad.

And it's because of the lack of variety or any real choice of episodes on the DVD that I will not be buying or recommending it. This is a complete disappointment, and my least favourite DVD sold this year. I had high hopes for this one; it could've been the perfect way to introduce children to the original era of the show. But instead, they backed down and just made it a CG release with old episodes shoehorned in... 

Bachmann 2015 Range

OK, so with those two top 10 lists out of the way, I think it's high time I got my thoughts on Bachmann's 2015 range out of the way. Yeah, I know it's rather late, but... eh!

The opinions in this blog post are SOLELY MY OWN. They do not reflect the opinions of the entire Thomas and Friends fanbase.

Bachmann have released quite a few surprises this year, in HO and large scale. They've also released a new scale, which I'll get to in a bit.

HO Scale

Locomotives

Oliver

OK, who else did we expect? Considering he returned in series 18, and he finishes off the original North Western Railway roster, it only makes sense.

As for how he'll look, since his CG promo is seen on his item page, it'll more than likely be based on that. Hopefully though, the scale is similar to his model more than his render, as that's the only thing that truly irks me about Oliver as he is now.

Overall, I'm looking forward to seeing what his model will be like. Will I get it? I don't know; I have the Hornby one, which is brilliant. I'll probably make a final decision once it's released.

Celebration Thomas
Want to see the epitome of laziness?

There you go.

It says a lot when the current Trackmaster range produces a better 70th anniversary Thomas (the green one to coincide with The Adventure Begins) than Bachmann.

Seriously, the only change they've made to this model has just made it worse; they've replaced the white on the running board with the "metallic" blue from the main body. It seriously feels like a Hornby model shrunk down and without the dip at the cab/bunker end!

No Bachmann model has angered me as much as this one. And considering they want $6 more for a model that has a slightly different paint job and a bit of tacked on bunting? Avoid it, seriously.

Rolling Stock

Green Mail Car

Why call it a green mail car? What's wrong with calling it a CCT van? Or just a... well, van? This model is aimed at 8 year olds upwards, it's not like they won't understand that it's not a mail van!

That said though, it does look really nice that we're getting some generic rolling stock like this for, possibly, the main line engines. I actually wouldn't mind if they considered other colours (brown) in the future.

Red Coaches

YES! YES! ALL MY YES!

I've been longing for generic coaches like these for quite a while! And the fantastic detailing is all there. But are they really suggesting an actual guard compartment, black running board and the change from tan to red makes them $10 more than Annie and Clarabel?

It's weird. But they're still brilliant though.

Toad

You can't have Oliver without Toad (on TV at least). My thoughts on him are pretty much the same as Oliver: since his CG promo is on his item listing, he'll probably look like it.

Unlike Oliver though, there's no question that I'd get Toad, as I think he'll be a lot better than Hornby's (here's hoping).

Buildings

Round Water Tower

There's not too much I can say here; it's a very impressive building.

Square Water Tower

Same opinion I have with the round one. Since I have little room for an actual, permanent layout, I don't really look out for the buildings as such, but they still look nice and I'd probably recommend to hose who can make greats sets.

Resin Buildings

Engine Shed

Another really nice build. I can imaging this being used for an engine like Toby (the Bachmann one, obviously; Hornby's is huge).

Trackside Station

Just a generic little building to coincide with a new range, which I'll get to in a bit. It's disappointing they'd pick the easiest building as a starting point, but with what else they're making this year, I can let it slide.

Storage Shed

Another new building for the new range. Not bad, just... there, really. I'd love to see more intricate builds for the new range in the future.

Corrugated Hut

I'm rather glad that these are being made. They feel like a Sodor staple in yards or other busy places, so it's nice they're making them.

Track Tape

...why? No seriously, why are the makers of electric train sets producing something you'd see from some random, unknown company? Unless it's their attempt at making Hornby's track mats more manageable. But even then it won't work as you can't make proper curves with it!

HOe Scale (Narrow Gauge)

Yep, Bachmann are making narrow gauge Thomas models now! It was rather surprising, but it's great that they're branching out again in the same way they did with Large Scale.

Skarloey

And what better engine to start with than Skarloey? Like Oliver and Toad, there aren't any product images yet, but knowing Bachmann he'll look similar to his CG design and he'll look brilliant. But at $149, it wouldn't surprise me if some people would be put off.

Blue and Red Vans

On first glance, I didn't really think much of these. But looking at them properly, they're actually really good depictions of Skarloey Railway vans. Although it does beg the question: why aren't NG vans used in the show any more?

I also really like the "SR" lettering on the blue one. It's a small touch that makes it feel real, in the same way the large scale brake van has "NW" (North Western) on its sides.

Open Wagon

This feels so much more like a China Clay wagon than something you'd see on the Skarloey Railway. That said, it's well built and nicely detailed. While I don't think I'll get any of the narrow gauge stock (too pricey), it's nice that they're there.

Large Scale

Winston

This was another nice surprise. Usually, characters made for large scale started out as HO models, but Winston bucks that trend (on a slight tangent, I really wouldn't mind a HO version).

Unfortunately, there's no product image, but I imagine what you'd see in the CG promotional is what you'd get in model form.

Ice Cream Van

Not much I can say here; just imagine the HO version scaled to Large Scale and you've got the idea.

Final Thoughts
Bachmann always seem to find ways to outdo themselves every year, and this year is no exception. While it's obvious the HO ranges their main focus, it's still nice to see the large scale range get some love and the fact they're tackling narrow gauge is fantastic. Please bring them to the UK, by the way! You managed to bring the large scale range here!

Other than the lazy celebration Thomas and the buildings which I've no real interest in at the moment, Bachmann have produced yet another solid line-up, and here's hoping that some of the new goodies manage to come out by the end of the year!