Film and DVD Review: King of the Railway

Well, it's been a week since the US release of the special, so as promised here's my review of it. A warning now that anything past this point is loaded with spoilers, so if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to find out what happens, close your Blogger tab now. With that out of the way, I'll get rid of the last piece of housekeeping before I begin:

Thanks to TTTE Wikia for the image

2013: a very big year for Thomas and Friends. Sharon Miller was removed as head writer and replaced with Andrew Brenner, Nitrogen Studios were replaced as animators by Arc Productions and a railway consultant was hired in the form of Sam Wilkinson. But would this, as well as a new production team, continue where Blue Mountain Mystery left off and raise the Thomas and Friends special bar even further? Or was Blue Mountain Mystery a one hit wonder?

Front Cover

Thanks to TTTE Wikia for the image

To be honest, I don't see this as a DVD front cover. I see it more as a work of art. It is absolutely stunning! The Nitrogen Studios special covers felt rather cluttered with characters and they all shared the same basic design. This one however is just extremely simplistic and beautiful. Just Thomas and Stephen (the main characters) in the foreground, Ulfstead Castle in the background and that spectacular sunset sky. They all come together to make the best special cover since Calling All Engines!.

Like the three previous specials, the DVD comes in a card sleeve which has a 3D feel to it. Also present on the sleeve is a little advert for a free child's ticket to Thomas Land (which has become an annual inclusion with the specials since 2010).

There's really not much more I can say about it; it's simply perfect.
Rating: 10/10

Back Cover

Thanks to TTTE Wikia for the image

The back cover is a thing of beauty too! I really like the shield design used to advertise the new characters and the tag line at the top is just brilliant; it's much more worthy of it than that Royal Baby (ALL HUMANS HAVE BABIES, GET OVER IT!) Anyway..!

Despite the addition of Millie and Sir Robert Norramby (who looks fantastic with that pose, by the way!), it still doesn't feel cluttered. It's just a fantastic image that shows off the special's main plot points extremely well. Those little banners splitting the main part of the cover and the DVD details is great too.

It's another piece of artistic brilliance, except maybe that red background where the DVD details are. Compared to the front cover and the rest of the back, it seems rather plain and uninspired.
Rating: 9.5/10

Film (MAJOR SPOILERS!)

Prologue

The special begins at Brendam, with Thomas and Percy shunting rather too roughly. Cranky warns them against it, but they just say they're being careful. As the last truck rolls towards the others, a crate bounces off onto the tracks and a suit of armour (which Percy thinks is a robot) jumps out with it. As Cranky and Percy wonder if it's been damaged, workers clear up the mess and Thomas wonders who it belongs to. It was a nice little opening that felt a lot more natural than Blue Mountain Mystery's.

Intro

For their first intro, Arc's animating team for the specials (I'll explain a bit more about that later) gave Sodor an old style look, as if it was a map. Thomas then travels along the stylised track to Ulfstead Castle. It suited the special's theme really well, but it's rather disappointing that they didn't style the characters in the same way. It makes them stand out, but not necessarily in a good way.

Main Feature

What follows the intro is probably one of my favourite starts to a special ever. Instead of starting in the usual way, we're taken back in time to the days where there were no railway networks. Instead, it was just a regular island with ordinary people that were ruled by King Godred; a well loved, protective ruler. However, his crown would be stolen and hidden by thieves, and it would never be seen for hundreds of years... It was a stunning start, from the way Godred's story was told to the way it was animated. After 29 years, Sodor finally has some sort of historical background, and the island feels more real because of it. Thank you Andrew Brenner for doing your research before you wrote this special!

Next, we're told about Ulfstead Castle's ruins. As we are, the animation style reverts to normal and we're transported back to the present, with Hiro steaming down from the ruins and passing Rosie. Next, we're taken to Vicarstown Bridge, which is another superb addition to the series. Since posting this review, I've been reliably told that the bridge IS accurate with the "real" Sodor's infrastructure, which is fantastic! More kudos to Andrew Brenner (and Arc Productions) there.

After this, we're taken to the wash down, where Thomas, Annie and Clarabel have just arrived at, only to see four other engines (Percy, James, Gordon and Emily). While they all speculate why they're there, the Fat Controller arrives in Winston (who says nothing) to announce that Sir Robert Norramby is returning home after travelling the world. I really like this. Rather than treat him like a new character that's... well, new, treating him like an old character, despite him being a new character to the audience, feels more natural. It's almost telling kids that things do happen when Sodor's not on the air.

Next, we're treated to a little montage of Spencer on his journey with the Earl while everyone gets ready for the party. It's been a long time since we had a good montage. It's fantastic to just hear engine sounds, commotion on platforms and music from the Hartshornes (I don't really count musical interludes eg. the montage seen in Blue Mountain Mystery with Working Together as the backing track). It just makes things feel more natural (has anyone noticed the main positive of the film yet? :P).

Spencer and the Earl soon arrive to a large fanfare. However the Earl, who didn't seem to get the memo, believes it's a party from someone else and leaves for the estate, leaving everyone befuddled and the engines guessing who Millie (the engine that the Earl meets at the estate) is. It's a scene of pure comedy gold, which is extremely rare for a pre-school show. From the Earl's reaction to the party to the slow stoppage of the brass band's fanfare, it's sure to leave viewers chuckling (if not kids, the adults probably will).

Soon after, Thomas collects a shipment (yes, that word was used!) for the Earl. At the castle, the Earl is (I'm guessing, judging by the dialogue we hear before Thomas pulls up) talking through his plans for the castle. When Thomas arrives, he summons Millie using a trumpet style instrument (yeah, I'm not sure what it is :P). While they load her trucks with the crates, she explains to Thomas that she was stowed away in her shed while the Earl was away, which explained why no one had seen her. I rather like this explanation; it seems a lot more plausible than Luke's last year, in my opinion. As Millie tries to leave, the Earl tells her they're still loading - implying that the train's brakes are on. It would have made the situation a tad more realistic had that been mentioned (let's face it, this is aimed at kids. They may not know what's holding Millie back).

Thomas then sees the men unloading the crate with the armour in (the one that accidentally fell from the truck in the prologue) and worries if it's been damaged, but the Earl reassures him that it's very strong. He then boards Millie's coach, asking the men to load it next to him so it can be his guard (another funny moment). As he hugs the armour, he wishes he had Godred's crown to complete his plan. As Millie leaves, Thomas begins to wonder about the crown too. It's another good scene that not only resolves something from earlier in the special (the armour incident) but sets the rest of the major plot up quite nicely.

A few days later (I'm glad it's a FEW days later, not the next day. It feels more natural), Spencer returns to Sodor as the Earl has borrowed him from the Duke and Duchess of Boxford. Gordon says that the others have more important jobs (pulling expresses and hauling heavy goods). Spencer retaliates, saying that only the finest engines are chosen to be private engines. After a little argument about who's the fastest, Percy suggests they have a race. They both agree to one first thing in the morning. It's a nice scene that has some excellent facial expressions from Gordon and Spencer. I also love how the silver engine is referred to as "streamlined". It's a nice little nod to older fans who may also be railway enthusiasts.

Next morning, as Percy shunts his coaches (hooray!), Gordon wonders where Spencer is. Soon after, Spencer passes through and the race begins. But as Gordon catches up, Spencer rolls over some points and heads to the Earl's estate to start work. I don't really think the races add that much to the plot, but they're very fun to watch. I'd rather see Gordon and Spencer race than Thomas and Spencer or Thomas and Diesel, both of which were completely unrealistic.

Later, Percy sees Spencer (who he mistakes for Thomas somehow) and asks what he's doing, to which Spencer replies that he's dropped the Earl, who's on important business with the dock manager, off. As Percy leaves, he thinks it's a shame; he thought Spencer was being turned into a goods engine. It's fantastic to see Percy's cheekiness return, but I'm baffled as to how he could mistake Spencer for Thomas.

That afternoon, Thomas finds Spencer at the Blue Mountain Quarry and asks if he's collecting stone. While Spencer denies that he is, Thomas soon discovers that he is indeed taking stone to the estate for the Earl. Spencer is embarrassed as Thomas repeats the streamlined engine's quote from the night before. It's great to see Thomas' cheekiness return too, although it seemed that Spencer was like a Gordon clone in this scene. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that though; they both think they're high and mighty after all.

News quickly spreads about this, and the engines at Knapford wonder why the Earl would need stone. As they do, Toby appears (out of nowhere, I'll explain later) and says that Henry's broken down, which leads to one of the best Thomas and Friends quotes in recent memory:

Gordon: Don't tell me he (Henry) needs special coal again

Toby: No Gordon, that was fixed YEARS ago!

Younger fans may not understand this little dig at Sharon Miller's writing, but those older fans that do will have a bit of a laugh at it, and give Andrew Brenner even more praise. Toby then tells Percy that the Fat Controller wants him to take Henry's train to the estate. Percy leaves excitedly, but Emily worries that Percy won't be able to pull it alone. It was another nice scene to move the plot along, although the main highlight was probably that dig at the Sharon Miller era.

Percy arrives at the Docks to see James, who had been told HE would pull Henry's train, backing down on the trucks. Percy protests that he had been told to take as Toby said so, which leads to another dig at Sharon Miller's work:

James: Toby?! Since when dos HE tell other engines what to do?!

Thomas then arrives and proclaims HE had been chosen to take the train. As the three engines continue the argument - which includes James being coupled to the train while Thomas and Percy roll in front to block his path - the Fat Controller arrives and tells the engines they'll have to work together. It was another great scene that, again, moved things along very nicely.

After a musical interlude showing the trio's journey from the Docks to Ulfstead, they see the building materials and Jack the Front Loader, who reveals that he's helping with the building project: Ulfstead Castle's restoration. It was fantastic to see Jack again, and while it's understandable that some would think it feels feels weird that they didn't mention his overhaul (to be honest, I wouldn't have minded if that had been mentioned), I think it's rather natural that it wasn't. It's been 5 years since we've seen Jack in the TV series, and anything could have happened in that time. Again, it shows that Sodor doesn't just stop when the cameras aren't around.

As Thomas, Percy and James shunt the split train into position, the Earl notices a large crate that should have delivered to the Steamworks, which causes a dispute over who should take it there. The Earl suggests they all take it, which leads to another humorous dig at Sharon Miller's work:

James: You don't need THREE engines to pull ONE flatbed!

In the end, Thomas and Percy leave, with James following close behind. It's another humorous scene, but if the crate was meant for the Steamworks, why was it shunted together with the train bound for the Castle? Did the Earl forget to tell the dock manager about it?

At the Steamworks, Victor asks what's in the crate that takes so many engines to deliver it. At that moment, the Earl jumps out of Thomas' cab and asks the workers to lift the crate up. They do so, and reveal... Stephen the Rocket, the Earl's old friend! But because he hasn't been used for a long time, he looks old and decrepit. Victor promises that Stephen will soon look as good as new (even though the workmen are responsible for that) and the old engine is lifted off the flatbed further into the Works. As he leaves, Thomas asks the Earl what his plan his, to which the Earl responds that he'll find out soon enough. He also explains that he has a special job for Stephen, but it must be kept from him for the moment as there's a lot to do beforehand. I really like this scene; it's one of my favourites of the special. There's some superb expressions and humorous moments. Stephen's reveal also gives me goosebumps. There's absolutely no narration; the animation, music and the engines' expressions tell the entire story of that scene. It feels so natural, it's brilliant!

That night, Thomas, Percy and James tell the others about Stephen, who all get excited and wish to see him themselves. There are two things I really like:

1. James saying that Stephen looked like he had been left in a "scrapyard". When was the last time that term was used? Series 8? I'm so glad they're bringing these terms back. Yes, this is a kids' show, but scrapyards have been an integral part of many classic series episodes and Railway Series stories. In fact, one of the best episodes ever (as voted for by fans), Escape, involved an engine being saved from scrap.
2. Thomas saying that Stephen was an old design rather than an old engine. It feels as though that, now that HiT have hired a railway consultant, Thomas and Friends is turning kids into possible railway enthusiasts by using terms that most railway workers use (as well as using the correct terms for a locomotive's components). It feels more realistic because of it.

Next morning, Emily takes Henry, whose safety valve is still troubling him, to the Steamworks. High above the tracks, Stephen greets the two engines and explains the workmen want to examine his undercarriage and repair his wheels. Just then, all the engines, except for James, Thomas and Percy, arrive together (I'm not sure how that's possible considering the Steamworks has only one transfer table. Then again, this happened in the Sharon Miller era too) to see the old engine while making excuses to Victor - except Emily, whose reasoning is legitimate. As Toby explains their true reason for being there, Thomas and Percy appear behind Stephen. This is rather confusing, considering the tank engines were in the shed as Emily left.

Victor explains that Stephen is actually one of the first locomotives ever built (he says "steamies" but I hate that made up "word"), which leads on to Stephen explaining not only HIS history, but the history of railways in general, including the Rainhill Trials, without which we may never have had such a wide ranging railway network, nor would Thomas and Friends - or other railway based television shows and movies - even exist. We owe a lot to the Rocket, and the Trails, and for Andrew Brenner to bring that much historical depth to the TV series deserves commendation and respect. The only nitpick is that the Rocket could pull around 8 wagons rather than 4.

Percy then asks Stephen is he's ever seens knights in shining armour, to which came this reply:

Stephen: (chuckles) no! I may be old but I'm not THAT old!

Quotes likes this make me really warm to Stephen as a character, but I'll get to that later. The engines leave together (again, at the same time despite there only being one transfer table), but Percy stays behind, feeling rather embarrassed about the question he asked. Stephen comforts him, saying "asking questions is always a good way to learn new things". This is a fantastic moral for anyone, young and old. People never stop learning things, and asking questions is indeed probably one of the best way to learn. It's best to ask others though rather than Google, if only to socialise with another human being.

We then see another little montage, this time of Stephen's restoration. There was a bit more narration than the first one, but none of it felt forced. It seemed more natural, and the whole scene reminded me of Hiro's from Hero of the Rails. I'd love to see more of these scenes in more specials (if they're necessary, of course). The Fat Controller arrives and reminds the engines - who have all come to see Stephen restored - that they have work to do. As they leave (more unrealism with regards to the transfer table), the Fat Controller stops Thomas, Percy and James and tells them the Earl needs them for a special job.

As they begin to leave, Thomas notices how sad Stephen is and tries to cheer him up by telling him that the Earl has a job for him, too. James and Percy think it's a bad idea, but Stephen doesn't take him seriously because he's "an antique". It's a great scene which makes you feel sorry for Stephen, but one you can still have a chuckle at. One thing I have wondered (even when the first trailer was released) is why was Stephen's funnel painted black? Were they going to run a few more tests before they did so? I suppose we'll never know now.

As the three engines admire the castle's exterior, James sees some trucks full of rubble and wonders if their special job is to take them away. The Earl (on board Millie, tells them all to follow her, which leads to one of the best directed scenes ever. The direction is superb, there's no narration and the music is stunning. I get goosebumps every time I see it, even more so I saw it in the cinema. It just made everything feel like a huge spectacle; it made things feel special. I can't praise that scene highly enough.

At the Steamworks, Henry - who has now been fixed - returns to work while Stephen wonders what his new job is. He asks Victor and Kevin, but they know nothing about it. Victor tells Stephen to be patient, but Stephen's so excited that he decides not to be, and leaves the Steamworks to find his new job. Some would think that this is out of character for such an old engine, but I think it's rather understandable. It's like kids who've been grounded for a while; they have that same excitement about going out and they do become as impatient as Stephen is here.

Back at the castle, we learn that Thomas, Percy and James' job is to move a platform, that's lodged on flatbeds, into the right place so that the workmen can lower the roof beam sections into the right place. It was an excellent description by the narrator, and it really showed what the narrator's job should be now: to tell the story. Plus, this job feels like something that WOULD need three engines to do (a bit like Calling All Engines! where they needed Thomas to lower the bridge section into place). It was a really nice scene.

Meanwhile, Gordon encounters Spencer again and another race begins. As Gordon pulls ahead, he notices Stephen on the track - who hums a little tune, unaware of what's happening behind him. Gordon manages to slow down just in time as Spencer races past, declaring himself the winner. Gordon tells Stephen to hurry up, assuming he can go really fast due to his "Rocket" nickname, but Stephen says that he's going as fast as he can in hilarious fashion. However, where was Gordon's signal? If signals were used in this scene the near collision would never have happened. Also, since Stephen's one of the oldest engines, wouldn't it have been suiting if he'd hummed the classic theme? Just a thought... Ah well, the fact that was humming something made things seem more natural.

Thomas, Percy and James continue their work at the castle, but Percy becomes rather overzealous and pulls his flatbed too far, which causes a few tools to hit James' boiler. He tells Percy to pay attention, but Thomas thinks they both need to pay attention. But as Thomas pulls, everyone shouts for him to stop. He does so, but too late. One of the straps holding a beam up snaps and the beam crashes to the ground, causing dust to cover the engines. James, naturally, wants to go to the wash down, but Thomas tells him they have work to do. It's about time Thomas actually got his priorities straight, after getting them completely wrong for so many years. Although, while James' are a bit muddled, his response to Thomas' rebuttal about the work getting done was brilliant. It was a nice scene with some very good drama.

Stephen's job quest takes him to Brendam, where Paxton and Diesel are working. Diesel tries to boss Stephen around, saying that they have work to do. Stephen retaliates, calling the devious engine "Mr Oily", which gets a laugh from Paxton and a grumble from Diesel. Stephen tells them about his job, but Cranky claims that there's no work for him there. Diesel rolls past, boasting that the modern engines have work to do, but Paxton apologies as Stephen's job hunt continues. It's a brilliant scene that brought out the best in every character that was seen in it, especially Paxton.

Soon after the accident is cleared, Thomas, James and Percy finish their job without any further incident. The Earl praises them for a job well done, and tells them that everything is nearly ready for the big surprise. Percy guesses that the Earl is actually the King of Sodor, but he replies that that's not the case and he ushers them outside to reveal what the surprise really is. Again, it's another great sce that feels natural, even if there's very little action. It made the story progress brilliantly.

Stephen then arrives at the Blue Mountain Quarry, where he meets Skarloey, Rheneas and Luke. He asks them if the quarry is where he'll be working. Skarloey isn't sure, and while Luke raises his hopes by saying they could always use another engine, Rheneas is sceptical; he thinks Stephen won't be strong enough to handle the loads. But Stephen is determined to prove himself, so four trucks are arranged and shunted behind Stephen (how I don't know). Stephen tries to pull them, but fails. This continues until he finally pulls one truck. But he goes so fast around the bend that he nearly derails! Skarloey admires his kindness, but admits that his job may not be at the quarry. Stephen mentions his mining wagons were smaller and lighter than those at the quarry, and asks if there's a mine nearby. Skarloey remembers one - that's now abandoned - by Ulfstead Castle, so Stephen decides to investigate. It's another really good, dramatic scene that shows off the characters involved in it brilliantly.

Up at the castle, the three engines discover many historical artifacts standing on the platform, including a waving suit of armour (that's being assisted to move by a worker). The Earl announces his big surprise: to reopen Ulfstead Castle to the public as a museum of sorts. Thomas asks if Godred's crown will be one of the exhibits, but the Earl says it's still missing. However, since the work is nearly done, he tells Thomas that Stephen can now be told what his job is: Ulfstead's tour guide. It's another scene with very little action, but it moves the plot along nicely.

Meanwhile, Hiro, James (who was sent to be washed), Gordon and Spencer see two fast engines pass them. At a signal, the two express engines see the mainland visitors: Connor and Caitlin. They are streamlined engines who are bringing passengers to the opening of the castle. But for now, they're on a test run and time trial, and they offer to race Gordon and Spencer, but the two engines decline (intimidated by the speed of the two newcomers). As the signal drops, Connor and Caitlin race off, unfazed by Gordon and Spencer's refusal to race. It's rather amusing when the four speedy engines interact, and it's rather nice that Connor and Caitlin have a purpose, even if we know very little about their personalities in the special.

As Stephen heads towards the castle (looking for the mine), he sees another track and decides to head down it. He soon arrives at the mine, but discovers it has been boarded up and the track's supports are beginning to rot. He becomes rather depressed and begins to think that Thomas is wrong about him not having a job. It's a sad scene, one that makes you feel sorry for Stephen, but not in a way that makes you think it's a moaning little baby (I'm looking at you, Hiro...)

Up at the castle, Thomas and Percy get ready to push the trucks away, but the Earl is concerned and decides to call Sir Topham to send James Back. Thomas, who is too excited about telling Stephen about his job, is sure they can take it (which seems rather Miller-esque. Two steps forward, one step back :P) without help. As they set off, Percy worries about the slope, thinking one of them should be at the front (more common sense from Percy). But before they can do anything else, the trucks pull the engines down the hill and swerve down the track to the mine. Stephen hears them, but because there's no other way to go, he slams through the blocked entrance into the mine, while the trucks slam into the rocks that fall. Thankfully, no damage is done (how that's possible I REALLY don't know) and the engines pull the trucks away, unaware of Stephen's plight. It's a great scene full of real action, drama and suspense.

As the island of Sodor eagerly anticipates the opening of Ulfstead Castle, Thomas heads to the Steamworks to find Stephen, only to discover that he's not there. Victor tells him that he left to find his job. Thomas becomes worried; he knows that Stephen didn't know the specifics of the job. He finds Percy and James and tells them that "The Rocket" is missing. The red engine, rather unsympathetically, tells Thomas about the Earl's warning. Despite this, Thomas is determined to find Stephen and they all set off to begin the search. It was a really good scene that moved the plot along very well.

Percy looks around the castle, James goes to the Docks, while Thomas heads to the Blue Mountain Quarry. Millie and Jack tell Percy that he hasn't been up to the castle, Cranky tells James that Diesel told him to keep out of the way (although Cranky himself did tell Stephen that the Docks was no place for someone as old as himself) and Luke tells Thomas what happened between Stephen and the trucks. The narrator then says "nobody knew where Stephen was", which isn't true. Skarloey - who is right next to Luke, knew EXACTLY where "The Rocket" had gone as they talked about the mine near the castle earlier in the plot. A rather unusual error on Andrew Brenner's part (unless Skarloey wasn't meant to be in the scene and the animators just added him in).
 

In the mine, Stephen (now without a funnel due to the incident earlier) calls for help, to no avail. He then steams around the mine looking for an alternative entrance. As he does so, he hits some rocks, which cause a large rock slide. It's a great scene with some fantastic drama. And I'm glad that, again, the narrator was used sparingly, not every two seconds for no real reason. It feels natural, and we're able to hear Robert and Peter Hartshorne's music much more clearly and appreciate it a bit more.

At the sheds, Thomas tells the others about Stephen's disappearance. Gordon tries to reassure him that he won't be too far away, but the tank engine thinks "The Rocket" is in danger. Despite Gordon telling him that he shouldn't have said that Stephen had a job, Thomas is adamant that he does have one and is determined to find him. It's a good scene with a bit of tension. That's all that can be said about that, really!

As the dust settles in the mine, Stephen discovers a large chest among the rocks. He bumps it and it slowly opens (no idea how :P). He is shocked to discover... we don't really know at this point as the scene moves back to Tidmouth before we find out. I like the cliffhanger style ending to the scene. It really makes you wonder what Stephen has found, so it does its job brilliantly.

Thomas wakes the engines at the crack of dawn (with a quote that feels like Sharon Miller wrote it. Again, two steps forward, one step back :P) to help him find Stephen. The Fat Controller arrives and asks where Percy, James and Thomas are going, to which the little blue engine explains about Stephen's disappearance. Just then, the Earl drives up asking about his engine while also pointing out that he's needed for the castle's opening the next day. The Fat Controller agrees to let Thomas, Percy and James help with the search and and he also alerts the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre (albeit off-camera). You can really tell from the Earl and the Fat Controller that finding Stephen is an urgent situation, but Thomas sounds a bit too jovial, until he realises how urgent things are.

After another musical montage showing some engines, Harold and, strangely, Captain (a certain Series 3 quote about engines being unable to floats springs to mind here! :P) looking for Stephen, we're taken back to the mine where "The Rocket" - who's nearly out of steam now - discovers that he's run around in a loop. But as he reverses, trying to find another exit, he stops, unable to move another inch. It's another great piece of drama that, again, makes you feel sorry for him without making him seem like an overgrown baby.

Thomas and Percy pass the track to the old mine. While Thomas thinks that Stephen isn't there, citing the incident with the trucks, Percy thinks it would be better to check just in case. Thomas agrees to go, while Percy checks around the (Blue Mountain) quarry again. Thomas soon comes to the blocked entrance, and comes to the conclusion that Stephen isn't there... until he sees "The Rocket"'s funnel down below. Thomas whistles, but while Stephen hears it, he can't whistle back. Thomas begins to slowly reverse away, until Stephen finally manages to summon up enough steam for one long, loud whistle. Thomas hears this, and races up to the castle to get help. Again, there's a lot of emotion in this scene. You feel hope for Stephen who's trying to whistle and you feel for Thomas who can't find his friend. But then you have that sense of joy for both of them when Stephen finally manages to whistle.

Thomas returns to the mine with Jack, who moves the rocks out of the way. With the entrance clear, Thomas puffs carefully in and soon finds Stephen. "The Rocket" tells Thomas that he was wrong; no one would want an old fashioned engine. But Thomas rubbishes this and tells Stephen what his real job is. Stephen is delighted and grateful. As the two engines leave the mine, they see Percy, James, Harold, Jack and the Earl waiting. As Thomas begins to pull Stephen to safer tracks, "The Rocket" begins to tell the Earl about the chest he found, but the track collapses. In a kind of "homage" to Series 6's "A Friend in Need", Jack jumps in and manages to hold the track steady long enough for Thomas to pull Stephen to safety. The Earl congratulates Thomas and Jack on their fine efforts and the party planning continues. It's another dramatic, yet great, scene. And while Jack holding the track up is rather unrealistic, it is a nice nod to the classic series which I really enjoyed (especially since I love The Pack episodes; they're the only episodes, apart from Series 7, that HiT got right until Series 17 came along). One goof with this scene though is that when James says "Oh my!", it's said in his American voice!

The opening of Ulfstead Castle arrives! Everyone and everything is decorated for the occasion. Stephen arrives (with his funnel coloured correctly) and the Earl steps up to the podium to deliver his speech... in a suit of armour. He welcomes everyone and hopes the castle and grounds are restored to their full former glory (as there's sill a bit more work to do). He introduces Stephen and Millie, the tour guides of the castle and grounds, and reveals that Stephen found King Godred's crown in the mine! Thomas then apologises to Stephen for prematurely telling him about his job, but "The Rocket" reminds the tank engine that, had he said nothing, the crown would still be lost. The Earl then proposes a race between Connor and Caitlin, but they think it would be more fun if Gordon and Spencer raced with them. The Earl and the Fat Controller agree, as it's a special occasion, and the race begins. The special ends with Thomas and Stephen overlooking the race from the castle and a musical montage of clips from the special. It was a great end that closed the story really well.

Animation

For their tenure, Arc Productions decided that they would assign two different teams to work on the specials and the episodes. Personally, I'm fine with this. If anything, it's brilliant. It relieves some of the stress on the team working on the television series, so that they can make each episode look as good as it can. Likewise with the team working on the specials.

As a debut, Arc did an excellent job. The scenery looked amazing, as did the characters. What really impressed me is that they could show off the environment and characters amazingly. The camera angles were a lot more dynamic and no two feel the same, unlike Nitrogen's work and, to an extent, David Mitton's. They both picked a camera angle they liked and stuck with it (not saying they're bad, I'm saying they felt the same because the angles never changed, unlike Arc).

However, there are a few problems. Some are minor, some are major, so I'll get the minor ones out of the way first. One tiny nitpick first: safety valves are near the cab and whistle, not the cylinders. Now, to the main goofs:

As Connor and Caitlin arrive with visitors, we can see (if you look close enough) that Caitlin's coaches are uncoupled. Considering that Caitlin is going rather fast, this is rather hard to see, and it is slightly more forgivable. Let's face it, Nitrogen weren't perfect on THEIR first try! (but at least Arc remembered that when an engine moves, so do their wheels)

When Spencer returns to Sodor (near the start), his nameplate is blank and his wheels are black. It's rather odd that they'd forget these details, however I do love Spencer having black wheels (see my Hornby Spencer review to find out why) and I was a tad disappointed that it was only a goof.

This is rather concerning. While I can understand why it was being done, it is rather unrealistic, almost Chuggington-esque. Which reminds me, the engines shake a lot throughout the CG era. While it's probably done to keep kids interested, it's not realistic. Surely, if they wanted to see engines jump about all over the place, they'd watch Chuggington. Saying that, though, I'm glad the whistles aren't bobbing up and down anymore, so kudos to Arc in that respect.

This is an odd one, as you can barely see it, unless it's pointed out. One of Thomas' wheel arches is rusty only in this shot. I'm all for adding detail to models, but rust? Especially since he hasn't done anything to make him rust? It's a bit weird to me. But it DOES lead on to the major problems quite nicely.

First off, we see Thomas puffing up to the castle with four trucks and a brake van. However, when he notices the crate with the armour in (and shots thereafter), the brake van disappears.

Then, there's the heavy goods train. On the left are the trucks as they were pulled to the castle. On the right is the same train they pulled in a completely different order.

Skarloey pulls up next to Stephen after the near disaster, but after Stephen asks where the mine is, the camera turns to Skarloey and "The Rocket" disappears.

As Connor passes Gordon and Spencer, his main coaches are the normal designs, but the brake coach is based on normal Express brake coaches (although that's difficult to see).

As Henry leaves the yard with his goods train, he pulls 8 trucks and a brake van, three of which are covered. When he's seen a couple of shots later, two trucks disappear and the first truck is uncovered.

Before Emily takes Henry to the Steamworks, the big green engine is seen without his coupling rods. A few seconds later, the rods have been replaced.

These things may seem minimal, but all these things show off one major problem with the animation: inconsistency. It's a basic (albeit unwritten) law in film making that scenes need to be consistent with each other, and some scenes in this special are not. This is something they really need to work on.

Can you see it? A narrow gauge engine (I'm guessing Skarloey) is pulling standard gauge trucks on narrow gauge tracks! I really don't know how they can get track gauges mixed up; Nitrogen never did! Even when the only narrow gauge track we saw was in the Steamworks! (any gauge errors were from the writers)

Another big irk for me is the incidents of "wrong roading", trains going up down lines. If Thomas was based on an American railway, it wouldn't be a problem, but it's based on the British railway network, where trains travel on the left hand track going up and the right track going down. There were some instances of wrong roading in the Nitrogen and model eras, but it's become more prominent and noticeable now that Arc are in charge.

This scene looks beautiful with the sunrise sky, but does anyone else think the yard look rather... dry? There's nothing there at all, and that makes things look rather plain. It doesn't look like a railway yard at all, despite there being railway tracks all over the place.

Emily and Toby are seen arriving at platform 3 and 4 at Knapford... despite the fact that the platforms end at buffers. What were they thinking? Wouldn't it have made more sense to put Hiro and Percy by platforms 3 and 4 instead?

One example of many

Finally, the biggest problem: engines going over points that aren't set for them. This was a problem in the Nitrogen era too, but in this special this problem is a lot more prominent and consistent.

Despite all these issues though, the animation does look wonderful. The faces and environments look a lot better and the angles are, as I've said, amazing.

This sequence involving the book designs was absolutely superb. It felt like a real story was being told, from the narration to the animation.

Like the previous, this was excellent. It had an old world feel to it, and the added little extras on the side of the Rocket's specifications, as well as those of the other old engines, were lovely. I also quite liked the allusions to previous episodes/specials within the animation.

The situations may not be completely the same, but the end result was near identical. As I've said, I really enjoy watching the Pack episodes, and having a portion of one being recreated in CGI, somewhat, was great to see.

I also thought that it was quite nice that Arc paid homage to Nitrogen by recreating some shots from Hero of the Rails - although I'm guessing that this is coincidental rather than intentional. And yes, the settings aren't completely identical, but the uncertainty and drama created by them - as well as the slow rolling through the overgrown environment - are pretty similar.

I'm not really sure why they recreated this one, though. It's rather unrealistic and dangerous. Not to mention the fact that, had Spencer not been wrong roading in the first place, both shots (from Nitrogen AND Arc) would've been pointless. But hey, they were indeed added and both look pretty good.

And I'm glad that, unlike Nitrogen, Arc's first special included brake vans throughout, and they were based on the ones seen predominantly in the early series, so a huge kudos to Arc's team there! I also can't mention the positives of the animation without mentioning this. I must say that it is a perfect shot; it finished the special off fantastically.

New Characters

Connor and Caitlin

I've decided to review these two together as they both have the same positives and negatives.

Thomas fans (especially British ones) have never had a soft spot for American locomotives on Sodor, mainly because American and British loading gauges are completely different. However, Victor is foreign and he is a popular character. Hiro's Japanese and he's a popular character. Heck, even Rosie has American roots and female fans love her! Not to mention the fact that Stanley (Railway Series) was American!

I thought that it was because of the designs of the characters (especially Hank with a front coupling on his cowcatcher rather than a proper buffer beam), but from my perspective, that's not the main reason. I realise now that I didn't like Hank or the Logging Locos because they had nothing about them as characters to make me like them. While it was nice that Hank was portrayed as a gentle giant, we already have one: Mudoch! And as for the Misty Island trio? Well they're goofy, stupid, unnatural and downright irritating.

Connor and Caitlin have something about them though: a purpose. A reason to actually be introduced. They have their own role and I'm perfectly fine with that. And while I agree that there are a few British streamliners that could have been used as bases, I really don't care that much as they just look fantastic in my opinion.

The only problem with them is that the plot was so focused on Ulfstead Castle, Stephen and the Earl, these two were pretty much left aside until half-way through the special, which meant we never really learnt much about them as characters, which is a disappointment. But since they have roles to play, it means they also have potential to grow, which is what Caitlin did in "Calm Down Caitlin" and Connor (hopefully) will do in "Bill or Ben?" (although he'll probably be overshadowed again by the returning China Clay twins...)

Millie

Millie is another foreign based character who charmed the hearts of many. But like Connor and Caitlin, you have to wonder if that would have been the case had "The Switch" not aired before this special. While she IS seen more prominently than the two visitors, she was still overshadowed by other characters and the main plot. Regardless, she looks beautiful, her voice actress is fantastic and she has great potential. It's a bit of a shame we never heard her speak French, but here's hoping she will in the future!

Sir Robert Norramby

What can I say about Robert Norramby? He's absolutely superb! He's funny, his voice actor is tremendous and he just looks so animated (no pun intended)! People like him (and Dowager Hatt and her friends) are perfect examples of why the show NEEDED the CGI change. They would never have worked in the model series at all (side note, I know Dowager Hatt was introduced in Series 5, but I only like her in the CGI series).

It's a shame for those who think otherwise as you never really got much of an idea as to what the people were like as models unless they said something (and how they said it). Now though, you can see exactly how they feel and they don't need to say a single word.

Stephen

Stephen is basically the locomotive version of Robert Norramby: full of characteristic charm, full of humour (unlike Charlie, Stephen and Robert are funny without even trying to be) and tremendous voice acting.

And while I do agree with those that say they've edited him (there are a few bits added which "The Rocket" doesn't have) to make him more like a character, you have to remember this is Thomas and Friends we're talking about. I don't mind them making a few little creative changes, as long as they don't go over the top with them (like they did with Belle). To me, Stephen's is the perfect way to bring Stephenson's Rocket into the television series as a character, and the fact that his job suits him down to the ground is icing on the cake.

Jack

There's not much to say about Jack that I haven't already said, so if you want to read my full thoughts, click here.

All I'll say is that it was a delight to see him again. He looks more realistic and his voice and persona suit him brilliantly.

Ulfstead Castle

For this special, fans were introduced to Ulfstead Castle. And I have to say that it looks absolutely gorgeous! From its ruined state to the building stages all the way to its completion, it was a joy to watch the scenes in and around the castle. It was also helped by the amazing camera angles from Arc. You could just tell that they know how to show it off in the best ways possible, and they did.

I personally hope we get to see more of the castle's inner workings. Maybe a Stephen and Millie episode is on the cards..? That would be interesting, actually!

Voice Actors

As usual, every character was voiced fantastically well. Say what you want about Sharon Miller the writer, but you cannot deny that Sharon Miller the voice director has done an excellent job since taking over in Series 14.

I thought it was strange that the American engines were given Irish accents, but it was actually very clever as the places that Connor and Caitlin worked had a lot of Irish people working there. Maybe they did their research on more than just the story..?

I'm not sure if Miranda Raison is French or if she's just acting, but the accent she gives Millie is fantastic. It sounds so authentic! Now, it would be very interesting if she spoke in her native tongue a bit more. It would be a great learning tool for children.

The trucks sounded fantastic too, actually! Voiced by Glenn Wrage, an American - which doesn't bother me a bit, to be honest - they sounded young, troublesome and really funny, every attribute was rolled into one by that fantastic voice. It just goes to show: it doesn't matter where you're from, as long as you're good at what you do, that's all that really matters.

Jack's voice, performed by Steve Kynman, is great as well. He sounds very young and lively, which is basically Jack's personality vocally. The only qualm is that it sounds rather similar to Paxton, although considering they share the same voice actor, that is hardly surprising.

The narration by Mark Moraghan (who'll narrate the US episode and special dubs too) is fantastic. He has the perfect balance of the previous two UK narrators which, in my book, makes him better than them both. He just knows how to set the scenes brilliantly, and the best part is he's only being used when necessary, rather than being given so much unneeded dialogue which feels more like padding than storytelling.

The best two voices though are Bob Golding (Stephen) and Mike Grady (The Earl). I can't decide which is the best overall, but they both sound amazing. They suit the characters perfectly and, by the sounds of things, they seem like they're having a blast voicing them.

The other voices haven't changed much, so my opinions haven't changed on those. They're all great still.

Music and Songs

I'm so glad the Hartshornes were kept despite the production changes. Again, their music is remarkable here, and each track suited the scene it was used in perfectly.

As for the songs? Well let's just say one made me realise this fanbase has no respect or acceptance for an opinion that's different. The original version of It's Gonna Be a Great Day sounded extremely unnatural and the singer put absolutely no effort into it at all in my opinion. The version released on DVD is so much better. Sam Blewitt sounds like he really enjoys performing these songs, and I enjoy listening to his performances.

Searching Everywhere was great, but I thought it sounded rather joyful for the scene it was used for. Despite that though, it's extremely catchy and a great listen.

Working Together Again was fantastic as well, although I'm rather hoping that it won't be used again for another special. If it's used too much, it'll lose its sparkle and will just become annoying. It's bad enough that fans use the same song constantly in multiple videos (and I'll admit, I'm one of them).

Overall Film Opinions

Blue Mountain Mystery was a turning point. King of the Railway took the ball that special blew up and ran with it. It was absolutely amazing and it's definitely my favourite special of the lot (overtaking The Great Discovery). The dialogue felt more natural, the narration wasn't overbearing, the research was plentiful and the story progressed brilliantly. However, because of the errors seen animation-wise, I cannot give it a higher rating than The Great Discovery.
Film Rating: 8.5/10

DVD Bonus Features

Compared to Blue Mountain Mystery, this DVD's features seem to be lacking something. All we are given were sing alongs of the three songs featured in the special and four Guess Who puzzles of the new characters. This is a shame as they could have done a learning segment exploring Sodor's history a bit more. Or maybe they could have delved deeper into the Rainhill Trials. But considering the historical pieces we got in the special itself, it's not the end of the world that there was nothing in the bonus features. I DO think they may have been missed opportunities though.

Overall DVD Opinion

Fans have been wanting a good, solid storyline for a special for years. Last year was real progress, and this year Andrew Brenner delivered again. It basically has pretty much everything, and for the price you pay for it, I'd say it's excellent value for money.

OVERALL DVD RATING: 9.5/10

That's the King of the Railway review concluded.  If you agree/disagree, please leave your comments below :)

CGI Bill and Ben

Bill and Ben: 2003 (left) vs 2013 (right)

Earlier today, a Japanese Twitter user uploaded a picture from a (Japanese, obviously) Thomas and Friends magazine article about Bill and Ben. Rather than using model picture, fans were treated to brand new CG rendered promotional pictures of the two little engines.

Arc Productions have done a fantastic job with these renders. The size and shape of each twin looks identical to their model counterparts. Butt like Duck, they've had a few alterations to their designs.

The main ones are the additional brake pipes and lamps. While the brake pipe is excellent (they look more realistic with them), I have to ask: what are the lamps resting on? It's hard to tell from the angle that was chosen, but I'm sure we'll find out in their returns.

The writing and nameplates look a lot better as well. "BRENDAM BAY" and "SCC" seem a lot more prominent and legible than they did before and the nameplates actually look like REAL nameplates rather than printed decals or paper glued onto the saddle tank (Series 2) as they were in the model era.

The things over the coupling rods (really not sure what that's called. If anyone knows leave a comment!) look great; it's good that they've been re-painted to make them stand out more than they did in the model. But what's really strange is that they've swapped the colour they used to be (black) with the dome's colour. The black domes really don't suit the twins in my opinion; they should have been kept yellow. But I'm sure I'll get used to them.

Another weird addition is the few extra centimetres on their cabs. They look a bit taller than they used to, although that could be the perception from the picture that was taken from the magazine.

One major disappointment for me is that the faces are identical. In the model series, each twin had a different face mask fitted to that viewers could tell them apart on screen. Will Arc be able to do the same in their returns? Maybe, maybe not, but they should have at least done so for their promotional images. 

Final Thoughts

I'm really not surprised to see these pictures: Andrew Brenner has said in online interviews that his favourite characters were Bill and Ben, so it was matter of WHEN we'd see their CG renders rather than IF. Overall, Arc have done a wonderful job bringing them into the CGI world and I am looking forward to their returns, whenever that time may be.

Theatrical Film Cancellation

Or not...

Two years ago, the picture above surfaced online with a news article stating that Shane Acker (9), Josh Klausner (Shrek Forever After) and Weta Workshops (Lord of the Rings) were working on a new theatrical Thomas the Tank Engine film. Two years later, Shane Acker has announced that this has now been cancelled (see more about that here). What do I think of this?

I have many emotions about this. First off, I'm not surprised at all. There has been no information since the plot was revealed, and that was barely a month after the above picture was released. I really couldn't get excited over a film which wasn't being hyped in any way, shape or form. In this day and age, new music albums, games and films are given new information on a monthly, weekly, or sometimes even a daily basis, whereas this wasn't.

I'm rather disappointed, but not for me - as I wasn't too excited about it (I'll explain why later). I am disappoointed for the fans that WERE excited for it. They never gave up hope that it would be released and now all of their hopes have been dashed.

I'm also angry at Shane Acker. Not because he cancelled it but because of the cowardly way he announced it! Many fans were excited for its release and he had the audacity to leave a comment ON A STORY ABOUT THE FILM about the cancellation! He could have at least had the decency to release a statement to the press saying it was cancelled! Not only that but blaming a "lack of interest"?! There are LOADS of Thomas fans out there that would have LOVED to have seen it, whether they be young OR old! However, he may have had a point: Shining Time Station: The Movie opened in at 9th in the UK's cinema chart AND it was a general flop. But if that's the case, why announce a Thomas film in the first place if there's a lack of interest? Then again, I can think of MANY films that may have had a lack of interest yet were STILL produced, but I digress. Anyway, he probably meant "lack of financial interest", but if that's the case why didn't he just say that?!

Above all though, I'm actually very happy that it's cancelled! The plot sounded terrible; it felt like Shining Time Station: The Movie 2. I'd like to ask this: can anyone REALLY sit behind their computer screens and say that Josh Klausner, someone who probably has NO IDEA what Thomas and Friends is REALLY about, would have been a better Thomas film writer than Andrew Brenner, a man that's actually worked with the franchise in the early 1990's? Also, do you REALLY think there would have been a railway consultant hired to help ensure it was railway realistic? (Yes, it took 11 years for HiT to hire one, but he's really helped the writers in his short time in the role)

I'm not saying that Shane Acker wouldn't have been an excellent director, but the plot makes a good film, especially Thomas related, and on that alone I'm glad that it's been cancelled. However, I really hope the E2 shaped Thomas made by Nitrogen isn't just used for that poster. I'd love for it to be used in the TV series to replace the one that's currently used, although I feel that's just wishful thinking...

CGI Jack

As has been revealed on the Roll Along Thomas blog, Poland has shown King of the Railway for the first time. With this, we were given the obligatory "spoiler pictures", including the one above of Jack the Front Loader... but not as the majority of fans would know him to look like!

Like the narrow gauge engines and Duck, Jack has been given a bit of a makeover. But unlike the previous two examples, Jack's is a bit more extreme. His main body shape is now square with rounded edges (the same goes for his face), while the usual additional rivets festoon his bodywork - as well as an extra hydraulic mechanism for his bucket. 

While many aren't fond of the new look, I really like it. He looks more realistic now. However, because of how much he's changed, there really should be an explanation as to why he looks like this. We all know machines go to workshops for services, but kids don't, so it would be nice if they explained this to them in such a way so it doesn't sway too much from the main plot.

Most of all, though, I'm quite shocked. Jack hasn't been in many (main series) episodes, nor is he really discussed as anyone's favourite character, so for this redesign to touch fans' nerves so much is very surprising. I really don't like how fans are blaming HiT for this, though. If it was, he'd have been redesigned FAR earlier than King of the Railway. If you want to blame anyone, blame Arc. They're the ones in charge of the animation, including what characters look like. It's wrong to blame HiT for every "negative" thing that happens!

My final thought is this: if you like Arc's animation, fine. If you don't, just don't watch the show anymore. There's no turning back for Jack now!

CGI Duck

As we all now know, a Japanese museum has dispolayed a CGI promotional image of Duck the Great Western Engine.  Here are my thoughts!

First off, I mst give huge kudos to Greg Tiernan and the crew at Nitrogen Studios.  Their last contribution to Thomas and Friends turned out to be their most popular, and he's been captured amazingly well, compared to the model.

One little surprise that I welcome is the addition of the brake pipe.  The original model never had one for some reason, and that little thing makes him look more realistic, as do the additional rivets on the front buffer beam.  It really makes me excited to see him in an episode.

I also like that they've seemingly added a permanent lamp to him, like Thomas and Percy currently have and Millie will have.  I also like that it's a Sudrian lamp, not one of those stupid lamps that they attempted to put on James in Series 14.  The only slight disappointment is that it's on his sandbox rather than the running plate.  However, since the front of the running plate looks cramped, especially with the lamp on, I'm not really surprised that they've put it there, either.

The lack of the prominent cheekbones is a disappointment, but I will say that it looks a lot more like the model series face than other characters' (Diesel, Diesel 10 and Emily spring to mind).

Other fans have also noted that the running plate is now black.  I must state that this is a PROMOTIONAL picture, and not exactly how he'll be seen in the series.  Many engines look very clean in THEIR promo images, yet in the series itself they are weathered (well, those that were in the model series are).  Second, I don't think it's that bad.  Sure, in the TV Series, the majority of running plates were painted grey, but in realiy, this isn't the case, so I think it adds more realism to him.

Finally, I'm not sure whether it's the lighting in the room where the photo was taken or because it's just natural, but that green looks outstanding!  It seems more "Great Western" than it used to be (it's not proper GWR, but it's darker than it was).  As I say, this could just be the room's lighting giving off that sense.  But it looks wonderful anyway.

Final Thoughts
I love it, to be honest.  It looks realistic and it's just great to see the fans' voices have been heard and our favourite engines are on the brink of returning.  HOWEVER, I don't want him to be rushed back just because he's been rendered in CGI.  Duck is an excellent character, and should ONLY be used if the episode is right.  Duck's built up a great legacy as a character, and I would hate for that to be flushed down the toilet, like the legacies of the Steam Team members and Diesel.

Bachmann 2013 Range

Today, Bachmann announced which products they'd be making for 2013.  Here are my thoughts on what they've announced.  But before I continue:

For the HO Thomas range, Bachmann announced one new set, three new locomotives, one piece of rolling stock and one character.  For large scale, they announced one locomotive and two pieces of rolling stock.

I'll start with the large scale first, and Toby sounds like a wonderful addition; he will complete the "little engines" of the Steam Team and he should be a larger version of the HO scale model already available.  However, like the other models in the large scale range, expect Toby to have a CGI face.

The two wagons, the blue truck and the raspberry syrup tanker, are rather nice additions.  I'd expect them to be larger versions of the HO scale versions with more detail to make them look more realistic.

The Large Scale range is growing slowly but surely.  They'll be great additions to any public garden railways, or other large scale displays, so children can happily watch their favourite characters come to life.

Now for the HO scale, and the first "new" addition is Thomas' Christmas Express, which seems like a re-design of an earlier festive set, with a green van replacing the coach, and a crate on a conflat replacing the old striped tanker.

With locomotives, Bachmann decided to immortalise 'Arry and Bert.  While I am rather happy that they will be made, it just seems lazy and safe.  Just take Diesel, remove the ladders, re-spray them and there you go...  I added a CGI picture because they probably will be based on their animated looks, regardless of whether fans want it or not.  HiT want their toys to replicate the look of the television series as it is now, not as how fans want them to look.  The only reason the Scottish Twins and Duck had model styled faces is because they never made the CGI series (sure they were in Series 12, but they weren't on screen that long).

They're also giving Thomas a bit of a party piece this year.  As he rolls around a layout, he will make puffing sounds via a sound chip on his electronics board.  To be honest, I'm rather hoping they update his casing a bit as well.  He still looks as good as he did when he was first released, but when compared to newer models, he looks rather old.  Plus, that face still looks like it came from a comic rather than the TV series.

The rolling stock will be a new Troublesome Truck... and that's it.  No other info is available, but it'll probably have a CGI face.  Although, I'm rather hoping it looks like this:

 

The last announcement took everyone by surprise:

Jeremy has pretty much been forgotten about now since the airport last appeared in Series 12.  But Bachmann have decided to make him.  I'm not sure if I'll get him, but I'm interested to see the finished model.

Finally, we were given, what looks like, a picture of what Duck will look like when he's released in a few weeks' time*.

Apologies for the poor quality

For the final version, they've painted the running plate grey (it was black) and the steam valve has been painted green (it was black, too).  The only thing that's been left is the buffer covers, which are still black, but I don't really care.  Those few little alterations have made A LOT of difference and I'm really looking forward to its release.

Final Thoughts

Overall, though, it's a rather disappointing line-up.  Whether it's because the last few years have been rather big, or because it just seems like there are very few announcememts this year (maybe because they're focusing on their new Chuggington range), it just doesn't seem as good.  However, I am looking forward to the released of 'Arry and Bert and I will definitely be getting Duck.  But I do think there's a bright side: at least Bachmann are making SOMETHING, which is more than can be said for Hornby.

I really do think the end is nigh for the Hornby Thomas range: the end of their licence is approaching, there's nothing new this year and they're discontinuing more models than they're producing.  Why do I bring this up?  Simple: this could be a good time to extend Bachmann's licence so the UK has better access to their HO models.  They already sell their Large Scale models here, so I don't see why their HO models should be different.  Most fans buy their models online anyway, and most choose Bachmann (including me, except for Spencer and his coaches).

Bachmann's Future

The question now is: what's next for Bachmann?  Actually, there are still many choices.  For locomotives, I'd like to see these two:

Why?  Because next year I would like to see Bachmann make characters that have never been made before (which is why I didn't say Oliver, Hornby made him.  It's a shame they discontinued him though), and what better ones than Daisy and BoCo?  But if Bachmann want to made newer characters instead, then I have alternatives:

Stanley is my favourite character of the HiT era, so he's a natural choice for me.  As for Arthur?  He's my second favourite character from Series 7, after Murdoch, but since he was made by Hornby - and I want Bachmann to make something completely new new next year - I had to choose Arthur.  I definitely would NOT want Billy, Charlie, Flora or the Logging Locos though.  Read my series reviews to see why.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the rolling stock:

Not every engine pulls Express Coaches, most pull normal coaches like these.  I wouldn't be too bothered if there was no Old Coaches - although they do look fantastic in the first series - but they really SHOULD make the red ones.  They've been appearing ever since the second series, and it's rather disappointing that none of the Thomas toymaking licences have made them.

I also wouldn't mind seeing these:

OK, this is technically contradicting what I said about Bachmann being original, but while the Hornby Breakdown Crane is good and the Works Unit van is average at best, why don't Bachmann swoop in and make TV accurate alternatives?  Or if they don't want to make the old crane, there's always...

Yep, Rocky.  Enough said.

A wild card, maybe?  While Hector hasn't been in many episodes, he IS only the second named truck after S. C. Ruffey.  Bachmann made him (in HO and Large Scale), maybe Hector could be next..?

I wouldn't feel right picking anything for the large scale range as I don't collect them (too large and really expensive to me), but if they ARE continuing a 1 locomotive, two rolling stock pattern, maybe Gordon and the Green Express Coaches?  Or Henry and the Red ones?

Whatever Bachmann come up with though, I'm sure they'll dazzle us like they usually do.  The best of luck for 2013, Bachmann!

* = at the time of writing

The Miller Era

With the airing of The Christmas Tree Express (in the UK and Australia) on Christmas Day 2012, two eras came to a close: Nitrogen Studios as animators (the topic of my next blog post sometime soon) and, the topic of this review, the Sharon Miller era as head writer for Thomas and Friends.

In this review, my main focus will be the episodes SHE wrote herself, with a little section noting who my favourite, and least favourite, writers were during her tenure (other than Miller herself).  I shall leave my opinions on her contributions for each series (and special), then leave an overall opinion of her stint at the very end.

Seven years ago, Sharon Miller arrived with the fans having no idea who she was.  Now, she leaves fans WISHING they had no idea who she was!  But, was she REALLY as bad as people say she was?

NOTE 1: Links to my reviews of each series/special are embedded in the title of each heading.

NOTE 2: From Hero of the Rails onwards, I won't mention the animation, as that will be the focus of a future blog post.

Series 9

Sharon Miller joined the writing team in the ninth series, created during Thomas' 60th anniversary.  Her contributions included Thomas and the Birthday Picnic, where Thomas takes the Hatts to find the best place to have a birthday picnic for Dowager Hatt, Tuneful Toots, where Rusty takes the Brass Band on a tour before their concert, The Magic Lamp, in which Peter Sam tries to find Proteus and his magic lamp, and Thomas' Day Off, where Thomas helps Dennis on his day off.

In only four episodes, she pretty much laid out HER plans for what a Thomas and Friends episode was to be like: an engine goes to three random locations before the engines do something badly and try to make amends.  To be honest, I forgave Miller for using this formula in her episodes (although The Magic Lamp was just appallingly bad), not realising what she had in store for us in the future.

However, she DID bring back Dowager Hatt who is a great addition to the Hatt family, especially in the animated series, and she did write Proteus in who, despite being seen for only 5 seconds, used Sir Handel's basis as his own.  So maybe she was a major part in Sir Handel's return in the next series..?

Series 10

With two more episodes scheduled, Sharon took it upon herself to write six episodes: The Green Controller, Follow That Flour, Thomas' Tricky Tree, Edward Strikes Out, Thomas' Frosty Friend and Topped Off Thomas.

The last two episodes are two of the worst in the model series.  The three strikes were an integral part of their downfall, but they are both extremely degrading to the children they're aimed at, the adults that watch with their offspring and the characters' personalities.  The dumbing down in these episodes was also degrading and extremely annoying: "Mr Snowman", "Mr Wind".  The series was a massive success without dialogue like this, so why she felt compelled to do so is baffling.  Only she will know why she wrote those things.  This series really showed that Sharon Miller knew nothing about Thomas and Friends or how railways worked.

Then there was Edward Strikes Out...  I didn't like it when Edward bullied Harvey in Series 6, so to see a WHOLE episode where the supposed "hero" was just a bully to Rocky just sickened me.  It was made even worse when it turned out that, rather than working side by side with the existing breakdown crane, Rocky would REPLACE it!  What sort of people would replace TWO cranes with ONE?!

The Green Controller (engines don't run railways and James wouldn't have been painted in just one day) and Follow That Flour (how could Thomas not see the flour when he reversed the truck?) were extremely illogical, and both followed the same three strikes formula, but they were watchable and, although I'm not a big fan of them, I don't hate them either.

Series 11

Five episodes came from Sharon this series: Thomas and the Spaceship, Thomas Sets Sail, Don't Be Silly, Billy, Thomas and the Runaway Car and Ding-a-Ling.

I found Thomas and the Spaceship to be quite watchable, as spaceships might intrigue younger viewers, although it is very repetitive.  Thomas and the Runaway Car was OK, as she brought Arthur back to the series after two series away.  However, the constant reference to the runaway car as "the runaway brand new Hatt Blue car" got very annoying very quickly.

The other three episodes were just terrible.  How an engine as old as Freddie wouldn't know what a bicycle bell was for is just ridiculous, Thomas Sets Sail was just silly, and the worst thing is this wouldn't be the first time where Thomas thought he could deliver a load without an important person assisting him...  And Don't Be Silly, Billy?  Let's just say Billy's the prelude to another ridiculously stupid character.  Only Billy has less detail, a different paint scheme and buck teeth...  The episode itself is far too repetitive and annoying.

However, she did allow Paul Larson to write Gordon and the Engineer, the episode that saw the return of Donald and Douglas.  But, like the previous two series, the best contribution of Series 11 never came from her (Thomas Tries His Best was written by James Mason while Thomas and Skarloey's Big Day Out came from Paul Larson).

The Great Discovery

Many fans say that the only area where Sharon Miller excelled was when she wrote specials.  I must say right now that I am NOT one of those people (and you'll see why later).  However, I DO think her best contribution was this special.

Yes, I'm not fond of Pierce Brosnan narrating (he sounds like he was telling a bedtime story which this isn't) and yes it wasn't the most realistic.  But I love the action and suspense, not to mention the sheer size of the cast.  Plus, this is the ONLY character that she's developed that I instantly liked: Stanley.  His personality is a joy and he just looks brilliant.  I'm just glad he hasn't turned out as... generic as the Steam Team - and, in fact, ANY characters that star in an episode - have become personality-wise.

It's also the models' final send-off before the series incorporated CGI.  Yes, I know Series 12 was primarily filmed with the models, but this was the last project that used ONLY models from start to end, unlike S12 which was a model/CG hybrid.

Series 12

Ms Miller wrote 7 episodes this series, the most episodes she wrote that featured the models.  They were Steady Eddie, Mountain Marvel, Heave Ho Thomas, Toby's Special Surprise, Tram Trouble, The Man in the Hills and Push Me, Pull You.

This was, by far, her worst series writing for Thomas and Friends (that featured the models).  Steady Eddie was unrealistic, Edward's out of character and the way the water wheel "hopped" on to the flatbed was so ridiculous it was laughable.  Mountain Marvel was OK, as was Heave Ho Thomas, even though having an American engine on a British railway is really off-putting.

The others were awful.  Toby's Special Surprise didn't bother mentioning Toby's previous find, and the thing he DID find was never seen again.  Tram Trouble just introduced a character that destroyed everything original about the old tram engine (I hope Flora NEVER appears again and Toby is referred to as Sodor's ONLY tram engine again), The Man in the Hills was just boring and illogical while Push Me, Pull You was just pathetic.

It's also interesting (though unsurprising) to note that ALL of the episodes that Stanley appeared in weren't written by her, which meant that other writers actually cared about a character SHE created, yet she didn't! (I mention this purely because I'm a Stanley fanboy)

I think this series is overrated, but not to the extent as Series 4 and 5 are.  Visually, it was brilliant; the CGI breathing new life into the series.  However, the stories, on the whole, were bad.  The three strikes formula really kicked in here, which made the stories repetitive and boring, not to mention characters being out of character and new characters being overshadowed by Thomas (except Colin).  Although, to be fair to her, she DID bring Oliver back in Steady Eddie and she allowed Duck to return in Excellent Emily (and three other episodes).  But for a third series in a row, the best contribution (Best Friends by Anna Starkey) never came from Ms Miller.

Hero of the Rails

The first animated production wasn't too bad.  Although I thought that Spencer was a strange villain for the piece, the alliteration annoyed the hell out of me and there was far too much racing around (which just felt like padding), the basic plot was good.  And I really admired the engines' determination to repair the old engine (to the detriment of their jobs), and I understood (sort of) their concern about telling the Fat Controller.  I say "sort of" because the Fat Controller has a knack for repairing old things (Trevor in the Railway Series, Oliver, Toad, Isabel, an old narrow gauge coach, etc), so they really shouldn't have been worried.

The characters and locations introduced were quite good, too.  Hiro was an engaging character, although by the end of things he moaned so much about everything I just lost sympathy for him.  Victor is brilliant, a real father figure, very wise and very helpful.  Kevin though is just an idiot and really should be kicked off the show.  The Steamworks is brilliant.  I love that there's now a PROPER space for locomotives to be fixed, unlike the model series where engines were fixed all over the place, and it's made even better that it's located at Crovan's Gate, like the Works in the Railway Series.

Thankfully, before this special, Ed Welch was relieved of his duties in the music department, which allowed Robert Hartshorne greater creative freedom with the music, and this showed as themes were now a lot better than they were during Series 8-12.

Series 13

For her first contribution to the new, fully animated series, Sharon wrote eight episodes: Creaky Cranky, Double Trouble, Play Time, Steamy Sodor, Splish, Splash, Splosh, The Biggest Present of All, Buzzy Bees and Hiro Helps Out.

Only two of her episodes were good this series: Steamy Sodor was entertaining, although Kevin doing all that stuff in a dangerous environment is a very bad message to send to an impressionable audience.  The other one is The Biggest Present of All.  It was actually quite sweet of Thomas to find Hiro a present (even if his gift ideas were a bit stupid) and Hiro's response to Thomas' failure was heart warming too.  It makes you appreciate what you have.

However, the rest were just awful.  Creaky Cranky was just stupid (Cranky's lifted heavier things than Thomas before and he's managed fine.  Alhtough his parts could've been old), Sir Lowham could've caused trouble in Double Trouble, Charlie and Thomas just proved that fun is more important than work (and peer pressure is fine) in Play Time, railways would NEVER operate under the conditions portrayed in Splish, Splash, Splosh, Buzzy Bees is a terrible re-write (I suppose?) of Buzz Buzz and Hiro just acts like a complete idiot, destroying his personality even more in the process, in Hiro Helps Out.

I'm not just saying that Ms Miller wrote bad episodes, as the whole series was rather bad (The Lion of Sodor and Thomas and the Pigs being prime examples as they were carbon copies of each other).  I'd say its ONLY saving grace was Tickled Pink.  The only problem with that was the three strikes formula.  If the writer (Allan Plenderleith) hadn't abided by that, it could have been as close to a Classic Series episode as fans had hoped for.  However, I do still think it was the best animated episode under the Miller (and Nitrogen) era.

Misty Island Rescue
This was, by far, the worst Thomas and Friends special since Thomas and the Magic Railroad.  The characters were awful, the "racism" Thomas showed towards Diesel was frightening, Misty Island - especially that Shake Shake Bridge - the rhyming, the alliteration, Ferdinand constantly saying "That's right!", the pointlessness of Captain and who can ever forget the grammatical error: "I feel badly"...  EVERYTHING was just terrible when it came to the writing.  The only good thing about it was Diesel 10's appearance and dialogue (apart from him saying "steamies"...)

Series 14
Miller wrote half the episodes for this series (10 out of 20).  They were Thomas' Tall Friend, Charlie and Eddie, Henry's Health and Safety, Thomas' Crazy Day, Jumping Jobi Wood!, Thomas and Scruff, O the Indignity, Jitters and Japes, Merry Misty Island and Henry's Magic Box.

The majority of her episodes were bad this series.  Thomas' Tall Friend and Henry's Magic Box were just boring and degrading, Jitters and Japes and Jumping Jobi Wood! were stupid and dangerous (mainly because of that stupid Shake Shake Bridge), Charlie and Eddie was just a re-write of Play Time, O the Indignity was repetitive and badly cast (there are other engines that could've worked at the waste dump), Merry Misty Island was just pathetic (like Ferdinand's "tree") and Thomas and Scruff sent out a very negative message (you're only useful if you're clean).

Henry's Health and Safety was bad too, but unlike the eight mentioned previously, this one had a LOT of untapped potential.  There are many HEALTH AND SAFETY aspects (I capitalised "health and safety" as that was the episode's subject, NOT crashes!) that could have been focused on, but sadly they were all neglected.  Thomas' Crazy Day wasn't too bad, although Thomas should've focused more on his job than pleasing an engine that should've been working - regardless of  their friendship.

Again, the best contribution (Being Percy) didn't come from Ms Miller, but from Rachel Dawson.  It was a simple, feel good story that was perfectly suited for Percy, and the moral - just be yourself - was lovely.  Victor Says Yes by Denise Cassar was also a highlight, but mainly because of the returns of 'Arry and Bert rather than the story itself.

Day of the Diesels
This was better than Misty Island Rescue, but not by much...  The fires were OK, but there was FAR too much dialogue padding that they just didn't feel as dramatic.  The pointless diesels were just painful, especially since Paxton could EASILY have been held back until Blue Mountain Mystery, the three strikes formula managed to weasel its way into the film, the alliteration, the racist undertones and the grammatical errors ("None of my engines IS ever forgotten" rather than "...ARE ever forgotten") also took the shine off those fire scenes.

On the plus side, at least Flynn and Belle actually ACTED like heroes rather than mindless, self-conscious idiots (Flynn) or bolshy, overbearing idiots (Belle)

Series 15
Miller made her biggest contribution to a series here, writing 15 out of the 20 episodes.  The only ones she didn't write were Percy's New Friends, Spencer the Grand, Kevin the Steamie, Wonky Whistle and Percy the Snowman, although these were so bad, you wouldn't really know they weren't written by her...

This series was the first since the Classic Series to feature a trilogy (Gordon and Ferdinand, Toby and Bash and Emily and Dash), and the first in the Miller era.  However, it was absolutely dreadful.  How it managed to come SECOND in the Roll Along Thomas blog's poll of trilogies is absolutely ridiculous, and it really disgraces the memory and legacy that the Awdry family, and Britt Allcroft, created for Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.  But her worst episodes were Fiery Flynn (dangerous moral and actions) and Up, Up and Away (boring and degrading).  Not to mention the fact that EVERY episode this series included so much rhyming,. alliteration and repetition that every fan was driven crazy.

However, Ms Miller DID write two good episodes this series: Stop That Bus was like Thomas and Skarloey's Big Day Out, but it was good - and memorable - because it was the first fully animated episode to give Bertie a speaking role  and it showed that the Shake Shake Bridge IS actually as dangerous as it looks, although it would've been better if Bertie fell off the bridge completely.  Edward the Hero was another highlight.  Even though Edward's been a hero MANY times before, and the things he did in the episode weren't exactly THAT heroic, it actually felt as though he was in character for a change.

Overall though, this series was EXTREMELY poor.  The rhyming and alliteration were unbearable, some of the actions by the engines were extremely dangerous, the episodes were far too repetitive and there was far too much negative discrimination against the diesels (by Thomas) and Toby (by James).  The worst episode this series was - yep, you guessed it, - Wonky Whistle by Neil Ben.  This episode wasn't just the worst of this series, but the worst of all time.

Blue Mountain Mystery
This was, by far, the best animated special.  The narrow gauge engines were all in character, Paxton was developed so brilliantly that the audience  actually cared about him, brilliant quotes, the drama, the brilliant back stories for Luke and Victor (Victor's especially, as it gave new depth to a character that was already great) and the natural conclusion just made the special feel more complete and well rounded than all the others - including Hero of the Rails, as that ending was spoiled by the fact that Hiro's pretty much stayed on Sodor despite his being homesick.

The underdevelopment of Winston and Merrick, the collapsing bridge, the unrealistic - albeit understandable - actions of Thomas trying to sort things out with Luke and Rheneas being yellow (despite it bringing the story to a natural close) were downsides, but overall it was a fantastic special.

Despite all this though,  you HAVE to wonder how different it would've been if Andrew Brenner hadn't been script editor...

Series 16
For her last series, Miller wrote 11 episodes: Race to the Rescue, Ol Wheezy Wobbles, Express Coming Through, Percy and the Monster of Brendam, Ho Ho Snowman, Bust My Buffers!, Salty's Surprise, Welcome Stafford, Don't Bother Victor, Happy Birthday Sir! and The Christmas Tree Express.

There were many bad episodes this series, especially Race to the Rescue (Flynn was as idiotic and self conscious as he was in Fiery Flynn), Bust My Buffers (more racial discrimination by steam engines to diesels), Ho Ho Snowman (just terrible, like all of Charlie's episodes), Happy Birthday Sir! (repetitive and generic, despite the ending), Don't Bother Victor! (IT WAS DONE TWICE BEFORE, PEOPLE!), Percy and the Monster of Brendam (illogical, demeaning and characters that were out of character) and The Christmas Tree Express (extremely underwhelming after Blue Mountain Mystery, repetitive and dull)

However, Express Coming Through was actually her best episode throughout her tenure.  Thomas and Gordon felt like they were in character, Thomas pulling the Express was similar to Thomas' Train and the dialogue felt more natural, even if the episode itself was quite repetitive.  And while Welcome Stafford was average and repetitive, Stafford himself was brilliant.  His dialect was fantastic and his basis was great.  And the fact that he came from the old North Staffordshire Railway inspired me to look into writing a book series about said line (since I'm from Staffordshire).

The best and worst episodes from this series came from the same writer: Max Allen.  The best was Percy and the Calliope.  Percy and Diesel were a great partnership, the three strikes formula actually worked really well and the calliope playing a remix of the classic Thomas theme meant that the episode was fantastic, even though one incident was similar to Wonky Whistle.

Speaking of that episode, the worst this series was a near re-write of it, and that was Muddy Matters.  While some may not see the similarities, the animals escaping from James' train made me think of Wonky Whistle, and I hate episode where animals are put in danger.  Another memorable mention for worst episode is Sodor Surprise Day by Jessica Kedward and Kirsty Peart.  It was ridiculous, and those rogue fireworks could've caused some serious damage to machines or people.

Favourite Writer

There have been many writers throughout Sharon Miller's seven year stint as head writer, including Paul Larson, Wayne Jackman, Abi Grant and Miranda Larson.  But my favourite writer of her tenure has to be Anna Starkey.  She only wrote one episode (Best Friends), but it's one of my all time favourites.  It's simple, it has a good choice of characters and it has a plot that kids, and some parents, can relate to.

Least Favourite Writer

...do I need to say it?  Hands down, the worst writer is Neil Ben, for writing the worst episode of Series 15, the worst episode of the animated era and the worst episode in Thomas' 68 year history combined: Wonky Whistle.  While other writers have written some bad episodes, Sharon Miller included, Neil Ben outshines them all as it was his first, and so far only, episode.

Final Thoughts

Sharon Miller has been credited for a lot of things over her 20+ year career, so I can't really have an opinion on whether she is good at what she does. All I can go on is her 7 year tenure as the head writer of Thomas and Friends (and her contribution to Bob the Builder).  I don't think her best move was children's television.  It seems that she has no real idea that children are more intelligent than she, and the other writers, thinks they are, judging by the episodes throughout her tenure.  Not to mention the sheer lack of railway intelligence.

Many of her episodes talk down to kids as if they're stupid.  The charm of Thomas the Tank Engine in the first place was that it could be related to by adults AND children, despite the series being aimed at younger audiences.  There was humour, action, drama and worthwhile morals in the Railway Series and older television episodes, and I can say with my hand on my heart that very few of the Miller era episodes, and three of the five specials, had these aspects.

Another problem is that the episodes were just far too repetitive.  The now infamous "three strikes" formula has been noticeable since her arrival, but as the series has progressed it's become more prominent.  It's been made even more prominent by the fact that, especially in recent episodes, the dialogue is as repetitive as an engine's actions.

Rhyming was also a constant pain when she was head writer.  Thankfully, by Day of the Diesels, she took the MASSIVE hint from fans' displeasure of this and toned it down, but by then the damage was done, and all the other messes she caused were just left alone.  Well, ALMOST all of them...

In 2011, a member of the Awdry family was featured in a British newspaper article. In it, she criticised HiT Entertainment for omitting Christmas from the content of the Series 9 DVD "Little Engines, Big Days Out".  To rectify this, HiT held Merry Winter Wish (a Christmas themed DVD due for release later that year) back until October 2012 so they could re-dub the episodes, replacing "Winter Holidays" with "Christmas Holidays".  Also, The Christmas Tree Express was re-written for the UK dub, replacing '"Winter Holidays" with "Christmas".

Throughout the CG era, fans and parents (including myself) have criticised the prices of new releases, as they only had 4 episodes yet were priced at £12.99 (RRP).  Again, HiT acted on this, by adding an additional 2 episodes to the UK releases of Merry Winter Wish and Sticky Situations, while 5 episodes will be on all future releases in all English speaking territories.  So although it's taken a while for them to do anything, HiT are, slowly, trying to win fans over again.

Back to Miller, I really do think that more issues have arisen with her as head writer.  Repetitive plots and dialogue, rhyming, alliteration, the "heroes" of the show being "racist" and "discriminatory" to diesels and any other engines that are a bit "different" and the plain overkill of new characters that are either underdeveloped (Merrick, Winston, Norman, Sidney, Captain, Dennis to name a few) or just plain terrible as far as personalities are concerned (Bash, Dash, Ferdinand, Billy, Charlie).  Don't get me wrong, I know that HiT need to make money by introducing new things that can be merchandised, but that doesn't mean that should be their only purpose.  Kids should feel that they can connect with characters personally, and I don't think they can say that about most characters from Series 9-16.

Which reminds me, Sharon Miller has been in charge of HALF of Thomas and Friends' TV life span (she's been in charge of eight of Thomas' sixteen series)!  I find that fact to be alarming, I must be honest.

Let's not forget though that during her tenure, there have been SOME positives: two new Railway Series books, the expansion of the Hornby (Murdoch, Spencer, Oliver, Bear, Stepney) and Bachmann (too many to list :P) ranges with better detailed models, the CGI change (it wasn't a positive at first but fans were eventually won over), a voice cast rather than a narrator providing character voices (again, fans had to be won over by it), more UK complete series DVDs (sadly, the US is still waiting on that front...) and the re-re-release (they'd been released twice before with original footage) of the first three series with remastered footage (UK only). If anyone hasn't noticed, none of these things had nothing to do with the writing of the television series...

So, that's the Miller era summed up really. 95% of the positive things throughout her tenure had nothing to do with her or her episodes.  So while some (including myself) are hoping she'll never write for Thomas and Friends again, no one can really say if this really is the last we'll see, or hear, of her. However, if she DOES write again for Thomas, at least her damage will be limited if Blue Mountain Mystery is anything to go by.  For now though, all that can be said is this: Sharon Miller, good riddance.

Blue Mountain Mystery Screening Summary

Well, three days ago I went to London with the family (I can't drive so they had to take me) to see  Blue Mountain Mystery with some friends from YouTube including TRI3, DieselFan50, ThomasFan8 and CH01.  The hotel was nice, though quite plain.  Then again, when you go to a Travelodge you don't expect luxury really :P. 

On the Saturday we all (me and the family) set off to Westfield Stratford City, home of the Vue where we'd be seeing the special.   We set off at 8:20am, which was good as we soon got lost (I live around 3 hours away from London so it's hard to find our way around, especially since I rarely go there XD).

Eventually though, we got there, but were told we couldn't park IN the shopping centre as they were during the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics.  After a bit of negotiating with a kind security guard, we pulled up in a layby and I was allowed to get out and head to the cinema.  With the help of other guards (and about three elevators XD), I managed to get to the second floor, where the cinema was just in time.

After another elevator ride, I booked my ticket and was taken, by the manager and with DF50 with me, to ANOTHER elevator to a "special" floor which turned out to be the VIP seats (I'd only paid for a normal seat at the front row with the rest of the group :P).  The seat was great.  I would've loved to have been closer to the group, but I could see all the screen so I didn't complain much.

25 minutes of adverts later and the film started.  An hour later, it was all over, and I thought it was awesome!  I won't say much though, so that I don't spoil Thursday's review.  After going back down the elevator, I met up with everyone else, and it took a while to decide that we would go and have lunch at KFC (which tasted like rubber to be honest :P).

Soon after, 8 members of the group took the tube to Leicester Square, while I left for a taxi.  Because things were a bit rushed, DF50 and TRI joined me in the taxi to Charing Cross.  Sadly though, when we got to the Vue in Leicester Square for a goody bag, they'd all gone (or so the Vue staff said...).  After a few hours trying to get one, we gave it up and went to Hamley's (after scanning through HMV).

It was warm, stuffy and very uncomfortable in there.  To make matters worse, myself and TRI had to wait ages because some lazy buggers couldn't be bothered to even look for the stairs, let alone climb 'em.  Finally though, we got to the 4th floor and regrouped with everyone.

On the 4th floor there was a HUGE range of Hornby stock, including Thomas stuff.  There wasn't much I wanted from there, except for these two:

Taken from my hotel room on Saturday night

Yep, Spencer's coaches!  Sure, I could've got them cheaper online (I paid £20 for each coach), but the memories that come with them mean more than money.  After I bought these, we headed out of the shop and pretty much went our own ways: I caught a taxi and headed back to the hotel (I didn't really want my dad to get lost in London again so I thought to be driven by someone who knows where they're going :P).  The next day, I headed home.

I can honestly say, despite most of the day fighting Vue for goody bags, that Saturday was the best day of my life, to know I'd finally found some friends that wanted to spend time with me and were concerned about my safety.  Not even my REAL friends do that...  Thanks to everyone who went for such a terrific day, especially DF50 and TRI3 for being the most helpful and seeing me off in the taxi to the hotel.  It really meant a lot to me, and I really hope we can all do it again next year!

Hornby's Spencer (Limited Production)

Well, I did it.  After months of anticipation and excitement I've FINALLY managed to get my hands on a Hornby Spencer!  And here is my review.

First Thoughts

In 2008, Hornby first released Spencer (as well as products to tie in with The Great Discovery).  I didn't really think much of it back then as, like most fans, I was so absorbed with the quality of Bachmann's models.  Two years later, he was discontinued, and again I wasn't too bothered as I'd set my sights on Bachmann's version.

Then, in 2011, I saw one video that changed my mindset completely:

With Simierski's Hornby vs Bachmann review my eyes were opened, and I saw that the Bachmann version was actually quite poor in quality (but extremely accurate to the TV series model), while Hornby's was absolutely stunning, despite the black wheels.  Simon posted a link in the video for fans to ask Hornby to bring it back.  Myself, and others, spoke out and they listened.

A few days in to 2012, Hornby announced which models they would release this year.  But for their Thomas and Friends range, things were actually quite dull.  There were three new truck packs, a set with no real "wow" factor to it and Spencer's coaches.  There were only two engines: both re-releases, with only 1,000 being produced.  One was Stepney (which I won't be getting as I already have him from when he was first released).  I was extemely excited for Spencer - and his coaches - and I couldn't wait to get them.  The coaches I'll be getting soon, and Spencer I got on Saturday (August 11th).

What You Get

My own Spencer!

The model comes in the usual blue Thomas and Friends packaging with a yellow border.  The franchise's logo is in the top corner while next to it is Hornby's logo.  Underneath, there's a yellow "sign" with the word "Locomotive" on it.  Again, I think the model's name should be on that yellow strip, but because of Spencer's bold nameplate it's not much of a problem.  The only real difference is on the right side.  Placed over the packaging is a special piece of blue card, with the same CG Thomas image on the usual Hornby packaging.  Above it are the words "Limited Production, 1000".  While this is a good idea, as it shows that the model is more special, I do think the "Limited Production" could be a bit larger, with the age rating on another part of the packaging.  There's a lot of room for it.  This piece of card DOES come off by removing the piece of sticky tape, but I'd rather keep it there.

The box opens with little flaps at each end of the box.  Once out, the model comes in a robust polystyrene tray and plastic inserts.  It also comes with a set of instructions so that the modeller can keep the model well maintained.

The Model

Spencer shining in the sun

Like Murdoch, when Spencer is out of the box, you can see the stunning amount of detail on this model.  The silvery grey livery is crisply applied.  The buffers are brilliant and, like Murdoch, front and rear buffers are sprung.

The face on the model is fantastic, as good as Murdoch's and better than Bachmann's, despite the lack of a moving eye mechanism, and despite the fact it sticks out a bit at the top to make the model seem like it's looking ahead rather than looking up to the sky.  There's also a vacuum (brake) pipe between the buffers.  Strangely, however, there's no front coupling, a first for the Hornby Thomas and Friends range.  And since there's no dummy coupling (like the Bachmann models have) on the model, there's no way for Spencer to pull trains backwards.  But since many fans usually have tender engines travelling forwards, and the fact that James' coupling made him look odd, I don't really mind this much.  And considering other A4 Pacifics in Hornby's ranges have no front coupling either it's not really surprising either.

The valve gear is stunning, as good as Murdoch's and a lot better than Bachmann's.  It also puts Percy's, Bill's and Ben's valve gears to shame.  The fabulous nameplates also put Murdoch's to shame.  And this is from a model that's FOUR YEARS OLD (despite it being brought back this year).  Which begs the question: if they could put this much effort into a nameplate in 2007/08, why couldn't they have done it in 2010/11 for Murdoch?

Like the one released previously, the 2012 re-release uses the double chimney (funnel) A4 rather than the single.  This doesn't bother me at all, as it just adds to the detail in my opinion.  The top of the boiler and the firebox look great as well.  One disappointment is the handrail is black, rather than silver.  It sticks out against the silvery grey of the boiler, but is camouflaged against the black smokebox.

The cab is absolutely brilliant.  Say what you want about Hornby's models, but you CANNOT deny that the detailing in their cabs (whether the models be goood or bad) has always been top notch (except Bill and Ben, who didn't really have one), while the Bachmann counterparts HAVE no cabs as such, just blocks of plain disappointment (even Donald and Douglas' cabs are non-existent).  The tender coupling also seems a lot sturdier than Bachmann's if you ask me.

The major drawback that fans have with this model has is the black wheels rather than grey.  I, however, don't mind the wheels.  Every real A4 Pacific, other than Mallard from what I can recall, have black wheels and they are perfectly fine.  What's so wrong with Thomas' A4 having the same trait has his siblings?

The tender is also very detailed, the coal especially.  It almost looks real, it's that good.  The black lining is applied perfectly, as is the silvery grey livery, although this does not extend to the top of the tender, which is all black.  Also painted black is the handrail and the wheels.  A pity, but I wasn't really put off by these issues.  Other fans might, though.

 The front of the tender has fantastic detail as well.  Brake handles are present, as is a ladder for the driver/fireman to reach the water tank at the rear.

The rear is great too, but again handrails are painted black, as is the corridor compartment which is also silvery grey on screen.  But again, I don't think it looks too bad. 

Overall, this model is a stunner, and I really do think any Spencer fans, or any fans of the Hornby Thomas and Friends range will be disappointed if they don't get this model.  And with only 1,000 made, and many sold already, you may need to get in quick.

Sadly, as I have no layout, I can't do any speed or strength tests.  But since this model is pretty much the same as the one from 2008, I should imagine the results should be pretty similar to those seen in Simierski's review.

R.R.P.

The recommended retail price of this model is £99.99 (€127.15, $156.81)*.  Like Murdoch, this seems like a hefty price to pay, and I would agree... because it is.  But considering the fact that, in the Thomas and Friends range, this engine is the same price...

Doesn't seem too bad now, does it? :P.  Not to mention the fact that, when the 2008 version was discontinued, it was selling for anything up to £300, £100 seems quite reasonable.  Not to mention that if you shop around, you could get it for as less as £79.99 (€101.71, $125.45).  With all those factors, AND the fact that Spencer is a limited production release, I'd say Spencer is a steal!

Should You Buy One?

Without a doubt, yes!  It's a lot better looking than the Bachmann version, and it's the second best model of the two ranges (in my opinion, second only to Murdoch).  It's the same price as Edward, but a million times better and for a Hornby model, it's extremely good value for money.  The only thing I'd advise is if you CAN afford, and you DO want to buy him, do so NOW.  There are only 1,000 available, and no one knows when they'll all be gone.

And while, I'm sure, there are other Hornby A4s available that are cheaper with the same amount of quality, they are a lot easier to buy, which I think gives Spencer even more appeal.

Ratings:
PACKAGING: 8/10
MODEL: 9.5/10
PRICE: 7/10 (see the "R.R.P." section as to why I think this is brilliant value)

* = Prices correct as of writing of the blog post